Category Archives: Shooting Sports

Firearms and shooting sports

CVLife Wolfcovert 6MOA Green Dot

CVLife is known for budget firearms accessories but recently, they’ve really stepped up the quality and design of their optics. The Wolfcovert 6MOA is an affordable RMR cut reflex sight available in red or green dot. It has a 20x28mm lens affording a wider field of view than typical CCW sized micro dots. The 6MOA sized dot and bright green help in acquiring and aiming the dot especially for those new to using dots on their pistols.

But this micro dot can also be paired with CVLife’s riser mount and used on a rifle, shotgun or pistol caliber carbine. CVLife offers these mounts are in 21mm, 23mm, 25mm, and 29mm heights allowing you to absolute or 1/3 co-witness your dot to your iron sights.

The WolfCovert has some premium features like motion-activation and 4-minute auto sleep to conserve battery life. The unit has a stated 50,000hr (10year) battery life. The battery chamber is accessible from the top of the unit so you don’t have to unmount it. It is built with an Trijicon RMR footprint and comes with an RMR to Picatinny and a RMR to Glock MOS adapter.

The reticle can be adjusted using a small flathead screwdriver (a flathead tool is included). The adjustment screws are faintly audible, tactical positive and distinct, with no slop. Each click is 1MOA. In my testing I discovered that the Wolfcovert I received did not hold zero. I contacted CVLife and after sending photos and details about my ammo and rifle (115gr 9mm on Sub2000) they swiftely sent me a replacement. The replacement unit held zero after a 100rnds of testing.

RETAIL AFFILIATE LINK

Multi-Reticle 65 MOA Circle & Red Dot: https://amzn.to/3XES1eq

15% discount code(valid for both dot sight and mount):SKEIOG4S    

SPECS

Reticle: 6MOA
Material: Aircraft grade aluminum
Mount Type: ‎RMR Footprint
Length: 1.85″
Width: 1.25″
Height: 1.13″
Weight: 1.34oz
Window size 20x28mm
Click: 1 MOA
Waterproof: IPX-7
Battery: CR1632
Battery Life: 50,000hrs
Warranty: ‎3 years

Monstrum Ghost Forward Magnifier

At SHOT Show earlier this year I got a first look at what could potentially be a game changer. Monstrum created a 2x magnifier with an exceptionally long eye relief so that it is positioned forward of your red dot or prism. This allows you a clearer field of view than a traditional magnifier but if you use a magnified prism optic, you can multiply it’s magnification by 2x and get even higher power.

A few months later, I got my hands on one. It lived up to my expectations, surprised me in some ways, and disappointed me in others. It truly magnified the target image by 2x which really made a noticeable difference in my in PID (positive identification) of my targets at ranges beyond 50yrds.

I’ve not been a fan of traditional red dot magnifiers because of they block too much my peripheral vision, especially when flipped to the side to clear the view of the primary optic. Traditional magnifiers also have tight eyeboxes and small eye reliefs. The Ghost 2x has nearly unlimited eye relief and when positioned farther away from the face, minimizes blocking of my peripheral views.

This extreme eye relief is a key feature of the Ghost 2x, which makes it an ideal optic for scout rifles, AKs, or folding carbines like my Sub2000. Theoretically it could even be used on a pistol. This also allows it to be placed in front of magnified prism optics as well as red dots. This effectively doubles the intrinsic magnification of that prism; turning a 4x ACOG into a 8x optic.

But as Heinlein said, there is no free lunch. By adding a Ghost 2x in front of a prism, it reduces the brightness and introduces more distortion on the outer rim of the image. Moreover adding a optic in front of your primary optics aimpoint, causes the point of aim to shift; you have to zero out the Ghost 2x independent of your primary optic.In theory this could be an advantage, allowing you to set a long distance zero with the Ghost 2x to compensate for bullet drop, while keeping a point blank zero for your primary optic.

But fantasies of turning a 4x ACOG into a long range precision optic with a Ghost 2x, should be dispelled by the side-flip mount. The hinge of the side-flip will inherently never keep an absolute zero. As anybody who’s had to tighten the hinge on a kitchen cabinet knows, over time and use, a hinge will loosen up. Traditional side-flip magnifiers also have this issue but that doesn’t stop people from using them especially for 3-gun. That’s because at close to moderate distances (ie 100yrds or les) the side-hinge mount shouldn’t impact action-shooting level accuracy with man sized targets.

As I said, I’m not a fan of traditional magnifiers and for the same reasons, nor am I fan of prism optics. But the benefits imparted by this unique magnifier avoid most of those negatives. I’m looking forward to seeing how this new class of optic impacts the shooting industry.

BUY ONE

Amazon affiliate https://amzn.to/4cpLAkS

SPECS

Magnification:2x

Objective Lens: 35mm

Coatings: UltraLUX Multi-Layer

Materials: 6061 Aircraft Grade Aluminum

Gas Purge: Nitrogen

Length: 2.5 in

Height: 1.5in S

Centerline Height: Up to 1.9in with spacers

Weight: 8oz

Anarchy Outdoors Bolt Shroud

If you own a The Ruger Precision Rimfire (RPR), chances are you never gave the bolt shroud a second thought even though it’s been literally right under your nose. The bolt shroud is the metal cap that cover the butt end of the bolt and houses the mainspring and firing pin components.

Anarchy Outdoors makes a RPR bolt shroud in a variety of colors. I requested a red shroud to match the red Little Birtha knob they sent me to test out on my rifle. Installation was simple but took a little bit of time as does anything involving a spring under tension. It was a matter of knocking out the holding pin and then re-using the main spring in the factory shroud.

BUY IT

Amazon affiliate link https://amzn.to/4cPcELG

Anarchy Outdoors: https://www.anarchyoutdoors.com/ruger-precision-rimfire-bolt-shroud-replacement/?ref=8q3MgFPLCfepf9

Win a GTMedia N4 NVG

Enter to win a brand new N4 night vision goggles from GTMedia. Entries must be received no later than 12pm EST on September 30, 2024. Entrant must be legally able to receive this NVG device and reside in the USA, Canada, the UK, or the EU.


CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS

1. Subscribe to my YouTube channel: Moondog Go or Follow me on X.com

2. Take a screen shot showing you’ve SUBSCRIBED/FOLLOWED.

BONUS ENTRY: Make a donation (any amount) to Marcella’s high school Concert Choir Fundraiser: https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/97H5u9j8vh and upload a screen shot of your donation confirmation email.

3. Prove you have the skills to fill out a form and upload that screen shot. One entry per platform/donation. Up to 3 chances to win.

https://forms.gle/WeFDdTsmNRaLgcVB8


RULES

NO PURCHASE OR DONATION IS NECESSARY TO ENTER. YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING DO NOT INCREASE WITH A PURCHASE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

1. Eligibility

Void where prohibited by law. Must be legal resident in the USA and Canada. Moondog Industries employees, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, advertising and promotion agencies, employees’ immediate family members, are ineligible to participate in the contest/giveaway.

Entrants must be willing and able to appear on YouTube to discuss the contest and post images of the prize on their social feed should they win the contest.

2. Sponsors and Platforms

GTMedia is an electronics manufacturer in China and Moondog Industries (collectively known as the SPONSOR) is a video Edutainment producer based in San Francisco, CA. YouTube, TikTok, Rumble, and online video platforms (known as PLATFORMS) are not SPONSORS or in any way affiliated with the contest or content.

3. Agreement to Rules

By entering your contest, participants agree to abide by the SPONSOR’s Official Rules and decisions. The SPONSOR retains the right to refuse, withdraw, or disqualify entries at their sole discretion. By submitting an entry, the participant agrees to accept the decision of the SPONSOR as final and binding.

4. Entry Period

Contest email entries must be received between:
12:00pm EST Aug 24, 2024
and
12:00pm EST Sept 30, 2024

5. How to Enter

This contest requires your skill in navigating your phone or computer controls to screen capture an image of the following YouTube channels/Social Media accounts. Subscribe or Follow and make a screen capture of those pages showing a greyed out Subscribe button or indicator that your account is Following that page. One entry per person or per Social Media account. Fraudulent methods of entry, photo retouched, or other methods of circumvention of the rules may result in the SPONSOR invalidating a participant’s entries.

6. Prizes

Winner must be able to receive the prize by e-mail or by physical mail. Prize may be substituted at the sole discretion of the SPONSOR. Acceptance of the prize grants SPONSOR permission to use the Winners entry, name, and likeness for advertising, promotion, and trade without further compensation or remuneration unless prohibited by law.

7. Odds

The odds of winning is dependent upon the number of eligible entries received.

8. Selection and Notification of the Winner

The winner will be chosen at random by the SPONSOR from among the entrants that demonstrated the skill to navigate the electronic entry and have met the minimum requirements. Winners will be contacted via the email used to enter the contest no later than December 31, 2024.

SPONSOR is not liable for the winner’s failure to receive notification of winning if he or she provided the wrong email address or if their email security settings caused your prize notification to go into the spam or junk folder. If a winner does not respond within 24hrs of sending a notification, the SPONSOR will select an alternate winner. Receipt of the prize is upon the condition of compliance with federal, state, and local laws.

9. Rights Granted by the Entrant

The SPONSOR, upon submission of an entry into the giveaway or contest, has the right to use the participant’s submission, voice, likeness, image, statements about the contest, etc., for publicity, news, advertising, promotional purposes, trade, and so forth, without any further notice, review, consent, compensation or remuneration.

Participants shall defend or settle against such claims at their sole expense, and shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the SPONSOR from any suit due to damage of or by the prize.

10. Terms & Conditions

The SPONSOR reserves the right to modify, suspend, cancel or terminate in the event that non-authorized human intervention, a bug or virus, fraud, or other causes beyond your control impact or corrupt the security, fairness, proper conduct, or administration of the contest/giveaway.

11. Limitation of Liability

Entry into this contest constitutes the participant’s agreement to release and hold harmless the SPONSOR and PLATFORMS, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, etc., against all claims liability, illness, injury, death, loss, etc., that occurs directly or indirectly from participation in the contest or use/misuse of the awarded prize.

12. Disputes

As a condition of participating in the promotion, the participant agrees to resolve all disputes with an arbitrator designated by the SPONSOR in the state of California, without resorting to any form of class action. Entrants waive all rights to punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, and waive all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.

13. Privacy Policy

Participants agree to abide by all privacy and NDA laws in the State of California and any federal laws of the United State of America.

14. Winners List

Participants may request a list of winners by submitting a request in writing to Moondog Industries for up to 30 days after the contest ends.

15. Social Media Platform Rules

Winners will agree to post a photo of the prize on their social media channels in such a way as does not violate any rules of that platform. The winners also agree to appear for an interview where they will discuss the prize and its performance. If there are functional problems with the prize, the winner agrees to make a good-faith effort to resolve all issues with the SPONSOR prior to posting reviews or opinions about the prize.

16. Affirmation of Acceptance of and Agreement to All of the Official Rules

By entering the contest, the entrant has affirmatively reviewed, accepted, and agreed to all of them. 

Nightforce ATACR 1-8×24

The ATACR is the optic of choice for special forces, contractors, and SWAT. In many ways, it’s the gold standard for tacticool LPVOs known for its light transfer and intensely bright illumination. Nightforce is known for it’s durability and reliability in real world combat. But also known for being Gucci with a street price around $3000.

The ATACR’s FFP reticle optimized for long range use fine MIL stadia and a horseshoe of death with holdover markings. At 1x it appears as a T-style reticle which is a bit thicker and more usable without illumination than the Vortex Razor HD. But thankfully it has red dot bright illumination to compensate for it 1x reticle.

Its illumination knob features 10 levels of visible brightness and 3 additional night vision settings; with off settings in between. Curiously, there is a stop between it’s lowest NV and highest visible setting which does not allow you to turn it past. This brightness is not without a cost with reports of shorter battery life when on extended patrols (there is no free lunch).

Optically I found it to be impressively sharp and bright. While Nightforce uses ED glass the ATACR does exhibit chromatic aberration at the edges of it scope view; high light transfer glass tends to exhibit more CA. Despite the CA, the resolution was impressive at 8x and comparable to scopes of higher magnification.

While the eyebox is better than most 8x LPVOs, it still is not as forgiving as a red dot. But overall the LPVO lived up to my expectations. LEOs and Military get discounts from Nightforce but for us civilians, it’s $2,900 which is still way out of my league. The only reason I was able to get a hold of one was because my buddy lent it to me and he thinks its worth it.

BUY IT

Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/46gGVAe

RESOLUTION

Element 6 / Group -1

STATS

Magnification: 1-8x
Focal Plane: First (FFP)
Tube: 34mm
Length: 10.1in/256 mm
Weight: 21.0 oz/595 g
Click Value: 0.1 MRAD
Elevation Adjustment 30 MRAD
Windage Adjustment: 30 MRAD
Parallax: Fixed 125 m
Eye Relief: 3.7 in/95 mm
FOV @ 100 yd: 1x: @ 96.1 ft/32.0
FOV @ 100 yd: 8x: 13.1 ft/4.4 m
Exit Pupil 1x: 11.3 mm / 8x: 3.2 mm

Sunwayfoto Inverted Leg Tripod

Sunwayfoto sent me their new T4030CSI-L, one of their first Inverted Leg Tripods. Traditionally, telescoping leg tripods were attached at the hinge at the thickest and widest leg segment, telescoping out to the thinest section. Inverted leg tripods are hinged to the head at their thinnest diameter section.

Having the widest diameter part of the leg offers two advantages. The heaviest part of the leg is at the bottom, lowering the tripod’s center of gravity. Moreover, the largest diameter part of the leg also offers a wider contact point with the ground. One of the advantages I thought it would have would be the higher position of the locking rings but this did not prove to be substantially better ergonomics than standard tripods.

The T4030CSI-L is one of Sunwayfoto’s tall (L=long) and heavy-duty models. It has a rated load capacity of 66lbs but it was easily able to hold up my weight of ~165lbs. In use, I found it to be a sturdy and stable shooting platform, soaking up recoil from my 5.56 AR-15. Moving forward, I think I would prefer having all of my tripods follow this inverted design. But then I always tended to be a bit of a heterodox.

BUY IT

Sunwayfoto affiliate 5% Discount Code: MOONDOG https://sunwayfoto.com/

Browse their entire tripod line: https://sunwayfoto.com/?ref=pwwCNnfb

March Majesta 8-80×56

Let me preface this review by stating that I am not an ELR (Extreme Long Range) or F-class shooter. I’ve hit a 1000yrd target a handful of times in my shooting career but I make no claims of being an expert on the nuances ELR shooting and gear. My opinions and observations about March scopes are from the point of view of your average 100yrd range shooter.

March Scopes is the brand name of rifle scopes made by Deon, a small optics company in Japan. That name is not well known by most gun owners but it’s a brand name that will impress anybody who is an ELR competition shooter. March Scopes are known in ELR for extremely high magnification scopes that were made with high quality ED glass, and for their commensurate high price tags.

I had an opportunity to visit their booth at SHOT Show and was shown their new Majesta 8-80×56 scope. That’s correct this scope’s top end is 80x! That’s the highest power scope in the world that you can buy (if you have the ~$4500 to buy one).

This scope has some unique features. The turrets have March’s Shruiken turret locks; star shapped ring atop the turret which turns to lock and unlock the turret. The illuminator is activated by a button on the end of the parallax turret. It has screw down zero stop that can be a accessed outside of the turret.

The Majesta has Deon’s “Super Master” lenses made with their Super ED glass. I don’t know if “Super ED” is their own name or an industry name for a formulation of ED (Extra Low Dispersion) glass with a higher fluorite content. This reduces chromatic aberration. In my testing, even at 80x I saw almost no CA through my camera. Where most premium scopes would exhibit a notable purple or green fringe at 24x or 30x, the Majesta at 80x showed just a slight yellow tint on high contrast edges.

The Majesta was specifically designed to reduce the mirage/shimmer effect of light bending due to warm air, distorting the image of a target at long range. The Majesta does not completely eliminate mirage (nothing can, thermodynamics and physics) it glass enhances contrast and detail in some magical way to allow long range shooters to see better detail on their target despite the mirage.

In my 100yrd range testing, this scope at 80x scopes is impressive. Almost like looking through a spotting scope. You will lose quite a bit of brightness and experience a very unforgiving eyebox understandably. You won’t be able to see the nuts on a fly but you will be able to see that fly crawling on your center X.

I won’t bother posting a online retail link as these scopes are special order at most retailers. They are certainly a boutique luxury optic. Sadly this scope is a short-term loaner so I have to send this scope back to March after this review so I won’t have any long-term follow up. But I appreciate March Scopes giving this Average Shooter an opportunity to ride this unicorn.

BUY IT

Optics Planet (Majesta 8-80x) https://tidd.ly/4hJwD1u
Opitcs Planet (Shuraken model) https://shrsl.com/4m6ee

RESOLUTION

100yrds: Element 4 / Group 0

SPECS

Magnification 8x-80x
Effective Lens Diameter 56mm
Body Tube Diameter 34mm
Exit Pupil 4.1mm
(0.16inch) 0.7mm
(0.03inch)
Field of View (real) degree 3.12° 0.31°
ft/100yd 16.4ft 1.64ft
m/100m 5.45m 0.54m
Eye Relief 76-92mm
(2.99-3.62inch) 79-92mm
(3.11-3.62inch)
1 Click Adjustment 1/8MOA
Elevation Travel 66MOA
Windage Travel 36MOA
Focus Distance 10yd – infinity

KEY POINTS

・10X Zoom in SFP, MOA
・New bicolor scope: Dark grey body with black turrets
・Robust 34mm body tube with a 4mm thick wall simply to make the scope extra strong
・56mm objective lens
・Highest magnification rifle scope in the world
・Wide Angle eyepiece : 25 degrees
・Temperature Anti-Drift Lens System
・High Master lens system (Super ED lenses)
・Shimmer protection
・Focus from 10 yard to infinity
・Scope body fully machined from aluminum ingot
・All Japanese metal parts with no plastic part except for minimum essentials such as an insulator
・Argon gas filled for internal stability
・6 level illumination module
・Top quality multi lens coating where the transmittance is very near 100%
・Water repellent lens coating
・Shuriken lock elevation and windage turrets

Discovery 7075 Precision Rings

Discovery released new scope rings made of 7075 aircraft grade aluminum and with precision features like their “Lightweight 7075 offset mounts”. The design makes extensive use of lightening cuts to reduce the weight. Uniquely the upper and lower ring halves have an index pin to precisely line up the halves without the need for play in the Torx screws.

Discovery also went to the extra effort of pre-lapping the rings with a finishing buff on the rings inner surface to assure a smooth, high contact interface with your scope. The rings come in 30mm, 34mm, and 35mm tube sizes in 1.5″ center height and higher profile 1.93″ heights. Overall the rings look as good as those made by big brands for a lot less than half the price.

BUY IT

10% discount code Moondog7075

Amazon affiliate https://amzn.to/3z3OPAL

Discovery Optics website https://discoveryopt.com/ 

Viridian at SHOT 2024

Viridian is a Weapon Technology” company that produces lasers, dot sights, flashlights and cameras. Their claim to fame is producing the first green laser pistol light in 2006. Our eyes are much more sensitive to green color than red which is why they also exclusively produce green dot weapon sights.

My buddy, American Hillbilly introduced me to Viridian because his astigmatism prevents him from using red dot sights (red dots looks like a fuzzy smear to his eyes which is the opposite of precision.) He swears by his Viridian reflex sight because it appears clear to him. He asked me to stop by the Viridian booth as SHOT this year to say hello.

This year Viridian is launching their new MDS enclosed sight (this was the year everybody seemed to be pushing enclosed reflex sights). They also showed off their extremely bright 4LUX Duo 1800 lumen rifle light, laser and angled grip. My apologies to Junior for calling him Jose at the end of the video but as you can hear in our off camera exchange he took it with great humor.

BUY IT

MDS25 green dot
Optics Planet affiliate link http://shrsl.com/4mi6b

4LUX
Optics Planet affiliate link http://shrsl.com/4mi64

Athlon Midas 1-6×24 BTR Gen2

Athlon designed the Midas BTR Gen2 1-6×24 LPVO for 3Gun competitors. It features low profile turrets to maximize the shooter’s field-of-view when moving through the course. Its ATSR4 second focal plane reticle has a high-visibility Death Circle, minimal graphics (no wind holdover stadia), and BDC holdover dots offering just enough reference points for quick hit adjustments, while not obscuring steel targets.

Athlon sent a sample of this competition grade optic for my tests. The package comes minimal contents, just the optic, a CR2032 battery, cleaning cloth, and the user manual. At 18oz it is relatively light weight, which is ideal for competitions where speed is a factor in scoring.

It’s illumination is daylilght bright enough for 3-gun with an off in-between it’s 6 intensity settings. It’s capped turrets offer a crisp and loud 0.25 MOA per click. Its tracking tests proved it precise with an impressive 75MOA per direction of adjustment.

Optically, the scope is sharp and flat with a decent eyebox. At 6x the glass is not very bright, my target view appeared muddy in a shaded cover but this shouldn’t effect most 3-gun competitions which are conducted in broad daylight. The ASTR4 reticle proved very quick to aim and intuitive. It’s a good copy of the ACSS reticle which is an evolution of Trijicon’s horseshoe-of-death reticle.

In my live fire tests it held zero and proved to be one of my favorite 1-6x LPVOs. With a street price just under $500, this LPVO is a surprisingly good value.

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINK

Amazon https://amzn.to/4bkjAPd

RESOLUTION

Element 1 / Group -1 @ 100yrds

SPECS

Magnification1-6
Objective Lens Diameter24 mm
Reticle ATSR16 SFP IR MOA, Glass Etched illuminated
Surface FinishMatte 
Lens CoatingAdvanced Fully Multicoated 
Extra CoatingXtra Protective Coating 
Tube Material6061 Aluminium 
Tube Diameter30 mm
Exit Pupil 12.5- 4 mm
Eye Relief3.8″
Field of View @100 yards108-17.6 ft
Click Value0.25 MOA
Adjustment range per rotation30 MOA
Total Elevation Adjustment150 MOA
Total Windage Adjustment150 MOA
Turret StyleCapped
Parallax AdjustmentFixed
Purging MaterialArgon 
Length10.6″
Weight18.1 oz