Idaho Rifleman

Since I started my YouTubing adventures, I've been trying to bring the best content I can to the channel with my own money. I do not have sponsorships or paid promotions or any other form of monetization. Recently, I discovered something new called affiliate marketing. Essentially I can work with brands to promote their products and bring traffic to their sites by affiliate links. In so doing, I receive a small percentage of commission. I have started linking with brands that I know and trust. Many are brands that I use every day.  I'm not asking or pushing you to buy products just to support the channel. But I am asking you to review the brands I've partnered with and if you are planning to buy from one of these brands, I just ask that you consider going to their site by clicking on my link so that I can receive the commission. It won't cost you anything extra, and you'll be supporting the channel with a purchase that you were going to make anyway.  Her...

I started this blog when I started my YouTube channel. I wanted to have another platform to discuss my videos and reviews, but it just never took off. I tried to add written perpective to the content I had or was filming. I have always been better at writing than at talking but I never got any traffic. I guess most people don't want to read about something they just watched. Understandable. So after a while, I just let it go dormant. I stopped writing posts and just focused on the videos. Fast forward, I have a YouTube channel, a blog, an Instagram, a Facebook, and, a Rumble channel.  And there's more to come.  I am working towards another project to further expand the Idaho Rifleman name and maybe the mission too. At least a little.  I don't want to spoil it for you guys or promise something that ends up falling through... but keep watching. There will be more to come on this, and if it comes together the way I envision it, then I'm incredibly excited about this.  G...

I'm doing something different this week with additional content. Mrs Rifleman bought me a TacPack subscription for Christmas so I decided to review the December and January boxes for the channel. TacPack is a monthly subscription box containing $90 - $120 worth of tactical gear. The standard box is $49.99 a month with an extra $5 for shipping. The boxes are well put together and each box includes at least one item for an AR-15.  The December Box:  This was a great box. It included Aeroknox Field Pins, an Aeroknox 86 degree mini foregrip, Mechanix gloves, and the Battle Arms Development enhanced trigger guard. Also included was a sticker from Battle Arms Development and the Tactical Nutcracker sticker from TacPack. There was also a $15 subscription for the Grayman Tactical News Briefing. This box value was well over the $120 value.  The January Box: I was impressed with this box too. There was a Readyman Polymer Letter Opener, a Universal Aluminum Bore Guide fo...

Hey everybody! In this video I did a ballistic comparison of the 9mm, the 9x18 Makarov, and the .380 Auto. Now for those who don't know, 9mm is typically 9x19mm. That's pretty standard, but you can see 9x20mm and even 9x21mm in some cases.  Now 9x18 Makarov is obviously just that 9x18mm. It's a Russian pistol and submachine gun cartridge developed in the 20th century for Eastern Bloc use.  But what I bet you may not have known, is that .380 Auto is actually 9x17mm. That's right, 9mm lite. So for this video, I compared the three different 9mm variants to see just how much difference there is.  The Guns:  I performed these tests with 3 different guns. Unfortunately they all had different barrel lengths. I'm still very early into building my channel and reputation so I'm not able to get ahold of many options for demo'ing firearms yet.  380 Springfield 911 Barrel: 2.7" Overview:  This is a Micro-1911 style handgun. It is a very comfortable gun t...

Ugh. I'm sorry I haven't got you guys a video over the past two weekends. I had a funeral on the 15th. The week leading up to the funeral was hectic with planning and prep. I just really wasn't in the frame of mind or physically able to get a video out.  Then COVID knocked me flat on my butt. I tested positive on the 19th and man it felt like I got hit by a truck over night. I was fine and symptom free when I went to sleep on the 18th, then bam. I slept like crap the first night, then woke up early with horrible body aches mainly in my neck, back, and shoulder (which are all areas of injury for me). It was terrible.  The following is how COVID decided to knock me down: Sore Throat - 5 days Horrible Body Aches - 5 days Restless Nights - 5 days Fever - 24 hours starting 12 hours after body aches Stomach bug - 24 hours starting after body aches Pounding Heartbeat and Anxiety - 24 hours intermittent starting after body aches Coughing and congestion - 10 days and cou...

I got my hands on a pretty cool little shotgun for this video. This is the Chino Arms double barrel .410 shotgun.  Did you know .410 is actually a caliber not a gauge? It's the only shotgun sized by caliber and not by gauge. Did you also know that .410 and 45 Colt are the same size? There are actually a couple revolvers out there chambered to fit both.  This shotgun is heavy for it's size, but it's actually pretty comfortable to shoot. The recoil is minimal, but as you move up in shot size, you definitely lose volume of projectiles. In 000 buckshot you only get 3 pellets. You might as well just use a slug.  But it's definitely got power. There's stories in my family going back generations of family members getting their first deer with a single shot .410 using a slug.  I used a water jug to test the shotgun... and 5 yards is definitely too close because I got wet. But this shotgun is a great little performer with a classic western look. Two barrels, two ...

Hey check this out! This is a .32 caliber rimfire from 1875. I bought this gun from a friend of mine for $65. This is the Hood Arms "Robin Hood". It's a 5 round rimfire cartridge revolver. Now, these guns had no real historic significance. They didn't tame the West or win any wars. They were self-defense pocket pistols for the common citizen. They weren't as finely crafted as a Smith and Wesson, or a Colt. In fact, these styles of revolvers came to be known as "suicide specials" because you didn't know if they were going to shoot or blow up. They were made cheaply with subpar materials and sold cheaply for the common man's self defense.  I was really excited to shoot this gun, but I didn't know A. if I could find ammo for it, or B. if it would blow up when I did shoot it. Well I found ammo... $5/round sold in lots of 5. Mrs. Rifleman said I could buy one lot of 5 so I definitely didn't buy 2 lots... I set the gun up in a vice ...

This was my attempt at creating a "#shorts" video. Didn't quite make it, it was about 30 seconds too long. But it was still fun! With this video, I used that same Remington Ultimate Defense ammo that didn't expand in the last video. It did pretty well against the ice block. The round deviated and went into the snow, but luckily it was pretty easy to spot the hole in the fresh snow. I was able to recover the round and it actually expanded pretty nicely this time.  Like I've said before, I'm really enjoying using the ice blocks for non-scientific testing. These will definitely be a permanent fixture on my channel.  Thanks for stopping by! Check out this video and all my other uploads on the Idaho Rifleman YouTube channel.  God bless, Idaho Rifleman

In this video, I put the. 380 to the test again. This time I used a Ruger LCP .380 with some additional ammo types.  This test was performed at 5 yards into 2 10% FBI ballistic gel blocks from Clear Ballistics. The Ammo Fiocchi 95gr FMJ - Muzzle Velocity: 960 FPS Fiocchi Blue Guardian 75gr HP - Muzzle Velocity: 1,040 FPS Federal Critical Defense 90gr FTX - Muzzle Velocity 1,000 FPS Federal 90gr Hydra-Shok - Muzzle Velocity: 1,000 FPS Remington Ultimate Defense 102gr BJHP - Muzzle Velocity: 815 FPS All of the ammo performed well with good expansion and wound channels. The Remington Ultimate Defense round did not open up and expand like a hollow point is supposed to. The tip was clogged with gel which may have contributed by taking up the space meant to create expansion. It's hard to say, so we will just have to test it again at some point.  The Ruger LCP is a pretty decent handgun. It's a good shooter, but this one has no external safety, no last round loc...

I'm covering 2 videos at once here because the second video is a clarification of the first.  I talked about the rules of gun safety:  1. Point your firearm in a safe direction 2. Treat every firearm as if it's loaded 3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot 4. Know your target and what's behind it 5. Always wear hearing and eye protection Is blank ammunition dangerous? I put it to the test and the answer is simply that it depends how close you are... for the average user... don't point your firearm at anything you aren't willing to (potentially) kill even if you've triple checked they're blanks... I talked about the possibility of a revolver firing without touching the trigger if it's equipped with a "slip hammer". These are lightened hammers that do not have the traditional 4 click cocking mechanism. They only lock back at full cock. You would typically see these hammers in single action competitions suc...

Hey everybody! One more video here with the Ruger 41 Magnum while I have it. Here is a test with what is quickly becoming my favorite, cheap, non-scientific ballistic target. Supermarket ice blocks.  The Gun: Ruger New Model Blackhawk 41 Magnum with a 6.5" barrel The Ammo: Federal 41 Mag 210gr JHP Muzzle Velocity: 1230 FPS Muzzle Energy: 705 FT-LBS I was really hoping to catch this round in one ice block, but the block was thoroughly and completely obliterated. I'm really enjoying the ice block ballistics and I think I'm going to make it a regular addition to the channel.  Check out the video and see what I'm talking about at the Idaho Rifleman YouTube channel. You can also check out my other videos while you're there. Thanks for stopping by! God bless,  Idaho Rifleman

Here's a fun comparison! 41 mag vs 44 mag. I was able to get ahold of these 2 guns from some people I know for this test. We shot this test at 5 yards into 2 10% FBI Ballistic Gel Blocks from Clear Ballistics. The Guns: Ruger New Model Blackhawk 41 Magnum with a 6.5" barrel Uberti 44 Magnum with a 5.75" barrel The Ammo: Federal 41 Mag 210gr JHP Muzzle Velocity: 1230 FPS Muzzle Energy: 705 FT-LBS Grizzly 44 Mag 240gr JHP Muzzle Velocity: 1475 FPS Muzzle Energy: 1159 FT-LBS I was very happy with this test and had alot of fun shooting it. I was actually surprised at the results. The 41 Magnum was a straight, deep shooter with 24 inches of penetration into the gel while the 44 Magnum only made it 16 inches. Overall both guns were fun to shoot and neither of them were overly snappy. The 41 was the more comfortable of the two guns with just a hair less recoil.  Head over to the Idaho Rifleman YouTube channel to check this video out. While you're there check out ...

Here we go with another review of the Patriot Armor Level 3A steel panel. This time we are going to dive in and test the AR-15 with both FMJ and Green Tip LAP. The Gun: You've seen this rifle in a previous video. I'm using the Smith and Wesson MP-15 sport with a 16" barrel, 1/9 twist. The rifle has been upfitted with aftermarket furniture such as: - Magpul rubberized grip - Magpul MOE foregrip - Magpul MOE stock - Magpul angled foregrip - Low profile gas block instead of the A2 style triangle front sight/gas block - Axeon bi-color reticle with 4 dot styles.  The Ammo: 5.56 PMC X-TAC 55gr FMJ Muzzle Velocity: 3,120 FPS Muzzle Energy: 1316 FT-LBS PMC X-TAC 62gr Green Tip LAP Muzzle Velocity: 3100 FPS Muzzle Energy: 1323 FT-LBS The armor took more damage this time, but pretty equal results from the FMJ and the LAP. Both left pretty sizable divots in the metal, but did not penetrate. I can't say that multiple rounds in the same spot wouldn't make it through...

Hey everybody! This video was pretty cool to make. This is the same AR lower that you saw in the last video, but I was able to get ahold of a different upper for this test. The Upper: This AR upper was built by Bear Creek Arsenal and is chambered in 7.62x39. The AK caliber. Now I know there's some AK and AR guys out there who believes this is the cardinal sin and nary the two shall meet, but hear me out. It actually performs really well. All you have to do is pull the takedown pins and boom, you have your rifle in a new caliber.  The upper was very easy to install, like I said, it's just the 2 takedown pins and a special mag. Yes, the mag is different and you cannot use a 5.56 mag. It does not work, I tried. I looked them up, they're really not horrible for price as compared to a PMAG, only a couple bucks more, and they have that distinctive AK curve so you can tell them apart pretty easily.  I'm a pretty big fan of being able to change calibers so easy on t...

In the spirit of fall, I shot pumpkins! This video was alot of fun to make, I used basic FMJ 5.56 ammo on one pumpkin, and fragmenting polymer ballistic tip .223 ammo on the second pumpkin. The results were pretty impressive. That polymer round did not mess around. You can see just in the size of the impact holes how vastly different the rounds perform.  And of course no AR-15 video is complete without a 30 round mag dump.  Also:  The "AR" does not stand for "Assault Rifle". There. I said it. "AR" is the abbreviation for ArmaLite Rifle who began manufacturing the AR-15 back in the 1950's. Guess where they were founded? Hollywood, CALIFORNIA. Now headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The Gun: The rifle I'm using is a Smith and Wesson MP-15 sport with a 16" barrel, 1/9 twist. The rifle has been upfitted with aftermarket furniture such as: - Magpul rubberized grip - Magpul MOE foregrip - Magpul MOE stock - Magpul angled foregrip - Low ...

This video was back by popular request! Part 1 was just fun and not very scientific, so I put out a request for what you all wanted to see me shoot the fresh gel with. You all answered and so I remade this video! For the test I used the same 1911 45 ACP from Rock Island Armory, but the 45 Colt was a different revolver with a slightly longer barrel. I fired the same ammo as the first test from the same distance of 5 yards. But I fired into fresh 10% FBI Blocks of ballistics gel from Clear Ballistics. The results were pretty good. I was surprised that the +P 45 ACP rounds stopped in the first block, but they had pretty good energy transfer in the entry. I was hoping to catch the FMJ type rounds, but they zipped right through the gel. The Leverevolution 45 Colt round stopped in the second block, but really didn't expand at all.  I had fun with this test, both sets of rounds performed well and both handguns were very comfortable and easy shooters. Head over to YouTube and c...

Hey everybody, for this post, I'll be talking about my experiment with a #shorts video that I tried out... it didn't end up being short enough to meet the 1 minute mark of a #shorts video, but that's ok. I'll try again later.  For this, I used the same rifle as the previous post I did: Hunting Ballistics: 300AAC Blackout. The difference here is I used Hornady Custom 300WSPR Blackout 208gr AMAX putting out 1,020 FPS velocity at the muzzle. Knowing now what I didn't then, I would not have done this test in the Hunting Ballistics series.  This round hit true, but both shots I took tumbled out of the gel which I thought was odd. Come to find out this is a competition round that is essentially an FMJ with a flex tip not meant to expand. This round failed the test, and I would not recommend hunting with it. The failure is not with the round itself or it's takedown ability, but rather with the deviation and tumbling. I would be very concerned about meat los...

Ok, so it's been a minute. I'm trying to catch up the blog here. This video was made with a Smith and Wesson MP15 Sport Lower with a 300 Blackout Upper. We used a 135gr 300 Blackout round into 10% clear ballistic gel at 50 yards to determine if this caliber makes for a decent hunting round.  The Gun: The rifle was very comfortable overall. The recoil is pretty minimal and easy to handle. The upgrades that had been made to the different components of the rifle made it very comfortable to use during this demo.  The scope was a Nikon Buck Master and held true during the test. It has a very clear glass and very vivid picture. It's a very nice scope and I was very impressed by it.  One thing I noticed shooting this rifle was that the round is slow. You're shooting a .308 caliber projectile out of a casing that has been cut down from something that was originally meant for an average of a 60gr .223 caliber projectile. So it is moving slow. The Ammo: Hornady Ammo, ...

We're back! In this video, I'm going to show some different options for fire safe gender reveals. Over the past few years, we've seen instances where a time of joy announcing the arrival of a little one, has turned into a major natural disaster. Wildfire. Wildfires lead to millions of dollars of devastation every year. While there are few fires started by firearms, they do still occur.  While this video may not be as exciting as Tannerite Gender Reveals, it's almost certainly safer. So let's take a look at our options today.  All of the shots in the video were taken with the H&R Pardner 12 gauge using Federal 4 Buck.  Spray Paint Choose the color you'd like for your reveal, line them up in a pyramid shape and blast away. You're going to want to be at least 15 - 25 yards away for this one...  Mix and match shades to make an even more spectacular show. Spray paint runs almost $5 a can where I live, so this one can runs about $20 - $25. Corn Sta...

What's up everybody. This video, there is no shooting. With how dry it's been here in Northern Idaho this season, I've decided to hold off on any more shooting videos until it greens up a little. I would hate to be the guy that starts a fire out of irresponsibility. I'm embarrassed that someone had to point it out for me to make that connection.  Check out Idaho Rifleman on YouTube to see the whole video. Let me know if there's any content you'd like to see in the mean time! See you soon! God bless,  Idaho Rifleman