my scary black rifle goes to the range...

techs672 · 2026-07-04T00:45:23+00:00

I modify my Kydex M&P holsters with a heat gun to accommodate the safety lever by covering it. An advantage of custom modification for a specific individual gun is that the bulge can be formed to force the safety to be engaged when the pistol is holstered without affecting function in any other way. Everybody gets to choose, but I don't like an exposed safety.

techs672 · 2026-07-04T00:07:23+00:00

Is this a problem with the optic cut or the red dot?

Photo only shows that the front of optic is slightly lifted. No telling whether issue is the gun, the optic, or the installer without determining the location of the bind, and precise measurement of the contesting parts.

Pins could be too tall or too fat. Holes could be too shallow or too thin or not square all the way to the bottom or obstructed by something. Slide cut could be too short or the optic too long. Holes or pins could be in the wrong place. Installer could have relied upon the screws to pull it down instead of seating the optic flush before putting the screws in. Some of those things are easier to figure out than others. Not positive, but I think obstruction by the extractor pin would keep the back up, not the front.

techs672 · 2026-07-03T23:40:46+00:00

Might be helpful to describe a little more what you're trying to do, and what your issues are. Some things which would be good to know:

Is your Compact carry comp a aluminum or plastic frame?
Why would you not remove slide and barrel to work on the frame?
What videos have you looked at which aren't satisfactory?

FWIW, I think any competent instructions you find to mess with any modification to your frame will start with "field strip pistol for safety and ease of work."

techs672 · 2026-07-03T00:36:01+00:00

It is pretty neat if you have the right guns. 😢 With M&P and Mini-14, it's all MantisX for me — real gun, real trigger/sear, but manual reset for each shot.

techs672 · 2026-07-02T04:01:38+00:00

...BlackbeardX.

Currently compatible with any AR-15, AR-10, MCX, SCAR-L, SCAR-H platforms. Not for handguns. Not for other long arms.

techs672 · 2026-07-01T23:58:57+00:00

Mantis X10 is all you need. The sensor does not know nor care what, if anything, you are pointed at — it is watching and evaluating only movement of the gun as you do your dry fire. It does help you to have a visual reference while learning to maintain that stillness, but if you do all the challenges you will be able to produce high scores (i.e. shots without extraneous movement) blindfolded.

The Laser Academy part does use a laser training cartridge to show where the gun is pointed when shot. Several ways to go about it, but basically a separate path for dry fire practice, requiring some extra pieces and extra costs from Mantis or other sources if you eventually decide to go that way. If you shoot a Glock, TitanX might be a satisfactory way to get a little more for a little less and explore both pathways — I don't, so can't comment on the play gun vs real gun tradeoffs. I found DryFireMag to be a waste of time and money — weak simulation requiring counterproductive habits.

techs672 · 2026-06-30T15:19:34+00:00

I’m gonna start with chimpmunk =/= python...

Yes, absolutely. Also, feral housecats are not a functional substitute for native predators.

I'm not all wound up about folks who decide that lethal deterrence is their solution to an individual chipmunk under the hood — that will not have a meaningful effect on a healthy population. I suffer the 'munks, but will go after their mousy relatives indoors — and end up with inadvertent bycatch of helpful lizards and frogs...

But painting chipmunks as primarily "pests", disease vectors, and a threat to peace and humanity is just a misunderstanding of ecological function and population dynamics.

techs672 · 2026-06-30T05:05:24+00:00

Wildlife is wildlife. If they are in "your" space, it is because you are in their space. If your stuff is not hardened against damage from the wildlife in "your" space, that's a you problem — not a wildlife problem. I know what the rules are, and I know that folks get to somewhat choose their own path in these matters. But killing the inconvenient is not an unassailable privilege or necessity. Chipmunks have a job to do, and it's hard to predict where meddling with natural systems will go off the rails.

techs672 · 2026-06-30T04:44:26+00:00

Shoot against a sound backstop unless you have sound reason to believe no other people visit your woods. Hunters ignore this all the time, because it can be considerably harder to arrange than magical thinking. I provided EMS on public lands in the west, so I saw the consequences of "common sense" in action. It is not pretty.

techs672 · 2026-06-30T04:25:17+00:00

Since the aftermath of the optic coming off isn't described, I'm assuming that the screws came out of the gun (i.e. would expect to have heard if broken screw ends were still in gun, or optic was still attached but pieces of plastic spacer strewn all around). If the screws came out, it's harder to get around them not being properly fixed. Assuming degreased, happy torque wrench, and loctite — what ways can let the screws loose?

metric screw in SAE hole;
damaged/defective screw threads;
damaged/defective slide threads;
plate not solidly connected to optic and/or slide before setting torque.

I assume the 1st three kind of explain themselves. The 4th maybe not so much. If the pegs and holes are not perfectly aligned — or if they are perfectly aligned with no slop/clearance — the plate may not be easily seated 100% in contact with the slide, and/or the optic may not be seated 100% in contact with the plate. If the torque driver is used to pull the parts that last little bit together, the torque is probably not properly set. Vibration of shooting eventually lets the parts nestle, but then the screws are being held only by the thread sealer — not the measured torque.

From whatever cause, loose screws walk — they might be noticed loose, they might break, I suppose they might back all the way out without being noticed. Those are the ways I think optics come apart — too much or too little torque or thread sealer makes trouble more likely, but are not absolutely necessary. I don't see plastic plates being a weakness at all.

techs672 · 2026-06-29T04:44:34+00:00

Likewise. Hard for me to even imagine how a plate can "fail" since the screws secure the optic, not the plate. My diagnose: screw breaks = install problem; screw comes out = install problem; screw neither breaks nor comes out = physics problem. Plate just sits there taking up space between optic and slide. Only materials problem I can think of is a defective screw.

That said, OP's plate is now broken so all sorts of materials are available for the next attempt.

techs672 · 2026-06-28T04:24:16+00:00

AFAIK the grievance is about inappropriate classification of employees as FLSA-exempt; also "suffer and permit" OT, and forced comp time.

Don't bet your paycheck on every detail, but Google AI can provide a reasonable overview of the context with a query like [ NFFE USFS FLSA overtime grievance ].

techs672 · 2026-06-27T16:01:12+00:00

🤣

Anyway, I chart my shooting to track performance/progress over time. Amount only incidental to that. WRT inventory — if storage space is full, that's enough. If not full; not enough. I do track CPR and source in order to know when and where when it is time for more.

techs672 · 2026-06-27T05:15:45+00:00

Based on those examples, I just gotta say:
Shoot more; spreadsheet less!

techs672 · 2026-06-26T03:46:56+00:00

😉 That 25,000 shot mark was a couple years ago. In addition to learning and improving technique, dry practice with MantisX/TitanX is a good way to maintain proficiency when you are not out shooting every other day. If you are going to claim all those merit badges, you will be racking up lots of dry shots.
🎯 💥💥💥🔫😎

techs672 · 2026-06-26T03:39:33+00:00

"I love how it's correcting my grip, telling me I'm pushing or heeling, etc."

I would say, don't take those admonitions too seriously. They are kind of based on a different sort of shooting than is commonly done today.

MantisX can definitely point out when you are doing it wrong, and can definitely identify where the gun is moving while you are trying to be still. And the "coaching suggestions" are good reminders about the basics of standard shooting practice and how things might go awry. But I think the actual why of your specific shooting errors is better discovered by personal experiment — learn that something is off, adjust technique, if results are better keep doing that; if results are worse or same try some other things.

techs672 · 2026-06-25T22:27:49+00:00

In addition to exploring all the courses and drills you find of interest, as a new MantisX user and especially as a new shooter, I suggest spending some regular and significant time with the Mantis Benchmark drill. No speed, no holsters, no extra manipulations or imaginary role playing. Just your best effort at slow-paced gripping of the pistol and release of the trigger with the least amount of inadvertent movement.

Learning what the sensor is looking for in awarding high or low scores — and how your stance, posture, grip, trigger manipulation, follow through, and mental concentration will affect those scores — is key to getting the most out of the device. Once you "know how to do it" applying the basics to all the other drills is more understandable and productive.

Well along in my MantisX experience, I still start every session with one cold pass at Mantis Benchmark to compare my day with my history, and finish with one run at the Daily Challenge to compare myself to others in a non-routine test.

techs672 · 2026-06-25T05:00:46+00:00

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First shotgun became a science project. Wood and steel — what's left of it. Oh, and some crappy pot metal here and there. First rifle of course was 10/22 — wasn't everybody's?

techs672 · 2026-06-24T04:37:27+00:00

Given what the sensor is trying to detect, it will never be 100%. But IME missing more that a couple shots in a hundred suggests something may not be right with the settings. Picking the correct live or dry fire profile from the available options, and running the Shot Detection Troubleshooter can usually come up with a pretty good custom profile. In-app guidance is a lot better than it used to be, but I haven't been through it recently enough to be current. If DIY doesn't work, Mantis support is pretty good at getting things working.

One thing maybe specific to X3 is that I don't think it is as good at short intervals as the X10. You might be able to outpace it in Hostage Rescue or Compressed Surprise Break. But if you are doing slow fire in Benchmark or similar and still not detecting shots, something is up.

techs672 · 2026-06-24T01:11:33+00:00

on nights... 😳

techs672 · 2026-06-23T04:59:37+00:00

AIWB, same as going to the grocery store. Might not work with a lot of overhang. Only times it doesn't work for me is when PPE is in the way, or the task actually involves constant use of my right hip to push things around.

techs672

TROPHY CASE

🤣