Liberty Revolution 12 Gun Safe - Review

With gun safes, bigger is often assumed to be better. Buy bigger than you think you'll need they say...you'll outgrow it within a weekend.

That's all well and good, unless size, weight and logistical considerations make a giant, 700 pound gun safe impractical.

Many of us have limited space for a gun safe...and if you're married, the "allowable" spots you can put a safe dwindle dramatically. Or, maybe you've got a tight doorway or stairs to get up. Maybe, for privacy reasons, you want to move the safe into place by yourself. Or maybe you move frequently.

Yep, there are lots of circumstances that might put you out of the market for a big ol' Liberty Fatboy or similar, big 600 pound, refrigerator-sized traditional gun safe. If none of the above circumstances apply to you and you've got a big ol' gun safe sitting in the corner, hats off to you.

The Liberty Revolution 12 is compact and well made.

Personally, most of the above considerations applied to me. Limited allowable space--a corner in a small walk-in closet. Stairs, move frequently, wanted to be able to move it into place myself, too.

I'm also more of a utilitarian gun owner versus a collector, so I don't have mass quantities of guns to store. I don't need a giant gun safe at this point, so that's good.

So I went in search of a smallish, closet-friendly safe. Each major safe company has one or two of these in their line-up--usually rated for 10-14 guns and sometimes marketed as "entry-level" gun safes.

Unfortunately, these safes are also usually designed like entry-level gun safes - cheap construction, minimal fire protection, no-name locks, lousy interiors and bottom of the barrel in terms of actual security.

Of course, even "Residential Security Container"-rated safes are only rated to withstand 5 minutes of prying with hand tools, but most of the closet-friendly safes are probably closer to 30 seconds of prying.

After lots of comparison shopping and looking at the offerings from every single major safe maker, I decided on the Liberty Revolution 12.

A few things pushed me over to the Liberty. One of them was this video, which shows the strength of the Revolution's locking bar design versus more traditional safes locking mechanism:



While it's not impervious, the Revolution is tougher than competing safes in the same size class.

It also met the other requirements I'd set out for myself: made in the USA, available locally, at least 30 minute fire rating, S&G mechanical lock.

The Liberty brand name and the lifetime warranty they offer for every safe was icing on the cake.

The Liberty Revolution safes were on sale during Black Friday of '14 at Gander Mountain, so I woke up early and braved the crowds to save a little cash. Cost was just over $400 out the door. Regular pricing is closer to $500, which is still fair in my opinion.

With the help of one of the employees, I was able to load it into the family tactical minivan. With the help of my wife and a dolly, we got the safe up our garage stairs and into position without too much trouble or injury. Two average strength men with a dolly could move it up a flight of stairs without problem or breaking much of a sweat.

I've now owned the safe for 7 months and access it several times a week. Luckily, have not had to put its burglary or fire protection to the test (nor do I plan to). I've had absolutely zero problems with the safe and am thus far very happy.

It's not particularly spacious, but it does what I needed it to in the space allowed. I think around an 8-long gun capacity would be a decent assessment for what could fit into the safe without too much trouble. Lock has functioned well, finish has held up flawlessly. No problemos at all.

My one knock against the safe--which is almost universal for gun safes -- is the one-height-fills all barrel rests. They're designed for a height that would be appropriate for a hunting shotgun or rifle, not an AR or a home defense length shotgun. Not a deal breaker, but wish safe manufacturers would figure this one out.

If you're in the market for a quality closet-sized safe, the Liberty Revolution 12 is tough to contender to beat.

Review: Mad Max: Fury Road - Worth the wait!

We've all had our hopes dashed by bad remakes and reboots of classic movies...this, my friends, is not one of them. This is genuine, bona fide Mad Max...in fact, it's Mad Max with a triple boost of nitro.

Magpul MBUS Pros: Nope.

Picked these up for Project AR-(20)15, but they won't be hanging around here long term.

I know these are really popular, and they come in at a good price point. Nicely made and packaged, slim and fit nicely on the top rail. The front sight doesn't require a tool to adjust, which is awesome.

But the design has some deal-breaker flaws for me:

• Slick / difficult to open. Especially with a pair of gloves on. If I'm going to need my BUISs, things aren't going well, and there's a pretty good chance I'm probably going to be wearing some kind of light glove, too. The low profile and smooth sides means the sights aren't easy to grab onto and flip open. It was taking me several tries to flip the things open, in the warm, dry, zero stress comfort of my living room. Cold, wet, stressful environment...even more trouble.

• Don't lock open. The big deal to me is that they could get bumped, partially fold in and you not realize it, and then think the sight picture is still a good one. Then you're wondering why your shots aren't going where you intend them to go...that's bad. Less likely to happen, but completely plausible, especially with the front sight.

• Rear sight's aperture. I prefer the 'big' aperture...the MBUS Pro's uses a 'nested' small aperture, that you have to flip out of the way using a finger nail to get to the big aperture. And then the small aperture piece is exposed and looks like it's just waiting to get snapped off...not a big fan of this.

So, nicely made, but design shortcomings were a deal breaker for me. Lots of people love 'em, but I am not one. Luckily purchase 'em from Amazon so the return process is simple.

The Walking Dead: Crossed

Rick planning out the episode we want to see...

So, episode starts out good. Rick's laying out the plan to take the hospital. They set up a distraction and draw out some of the cops, then move in stealthily. Daryl will take out the first guard. How's he going to do that? Slit his throat. Then they move in with blades and suppressed weapons.

Sounds like we're in for a rocking, action packed episode, right?

Review: Streamlight Sidewinder Compact II

The Streamlight Sidewinder Compact II is about as versatile as you can get. The four color modes (white light, blue, red, IR), each with five brightness levels (low, med 1, med 2, high, beacon) is cool but not particularly impressive. What is impressive is the Sidwinder's ability to run off three different types of batteries - CR123A, AA or AAA.

Yep, you read that right. It can run off of any of those battery types. Streamlight doesn't advertise AAAs working, but they most certainly do. The single cell battery compartment is smartly designed to expand/contract to fit the cell size - it's spring loaded, so it adjusts automatically when you slip a different cell in. And it actually works, too.

Review: Bushcraft Outfitters Ultralight Multicam MEST

A 5x7 Multicam tarp that weighs in at under 1/2 a pound? And can fit inside a canteen pouch or cargo pocket?

Yes, such a thing does exist. Behold, with a .38 special for size comparison:

 It's the Ultralight Multicam MEST (Multipurporse Emergency Survival Tarp). And, in a game of "ounces equals pounds, pounds equals pain" it gives you an excellent way to shave off critical weight or carry a functional shelter when you otherwise would not.

Reloading & the Lee Hand Press

For those new to reloading, nearly all presses need to be mounted to a workbench or sturdy table to work. That's fine if you have a basement, garage or workshop, a bench and the space needed for one. But there are a lot of folks who don't have that kind of space.

And then there are many who want a 'mobile' option for reloading. Something they can take on the road, to the range or on a run for the hills. A hand press-based reloading kit can easily fit in an ammo can, shoe box or small bag, and give you all the tools needed to roll your own ammunition.

The portable Lee Hand Press fills that niche - giving the reloader the flexibility to reload ammo wherever they may roam.

And, perhaps a bit surprisingly, it works really pretty well.

Quick Review: Max Velocity's Patriot Dawn

With the ease of self-publishing, there are a LOT of survivalist/post-apocalyptic novels out there these days. Most of them a mediocre quality or worse. Even the 'big name' books from guys like Rawles can be a chore to get through.

Patriot Dawn is not one of these.

Folks who have been raving out Patriot Dawn for a while now and I should have listened sooner.

Once I picked it up, I plowed through it in a couple of days. It's taken a place atop my short favorite survival/post-apocalypse books and on the short list of books.

Quick synopsis: economic collapse, terror attacks and cyber warfare allow leftist extremists to seize control of the federal government. Quickly, they start setting up a socialist regime that would make Stalin proud, complete with RFID identity chips.

We follow former Army Ranger Jack Berenger as he bugs out with his family from the city, escaping Regime hit squads, and heads for the hills. There, he joins up with the Resistance and gets to work training up a force to fight a guerrilla war against the corrupt dictators that have taken control of the region.

Max's experience and knowledge of modern light infantry operations are what makes this book tick...and once it gets going, it is awesome. I've not encountered a book with Patriot Dawn's level of detail around small unit tactics...for someone who has not served in light infantry, it is eye opening and vastly instructive.

Lots of action, military firepower...and several great battle scenes with the outgunned Resistance facing off against the technologically and numerically superior Regime forces. Great stuff, with a constant pace that keeps the pages turning.

I never read books twice--seriously. I can count the books I've read multiple times on one hand. But Patriot Dawn will get another read from me, with a notepad handy.

Highly recommended.

Patriot Dawn is Available on Amazon >

BTW: I've got Max's Contact! traveling in the mail my way...expecting some similarly eye opening and instructive stuff.

Carbine Chest Rig in PenCott Greenzone

Criteria for the rig:

• Carbine support + IFAK and water
• Vehicle-friendly
• Single-stack only & comfortable when prone
• Able to wear with/over a vest or plate carrier
• Compatible w/ an 'Assault pack' for a scout/overnight load or extra gear

My take on the new Multicam Patterns

Image via SoldierSystems.
Clockwise from top left: Arid (desert), Tropic (jungle),
Black (urban) and Alpine (snow)

Everyone has been curious about the environment specific Multicam variants that Crye won the big Army camo trials with. Multicam Black hit a bit early, and the rest hit the interwebs today. Good ol' Multicam/aka OCP will be the primary uniform pattern, with the environmental specific stuff issued on a limited basis, and Black being for SWAT team usage.

We are fortunate that we have gobs and gobs of patterns and colors to choose from these days, versus the old days where it was UCP (barf) or Multicam. These patterns join the myriad of stuff that's recently hit the market, namely the Kryptek, A-TACS, Pencott families, in addition to all of the solids, hunting, legacy and foreign patterns out there. The new Multicam stuff adds one more choice to drop down list, but I don't see these new patterns offering any kind of superior performance to the many choices already out there.
 Here's my take on a pattern-by-pattern basis:

Arid: A bit browner/less green than traditional Multicam. In the very dry parts of the Southwest, this could perform marginally better than regular ol' Multicam, but certainly not enough to make a compelling case to switch over your patterns. I don't see this performing any better than the other current-gen stuff, or most legacy desert stuff for that matter.

Tropic: In the Southeastern U.S. and some parts of the North East, this greener version could work okay, though the colors are a bit off for woodlands - the dark color is more of a grey/green than a brown, for example. Pencott Greenzone has the colors about perfect, if you ask me.

Alpine: Unless you live in polar bear country, this is a specialty pattern; at most, you'd have a set of over whites. Better than a solid white jumpsuit, but nothing to differentiate it from the other 'snow' patterns out there. The white and grey shades are similar to what you'd find with Kryptek Yeti; Pencott Snowdrift mixes in some dead-brown, which helps to blend in more with natural surroundings.

Black: This is a fairly useless pattern - meant to stand out and provide an imposing presence for SWAT teams and such. We aren't on SWAT teams, so not a whole lot of use here. If you want a black color because it black is cool, Kryptek Typhon looks slicker (IMO). If you want an urban camo, you want more greys and (maybe) browns...if you just want to blend in, wear normal clothes. Why our police departments and other LEOs feel the need to have an imposing, Darth Vader-Esque appearance is another conversation entirely.

The chart below (also from Soldier Systems), shows how they think jack-of-all-trades nature of traditional Multicam compares with the new stuff.

Overall, the the environmental patterns seem fairly middle-of-the road. From a responsible armed citizen, prepper, survivalist,  standpoint, there's not a whole lot to get excited about here. Neither Arid or Tropic look to be more effective than current environment-specifc patterns available.

These patterns will, I'm pretty sure, pair nicely with traditional Multicam stuff - if you've got a lot of Multicam stuff, but need to better match a desert or woodlands environment AND look good on the range with complimenting patterns from the same family, there might be something here for you.

There's also the fact that the Army is (supposedly) transitioning to this stuff. Using the same patterns as the Army has good and bad to it. Good: There will almost certainly be gobs of gear in these patterns available within the next three or four months and onwards, where other patterns like Kryptek, A-TACS and Pencott will likely remain (comparative) specialty items. (Potential) Bad: You look like a U.S. soldier.

Quick Review: Inforce WML

The Inforce WML has been out for a while now and been getting some pretty good coverage in the gun blog-o-world. It's half the price of a Surefire x300, uses 1 CR123A battery instead of two, weighs only a few ounces and still manages to kick off a good amount of light. So, theoretically, it's a got a pretty compelling value proposition behind it.

Figured I'd give one a whirl, intending it for Project 590A1.

Unfortunately, a poorly designed pressure switch kills the good stuff that the light has going for it, at least in this version, from Haley Strategic Partners.

Friday Open Post: Gear Disappointment

So, I've been in a holding pattern with gear purchases for the past few months. A variety of reasons behind it, but essentially I haven't bought a whole lot beyond the Camelbak Hawg I reviewed a couple months back (great bag!).

If you've been wondering why we've been lighter on reviews 'round here, well, that's why.

This past month, I gave in and spent some cash. Ordered a few things that I'd been eye-balling...a little bit of impulse, a little bit of "I'm sick of window shopping and just need to pull the trigger."

Of those purchases, I've been let down by the several. I need to put them to honest use and trial before dropping any names, but initial assessment is not so rosy.

I hate when that happens -- often, returns are outta the question, so it's selling it off, finding some other use for it or chalking it up to a loss and educational experience.

I'm sure my string of bad luck is not unique. You've probably had some lousy, incredibly disappointing purchases of your own. I want to hear about 'em! What has been the gear purchase that disappointed you the most? The item that you lusted after but were let down within a minute or two after purchase? Let us know in the comments.

Review: Nitecore MH25 Night Blade - Retina Burning and Rechargeable

Nitecore's MH25 uses some of the latest in LED technology to turn out a retina blasting 860 lumens, making "Night Blade" an appropriate name. The MH25 can run on standard CR123A "primary" cells, or it can run on 18650 lithium ion rechargeables, like the one included in the box. There are lots of bright, double cell lights on the market though, but the MH25 separates itself from the pack with one very handy feature:

The MH25 has a built in micro-USB charging port, allowing you to recharge your 18650 batteries without needing a separate, bulky charger. It's plug-and-charge, the kind of functionality we're all used to with our smart phones and other electric gizmos.

Anker Backup Battery

I've had this little powerhouse for a few months now and have been pretty happy with its performance. Unlike many backup batteries, it actually works and keeps on working, too!
 
This particular model is the Anker Astro - 5600 mAH of power in a 4.25 ounce package. Has a built in LED light, too. 5600 mAH will re-charge most smart phones 2-4 times - enough to keep your phone charged through a short term emergency.

Testing this unit out, I've used it as the sole power source for my everyday iPhone. I run my iPhone down to 40% per day on average--checking e-mail, listening to music and audio books, and some web surfing and YouTube. The Anker was able to keep it topped up for 3 days, no problemo.

Camelbak Mil Tac HAWG

I love CamelBak's military line of packs and recently added the new, 2013 Mil Tac HAWG to the stable. If you're in the market for a hydration/daypack sized bag, it's an excellent option. Bomb-proof construction, excellent materials, great layout of pockets and organization, good integration of the hydration carrier--really solid pack all around.

At 1400 cubic inches, it has enough space to carry mission essentials, EDC gear or equipment for a light overnighter.

This HAWG is currently serving as a summer-weight bail out bag, and I'm really pretty thrilled with it. I've gone through a lot of packs and bags, and this is one of my favorites. Reportedly, the HAWG is well liked by SEALs and other high speed military types.

At around the $150 price point, it's right in that price range with other top quality packs, and includes the new, very nice CamelBak Antidote reservoir.

Only complaint - the available colors does not include any camo patterns other than ACU and ABU. They should at least offer a multicam.

Available on Amazon and at other retailers of Camelbak's Maximum Gear line.

Surefire EB1 Backup - No replacement for the original

I've been a huge fan of the Surefire E1B Backup - it's been my EDC light for some time now, and really is an excellent light. It's been through thick and thin and is still ticking like a champ. So, when Surefire came out with a supposed upgrade/update of the light, the Surefire EB1 Backup, I was all over it.

Yep, Surefires are expensive - the EB1 set me back just under $160. But, they are made in the USA (yay!), they are really high quality and my original little light had gotten tons of use. I know they are many reading who would not spend more than $20 on a flashlight, and that's fine, too. I'm not opposed to investing some added money to get something that is going to work exceptionally well for a very long time, especially when it comes to my daily carry tools or for home defense.

There are a few things that drew me to the new EB1 over the original E1B:

• Brighter - 200 lumens max
• Same great low-ride pocket clip
• Similar run times despite the higher output

Unfortunately, I failed to realize that the EB1 is a substantially larger light than the E1B. For some reason, Surefire upped the size on the new light--tragic, because I thought the old E1B was about perfect for comfortable pocket or IWB carry.

Here's the measurements of the new EB1:
Length: 4.4 inches
Bezel Diameter: 1.1 inches

And the original E1B:
Length: 4 inches
Bezel Diameter: 1 inches

While on paper, those differences don't seem major, they work to make the new EB1 feel light a much larger light. And, in fact, it is quite big for a single cell light, defeating the purpose of having a small, handy, pocket sized single cell flashlight to begin with. It's almost a two cell sized-light, and in fact there are a few two cell sized lights from other companies that come in at sizes smaller or similar to the EB1. For example, a 4Sevens Quark Tactical QT2L-X is 4.5 inches in length and kicks out up to 432 lumens.

Aside from the bump in size, the Surefire build quality and ruggedness were there, the great pocket clip was there, and the light certainly was brighter. There's a lot to like.

I carried the EB1 for a few weeks but eventually went back to the original. The increase in lumens was certainly noticeable, but the bump up in size meant that the EB1 just did not carry as comfortably, where the original simply disappeared. The new EB1 is really an odd, in-between size category--if I wanted a bigger than the old E1B, I might as well step up to a two cell. Your mileage may vary on this - the bump in size may be no big deal, and the EB1 is still one of the smallest available lights from Surefire. But, for me, the EB1 was too big for what I was looking for in an EDC light.

Another nice thing about quality gear: it has good resale value. My EB1 has been moved along to a new home--it sold in a few hours and I lost out on maybe $10.

Project 590A1: Stock Swap

The 590A1's factory stock has a very long length of pull - 14.5 inches, I believe. For a modern shooting/fighting stance, standing squared up towards the target, it just does not work unless you have very long arms. It's just too darn long. So, pretty quickly after purchase, I went out in search of a more useful stock.

Originally, I went with Hogue's 12 inch length of pull stock. Despite great reviews, I was unimpressed. The build quality was no better than the stock Mossberg, and, instead of being too long, the 12-inch length of pull was too short. Doh!

In working with these conventional style stocks and the 590A1, I also began to notice the shotgun's weight, especially during reloads and one-handed manipulations. The 590A1 is not a light gun, and when you add 8 shells to the tube, it only gets heavier.

So, I decided to stop screwing around with different fixed length stocks, and try out something with an adjustable/collapsible stock length. I was also curious to see if a pistol grip stock would help better control the 590A1's weight.

I contacted Choate Machine & Tool and asked to give one of their telescoping shotgun stocks a try. I've previously reviewed their AR-15 collapsible stock and knew their shotgun stock would be solid and sturdy, certainly what I'm going for with this build.

Last Ditch Kit GoTube in Carbon Fiber

 SnakeDr, longtime buddy of T-Blog and maker of cutting edge E&E kit sent over one of their new carbon fiber go tubes. You can read our original review of the Go Tube here - in short, they are very cool, ultralight and nearly indestructible water proof containers for stashing a compact survival, E&E or backup documents kit.

Edwood, for example, uses one on a regular basis for carrying spare CR123As and another for carrying backups of ID, documents and cash. I've used them for batteries, spare cash, lock picks, fire kits and other lightweight gear.

Making the tube out of carbon fiber just takes the GoTube's lightweight but bombproof quality up another notch.

These are a limited run, but it looks like some may become available shortly. See SnakeDr's LastDitchKit.com for more details.

Project 590A1: Intro

A few weeks back, I picked up a Mossberg 590A1, with some uncertain plans for performing some upgrades to the shotgun. Taking a cue from TSLRF's Project 870 (Thanks Ryan!), I thought I would let the T-Blog Tribe follow along as I went through the upgrades--and some trial/error--to the 590A1.

The 590A1 is, of course, an already upgraded version of the popular Mossberg 500. The 590A1 is the heavy-duty, milspec version of the 500, with all metal parts, a thicker barrel and a different magazine tube--the mag tube opens at the end, facilitating cleaning. Parts between the 590A1 and other 500 series shotguns are largely interchangeable; if you've got a 500 or 590 (or Maverick--I'm pretty sure those are patterned after the 500), you'll be able to follow along, too.

The Walking Dead: This Sorrowful Life

This week, Team Rick has to decide whether to take the Governor up on his offer to turn over Michonne--and Merle takes matters into his own hands! Err, hand.

Spoilers after the jump!