UTG has been quietly modernizing the MP5 by offering clamp-on handguards that allow the mounting of all the lasers, lights, and tactical accessories that a Tier 1 Operator would want in the legendary SMG. At SHOT Show 2026, they brought a new extended lower handguard sized for suppressors and a new fully knurled round charging handle.
Monthly Archives: March 2026
Carmel Mission Basilica
Founded in 1771, by Fr. Junípero Serra, Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Río Carmelo, or simply Carmel Mission, was the 2nd of 21 missions founded by Fr. Serra and the headquarters of the mission system. In 1833, newly independent Mexico, stripped the missions of their lands and assets. Carmel Mission was abandoned and fell into decay.
Abandoned for decades, restoration efforts were started in the early 1900’s and the grounds and church were finally restored in the 1950’s through the efforts of clergy and the community. Today, Carmel Mission Basilica is a fully functioning Roman Catholic church parish, historical site, and museum.
Tourist may enter the grounds during the week by making a donation at the gate. The church contains the remains and relics of Saint Junipero Serra, who was canonized by Pope Francis.
SHOT2026 Nite Ize
Nite Ize brought practical, high-utility new gear to SHOT Show 2026. Nite Ize has a reputation for clever everyday solutions, producing innovative gadgets to outdoor and climbing; they invented the S-shaped carabiner.
For outdoor enthusiasts, the RunOff Waterproof Phone Case Plus offers complete protection for larger smartphones in wet or rugged environments, while the G‑Series Mini Lanyard 2 Pack provides a simple tethering solution for small essentials using stainless steel dual‑chamber carabiners.
Nite Ize earned a SHOT Show new product awared for their new Orange Screw, a large plastic anchor designed for securing tents and pop‑ups in soft ground. My favorite product is their wire twist ties.
TMI 260311 Future Pefect Machine OP: Epic Fury
Future Perfect Machine will be joining me to discuss Op: Epic Fury and its impact on the world economy. This video is sponsored by Venice.ai. Enjoy uncensored, private A.I. using my link https://venice.ai/moondog to get a 20% off their Pro Plan using code: MOONDOG.
This episode is sponsored by Matt Hat beef jerky. Use code: MOONDOG to get 15%
Order a free sample using my link https://matthatjerky.com/products/sample-pack?ref=moondog
THIS WEEK
Moondog2A
Moondog Reviews
Moondog Go
BRAND CONTEST CLUE 2
This is the largest U.S.-based oil and gas company in the world. It is the largest oil company that can trace its origin directly to Rockefeller‘s Standard Oil .
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
NOT EPIC FURRY
Furries is an anthropomorphic cosplay subculture that is focused on alter-ego/fursonas; not characters from a movie, anime, or comic book.
EPIC FURY
A joint US and Isreali air and sea opperation that launched on February 28, 2026. The US’s stated aims are to destroy Iran’s military, missile, and nuclear capabilities. Isreali’s seem to be Iran’s political leadership and ability to support proxies like Hamas.
Q: How is this conflict affecting energy and trade?
GUEST PAUL DRAVIS
Paul Dravis
Former Managing Director of Bank of America, a former VP at JPMorganChase, and the founder of Future Perfect Machine, a technology analysis and consulting company focused on emerging technologies. https://www.futureperfectmachine.com/
CONTESTS
BRAND CONTEST CLUE 3
This American oil/gas company is headquarterd in Spring, TX. It was formed in 1989 by the merger of Exxon and Mobil oil.
MARCH CONTEST
YARD SALE
Fundraiser for St. Anne Middle School 8th grade class trip to Washington D.C.
https://moondogindustries.com/yardsale/
This week, you can get a Monstrum 2000 lumen weaponlight for half off.
Aquilifer EP 5-25×56
Aquilifer is a budget scope brand that takes its name from the Aquilifer, the soldier in the Roman Legion given the honor of holding the golden eagle standard. Their EP 5-25×56 FFP is their new flagship long-range optic, but with a budget to mid-range price point of around $300.
To achieve this low price, this optic made some trade-offs. It has a very unforgiving eyebox that’s tight even at its lowest 5x magnification. It is also a heavy scope at over 2lbs. Its Vortex-style turrets only offer a middling 26 MRAD of adjustments.
Its value-tier price and overall performance make up for many of its shortcomings. The scope has well-made turrets with a Vortex-style zero stop. Its illumination is almost daylight bright. It has ED (Extra Low Dispersion) glass, which allowed me to see a good level of detail at 25x, though the image lacked contrast and sharpness above 16x. Given its weight and limited range of elevation adjustments, I wouldn’t recommend this for PRS or NRL-22 competition, but it’s a good entry-level scope for mid-range bench rest.
SHOP
HD 5-25×56 Amazon https://amzn.to/4qGIHUA
DiscoveryOpt 6061 34mm scope rings
(10% Discount Code: Moondog) https://discoveryopt.com/collections/scope-rings-durable-and-precision-machined-mounting-solutions/products/6061-series-aluminum-scope-rings-medium-profile-30mm-34mm-35mm-scope-mount-for-picatinny-rail
RESOLUTION
Group -1 / Element 4
SPECS
HT
Magnification: 5-25x
Objective: 56mm
Eye Relief: 3.54″–a4.33″
Exit Pupil: 11.2mm –2.24mm
Parallax Focus: 15y – ∞
FOV @ 100y: 22.9ft-4.4ft
Click Value: 0.1 MRAD
Max Elev Adj: ±26 MRAD
Max Wind Adj: ±26 MRAD
Tube Diam: 34mm
Length: 15.26″
Weight: 35.2oz
Illumination: 12 levels red
Battery: CR2032
SHOT2026 Monstrum Tactical
At SHOT Show 2026, Monstrum’s newest products weren’t new scopes but a whole new product line: red dots. Monstrum sold red dots a recently 5 years ago but quietly dropped those products due to issues with quality. They didn’t want poor products to taint their strategy of improving quality and performance in the budget optic brand space.
They released their Nitro line of traditional reflex sights in both RMR and RMCs models. At their SHOT both, they showed their newly released Bird of Prey (B.O.P.) shotgun dot. And they showed me a prototype of an upcoming enclosed emitter red dot, which didn’t have a name at the time.
Monstrum changed the budget optic landscape about 5 years ago with the introduction of good-quality LPVOs under $200. I was fortunate to be part of the awareness of this brand with my reviews of their Banshee and later a head-to-head comparison review of their Panzer vs a much more expensive one Vortex Razor HD Gen3. Spoiler alert, the Razor was the better optic but the Panzer was not bad in comparison.
Monstrums history of delivering better-than-good-enough quality for a shockingly low price bodes well for their new red dots. I look forward to testing them out this year.
SHOP
Nitro+ red dot: https://alnk.to/d3FY8t3
B.O.P. shotgun dot https://alnk.to/1N5tmev
The Cheese Shop, Carmel California
In the Carmel Plaza shopping center, you’ll find a well-stocked cheese shop. When you enter, find one of their cheese mongers who will guide you through a free tasting of their cheeses. They offer a wide range of California and European cheeses. My wife and I tasted a flight of French and Swiss hard and soft cheeses and she walked out with a delicious, stinky bag of them.
SHOT2026 L3i Design Solutions
L3i is a precision chassis maker that produces some of the sweetest looking, modular chassis for precision long range shooting. They showed off their Remington 700 and CZ platform chassis and custom magazines at SHOT Show 2026.
SHOT2026 Rite in the Rain
At SHOT Show 2026, Rite in the Rain showcased their products designed to perform when conditions turn wet, muddy, or extreme.
Rite in the Rain’s proprietary paper notebooks feels like paper, tears like paper, but in effectively water-proof. You can even write on it underwater or in a complete downpour.
SHOP
Notepads https://amzn.to/3MOQn8S
TMI 260304 Anarchy Outdoors
Today we’re talking with one of bolt-action rifle accessory maker, Anarchy Outdoors. Go to my link https://aura.com/moondog to get a 14-day free trial and see if any of your data has been exposed.
This episode is sponsored by Matt Hat beef jerky. Use code: MOONDOG to get 15%
Order a free sample using my link https://matthatjerky.com/products/sample-pack?ref=moondog
THIS WEEK
Moondog2A
Moondog Reviews
Moondog Go
BRAND CONTEST CLUE 2
This NBA team is based in Salt Lake City, Utah
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
GUEST
Aaron Gines, Chief Product Officer
Anarchy Outdoors
CONTESTS
BRAND CONTEST CLUE 3
This basketball team got its name from it’s original home city, New Orleans. They moved to Utah in 1979 and for the first 10 years there was one of the least successful teams in the NBA until 1984 when it made its first Playoff.
MAR CONTEST DRAWINGCONTEST 1
CONTEST 2
YARD SALE
Fundraiser for St. Anne Middle School 8th grade class trip to Washington D.C.
https://moondogindustries.com/yardsale/
This week, you can get a Monstrum 2000 lumen weaponlight for half off.