Gear Up – for a Cause! 2017

May 12 • News • 5912

GUFAC – Gear Up for a Cause

Once more, the time has come to give back. OpticsPlanet is implementing our Gear Up for a Cause campaign for the third year in a row. We need your help to show our support for the Hope For The Warriors® charity. We have doubled our donation goal from last year, attempting to raise $50,000 in just a six week campaign. Starting now, a portion of every sale will contribute to Gear Up for a Cause and benefit Hope For The Warriors®.

 

 

It couldn’t be easier. Each time you place an order at OpticsPlanet.com, from now until June 18^th, a portion of the net proceeds will go towards our charitable donation to Hope For The Warriors®. In support of your contribution, each of our campaign partners will donate up to five times the amount of their sales proceeds. Together we can make an impact and support our nation’s heroes. Further details can be found here.

 

Many of our OpticsPlanet customers are active and retired military, while countless more are friends and family of service members. That is why we repeatedly run our Gear Up for a Cause campaign and what lead us to working with Hope For The Warriors®. For 6 weeks, our customers can take advantage of special discounts, limited deals, and exclusive items to show their appreciation and give back through a renowned charity like Hope For The Warriors®. Sign up for the OpticsPlanet newsletter (located at the bottom of the site, above “Information”) to ensure you don’t miss any of these opportunities.

 

Gearing Up For Hope

Choosing Hope For The Warriors® was easy because they are an outstanding not-for-profit organization that has been looking after service members and their families since 2006. They made their start at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and since then have grown well beyond that Marine Corps base. Witnessing firsthand the effects of conflict upon service members and their families, Hope For The Warriors® dedicated themselves to serving those who have served. By providing a full cycle of care, Hope For The Warriors® restores a sense of self, family, and hope to those who need it most.

 

 

Their mission is to help warriors and their families succeed in their lives post service. Hope For The Warriors® provides national, comprehensive support programs for active military, veterans, and their families. These programs are focused on facilitating transitioning, maintaining health and wellness, encouraging peer engagement, and providing connections to community resources.

 

 

Hope For The Warriors® has accomplished countless goals in their over a decade support of service members and as such has been deemed a 4 star charity by Charity Navigator for over 5 years. Their A Warriors Wish® grant, which provides opportunities for wounded veterans or their families to fulfill their dreams, is just one of the many facets of care and support that Hope For The Warriors® provides.

 

Campaign Partners

But Hope For The Warriors® can’t and shouldn’t do it alone. The more people we get involved, the more effective we can be, which is why we have recruited campaign partners like Bushnell, Crimson Trace, FLIR, Holosun, Leupold, Pulsar, Steiner, Streamlight, Surefire, Trijicon, and Vortex. Each one has committed to donating an amount equal to or greater than the standard order donation when any of their products are ordered during the campaign. Help us reach our donation goal by utilizing our campaign partners’ pledge.

Your purchase and subsequent donation is going to support our service members and their families with Clinical resources, Transition services, Community Engagement and Development opportunities, and so much more. Together we can empower Hope For The Warriors® and give back to those who have sacrificed so much for us.

Don’t miss out on this great campaign, we will be posting various deals and opportunities throughout the 6 week duration.

 

 

Gear for you, Hope for Them

Place an order before June 18^th. Help us reach our goal. Make a difference.

 

Matt S. • No Comments on Gear Up – for a Cause! 2017

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MultiVault: Security without Compromise

Apr 4 • News • 5021

Whether you are a new firearm owner or an experienced one, you should have been taught that keeping your guns secure is a priority. What most people soon learn though is that finding a balance between secure and accessible can be tough. You want to be able to get to it when you need it but don’t want unauthorized people to have access. Thankfully GunVault has you covered with the MultiVault.

 

 

 

 

GunVault makes a variety of secure storage devices, each with several access options. I own a couple different safes already, but one is not meant for firearms and the other is large enough to secure long guns. Neither of which is close to my bed or designed for quick access so with those requirements in mind the model I have recently acquired is the GV 2000S aka the MultiVault Standard.

Built with 16 gauge steel, the MultiVault is an electronic lockbox for pistols and valuables. The steel box is foam lined and has a plastic shelf/divider that can be removed. The interior space is 6”x9”x12.75” which easily fits full size handguns as well as spare magazines, knives, or other valuables that you want to keep secure. The spring loaded door pops open whether you use the keypad or the override key and the safe can be bolted down with the included hardware or tethered with a security cable (available separately).

 

 

The MultiVault is available in a biometric lock configuration, but the standard configuration simply uses the “No-Eyes” keypad which is a four button keypad that has each button located at the fingertip of a hand print. While the key pad does not use numbers, you can create a code that is 3-6 entries. An entry could be a single button push, such as the pointer finger button, or by pushing two buttons simultaneously. This allows for over 12million possible access codes. Just make sure you remember the code you select.

The safe runs off a 9 volt battery and has both an audio and visual low battery indicator. To program your desired code, press the “learn” button located on the top of the inside of the box. Entering an invalid code triggers the “Tamper indicator”, which can be checked by pressing down the middle and ring finger buttons for five seconds. The LED will glow Red if an invalid code has been entered or glow green if otherwise. Repeated invalid code entries will cause the keypad to lockout for 2 minutes and only the override key can open the safe in the meantime.

 

 

I put the MultiVault on the bottom shelf of my nightstand so I can simply roll over in bed to reach it. I didn’t want to mount the safe to my nightstand so instead I chose to use a security cable. The “No-Eyes” keypad is much easier to work with in the dark than a traditional numerical keypad. I also chose to deactivate the keypad sounds as the tactile click is more than enough to indicate an entry. Since the shelf is easily removed, I chose not to put anything of substantial weight on it. I stored my firearm and spare magazines on the bottom while using the top space for a knife and some other valuables.

There is also a deluxe model available, which uses the “No-Eyes” keypad but offers some additional features such as an interior light, motion detector with alarm, and has an external AC power supply. All three models of the MultiVault are California DOJ approved.

While there are lots of options for responsible and secure firearm storage, I like that GunVault products don’t force me to compromise accessibility for security. I also like the versatility of the MultiVault as it is large enough to fit any of my handguns along with extra magazines and other valuables. Add one to your home, you won’t regret it.

 

Matt S. • No Comments on MultiVault: Security without Compromise

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Leupold LTO-Tracker: Pocket Sized Efficiency

Apr 4 • News • 13397

While Thermal Imagers continue to become more affordable, they are also becoming more compact and offering greater quality. But with so many options on the market, knowing which item is best suited for your needs can be tough. While most people will tell you that you have to spend several thousand dollars on thermal devices, Leupold offers the LTO-Tracker for under $1000.

 

 

 

The Leupold LTO-Tracker is a thermal observation and game recovery tool. Primarily meant as a game tracking/recovery tool, the LTO-Tracker gives you an advantage in the field that fits in your pocket. Three simple buttons make manipulating the device simple and fairly intuitive. It runs on a single CR123A battery for up to 10 continuous hours. With a 30Hz frame rate and a 21 degree field of view, the LTO-Tracker is an excellent scanning tool that is able to detect a deer sized target up to 600yds away (remember the difference between Detection/Identification/Recognition with thermal). The unit also has a 6x digital zoom and 6 thermal palette options which helps with identification. Other little features such as a choice between step zoom or continuous zoom and the ability to activate a reticle make the LTO-Tracker a great value. Factor in Leupold’s 5yr warranty and you will feel confident taking it with you everywhere you go.

 

 

While it is not a weapon sight, as the reticle cannot be zeroed nor is the unit recoil rated, the LTO-Tracker is still a great tool for most of the common situations you may encounter where thermal devices come in handy. Since the body housing is a 30mm tube diameter, you can still mount the unit in a 30mm ring which makes it easy to mount on handheld mounts such as the Torrey Pines Picatinny Wrist Band or even a tripod. It is not capable of recording photos or videos but determined users should be easily able to rig a mount setup if capturing images is their goal. Overall though the LTO-Tracker is a tool meant to be used in the field to achieve a job more efficiently.

 

 

Given the sizes and price points that thermal devices are now achieving, it is feasible to use them for more than just hunting. I used the LTO-Tracker a few times when walking my dog at night given the dire skunk infestation in the neighborhood. They are also useful tools to check your home for heat loss or if out on the water at night to detect other boats or landmarks. When you keep one around, whether in your daypack or just in the car, you find plenty of opportunities to pull it out and use it.

The LTO-Tracker is Leupold’s first step into the Thermal Optics arena and I am interested to see what else they have in store.

 

Matt S. • No Comments on Leupold LTO-Tracker: Pocket Sized Efficiency

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AVS-CMR8 by Leatherwood/Hi-Lux: The Lightest 1-8x

Dec 6 • News • 15608

Whether you are competing or training, you want to be able to squeeze every ounce of performance out of your rifle. Finding an optic that allows you to do so, without needing take out a micro loan, can be a challenge. 1-4x and 1-6x scopes are common choices because you get the close range ability on the 1x and can still hit targets out at a distance at higher magnifications. Not so long ago though, 1-6x scopes were considered unaffordable by many shooters. That has definitely changed and now we are seeing 1-8x scopes, like the AVS-CMR8, follow that same trend.

 

 

Leatherwood/Hi-Lux’s contribution to the trend of affordable, quality 1-8x scopes is their AVS-CMR8 which is a 1-8x26mm First Focal Plane scope. Building off the  reticle that made their CMR 1-4x scopes so well liked, they have upped the ante with the AVS-CMR8. The Proportional Ranging System reticle utilizes a large horseshoe to provide quick acquisition and targeting at lower magnifications but then disappears from view at higher magnifications to allow an uncluttered view of the mil dots to be used as holdover points when shooting at distance. Perfect for competition, hunting dangerous game, or just expanding the effective range of your rifle.

AVS-CMR8 Features

Built on a 34mm tube diameter, the AVS-CMR8 is the lightest 1-8x scope on the market and the only one with a green illumination option at that price point. The scope has a built in throw lever which is great for making rapid magnification changes or fine adjustments as well as Zero-LOK turrets so once you have it sighted in, it stays that way. The flip caps are nicely made as well and use magnets to stay closed. Really the AVS-CMR8 just needs a mount to be ready to go out of the box. I used the Warne 34mm Skeletonized mount and the FDE finish complimented my rifle beautifully. While the reticle is intended for .308 applications, I was still able to effectively use it on a 5.56 rifle.

 

 

The turrets are .1 MRAD per click and once you have zeroed the optic, they can be locked so you do not lose your zero setting. The turrets still can be adjusted one full turn while locked in case you need to dial a shot adjustment instead of using the reticle holdover points.

AVS-CMR8 First Impression

While I didn’t get to shoot out to 1000yds like the CMR8 is capable of, I did run some drills at various distances and did not notice any optical shift of my zero at different magnifications. I really like how the reticle design performs at 1x and was comfortably hitting targets on 5x or 6x most of the time, which is why the first focal plane design is so great. The reticle is fully usable at any magnification, especially if you like to use it as a range estimation tool.

I think this scope is a great addition to the Leatherwood/Hi-Lux product line and if you are a fan of their CMR 1-4x scopes you are going to want to try the AVS-CMR8 out for yourself. If you aren’t familiar with their optics, now is a great time to check them out.

 

Cal Leibovitz • No Comments on AVS-CMR8 by Leatherwood/Hi-Lux: The Lightest 1-8x

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