John’s Favorite products of 2022
If you ask 10 shooters what they like you will get 10 different answers. All these answers will have value to you as a shooter as they will all be unique to each persons requirements and disciplines of shooting. But for 2022, here is my list of favorite gear. Some were major game changers to how I train or shoot a match, and some are just pure convenience. Read on and maybe you’ll find something useful to add to your toolbox.
My number one favorite Item from last year was the Trigger cam. I now have both the Gen 1 and the Gen 2 versions and love them both. The Gen 2 comes with upgraded hardware and a brand-new purpose-built app. Even though the specs are impressive, I’m not going to list them here. The reason I like the trigger cam so much is due to the ease of use and setup while maintaining a compact package. Comparable scope recording systems are either significantly larger or they use a multi-piece setup that make it difficult to get centered, clear footage. Having clear first-person footage through the optic is fantastic for creating educational content as well as analyzing your own shooting during training or during a match. Additionally, it is very useful as a long range instructor since I can see what my student see’s in real time as they engage targets. The Camera was designed for recording those trophy shots on game for Safaris in Africa, but it has exploded in popularity with competitive shooters over the last year.
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My second favorite item is also my most used and purchased Item. The Arca swiss rail from HITHUT. It comes in various sizes but the 300mm,350mm, and the 400mm, are the most useful for most rifles. This rail was initially designed for use with cameras, but it works very well for shooting applications as well. I use this rail for both my spotting set up and on all my rifles. Being made of aluminum it is super lightweight but has good structural integrity. It can be interesting to install and may require so ingenuity on your part, depending on the stock, but they are a solid option if the higher end brands like Area419 are out of your budget. Even if you have a nicer brand rail on your competition rifle, these are great to add to AR’s or hunting rigs so that you can still use your favorite attachments without having to break the bank. This allowed me to add arca capabilities to all my rifles for less then $200.
Another item that I really liked last year is the US Optics Foundation series 17x. This optic was an upgrade to the Vortex Strike Eagle I had on my Vudoo V22 competition rifle. I also used this scope on my centerfire rifle for the Mammoth Sniper Challenge, where having a solid optic can make or break the match. I immediately noticed the improved clarity and could see my projectiles and trace in flight through the optic a lot better than with my previous optic. It is an extremely rugged scope with a great selection of reticles to match whatever your preference is. They are definitely worth checking out if you are in the market for a top tier optic.
https://www.usoptics.com/product/fdn-17x/
Good triggers are a dime a dozen now days but my all time favorite so far is the Tubb T7T two stage Remington 700 trigger. I use this trigger in my .223 competition rifle. I was never a fan of precision rifles with 2 stage triggers until I shot a Tubb 2000, which utilized the anchutz trigger that was the inspiration for the T7T. The 1st stage is light and smooth, while the second stage is on a clear wall and breaks extremely clean and crisp with minimal over travel. Both stages can be set for over travel and weight. The trigger shoe can also be adjusted to be set to the perfect spot for your bodies mechanics. The only downside is the size of the housing. Some stocks or chassis may need a slight modification to fit it as the housing is shaped slightly different then most other triggers. But it is absolutely worth the effort to be able to utilize this awesome trigger.
https://www.davidtubb.com/t7t-trigger-rem700-remington%20trigger
My last item was a discovered near the end of 2022 when I saw it being used by a fellow competitor at a match. I immediately purchased one and could not be happier with this decision. The Sper Scientific talking timer is fantastic for time management while shooting a match. You start the timer and it gives verbal updates of the remaining time. Updates are given every 30 seconds if the time remaining is greater then 1 minute. If it less then 1 minute remaining then updates are every 10 seconds. It then counts down the final 10 seconds until the timer goes off. It is loud enough that I can hear it when it is clipped to a pocket or my belt. This was a game changer for me as I am one of those annoying competitors that asks RO’s for time updates. This allows me to remained completely focused on the course of fire and my firing process.
