Mark L from United States, TX Public Profile

In my non-professional opinion, the top two defensive shotgun loads are Hornady Critical Duty and Federal Flite-Control. While any 00 buck shotgun load is effective in that role, the difference between these two options and others are the tight patterns that don't send one pellet off is some unexpected direction when they collide in flight. Since you are responsible for where every pellet ends up, it's certainly safer to have a tight pattern. Between those two top choices, the Hornady has a considerably higher advertised velocity. Does that make a difference? I don't know. Maybe? But I would consider this one of my two top choices and I'd give an edge to the Hornady because of the velocity.

I have the much larger SureFire X300U-B that I have on a full size pistol. I tried moving that on to a compact (Sig P365-X) and it was not a good fit. So, I picked up this much smaller light. I am SUPER impressed with it. It puts the activation levers exactly where I want them and I can easily get momentary or "on" without having the change grip. It's got a nice beam. Not as blinding as the full size X300, but incredible for its size. Amazing quality and fit and finish is perfect. Outstanding for use on compact size pistols.

This optic is a heavy duty, robust optic with very clear high quality glass. While it's larger and heavier than many alternative red dots, you get a lot in return for the added weight. The CR123 battery gives you excellent battery life. The large window provides an unparalleled field of view. The reticle is bright, and you can easily use this with both eyes open in most any lighting condition. You have multiple options of reticles from which to choose. If you are looking for rugged and hard use, this is a good choice. If you are trying to minimize weight, you probably want to look elsewhere.

This optics has a 2 MOA red dot. I prefer something that has selectable reticles, but I was interested in this because it takes a standard and widely available AAA battery. The optic isn't anything too fancy or exciting, BUT it works just fine. The 20mm lens is kind of small by today's standards. There are so many red dot optics similar to this one that I think the decision just boils down to your preference in batteries and AAAs are cheap and widely available.

Everyone knows Aimpoint makes good stuff. Their brand reputation is well deserved. However, competitors have long been offering red dot optics with a reticle that was more than just a dot. It's great that Aimpoint is introducing a product with a more modern reticle design while hopefully maintaining the quality and durability that made them famous. So far so good!

Everyone knows that Aimpoint makes top quality durable red dots. However, up until now they've all just been a simple dot. The new MR (multi reticle) model lets you choose between a dot, a dot within a circle, or the circle without the dot. I like the flexibility and this gets Aimpoint caught up with a feature that's long been common on other budget red dots. So, now you can have the reticle you want with an optic that comes from a trusted brand. The glass appears to be very high quality. I have mild astigmatism and SOME red dot optics the reticle appears smeared. For reasons unknown to me, this is one of the few reflex sights where the reticle appears crisp and sharp. You can avoid that problem with other types of optic (like prism optics) but those lose some of the great features this has like excellent battery life. So, this seems to be a great all around option. So far, I am really liking it.

I like that I can get these for larger/lighter items and they stack with the shallower MTM cases of the same dimensions for heavier items. It's great for storing and organizing all your stuff.

I use the more shallow version this product to store ammo. For ammo, a smaller crate keeps the weight down. These have the same length and width, but are deeper. They stack perfectly on top of the more shallow ammo crates and are ideal for storing larger and less heavy items. I stack a couple of the smaller cases of ammo on the bottom and then a few of these larger containers with lighter items on top. It's a great way to store and organize stuff without taking up a bunch of room. The fact that these interlock when stacked makes it very easy to store your stuff without taking up a bunch of room. They do have a rubber o-ring seal, but I've not stored these anywhere that I could tell you if they keep things dry or not. They do however latch securely, stack easily, and are a great way to keep and organize all your stuff.

For storing ammo, I use the shallower depth version of this product because it keeps the weight down. However, for storing and organizing other items that aren't as heavy, this larger depth storage case makes more sense. And since I can stack these along with the ammo crates, it's ideal to put a couple of heavy small boxes and then stack a few of these larger cases on top for lighter weight items. These latch securely. There is a rubber o-ring type seal but I have no idea how good it is since I'm not storing these in any sort of adverse conditions. They are just a great size and shape for storing and organizing your stuff.

I originally bought the Raptor-SD because the vent holes are supposed to reduce gas back in your face when suppressed. Does it work for that? Well, it's hard for me to say. It doesn't exactly eliminate all gas to the face BUT it probably is less. But, it's a great charging handle either way. There are charging handles with big goofy handles that stick out too far and get snagged on things. There are changing handles that are too small and or aren't ambi. The Raptor SD is a perfect medium size, it's nice and light weight, it's ambi, and it feels really sturdy. Maybe there's something better out there, but the Raptor-SD has become my go-to charging handle.