Our recent review of the GPS-enabled Sony Vaio P netbook computer sparked interest among readers who wanted to add navigation capability to their own laptops. While the little Sony is a marvel of engineering, some readers pointed out that it’s more than twice as expensive as “netbooks” from Asus, Dell, Samsung and other vendors. But the Sony offers built-in GPS with turn-by-turn spoken navigation. That’s a very nice feature that lets your computer do much more than just exchange email or surf the web. Though the Sony is one of the few computers with built-in GPS, don’t despair… you can now add GPS Navigation to most modern portable PCs for under a hundred bucks.
Add GPS Capability to your LapTop for under $100.00
What can you do if you already own a Windows laptop or netbook without built-in GPS Navigation? Garmin has you covered. In 2008 Garmin introduced its “Mobile PC” software that comes bundled with a corded 20X Garmin GPS receiver. The software AND the receiver cost $99.95 (average ‘street price’). There is also a version with a cordless 10X Garmin GPS receiver that works with Bluetooth-enabled laptops and netbooks.
While most vendors charge about $100 for the Mobile PC software plus USB-attached GPS receiver, we found this package for just $76.38 at BestBoatingdeals.com.
Garmin Mobile PC Features
Packed with preloaded maps, millions of destinations and full GPS navigation capabilities, Garmin Mobile PC software turns your laptop into a powerful street navigator. The program provides spoken turn-by-turn directions from your starting point to your destination. It gives automatic corrections if you stray off course. You can upload custom points of interest (hotels, parks etc.), and even navigate to locations in your MS Outlook® contact list. Garmin Mobile PC automatically sorts multiple destinations to provide an efficient route for errands, deliveries or sales calls. A trip computer records trip data and a trip log provides an electronic trail, so you can see where you’ve been on the map.
Benefits of PC-based Navigation
Right now you can buy an Asus or Dell Netbook for under $300.00. Add the Garmin Mobile PC GPS package and you’re still under $400.00. That’s less than the cost of many aftermarket vehicle GPS navigation systems by themselves. And the computer offers a bigger screen AND the ability to update weather information and hotel reservations via a Wi-Fi connection (Wi-Fi service must be purchased separately). Plus, with a portable PC, you can access AccurateShooter.com on the road!
Weaver Optics has unveiled its new, upgraded website: www.weaveroptics.com. The new site is easier to navigate, and you’ll find much more complete information on all Weaver riflescopes plus useful charts showing the correct ring/mount sizes for various scope/rifle set-ups.
NEW Weaver Website Features
• Complete scope detail: Each scope category shows available finishes and reticles in a simple, clear presentation.
• Mount charts: Quickly and easily find the right mount for your firearm; then browse the ring options for the right solution to your mounting needs.
• Online purchase: “Buy now” option lets you purchase scopes, mounts, and accessories through an approved, secure third-party online store.
NEW Gunsmith Work Center
Weaver’s new website also features a section just for accessories. There we found a cool new product, Weaver’s new Gunsmith Mounting Center (item 849725). This innovative product combines a gun vise with an integral vertical pegboard for tool storage. The gun vise has dual padded jaws that slide on 30″ rails to accommodate all types of long arms. Measuring over two feet tall, the pegboard offers plenty of room to hang tools and cleaning gear. The unit also has a flat platform behind the vise rails, plus a handy 12″x19″ parts tray up front.
• Footprint size on workbench: 34″ wide x 18.5″ deep x 30″ tall
• Pegboard panel sizes: 8″ x 26″ (2) 20.5″ x 26″ (1)
• Parts tray size: 12″ x 19.25″
• Vise adjustment range: 0.5″ – 3.25″
• Vise vertical adjustment range: 2.75″
Imagine if you could have a powerful Windows-based portable PC that would run your ballistics programs, sync with your chronograph, run Excel spread sheets (with reloading logs), connect wirelessly to the internet for weather info and load data, AND provide built-in GPS Navigation. OK, now imagine having all those capabilities (plus a camera) in a 1.4-pound computer with a compact 9.65″ x 4.72″ footprint!
Sound impossible? Not any more. The new Sony Vaio P-Series can do everything we’ve described and still fit easily inside a range-bag or vehicle glove-box. About as thin as a deck of cards, this remarkable little computer can perform a myriad of tasks for the shooter and outdoor sportsman. On the way to the range, you can use it for in-vehicle navigation — with its built-in GPS it provides turn-by-turn instructions (no internet connection needed for GPS services). Once you get to your destination you can then hook it up to your chronograph, or use it to run ExBal or other ballistics program.
Pros and Cons of Vaio P
We really like that fact that the Vaio P is so small and light. The portability means the device gets used much more, providing a web connection nearly everywhere you go (in urban areas). This editor has a 9-lb laptop with a 17″ screen. It’s a nice unit, but it rarely gets used because it’s so darn big and heavy. Conversely, I can easily bring the Vaio P anytime I’m in the car.
The screen on the Sony Vaio P, though it offers 1600 x 768 resolution, is quite small, and won’t display most web pages without scrolling vertically. If you have a target-cam, you’ll be much happier using a standard-size laptop for a display. The 1600×768 resolution stuffs so many pixels in a small space that words are hard to read and there’s no quick path to change the resolution. However, when you’re on the web, you can use the browser’s zoom function to enlarge font size.
The Vaio P comes with a 60 gig conventional hard drive. We wish a Solid State Drive (SSD) was standard. A SSD is more shock-resistant and would consume less power. However, Sony does offer 64 GB or 128 GB SSDs as extra-cost options. As it is, the Sony Vaio P is pretty expensive at $899.00 street price.
For operating systems you have a choice of Windows Vista Premium or Vista Home for the Vaio P. We wish Sony gave buyers an XP or Linux OS option. Dell offers these choices with the Dell Mini laptop.
A Unique Product
The Vaio P is not a perfect product. At about $900.00, it’s expensive as mini-laptops go. However, when you consider that this can replace a GPS Navigation unit, a PDA (for your ballistics program), a Blackberry, and a digital camera, the Vaio P is an attractive alternative. Since it’s small enough to be truly portable, we think a device like this will actually get used a lot more than a big, heavy laptop. And if the Vaio P proves to be something you use virtually every day (like your cell-phone), then it’s well worth the investment. The Vaio P was a CNET “Best of CES” Award winner for 2009.
The Roto-Stand is a handy, innovative product that’s great for gunsmiths and anyone who needs to work on pistols or action and trigger assemblies. The product consists of two elements, a large, stable round base, plus a rotating, swivel head that can be locked in position. There are two different head assemblies available: 1) a general-purpose hobby vise with padded jaws; and 2) an adjustable, internal magazine post used to hold pistols. In the photo below you can see the Hobby Vise securing a Ruger 10/22 action. The Vise is not limited to gun applications — it will also secure electronics, fishing lures, RC motors, and other hobby items.
The video below shows the Roto-Stand with Mag Post holding a 1911 pistol. The Mag Post secures your pistol from inside the magwell. The Mag Post has an adjustable internal wedge so you can adjust the amount of “grip”. Three different Mag Posts are offered — one for 1911s, a second for Sig P220s, and a third for most Glock models. Watch the video below to see the Roto-Stand and Mag Post used with a 1911 pistol.
The Roto-Stand and related components are sold by BAT Industries, LLC of California (no connection to BAT Machine in Idaho). The base assembly, by itself, costs $69.95. The Hobby Vise is $39.95, and the Mag Post is $19.95. BAT Industries offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
At SHOT Show 2009, we were impressed with the new Zeiss Victory laser rangefinder (LRF), listing it as one of the highlights of the 2009 Show.
A companion product line, the Zeiss Victory range-finding binoculars, have won a series of prestigious awards. Introduced in early 2008, the Zeiss Victory RF was named a “Leading Edge: The Best of What’s Next” product by National Geographic Adventure magazine, which wrote: “Zoom in on an object through the Zeiss Victory 8×45 rangefinding binoculars and a crisp LED display will give you its exact distance — as if you had Million Dollar Man eyesight. Traditional high-end Zeiss lenses and workmanship and a waterproof body complete this first-of-its-kind package.”
The Victory RF, claimed to be the world’s first premium binoculars with digital laser rangefinder, LED Display AND Ballistic Information System (BIS), also won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award in addition to the Chicago Athenaeum: GOOD DESIGN™ Award. Both are international awards that recognize the best design innovations of the year.
Zeiss Victory RF Binoculars Features:
• Ranges from 10 yards to 1,300 yards.
• Integrated design — Victory RF binoculars are the world’s first binoculars with a hinge bridge that do not require a separate laser emitter.
• Tightly focused Beam — The laser beam used in the Victory RFs is narrow with minimal beam divergence, so you can range small targets even at long distances.
• Accurate “One-Touch” rangefinding for a steadier image.
• Ballistic Information System (BIS) that automatically calculates required aiming hold-over at the ranged distance.
Great Performance, but Extremely Expensive
What’s the downside of the Zeiss Victory RF binoculars? They cost a fortune. The Zeiss Victory 8×45 version retails for about $2900.00, while the 10×45 model runs about $3,000. That makes the Zeiss Victory RF Binoculars MORE Expensive than the Leica 8×56 Geovids which have a much larger objective, providing better low-light performance (and a larger exit pupil). And, you can get the smaller 8×42 BRF Geovids for $2245 at Adorama.com and other large online vendors.
Are the 8×45 Zeiss Victory RFs worth $750 more than the 8×42 Leica Geovids? You’ll really have to make that decision for yourself. The Geovids are a known quantity, having proven themselves in the field over many years. The Zeiss Victory RF offers more sophisticated software (with the BIS), and we think the Victory is more secure and comfortable to hold.
Creedmoor Sports has introduced a new Air Rifle that mates an Olympic-quality Anschütz 8000-series barreled action (and trigger) with authentic AR15-style stock, chassis, and sights. The new system, dubbed the “AiR-15™”, is designed to allow Service Rifle and High Power competitors to cross-train with a precision air rifle system between matches and during the off-season. Although the rifle is supplied with a mock magazine (for correct off-hand ergonomics), the gun is a single-shot, using manual-fed 0.177 pellets. The AiR-15 combines an Anschutz 8001 junior barreled action with the patent-pending Creedmoor AiR stock kit. The stock kit includes the receiver sleeve, fore-end (with sling swivel, air cylinder, alignment hanger), butt stock, carry handle with National Match rear sight (1/4 min), and a National Match front sight.
Dennis DeMille, past Camp Perry Champion and Creedmoor Sports General Manager, has worked hard to develop the AiR-15 system. He has shot the prototype and he believes it is an ideal training platform for Service Rifle Shooters. Dennis tells us: “Look, you can shoot this in your basement in the dead of winter. The ergonomics are identical to the AR15. The sights, front and rear, are in exactly the same position. And by using Anschütz 8001 barreled actions and triggers, the system offers superb accuracy. The AR Air Rifle will deliver one-pellet-hole accuracy at 10 meters. I’ve visited the Anschütz factory. Every one of these barreled actions is tested and they all come with test targets verifying their accuracy.”
Price and Availability
Creedmoor’s new AiR-15 air rifle should be available as a complete rifle by early summer 2009. The retail price for a complete AiR-15 will be US $1850.00. Though delivery will take a few months, Creedmoor is taking orders right now for the first production run.
There will also be a kit for shooters who already own an Anschütz 8000-series air rifle. The kit will include the full AR-style stock and chassis, including handguard, sights, receiver assembly, and buttstock. The price of the kit will depend on production costs and projected sales demand, but Demille hopes to deliver the kits for under $800.00. With the kit, you can simply “drop-in” your 8000-series barreled action.
AiR-15 to Be Used in New CMP Air Rifle National Match Program
For 2009, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has developed a new National Match Air Rifle discipline consisting of High Power-style matches shot at reduced distances with air rifles. At CMP National Match Air Rifle tournaments, you can use sporter, precision or AR-type air rifles to shoot in 10-meter standing and three-position (prone, sitting and standing) courses of fire that simulate outdoor High Power rifle shooting (but with reduced-sized targets). A test match for this new Air Rifle National Match Series will be held this Saturday, March 14th, in Anniston, Alabama. There will be a 20-shot standing event as well as a 60-shot prone + sitting + standing event.
Challenging Even at 10 Meters
While Dennis DeMille believes the AiR-15 will be ideal for introducing new shooters into rifle competition, he wanted to stress that shooting the AiR-15, even at 10 meters, can help even the best High Power shooters improve their scores. Dennis explained: “While this air rifle is capable of one-hole accuracy (at 10m), it is also very unforgiving of flaws in form or hold. Because the pellets are moving so slowly (about 575 ft/sec.), any mistake will move you out in the scoring ring. This air rifle will help you develop perfect trigger control, perfect follow-through, and perfect natural point of aim. Trust me — you can’t BS any part of your hold with an air rifle. I know if you train with an air rifle in the off season, your centerfire scores will improve.”
Creedmoor May Sponsor Winter Indoor ‘Air AR’ matches
If air-powered versions of the AR15 Service Rifle prove popular, Creedmoor Sports is considering sponsoring off-season matches at different locations across the country. These would feature reduced 10m targets that exactly duplicate the sight picture of NRA Across-the-Course targets at 200, 300, and 600 yards.
Quite a few portable, electronic reloading scales have been introduced in the last year or so, and now Hornady has joined the game. Hornady’s new compact (3″x5″ footprint) GS-1500 portable scale will weigh up to 1500 grains — offering more capacity than most other portables. 1500 Grain capacity means that this compact scale can handle just about any reloading task for calibers all the way up to 50 BMG.
The GS-1500 scale features a 2.5″ x 3″ weighing platform, an aluminum measuring pan, and a 100-grain calibration weight. The scale will run on two (2) regular AAA batteries, which are included. The new GS-1500 scale is ON SALE this month for just $26.65 at Midsouth Shooters Supply, item 005-050107. This is a good deal. By comparison, MidwayUSA’s price for the GS-1500 is $34.99.
Editor’s NOTE: This product is so new that we have not yet been able to test it for function. Hornady usually can be counted on to do its homework before introducing new reloading tools. Hornady also stands behind their products when it comes to warranty repair.
Frank Green at Bartlein Barrels has announced that custom stocks can be painted by a member of the Bartlein “team”, Terry Bartlein, (aka “Squirt”). Terry can produce a wide variety of stock finishes and effects, including metallics, fades, gradient shifts, plus graphics, flames, and lettering. Terry is very talented. He owned his own body shop for 20 years and he really liked doing custom paint work on motorcycles. He has painted everything from cars to bikes to gun stocks. He’s even custom-painted refrigerators and mail boxes.
If you want to have your stock painted by “Squirt”, contact Terry at Bartlein Barrrels, (262) 649-1574, or email Terry at squirt-bartlein [at] sbcglobal.net .
We often hear the question: “What is THE best spotting scope for viewing objects at ultra-long distances”. That’s not a trick question… but maybe there’s a trick answer. The best optic for ultra-long range may not be ONE spotting scope, but rather TWO scopes working in tandem. Military observers and artillery spotters have long used massive binoculars for long-range observation. Texas-based SWFA, one of the nation’s most successful optics vendors, now offers a dual-scope BIGEYES™ system that offers certain viewing properties no single scope can match. Employing two (2) premium 80mm-objective Swarovski spotting scopes with high-definition (HD) glass, the BIGEYES system promises better depth perception and enhanced perceived brightness compared to a single scope. Many people also find that extended viewing through a dual-lens system is less fatiguing than looking through one lens, but that is more about human factors than internal optic quality.
That’s Five Grand Worth of Swarovski Glass
The BIGEYES do work remarkably well. You’ll see these mounted on heavy tripods at long-range matches such as Williamsport. But BIGEYES are not for shooters and hunters on a tight budget. This twin-Swaro set-up is very expensive. SWFA offers two models. The STS80HD20XBE, with 20-power eyepieces, costs $4,929.95. The companion STS80HDZOOM with 20-60X zoom eyepieces (lower photo) runs a whopping $5,129.95. You can also purchase other eyepieces at different magnification, but remember, if you change eyepieces you need to purchase a pair — one for each scope.
Optical Advantages for Hunters
Even if we presume that two scopes are better than one, can a $5K investment in glass be justified? SWFA claims that: “BIGEYES™ allow you to view distant objects in great detail with the equivalent of a 20-60×80 tripod mounted binocular. Porro prism design provides the optimum focal length required to maximize the performance of the 80mm HD (high definition) objectives. BIGEYES offer superior field of view combined with amazing depth perception that no conventional binocular can match. BIGEYES allow you to hunt from a fixed location, providing you the ability to glass animals literally miles a way. You can scout and judge animals with out disrupting their patterns.”
This Editor doubts he could ever afford a set of BIGEYES. But it’s nice to know such a system, complete with mount, is available for those who have the financial resources. For more information, visit SWFA at www.RifleScopes.com.
Birchwood Casey has come up with a new polymer gun finish, Perma Fin™. Here’s the big news: NO BAKING or HEAT-CURING is required, and you don’t have to mix two components. Perma Fin can be applied with an air brush or a fine paint brush to provide a durable, long-lasting black satin finish. Air curing makes Perma Fin™ easier to use than most other polymer or resin gun finishes on the market. Heat-curing in an oven works fine for handgun slides or rifle actions, but what do you do with a 30″-long barrel that won’t fit in your oven? Also, with oven curing you have to be careful that the coated product doesn’t stick to the oven racks.
No Mixing Required. No Heat-Curing Needed.
Perma Fin is a single component, water-based polyurethane resin liquid that provides excellent adhesion to not only metal firearm surfaces, but to plastic and rubber as well. There is no mixing of components, no harsh chemicals, and because Perma Fin is water-based, clean-up is simple and easy. Perma Fin air cures, so no heating or baking of parts is required. As noted above, that simplifies the process of coating large or extra-long gun parts. Perma Fin is available as a kit with an air brush, 1 pair of vinyl gloves, 1 abrasive sanding pad and two 3-ounce bottles of Perma Fin, or in individual 3-ounce bottles. Retail price for the kit is $64.40 and $16.10 for the 3-ounce bottles.
EDITOR’s COMMENT: We haven’t tested Perma Fin™ yet, so we can’t comment on how well it works. But we think a single-component (no-mix) product that air-cures (like normal paint) holds promise for gunsmiths with access to compressed air. And this product also gives stock-painters the ability to finish metal parts (no heat required).
While most vendors charge about $100 for the Mobile PC software plus USB-attached GPS receiver, we found this package for just $76.38 at BestBoatingdeals.com.
Price and Availability
