GearExpert

Lyman Reloading Equipment

Apr 9 • News • 9161

When the ammo craze hit in the early months of 2013 it was pure pandemonium. It was one of the worst times to be a gun owner since I can remember. Good luck finding 22LR; actually make that any common pistol ammo or 5.56/.223. For those of us that were depending on that constant stream of ammo at the local gun store, life could not have gotten any worse. It is right around then that I had thought about getting into reloading because I needed ammo that badly. Luckily, one of my friends was very well versed in all things reloading. He had a nice setup in his garage and walked me through all of the major components in order to get going. After looking at all of his various reloading tools, I noticed that majority of them were from Lyman. Upon digging up more information on what this wonder company had to offer, I’ve found some excellent reloading tools.

Lyman Case Preparation Xpress Center

Before you even get started pouring powder, prepping your spent brass cases is super important. The Lyman Case Preparation Xpress Center does every thing you could ever imagine like chamfering, deburring, primer pocket cleaning and flash hole deburring. Long gone are the days of hand chamfering and deburring for hours on end, with this tool you’ll be burning through bags of brass in no time. This all in one motorized station is a must if you plan on effectively pumping out hundreds of rounds in one sitting.

Lyman Turbo 1200 PRO Tumbler

Another reloading essential is a brass tumbler. Every since the ammo buying craze began early last year, even brass is hard to come by. You’d be surprised how much brass you can gather by scooping it up off the floor at the range. The Lyman Turbo 1200 PRO Tumbler cleans even the dirtiest of brass to a sparkling finish. This affordable tumbler holds 2lbs of whatever media you decide to use, like walnut shells or kitty litter.

Lyman T Mag Expert Kit

I trusted my friends advice and picked up the Lyman T Mag Expert reloading kit. For the price I could not beat all of the tools that came with the kit, like T-Mag II press, universal trimmer, 1000XP digital electronic scale, universal priming arm and a ton of other accessories. I know this may sound funny to some of you but what I liked most about this kit is that it came with a reloading handbook. I’m sure some of you remember how difficult it was when you first started out and trying to figure out how much of powder XYZ to use with a bullet weight. It meant a lot to me that they cared enough to include something like this in.

What ever caliber you decide to reload, I honestly think you’d be happy with any number of the products that carry the Lyman name.

KellyB • No Comments on Lyman Reloading Equipment
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OPMOD Bags and Cases-Tough as Nails

Apr 9 • News • 7446

If you’re into guns, then it is pretty much a given that you’re also crazy about the accessories and gear for firearms. You could have the coolest, one-off gun but if you don’t have a bag or case to transport that firearm you’re committing a major fail. Yeah you could pick up a cheap $5 gun rug or $10 single rifle case but that’s like putting seat covers in Lamborghini. Lucky for you, the OPMOD brand is pumping out high quality products specifically designed to get you to and from the range in style and protected.

OPMOD AARC 3.0 Double Rifle Case

The OPMOD Double rifle case is the perfect size to hold your favorite bolt gun, AK or AR platform rifle and all the magazines and ammo you could ever hope to shoot in one sitting. Offered in either a black or coyote (my favorite) colorway with a heavy duty reinforced construction, this case has the looks and function. One of the coolest features of the OPMOD double rifle case is the ability to be used as a backpack with the strap configuration and when it is unzipped all the way out, it makes an awesome shooter’s mat. It also comes jam packed with MOLLE loops and more pouches than you could poke a stick at.

OPMOD PRB Professional Range Bag

I am a really in to shooting pistols and one of the newest bags from OPMOD is right in my wheelhouse. The OPMOD PRB professional range bag is my pistol’s home away from home. It offers a crazy amount of organization and versatility with the removable inner storage pull out bag. The bag also has a brass bag that can be detached for all you reloaders out there. I know I sound way too excited about a bag, but trust me this thing will rock your socks off after the first time you bring it to the range.

OPMOD TUB 1.0 Tactical Utility Bag

Ok so you don’t have all that cash money to throw around on a new bag? Not a problem, the OPMOD TUB 1.0 Tactical Utility Bag does not have all the sweet features of the PRB range bag but has the same high OPMOD quality. This latest offering from OPMOD gives you the organization you need with two removable dividers that double as pistol rugs. I personally like the exterior MOLLE attachment points which are perfect for hooking up a medical pouch.

Pick you poison, there’s an OPMOD bag or case for whatever you’re shooting. If high quality and high value are what you look for in your gear, then the OPMOD name should be the first thing that comes to mind. If you still can’t make up your mind on all these tough bags and cases, feel free to leave your questions and comments in the box below.

KellyB • No Comments on OPMOD Bags and Cases-Tough as Nails
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OPMOD Knives: Sharp Looks and Even Sharper Blades

Apr 7 • News • 14330

What do all of your favorite action heroes have in common? Besides chiseled arms and the ability to defeat a whole army singlehandedly, they all had wicked blades. There is something about a finely crafted blade that as soon as you hold it for the first time, it gives you the action hero masculinity that you’ve been longing for. Now no knife is going to give you the sweet skills of Steven Seagal but these OPMOD blades are perfect for everything in between.

Browning OPMOD Fixed Knife Limited Edition

The OPMOD Browning Limited Edition Tanto Fixed Blade was built by an outdoorsman for an outdoorsman. Designed by Russ Kommer, a long time hunter and outdoor enthusiast, this knife is the perfect balance of looks and utility. Based on a tanto design, the heavy duty 3.5 inch stainless steel blade will excel in any outdoor task. The handles on this knife are made from ultra durable G-10 and do a great job of not only providing excellent traction but give it a look that you’ll want to show off to all of your friends.

Browning OPMOD Sway Belly Knife Limited Edition

If you need something a little more Crocodile Dundee style, the OPMOD Browning limited edition sway belly is the answer. As soon as you pull this knife out of it’s sheath, everyone in the room knows you mean business. Another awesome design by Russ Kommer, you know that this knife was made for the ultimate end user. Sporting a massive deep belly stainless steel blade, you can use it for anything and rust will be a nonissue. When you grab this knife it sticks to you hands thanks to beautiful G-10 scales and deep finger grooves. Another added benefit is the positive jimping on the back strap of the blade, which allows you to choke down for that fine detail work.

Blade-Tech Tek-Lok

The most often overlooked item when purchasing a knife is a sheath. Unfortunately many manufacturers choose to either fail to include a sheath or give you some piece of junk sheath that you wouldn’t use for a butter knife. Lucky for you, both of these OPMOD knives come with sheaths that are of equal quality to the blades that go in them. Developed and manufactured by Blade-Tech an industry leader in holsters, you know you’ll have a sheath that you can count on. Both knives lock in very positively into their sheaths and attach using the patented Tek-Lok design. Which means no matter what size belt you’re wearing, this sheath will not only fit but will give you more adjustability than you’ll know what to do with.

When you want to unleash that inner action hero inside of you, get yourself a knife to match. No matter which blade you decide to go with, both of these OPMOD will get the job done and look good doing it. If you can’t make up your mind on one of these knives, feel free to ask your questions below.

KellyB • No Comments on OPMOD Knives: Sharp Looks and Even Sharper Blades
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Getting Crafty With Paracord

Apr 4 • News • 32706

Originally designed as lines for parachutes in World War II, parachute cord quickly became a very useful cordage for many battlefield uses. Somewhere along the way, parachute cord was shortened to paracord and the name stuck like gum to the bottom of your shoe. The tough nylon exterior and several inner strands of rope, make for a very strong yet lightweight rope. Unless you’ve been living on the dark side of the moon for the past couple of years, then I am sure you’ve seen the huge spike in popularity of the paracord bracelets. I personally like the idea of being prepared for everything (reference my “4 Pocket Essentials for Every Day Carry” post) but this cordage can be used for a million and one other uses besides being tightly woven around your wrist.

Paracord Shoe Laces

Put aside the fashion statement bracelets and think about where it would be beneficial to have a high strength, lightweight rope. You’d be surprised at all of the wacky ideas that you can come up with when you put your mind to it. I personally think that paracord makes the best shoe laces known to man. You don’t have to wear combat colors to enjoy all that this nylon wonder has to offer. Because of the popularity of the cord, you can get it in pretty much any color you want, you name the pigment and there’s probably a company out there that sells it. Along with being much stronger than traditional laces, the nicest thing about using paracord for shoelaces is that as long as you have those boots or shoes on you’ll always have a few yards of the stuff with you.

Paracord Knife Lanyard

Just from sitting on the couch with a bundle of this cordage, you’ll come up with unique ways to use it. If there’s a will there’s a way, and after picking up a CRKT Minimalist knife I wanted to find a better way to carry it. By simply attaching a length of paracord through an eyelet on the knife’s kydex sheath and tying a simple loop to go around my belt, I now have a way to successfully conceal and deploy my new favorite little knife. With the sheathed knife tucked into the inside of my pants at the 3 o’clock position, a strategic upward pull of the knife handle brings the protected blade out. When it is far enough out, the uber strong paracord snaps the kydex cover off and reveals the blade. It’s the little gear ideas like this that make paracord your best friend. I didn’t reinvent the wheel or anything but without paracord, I just don’t think this method of deploying a knife would be possible.

Paracord Knife Handle

For some odd reason, paracord and knives go together like chicken and waffles. You would think that a knife wrapped in cordage is something of a paradox, because you use a knife to cut rope and never in a million years would it feel right at home as a knife handle. Magically this combination works and surprisingly enough just about anybody with 10 fingers and half a brain can wrap the handle with paracord (maybe that’s why my knife handle doesn’t look perfect). With the help of a knife to cut the cordage and a lighter to finish off the cut ends, you’ll have an attractive looking handle that sticks to your hand like a magnet. Besides the ease of use, should you ever find yourself in a survival situation or in desperate need of a strong rope, you now have a few feet of paracord at your disposal neatly wrapped around the safe end of your knife.

Paracord Belt Loops

The thing with this wonder rope is, you only fully appreciate it when you use it for something you never thought it’d excel at. Who ever thought that replacing the polymer belt attachments on knife sheaths with an unobtrusive loop of paracord would work? Sure it’s no TEK-LOK, but making some of these loops costs roughly $0.20. Price aside, paracord is much slimmer and lighter than any other option for attaching bladed weapons to you or your gear.

I am not the end all be all creator of everything paracord. I did however show you a few ways that you could use it other than storing it around your wrist as bracelet. If Martha Stewart ditched the flowers and ribbon for the tactical lifestyle, paracord would be her go-to material for getting crafty with gear. The stuff is literally like duct tape, you can use it for pretty much anything and a lot of the time I do. Pick up 100 feet of paracord so the next time you’re bored on the couch, you can grab your gear and see what you come up with.

What have you created out of paracord lately? Let me know in the comment box below. As always guys, shoot em straight and be safe!

Jeremy L • 9 Comments on Getting Crafty With Paracord
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Four Joker Knives That Are No Joke

Apr 3 • News • 21013

Alright, everyone. If there’s one thing you’ve learned from your time here on Gear Expert, it’s that we take knives seriously. Whether it’s a part of your every day carry or your hunting load out, a good blade is paramount. Joker knives are some of the best in the business, for good reason. Let’s take a look at four awesome knives from Joker – and then you tell me what you think. Deal?

Joker Tactical Knife with Micarta Handle is perfect for tactical carry.

Tactical Knife with Micarta Handle

Maybe you’re not a tactical operator, but that’s no reason you shouldn’t learn from the best. This tactical knife with a micarta handle is the perfect thing to slip into your pack or simply to keep on your person when you’re heading out into the field. Slip it into the included leather sheath and strap it to your gear for quick access. The 440 stainless steel blade is going to stay sharp. I’m no slouch – I sharpen my blades regularly, but I love a knife that can keep an edge.

Slip the Joker Stainless Folding Knife into your pocket

3.5in Stainless Folding Knife

Looking for a pocket knife? Joker’s got you covered. Don’t settle for anything less than these gorgeous folding knifes with a variety of handle patterns. Seen here is the Stag Horn handle, which – for all intents and purposes – may be one of the prettiest knives in the Joker line. Hey, just because it’s a tool doesn’t mean it can’t look nice! With a 3.5in blade, it’s the perfect size to have on you at all times.

The gorgeous Joker De Monte Knife

De Monte Knife

The blade is Vanadium-Mollybdenum. The handle is stag horn. The knife is awesome. I can’t get over the De Monte, to be honest. Choose the right size for you – between 3 and 6 inches. I’m a fan of a larger blade for a fixed knife, but it all depends on what you’re going to do with it. The Joker De Monte is perfect for hunting or just showing off to your pals. Or, you know – both!

The Joker Zamak Bowie Knife is a tough, ergonomic bowie knife.

Zamak Bowie Knife

This is the big boy. The ultimate outdoorsman’s companion. The Joker Zamak Bowie Knife is available in 4.09, 4.63, and 8.19in blade lengths, and is ideal for anyone who needs a comfortable blade. The grooved handle presents an ergonomic grip that is second to none, and the 420 stainless steel blade means less sharpening (as with all Joker knives). What is it about Bowie knives that are so appealing? For me, it’s the fact that they are the perfect blend of form and function, which is particularly exemplified in the Zamak.

What do you think of Joker knives? I’ve been meaning to add a couple to my collection, but there are plenty more to choose from. Let me know what you would recommend in the comments!

admin • 1 Comment on Four Joker Knives That Are No Joke
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