This is part 1 of my CMMG .300 Blackout review. Let me get this out in the open right now – I’m a HUGE “alternative bore” AR fan. What’s alternative bore, you ask? Well, it’s simple. Any AR rifle chambered in something other than .223 Remington/5.56 NATO is considered an alternative bore AR.You see, AR chamberings generally fall into five categories:

• Pistol Calibers (9 MM, .40 Smith & Wesson, .45 ACP)
• Small Bore (.22 LR, .223 Remington/5.56 NATO, .17 HMR, .204 Ruger)
• Medium Bore (6.5 Grendel, 6.5 Creedmoor, .264 LBC, .260 Remington, .243 Winchester, 6.8 SPC, 7mm-08)
• Full Bore (.300 AAC Blackout, .308 Winchester, .30 Remington AR, .300 Whisper, 7.62×39, 7.62×40 WT, .338 Federal)
• Big Bore (.450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, .499 LW, .50 Beowulf)

Yes, I know I don’t have ALL of the different cartridges listed, but this is good enough.

So, like I said, I’m a big bore AR fan. My first alternative bore AR was a .450 Bushmaster, which I still have. My second alternative AR, and my newest rifle, is chambered in .300 AAC Blackout, or .300BLK for short.

When it came time to buy a new AR, I really struggled with what to buy. I’ve had my eye on a 6.8 SPC, .308 Win…hell, even a .50 Beowulf. However, the more I read, the more I heard people rave about this new .300BLK round. It was time to do some digging!

Without going too deep into the history, allow me to explain the background. The .300BLK was developed by Advanced Armament Corp. in cooperation with Remington (both companies are owned by Freedom Group). The goal was basically a .30 caliber projectile on an AR-15 platform that can still fit 30 rounds in a standard AR-15 magazine. Well, that did it. All you have to do to convert your existing AR-15 into a .300BLK is buy a new barrel. That’s it! It uses the same upper, magazines, bolt, etc. Now that I’ve explained that, let’s get back to the review.

I investigated a number of different .300BLK ARs and ultimately settled one on from CMMG. I ended up buying it from Nova Armament in Herndon, Virginia (which, I might add, was a pleasant experience). Since CMMG builds the rifle to order, it took about a month before it came in. When it did finally come in, not only did I pick up the rifle, but I also picked up some Magpul accessories in flat dark earth (rail covers, grip, stock, trigger guard and 30 round PMAGs) to go with it. Wow, what a beauty she turned out to be.

Before I go any further, the specs on the rifle:

• Mil-spec 4140 chrome-moly steel barrel
• .300 AAC Blackout chamber
• 1:8 twist
• A2 flash hider
• WASP treated barrel, including the chamber, bore, and under the front site base
• Mid-length four rail free-float tube
• All this for $950!

When I pulled the rifle out of the box, the first thing I noticed was the build quality. There’s absolutely no slop or play between the upper and lower receiver. The rifle came with a standard 6-position adjustable stock that allows the shooter to adjust the length of pull (LOP) to fit his or her body. It also came with a standard AR-15 grip, a free-floating quad-rail handguard for mounting various accessories and an A2 “birdcage-style” flash hider.

Like I said earlier, when I picked up the rifle I also picked up some Magpul goodies. I’m a huge fan of Magpul. They offer quality accessories at a price that can’t be beat. I added an MOE stock, MOE grip, MOE trigger guard, and XT rail panels, all in flat dark earth.

When it came time to choose an optic, that required a bit more thought. I spent a few days trying to decide between a red dot or an “AR-specific” scope like Leupold’s Mark AR series or Nikon’s M-223. I don’t plan on hunting with it (initially, anyway), so I decided to go the red dot route. If I decide I want to hunt with it in the future, I can always add a scope on a quick disconnect base so I can switch back and forth.

After deciding on a red dot, I then had to figure out which one. I’ve always wanted a Trijicon ACOG, but I didn’t feel like parting with $1,000 at this time. I almost bit on a used EOTech 512, but ultimately decided on the AR-332 from Burris. So far, I’m happy I did it.

After perusing the ‘Net for a couple of hours looking for a good deal, I ultimately ended up purchasing it from Optics Plant for $310. Not a bad deal at all, if you ask me.

I’ll be doing a full review of the AR-332 in a future article, so I’m not going to dive too deep into it right now. Let me just say, though, this feels like a quality, quality piece of equipment.

So, that’s it for right now. I’m taking the gun to the range today, so look for part two of the review in the next few days.

Well, now Mossberg has gone off the reservation and introduced a line of AR-15s. That’s right, Mossberg has gone tactical. At first glance it’s easy to dismiss this as a novelty. However, I think Mossberg may actual have something here. But, first things first – the specs! Mossberg’s AR rifle is called the MMR and comes in two variants – MMR Tactical and MMR Hunter.

MMR Tactical

Now, this is where things REALLY start to get interesting. In addition to offering the MMR Hunter in Mossy Oak Treestand, they also offer the MMR Hunter in both black AND Mossy Oak Brush! The only major differences between the Hunter and the Tactical is the Hunter sports a standard, fixed-length A2 stock, a round free-float (that’s right, I said free-float!) handguard, a 20′ barrel, and no flash hider/muzzlebrake. All this for an MSRP os $1,010? Mossberg, are you kidding me? The only way they could make this better is by offering the MMR Hunter in either a 6.8 SPC, .30 Remington AR, or .308 Winchester. In my humble opinion, I don’t totally agree with hunting whitetail with a .223 Remington (but that’s a whole ‘nother blog entry).

• MSRP $921 – $1,010
• 20″ barrel
• Checkered aluminum tube forearm
• Stark SE-1 Pistol Grip with battery compartment
• 5 round magazine
• 5.56MM NATO/.223 Remington

I don’t know about you, but I’m purty damn excited. You can expect the “street prices” to be $100-$150 less than MSRP, so you’re essentially getting a quality, feature-ladened AR-15 for UNDER $800. A tactical Mossberg never sounded like such a great idea.

Before you say anything, let me start off by saying that, yes, I know it’s a very generic-looking logo. That’s about the best you’ll get from someone with 10 minutes of Adobe Illustrator experience.

Now that we got that out of the way…hello! You’re probably asking yourself what the hell Nova Firearms Talk is, and, well, I’m going to explain it to you. But first, a little background.

As most of you probably know, back in December, I moved from the lovely communist country known as New York State to the free-zone known as Virginia. While in New York I had stumbled upon this fantastic firearms website/community known as nyfirearms.com. The people were very friendly, and were very open to n00bs, even people new to firearms altogether. I met a lot of great folks, learned a lot about firearms-related topics, and, as weird as it sounds, it felt kinda like a “home away from home,” if you will.

Anyway, when I moved to Virginia I immediately started scouring the Web for Virginia-related firearms sites. I came across a few good ones, but they never gave me that same  feeling that nyfirearms.com had, so…I decided to make my own!

And that’s where Nova Firearms Talk was born! For those of you that don’t know, the word “Nova” is actually short for Northern Virginia. I wanted to make a site that was geared more towards the Northern Virginia firearms community; however, I really don’t care who joins! I just want it to be a fun place for people to hang out, voice their opinion, and meet other people that share common interests.

To start off, I created an account with ProBoards to host the forum (hence the word “proboards” in the URL); however, if the site does well, I’ll move to a dedicated hosting platform. I will also be looking to combine both the forum AND my WordPress blog into one site.

So…if you have any interests in firearms, please make sure to create an account and join Nova Firearms Talk. Support me, dammit!

VirtualBox 4.0.10 is now available for download. According to the changelog, it’s a bunch of bug fixes. Enjoy!

That’s what I’m screamin’!  The Tribe has the best record in baseball and shows no signs of slowing down. I pray to the baseball Gods they can keep this up. C’mon, boys, bring one home this year!

Last Christmas I surprised my wife with a 2010 Subaru Outback Sport. Just for the record, I turned in MY ’07 Impala SS (303-HP V8 and all) to get this care for her. I’ve always wanted to do something like this for her, so I made up my mind to do it! Although my wife loves the car, I’m sure she longs to get back into an SUV. Her previous mode of transportation was an ’08 Jeep Liberty, and prior to that she had an ’05 Liberty.

Now that I’ve started a new job that’s more substantial (from a financial perspective), I’ve already started to scope out her next vehicle. She keeps blabbering on that she wants to look a Ford Escape. Huh? An Escape? I mean, they’re okay and all, but they’re so bland. It’s like driving…a toaster. A decent value, but not very stylish and it just kinda sits there. Eh, no thanks. Sooooo…because I’m such a car freak, I’ve made a list of the vehicles I want her to look at, and I need YOUR help! Please look through the list and vote on what YOU think she should get. These are listed in alphabetical order.

1. Audi Q5 Quattro

I’ve always had a soft spot for Audis. Their build quality (interior and exterior) is second to none, and they offer a dynamic driving experience. The Audi Q5 is a new vehicle in the “premium small SUV class,” and I think they have a home run on their hands. I love it.

2. Audi Q7 Quattro

3. Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4×4

4. Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 4×4

Errr…it’s a Wrangler. Need I say more?

5. Jeep Liberty Renegade 4×4

6. Land Rover LR2

7. Land Rover LR4

Back in December, right before Christmas, I bought my first Wrangler (JK), a used 2008 2-door. I had owned two Jeeps prior (an ’04 Grand Cherokee and an ’08 Liberty), but never a Wrangler, although I’ve always lusted after one. Wranglers have always been the holy grail of off-road vehicles, and rank up there with the Mustang and Corvette as true American automotive icons.

Soon after I purchased my Jeep I moved to Northern Virginia and couldn’t believe the number of Wranglers I saw on the road. I mean, they’re everywhere! I immediately caught the “lift bug” and started salivating at the idea of a lifted Wrangler with 33″ tires. So…after a few months I headed over to Off Road Innovations (ORI) in Winchester, VA.

Simply put, ORI was amazing. I didn’t really have a ton of knowledge on lifting Jeeps, but Chris at ORI was very patient, helpful, and understanding. He did a tremendous job in listening to what I wanted, then recommending the appropriate solution. I ended up going with a 2.5″ budget boost from Rough Country, and will be adding 33″ Nitto Terra Grappler tires at the end of the month.  Not only did they get me in pretty quickly, the work was done fast and correct.

Usually, people only give reviews when they’ve had a bad experience, so I felt compelled to point out when a company “does it right.” Because of this experience, ORI now has a customer for life.

Let me get this out of the way right now; I LOVE the NFL draft. Love it, love it, love it. As a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan, the draft is the start of renewed hope for the upcoming season.

When I sat down to do this, I had originally planned on plotting the entire first round. Right now, thought, I just don’t have the time. So…I’m sticking with the first 10 picks. I will, however, add my list of the top ten players in this draft regardless of position. Enjoy!

1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

I’m not saying I agree with this, but I fully expect Carolina to take Newton. When Jimmy Clausen is your best option at QB, you know you have problems. Having said that, I don’t like Newton. Call it the the “JaMarcus Russell Effect,” if you’d like. I hope I’m wrong! Newton seems like a decent kid, but I just don’t have a good feeling about him working out.

2. Denver Broncos: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama

Denver’s D-line is awful, so this pick is a match made in heaven. Dareus is an absolute stud; a man among boys. I PRAY he falls to the Bills at #3, but I doubt it. Denver’s getting a future Pro Bowler with this guy.

3. Buffalo Bills: Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M

Another stud! I freakin’ love this guy! How can you not love someone who runs a 4.4 40 AND is fluid enough to drop into pass coverage?! Although Miller makes a ton of sense, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bills pull off a shocker and draft Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri. Buffalo has been known to go their own way (i.e. Willis McGahee and CJ Spiller).

4. Cincinnati Bengals: AJ Green, WR, Georgia

It kills me to make this pick (i’m hoping he falls to Cleveland); however, the Bungles have no one ad WR, and AJ Green is THE most dynamic WR in the draft. I have a man crush on Green.

5. Arizona Cardinals: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri

Derek Anderson, John Skelton, Max Hall. Those were Arizona’s quarterbacks in 2010. ‘Nuff said.

6. Cleveland Browns: Julio Jones, WR, Alabama

I agonized over this pick. The Browns need a receiver, but with AJ Green off the board, what do you do? Do you take the next best receiver in Julio Jones, or do you take the top player in the draft in Patrick Peterson? In the end I think it’s Jones, and I’d be perfectly happy with that.

7. San Francisco 49ers: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU

Although this may not be what the Niners were initially planning for, they’re blown over with excitement when the best player in the draft falls to them.

8. Tennessee Titans: Robert Quinn, DE, UNC

I’d also look for Jake Locker here. Although Quinn ran into eligibility “issues” last year, he’s one of the best pass rushers in the draft, and that’s something the Titans sorely need.

9. Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith, OT, USC

One of the top players in this year’s draft and a quality guy. Smith is big and athletic and would instantly upgrade the Cowboys offensive line.

10. Washington Redskins: Jake Locker, QB, Washington

This is a bit of a bonehead pick, but Daniel Synder is a bonehead owner. Don’t get me wrong, I love Jake Locker. In fact I hope he falls to the Seahawks (i’d love to see them pick him up)! However, #10 is way too early for Locker. Having said that, Snyder is a fantasy football owner and does what he wants, so…

Top 5 Players

1. Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
2. AJ Green, WR, Georgia
3. Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
4. Tyron Smith, OT, USC
5. Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M

The title says it all. Yes, my friends, I’m an app whore. I don’t really have a lot to write about this week, so I’m going to make a list of the apps I have.

I’m a big of iPhone’s “Folders” and use them to separate my apps (I used to have pages upon pages upon pages of apps before).  So, here’s my list broken out by folders.

Social

• Facebook
• foursquare
• LinkedIn
• AIM
• WordPress
• Bump
• Twitter
• Skype
• Google Voice (not that I use it all that much, but it’s there)

News

• StormTeam2 (to keep up on the weather in Buffalo)
• Oracle
• Oracle Magazine
• Engadget
• Cleveland
• Motor Trend
• Automobile
• The Weather Channel
• Edmunds Inside Line

Games

• DeerHunter
• Tetris
• Apple Game Center
• iSniper 3D
• Guns & Ammo
• EA Hunting
• Scrabble
• Atari Greatest Hits

Shopping

• eBay
• Newegg
• UPS
• Apple Store
• Craigslist
• dealnews

Entertainment

• IGN
• Netflix
• Flixster
• IMDb
• World Guns R.U.
• Auto Week
• Modern Weapons Small Arms
• JeepForum
• Tapatalk

Utilities

• Winchester Ballistics Tool (which they haven’t updated in, oh, about 8 months!!!!)
• AllRecipes
• Free Wi-Fi Finder
• iHandy Level
• VLC Media Player
• Apple Remote
• Tip Calculator
• Flashlight
• MotionX GPS
• Microsoft OneNote
• BulletFlight Ballistics Calculator

Bing

• Bing Music
• Bing

(Yes, I have a separate folder just for Bing. Please don’t ask why.)

Sports

• FOX Sports
• ESPN Radio
• Yahoo Fantasy Football 2010
• NFL.com Fantasy Football
• SI.com
• WGR  550 Radio
• Pro Football Weekly
• Pro Football Weekly Draft

Finance

• PayPal
• ShareBuilder
• Fidelity Investments
• CalcsFree Mortgage Calculator

IT Stuff

• Subnet Calc
• Nessus
• Find iPhone
• Epson iPrint
• Cisco Speed Test

Reference

• AroundMe
• Google
• MapQuest
• Realtor.com
• Wikipedia
• Zillow.com
• Starbuck
• Refin
• Gun Stores Finder

Business

• Oracle Beehive
• TripCase
• WebEx
• SyncML Lite
• Amex
• Oracle iRetriever
• Directory
• CardMunch

Music

• Pandora
• Slacker Radio

Holy hell, 89 apps! See, I told you I had a lot. However, I’ll bet there are people out that have more than I do. So please, email me and let me know how many apps YOU have.