The Loadout Room
Professional Gear Reviews
A number of years ago, I was tired of giving out hours of free advice and spending significant time assisting others in building rifles. I decided it was time to put the weapons expertise I had learned as a Ranger to my benefit, go legit and pick up my FFL. I opened up a shop […]
Aside from combat, I am most often asked about my experiences as a paratrooper. To become Airborne qualified (jump wings) you must first attend and pass Airborne school at Fort Benning, GA. I attended this course directly after Basic/AIT training. However, there were many people in my class that had been in the military for […]
If you’ve read my review of Ryan Cleckner’s Long Range Shooting Handbook:  A Beginners Guide you will know how highly I thought of Ryan’s ability to translate complex knowledge into caveman speak.  Before he was a published author, he appeared as a guest instructor on tv’s Top Shot and put out a number of instructional YouTube videos […]
The Trijicon ACOG is a legendary optic among many servicemen who have relied upon its durability and versatility during combat. While I am lucky to count myself among that group, my time spent overseas was spent with the venerable TA01 which has been surpassed time and time again by more advanced offerings from Trijicon. While […]
Throughout my entire military carer I was challenged both physically, and mentally. However, it was always my mental toughness that saw me through whatever hardship I was facing. I watched PT (physical training) studs wash-out of various attrition schools because they lacked mental toughness. I wasn’t the best Ranger, nor was I the worst. I […]
There is no doubt that those in combat need the highest level of durability possible for their gear. If it isn’t up to snuff, it will break and in a hurry too. There is another environment which is also notoriously abusive to gear, though many don’t know about it. Underwater, specifically undersea. The abrasive salt-water is […]
As a product review writer, I find excitement in the big, fancy products just like everyone else.  Equally, I find the little components that incrementally improve the machine to be fascinating.  I don’t believe the next generation of service rifles or sidearms will be a revolutionary leap forward, I believe they’ll be sum of all the improvements […]
XS Sights (formerly XS Sight Systems) is packing some nice tritium sights into a little package. Â When given the chance to shed the stock blocks from my Glock 17 franken-tester, how could I say no? Â The question isn’t really whether XS Sight’s product is an upgrade over stock, it’s whether the 24/7 Big Dot Xpress […]
Thank you, Safariland. Â That’s the big summary from my time with the 537 open top concealment holster. Â It is the answer to a number of my complaints from other holsters. Â My initial impressions can be read here. Â Having been able to get some range time with this unit recently, I have more confidence than ever […]
In 2016, I embarked on a mission to learn the trade of long-range shooting. Along the way I’ve written articles covering some of the equipment individually. I also wrote about my experiences while training. What I neglected to do is put together a long range shooting loadout. This article will include the items I pack […]
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