If you’ve been around firearms for more than a few minutes, you begin to accumulate small tools and odds and ends that lend convenience, and sometimes improve, shooting sessions. The benefit of these items could be tightening a scope that shot loose, or steadying a rifle for an off hand shot, or improved data collection to help duplicate good handloading results and to prevent duplication of errors. The following items have proven useful to me.
“Designated Driver”
I’ve been grumbling about the demise of Brownells quality service for a couple of months, but I’ve noticed recent orders have been processed like days of old; quick confirmation, items in stock, shipments going out the same day they are received.
The “Designated Driver” as Brownells labels this item, is a really useful tool. Only 3″ long, the unit holds one bit in its magnetic bit retainer and stows 3 others in the fluted aluminum handle. A 2″ magnetic extension is included with the driver as well as 1″ long bits: 445-1, 445-2, 445-3, 445-4 and 440-2 Phillips, and the driver accepts all ¼” Brownell hex drive bits. I set mine up with needed scope Torx and Allen drivers in place of a couple of the ones supplied that wouldn’t have been as useful in the field. The Designated Driver is listed on Brownells site for $18.
The return of the Latigo®
There are still a few people who don’t realize that slings can be used for more than a nice place to have your initials embossed, they can also make a lousy off hand shooter, such as myself, into a pretty steady rifleman. Once you get beyond the experimental stage where you end up with one arm and one leg through the lower loop, and fall over is slow motion, a sling can make the difference between filling a home freezer with meat, and a steady diet of baloney sandwiches.Brownells Quick-Set Latigo® Sling is probably one of the better slings around, and at a fair price for a piece of real 1 1/4″ leather, complete with Super Swivels and swivel studs. There is no metal that will contact the surface of a rifle, and no claw hooks to adjust for length, just a tug on the front loop sets the length and it stays put once a length is selected. The complete setup retails for about $60, a 1″ version without the hardware, approximately $10 less. I have these slings on several of my rifles and I’ve been using them to replace the very attractive, but virtually non-functional in shooting situations, carry slings.
Wind Meters
One of the few annoying things about the rifle range is the line troller, the guy who parks behind shooters he doesn’t know, and proceeds to offer unwanted critique of everything from the shooter’s firearm selection to their shooting ability. I’ve found most of these folks can be easily distracted by the presence of brightly colored objects, so I open and place my Skymate on the bench, let it’s spinning fan draw the troller’s attention, then go on shooting my 2′ 100 yard groups without a further discouraging word or disturbance.
But that’s not all, the Skymate serves a secondary purpose; you can walk out to a distant target and read cross winds in Miles Per Hour, knots, Feet Per Minute, Meters Per Second, and Kilometers Per Hour. Temperatures, including Wind chill, register as Fahrenheit and Centigrade. The gathered information is stored as maximum readings and three levels of averaging. The meter comes with a lanyard and a built in tripod lug to facilitate more stationary placement near the target. Well made, the wind meter floats, it is water resistant to 3′ and it is shock proof. The Skymate will help the user better understand his firearm’s wind drift characteristics, as well as the performance of cartridges under varying temperature conditions. The Skymate from Speedtech Instruments sells for $78 through Sinclair International
Digital Hygro Thermometer
Photographing the Mannix Digital Hygro Thermometer was like photographing a white cat on a snow drift, so I apologize for the truly lousy picture, especially since the unit is actually of very good quality.I use the Mannix in my work area to keep track of humidity and temp because I store powder and firearms. As you can see by the reading in the picture, the my work area is getting very close to supporting interior rain fall. Because the unit is small, 4″x2.5″x.5″, and battery powered, I can also toss it in a shooting bag and take it with me when I collect chronograph data for handloads.
The indicator has a pop out foot, like a picture frame, so it can stand on a flat surface hang on a wall. The Model DTH700 displays temperature in Fahrenheit and Centigrade and can store daily min-max readings for both temperature and humidity, selection is made from small switches on the back side of the case. Sinclair International carries the Mannix product and is listed for $42.
Tapper Hammer
I finally came to the conclusion big hammers are not always useful when working on firearms, most notably when a “tap” sends a dovetailed secured sight scooting across the floor. Lyman markets a brass tapper hammer that comes with: interchangeable plastic, brass and steel heads, as well as a brass drift. Parts not in use are stowed in and on the handle. The hammer is 8″ long, the double sided head is 2.5″ wide, the striking faces are .750″ in diameter. The assembly weighs half a pound.Lyman offers this tool as part of various kits containing related tools, or the tapper can be purchased fromSinclair International for $14.
Thanks
Joe
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