James Yeager Breaking Stereotypes

Yes, You heard it right!! In the video above James announces that he is going to be doing a documentary about YOU- the gun community. I am looking forward to seeing this. Although I have never met him,  I have several friends that have; both my impressions and their anecdotal accounts speak volumes: James is the caliber of individual that I want on my side when things start breaking. Likewise, I think this documentary is going to be well done.  Check out the video above for details on how you can help. Tell James that Spectre sent ya, who knows, maybe FXHummel and I can photobomb one of the shots.

XDS Water Testing: Robustness Surprising

Yes, it had to be done. You saw it first at VigilantSpectre Operations: Springfield Armory XDS Water Test Test. We split the testing up to enure that the dirt didn't interfere with the water test. See the dirt test for XDS failures Oh yeah, and nobody died by loading their XDS. I still do not like this handgun however for many reasons stated in my initial impressions video. To sum it up, it is well made but, poorly executed in my humble opinion. I feel like they tried too hard to make it similar to the XD (HS2000) line and it didn't need to be. Anyway, enjoy the show

338 Lapua Magnum @ 1000 Meters

1000 Meters is a long way

I had an excellent opportunity this past weekend to link up with the quality outfit of P.O.I. Tactical. 

They are planning a 1 mile shoot later this year at  Thunder Valley Precision In preparation for this shoot, I did some searching, and measuring, and found a space spanning 1km at the VSO compound. I thought it would be a good warm up for them.

Not only are they quality people, but they had some very nice weaponry. They sported a Savage 110 and a Barrett M98B. Both chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. For this trip they turned out some custom loads using 300gn BTHPs. These massive rounds had a muzzle velocity of 2600 fps, and delivered more energy to the target at 1000 meters than a .308 Winchester at the muzzle. 

True to VSO form, the day was not perfect by any means. Variable high winds, storms, all mixed with saturating humidity, 95 degree direct sunlight and a massive infestation of grasshoppers. So is Ohio in October; a flame flickers violently just before it goes out. Despite the environmental challenges and annoyances operators from POI and VSO were able to score hits consistently.

There will be multiple videos from this day on both channels; however, for now we both produced trailers with some of the awesome video captured by our crews.

VSO

POI

And if you are wondering why this qualifies for The Breaking Shit Blog, look no further than the targets. However, if that does not satisfy your craving for broken kit, then we have that too. During the course of fire the concussion from the M98B was great enough to shatter the lens cap on its optic. Likewise, the shrapnel splash from the target dug some nice gashes is the GO PRO protective case.

My opinions on the two weapon systems will be detailed in a later video and subsequent blog post.

Enjoy the show. That is all.

Springfield Armory XDS: Robust Enough? Part I

Springfield Armory XDS acquired. Lets just say I am not throughly impressed with the weapon. I think it has major ergonomic and functionality issues right out of the box. But then again, so do most micro-autos.

I think that just about all of the gear that comes with the weapon is gimmicky at best. I hate the sights, the mag release... and of course the fact that it is a striker-fired gun. I do give it some points for being a 45 auto clambering; however, let's see what happens when it gets really dirty. I think the results speak for themselves but draw your own conclusions.

Dirt test, the first ever by the way, check the upload date:

Coming soon: Water test.
You saw it here first at VSO

Killing a Sig Sauer 226

We recently had a collaborative shoot with FXHummel1. During which a Sig 226 was function tested with mud. During the test a catastrophic failure occurred, rendering the weapon inoperable. No one believed me when I said there is just something about the VSO compound that eats new gear. For the full video of the test see below:

FX has since put out a video of his trip to the gunsmith to fully deduce and remedy the situation that account was also captured on video:

FX is planning a Part III to the series and will be showing all of the changes this event catalyzed in that weapon system.  He said it's coming back in "A Big Way". Be sure to subscribe to him so you don't miss it.

Troy Industries Products: Disapproved

I am not going to pretentend that I dug this information up one own. Credit is due to Tim from the Military Arms Channel. On his blog The Bang Switch, there is a full synopsis of the situation at Troy and why you should add them to your black list. Please read their piece  titled "Hiring Follies of Troy Industries" to get the full scoop.

As for me, all Troy products have been removed from the VSO Approved Gear List. I have also advised my entire team of the situation, their reaction was immediate and unanimous: No more Troy products will be purchased unless corrective action is taken. Here is a direct message to Troy Industries on behalf of the VSO team: 

As a company who claims to support the rights of the people it is your duty to ensure that the officials that you employ share the ideals outlined in the constitution.You have cried foul in the past when Dicks Sporting Goods singled your company out for your Ar-15 products. Now WE, your clients, are crying foul and demand that you stand with us rather than those who stand against us. It is your choice which road you choose to follow, the one with the big government contracts or the one with the people. As it sits now, will not support your company or products for the anti-American stance of these hires. Correct this action or the message will permeate throughout the shooting community.

Thanks again to MAC & The Bang Switch  for bringing light to the situation. Please go over and comment telling them that Spectre sent ya.

Codex Armory Level III Ballistic Plates

We recently performed testing on the Praetor, Level III Ballistic plate system from Codex Armory.

True to what we at VSO are all about we gave our best effort to not only test the plate within its stated capabilities; but also push its limits to see how far it will go before it dies.

Codex Armory is on a mission to deliver high quality armor protection to everyone seeking it at a price point that isn't exploiting you, the consumer. This product has been added to the VSO Approved Gear List.

Praetor plates come standard with built in anti-fragmentation  and anti-trauma protection. Plates are only offered in shooters cut configuration (excellent). A Praetor plate set comes standard with one contoured plate (front) and one standard plate (rear). However, you do have the option of upgrading to a contoured rear plate if you so desire.

Calibers tested are as follows:

5.56X45mm

7.62X39mm

7.62X51mm

7.62X54mm

12 gauge (3" slugs)

.264 Win. Mag.

You can see the full test in the following video. If you like what you see please subscribe and share. Also make sure you pay our friends at Codex Armory a visit.

Tell them Spectre sent ya.