NJNeuteredMags

It's designed to be fired with the bayonet attached, so no problem. The heat shield is just to make it heavier. No, seriously, this is the only shotgun I own, and I also use it for clay shooting. After unleashing a few full tubes, it gets quite hot and stays that way since it's a heavy-wall barrel. And it'll just make it look that much more bad-ass. LOL!

Talking to my son a couple of days ago, we got into a discussion about what our rigs weigh... mine is as follows: Mossberg 590-A1 SPX 7 Federal 2.75" 00 Buck in the tube, 1 in the chamber (actually it was in my pocket for the weigh-in - safer that way) 3 Federal 2.75" 00 Buck in the sidesaddle 3 Federal 2.75" #4 Buck in the sidesaddle 5 Federal 2.75" Low-Recoil 1-oz Rifled slug on the stock Barska GLX laser sight Fenix TK-15 LED Tactical light Ontario M9 Bayonet Uncle Mike's QD Sling Swivels Custom 42" Gold/OD 550 Paracord sling (Backorered: Mossberg Heat shield to be installed soon) Total weight: (without the heat shield, or the 50-round bandolier with an assortment of ammo) is 11.75 lbs. - Does that seem "heavy"?

The true benefit of a bolt buffer is that it keeps the bolt from smashing into the solid steel pin - which will over time deform the pin hole in the 10/22s cast aluminum receiver. It's actually quite an invaluable piece as it will extend the service life of your rifle significantly! For some scope caps, I suggest Butler Creeks flip-up caps - they slip on tight, are fast into action, and won't get lost like removable style caps or bikini covers will. They're a little pricey, but I like mine. Also be careful to read and re-read the sizes and fittings - I found they're rather tricky to get the correct size going by the packaging. Also I see you learned the hard way about rings - I never even bothered to shoot my rifle with the included rings. But I did mock them up to see how hilarously bad they are. Just look at how stupidly high those things were - I don't need that much height over bore - I'm not a girraffe! Also having the lowest height over bore is desirable - unless you're trying to add MOA to your optic setup for longer ranges than you have adjustment for. What I did to find the perfect set of rings was bust out my Vernier caliper and fired up good 'ol Autocad. I measured out the scope, and relevant parts of the rifle to make sure that whatever rings I got would allow the scope to clear the barrel. I checked different manufacturers specifications for ring height, and a set of Millett's "low" tactical rings, which were .255" turned out to be damn near PERFECT - with just enough tolerance left for a slip-on scope cap to clear the barrel as well. Though it's mostly about preference and what works best for the shooter - everyone is unique. I look forward to another range report from your next outing! Get some pictures of the targets for us too! -Kevin

Pumpkin Pureé: http://youtu.be/xO0_9Z9OZ5w

We had a great time at the range today. Nice to be able to try out some cool shotguns. BTW, nice pics, Nick - wish I'd brought my 60D but wasn't sure the rain would stop. Anyway, here's a frame I pulled out of a video of BLF making big noises and fire:

I believe you're allowed to have one "military feature" on a rifle. So if you put that on, you couldn't have something else, like a pistol grip.

Can you shoot the surplus steel-core 7.62x54R there? I'm trying to find a place that will allow it - most don't, even if you're shooting into a dirt berm. I can understand if it's some kind of a bullet trap, you might damage it, but dirt? WTF?

Here's the video I watched to get mine mounted, leveled, and properly adjusted to my eyes. I have to say I learned A LOT I didn't think about - stuff that makes a BIG difference. You'll probably have to dismount and remount your scope again, but I think it's really worth it in the end. - Kevin

Sadly, I only own one shotgun. But it's pointy on the end:

I couldn't stand trying to work the stock bolt release with that nub, but my large fingers aren't a helping factor either . . If you're going to do trigger work and you're the tinkering type, look up AGI's 10/22 trigger job video! You can significantly improve the factory trigger with some sharpening stones, and a dremel w/ a cotton wheel polishing compound. The cheek rest on my rifle, you're probably going to laugh; It's actually Armaflex, a type of Neoprene pipe wrapping insulation, with several pieces of layered foam rubber stuffed beneath it. I chose to build my own with that material so I could achieve *absolutely perfect* height for proper eye relief with my scope. I'm aware of plenty of DIY improvements one can make with a factory 10/22 - and all of them can be found in detail on the RimfireCentral.com forums - I highly reccomend you join! Great community and probably the GO-TO knowledgebase for modifying and building 10/22 type rifles, not to mention big names in the industry, Tony KIDD among them, are active participants there who pay attention to user feedback. I use different types for different things If I'm shooting for accuracy or if I ever get to go do anything requiring it (hunting or pest control), I use CCI Standard as that's an inexpensive round that shoots very well in my barrel. Your issue with the Federal Gold is most likely that it's a lower velocity load than any of the other two rounds you used, and doesn't have enough backpressure to cycle your gun. The reality is that every 10/22 is unique in what it likes to eat, and what does and doesn't shoot well - it's up to the user to try a little bit of everything to see what works best. - Kevin

The optic is a BSA 6-24x with a mildot reticle. It was on sale for $120 at the time and has many favorable reviews, so I sprung for it. That said - I have it set to 9x power almost exclusively, it's more than overkill for the caliber. I only ever turn it up when spotting for somebody or for a better look at my groups without needing to lug a spotting scope to the range. If I'm shooting for groups, I shoot either 50 or 100 yards. If I'm just out for fun, I love posting a 6" steel gong at the 200 or 300 yard line and seeing how many shots I can keep on it. - Kevin

We had an Active Shooter class at my office in Parsippany. I work for a security guard company in the Payroll Dept, The guards in our building are NOT armed. I though it was going to teach us how to hide in the corner and cover our heads, but to my surprise and delight it actually taught us to fight back! And the instructor confirmed my own theory - go for the fire extinguisher. As soon as the shooter comes through the door, you unload on his face and subdue him. Then I would beat him to death with it.

Definitely the Spyderco Sharpmaker: http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77

I use a Kodak Playtouch on a ball mount attached to my dashboard. A 16gb SDHC card gives me over 2 hours at 720p 60fps. I use it every time I drive, usually stop/start it every 10 mins. or so just to have managable file sizes. If nothing "interesting" happens, I format it when full and start over:

Nice pics. I'm a serious amateur photographer... Canon EOS 60D with several lenses including a Canon 100mm Macro. What did you use for these shots?