Inside Out Outdoors

I purchased a Browning BPS a couple of years ago and have been pretty happy with it thus far.  I decided on the 3" camo model with a cantilever barrel.  I then mounted a 2-7 power Nikon ProStaff scope on it with some dura sight mounts.  I've taken a couple of deer so far with this and it has performed well for me.


Pros:
-  I'm a left handed shooter and this is a good ambidextrous shotgun.  The BPS has a top tang safety as well as bottom-load and bottom-eject.  This is one of the few shotguns that actually has a bottom-load, bottom-eject setup; for those of you who remember the old Ithica shotguns, this is very similar.

- Fully rifled 22-inch barrel, with a 1-in-28 twist, shoots a very accurate sabot slug.

- Reasonable weight at 7lb-10oz.

- Smooth trigger pull

-Price.  I got mine for about $650 which is pretty reasonable for a slug gun!  There are also many after market accessories available including additional barrels.

Cons:

- The Dura Touch coating leaves something to be desired.  After only two years of use I have a lot of wear on the coating and the area around the muzzle of the barrel is starting to peel away.

- I had some cycling trouble where a shell would drop out of the mag while pumping a round into the mag.  I fixed this with a good oil job and I have not had this problem again but it's worth mentioning.

Overall the BPS has made a good addition to my collection and I can't wait to get it out in the field again this year.  As a note I do shoot the 3-inch Light Field slugs that I reviewed here , for hunting deer.

-Paul Nicolucci

This off-season has been one that has seen me not really buy a bunch of hunting stuff, which is not the norm.  However, the few items I have bought and will be buying in the next few days before the season opener are very important in the grand scheme of things and I'll be highlighting my new toys in the days leading up to September 10th.  First up are my new binoculars and the harness system I bought for them, so let's get right to it.

I've been in need of a good, reliable set of binoculars for a while now.  I've usually just settled for the small, cheap ones and considering how little I have used them,  they have always been adequate for the terrain I hunt.  However, I've always wanted to get a better set, especially for when I finally make my daydream Western hunts become a reality, and decided that this would be the year I would take the plunge into better optics.  Since spending Zeiss and Swarovski like money at this point in time was out of the question, I turned to glass that I knew gave the best quality for the money:  Nikon and Leupold.  After searching around online for good deals on these brands in 10x42 configurations, along with others such as Bushnell, Vortex and Zen Ray, I was set on just waiting one more year before dropping any money.  That's when I just happened to walk into Bass Pro Shops and ran across a deal on Leupold Acadia's I just couldn't pass up at the time ($180 after taxes for those wondering).  After giving them the look over and testing them in the store, I was sold and walked out the door with my first set of quality binoculars.  They may not be Gold Rings, but so far I love the clarity of their glass and have found that the low-light pick-up is pretty dang good (haven't had them out in the woods yet though).

Pros
-Good deal compared to other, similar optics in that quality/magnification range
-Twist eye-cups provide great relief both when I do and don't wear my glasses
-Multi-coated lenses
-Waterproof
-Very good glass for the price paid

Cons
-Lens caps are cheap and don't stay on
-Straps that came with it are flimsy and not worth using

To combat the low-quality straps that came with the Leupolds, as well as not wanting to put the binoculars on my Redhead harness (which never worked as good as I had planned), the final item I needed in my quest for new binoculars was a quality harness system.  I was looking hard at the Crooked Horn Outfitters system when I ran across S4 Gear and their Lockdown system.  After giving them a look over in the store, I was sold!  I did wait a few weeks though, to make sure I didn't find something else that was better.  I didn't of course and ended up grabbing the last of the Large Lockdown System at BPS this past Friday.  One quick note:  Make sure you grab the right size you need for your binoculars as they have a Micro size as well.  I actually grabbed both sizes and tried them with a set of binoculars in the store to make sure the Large is that what I needed for the Acadias.  Once home, all it took was a few minutes to get the harness set-up and my binoculars on them.  So far so good from the small amount of walking around I did with harness system on, the real test will come in two weeks however.

Pros
-Once fitted, harness stays tight to the body (so far)
-Binoculars stay protected when you are not using them
-Easy, one-handed "operation"
-Binoculars stay in place while walking i.e. no bouncing (again, so far)

Cons
-A little expensive IMHO at $40
-Bulkier when compared to other harness systems I've seen (but for not bouncing around as well as optics being protected, I can live with it)

I'll probably write up a quick response to this post in the coming months as we get into deer season and I am out using both of these more, so be on the lookout for that whenever the time comes for me to tell you whether these are good purchases or not.  Until then, check out the pictures I took of them below and by all means, let me know if you have any experience with either!

-C.B.

I bought a Browning BPS about two years ago that was coated with Dura Touch, the coating that Browning uses to place a camo pattern on their firearms.  I've only shot about 50 rounds through this gun, which I use as a dedicated slug gun mainly for deer.  I shot the BPS this past weekend and after cleaning the gun I noticed that the coating was peeling away at the muzzle of the barrel. 

I can only attribute this to the coating not holding up against the powder solvents that are used to clean the inside of the barrel.  Unfortunately, after a quick Google search, I found that many folks have had this same issue; some have sent it back to Browning but have been told that this is due to "normal wear and tear".  I'm pretty disappointed with this and am currently looking into an alternative company to have this barrel dipped in the same camo pattern, in a coating that is more durable. 

I'll let you know after the upcoming season who I decide to go with and just how good it holds up.  I'd like to hear from others if they have experienced similar issues with Dura Touch coatings, so leave a comment below!

-Paul Nicolucci

So just wanted to post two quick reviews of the camera gear I ordered and finally got in the mail (of course both pieces of equipment had to come in while I was working in Mississippi these past two weeks!).

First up is my Vanguard Alta+ 263 AT tripod.  I chose this tripod because of the price ($110 new on Amazon), reviews and specs.  It met the requirements I was looking for in a tripod, from everything like in the field photography and videography to "studo" interviews.  It's light enough to throw over my shoulder and carry back in the woods without too much fatigue setting in while also being sturdy enough to not shift when panning the camera, though the first leg setting isn't the best for this (need the middle leg setting for the best stability it seems).  All that being said, let me list out some of the specs (you can find more after following the link above):

Weight: 3.31 lbs
Leg Sections: 3
Material: Aluminum
Leg Lock Style:  Flip Lock
Feet:  Rubber with retractable spikes
Leg angles: 3 (25 degrees, 50 degrees, 80 degrees)
Extended Height: 60 1/4 inches
Folded Height: 22 5/8 inches
Max Load: 11 lbs
Features:  Hook to hang bag/counterweight, padded leg wraps, rubber shock mount to protect equipment if center column slams down, carrying case

Now we have the one item I wanted last year that I just never got:  A LANC remote.  I won a Varizoom VZ-Rock for a steal of a deal on ebay ($62 lightly used; these are $250 brand new!) and am very pleased so far with it after a little testing.  The side-to-side rocker for the zoom control is smooth and very controllable while the focus rocker works decent too;  I am just going to have to get used to it in order to get smooth focuses though.  The only complaint I have with this remote is that the button to turn on/off the data on the LCD screen doesn't seem to work.  No big deal though since I am used to all of that being up there anyway, plus for $62, who can complain about that?  If I really wanted to get it fixed, I could send if off to Varizoom and they would fix it for $70, which would still put me over $100 less than a new one.  All in all, it does the job intended and is a great addition to our video arsenal this year!

All that is left for me to get are a Zoom H1 for the Go Pro (audio is the key ingredient to good video and the Go Pro's on-board mic is seriously lacking), a set of wireless mics (a big investment and might not happen this year) and Beachtek adapter, and finally a light for those early morning/late evening "camp" shots as well as nighttime recovery.  Got an opinion on the items I touched on in this entry?  If so, let your voice be heard and leave a comment!

-C.B.

In my honest opinion, a good flashlight is one of the most important pieces of equipment any hunter (or outdoorsman) can invest in.  Every hunter knows you need a reliable firearm, matched ammunition and good comfortable clothing; however one of the most over looked pieces of equipment is the flashlight. 

I have to admit I was in this same category for quite awhile.  Last year while I was bow hunting with Cory and our friend Chris, I shot a doe about an hour before dark.  We heard the doe go down out of sight; however by the time we got the climbers off of the trees, found the arrow and packed all of our gear up, it was already pitch black out.  We found a blood trail and started to track the downed deer.  As the blood trail became scarce I found myself on my hands and knees in areas trying to find the next spot of blood.  This difficulty was due to the lack of a good flashlight.  The lights we were carrying were not bright enough to make the tracking easy.

Once we had admitted defeat we got Chris and headed back to the trucks (a solid mile away) with our gear so we could fetch a brighter light.  We walked back to the area we thought the deer had gone down in and started to scan with our light and we found her quite quickly.  Let me pause for a quick tip:  When looking for a downed deer in the dark, scan with your light from left to right slowly and look for the white under belly and the glow of the eyes from the light.  This trick has saved me more than once!

After that trip I decided I needed to spend the money on a good flashlight so this would not happen to me again.  Over the past couple of years the technology of flashlights has advanced immensely.  The market is flooded with terminology such as LED (Light Emitting Diode), which can make the average outdoorsman cringe with tech lingo.  Some of the things to look for when shopping for a solid light are as follows:

1) Multiple brightness settings, a low and a high will be fine for most people.

2) I prefer a light that runs on regular AA or AAA batteries as these are usually less expensive than other batteries and you can use a rechargeable battery as well as they are easy to find at any store!

3) I would recommend an LED light that has an output of at least 100 lumens.  I purchased a Browning Hi Power light that can be found here for about $75.  In my opinion, the brighter the better!

The Browning light I purchased runs on two AA batteries, is 145 lumens (measure of brightness) and reaches out to about 150 yards.  It is also compact enough to fit in a cargo pocket and does not weight a ton!  With my new light it makes getting to a stand in the morning much easier not to mention tracking and finding downed game!

So if you are looking for your next hunting investment, think about making it a good quality flashlight.

-Paul Nicolucci

So I wanted to write a review on the Mundial 5-inch Boning Knife that I recently purchased.  I bought this knife from Bass Pro about two months ago and have used it multiple times since.  I recently put on a North Carolina Pig Pickin' and used this knife to carve up the pig.  For the price of about $11 you really can't beat this product! 

Pros:
- The blade is made of a high carbon stainless steel.  This has two benefits:
    1) The high carbon steel holds an edge longer.
    2) The stainless portion of the mix keeps the knife from rusting.
- Handle is sturdy
- Blade holds a great edge!  I carved an entire 134 pound pig without sharpening.

Cons:
- A couple more inches in blade length would be nice for larger jobs, not really a Con since you can buy larger boning knives but worth mentioning that the 5-inch blade won't be the right choice for larger game.  However, average size deer, etc would be a good fit!

If you do your own butchering or are just looking for a good knife for kitchen butchering then this is a good buy.  We all need a few good knives and this one won't break the budget!

-Paul Nicolucci