Browning - X-bolt, Composite Stalker .223 - Review

About 2 years ago i decided i needed a new bolt action rifle, so as the funds became available the hunt was on. I wanted something suitable for hunting small game/varmints, as well as being practical to just take to the range for a day of punching paper. I decided that i would look for something in the .22 caliber range that would shoot relatively flat, and beyond that it came down to what was cheap and readily available. Around here the logical choice was .223 or .22-250. I decided to go with .223 as bulk ammo is regularly available at local gun shops and basic hunting/varmint ammo can be found at Canadian Tire year round. Now that i had a starting point it was time to find a rifle.

After looking at countless different rifles i had it down to two rather different platforms, the Remington 700 VTR, and the Browning X-bolt. The differences that i really looked closely at between the two were the barrel, magazine, and the weight. The Remington features a 22 inch triangular barrel with an integrated muzzle brake and a 1:9 twist. The Browning sports a 22 inch free floated barrel with a 1:12 twist. While I would have preferred the 1:9 twist of the Remington, I really like the fact that the Brownings' barrel is entirely free floating. One point Remington. One point Browning. The magazine on the Remington is a hinged floor plate type vs. the Brownings' detachable rotary box magazine. While there is nothing wrong with the Remington magazine, I personally prefer the detachable box, as it allows quicker loading and unloading of the rifle, as well as giving you the option to carry a spare mag with you. Point Browning. The weight is where the Browning really shines coming in over a pound lighter at 6lbs 3oz vs the Remington at 7lbs 8oz. That's a lot of weight i don't mind leaving at home. Final point, Browning. After getting my hands on variations of both guns in store, and with Brownings' 3-1 win in the basic comparison in mind i decided that i could forgo the 9:1 twist in favor of the floated barrel, box magazine, and some serious weight savings.

Browning offers the X-bolt in a variety of finishes in virtually any combination of wood, composite, stainless, or blued. I went with the Composite Stalker which is a Black Composite stock and blued barrel. I chose this combo because i wanted a stock that would not be as easy to scratch up or damage in the field, and i do not like the reflections and glare that stainless can produce under some light conditions. This really comes down to personal preference, all the models i looked at were gorgeous.

Finding the specific model i was looking for proved to be a bit of a challenge the local browning dealer proved to be far less interested in getting me what I wanted, rather then trying to sell me what they had in stock, after trying for far to long to get the sales reps to find what i wanted, I gave up and hit the search engines to find another browning dealer. Looking around the outdoorsman forums one name kept coming up, Bashaw Sports. They are about 2 hours from where i live but at this point it was worth a shot, and i was pleasantly surprised. The staff were great to deal with, and out of sheer luck they had the exact rifle i was looking for in stock, and priced well below the local options list price, that is if the local option would even get it. I drove down and picked up the rifle and a Bushnell Yardage Pro Scope that i had been looking at for quite a while which was also priced too well to pass up. I will have a review of it up soon. One issue i did have was finding cross slot bases for the X-bolts' x-lock mounting system, which features four bolts per base vs the usual two. (these mounts have become much easier to find since i purchased mine, and can now be found almost anywhere) Again Bashaw Sports took it on themselves to get them ordered and shipped them directly to me at home, no charge for the shipping. They earned my business that day, and i have been back since with great results.

Picking up the rifle the first thing I noticed is how good the rifle feels to hold. A slight palm swell and the textured grips feel great to hold up. The coating on the rifle is smooth and slick enough to slip past your cheek comfortably. The rifle balances great and is quite comfortable to shoulder. The rifle has a top tang safety which is crisp and quiet to disengage. It also has a bolt unlock button on top of the bolt lever which allows you to open the action without taking the rifle off safe. The action itself features a 3 lug locking bolt system with a 60 degree lift (this has proved to be great for mounting low slung optics which i will talk about in the Bushnell - Yardage Pro Review) The bolt can be cycled quickly and is extremely smooth, definitely among the smoothest actions i have used. The bolt release is on the left side of the action and is tucked nicely out of the way against the stock. The rotary magazine is made out of a sturdy polymer and fits the rifle perfectly, no wobbles, no rattles. The magazine release is integrated into the front of the mag so that pulling the release results in the magazine rotating smoothly out into your hand. At first i was worried about the durability of this "plastic" magazine, especially in the cold, but it has proven itself to be excellent.

I fitted the rifle with the Bushnell Yardage Pro 4-12x42, using Weaver aluminum bases and I am super impressed with the X-Lock mounting system. After almost 2 years of regular shooting, beating though the fields and brush, and bouncing around my car I have not had to re-zero once.



Shooting this rifle is a blast, its fitted with Brownings' Inflex recoil pad and felt recoil is non-existent. The .223 does not recoil much to start with, but with this rifle it feels more like a .22WMR. It is great, if it didn't heat up so quickly, you could sit at the range and shoot all day. The trigger is clean, crisp and very comfortable to shoot, absolutely no extra travel. Out of the box my trigger was set a little shy of 4lbs (Browning says it should be about 3.5 out of the box, not sure why there is such a difference but I'm not worried about it either) The trigger is screw adjustable from 3-5 lbs. Accuracy is very good, even shooting from a bi-pod with cheap ammo and relatively inexpensive optics. It will comfortably shoot about 1 MOA groups at 100 yards, with my best group to date being slightly over a half inch @ 100. Shooting at 300 yards has resulted 4.5 - 6 inch groups, and I'm sure that could be improved with a better shooter at the trigger.

Tight clearance between lifted bolt and scope mount.

I have heard of some people having ejection issues with larger caliber x-bolt rifles but I have had no such problems with this version and I have yet to have any issues with chambering or ejection. If you are looking to buy a larger caliber x-bolt I would recommend considering this issue in your purchase, but it is not an issue with the .223

Overall I have been very happy with this rifle, for the price I doubt it gets much better. While I would hesitate recommending this rifle for purchase in a large caliber for the reason listed above, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a smaller centerfire rifle. I sat staring at this screen for a long time trying to think of a problem with this rifle and honestly the only thing I can come up with is the 1:12 twist instead of the 1:9. Frankly though after shooting this rifle for this long I don't care anymore. Its great to shoot, great to carry and in my experience 100% reliable. If your looking for a small caliber centerfire rifle, take a good hard look at the Browning X-bolt, it is absolutely one of the best choices you could make.

My Rating:

Garmin - Oregon 450 - Practical Review

I purchased the Oregon 450 as a replacement for my etrex Venture Cx, which was unfortunatly starting to show its age. I've decided to write this review as more of a practical use review instead of a technical one, frankly if you want to see spec sheet just check Garmin's website. I will try to compare the functionality and useabilty of the device as directly as possible to the etrex series, to draw attention to the pros and cons of the touch screen vs a unit with physical buttons. With that said lets get to it.

First, i need to clarify the unit i am comparing the Oregon 450 to is from the old etrex series. Not one of Garmin's new etrex 10/20/30 series, which i have no hands on experience with. Below is a photo of the two units i will be looking at.

The Oregon 450 is slightly larger then the etrex series, and much boasts much more solid construction. The big advantage the Oregon has in this department is the buttons, or lack there of, which provides for much fewer weak spots in the rubber sealing around them, which was a major point of failure on the old etrex series. The downside of the Oregons construction however, it that it does not lend itself to many mounting or carrying options, included in the box is a carabiner mount that attaches to the rear of the unit and allows the unit to hang freely, unfortuantly that result in a unit that is always swinging around and bouncing of of you, and the rocks and trees you may be climbing through. Garmin does not offer many other carrying solutions, and in my opinion the ones they do offer are junk. They are simply too large and too awkward to be practical in the field. Fortunatly the unit will fit nicely in alot of digital camera cases so finding one that will work for you shouldnt be too hard, i picked up a Case Logic bag at staples for about 10 dollars that works quite well.

The unit itself is very simple to operate, there is one botton on the right hand side that acts as on on off switch and allows you to adjust to brightness and lock the screen via a pop up menu on screen. Where this system falls short is that the older etrex series would allow you to set 3 brightness levels (off/l1/l2) that could be cycled through by repeatedly pressing the button. The Oregon requires you to open the menu and use +/- buttons to adjust the backlight from off to 100%. This has proven to be a real hastle under changing light conditions, specifically when a light is only needed a fraction of the time. With sunlight the screen itself is clearly visible with the light turned completely off, even in shadows, which is good because the battery life of the device is not the best, so every bit of power savings help. Definitely bring good batteries, or bring alot of cheap ones.

Using the Oregon 450 is simple and will feel familiar to anyone with any experiance using any gps unit. The on screen menu are simple and easy to understand, but changing settings such as routing options or map orientation is not nearly as intuitive as on the etrex series, and often involves having to exit to the main menu and wade through the setup screens to change anything, this is definitly an area where the touch screen falls far short of a unit having physical buttons.

Sattelite tracking of this unit is very good, and far exceeds the abilities of the older units, especially under dense cover. In areas where the etrex will lose its lock completely the oregon will maintiain 10-15m accuracy. One of my favorite features on the Oregon 450 is the electronic compass, which is also available on many of Garmin's newer high end units. The compass is very accurate when there is nothing around to interfere with it, but it is also VERY sensitive. Forget about using it in your car or within 50m of any type of power line, although you wont have to worry about your cellphone or transciever sending it off course.

If you need a gps that will perform under all conditions you should forget about anything with a touch screen and look to the etrex or similar gps systems, while the touch screen  ooks good it is not an interface that can be navigated as well as a unit with physical buttons, especially in the hands of an experianced user. The biggest factor for me however is when the unit needs to be used in cold conditions, when you need to be wearing gloves. The touch screen cannot be operated with gloves on, buttons can. For me when it comes to camping, hunting, skiing, or any other activity in the winter, the Oregon 450 comes, but only as a backup to the etrex.

I hesitate to call the Oregon 450 a beginner gps system because frankly its not, it has all the advanced features of any other gps, but ultimatly it is only really effective for casual use. I have yet to find any type of carrying solution that can match what is available for the etrex, the touch screen dramatically limits the battery life and useability of the unit. If you are shopping for a gps that will see regular use in the field, then i would strongly recommend looking at gamins latest etrex series. It appears they have taken everything great about the Oregon series and parked it in a chassis that is everything good about the etrex series. Once the new etrex is available here my Oregon will be quickly replaced and the review for the new etrex will be available here. If you are serious about having the touchscreen then there is no doubt the Oregon 450 is a great unit and will exceed your expectations, but i think you would be doing yourself a disservice by overlooking the other units without the touchscreen.

My Rating

Coleman - Perfectflow Instastart Grill - Review

Anybody who has headed out camping in a small car knows space is an issue. You’re loading up and ultimately you realise your out of room and something has to stay behind. After years of camping in an RV I found that one of the easiest things to leave behind was the grill, it takes up a lot of room, it’s dirty, and you can always grill on the fire right? Well that works out until you end up somewhere under a fire ban, or simply without a fire pit. Then you end up eating out of a can or frying everything, and it sucks. Missing my BBQ I had to find another option. I needed something that:

·Could provide an all-in-one cooking appliance.
·Will take up no more room than my current two burner camp stove.
·Will be easy to clean. No smelly, greasy leftovers going into the car.

It was blatantly obvious that I wasn’t going to get a BBQ with 2 burners attached that was going to meet any of the criteria above, so I needed to find a compromise. I decided on a grill/stove combo unit, specifically the Coleman Perfectflow Instastart Grill.

The unit itself is about 2/3 grill with a burner on the side, both are spec’d at 10000btu and that is more than enough, I find I usually end up with both on the lowest settings most of the time anyways. Build quality is about what you would expect, good but nothing spectacular, basically the same formula that’s been in use for 30+ years, and from the looks of things it will probably last for years if taken care of. Most of the unit is aluminum with plastic controls, the grill is cast aluminum and the stove is nickel chrome. The grill is coated with some type of Teflon-ish coating that is fairly easy to scratch with metal utensils, so I would definitely recommend plastic tools.

The unit functions very well. The starter hasn’t failed me yet, and the unit produces plenty of heat when you need it. The grill does heat fairly evenly although a little hotter directly above the burner but not enough to matter. The stove works very well, but the wind shield is far too close to the burner, meaning you will need to have it down to put anything larger than a small pot or kettle on it. That being said I have yet to use it in a wind strong enough to cause any problems, and routinely leave it down and store utensils on it. One issue some people may have with this type of set up is in a situation where 2 stove burners are needed, as you cannot put a pot on top of the grill, it will damage the grill and void your warranty. This has not proved to be a huge issue but definitely something to think about when making your purchase.

Cleaning the unit is fairly simple the grills are easily lifted off and the undersides of the burners are smooth and easily wiped clean, with no sharp edges to speak of. I have found that some things will cook onto the aluminum and be very difficult to clean up, like the manual says this can be easily remedied by lining the base with tinfoil, and punching a hole in it where the drip tray sits. What they don’t tell you is that lining it with tinfoil will render the starter useless, as the spark will arc to the foil, and not to the burner.

I also picked up a griddle that can be used instead of the grill, as well as a carrying case. The griddle is essentially the same material as the grill, and has a grease trough and drain holes on one side that work well, as long as the grill is level where you’re using it. The carrying case is very handy to keep all the components together and protected during travel and storage. It also allows two propane cylinders to be carried with the stove. While the case is supposed to be compatible with this stove it is a VERY tight fit. You will have to stretch the edge of the case over the controls to get it in, but once it’s in it works very well.

Overall this grill has been excellent. I have owned it for 3+ years and have not had one problem with it. If you are looking for a compact stove/grill combo this is definitely a good way to go. While it has some minor issues, there is nothing that cannot be worked around without any extra effort. At times it would be nice to have an extra burner, but for the few times it necessary I would rather not carry anything bigger, or any other unit.

My Rating:

The North Face - Snow Shoe - Review

While preparing for a spring camping trip and watching the forecast get worse and worse by the day I came to the conclusion that my regular summer sleeping bag was just not going to be good enough. I set out to find a warmer sleeping bag. After giving myself a crash course on what’s available in the world of sleeping bags I decided that my sleeping bag would:

·Be usable to at least -15c, but not be too hot to use if temperatures increased
·Dry quickly if it got damp
·Have enough room to keep the next day’s clothes and some equipment warm at the bottom of the bag
·Light enough to be packed easily

I did not have a lot of time to look around for the best bag or the best deals so most of my information came from sales reps, store staff and a few “how to choose a sleeping bag” guides on the internet. I decided I wanted a synthetic bag, although it weighs slightly more than its down competitors it will dry out faster if it gets damp. I also decided on a mummy style bag, this was somewhat of a troublesome decision for me as usually I toss around a lot when sleeping, but I decided on the mummy bag because when it is cold you tend to stay in one place rather then moving to cold areas of a bed. As a result I decided having less space to heat up would be better than trying to stay in the warm spot all night long.

After snooping through nearly every local store for sleeping bags I decided the one that seemed best was the Snow Shoe by The North Face. I purchased the left hand zipper with the extra-long bag for 189.99. This bag is advertised as comfortable to 0f or -17.8c but I did not particularly trust these ratings, with any bag, not just this one, the way I see it this comfort rating will be quite different from one person to the next. So time will tell.

Once I got the bag home and unpacked I started checking it out, the bag includes 2 stuff sacks, one for storage and one, very small one, for transport and regular use. The zipper is good and seals very well but I found that no matter what I do it seems to bind up right as it makes the corner near the shoulder. I don’t think this is so much an issue with the zipper as it is the angle I am pulling it at and may be resolved with some practice. There is a heavily padded flap that seals the zipper on the inside and prevents the cold zipper from touching you at night. There is also a Velcro flap at the top of the zipper to keep it from coming undone. The neck collar, which essentially seals your shoulder in was one of the hardest parts of the mummy bag to get used to. It is closed using what I can only describe as a Velcro sandwich and a pull string to cinch it up, both work very well, they just take some getting used to. The hood also features a pull string to tighten it up. The collar and hood can both be comfortably left undone when not needed. My biggest problem with this bag is the lining, and I am still not convinced if I like it or not. The North Face describes it as a “silken lining” and it does feel silk-like although it has a very plastic feel to it. I have found it to be very strange feeling to sleep in, it almost makes bare skin feel sweaty although you will be perfectly dry. The other issue some users may have with this bag is simply the size, I am fairly short with a medium build and the width of this bag at the shoulders is just enough to fit me comfortably, someone with a larger frame would probably have some serious issues getting in and out of this bag.

With that said it was time to give it a go. We were headed for Swan Hills, AB. in the beginning of May with estimated lows around 0c. I set up my Snow Shoe sleeping bag by itself on top on a Therm-a-rest Basecamp 2” mat. Temperature was in the 3-5c range and I was quite warm although strangely enough my feet were somewhat chilly. I decided this was due to the way I had packed tomorrows clothes into the bottom of the bag, I had left a rather large air pocket, folding up the clothes so they packed in nicely fixed this problem instantly. The second and third nights were a little below the 0 degree mark and the humidity was considerably higher making for cool nights, I did up the collar and hood and was perfectly comfortable if not a little on the warm side, either way I slept through the night with no problems. I feel that this bag could comfortably be used exactly as rated and with the addition of a bag liner and some additional clothes probably well beyond its rated limits.

I have not had a lot of time to abuse this bag and as such I will keep you updated if my opinion changes, for better or worse. This is a good bag but I would recommend spending more time trying out the bag in store, especially in consideration of the liner. It will feel different when fully clothed as opposed to barefoot in your pjs, and I am unconvinced I would buy a bag with this type of liner again, and will likely end up buying an aftermarket liner to correct this mistake.

My Rating:

Chinook Technical Outdoor - Twin Peaks Guide 6 - Review

After 4 years of what can best be described as "tolerating" a mediocre tent, i set out to find a replacement. The new tent would have to satisfy a few notable deficiencies in the last tent as well as meet a few basic requirements. This tent:

·Would be able to stand entirely on its own, with or without the use of pegs.
·Would have a sheltered area outside of the main living area
·Would be able to comfortably fit 2 people with enough room to allow operation of a heater
·Would be easy to assemble with 2 people. But still be doable by one.

After looking around I stumbled upon another Chinook Tec tent at a retailer nearby, while it was not what I was looking for, the way the tent was constructed was. As a result decided to look up Chinook Technical Outdoor’s website and see what else they had available.  That’s where I found the Twin Peaks series and it looked like a great option to fit my needs.

I shopped around and unfortunately local pricing and availability left a lot to be desired, I was never able to actually see the tent as it was out of stock with no eta in every store I could find that carried it. After pondering it for a while I decided that based on the perceived quality of the other Chinook tents I was able to view that it was worth a shot. Ultimately I ended up buying it online from scouttech-outfitters via eBay. Price was $340.11 +gst. Shipping was free and the product arrived promptly and exactly as expected.

Once I received the tent we immediately headed out to an open spot to set it up. The tent is stored in a duffle bag style case, which compared to the “sock” type that my old tent was in, is a huge improvement in itself. As I started rolling out the parts I was looking to see how some of the weak spots on my old tent compared to this new one, and was pretty impressed. The stakeout loops have been reinforced where they attach to the tent, and not just in the corners as my previous tent was.  The seams have all been taped and sealed. The mesh on the screens is also a lot finer then what I was used to, and did an excellent job of controlling the mayflies and mosquitos on our first trip out. I would have liked to see  additional stakeout loops positioned at the center of the doors to hold down the base of the tent a bit better but we’ll see if this actually proves to be a problem or not.

Setting up the main tent is remarkably simple thanks to every connection and pole being color coded. The instructions are straight forward and easy to follow. Set up is as simple as putting two poles through the screen side, followed by two poles though the body side, then raising the tent.  Adding the fly is also very easy although the method the instructions suggest requires you to be eight feet tall and able to reach through solid objects. We found it far simpler to simply connect one side with the color coded, quick release buckles, attach the ridge pole and then pull the whole assembly over the tent. The straps build into the buckles make tightening up the fly a breeze. The full length fly has loops around the base allowing it to be staked out away from the main tent to keep water away. Adding the PE floor to the screen room is also simple and it is simply connected using 4 buckles at each corner of the room, I would have liked to see a couple more buckles on the long sides of the floor but it is defiantly not a deal breaker as the only time I see even using the removable floor would be if the area was VERY muddy or wet, otherwise it really serves no purpose in my opinion.

Going into the tent, it is obvious this is a step above the last one we used. The zippers are heavy and run smoothly, the only binding I experienced was when I ran the rain flap on the fly into one of them as I was closing it, but this is too be expected, I can’t really see a way it could have been done better. Both the screen room and the tent include a removable gear loft and the hangers are more than strong enough to hang a light or wet gear to dry. The main living area also features four pockets positioned at opposite ends of the outer walls and they were easy to find and access at night from where we set up our bed. The walls are tall enough that we could comfortably stand almost everywhere in the tent. We were able to set up a queen size inflatable mattress and still have enough room to move around on one side of the tent.

Overall I am very happy with this tent, while there are many other options available in a tent this size I feel for the price this is by far the best bang for your buck. After a few light uses since we received it there is no sign of any weak spots or potential failures in the structure of the tent. I will update this review at the end of the season with any issues or quirks we encounter. At this point I would have no issue recommending that you give the Chinook Technical Outdoor – Twin Peaks Guide a try for yourself or at least consider it when you buy your next large tent.

My Rating: