Category Archives: Lasers

Sig Sauer Spartan BB pistol: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Sig Spartan BB pistol
Sig Sauer Spartan BB pistol offers a lot of pistol at a budget price.

This report covers:

  • Sig firearms
  • The airgun
  • Manual safety
  • Full blowback
  • Grips
  • Finish
  • Sights
  • Trigger
  • Magazine
  • Light rail
  • Evaluation

Today we begin looking at Sig Sauer’s latest BB pistol, the Spartan. It’s a faithful copy of their Spartan 1911 firearm, which has upgraded features that put it ahead of many production 1911s. And it’s made in Japan.

Sig firearms

I will say this about Sig firearms — when they decide to make something they don’t cut corners. I never had much contact with them in the past, but since they have started making airguns I have been giving their firearms a look, as well. I am a died-in-the-wool conservative when it comes to firearms. Don’t try to sell me on a process like metal injection molding (MIM) unless it performs better than machining in some way other than just the cost to manufacture.

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2013 SHOT Show: Part 3

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by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier
Photos by Earl “Mac” McDonald

Part 1
Part 2

The SHOT Show is not a gun show — though that is what many attendees call it, and the mainstream media that doesn’t attend also calls it that. Instead, it’s a happening — to use a 1960’s term. Or it’s a Middle Eastern open market. The big booths house the recognized names like Colt, Winchester and Crosman. Their booths are two stories tall with signs hanging from the ceiling that you could see a mile away if there weren’t other signs hanging in front of them.

But the real drama of the show isn’t at those booths. People already know what to expect in those places. It’s the little out-of-the-way booths hugging the walls that have the surprises. I always set aside some time just to cruise the aisles, looking for some rocks to turn over.

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2012 SHOT Show: Part 2

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by B.B. Pelletier

Photos by Earl “Mac” McDonald

Part 1

This is the second of my reports on the 2012 SHOT Show. There will certainly be at least one more after this, and perhaps even more, as there’s simply too much new information to pack into a single report.

The state of the airgun industry in 2012
Before I get to some specifics, I want to make a general observation. This year’s SHOT Show was different for me in a major way, because I saw for the first time that firearms shooters are beginning to understand airguns as never before. In the past, I always had to start my explanations with the cooling of the earth’s crust and then progress through the age of the dinosaurs because each firearms person I talked to thought of airguns as either toys or BB guns. This year, a lot of them were clued-in on what’s happening. They weren’t surprised by the accuracy we get, and they knew about big bores. A lot of them had some airgun experience and more than a few asked me the same kind of questions that I get from long-time readers of this blog.

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BSA Stealth Tactical Dot Sight with laser and tactical flashlight: Part 1

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by B.B. Pelletier


The BSA Stealth Tactical Dot Sight is a sexy-looking unit!

And now for something completely different. It’s not an airgun at all, but an optical sight system with a lot going for it! The BSA Stealth Tactical Red/Green/Blue Dot Sight with tactical flashlight and laser is a unique optical sight that gives more sighting options with greater innovation than I have ever seen. I will try to do it justice in this report.

It’s not cheap
The price of $136 is bound to put off a lot of potential buyers, but perhaps if I tell the whole story some will look a second time. And, a second look is warranted, for this is no bargain-bin dot sight. It’s a well-engineered system, containing a dot sight with three different-colored dots, a laser and a tactical flashlight in one comprehensive package. And, speaking of the package, let’s begin there, because the box this thing comes in is enough to warm the hearts of most shooters.

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BSA Optics Laser Genetics ND-5 laser designator – Part 1

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by B.B. Pelletier

First, two announcements. Don’t miss the latest video episode from Airgun Academy. Episode 13 is about adjusting scopes, ironically enough. I say ironically in light of what we’ve been doing with the FWB 124. Also, the October podcast is up. It’s about selecting the right youth airgun.

Now, it’s time for today’s report.

Ever since I saw it at the SHOT Show in January, I’ve wanted to test the BSA Laser Genetics ND-5 laser designator for you. Now that I have it in hand, I’m slightly stumped how to proceed. How would you test the first atomic bomb, if some of your developing scientists told you it would destroy the world? How do I test a flashlight (I know that BSA Optics hates for me to call it that, but it’s the best analogy I can give) that shines brightly for five miles (8.05 kilometers)? And who needs such a thing?

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