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Back Woods Pistol

I have carried about every type of pistol there is in the woods, including 4 inch 44 specials, 10mm Glocks, and Ruger Single Six’s. Unless I am in an area with bears there is no reason to carry a big bore pistol since I usually have a rifle. If I am out hiking or camping then I want a pistol that I can take a squirrel or occasional rabbit out with. I settled on the Ruger Single Six for a long time. We have a few of them floating around the house, and it was the simplest one to grab. A few years ago Tactical Solutions sent me a Pac-Lite upper for a Ruger 22/45. I had never really loved the 22/45 as I thought it was heavy for what it was and not as accurate as I wanted. The Pac-Lite upper changed my entire outlook on a semi auto 22 pistol.

I changed out the weighty, and less than optimal factory upper for the TacSol Pac-Lite. In my opinion, what makes the Pac-Lite upper so amazing is the precision machined aircraft grade aluminum barrel that contains a steel liner crowned at 11 degrees. Each barrel is hand chambered with a manual machine so the operator can actually feel the steel being cut. There are many accurate 22 pistols, but once you shoot a hundred rounds or so then the accuracy and reliability goes downhill like a snowball headed to hell. If I am headed to the woods I am probably going to be doing a lot of shooting over a weekend, and the last thing I want to do is break the gun down. TacSol chambers are designed to give the maximum accuracy while keeping reliability. TacSol guarantees each pistol will do a 1 inch group at 25 yards with standard velocity ammo. Chet tells me to use Eley ammo but that is a bit pricey. I run standard CCI Blazer.

I outfitted my pistol with a Vortex Venom red dot, which is a major upgrade over the old Single Six pistol sights. I use the 3 MOA dot and find it sufficient for about anything I could need while in the woods. In the future I might go with a bit smaller dot. I have used Vortex products for 10 years now, and could not be happier with their optics. The one time I broke one they replaced it, no questions asked. Since the pistol is threaded and in the great State of Tennessee, I can use a suppressor to hunt. I also added my old Aklys 22 can. I have several thousand rounds through this little aluminum ear protector and it keeps doing the job. I recommend getting a suppressor to go with your PacLite. Coupled with a few magazines, and a brick of CCI the whole camp can have a few days of quiet, fun plinking and shooting squirrels for the cook-pot.

-Jacob Herman

Student of the Gun Accur8 Sights with Suppressor

Check out this video from SOTG’s Paul Markel on using our 2 dot Accur8 sights with a suppressor:

What is Tritium?

Tritium, Tritium Tritium…What the heck is Tritium? Simply stated, tritium is a radioactive isotype of Hydrogen. There you go. You are now an expert, have a great day…

Ok seriously though, what does that mean?

IT’S SCIENCE TIME

 Tritium is a Hydrogen atom made up of three particles. Tritium is produced naturally in the atmosphere when cosmic rays collide with air molecules. Also, tritium is a byproduct of the production of electricity by nuclear power plants.

The chemical behavior of tritium is essentially the same as that of hydrogen. This means that tritium, just like stable hydrogen, can exist in a gaseous state or in the form of water.

Tritium in its gaseous form is able to diffuse through most materials except Borosilicate glass. When Tritium gas is encapsulated in these glass vials with phosphorescent pigments, a self-luminous (glow in the dark) device is created.

These vials can be found in a wide range of common consumer goods such as watches, compasses, key chains, tritium exit signs and GUN SIGHTS.

IS IT DANGEROUS?

 The short answer is NO.

It is important to note that everyone is exposed to radiation every day and, on average, the vast majority of an individual’s radiation exposure in the United States results from medical procedures and naturally produced radiation.

Since tritium is a low energy beta emitter, it is not dangerous externally (its beta particles are unable to penetrate human skin) but it can be a radiation hazard in large doses when inhaled, or ingested from food or water. To avoid this, please do not eat our gun sights 😉

If a tritium vial breaks, to be safe, one should leave the area and allow the gas to diffuse into the air. In the event you directly inhale tritium gas in large volume, drink water, and your body will excrete this in 3-7 days.

IS TRITIUM STREET LEGAL?

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulates the use and distribution of self-illuminated tritium devices. Only companies with approved distribution licenses are legally allowed to build and distribute these tritium products.

HOW LONG DO TRITIUM VIALS “GLOW”?

The time that it takes a radioactive isotope to decay to half the original amount is called the half-life. Tritium has a half-life of 12.32 years.

The more tritium that is initially encapsulated in each vial, the brighter it is to begin with, and the longer its useful life.

Night Fision prides itself on adding 30% more tritium into every single gun sight. This is why we back our Perfect Dot night sights with the longest illumination guarantee in the industry.

If your sights stop glowing before 16 years, we will replace them.

The Evolution of Pistol Sights

Student of the Gun’s Paul Markel helped Night Fision design the Accur8™ line of two dot sights. Check out his article the Evolution of Pistol Sights.

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Instructors Know Best

Here is my story…

Problem #1 Like most folks in their “early” fifties I started to have difficulty seeing things as they were  in the past as my eyes age.  I found that my eye was not picking up the front sight on presentation but rather grabbing the rear sights immediately then forcing me to transition to the threat and then back to the front sight.  This proved slow and it is not what we teach… i.e. “FRONT SIGHT FOCUS” and it is slow.

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Clean Your Piece

Firearms are tools. Very expensive tools which have exacting tolerances, and which are subjected to extreme environmental conditions. Every single actuation of these tools subjects certain parts of the tool to thousands of pounds per square inch of pressure, hot gas, and high impact. Not to mention dirt, dust, grime, and filth from the field. Unbelievably though, I still meet shooters who swear that they abuse their guns right out of the box to test “reliability”, or “durability”. Would they do the same with a $300 DeWalt miter saw or framing nailer? I doubt it. They want their tools to last!

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The Science of Sight: Low Light / Night Shooting

Can Competition Shooters Defend Themselves?

I have recently participated in a couple interviews and round table discussions which focused on the validity of using competition shooting to prepare for self-defense shooting. More specifically, if participating in the shooting sports hurts or helps someone who also carries a gun and trains for self-defense. This question seems to be a serious bone of contention between the “Tactical” and “Competition” crowds. DISCLAIMER: I’m not unbiased. As a nationally ranked competitive shooter AND someone who teaches the use of firearms for self-defense all over the world, I’ve given this topic much thought, and I have some opinions.
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Proper Sight Alignment and Sight Picture

The key to hitting your target is pretty simple, put your sights on target, and pull the trigger in a way that doesn’t disturb your sight picture. Well, it certainly sounds simple. If you’ve ever been shooting you know that in practice this doesn’t always work so simply. It’s certainly something you need to go out and train for. The problem occurs when you don’t know how to train properly.

Today we are going to arm you with the proper means to train and teach you about proper sight alignment and sight picture. We’ll also touch on how to train with these techniques at home.
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Let’s Talk About Rears

Your choice of front and rear sights is important. There are different types designed to address different needs. There are a few things that you cannot compromise on. For example, combat sights should be night sights. Then there are other considerations that are entirely user preference. Today we are going to specifically talk about rear sights, and your rear sight style options.
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