Firearms and shooting sports
At SHOT Show 2025, I stopped by our friends at Evike.com who had a large booth near Holosun and Baretta. We got a chance to see their new licensed airsoft guns which are spot on copies of Kimber, Stacatto, Daniel Defense, and Noveske firearms. These are perfect training devices for dry-fire and non-lethal CQB training.
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Evike.com http://www.evike.com/#a_aid=moondog&a_bid=b467b403
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Monstrum released the Challenger 5-25×56, a new budget FFP long-range scope. This improves upon their older G3 4-24×50 long-range scope with features appealing to PRS style shooting with a larger 56mm objective lens, zero-stop turret, and a Christmas tree reticle. Remarkably it has all of that at a lower price than the G3.
The Challenger ships with several accessories including a decent set of high-height rings. It does not include a sun shade which many budget PRS scopes include. The Challenger has a built-in fin on its magnification ring so doesn’t need an additional throw lever.
The illumination knob has 6 levels of brightness with an Off in between the settings. The elevation turret is non-locking but has a built-in Zero-Stop activated by screwing down a worm screw accessible under the turret cap. An odd design feature is the screw-down turret top on the elevation which covers the turret screw and access to the Zero-stop worm screw. This makes resetting the turret zero a little bit more work.
The windage turret is a more typical, push-down-to-lock design. It has an exposed slotted turret screw top to reset the turret to 0. Unfortunately, my model’s turret markings did not exactly line up with the tube’s indicator dot, a tell-tale sign of cheaper, budget construction.
Glass and optical quality are also where Monstrum compromised to achieve its low price. The image at its lowest of 5x shows noticeable chromatic aberration. The image was not sharp from center to edge, with noticeable softening and distortions at the outer 1/4 of the scope image. Color fidelity was good but with a slightly warm balance. The was average for a budget PRS scope: tight.
The new reticle is the Challenger’s best improvement over the G3. It is a more tactical style reticle than other PRS Christmas tree reticles, with a thick “+” as its central aim point. This made the reticle much more usable from 5x-16x than typical FFP reticles but was too thick for Precision target shooting as it obscures the central X ring of a bullseye. This reticle will be more appealing to hunters than Benchrest shooters.
For long-range hunters or gong plinkers on a budget, this scope is priced low enough to be worth a try. As a competition PRS scope it has disappointing optical performance. But factoring in its jaw-dropping street price of $199, the value calculous for this scope shifts radically toward its favor.
Monstrum Challenger on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gSoS7J
Monstrum Challenger: Group -1 / Element 2
| CHALLENGER |
| Magnification: 5-25x Objective Lens: 56 mm Tube Diameter: 30mm Focal Plane: First Reticle: CM4 MOA, MM4 MIL Illumination: red Battery: CR2032 Eye Relief: 3.5-4 in FOV @ 100 Yards: 25.3-5.06 ft Parallax: 25 yrds-Infinity Elevation Adj: 45 MOA Windage Ad: 45 MOA Per Click: 1/4 MOA Per Rotation: 20 MOA Length: 14 in Weight: 37 oz |
The scope has a First Focal Plane (FFP) reticle that appears to be a copy of the Vortex Razor HD. The reticle is very thin and hard to see at 1x but unlike the Razor HD, the illumination of the Bear Swift is only average in red and not daylight bright. It’s green brightness is rather dim. At 10x the reticle is much more usable but like many 1-10x FFP, the eyebox is tight and unforgiving.
Optically, the scope exhibited a slight image distortion and wasn’t the flattest image at 1x. But the glass had good clarity and sharpness and reduced chromatic aberration. The initial sample I received from CVLife had a small optical defect. The reticle was parallax focused at 100 yards and exhibited a slight 1/2 shift at 100 yards. Despite this parallax shift, I was able to stay on target during live-fire testing, and the scope retained zero after 50 rounds of .556. I sent photos and a short video to CVLife to explain this issue, and they quickly sent me a replacement without defect.
The Bear Swift’s features and glass clarity make it a good value for a $200 scope, putting it on par with the Monstrum Panzer series and better than most entry-level FFP LPVOs from bigger-name brands. If CVLife could improve its weak reticle illumination and the overly thin 1x reticle design, this would be an amazing budget scope.
Amazon https://amzn.to/3FcbDl6
Group -1 / Element 3
BEAR SWIFT
Magnification: 1-10x
Objective: 28mm
Tube: 34mm
Click Adj: 0.5 MOA
Elevation Adj: 80 MOA
Windage Adj: 80 MOA
Eye Relief: 3.5mm
FOV: 11.7 fr. @ 100 yrds
Illumination: Red & Green
Battery: CR2032
Weight: 29.03 oz
Length: 295mm
Tippmann is best known for making paintball guns/markers but many don’t know that they also make 22LR and rimfire firearms. Their 22LR AR model comes highly recommended by my club members for its compatibility with standard AR upgrades and accessories. At SHOT 2025 they showed off their new 22LR conversion kit which allows you to convert your AR15 to shoot 22LR rounds reliably.
Tippman https://tippmannarms.com/parts-and-accessories/accessories/m4-22-conversion-upper-kits/
Safety on a gun range is paramount. Communication between Range Safety (RSO) staff is vital to do their job, and two-way radios are a useful tool, but this can be a challenge when wearing electronic earmuffs. It is possible to connect earmuffs to walkie-talkies, but it requires additional attention to wire management.
The RHO8 is a clip-on accessory to ProHear shooting electronic earmuffs, adding the ability of walkie-talkie radio communication using FRS/GMRS. The unit clips to Howard Leight Impact Sports compatible headphones into the earcup that has a 3.5mm audio jack. The RH08 has a built-in battery and is recharged via a USB-C cable.
In testing, I was able to clearly communicate with a fellow RSO who was using a handheld walkie-talkie. The talk/transmit button is on the mic stem, which pokes a few inches beyond the earcup. It is comfortable to wear, and the added weight and bulk isn’t really noticeable. The only downside to using this instead of a handheld radio is that the LCD display is only visible when you take off your headphones.
| Number of Channels | 22 |
|---|---|
| Frequency Range | 400-470 MHz |
| Talking Range Maximum | 3 Mile |
| Water Resistance Level | N/A |
| Battery | Internal Lithium-ion |
| Compatible Devices | Howard Leight Impact Sport, ZOHAN EM054, PROHEAR 066, 030, 036 |
| Battery Average Life | 28 Hours |
| Connectivity Protocol | UHF |
Too Much Information live chat show. In this episode, we’ll be talking with Alex Sosnovski, a former Soviet Army NCO, about what it was like to grow up in the USSR.
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This video is sponsored by Venice.ai. Go to my link https://venice.ai/moondog and enjoy private, unscensored A.I. Get 20% off a Venice Pro Plan using code: moondog
Read my notes https://moondogindustries.com/tmi-250611-alex-ussr/
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In 1974, this soft drink was the first Western product to be officially allowed to be sold and marketed in the Soviet Union.
SPECIAL GUEST: Alexander Sosnovski
Born in the Soviet Union, Alex served in the Soviet Army. He studied law, moved to New York City, and works at the cancer research institute Cold Spring Harbor.
Brand Clue:
This beverage was created in 1893. Along with its arch-rival Coke, dominates the worldwide soft-drink market.
HASHTAG DRAWING #pepsi
Holosun has grown from being a “budget Trijicon knock-off” to creating durable and innovative optics and reflex sights. At SHOT Show 2025, they introduced their hottest as well as newest models for 2025. This includes the final release of their pistol-sized thermal sight, debuted at last year’s SHOT Show.
Amazon https://amzn.to/3YP0Zap
Scope rings that allow you to adjust their height above the rifle base are nothing new. These rings allow users to mount a scope with a large bell on a variety of rifles without having to change the rings to accommodate different clearances. But many suffer from design flaws that cause them to shift and lose zero over time.
Discovery Optics has brought its high-quality design and construction to adjustable rings. Their 30mm rings are made of aircraft-grade 6061 aluminium, which come pre-lapped. Furthermore, the adapter shims that allow the mounting of 1″ tubes (25.4mm) are made of aluminum, not plastic. Both the rings and shims are pre-lapped to create a smooth surface and provide the maximum contact footprint with a scope tube.
The rings feature locking teeth that prevent the rings from dropping and two locking screws that make it impossible for the rings to shift from their locking position. Each ring feature 6 locking Torx screws and are thoughtfully printed with the mounting sequence and inch-pounds of screw pressure to apply to each set of screws,
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Discovery Optics website 10% discount code: Moondog
https://discoveryopt.com/
Too Much Information live chat show. In this episode, we’ll be talking with Ilya Koshkin of @darklordofoptics. Stop leaving yourself vulnerable to data breaches. 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. Read my notes https://moondogindustries.com/tmi-live-250604-dark-lord-of-optics/
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This camera company was established in 1919, initially specializing in microscopes and thermometers. One of the top Japanese camera brands behind Nikon and Canon. They popularized pocket 35mm clamshell cameras in the 80’s and 90’s with their pocket Stylus cameras. In the mid-90’s, their OM line was one of the first Digital SLR’s. Along with Fuji, they introduced the Micro 4/3 digital camera format.
SPECIAL GUEST:
Dark Lord of Optics https://darklordofoptics.locals.com/
Born in the Soviet Union, educated in California at CalTech and UCLA, this optical physicist has made a career in electro-optics and imaging. He’s worked for camera companies, defense contractors, designed reticles, and written articles about hunting and sporting optics for Guns & Ammo and Shooting Illustrated. He runs the blog and channel Dark Lord of Optics.
Brand Clue:
In 2020, this Japanese camera company spun off its camera brands into OM Systems. It takes its name from the legendary mountain top home of the Greek Gods.
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YouTuber @dayattherange posted the Stretching It challenge on his channel. Elijah has invited his viewers to download his target and see how well they can group 22LR from a distance of 100 yards. https://dayattherange.com/stretching-it-2025-year-long-challenge/
I chose to participate using my factory-stock CZ 457 VPC, topped with an Area 419 Picatinny rail, and a Discovery Optics XED 6-36×56 scope (their top-tier long-range optic featuring Japanese ED glass). For this attempt, I chose to use plain vanilla CCI Standard Velocity, an everyday bulk/practice ammo that shoots well in my rifles.
TARGET 1
Group Size 1.67″
Mean Radius: 0.47 MOA
TARGET 2
Group Size 1.62″
Mean Radius: 0.53 MOA
CZ 457 VPC https://moondogindustries.com/cz457-varmint-precision-chassis/
Area 419 Rail https://moondogindustries.com/area-419-cz457-455-rail/
Discovery Optics XED https://moondogindustries.com/discovery-xed-6-36×56/
Discovery Optics website: https://discoveryopt.com/zh/products/xed-6-36x56sfir-ffp-mrad-moa-zero-stop-diameter-35mm-optics-scopes
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