Josh from United States, OR Public Profile

I got some of these in an Otis 9mm to.45 caliber pistol cleaning kit, the one with a short length of memory flex cable, that was a free gift from my LGS with a new 9mm. The first time I tried one in the 9mm it got stuck in the chamber and only came up with a bit of manipulation after disassembling the pistol. Actually the regular sized Otis all caliber patches work fine with 9mm and .38 caliber guns but I just wanted to try them in the new 9mm, since they are rated for that. Later on I tried them in a .45 1911 pistol and found that these are perfect for that caliber, while the regular all caliber patches just slip through hardly touching the sides of a .45 in my experience, even with the tightest knot. So I ordered a supply of the panoply patches for my .45s from Optics Planet. Nowadays I am using the Otis system including the Otis solvent for a quick clean-up at the range without disassembling pistols, while the barrels are still warm. This seems to get a fair amount of the carbon fouling up before I do a field strip and more thorough cleaning at home and there are no concerns about bristles, old crud or broken cords, as with other quick cleaning methods.

I bought this for a Sako TRG 22 in .308. The bipod slips on to a TRG in seconds and the design makes for good stability of the rifle due to the low center of gravity, which makes it a superior solution to a bipod attached to the sling stud or a picatinny. The feet are good for use prone on dirt or grass but aren't suitable for concrete benchrests and no other feet are available. One solution is put a soft piece of rug or carpet under the feet that can slide back on the concrete with the recoil, rather than jumping. Rubber feet can be improvised, albeit inelegantly, from rubber sanding blocks or amplifier rubber feet and attached with zip ties. Others have advised it is better to remove the bipod when not in use, as it can cause scratches to the stock or barrel, depending on which way it is mounted. So that's what I do. Anyway I don't have room in the safe for attached bipods, so no problem. Despite its high price and lack of feet options for which I deduct one star, I love the bipod for its 'low slung' stability and the way it clicks on and off the rifle with no fiddling about.

This adapter is useful for attaching a Harris bipod to a rifle with a forend of 3 to four inches. It will provide a better fit and greater stability. It probably doesn't make any difference for a 2 to 2.5 inch forend and there is another Harris adapter for very thin forends. I found that the surface of the hard rubber pads that come into contact with the forend were smoother on the adapter than on the bipod itself. I don't know if that is normal, as I only have one Harris bipod, but a smoother surface is likely to make for a better contact and generate less friction on the forend, which might be important if it is wood or laminate. I added a piece of foam tape for cycle handlebars on the exposed metal part by the adjustable cradle arms. The metal is not in contact with the forend when it is attached but could scratch the forend while you are trying to attach it with cold fingers in the field or at the range. Once you know how, it is easy to attach the bipod and adapter.

This adapter is useful for attaching a Harris bipod to a rifle with a forend of 3 to four inches. It will provide a better fit and greater stability. It probably doesn't make any difference for a 2 to 2.5 inch forend and there is another Harris adapter for very thin forends. I found that the surface of the hard rubber pads that come into contact with the forend were smoother on the adapter than on the bipod itself. I don't know if that is normal, as I only have one Harris bipod, but a smoother surface is likely to make for a better contact and generate less friction on the forend, which might be important if it is wood or laminate. I added a piece of foam tape for cycle handlebars on the exposed metal part by the adjustable cradle arms. The metal is not in contact with the forend when it is attached but could scratch the forend while you are trying to attach it with cold fingers in the field or at the range. Once you know how, it is easy to attach the bipod and adapter.

This adapter is useful for attaching a Harris bipod to a rifle with a forend of 3 to four inches. It will provide a better fit and greater stability. It probably doesn't make any difference for a 2 to 2.5 inch forend and there is another Harris adapter for very thin forends. I found that the surface of the hard rubber pads that come into contact with the forend were smoother on the adapter than on the bipod itself. I don't know if that is normal, as I only have one Harris bipod, but a smoother surface is likely to make for a better contact and generate less friction on the forend, which might be important if it is wood or laminate. I added a piece of foam tape for cycle handlebars on the exposed metal part by the adjustable cradle arms. The metal is not in contact with the forend when it is attached but could scratch the forend while you are trying to attach it with cold fingers in the field or at the range. Once you know how, it is easy to attach the bipod and adapter.

This magnifier is usual for older eyes reading newspapers or any small print. The only drawback is the design with the 6x magnification which creates distortion for about half an inch around the 6x magnification circle. Personally I would have preferred it without the 6x times magnification circle which would make the entire rectangle virtually distortion free. I bought it to replace a much heavier 5 inch glass magnifier while recovering from eye surgery with only the use of one eye temporarily. In the end I went back to the heavy 5 inch glass magnifier because of the distortion issue but would have continued using the Bausch & Lomb product, if I didn't have the other. But it is good value for the price and would be even better for my purposes without the 6x insert, although that might be extremely useful for some other users.

This magnifier lamp is just about the right size with the right strength of lamp and magnifying glass for my purposes. The height is just right for working on long guns that are up in a gun vice or on a sandbag. For older eyes this is a great tool for working on fiddly items with both hands without trying to hold a flashlight or a magnifying glass or both. It is a little bulky but solid enough not to fall over.

The stainless steel bases are a perfect match for my Sako 85 Varmint stainless laminated .308. Buying the separate bases and rings allows me to mix and match, i.e. stainless bases to match the receiver and barrel and black to match the scope, which suits me. Very solid bases that don't mar the Sako tapered dovetails. Not the cheapest option but arguably the best and I've just bought a Sako rifle which wasn't cheap either.

I was skeptical about boresnakes at first but after trying one in .22 I now have them in all calibers I have firearms. A few minutes with a boresnake will usually be perfectly adequate, unless I have fired a huge number of rounds through a gun, or don't plan on using it again for many months. When I take down a gun to do a more thorough cleaning and lube after only using a boresnake for 3 or 4 sessions, I find the bore is perfectly clean and I only need to clean and lube the action and bolt. Boresnakes are particularly handy for guns that are a bit finicky to take down like my Ruger Mark III Hunter and my Henry .22 and .357 magnum rifles.

One point to note is that the rifle boresnakes will work fine on handguns in the same caliber but the reverse is not true as the handgun ones are too short for rifle bores.

Bought all 3 sizes. There are good quality for the price and I like cotton better than synthetic patches. The medium caliber size and the 12 ga + shotgun size are the right size but I would say the .17-.22 patches are a little small for .22 bores.