Some Neat Stuff

[Ian M]

FIrst, for those of us who like to take a LOT of equipment and gear, the ultimate gear bag. Recently used one and it kept all my duffles and sleeping bag etc. nice and clean and dry. Check out:

www.bigfootbag.com

Next is something that I just got and it is slick. Called the IC-UC Quick Sight, this is a hunting tool for guides and guys who hunt with clutzy partners who cannot spot game when it is being pointed out for them. This little device works so slick, we all need one when we are hunting with a partner. So simple it is scary. Just hold it out at arm's length, put the critter in your pair of circles and tell your buddy to look through the right side circle. He WILL be able to see what your are seeing through your circle. Ultimate test, worked for me and my wife (we do not see eye to eye on anything related to hunting and shooting, so this is a hell of a test!).
Check out:

www.icucquicksight.com

NOw for another slick hunting tool, although maybe not for long rangers so much. I recently hunted in Africa using a shooting tripod called a Bog Pod and it is a fine rifle rest. Took a Stoney Point setup over but it went apart in the bouncing and abuse from the hunting truck. The Bog Pod stood up to a lot of abuse and enabled me to make some nice kills. Really like the handle on the BogPod and the index marks on the legs, plus the head swivels 360 degrees.

Check out:
www.boggear.com

Am using Bushnell's new 4200 Tactical 6-24x50mm and it is a very good scope - BUT it needs more elevation latittude. Some of my friends have bought the scope and they are also encountering a need for a sloped base or shimming to get the zeros lower in the elevation turret. Really like the crisp and accurate turrets, up to 20x the optics are excellent, fall off a bit at the top power but many scopes have this affliction. IF you have a straight taper barrel on your rifle you will need fairly high rings, the 50mm objective is a bit bulky. Overall the scope is NOT big and bulky, it is a very nice size for a hunting scope. Really like this scope, and it is priced very reasonably. Buy one now and you get a free jacket!

WWW.bushnell.com (I think)

 

[Eaglet]

Ian M,

I enjoyed to reading. Thanks.
I'm interested in the bushnell riflescope. How many MOAs does it have all together? How many MOAs in one full turn of the turret? I hope I did not ask too many questions.

 

[Eaglet]

Señor Ian M,
Around what would be a good price for it?
Thans!

 

[AlexBaldwin07]

I like the list and how you gave your honest opinion about these products.

 

[ericstokes250]

Señor Ian M,
Around what would be a good price for it?
Thans!

I've seen it around for about 530 which is the price it is at all the hunting stops. I would try to get maybe on ebay or in some ads for like 500 around that price.

 

[Eaglet]

ericstokes250,

Thanks for your response. I have been searching and I believe you're pretty much right on the money. Best I've seen so far is right at $536.00.
Thanks again!

 

[rotorhead]

thanks for the review on the bi-pod I have just started to look for a good one.
The stoney junk I had wasn't worth a hoot.

Rh

I might add I have been using the safari sticks not the bi-pod with the yoke

 

[LRHWAL]

Thanks Ian.

I liked the idea of the Boggear tripod, and imported one to South Africa after seeing your post. Service was good, shipping very reasonable and it arrived quickly.

I've handled it, but not shot off it yet (only arrived yesterday) and I can't say that I'm particularly enthusiastic about it. Well not moreso than my Stoney Points.

The swivel on the head is great and a worthwhile addition. Panning on a Stoney Point generally means that the rifle will start to cant and you'll have to try to straighten it out as you go. Not conducive to following moving game waiting for a decent shot.

The carbide (I think) tips under the rubber feet are a nice idea.

The leg adjustments though are not great. The legs are very sticky to extend (maybe the painted markings) and whereas the SP permits losening and tightening with a short twist - the Boggear seems to need twisting forever to losen and retighten (particularly tightening) and at times it feels like it's not engaging the thread when you try to tighten it up and you twist around and extend and retract a little bit before it starts to tighten. It also won't always tighten the bottom leg when it's fully retracted (at all). If you then extend the leg a bit and tighten it up, you can losen it slightly and retract it sort of "against tension" and tighten it up again once you've done that. It's like if you haven't entirely unscrewed it, it will pick the thread up again when you retract it. I'm not sure if you found the same Ian and would be pleased to know.

If you are going to set up for a fixed height and don't need to mess around with the adjustments as you stalk, or move closer to game much I think the Boggear is fine. If you need to adjust up and down quite a bit as I sometimes do (particularly for handgun as the terrain changes) I'll stick to the SP.

For long range the Boggear's shortcomings may not affect you as much.

I've had a SP for a while and wouldn't say that it's poorly made or not sufficiently robust for my hunting activities. I'm not saying the Boggear is "bad". Just pointing out what imo could be better.

Time will tell which I eventually prefer, but for now I'd be weighing up the pan function against the ease of adjustment for a purchase decision.

I think it's down to personal preference, but I'd not expect you'll be much more satisfied with a Boggear if you hate a Stoney Point.

It may improve with use. I'll let you know.

I have a Bushnell Tac as well, but haven't mounted it on my rifle yet.

Thanks again Ian.

Wim
(South Africa)

 

[Ian M]

Wim,
I agree with your points about the legs, they are a bit tighter to adjust initially but I found after some use they become very easy to set. I also found they locked very uniformly, just took me a while to get used to them. Perhaps give them a try for a while and see if they improve, the ones I used in Namibia worked great. I had Stoney Points with me and they broke do to the rough bouncing around in the back of the Toyota, the Bogs took the beating better. One thing I suggest, the rubber tips on the end of each leg do not stay in place and disappear too easily. Not too big of a deal since the steel tips work well in the field. I might place a dab of glue into the rubber tips to keep them from falling off since I like using the legs with the rubber ends.
I also get annoyed when I pull the legs out too far and they pop out but they return easily into place and no damage is done. Your points are well taken but I would give them a chance, I found that the more I used them the better they worked for me. They offered a lot of confidence when I was shooting from blinds.

Eaglet,
I believe the best prices for that scope are right around 500 dollars, saw them being sold for that by someone on SnipersHide I believe. They need more elevation, mine have about 40-45 moa only. If you can zero the scope so the 100 yard zero is down at the bottom of the range you can get pretty long with the turrets but more would be better. The scope is working very well tho, returns accurately and the turrets are nice and crisp. I like this scope, just would have liked to see it with 70 or more moa of up and down.