Jon Wayne Taylor

Archive Gun Reviews Gear Hunting Gallery About Work With Me

Search articles by title

Home/Archive/Gear Reviews

Gear reviews: optics, ammunition, packs, and apparel page 2

55 articles · Gear Reviews/archive/gear-reviews/

Feb 14, 2021Gear Review: 80% Arms Easy Jig Gen 3 Multi-Platform 80% Lower JigThe 80% Arms GST-9 Pistol Built Kit I reviewed late last year was easily the best pistol lower build kit I’ve seen yet. It was window-licker simple and produced a ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jan 26, 2021Gear Review: Leupold RX-2800 TBR/W Laser RangefinderIt was a shot I would have likely passed on 20 years ago. On the very last afternoon of our special doe season here in the Texas hill country, the ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jan 11, 2021Book Review: Nosler Reloading Guide, 9th EditionIf I ever wanted to see my name in print, it would be as one of the cartridge introduction authors for the Nosler Reloading Guide. As Robert Browning would write, ...BooksThe Truth About Guns
Dec 22, 2020Optic Review: Atibal Apex 4-14×44 FFP Rifle ScopeThere are more new shooters and more shooters on a tight budget than ever before. Fortunately, budget optics are better than they’ve ever been. Atibal Optics is an American company ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
Dec 12, 2020Gear Review: Lee Breech Lock Hand Press KitThere are lots of good reasons to load your own ammunition. But if you’re going to spend many thousands of dollars on reloading equipment, at least in the first few ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Nov 30, 2020Gear Review: Black Collar Arms Forged Carbon Fiber Once-Piece Scope MountsI hear these are the scope mounts the Space Force will be getting on their modified HK G11s. Earlier this year, Black Collar Arms, partially owned by TTAG’s own Jeremy ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Nov 25, 2020Optic Review: Primary Arms GLx 6-24x50mm Scope with Athena BRP-MIL ReticleEarlier this year I reviewed the Primary Arms GLx 2.5-10X44mm riflescope and announced it as the sub $1,000 optic to beat. That is still very much my rarely humble opinion. ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
Nov 9, 2020Optic Review: Leupold SX-5 Santiam HD 27-55x80mm Spotting ScopeI’m committed to reviewing more budget priced optics over the next year, especially since there are so many new gun owners out there. But it’s nice to get some time ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
Oct 3, 2020Optics Review: Primary Arms PLx5 6-30x56mm First Focal Plane Rifle ScopeThe best thing that The Truth About Guns has done for me, other than introducing me to so many of you fine people, is make me appreciate budget optics. Or ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
Sep 21, 2020Optics Review: Leupold DeltaPoint Pro Night VisionCarry gun optics are rapidly becoming the standard. At least in the courses I attend, almost all of the instructors are using red dot optics on their pistols, and about ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
May 26, 2020Optic Review: Primary Arms GLx 2.5-10x44mm FFP RiflescopePrimary Arms has made a big name for itself in the budget optics world. They’ve produced feature-packed optics with a renowned reticle and OK glass. The new GLx 2.5-10×44 FFP ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
May 19, 2020Gear Review: Kali Key Gen2A-1 Drop In Compliance BundleThe ingenuity of free Americans will always triumph over small-minded fearmongers seeking to stifle liberty. There’s no greater example of this in the gun industry than the myriad solutions companies ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
May 18, 2020Optic Review: EOTech Vudu 1-8x24mm SFP RiflescopeEOTech has been a leader in zero magnification holographic optics since the 1990s, and for almost two decades has been one of the premier go-to optics for the US Special ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
Apr 7, 2020Optic Review: Brownells Match Precision Optic 5-25x56mm RiflescopeLike many hunters, shooters, and gunsmiths, I’ve been trusting Brownells for a whole lot of years. When I saw they had contracted with a Japanese company to make mid-priced precision ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
Mar 11, 2020Ammunition Review: Hornady A-TIP Match 6mm vs. ELD Match BulletsI remember when the Hornady A-MAX bullet first hit the market. It was a great bullet, very accurate and with some hunting applications on light skinned game at extended ranges. ...AmmunitionThe Truth About Guns
Jul 16, 2019Gear Review: SB Tactical SBA4 Pistol BraceSB Tactical is the brace that started race, and keeps on winning it. The SBA4 is the newest version of the AR-15 pistol stabilizing brace that gave all sorts of ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jul 6, 2019Competition Review: 12 Hundo in Hondo Team Endurance Challenge MatchI’m not used to having that much fun and losing. The 12 Hundo in Hondo Team Endurance Challenge match this year was the inaugural event in a new series hosted ...ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jun 25, 2019Optics Review: Atibal Apex 4-14×44 FFP RiflescopeTTAG is slowly ending my scope snobbery. Well, less TTAG itself and a lot more the opportunity to shoot through increasingly better quality budget glass. A while back I wrote ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
Jun 5, 2019Gear Review: Lyman Brass Smith Case Trim XpressI know a reloader who doesn’t trim the length of his rifle cases. He shoots bolt action rifles, doesn’t crimp, shoots only mild to mid-pressure loads, and throws away his ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Dec 26, 2018Gear Review: Boyds At-One Adjustable Stock for Remington 870Pump action shotguns are great. They’re powerful, simple to use, reliable and relatively inexpensive. There are, however, some downsides to most entry level pump guns. Some of the same things ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Nov 2, 2018Gear Review: Ultradyne Athena/C4 Dynamount Sight ComboWhen Jeremy originally posted about the C4 Precision Folding Sights by Ultradyne, I could hear the “ERMUGERD!” in his voice. I’m sure he could hear the “Get off my damn ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Oct 12, 2018Reloading Manuals: All the Calibers (and Information) for EveryoneThere are a whole lot of cartridges out there for every use under the sun. Unfortunately, there’s a lot less knowledge about them than there needs to be. But it ...ReloadingThe Truth About Guns
Sep 30, 2018Gear Review: Targetize Personal Firearms Training SystemThe Targetize Personal Firearms Trainings System is one of a few new devices that track muzzle movement of your pistol in order to improve your marksmanship. Although I’m sure the ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Aug 31, 2018Gear Review: CMC Products 1911 Railed Power MagsA couple of years ago I met Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat. When I told him I was from Central Texas, he immediately exclaimed “That’s Chip McCormick country!” It is ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jul 17, 2018Gear Review: EEZOX Premium Gun Care CLPIt’s a good idea to use a little solvent and a lot of elbow grease to clean guns, and then to use the manufacturer recommended amount of lubricant to actually, ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jun 28, 2018Gear Review: PIG Skins Barricade Pad with HornEverybody shoots better when they have something soft to rest their rifle on. Competitive shooters bring all sorts of bags to the range, and hunters have been using rests — ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jun 13, 2018Optic Review: Atibal Nomad 3-12×44 With V-Plex BDC ReticleA little over a year ago I asked TTAG for a decent, low cost scope to use for rifle reviews. I’d gotten pretty tired of pulling scopes off of my own rifles ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
Jun 1, 2018Optic Review: Primary Arms 4-14X44 ACSS DMR/HUD RiflescopeIt’s pretty impressive how far budget optics have come. For the first in a series of budget optic reviews, I put the Primary Arms 4-14X40 ACSS DMR/HUD riflescope through its ...OpticsThe Truth About Guns
May 16, 2018Gear Review: PIG Saddle and PIG0311-G Tripod Rifle RestThe last piece of equipment I bought that had as much of a positive effect on my hunting as the PIG Saddle and PIG0311-G Tripod from Shadow Tech was the ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Apr 30, 2018Gear Review: Mid-Evil Industries 360° RFG (Rotating Fore Grip)People have been trying to figure out a better way to get a grip on the end of long guns for a long time. Debates on how to hold the ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Apr 25, 2018Course Review: ATX Precision Rifle I, One Year LaterWhen Clayton Hergert of ATX Precision launched his first Precision Rifle I course, TTAG writer Tyler Kee was first in line. His excellent review of the infant course is well worth ...Training and TechniqueThe Truth About Guns
Feb 15, 2018Gear Review: KCarry Shoulder HolsterThe KCarry holster bills itself as the “most comfortable holster you’ll ever wear.” Maybe. But the product is fundamentally unsafe . . . The simple elastic that covers the gun, including ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jan 25, 2018Belle of the Shot Show Ball, the Bond Arms Bullpup QD SilencerWell folks, the award for “Best Firearms Innovation for 2018” has probably just been won. Bond Arms has released prototype of their quick detach silencer for the Bond Arms Bullpup ...SuppressorsThe Truth About Guns
Dec 20, 2017Gear Review: Copper Basin Takedown Firearm BackpackBy the grace of the Almighty, I don’t live in a city. But I have before, and transporting a firearm discretely can be an issue — especially on public transportation. ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Dec 12, 2017Gear Review: Sightmark Rapid AR 1-4×20 SHR-223 Tactical RiflescopeI was surprised and impressed by the Sightmark Wolverine red dot optic I reviewed earlier this year. Sightmark has now released a short to mid-range scope aimed at the tactical ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Nov 29, 2017Gear Review: Caldwell Stinger Shooting RestMost serious shooters are already familiar with the Caldwell brand. I’ve got at least half a dozen of their shooting bags sitting out at my range, a few more in ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Nov 22, 2017Course Review: Tactical Fitness Mini Combat Rifle Low Light CourseI shoot a lot at night. Between shooting on my own home range and hunting pigs and varmints almost exclusively at night, I get quite bit of practice putting lead ...Training and TechniqueThe Truth About Guns
Oct 24, 2017Gear Review: Ryker USA FIST GripI see a lot of products. Some of them suck. Most of them are a solid “meh.” Very few of these “revolutionary products” are as valuable as their inventors think ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Aug 23, 2017Gear Review: Sightmark Wolverine and XT-3 MagnifierMy name is Jon Wayne Taylor and I’m a glass snob. But I can change. The Sightmark Wolverine Red Dot and XT-3 Magnifier may help me on my journey to budget ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jun 5, 2017Gear Review: Hell-Bent Holster Bare Bones Inside Waistband HolsterIt took a whole lot for me to change my EDC from a single stack STI Duty One 4.0 in .45ACP to a double stack STI DVC Carry 9mm. Once ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Mar 10, 2017Gear Review: BLACKHAWK! Vehicle QD Med PouchI like to keep life saving equipment as handy as possible. The place that I’m far more likely to see a serious traumatic injury than anyplace else is on the ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Feb 1, 2017Gear Review: CMC AK Elite Flat Trigger for AK-47My original “home build/ghost gun” AKM-47 now has over 10,000 rounds through it in just over a year. Not bad for a weekend garage build using scrap metal and spare parts. ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Dec 20, 2016Gear Review: STI Custom Shop Threaded Bull Barrel ReplacementI’m a huge fan of STI guns. Much of that’s due to my experience carrying their Duty One four-inch aluminum framed 1911 in .45ACP on my hip every day. I’ve put ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Dec 16, 2016Gear Review: Meprolight FT Bullseye SightMeprolight recently released its new FT Bullseye day and night sight. Notice I said “sight” not “sights.” Meprolight’s system eliminates the front sight, relying on a single unit with a fiber optic ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Dec 1, 2016Gear Review: Rogue American RAA Diamondback Gun OilI don’t think it’s ever taken me four months of constant use of a product to complete a review, but this one did. Rogue American Apparel is owned by former Marine and ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Oct 29, 2016Gear Review: Henry Repeating Survival KitA bonus of reviewing the Henry Survival Rifle was that I got to review the Henry Repeating Survival Kit they sent along with it. I was a teenager in the 80s. Let me tell you, ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Oct 18, 2016Gear Review: Hornady Lock-N-Load Hot Tub Sonic CleanerWelcome to my new favorite thing: the Hornady Lock-N-Load Hot Tub Sonic Cleaner. I’ve owned a small Hornady sonic cleaner for a while now, and I use it every week. If ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Sep 7, 2016Gear Review: Cannae Legion Elite Day Pack with Helmet CarryCannae Pro Gear has released a series of bags they call “Battle Ready Professional Gear.” The Legion Elite Day Pack with Helmet Carry is one of the packs in the new line. The company claims ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Aug 15, 2016Gear Review: KMFJ LLC DA Series HolsterI’m not much of a Kydex guy, but after trying dozens of different manufacturers’ Kydex rigs, I’ve finally found one. It’s the KMFJ LLC DA series of holsters, and it’s sold ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jan 1, 2016Gear Review: HI VIZ AK Front SightI really enjoyed my AK47 build with the folks at the Dead Goose Society. In fact I’m looking at my next AK build now, this one just bought straight from DGS. ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Dec 7, 2015Gear Review: America Grip Tool GripI recently received an unsolicited product for review, the America Grip Tool Grip AR rail cover. The owner of the company and I were discussing products over lunch and he ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Oct 31, 2015Gear Review: 1911 GripwrenchI’ve had more than a few 1911s over the years. A couple of them required a barrel bushing wrench to disassemble. One of them required a barrel bushing wrench and a ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Sep 18, 2015Gear Review: Trijicon MROBack in the day, I was hesitant about using zero magnification red dot sights on a rifle. I didn’t see the value – right until I laid down underneath an ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
May 5, 2015Gear Review: Fighter Design Featherlight Rifle SlingNot too long ago TTAG posted a review of the Five Best AR-15 Rifle Slings. I was glad to see the Vickers Sling among them, and dissapointed to see that the ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns
Jan 30, 2015Gear Review: Law Tactical Folding AR Stock AdapterI’m one of the many Americans who take an AR just about everywhere. Like the thousands of servicemen who kept a .30-06 around after the wars of the first half of ...Gear ReviewThe Truth About Guns

← NewerPage 2 of 2

Jon Wayne Taylor

Firearms and hunting writer. Former gun slinger, current gun writer.

The workFull archive Gun reviews Gear reviews Hunting Industry

MoreAbout Work with me Gallery Instagram LinkedIn

Machine readable/feed.xml /sitemap.xml /llms.txt /robots.txt

© 2026 Jon Wayne Taylor. Articles indexed here were originally published by the outlets credited; excerpts are shown with attribution and link to the original.