Five Bucks: Nite Ize CamJam Cord Tightener

Some folks love gadgets, but I have two criteria for gadgets... they have to be reliable and they need to be practical.  The gals and I have found a lot of reliable and practical gadgets over the years for our camping, motorcycling, prepping, shooting, and other activities made by Nite Ize.

A while back, I ran across a new product from Nite Ize called the CamJam Cord Tightener at the local Tractor Supply Company store.  This handy little gadget works quicker and easier than several other Nite Ize products and small carbiner products I've tried.  It doesn't involve any knot tying which is great in cold weather when you have gloves on or your fingers are too cold to feel anything, much less loosen and tie a good slip knot or square knot.

I used a couple of these to secure our deer blind to some stakes and small trees this winter and they held up well out in the weather for over over a month.  They work with everything from paracord to light rope.  They're not rated for any kind of weight-bearing use by tactical ninjas, but they are quick to adjust, tighten, and release with your flies, tarps, tents, and other tie-down needs.  They would make a great addition to any gear bag, BOB, or GHB.  If you pick up a couple these CamJams... you'll find endless uses for them.

Go ahead and try it... and if you don't like it, you're out... like... five-bucks.

Five Bucks: Skewered

Probably, the best use for skewer sticks is holding together carefully slice and diced pieces of marinated steak or chicken sandwiched between fresh vegetables or pieces of pineapple and orange wedges for some delicious shish kabobs.  Out here in the boonies, where we are engaged in the endless pursuit of something fun and interesting to shoot that is also legal... no, I'm not talkin' bout street signs and mailboxes... cheap, bamboo skewer sticks offer a lot of possibilities.

Pick up a cheap pack of bamboo skewer sticks from the local store or raid your gal's kitchen... but don't touch the stainless steel Pampered Chef Skewers if you want to sleep indoors at night.

If you need some cheap targets to skewer... you might want to pick up a package of little plastic bathroom-sized cups.  They're a great challenge wobbling around and will even give the best varmint hunters a challenge at a decent distance.

If you're redneck enough like us, you can use all kinds of things laying around to skewer some targets to shoot at.  Pop cans, soups cans, plastic water bottles, marshmallows, and even some fruit or vegetables if your more of a carnivore than a herbivore.

Skewer sticks are also great sacrificial target holders if you're trying to save your target stand, like the one described in the Five Bucks: Shootin' Dum-Dums post a while back.

So whether it's a .22 at twenty yards or a .22-250 at two-hundred yards... you can skewer yourself some targets and make a shooting range just about anywhere it's safe to shoot.

Go ahead and try it... and if you don't like it, you're out... like... five-bucks.

Five Bucks: Dot, Dot, Dot Targets...

I've been making and using dot targets for a quite a few years now.  The cool thing about dot targets is that you can stick dots (sometimes called labels) on just about anything to give a shooter a bulls-eye to shoot at... but don't stick them on the in-laws and ex's.

You can find dot labels at any office supply store or even your local Wally World.  The name brand dots run a little more, but you can often find a package of off-brand dot labels for less than five bucks.

As a long time NRA and 4H Shooting Sports certified instructor, I'm very familiar with the nine-inch plain targets...we call our fine redneck china... or paper plates as you call them... to build the fundamental skills including sight alignment and sight picture without worrying about hitting the bulls-eye.  Occasionally, a student will have trouble getting a group without more of a focal point on the target (yes, you focus on the front sight... I'm talkin' bout something more particular to aim at) and a dot usually will help them tighten their groups right up.

You can even add dots to existing targets to make the bulls-eye stand out a little more like these Midway USA Pistol Targets that are free to download.  I printed them on some yellow card stock so they're a little stiffer like the paper plates... and then they don't flap around in the wind so much.

A little hint if you're staple-gunning targets to a backboard... just put one-half of the staple into the target... they're much easier to remove... and if you're at a club or a public range... pull out your staples too.

Now if you want to use some dot targets to challenge yourself, make a bit of fun for the 4H Shooting Sports youth or other kids... especially those youngsters in their thirties and forties... here's a few suggestions to get you started:

Make My Day... or sometimes called Hollywood Mel for it's introduction in the movie Lethal Weapon.

Fast Five... great for trigger control... try to hit five for five in five shots... and there are many other variations that can be applied such as shooting a specific pattern or sequence.

Rockin' Round the Clock... You can time yourself and see how long or how many shots it takes you to work your way 'round the clock... or put up two targets and shoot against a friend in a game kind of like horse... take turns taking shots and see who makes it 'round first.

Call Out... this is a critical thinking game where the shooter can either face the target or you self-defense practicing folks can face away from the target then turn towards it and draw... have another friend time you... we use our Pact Club Shot Timer 3... and the person timing calls out a color then immediately starts the timer... you have to shoot all the dots of the color that was called out.

Sea Battle... a classic take on the game Battle Ship, except you and a friend take turns shooting and sinking your opponent's ships on the target buy hitting the dots.  Remember, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Extinction... See if you can eliminate the last of the prehistoric beasts, particularly the purple ones.

Johnny Appleseed... Johnny may have planted those apple trees all over the place, but someone has to pick'em and why not shoot'em down off that tree.

You can use these stick-on dots to turn just about anything into a target... even cats... oh, alright... I'm just kidding... use your head... be creative and have some fun.... and to save some arguments that will occur as egos get bruised... if the shot touches... even just the edge of the dot... it counts!

Go ahead and try it... and if you don't like it, you're out... like... five-bucks.

Five Bucks: Sandless Sandbags for Shooting...

Sandbags have been used for steadying shooters perched in the benchrest position or even the prone position for decades.  The one problem, though, with filling sand bags with sand is that the sand and dust from the sand seems to instantly adhere to any surface of the firearms with even the slightest bit of lubricant on it.  The last thing any shooter wants is their firearm covered with something as abrasive as sand.  Just ask... and always thank... our troops returning from the Middle East.

The gals and I started using pea gravel years ago in our sandbags, but it usually came in fifty-pound bags, plus it needed rinsed and dried to get much of the dust and dirt off of the little rocks.  Then in a moment of fleeting brilliance... an idea popped into my aging mind...why not use aquarium gravel.

I had received a set of Cabela's Shooting Bags for a gift from my main gal a couple of years ago and decided to try our idea.  A quick trip to Walmart, the simple price of $3.48 for a five-pound bag of aquarium gravel, and we were on our way.  First, we cut a plastic water bottle in half for a funnel, then filled the bags with the aquarium gravel.  A little shaking to settle the gravel and everything looked great.

Next, I folded the opening's flap over and tucked it in place... gave it a few good shakes and drops on the floor... and no gravel, no dust, no problems.

The two bags held about a bag and a half of aquarium gravel, which gives them decent heft to stay put while shooting.  We don't have the leaking sand or sand-dust problem and they're not as impossibly heavy to move around as a friend's bags are who used lead shot as a filler.

If you prefer some of the good ol' classic shooter's sand bags and can still find a reloader or someone who has the old-style cloth shot bags laying around... they work just fine too.  If not, you can easily sew up some sand bags using the legs from some old blue jeans or work pants.

Just fill the sandbag up almost full of aquarium gravel... we chose white, but they also have tan and black gravel available for you tactically correct folks.

Just sew the end of the sandbag shut with some heavy-duty thread and you have an adjustable gun rest that will last for years without the problems of sand getting all over your firearms.

Go ahead and try it... and if you don't like it, you're out... like... five-bucks.

Five Bucks: Taking notes... Rite in the Rain

In this day and age of electronic wonders like Droids, iPads, Kindles, iPhones... sometimes low-tech is the best technology.  You'll almost always find a notepad with me, and often it's a Rite in the Rain pad.

When you're in and out of the inclement weather we seem to get this time of year, my little Rite in the Rain pad holds up.  If it gets wet or you spill something on it, drop it in the mud, smear greasy fingers across it, the cover and pages wipe clean and hold together.  The basic pads have horizontal lines with vertical dashes creating a grid which makes it easy to sketch out an idea or just jot down some notes.

Usually, I pick mine up at Tractor Supply Co. (TSC), but you can order them online and there are quite a few variations, including some "tactical" pads for those of you who need to maintain your image.  The "practical" pads in bright yellow do fine for me because if you drop them while hunting or working in the barn, they're easy to find. 

This is a great tool for those of use who seem to be thinking more and remembering less, and best of all... the batteries never go dead.  So pick up a couple of Rite in the Rain pads and take some notes...

Go ahead and try it... and if you don't like it, you're out... like... five-bucks.

Five Bucks: The Rod Burger

There is fast food, fancy food, and then there is good ol' American food.  Over the years, my gals and I have traveled many back roads and two-lane by-ways across this great country on the motorcycles, and even in the motorhome for a few years that it took up space in the barn.  We love to find those out-of-the-way, mom-n-pop shops, businesses, and burger joints.

Good food in a good place at a good price is just what I like.  I'm not the biggest fan of the "Mc-Chain" restaurants, whether they be fast or fancy food.  I've never found any food yet worth my standing around and waiting an hour for as my wife will attest.  Hour wait... I'm out the door.  Fortunately, there are a lot of good out-of-the-way places that to some may not look like a five-star restaurant on the outside, or even the inside, but they serve up good ol' American food.

Fortunately for us, we don't live too far from such a place.  The Capricorn Inn is a great little mom-n-pop restaurant and if you ask directions to it from local folks they probably have never heard of it.  Most around here refer to it as Rod's after the former owner and cook who also had a reputation for singing loudly to whatever was blaring on the radio while firing up some hot food at the grill.

Rod recently retired and sold the place to Ron and Angie Hubbard, some good folks who have returned to southern Ohio after some time in Colorado.  They've done a nice job putting a little polish and shine on the place to freshen it up, and they were smart enough to keep the name and most of the offerings on the short menu... including the Rod Burger.

The Rod Burger is pretty much a meal by itself.  It's a good ol' American burger loaded up with fresh fixin's that will make your mouth water.  They have several other selections on the menu, but the Rod Burger is what they're known for... and judging from the number of pick-up trucks and American iron usually sitting in the gravel parking lot... if you're bringing any yuppie, metro-sexual types to Rod's, I can assure you they'll be disappointed with the lack of vegan offerings.

So if you're ever in the area, don't hesitate to stop in and have a terrific burger at Rod's, just remember to bring cash... 'cause MasterCard might be priceless, but it's worthless at Rod's.

Go ahead and try it... and if you don't like it, you're out... like... five-bucks.

Five-Bucks: Plastic Fork Target Stands

If you're looking for an inexpensive target stand to test your marksmanship skills, use with your 4H Shooting Sports kids, or you want to test your skills as a sniper... you just can't beat the plastic fork target stand.  While you can use note cards for targets and even stick on a three-inch Shoot-n-See target, don't forget 4x6 pics of the jerk who dumped you or a local zombie photo work well too (remember, no people or human-form silhouettes for 4H Shooting Sports).  My gals like to play card games.

You can play your own version of Black-Jack or Five-Card-Stud, call for a card in Go Fish, or just shoot for the high score.  

Sometimes we just stick the forks in the ground, or in the crack of an old fence post.  If you want to be a little more formal about it, you can build a wood base... get an eight-foot piece of the female APC White Ceiling Grid Component from Lowe's or Home Depot.  Individual pieces are about five-bucks, tack it down to an old board, and stick a fork in it - you're done!  We cut our boards to about thirty-two inch lengths (that's three from an eight-footer).

If you want to test the sniper inside of you, just put your targets (small ones, 'cause if you're a sniper... you don't need a big target... right?) in the plastic fork target stands and place them out at varying distances or in different locations on your range or in your woods.  You can use the wood base or just stick them in the ground.  Maybe you can pick-off the five of diamonds without any collateral damage.  

If you end up shooting your target stands, who cares, you can get 150 in a box for $1.98.  Just don't forget to clean up the pieces when you're done... it's polite to clean up after yourself and it's OPSEC.  Oh, and my gal tells me if you want black "tactical" plastic fork target stands... they're available, but it'll cost you a couple of dollars more.

Go ahead and try it... and if you don't like it, you're out... like... five-bucks.

Remember to follow the gun safety rules, check beyond your target, and have fun!

Five-Bucks: Balloon Dueling Tree.

Keeping kids (and adults) entertained on the shooting range at 4H Shooting Sports can be a challenge, especially after a couple of seasons of creative shooting situations from Top Shot on the History Channel.  The running joke is, "What can we shoot that's fun and won't cost us more than about five bucks?" as it seems most of our funds and fund-raising goes towards ammunition to keep approximately 80 4H'ers shooting each year.

One item I came up with is a Balloon Dueling Tree.  All you need are some Step-In Electric Fence Posts at about a $1.79 each from a farm supply store like Tractor Supply Company and some balloons.

The step-in electric fence posts are usually fiberglass, polymer, or a combination of both (I don't recommend steel posts due to safety concerns) with a little foot-step to press the pointed end into the ground and several clips to hold the electric fence wires that also work great for holding balloons.

The fiberglass and polymer construction holds up pretty well except for direct hits from bullets and doesn't seem to cause any problems with deflecting bullets or ricochets.  Even if you do shoot your balloon dueling tree, it usually takes several hits to ruin all the clips that hold the balloons.

We have come up with all sorts of games, shooting sequences, and timed events with these balloon dueling trees and you can increase the difficulty of each game by reducing the balloon size or increasing the distance to target and even the wind can add to the fun by wobbling your balloons around.  Kids (and adults) who aren't shooting (or some of your liberal friends or anti-gunners) can use their hot air to keep a steady supply of targets ready to go.

For the zombie hunters and mall-ninjas that don't think this is very cool, you can always get black or camo balloons in the birthday party supply aisle at Walmart and call it a Tactical Target Support Structure.

Go ahead and try it... and if you don't like it, you're out... like... five-bucks.

Remember to follow the gun safety rules, check beyond your target, and have fun!