Archery and crossbow time of year
Here in Pennsylvania the laws for hunting with a crossbow have opened up new territory for hunters. Many people have stayed away from archery season for physical reasons. It takes more energy to bull a bow back and fire it, and hit what you are aiming at than simply bringing your Winchester Model 70 30/06 and taking a 100-600yd shot and then taking a sip from your coffee mug. I have to admit that I have found Archery to be fun if you have someone to help set you up, but it takes far more patience than some people have to be efficient. The only real drawback I have even seen to archery is that there are more bad shots in archery than I see with rifles and it’s not pretty to watch a wounded animal walk off and die and sometimes not be recovered. Pennsyvania has a deer problem. As a matter of fact, it has a huge problem. There are a declining number of people going out and hunting every year, but the number of car accidents has been inceasing.
It has now been about 2yrs since crossbows have been allowed for hunting by the general hunting community and the are more likely out selling the standard compoun bows you use to see in hunting stores. If you are familiar with using a rifle, it’s going to be an easy transition to using a crossbow. The ability to use an optic with a calibrated bullet drop is going to make those 50yd shots pretty easy compared to using a compound bow. I still think they need to change the rules and loosen things up even more to try and curb the deer population, but this new change was welcomed. Having a good pair of binoculars with you on you next hunting trip will help you scout out more territory and give you the edge in observing your surroundings. The things to think about are how much weight you are carrying and being practical when it comes to magnification. Anything above 4x and below 10x is recommended.
Cleaning more than one rifle at a time can be a really pain in the neck. Depending on the number of calibers you are using, you’ll have to change each brush you use, each punch, and each cleaning patch to properly clean your rifle or pistols. I never really felt the need to change from a traditonal rifle rod to any fancy gun cleaning kits for a long time. Some of these gun cleaning kits look very nice, but the reality is there are several cleaning kits out there that have made traditional gun cleaning obsolete. Granted, I will have to say that I do have a few friends that sweat that they still need to use their cleaning rods to clean bolt action sub-moa rifles, because Otis gun cleaning kits and bore snakes aren’t 100%. I’ll have to leave that up to personal choice, but I don’t see it.
I’m the type that goes through sticker shock whenever I go to gun shops or gun shows and see the prices the NIB guns cost. People seem to think that buying used means the gun is closer to breakage than a new gun. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are several manufacturers that are making incredible reliable and durable firearms that may have fewer than 500rds through. If you look at barrel life and frame life, those guns are in the equivallent of being in the early stages of grade school. There are plenty of used police trade ins that just have holster wear and probable only were shot during qualification each year by an LEO.
I’ve seen so many people on firing lines with spotting scopes complain about the optics they have and what they should have gotten or what they wish they knew before getting a scope. Sometimes people have this idea that having an optics magnify 45x will make things easier to see at great distances and any experienced observer know that isn’t true. Magnification can become void due to heat and mirage and even zero magnification can cause you to have trouble hitting an object at certain distances.
When training for a class or tactical situation, dealing with an unloaded magazine or an unloaded gun in the situation is expected, all guns go empty at some point. Most of us have the ability to plan ahead and carry extra magazines, but there may be a point where loading a magazine up will be necessary. Maglula from Butler Creek makes a great 
There area a lot of good upgrades one can do to a firearm, a fighting rifle should be customized to fit an operator. Advanced Technology makes some quick and easy upgrades for your shotgun or carbine that can give you better grip or balance. Shotgun shell holders on the buttstock or riding side saddle is a practical tactical upgrade you can do on your remington 870. The fiberforce stock for the MAK90 is a way to legally get around some firearm bans and are a big step up compared to the stupid thumbhole stocks. Attach a rifle sling that fits yoru purpose from Blue Force Gear, they come in 1 point, 2 point and 3 point attachements. Minor firearm modifications make need to be done to attache rifle slings, but do some research on various rifle sling configurations to see what works for you.
One pass loosens large particles, scrubs out the remaining residue with a bronze brush, then swabs it all spotless with a cleaning area 160X larger than a standard patch. Add a few drops your favorite gun or Hoppes Elite and your guns ready for storage. The bore snake is caliber specific so make sure you get the correct one for your pistol, rifle or shotgun. You will also notice your gun cleaning time will be cut in half or more. I’ve cleaned more than 4 firearms in an hour, from AKs, FALs, M1A, Mini 14s and AR15 rifles all will accept the use of the Hoppes boresnake.
Rogue Elite has all of the 
Rogue Elite has all of the