Robert McCartney

Robert McCartney served with the 2nd Ranger Battalion from 2003-2007 where he deployed four times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. He attended Jump school, Ranger school and has served as a riflemen progressing to a team leader. After leaving the Military Robert became a Customs and Border Protection Officer, working at both Seaports and Airports. During his time at CBP he has been utilized as a Range Safety Officer and K9 Handler, and EMT. When not spending time with his wife and kids, Robert spends his time bowhunting in Washington State, and lifting heavy things. Fun Certifications: CF-L1, Firefighter I, EMT. (Instagram: robert.mccartney)

Prepping for Bow Hunting

Hopefully you had a successful hunt last year, or at the least, had some fun out in the woods. If you are anything like me, once the season is over all your gear ends up in a state of chaos. Regardless of whether you are a seasoned hunter, or just starting out, these tips can […]

Hunting report: Learning the hard way

Day 1 This is the first year that I tried hunting Elk with a bow. I was surprised at just how different it was to deer hunting. Elk are always on the move, eventually they may circle back to an area they use, but you need to be much more active to find them. So […]

SOG Wood & Bone Saw: First impressions

First I just wanted to take a minute to thank the crew at the Loadout Room for allowing me to take a few months off writing while I attended Fire Academy. Recently I decided I wanted to start volunteering in my community and the academics, and academy really took about all the free time I […]

CamelBak MULE hydration system

After having arrived at 2nd Ranger Battalion I began the process of being issued gear. Not your standard uniforms, those were provided by the CIF facility. Instead the Ranger specific gear: fast-rope gloves, Oakley sunglasses (ballistic with four different lenses), CamelBak, soft armor, ceramic plates, ruck, combat gear (Rhodesian, etc), sleep systems, you get the […]

Disruptive Environments 762 heavy chest rig

As I continue to build my SR 762 from Ruger (.308) I decided to acquire a chest rig (see the first article in the build series here). I have a plate carrier already (which this rig can attach to), but I wanted something lightweight I could use while hunting with this platform (WA a .308 […]

An Army Rangers loadout for hog hunting

As tradition demands, when a man decides to get married his best man must take him somewhere to celebrate. We had a few ideas but finally settled on Texas. Why Texas? Well hog hunting of course. Greig had always wanted to go (so have I), and I had a Ranger buddy who lived in the area who could […]

Ranger Loadout: Carl Gustav

After the articles Ranger Loadout: MK48 Machine Gunner, and Paratrooper Loadout: Airborne School published, I started receiving a number of emails about the Carl Gustav. Aside from Gun Teams there was also a Goose (Carl Gustav) team assigned to Maggots (I hear they are with the 11C guys now). Typically this was a two-man team, […]

Gerber Gear | Moment Field Dress Kit

I have used this set for about three seasons now, and I still love them. The Moment Field Dress Kit includes two blades, and a sheath designed to hold the blades simultaneously. Prior to this kit I had been cycling between different blades, but they always seemed to be lacking in some way. I could […]

Magpul UBR Stock Install

I have decided to upgrade some features on my Ruger SR-762. Upon initial release there were some complaints about this rifle. Mainly about the trigger, and some difficulty with the provided magazines (Magpul Gen2). Since its release Ruger has addressed these concerns by; upgrading the trigger with the Ruger Elite 452 AR-Trigger (this trigger is […]

National Preparedness Month | Preparing your vehicle for a trip

September is national preparedness month and I thought this would be a good opportunity to go over how I prepare kits for my vehicles. When I don’t have a specific trip in mind the EDC (Every Day Carry) type kit I have in my car is dictated by the length of the trip, and possible […]