PARTS & ACCESSORIES

4. NIGHT VISION AND THERMAL SCOPES/OPTICS

Night vision was experimented with as early as the end of WWII, but the equipment was so crude that the idea was dropped for all intents and purposes, until the lessons learned in Korea and later in the 1950s showed the world’s militaries that fighting at night was going to be a big part of modern warfare.

By Vietnam, the US military had developed functional (if bulky) night vision devices that could be mounted on rifles and still maintain portability. Since then, night vision binoculars, monoculars, scopes, and other types of optics have been shrinking in size and cost, and increasing in popularity and availability to “civilians” for multiple uses.

Lately, companies like ATN and AGM have been offering military-type helmet- or weapon-mounted night vision/thermal imaging devices to the public.

While military-grade setups can go for several thousands of dollars, night/thermal vision optical scopes for hunting or recreational use have been coming down in price.

The ATN X-Sight 4K Pro offers features that sound like they come from the future, including ultra-HD resolution, bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, the ability to record in 1080p, internal ballistic calculator, smart rangefinder, one-shot zero capability, and enhanced HD night vision mode, all for around $800 for the 5x-20x version (lower magnification versions start around $600).

It’s even got Ralphie’s “compass in the stock and this thing which tells time!” (No kidding… there’s an internal electronic compass.) Cheaper stuff is available from places like eBay and Amazon, but as always when dealing with these places, caveat emptor. There are a lot of ripoffs out there.

For any tech nerds out there who want a deeper dive, here’s a reasonably good overview of the history of night vision and thermal imaging equipment. And here’s a good video going over the advantages and disadvantages of monocular vs. bi-ocular night vision devices.

5. LASER TRAINING SYSTEMS

In these “interesting times,” ammunition is often unavailable and has become staggeringly expensive when it is available. For this and other practical reasons, handgun laser-training systems are growing in popularity.

There are several different designs and systems, but the basic premise is you install a device into your favorite home-defense, target-shooting, or concealed-carry handgun, place a laser-sensitive target system in your home or range, and rather than simply practicing dry-fire techniques, you can be tracking your shots and improving marksmanship at the same time, all without expending any ammunition.

Some of the main players here are Laserhit, Coolfire, MantisX, and Strikeman.

The Coolfire offers unique CO2 powered “recoil” feedback with each shot, that can more satisfactorily replicate the feel of a real range session. The MantisX Laser Academy starts at about $100 (or the cost of a couple of boxes of ammo these days). MantisX also offers very innovative live-fire analysis tools that provide extremely detailed laser tracking of pre- and post-shot muzzle movement to help you develop effective trigger control.

The newcomer to the market for 2022 is the Strikeman, which should be shipping as of February 18. With the Strikeman, your smartphone acts as the sensor that records the location of each laser “shot” and translates it into a reviewable “shot group.” By using Strikeman’s signature target, laser cartridge, and smartphone holder (systems start at around $99) in unison with their smartphone app, you can practice “shooting” multiple types of drills with your desired firearm in the comfort of your home.

The Strikeman Pro (starting at $199) includes a larger array of multi-target “posters” (sheets with 12 circular or 8 silhouette targets printed on them), and even allows two shooters to compete against each other at the same time. The app also includes multiple “game” modes including “critical thinking” drills, and records your reaction time and accuracy.

Instructors might use these systems to introduce students to the stress of competition or live-fire drills, or any enthusiast can use these training aids to have fun and improve trigger control while competing against friends and family, all without the noise and expense of using live ammo.

6. RIFLE CHASSIS SYSTEMS FOR PRS

With the explosion in popularity of long-range rifle shooting and sports such as the Precision Rifle Series competitions, interest in highly accurate bolt-action rifles for recreational use has never been greater. Nearly all major rifle manufacturers are coming out with dedicated “PRS” rifles, and one of the newest and most useful trends has been the new offerings in rifle chassis systems.

These used to be simply called “stocks” and makers such as McMillan offered fiberglass blanks that gunsmiths and rifle builders could glass-bed their actions into. However, due to the fixed nature and wood-or-fiberglass construction of traditional rifle stocks, their modularity, adjustability, and versatility was limited.

Today, a fully adjustable, fully modular “chassis” is the choice of many shooters, and makers like MDT, Accuracy International, and Masterpiece Arms are some of the frontrunners in this space. These chassis have rigid, low-tolerance hard-point mounting systems for most popular action types (such as the Remington 700 platform) and typically have fully railed, accessory-friendly aluminum or carbon-fiber forends, folding buttstocks, and are near-infinitely adjustable for length of pull, buttpad height and angle, cheekrest height and angle, ocular box size, grip type/angle, rear bag or monopod setup, accessory attachment, bipod mounting, and more.

One of the chassis for 2022 we’re excited to see is the Cadex Defence Strike Pro. (It’s so new that at the time of publication it’s still not on their website, but we got them to send us some pics).

Like all Cadex Defence rifle chassis, it won’t be cheap, but with full adjustability and features ideal for recreational long range shooting or PRS competition, the Strike Pro might be the one to watch for 2022. Plus, it just looks badass.

7. AR-15 FREE-FLOAT HANDGUARDS AND INTEGRATED SUPPRESSOR COVERS

Ah, yes… Lego for adults! The AR-15 platform has proven the most modular, customizable, and popular rifle platform in history, and one of the hottest trends going is in the area of free-floated, lightweight forends/handguards for the AR. Geissele is known for very high-quality, high-strength modular rails, and Midwest Industries is another very popular choice with lots of lengths and options.

One of the buzzworthy items at the 2022 Shot Show was Lancer’s LCH5 Carbon AR-15 freefloat handguard with integral suppressor cover. Lancer’s carbon stuff is stupid-light while remaining strong, and this year they introduced a system where you can slide a ventilated carbon-fiber suppressor cover over your (mounted) rifle suppressor and lock it into the front of the handguard.

Simply ingenious, and this system will likely spawn lots of imitators. Now you can practice handgun transitions from your suppressed rifle without worrying about a 500-degree suppressor taking skin off your lower body parts.

8. 1-10X LPVOS (LOW POWER VARIABLE OPTICS)

LPVOs have traditionally been a sort of “jack of all trades, master of none” type deal, but they have been gaining popularity over the past decade due to improvements in designs and lens quality.

The Low Power Variable Optic craze began in earnest in 2009 with Trijicon’s Accupoint TR24 1-4x. Since then, it’s been a flurry of back-and-forths from all the major players in the rifle optics game, and everyone came out with a 1-6, then a 1-8, and now several companies offer a 1-10X LPVO (previously thought impossible), which further blurs the lines between fixed-1x-powered “red dot” rifle optics and traditional variable-magnification rifle scopes.

With a good LPVO, you might not have to choose. You can get really good 1X red dot functionality for up-close-and-fast shooting, and then dial up to 5, 7, or even 10X magnification for faster target identification and easier hits at longer ranges.

The tradeoffs have typically been cost, weight, light transmission, and a restricted field of view at max magnification compared to dedicated “traditional” variable rifle scopes, but the latest models are better and cheaper than ever.

We are pumped for the Eotech Vudu 1-10X LPVO, due in March 2022, but… bring money. MSRP for this bad boy is close to $1,800. Ouch.

However, don’t be dismayed. For the *ahem* budget-oriented among us, Swampfox now offers a 1-10x Arrowhead LPVO for around $500 which is a simply ridonkulous bargain.

And if you don’t really need a 1-10x (and you probably don’t), Primary Arms offers their 1-6X LPVO for less than three bills.

9. BLUETOOTH EARBUDS/HEARING PROTECTION

Protecting your hearing is absolutely essential when participating in shooting sports, but many hunters have gone without hearing protection in the wild, reasoning that “I need to be able to hear the animal or conversation.” Hence, there are a lot of old-timers with permanent hearing damage from the high-powered rifles or shotguns they hunted with.

This no longer needs to be par for the course, as several companies now offer active hearing protection in either headphone or earbud platforms.

Walker’s is a major player in this market and offers several models of Bluetooth-enabled earbuds, including some that you can control fully via your smartphone app. You can play music, enable noise cancellation, or even enhance ambient sounds for better hearing, all while protecting your precious ears from gunshots. Make protecting your hearing an unbreakable habit. You’ll thank us later.

10. SHOOTING BAGS, RESTS, AND TABLES

You may have fond memories of resting your rifle on a wadded-up denim jacket or a wobbly pile of dried buffalo chips, but chances are your accuracy wasn’t that great. A good set of shooting bags will go a long way toward improving accuracy and reducing fatigue, whether at the bench or in the field.

Caldwell offers a full line of shooting bags and rests, including their Tack Driver X bag designed for PRS competition.

Their Dead Shot shooting bags are extremely affordable, and are available either filled or unfilled, so you can add sand or lead shot depending on how heavy and stable you want your shooting bags to be.

If you can’t bring yourself to lie down in the dirt, Caldwell also offers several types of portable shooting benches and tables. If you want to up-scale it a bit, Stukeys Benches are a few steps up in quality, durability, and price.

So there you have it… our list of some of our favorite firearm accessories for 2022. We hope you found something of interest. Of course, the first firearm accessory any gun owner should purchase is a quality USA-made safe from Liberty. Get out there and shoot!