With hunting seasons just around the corner, and numerous which have already started there is always time, or should be, to head to the rifle range for last minute adjustments or verifying sight-ins. There is also still time to try something new.
While this will likely get read later in the fall, what follows occurred the second week of August. I invited a small group of outdoor writers, plus a hunt manager to a gathering in Crockett, Texas at the Stealth Vision World Headquarters. The occasion was for all to try out the new Stealth Vision optics, primarily rifle scopes and to a lesser extent spotting scopes. The invitees included old friends and outdoor communicators extraordinaire Ron Spomer, Jeff Johnston, Dr. Mike Arnold and Dusty Vickrey who heads up the hunting program on the Choctaw Hunting Lodge. Dusty’s son Talyn and his girl friend, Kadence also spent time with us.
Stealth Vision was begun by Dr. John McCall, one of the world preeminent eye surgeons who specializes in glaucoma surgeries. “Doc” grew up hunting with his father, has hunted extensively throughout the world and loves shooting, including long range. With his knowledge of the human eye, he soon realized the failings of rifle scopes. For the first time ever he started with the human eye and moved forward to the rifle scope, rather than building a scope and trying to adapt it to the human eye. This was truly a first in the hunting optics industry. He too realized the importance early on of not canting a scope when shooting, particularly at longer ranges. Thus, he developed a patented internal and integral bubble and green light system within the scope, that helps prevent canting.
Dr. McCall early on developed a friendship with Joe Cunningham, a former St. Louis Cardinal and baseball coach, who like Doc had grown up shooting and hunting. After semi-retiring he worked with a custom rifle-maker. Although friends and hunting partners for several years, the two got together when Doc started forming Stealth Vision.
Joe wears many hats at Stealth Vision but also makes certain all scopes are properly calibrated, and the “Stealth Vision Perfected” rifles they sell are properly “seasoned” before they go out the door. He also handles customer relations, which generally includes personal instruction at the Stealth Vision rifle range when someone buys one of their Stealth Vision scoped custom rifles.
A secondary objective was to put one of the new Avient Heat Rapid Releasing Barrel Technology barrels through its paces. And that’s where we’ll start. Avient’s Jesse Baird sent Stealth Vision a custom rifle, which included a Avient Heat Releasing Barrel Technology barrel chambered in 7 mm PRC. Avient is the world’s largest producer of polymers and is staffed by those who dearly love hunting and shooting. Through their facility they developed a new barrel system, which takes a rifle barrel down to just beyond land and grooves. Then through a patented process they add a layer of specialized ceramic, over which is applied a layer of carbon. The result is a lightweight, stiff barrel that is extremely accurate. But, it is also one where it is impossible of heat the interior of the barrel with rapid-fire. The unique ceramic immediately draws heat away from the remaining steel barrel into the carbon which then quickly dissipates heat. This allows for several shots in rapid succession, without sacrificing accuracy. Such a barrel is extremely accurate when combined with quality ammunition such as Hornady’s 180-grain ELD-X Match, and topped with a Stealth Vision SVX 5-30x56 scope or for that matter Hornady’s Precison Hunter, ELD-X or Hornady Outfitter ammo (www.hornady.com).
The “Avient test rifle” sent to be tested by Stealth Vision started with a Krieger barrel to which Avient applied their “magic”!
After a proper cleaning, the rifle had been shot several times, Joe Cunningham fired a couple of “fouling shots”. H then sat down at the bench and after dialing up the Stealth Vision turret to 500-yards, proceeded to put three shots into the same hole at the 500-yard target. I’ve spent my lifetime shooting, have been with the finest and best rifle shots in the world. But never have I have seen 3-shots put into the same hole at 500-yards! Amazing. We would later repeat shooting at the 500-yards target, different shooters.
The second morning of our event, Joe shot at the 800-yards target. We waited until next day because of the ambient temperature hovered around 95 with a 93% humidity, which among other things created considerable mirage.
That second morning Joe shot a 3-shot group at the 800-yard target. The group measured 2 ¾-inches center to center. The following morning Joe shot a 3-shot group at 1000-yards. That group measured just shy of 3-inches center to center, just above the bullseye. The fourth morning, Joe shot another 3-shot group at this time 1,200 yards. The three shot were just above the bull and spread less than 6 inches. Pretty good accuracy I would say.
And all that said, I’m awaiting the arrival of a 7mm PRC which started out as a Mossberg Patriot Predator. I’ll let you know how it shoots as soon as I get it. I’ll scope that one with a Stealth Vision as well.
First morning after an orientation and explaining the Stealth Vision mission and what makes the optics special and different from all other, we adjourned to the range where Dusty, Talyn and Kadence began shooting. Joe and Doc started them off shooting at 500-yards and quickly moved to 1,200-yards. All shot their personal “fartherest” and best, hitting all targets including the 1,200-yard target within 6-inches of less of the bullseye. Nearer distance resulted in shots considerably closer to bullseyes. The same with 3-shot groups.
When Ron, Jeff and Mike arrived, Doc and Joe again explained how and why Stealth Vision came into existence, about their optics and what made them different, as well as, what to expect from the Stealth Vision “perfected rifles” they would be shooting.
Interestingly, all shot some of their best groups ever at distances from 500 to 1,200-yards. If you’d like to find out Ron Spomer’s thoughts about the Stealth Vision optics, perfected rifles and other Stealth Vision products you can do so by going to www.ronspomeroutdoors.com and his Ron Spomer YouTube channel.
Both Jeff Johnston and Dr. Mike Arnold (www.mikearnoldoutdoors.com) produced several short videos for various “sites” and will be producing a series of articles about their experiences with the Stealth Vision optics and “perfected” rifles. All three will be further field-testing both this coming hunting season.
To learn more about Stealth Vision, their optics including scopes, binoculars and spotting scopes as well as “perfected” rifle packages, please visit www.stealthvision.com. And feel free to call the phone number fond on their site.
From a personal perspective, I did not shoot during our Stealth Vision event, but served as the host. However, I have Stealth Vision scopes on three hunting rifles for use this fall, starting with a moose hunt in British Columbia, followed by numerous whitetail hunts in Texas and Oklahoma, a desert mule deer hunt, and a Coues whitetail hunt in Durango, Mexico. Between those I’ll be doing considerable shooting. I’ll report on those hunts and happenings through blogs, as well as digital tv show episodes on our weekly “A Sportsman’s Life” and my “DSC’s Campfires with Larry Weishuhn” weekly podcast. All three of those can be seen or heard on my www.larryweishuhn.net website, but also many, many other places.
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