Field Gear

    Among the many pleasures of the coming of spring, it’s time to start thinking about getting to the range to sharpen your shooting skills. Here are several new products either designed for the range or with applications for hunters and shooters.

Atlas RTC Trap
    Looking to add versatility to your club’s sporting clays or 5 Stand course? Want a challenging target thrower for your backyard? Consider the new automatic RTC model from Atlas Trap Company. This trap hurls chandelle, rabbit and 90- to 100-foot-high vertical teal—in rabbit-size targets—at angles to 90 degrees. Even tough curling targets are possible because the RTC base tilts left and right. Changing from rabbit, teal or chandelle presentations takes about one minute—the same amount of time required to alter the tilt angle and to tighten or loosen the thrower springs with a wrench.
    The single trap, which holds 400 targets, is made from heavy-duty stainless steel; the throwing arm is aircraft-grade aluminum. Atlas makes its own commercial-grade, direct-drive gear motors and DuraClutch one-way bearings, which prevent targets from backing up. This is the heart of the trap’s rugged, dependable delivery system, and there are no chains or sprockets to wear out or fail. The RTC carries a five-year limited warranty and a lifetime warranty on the DuraClutch and simple electronics system. Atlas says the 12-volt battery is good for close to 3,000 targets before needing a recharge.
    Convertible to 110 volt, the on/off toggle switch and control panel with firing button is on the machine itself. Options include a foot switch, a 100-foot release cord, a wireless release, voice activation and a delay controller. You can fix-mount the trap, pull it behind an ATV or buy the optional two-wheel cart for portability. Upon request, the company will install—at no extra charge—a knife separator for slicing frozen targets. Cost: $2,999.
    Atlas Trap Co., Inc., 316-778-2002; www.atlastraps.com.

GripSwell GS-2K Glove
    GripSwell has just introduced a new shooting glove designed for shooters who favor side-by-side shotguns with straight stocks and splinter forends. Like other ergonomic GripSwell products, the GS-2K is an all-leather glove; the key difference is a special heat barrier built into the palm and fingers of the non-shooting hand. The perfect test, of course, would be a South American hot-barrel dove hunt. I didn’t do that, but I did shoot several boxes of shells on a 5 Stand course. The verdict? This is a superior glove that offers excellent protection. It’s also one of the most comfortable shooting gloves I’ve ever worn.
    GripSwell made its mark a few years ago with its unique palm-swell models, which many shooters have come to embrace. I favorably reviewed an early model here, and the new GS-2K is no less impressive. Although these gloves are not designed for hunting (suede fabric in the palm collects detritus), I wore mine in the grouse woods because I’d left my regular leather gloves home. In truth, I don’t like taking the GS-2Ks off. They’re so comfortable, thanks to the just-right fit and interior napped suede, that they end up in my jacket pockets and I wear them for driving and even social events.
    The trigger hand is a plain glove for shooters with length-of-pull issues or whose gunstocks have a palm swell. (If your straight-stock gun is fitted and you need recoil protection, consider buying the GS-12 Combo, which features a palm swell.) The non-shooting hand contains the heat shield, which amounts to layers of reversed suede sandwiched around a proprietary, high-tech thermal barrier. Treated with 3M ScotchGuard, the handsome, dark-brown GS-2K features plush leather, solid-stitch construction, airflow ventilation and reinforced wear points. Velcro cinchers and elastic in the wrists and across the back ensure a perfect fit. Sizes are Small through XX-Large. Cost: $54.95.
    GripSwell Gloves, 714-379-9413; www.GripSwell.com.

L.L. Bean Shooter’s Jacket
    When clothing designers at L.L. Bean decided to create a new shooting jacket, they went to the source: instructors like Chuck Willey who teach shooting at the company’s Outdoor Discovery School. The designers learned that freedom of movement to permit easy shotgun mounting is critical. Also important are light weight, comfort and protection from the weather. The result is the Bean Shooter’s Jacket, a no-frills garment that hits the mark on all counts and is value-priced.
    Designers incorporated fabric panels on the shoulder backs that act like gussets and expand. This bi-swing construction allows mounting and following through without binding. Along with polyester fleece material (Polartec Wind Pro), the design adds tremendously to comfort. Toasty warm, the 1.5-pound jacket (in size Large) is not wind- or waterproof, but it is resistant to those elements. It cinches with an elastic cord and features elastic wrist snuggers. There are no buttons (it zips) and only two pockets—one on each side—without flaps or snaps. Lined with nylon fabric for support, each gusseted pocket is large enough for a box of shells. If you don’t like stuffing pockets with shells, consider Bean’s Hull Bag ($39.50), which holds 50 shells, is divided and belted, and rides on the hip.
    The handsome jacket is dark taupe (a slate brown to my eye) with black accents on the pockets, zipper guard and shooting patches, which are smooth for snagless gun mounting. Sizes are Regular Small through XXL and Tall Medium through XXL. Price: $99 regular, $109 tall.
    L.L. Bean, 800-221-4221; www.llbean.com/hunting.

Leatherman Vista Multi-Tool
    With today’s broad choice of multi-purpose sporting tools, why should you consider buying the new Vista from Leatherman? For openers, one of Vista’s cool tools is a choke-tube wrench. I used each of the three different settings to screw and unscrew choke tubes on my 12-, 20- and 28-bore guns. It’s handy and easy to use.
    Company engineers designed the Vista with hunters in mind. The nine-tool product is black and olive in color and comes with a camo nylon belt sheath (I’d prefer that both the tool and case were orange so I wouldn’t lose them). Stainless-steel tools include Phillips- and flat-head screwdrivers, soft-wire cutters, a large awl with thread loop, a 3" saw, a bottle opener, bypass pruning shears, and a 2"-long knife with combination straight and serrated edge.
    Pruning shears? Why not? I used mine for snipping the legs and wings of woodcock, or it could be used for brushing in a blind. I can’t imagine needing a saw in a duck blind, but the screwdrivers earn immediate appreciation if you have to un-jam an autoloader or take apart your pumpgun. Safety features are a locking thumb latch to prevent accidental opening and non-slip rubber grips on the hard-resin handles. The tools are easy to get to, and the handle cleverly folds up to be a little less than 5" long. Weight, including the case, is 10 oz. The Vista also carries a 25-year warranty. Cost: $79.95.
    Leatherman Tool Group, Inc., 800-847-8665; www.leatherman.com.
Petzl TIKKA2 Series Headlamp
    I suppose it’s my aging eyes, but I really appreciate hands-free, dependable lighting that is clear, clean and bright. Think about it: How many times have you held a penlight in your teeth or asked someone for a third hand while you tried to change choke tubes or fiddled with your dog’s e-collar in the dark? In January/February ’08 I reviewed the e+LITE from Petzl, the inventor of the modern headlamp. Now the French company has brought out a series of high-tech LED lights that are up to 50 percent brighter. The Tikka Plus2 offers 50 lumens of light at up to 35 meters, and the Tikka XP2 delivers 60 lumens at up to 60 meters; each features a high-output white LED that runs in maximum, economy and strobe modes, plus a red LED in continuous and strobe modes that provides spare lighting to preserve night vision or increased safety.
    I tested the Tikka XP2, which carries a three-year guarantee, and it’s a winner. This top-of-the-line model features the ability to switch between spot and flood beams by flipping the spring-loaded lens. Recently, I used the spot beam in my room at a South Dakota pheasant lodge to find articles in my luggage without disturbing my roommate. At home I use the white flood beam while feeding my dogs in their darkened kennels behind the house.
    Powered by three AAA batteries (provided), the XP2 has a burn time of up to 160 hours, according to the company, and costs $54.95. (The Tikka Plus2 has a burn time of up to 140 hours and costs $39.95.) A simple click of the switch allows maximum brightness or economy mode. To reduce weight and increase performance in cold weather, you also can use a more expensive lithium battery (not provided). Although technically not waterproof, if you drop the light in water, it will still work. Both the white and red LEDs switch to blinking mode for signaling; if that doesn’t grab someone’s attention, try the mini safety whistle. It’s built into the headband. Clever.
    Petzl, 801-926-1501; www.petzl.com.