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Aura https://aura.com/moondog

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THIS WEEK

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Moondog Reviews

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NAME THE BRAND CLUE

This major US food company was founded in 1877 in Ravenna, OH. In August 2001, this brand was acquired by PepsiCo for $14 billion.

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WORD OF THE WEEK: LENT

The English word Lent is a shortened form of the Old English word lencten, meaning “spring season“. Lent is the most solemn Christian religious observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter.

It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry.

Lent is observed by Roman Catholics by fasting (tradional), abstenence of eating meat on Fridays during this 40 day period. In addition, Catholics choose to a Lenten sacrafice “Give up something for lent”. Examples include, sweets, snacks, entertainment, social-media, and technology.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

Intermitant Fasting research NIH https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2019/12/fast-or-not-fast
In some animals, certain fasting diets seem to protect against diabetes, heart disease, and cognitive decline.
Study results

“In mice, we’ve seen that one of the effects of fasting is to kill damaged cells, and then turn on stem cells,” explains Longo. Damaged cells can speed up aging and lead to cancer if they’re not destroyed. When stem cells are turned on, new healthy cells can replace the damaged cells.

Baylor College Dawn to Dusk Fasting https://www.bcm.edu/news/dawn-to-dusk-dry-fasting-leads-to-health-benefits-in-the-study-of-immune-cells

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have found more evidence that dry fasting (fasting without food or liquid intake) from dawn to dusk can play an important role in overall health. In a new study published in Metabolism Open, researchers found that fasting from dawn to dusk for four weeks has an anti-atherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic effect on the proteins in a type of immune cell called a peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC).

Dry Fasting for 7 days Dark Horse Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPMYUyPCTxI

A study found that Holocaust survivors had a 6.5 month longer life expectancy than those who left Poland before the war. 
One study found that Holocaust survivors in Israel lived an average of seven years longer than their non-Holocaust peers. 

CONTESTS

NAME THE BRAND CLUE:

Despite its logo illustration this company has never had any ties with the Religious Society of Friends. The illustration was the trademark brand image to be registered in US in 1877.

HASHTAG DRAWING #Quaker

Multixel Travel Charger Contest

Next Livestream Wed March 9 (Ev Brady)

Shooting Sports

SHOT 2025 Monstrum Tactical

Monstrum Tactical makes some of the most underrated budget scopes available. Many cost less than $300. But they are one of the most innovative optics companies in the industrial design of their scopes.

At last year’s SHOT Show they showcased their Archangel concept LPVO which looked like a prop out of Mass Effect or HALO. Due to positive interest and comments to my booth visit video, Monstrum pushed forward with changes to create an affordable producible Archangel 1-6x and 1-10x LPVO for this year’s show.

This year, the concept LPVO was the Terminator, with a crazy large sun shade that makes it look like a prop out of Star Trek. Like the Archangel, if there is enough popular support of this design, Monstrum will create a production model for next year’s show.

BUY

Monstrum Tactical https://monstrumtactical.com/archangel-1-6×24-first-focal-plane-lpvo-series/

Shooting Sports

CVLife WolfCovert X M01

Micro-reflex sights with reticles that can be changed between dots and circles are rare. Rarer still are compact red dots that fit on a compact pistol. CVLIfe’s WolfCover X M01 has that rare compact MRD with a changeable reticle that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

The M01 compact MRD has built-in fiber optic rear sights that are a bit too high to use with factory sights but can be used with raised front sights. The box comes with an MOS adapter plate and a Picatinny adapter. The CVLife was a bit small for my slide, so I opted to test it with the Glock EOM RMSc adapter plate.

I ran 50 rounds through my pistol and the M01 held zero. The 32MOA circle looked just a tad smaller than the 32MOA circle on my OSight and I found myself wanting a bit more visual separation between the 2MOA dot and the sunburst circle. I hope CVLife offers a 40MOA or 60MOA circle option in the future.

One other minor nitpick was that the white paint they used to fill in the logo and lettering was a bit sloppy and smeared in places. This is not unusual for a budget product as compromises have to be made and corners have to be cut to lower production costs. If it’s just the paint job, I can live with that.

BUY

Amazon https://amzn.to/438fZmM

40% Discount Code: 3MISAEYJ  

SPECS

Objective Window: 22mm x 16mm

Reticle: 2 MOA dot / 32 MOA circle

Footprint Type: ‎RMSc

Length: 1.81″

Width: 1.06″

Height: 1.02″

Weight: 0.77 oz

Click: 1 MOA

Waterproof: IPX-7

Battery: CR1632

Battery Life: 50,000 hrs

Warranty: ‎3 years

Gadgets

OLight OStation X

OLight has been branching out beyond EDC lights with products like gun red dot sights, lighting strips, tools, and pens. At SHOT Show 2025 they debuted something completely different: an automated AA battery charger.

The OStation X is a colored translucent box that reminds me of a Tangerine iMac knock-off PC from the 2000’s. This unit holds up to 32 drained AA batteries. Simply drop in your batteries—no need to check (+)/(-) polarity. It auto-detects battery type and offers both a standard 3.8-hour and fast 2.5-hour charging mode. It will automatically test them ancharge 4 of them at a time and drop the charged battery into a dispenser tray at the bottom. Any defective batteries will be kicked out and held in a reject tray for disposal.

The unit will only charge AA NiMH batteries. A different model changes AAA batteries. It should prove invaluable for working environments where AA batteries are often used for work comms, devices, and tools. They may also appeal to young families with kids and their many toys. But this should have come out 15 years ago before everything became USB-C rechargeable.

BUY

OStation X on Olight website: https://shrsl.com/4ulj0

Travel

SF Twin Peaks Panorama

https://youtu.be/-F_GWQ_6V1M

Twin Peaks is a hill above downtown San Francisco that offers a panoramic view of San Francisco Bay, Downtown San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge. This is a popular spot with locals and tourists. But if you are a visitor, be warned that car thieves are known to frequent the area, so don’t leave anything valuable in your car.

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Aura https://aura.com/moondog

EARLYBIRD Clue: logo

THIS WEEK

Moondog2A

Moondog Reviews

Moondog Go

NAME THE BRAND CLUE

This TV network traces its origin to a Radio Network of the same name which was founded in Chicago in 1927. It is one of the “Big 3” TV networks.

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DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

CONTESTS

NAME THE BRAND CLUE:

This TV network name is an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System

HASHTAG DRAWING #CBS

Multixel Travel Charger Contest

SHOT2025 Logo Contest

Next Livestream Wed March 2 (Ash Wednesday)

Shooting Sports

Telson Toxin 3-18×50

Telson is a new optics company out of Texas that I’d never heard of prior to making this video. A fellow Pewtuber asked if I’d be interested in reviewing a premium, mid-range scope with Japanse ED glass. A few days later, I got a box sent to me from @GunTotinMinnosotan

The plain white sample box is not the retail version and I can’t confirm what sort of accessories a consumer will receive such as lens caps, throw levers, etc. My sample was the actual production version, albeit with scope rings attached (which may not be present in the retail version either).

Physically the scope reminded me of a Leupold Mk5 or a US Optics. It had a unique diamond-weave design motif in the contact surfaces of the turrets and rings. It came with a removable throw lever with a diamond-shaped design. The rings turned smoothly and the turrets were crisp, audible, and tactile positive.

The elevation turret has a zero-stop which is engaged by lowering the turret onto an internal pin. The turret has a pop-up indicator when the turret is turned past its second revolution. This indicator is actuated by the zero-stop pin under the turret and does not function when the zero-stop is deactivated. Neither the windage or the elevation are locking.

The image through the glass is impressive owing to its quality ED glass. Bright, clear, and color-accurate with minimal chromatic aberration. I liked its thin clean Christmas tree reticle with a small floating central dot. The only disappointing aspect I found was its tight eyebox.

I had one other disappointment: I had to return the Toxin. I handed this scope back to Telson at SHOT Show so that they could display it at their booth. But they did give me something back in return: a coupon code to share with my readers to get 6% off buying one for yourself.

BUY

Telson use code: moondog6 for a discount https://telsonoptics.com/shop/toxin-3-18×50-ir-ffp/?ref=sfojkzqu

RESOLUTION

Group -1 / Element 3

SPECS

Magnification: 3-18
Objective Lens Diameter: 50mm Apochromatic lens
Tube Size: 30 mm
Reticle Type: Glass Etched PH2
Illumination: 6 w/ On-Off
Glass Type: Extra Low Dispersion
Light Trans: 99.8% Per Surface
Turret Style: 2-Turn W/ Indicator and zero stop
Turret Rotation: CCW
Adjustment Graduation: 1/10MIL / 1/4MOA
Parallax Setting: 15Yrds – Infinity
Max Elevation Adjustment: 39MIL / 125MOA
Max Windage Adjustment: 39MIL / 125MOA
Travel Per Rotation: 10MIL / 25MOA
Available Turret Elevation 19.5mil / 49MOA
Field of View at 100 Yards: 35ft-6.2ft
Eye Relief: 87mm / 3.4”
Exit Pupil: 7.5mm – 2.9mm
Length:13 11/16”
Weight:30.4 oz.
Battery: CR2032

Shooting Sports

SHOT 2025 Telson Optics

Telson is a new Premium Optics company based in Texas. I had never heard of them prior to testing their Toxin 3-18×50 scope. I met their founders (Canadian precision shooters) for the first time at this year’s SHOT Show.

Their scopes are all over a $1000 but have features usually found on scopes that cost many times more. Telson scopes feature high end Japanese glass, practical design features and quality construction. I was also impressed by the thought they put into the quality of their mounts and accessories.

Only time will tell if Telson succeeds in the crowded and competative PRS optics market but the quality of their products, design, and marketing are on target and all center X.

Shooting Sports

Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25×56

https://youtu.be/QM3_zJPiCiE

The Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25×56 is one of the top-rated long-range scopes under $1000 (MSRP over $1250 but with a street price of around $700) when it first came out a few years ago. Vortex took many of the features found in their top-tier Razor HD and created a virtually identical-looking scope for a 1/3 of the price. But is it a “Budget Razor” or a “cheap knockoff”?

The Strike Eagle shares a nearly identical-looking external design to the Razor, save for the Razor’s MilSpec FDE/Burnt Bronze finish. But on closer inspection, there are some differences. The illumination knob does not lock and the elevation and windage turrets don’t feel as crisp or precise as the more expensive Razor. While the controls are lackluster, its glass is not.

Looking through the scope, I was treated to Vortex’s glass. The image was bright, sharp, color accurate and high contrast. At the range, I did notice some chromatic abortion at high magnification, but not as pronounced as seen in the video footage. The Strike Eagle is able to resolve fine details to a degree I usually see in much more expensive scopes.

The Strike Eagle is not cheap. With the arrival to the market of brands such as Arken and Discovery Optics, its performance has been matched or even exceeded to some degree by budget High-Performance scopes. The Strike Eagle is still Vortex’s best glass for long-range under $1000.

BUY

Vortex Strike Eagle on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gA4Ejq

RESOLUTION

Group -1 / Element 6

SPECS

Magnification 5-25x
Objective Lens: 56 mm
Tube Diameter: 34 mm
Focal Plane: First
Reticle: EBR-7C (MOA)
Illumination: red
Eye Relief: 3.7″
FOV @ 100 Yards: 24.0-5.2
Parallax: 15 yrds-Infinity
Elevation Adj: 110 MOA
Windage Adj: 78 MOA
Per Click: 1/4 MOA
Per Rotation: 25 MOA
Length: 14.6 in
Weight: 30.4 oz

Gear Reviews, Education, and Adventure