Caldwell Rock Jr Rifle Rest -Hands on Review

This will be a short one. Its a rifle rest. It does what its supposed to do.

It's cheaper than a lot of the competition and does just as good a job as 80% of the other rests out there. It doesnt have a lot of extras on it and its not going to be the end-all answer to your target shooting/ varminting/ benchrest need, but its solid, its simple, and its easy to adjust (three things that rate good marks in my book). It does what it was designed to do at a price even I can afford. Although probably not what you would be using if you where planning on going toe-to-toe with some of the best shooters in the country, this will more than suffice for day-to-day zeroing of rifle, whiping out your average prairie dog town, and friendly to moderate target shooting and competition.

Gangster for good?

So apparently keeping my word makes me a bad person. I was always taught that your word is your bond, but apparently in the world of today that has gone by the wayside. I posted a number of things for sale on a local site (not craigslist, that site sucks imho...), including a pair of Wilson Combat 1911 mags. I know they arent in their original package and that, while near-new, I would be able to get rid of them faster if I marked them down a few bucks. So I did. First person who contacted me offered my asking price, so I said "sure, when and where?". We set a time, and I figured that was that.

I was wrong.

Next person who contacted me offered more than I was asking, but I told them I had already promised them to someone else but that if the first person didnt show, they where next in line. They where ok with that. At first...

Long story short, the first guy shows up right on time and he gets the mags for a great price. I go ahead and mark them "sold" on the website, and no more than 30 minutes later I get an email from the second gentleman asking how much the first guy paid me. I told him, and he became very mad at me and called me a moron for not selling them to him since he had offered 5 bucks more than the other guy.

So I said "Fuck you asshole, Screw off!" and tried my best to slam my cell phone. It's not that I cant use any extra 5 or 10 bucks in my pocket; I can, believe me. But if you think your going to buy me off after I have already given someone else my word, then you are way off the mark. And you're a dick for trying.

It's a shame that people these days think that money can buy anything. The values passed down to us by our grandparents and great grand parents are vanishing faster and faster in a time where they are needed more than ever.

Savage Model 12 FVSS Varmint Rifle - Hands on Review

So the long story short, I have been in the market for a long, heavy barrel 308 winchester rifle for longer range work for the better part of two years now and nothing really caught my fancy (at least, not that fit into my income bracket). I finally decided to settle on the Savage 12 FVSS, and I am sure glad I did. I have always prided myself on researching my purchases very carefully in advance, and it paid of in spades this time around.

Good stuff: Throw a good scope on this sucker and you are good to go. I chose to go with a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40 with their DOA reticle because it was the best in my price range, but I can see where better glass would make this an even better shooter. As with any other heavy contour varminter, its very front heavy and most at home riding a rest or bipod. If you buy this rifle thinking you will carry it across mountain tops, then maybe you should re-think your options, as this model definitely has some heft to it.

As accuracy goes, I havent had a chance to work up any handloads just yet, but the Black Hills and Hornady Match ammo I ran through it chalked up several VERY impressive groups (best was ~.5MOA at 100 yds, and actually appeared to tighten up at longer ranges; I managed to Clang the head of a 500yd sillhouette target that is no more than about 5 inches wide, so its more than adequate for what I want to do).

Bad Stuff: As with all savage actions, I wouldn't want to use this for anything requiring rapid follow up shots. Because it re-cocks on opening, it makes unlocking the bolt hard tough enough to unseat the rifle on the rest when you finally qrench it open. Hopefully this will smooth out a bit with use. Its not the end of the world since this will be mainly a target rifle, but its still a bit of a pain. My only other complaint is really not related to the rifle, but to my own retarded slip up; I didnt think to measure my cleaning rods before I bought this rifle, and managed to overlook the fact that none of them would reach down its 26" barrel, much less the additional 11" of boreguide. So mark that one up to me failing to pay attention to details, and let it be a reminder to anyone else who is in the market for this rifle.

Overall, a very good rifle for under $800. Can't wait to see what it can do with some good handloads; I have a selection of Matchkings and Nosler Custom Competition BTHPs ready on the loading bench, and a pound of Benchmark, so we'll see how far that gets me. Definately recommend this rifle it to anyone considering it.