Gun gadgets that you can't believe you lived without?

[Poper]

the brass holding tray things that you put your charged cases in to keep them upright before you seat bullets on.

They call these "loading blocks". Just thought you might like to know.

 

[Poper]

I can think of three things:
1) Reading glasses - for seeing detail more clearly in my old age
2) magnifying glass - for when the reading glasses fail me
3) magnet - for finding the occasional errant spring or small steel part Arthur Ritis made me drop. They always seem to hide under things - way back under...

 

[230RN]

C’mon guys…..I’ll be the first to say it …. Kinetic bullet puller.

Hah-ha ! Very good.

For me:

Laser sights on handguns.

Grip filler for M1917 revolvolator.

Arched mainspring housing for 1911. Prior to that I thought I was a lousy shot. After that I was a not-so-lousy shot.

Terry, 230RN

 

[.308 Norma]

1) Reading glasses - for seeing detail more clearly in my old age

Yeppers. Laser surgery fixed my distance vision a few years ago, but I still need "reading glasses" for close up. That's one of the reasons why I still wear glasses with no correction at all in the upper lenses, and +2 (whatever that means) correction in the lower lenses - because I hate having to reach for my reading glasses every time I want to read something or examine something in detail. That, and because the polycarbonate lenses in my glasses provide at least some eye protection while shooting. Besides, after almost forty years of wearing glasses, I kind of got used to it.

 

[230RN]

(

...
That's one of the reasons why I still wear glasses with no correction at all in the upper lenses, and +2 (whatever that means) correction in the lower lenses -
...

That's two diopters, or a focal length of 1/2 a meter, or 39.37" / 2 = 19.7 inches.

One meter is 39.37 inches.

A "power" of 3 diopters would be a focal length of 39.37 / 3, or 13.1 inches.

There are a lot of things which use the inverse (reciprocals) of a given quantity for calculations.

(Capacitors in series and resistors in parallel are good examples of this.)

Mathematically, the beauty of this is that in a lot of instances, using the reciprocals allows one to simply use addition to get a result.

For example, combining a lens of 2 diopters with a lens of 3 diopters (as in the above) results in a combined "diopters" of 5, or 39.37 / 5 = 7.9 inches total resulting focal length. IOW, diopters add.

In stores, diopters are usually cited as 100 times the actual diopter. In the above examples, the store labels would be 200, 300, and 500 instead of 2, 3, and 5 actual diopters. "250" would mean 2.5 diopters.

On DIY testing, it is difficult to arrive at exact focal lengths. I have a meter stick I marked in diopters for testing eyeglass lenses using the sun as a light source and there's always a small + or - involved.

Probably because the sun is only 93 million miles away instead of at infinity.

(Also, atmospheric errors and it is hard to find an accurate focal length because of image brightness, etc..)

Corrections welcome.
)
Terry
(Back to topic)

 

[Armored farmer]

I have really enjoyed this cellular trailcam Mrs farmer got for my Christmas. It sends pictures via text message. It is $9/month cellular plan and I am about ready to suspend that until early fall.

I hacked out this shooting table from a utility wire spool (copied from @South Prairie Jim ).
The little. 22 Hatsun 95 pellet rifle has been a pleasant surprise in power and accuracy. It can easily be a squirrel hunting rifle. Any rifle shooters needing something for a little backyard trigger time should look into a quality spring rifle.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

I go through a can of Folgers French Roast about every month and use the plastic container for brass, cast bullets, and tumbler media...

View attachment 1053715

I have 5 empties of these on my bench

 

[Seedy Character]

I have 20+ of these.
Empty brass, sorted by caliber
Sized and prime
Bullets
Bulk .22LR

1 will hold 700 rounds of 9mm brass, 600 .45ACP, 200+ .30-06.
Makes sorting easy. Stack on shelf.

Plus parts, screws, etc

The coffee can is for scrap brass

 

[doubleh]

I had a pair, they went dead in 15 months. Nope, Never again. Kind of expensive to throw them away after a year or two due to a dead battery. What a scam. Next ones had replaceable batteries.

MIne are several years old without blutooth and still going strong but at the range is the only use they get. I bought the blutooth ones for my wife last year but she has since given up shooting. After about 2 hours they revert to regular earplugs. Things don't hold a charge worth a hoot and mostly stay setting on a shelf.

 

[doubleh]

Yeppers. Laser surgery fixed my distance vision a few years ago, but I still need "reading glasses" for close up. That's one of the reasons why I still wear glasses with no correction at all in the upper lenses, and +2 (whatever that means) correction in the lower lenses - because I hate having to reach for my reading glasses every time I want to read something or examine something in detail. That, and because the polycarbonate lenses in my glasses provide at least some eye protection while shooting. Besides, after almost forty years of wearing glasses, I kind of got used to it.[/QUOTE

I have worn some kind of glasses since I was a kid. First it was shades because of the bright sunlight, then safety glasses, and finally bifocals because my arms got too short to read fine print. I have never gotten used to the damn things. They get dirty, sweaty, slip down my nose, make my ears ache, etc. I had my cataracts removed in December of 2019 and finally I can get along without glasses most of the time. Yes, they are still needed for some things but I am really enjoying when they are not.

 

[Ignition Override]

Any head space gauge.

Pure random chance led me to buy a No-Go gauge. This might be a small miracle.

——Total failure with the No-Gauge, but a Field Gauge should be here soon. If there is any question about results—would let a gun smith check.

—the gun would then remain inop. unless the right guy offers to adjust the barrel for $150. Fat chance.

Need that cash to buy more ammo for the nib PTR-91, now shipping from the seller.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

HKS speed loaders for revolvers
Bar mats for cleaning pistols (the nubs keep tiny parts from escaping)
A staple gun for tacking targets up
A coffee can for policing brass
A roll of Necco Wafers for cheap and challenging "reactive" targets

Neccos are made in Mexico now.

Not even worth buying for that.

 

[gobsauce]

Neccos are made in Mexico now.

Not even worth buying for that.

Not sure I follow your reasoning as to why. So just because they're made in Mexico, they're not a worthy cheap and reactive target?

Anyways, with ammo being less common that unobtainium, clay pigeons are about $5 a box here, so we use those as cheap reactive targets.

A polymer mallet and my sks cleaning kit. I've never found a pin that can't be removed with the SKS punch, and a mallet can go a long way.

The mallet came in clutch when my buddies AR in 7.62 Soviet had an FTF, and the rim of the cartridge had binded his BCG to the point where mortaring it did nothing. So I slowly tapped it out with the mallet, cleared it and got it working.

 

[iShatterBladderz]

electronic earmuffs. laser bore sight.

 

[3850remhep]

Already mentioned but for me: bore guides and coated cleaning rods (carbon fiber single piece, too), electronic ear muffs, now on my 2nd pair. My old passive muffs stay in the garage for use anytime the air compressor is running. Also have plastic coffee cans filled with tumbling media.

Bore guides are essential IMHO. I still have a multi section GI .50 cal cleaning rod with T-handle as a souvenir of how never to do it.

 

[LonewolfMcquade]

I'd have to say binoculars with built in LRF. Got Leica Govid 15x56 about a decade ago. 1 less thing to take hunting or shooting-1 less thing to lose. Ask me how I know.......maybe don't, still stings!