Hunting Gear

Heading home from a wild boar hunt one morning, I spotted movement along a willow-lined creek. I pulled off to the side of the road and got a good look. It was a cougar. This happened in California, where I couldn’t shoot it, but I wanted to see it better. My binocular, though, was just out of reach in the back seat.

Long and sleek, that mountain lion flowed along the bank of the creek. It stopped from time to time, turning its head to look back at me. I think of that cat every time I pack for a trip into the woods or desert. A rifle is close, a camera is within reach and there is a binocular on the dash.

In fact, I’ve carried a monocular in the glove box for the last 15 years for those times when my binocular is in a backpack or inside the house. I’ve used the optic to scout the best way around traffic accidents, inspect a camp before I approach it or glass some suspicious character.

Each time I’ve used the monocular, I wished it was a binocular. When I saw the Bino Dock, I saw a secure place to store a binocular; in the spare cupholder next to the shifter. Now a binocular is close at hand all the time.

Any place equipped with a cupholder is a good spot to dock a binocular – a boat, a truck or utility vehicle. In the field, I carry a binocular in a shoulder harness, but that gets in the way behind the steering wheel – the Bino Dock is the solution.

To maintain its position in the cupholder, the unit comes equipped with heavy-duty bands. An adjustable base allows for a custom fit to avoid a shifter or emergency brake. Inside the housing, a padded floor keeps the binocular from rattling around.

To keep crumbs and coffee out of the ocular lenses, I keep the lenses covered and pull the center strap down to secure the binocular in the Bino Dock so it doesn’t bounce out on a rough road. Suggested retail price is $69.99.    binodock.com 

Gary Lewis

Mossberg Patriot CERAKOTE

The Mossberg Patriot CERAKOTE rifle line is available for six cartridges:  6.5mm Creedmoor, .243 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington, .308 Winchester, .270 Winchester and .30-06. The combination of a weather-resistant, black synthetic stock, and the Patriot’s barrel and bolt, finished with CERAKOTE Stainless (H-Series) firearm coating, provides enhanced protection from abrasions, chemicals and corrosion.

The Patriot CERAKOTE bolt-action rifle is built on Mossberg’s proven twin-lug, push-feed machined-steel action and is fed from a lightweight polymer, flush box magazine with a four-round capacity. The 22-inch, button-rifled barrel is constructed of carbon steel, is free floating and has straight-edge fluting and a protective, recessed muzzle crown. This rifle also comes with Mossberg’s Lightning Bolt Action (LBA) user-adjustable trigger with a 2- to 7-pound range of adjustment. A spiral-fluted bolt, ergonomic bolt handle, Weaver-style bases and sling swivel studs round out the standard features.

The stock on the Patriot CERAKOTE is designed for durability and comfort. Textured stippling on the grip and all three sides of the forend provide an aggressive surface for a solid grip. A poly-mer block insert with integral magazine well provides an effective bedding platform. Pairing a premium-featured rifle with a premium protective metal coat-ing results in rugged durability and performance. Suggested retail is $440.       mossberg.com

Barnes Bullets has added three bullets to its LRX (Long Range X-Bullet) reloading component lineup for handloaders. New offerings include .284-inch, .338-inch and .375-inch diameters. Barnes LRX bullets feature a long profile, boat-tail design for high ballistic coefficients that deliver match-grade accuracy at long range. These bullets provide terminal performance that delivers quick, clean and ethical kills. Whether a trophy buck presents a shot at close or extreme distances, the purpose-built LRX Bullet can deliver.      barnesbullets.com

Leupold VX-Freedom Riflescope

Leupold’s new VX-Freedom scopes offer great reliability and optical performance. The entire VX-Freedom line is designed, machined and assembled in the U.S. with an emphasis on giving hunters the freedom to put a Leupold on any hunting rifle, .22, AR or long gun. It has been tested to serious ruggedness standards and is also backed by the Leupold Full Lifetime Guarantee. VX-Freedom scopes are built to deliver the versatility and performance hunters and shooters have come to expect. Whether it’s a first-time hunter looking for a scope or a seasoned veteran looking for his fortieth, there is a version of the VX-Freedom that will work.      leupold.com