Gamo Silent Cat Air Rifle

Extremely Accurate - minor tweaks desired
I've shot a few hundred rounds through the Silent Cat. Accuracy is AMAZING, essentially same hole groups at 20yds**. With the muzzle velocity chronograph at 1030 +/- 10fps, it is as loud as a standard "10 pump" pellet gun which has a velocity around 650fps. Essentially, sounds like a BB gun!

The suppressor does NOT quiet down the shot when using the PBA ammo, which gives Muzzle Velocities of 1280-1330fps, jumping into supersonic. With PBA ammo, a report like a ladyfinger firecracker going off is heard due to the "mini sonic boom" of the projectile. The suppressor DOES protect the muzzle, which is a good enough reason to get this model. The last 1mm of barrel effects accuracy more than the rest of the length! The muzzle crown (where the pellet exits), must be cut perfectly at 90 degrees with no nicks or dings so the air pushing the pellet exits uniformly.

I have a Gamo Big Cat, and an RWS, the Big Cat is .177, and it is quite a bit louder than the Silent...
Accurate and light, but the trigger isn't very good
Generally pleased with this air gun. Have been shooting a variety of pellets, but like the Gamo Tomahawk pellets, and Beeman Hollowpoint.

Though the trigger is adjustable, I was rather disappointed at the hard pull which made accurate shots difficult and didn't bother trying to adjust it out. Instead replaced with a GRT III which made the trigger very close to the stock trigger on my Air Arms s410 in performance, and now it's quite nice and allows much better accuracy. Once the trigger was replaced, the accuracy has really improved in terms of tight shot patterns. But frankly it did ok with the stock trigger as long as I used a good artillery hold with some added stability such as sitting and using a leg for added support. Standing and shooting with the stock trigger was difficult as the hard pull made shot patterns dispersive. However, the light weight of the gun, surprisingly light, generally makes this gun easy to handle.

Scope is good enough, way far from top...
Accurate and quiet
After sighting the scope this pellet rifle is very accurate at 200 feet. Invasive nusiance squirrels have vacated. I first bought the GAMO Whisper VH Air Rifle with 3-9x40 Scope, Laser, Light and PBA (.177 Caliber) but it jammed after 10 shots and had to be returned. The Silent Cat was coincidentally released that week so I bought it instead. I've shot the Silent Cat for several months with no problems. The Silent Cat is slightly shorter and lighter than the Whisper which makes the Silent Cat easier to handle.

2012-02-21 Check out [...] for a discussion about 0.177 vs 0.22 cal. The 0.177 cal pellets have removed all squirrels from my yard.
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Nikon P-223 3-9x40 Mate BDC 600

Excellent Scope for a Great Price
I had been considering the Nikon M223 for a while, but when I heard about this new P223, I decided to wait. I'm glad I did because I love the scope.

I compared the P223 3-9x in the store to the 3-12x M223, and the image in the P version looked just as nice to my eyes. There's another advantage of the 3-9x P223 over the 4-12x M223, and that is at full zoom (the only time the BDC reticle works correctly), the 3-9x P223 has more eye relief. The eye relief of the 3-9x P223 holds very constant while the eye relief of the 3-12x M223 really tightens up from around 9x to 12x. Of course I would have loved to have the adjustable parallax, but the 3-12x M223 is also over twice the price.

I saw from another review comment that this scope does not come with the flip caps, but I was able to fit it with caps right in the store. If you want some flip caps, the Butler Creek sizes are 19&20 Eye and 30&31 Obj.

I got the "P series" scope rings for free, but couldn't use...
Nail Driver
Bought this scope this week and I cant say enough about how great it is!!! Once we got it dialed in, my Rock River LAR-15 was shooting consistent groups at 100 yards. Scope is well constructed as is other Nikon optics. Scope mounts i bought were the P-223 mounts and they mounted to my mil std rail with no issues. Deffinately recommend this optic for a shooter who is looking for a great scope at an affordable price!!!
Great price for quality!
I have this on my DPMS AR-15A3, and shoots very, very consistent. Paired up with the Nikon mount, it is great looking too! I love the drop compensator also, although I'll probably never shoot more than 200yds...Very clear.
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Bushnell Legend Ultra HD 10x 42mm Roof Prism Binocular

Almost Excellent
A brief summary of this review is that, after comparison with the Bushnell Legend HD 8x42, A Nikon Prostaff 7 10x42, a Nikon Monarch 5 10x42, and a REI 10x50, I decided to stick with the Bushnell 10x42 Legend HD; BUT the decision is a compromise, and I an not totally happy with the Bushnell product.
To understand how I came about to compare so many models, let me give you the entire story. Firstly I had decided to get a good pair of binos. I decided to get the Legend HD 8x42 mostly because of the good reviews, its larger Field of View and brighter image (as compared to the 10x42). So after I got it from Amazon and carefully testing the optics visually, I noticed that in the left side scope there was a slight misalignment of optics so that there was a larger than normal area of image blurring on the left side field of view (the normal for the Legend series, from my subsequent observation, being about at 25% of the edge area you begin to get blurring). This was only noticeable...
Great value. Nice Binocs.
I purchased these binoculars after reading reviews here and on other sites. I'm very pleased with the size and quality. I'm using these mainly for hunting and fine they fill that use very well. The focus is precise and the low light viewing is excellent. These fit the price range I was in and the current $50 rebate from Bushnell makes them an excellent value. The lens caps are useless to me. Maybe good for storage. I really like the support carrier included, which works great while hunting.
Legend HD Binocs
These are the best binoculars I have ever used, period! Crystal clear view, perfect clarity, and very simple use. Almost gives the feeling of viewing in 3D. Would definitely recommend for any purpose.
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Crimson Trace Rail Master Universal Mount Laser

A high quality and ergonomic laser sight
I purchased this Crimson Trace Rail Master laser to use as a sight on my second Ruger SR22P pistol. My other SR22P is equipped with a similar competing product from Lasermax -- the Uni-Max Micro. Both lasers are small and will fit perfectly on any pistol equipped with a Picatinny tactical rail. In this review I will first review just the Rail Master and then make some comparisons as between the Rail Master and the Uni-Max Micro.

Laser sights have been around for awhile, but in the 21st century they have really come into their own as an excellent augment to the traditional notch or "iron" sights that were perfected in the 19th century. Lasers have the advantage of very quick target acquisition in lower light conditions and/or short range. At longer ranges in bright sunlight lasers are not nearly as effective because it is simply harder to see that red dot. But even in bright conditions at short range (the range that you would likely need a laser to acquire a "bad guy"...
Wow, this is awesome.
I could not be more impressed by the quality and the price of this product. So much, I created a YouTube video of it. It was easy to install (on my Glock and XDM). It is low profile so that the gun still fits is most of my holsters. Out of the box it is accurate. I really could not be more pleased.

[...]
Excellent and versatile product
Super product. The laser is very bight and powerful. It comes zeroed at 50 feet and is easy to fine tune using the supplied allen tool to turn the windage and elevation adjustments. Activation control is ambidextrous and is positioned ideally. It is constructed of a polymer that seems identical to that of my M&P .40 and so it appears as though it is OEM equipment. The unit comes with a variety of adapters for non standard rails so you should have no worries there.

This product is as good as it gets for the money. Once the TLR4 is more readily available this Rail Master will end up on my AR15.
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Garmin Oregon 450t Handheld GPS Navigator

One year after
I have owned the Oregon 550T for a year now and I think I have used every of its most important features, accessories and software. My overall rating is that there is room for improvement, its accessories are very expensive but it is one of the top hiking GPS products compared to others. There is so much stuff that can be reviewed so I'll try to cover purchasing decision factors and how-to tips that I think will be valuable for the ones looking for real and tested decision information.

- ACCURACY: I have used my Oregon mostly in the Shenandoah, VA area and have done hiking in South America as well. One point in behalf of the Oregon is its ability to quickly pick satellite reception and pinpoint your location. I have noticed though that when you drastically change your location, let's say North American vs. South America, the GPS will need more time to discover the satellites in that area, but after that, it reconnects quickly.
One not pleasant detail is that even when...
THE OREGON IS AWESOME (Works Both On Road and Off-Road)
As of May 6, 2010 I have had and used this product extensively for about six weeks. The software on the unit has been updated to the latest which is version 3.40. I do a lot of cross-country driving and I go off road several times a week especially in remote locations with no trails.

For those that do not wish to read the rest of this review let me just say that THE OREGON IS AWESOME and I recommend it to anyone for both On-Road and Off-Road.

Runs on AA batteries which is a godsend when traveling as you can purchase them anywhere around the world. You can also utilize rechargeable batteries. Keep in mind the unit will not recharge batteries but you can make your unit run off of external power conserving your batteries. You can utilize any charger with a USB connection to do this. You must however have the unit set up to Garmin Spanner in Setup>System>Interface setting configured, otherwise the unit will go into USB mass storage mode and you will not be able...
Good but not perfect
After using the 550t for several weeks, I find the unit good but not perfect. It still has some issues, one of which I have been in touch with Garmin over. The main issue I have is it will periodically corrupt the track file and stop showing the tracks on the map or allowing for elevation plots on the tracks. The only way to clear it is to attach the unit to a computer and replace the track file with a new one from the computer.
The compass sometimes loses it's way and needs to be recalibrated.
I have not had an issue with the accuracy under tree cover, that some have reported, but I have had a few tracks that were not 100% accurate. Walking on known roads, it will be several 100 feet off in some cases. I am not sure if this is an issue with the preloaded Topo 2008 maps, or the unit's accuracy.
I love the camera and the tagging of each photo.
For a new unit, it is not bad, but it still shows a few rough edges.

Just an update - After comparing the tracks...
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Nikon ProStaff 3-9 x 40 Black Matte Riflescope (BDC)

Amazing scope for the money
I am very impressed with this scope by Nikon. After months of research, I decided to go with Nikon because of the lifetime warranty, BDC reticle, SpotOn online ballistic software, and quality optics. After realizing the new ProStaff has all the features I wanted in the Buckmaster and possibly better optics to boot, I was sold. If you are like me and want a high quality, mid-range scope for hunting and target shooting without paying more than your rifle, you will not be disappointed by this impressive piece of optical engineering.

My eye is not calibrated, but Nikon says this scope has 98% light transmission and I believe them. The glass is incredibly bright and sharp. My binoculars and spotting scope appear terribly inferior to this scope (I kept checking for dirt/dust). The scope focuses and zooms easily. Sighting in is a piece of cake thanks to the turret reset capability. Ample eye relief allows for an easy, comfortable, and flexible stance. I've shot friends'...
Absolutely Satisfied
Couldn't be happier with this scope. For the price, it's the best. I'm a retired federal officer with a first place marksman trophy. I leveled this scope on my Remington 700 .270 and site it in on my ranch. It was dusk and raining. Bulls eye every time at 100 yards. Zeroed at 100 yds and went back to 200 yards. I used the BDC mark for 200 yds, Bulls eye right on the X. Incredible.
Visibility through the glass was clear as my naked eye.
I use nothing but Nikon products, cameras, scopes, etc. I know what scope I'm buying for my next rifle...NIKON Pro-staff.

NOTE ---> If you order scope covers from Optic Sale. Be aware that their size chart is totally wrong. This scope uses cover sizes...# 19 and # 31.
Great Scope
This is a Great scope for the money. The optics are very clear at all magnifications and the BDC reticle is easy to see. You can go on Nikon's website and download their app ($5.00) or use it for free. The free version requires you to input your information every time you access the software, a bit of a pain but it is free.

This scope was very easy to zero. Firm, positive clicks on the turrents and very accurate. If it says 1/8" or 1/4" at 100yds, believe it!

I will be looking to replace several other scopes I have with one of these.
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Nikon P-223 3x32 Matte BDC Carbine

Solid Scope, Good Value
I've owned this scope now for about a month, and after cycling 400-500 rounds through it on my Bushmaster AR-15, I've had absolutely no issues with it. The BDC feature is great, and when coupled with the Nikon Spot-On app for iPhone ($5.99 when I purchased), you can really improve your accuracy and understanding of ballistics. The scope and the app work together and take caliber, ammo type (mfg, or hand load), weather conditions, range, etc. to give you invaluable info. If you're sighting in on a range with a 75 yard max length, but want a 100, 150, 200 yard zero, the app gives you precise data to make that happen. If you change ammo types, the app allows you to see a ballistics table and modifies the range on your BDC markings with up to date info (not on the actual scope...but gives you the new yardage). May sound complicated (it did to me), but once you get into it, it couldn't be simpler. The app actually lets you play around with ammo types, without burning ammo, to get the...
Awesome scope
Mounted this scope on my Smith and Wesson M&P-15 using nikon P-series mounts.
Fits the rifle very well, has a wide field of view and the crosshairs are crisp at any relief distance.
The micrometer windage and elevation adjustment turrets are set for 1/2" at 100yds and are even labeled as such to make quick calculation and tweeking easy.
My presicion has doubled since installing this scope!
SO FAR...PERFECT!
BOUGHT THIS SCOPE TO PUT ON MY M&P AR15 PAIRED WITH THE P223 SCOPE RINGS. ROCK SOLID MOUNT AND PERFECT CLARITY. DIALED THIS SCOPE IN EASILY USING 55GR FMJBT PMC BRONZE AMMO. SHOOTING NICKLE SIZE TARGETS AT 65 YARDS WITH EASE. AFTER CLOSE TO 200 ROUNDS, SO FAR IT'S PERFECT. I HAVE 3 OF THE NIKON BDC TYPE SCOPES AND LOVE THEM ALL.
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