Big Changes Coming!

After a lot of consideration, I am re-booting this firearms blog/forum website I started years ago and take it in a little difference direction.

It's going to be renamed from West Marshland Armory, a name that's an inside joke and very confusing, hard to remember, too long for a web domain name, and limiting for content; to Sioux Scout. A name that's short (2 syllables instead of 6) easy to remember and flexible for content.

Speaking of content, it's expanding from firearms, gear and 2nd Amendment topics to those topics plus: bug out / survival gear, general outdoors (hiking, camping, etc.) and the skills and mindset for all.

Most of which really intertwine if you think about it. A "get home bag" and a hiker's day pack are very similar. Someone into hiking can learn a lot from an experience hiker and visa versa.

My goal is to "bridge the gap" between those worlds with gear reviews, tips & tricks and other content like practical demos of skills and mindsets that benefit both (fire starting, wilderness camping, etc.)

This should take off, or at least get me motivated to continually add content to potentially allow it to take off. The wider subject matter will keep me motivated especially since I spend more time on the hiking trails than on the gun range.

Now. Why the name Sioux Scout? Several reasons. As I mentioned above, it short and easy to remember. The Sioux are a Native tribe I have a great deal of admiration and respect for. Not to mention it was the nickname of my favorite college hockey team.

The mental image that the "Sioux Scout" paints in my mind is a band of rugged, skilled people who could survive comfortably off the land with little outside resources, due to their mindset and skills. Like all Native bands and tribes, they were skilled and brave warriors when they had to be, and very resourceful bush-crafters in their daily lives.

First Look at the Springfield SAINT AR-15 and a SHOT Show Prediction

I belong to a group that meets regularly at the local range for some pistol and carbine shooting. We met last weekend to shoot some pistol drills using the IQ Targets and Deadman's Hand training cards from RE Factor Tactical. By the way, this is a great set up for practicing on your own or with friends.

Link to RE Factor Tactical's website:
https://www.refactortactical.com/category/shooting/

One of our groups is a Rep for Springfield Armory, so he brought one of the new SAINT AR-15's for us to check out and fire a few rounds through. Those of us who like to keep up on whats new in the firearms world were all pretty excited to see it, and were pleased with what it is.

Overall let's face it, the SAINT is an AR-15. They really just come in two basic categories, good and junk.  The junk are just that and then the good gets divided up into more sub categories that come down to how good the fit and finish is and what comes with it for bells and whistles. 

As one would expect from Springfield, since it is a big name that is late to the AR game, they got it right with a out of the box AR that is good. We took turns shooting it and running some drills with no issues. With a quick look over by everyone, there didn't appear to be any corners cut by Springfield in the manufacturing process.

When I first read about the SAINT, the Accu-Tite receiver mating system Springfield was touting about made me a bit nervous. Thinking perhaps Springfield's AR-15 would be built too tight to accept a different upper receiver to it's lower. But that is really a small concerns, since few people have multiple uppers for one lower. Some of us start out with an extra upper, but they typically become an excuse to get or build another lower receiver assembly.

While I'm an unapologetic Magpul fanboy, the Bravo furniture is pretty nice. The stock is very tight and the grip filled my hand well. The keymod forearm is great, but I would perfer it to be M-lok. Again, Magpul fanboy.

The improved GI trigger is pretty nice as well. Very smooth with a positive reset. A noticable imporvement ver a the standard GI style trigger most AR's come with. I didn't try the iron sights that come with it, because my friend also reps Trijicon so it was topped with a demo ACOG. But they did look solid.

Bottom line: If you're looking for an entry level AR that's good to go out of the box; the Springfield Armory SAINT is a winner.

Springfield Armory's website:

http://www.springfield-armory.com/saint-series/

If you follow the above link you'll note the header of the web page says "SAINT Series." One can only assume by that title is more AR's are in the work at Springfield. Perhaps other barrel sizes and options for the AR-15, or even an AR-10 version are coming soon. I'm willing to bet we'll hear more at SHOT Show in a few months.

At first I thought it seemed strange that Springfield released the AR-15 SAINT when they did, instead of waiting for SHOT Show. My first thought was they wanting to cash in with the pre-election firearm purchase spike that we get every election cycle. But maybe they just wanted to get the buzz going before SHOT Show when they announce their full SAINT line up? Guess we'll see.

Yeti Tac Velox IWB Holster: First Impressions

Video recorded with:
Nikon Coolpix S7000: http://amzn.to/2d6T5jm
Targrus TG-5060TR tripod: http://amzn.to/2cZndPr

My first and most likely last "unboxing" video. I did not know what I was getting for a Kydex option, so I thought it would make a fun video. What you'll see is my honest first impression of this particular holster and Yeti Tac, since this is the first product I've purchased from them.

I've only worn the holster a few days off and on at this point, but thus far I am very pleased.

Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Part Two

Why I carried three guns

I had the new to me Ruger LCR in a pocket holster, a Glock on the hip and the Shield appendix.

No, I didn't think it's was going to be an extra dangerous day. Just did some testing. I wanted to see how comfortable the new LCR is for pocket carry and also seeing how comfortable the G29 in a relatively new holster was with the combination of having the Shield on me.

While I currently don't carry a back up gun, I am warming up to the idea of doing so. There are several advantageous to carry a back up gun (BUG). Many reasons are cover by the "New York Reload" school of thought of; if your primary firearm becomes out of action due to running out of ammo, a malfunction, or you flat out loose the thing, it is faster to draw another gun than reload, clear the malfunction, or relocate and pick up a dropped weapon.

Besides the New York Reload reasonings, there are other valid reasons to consider carrying a BUG too. Having a spare gun on you would allow you to arm someone who you trust in some scenarios. Say, you're out to lunch with a coworker or at the mall with a friend. If a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun, two good guys with a gun would improve the odds.

Another reason valid reason would be having a second firearm is having another draw option. For example, while being seated in a car a gun on the hip my be difficult to draw from, while a second gun at appendix would be faster to draw from.

Now will I carry a BUG? Not all the time, but I may start once in a while. Today's little experience showed me that it isn't too difficult to do so with the right equipment. I drove 45 minutes to the area Mendard's to pick up some supplies for projects around the house and worked on those projects. I also spent about three hours out in the woods on my property and on some public land checking trail cameras. I also stopped at a local bar & grille for a late lunch. Don't worry, I had a pop with my burger. Throughout the day, carrying three handguns was not a problem.