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I was recently contacted by a new company called Renegade Tactical. They asked if I would be interested in performing some testing on a new quick deployment rifle case they had designed.  Being ever curious about new products on the market I accepted the challenge.  While the name Renegade Tactical did not ring a bell, their parent company did.  Renegade Tactical is an offshoot of the well known and respected Crooked Horn Outfitters.  As with so many great pieces of kit, this one is the brain child of a company that cut its teeth making durable and performance centered gear for the hardcore hunter and outdoorsman.   With that calling card, they had an immediate foot in the door.

The bag is called the Liberator and is designed as a quick deployment bag for carbine rifles.  It came with a primary strap for securing it to a car seat as well as a support bag with MOLLE attachments. The premise of the bag is to provide people with a way to carry a carbine that provides not only protection, but quick access if the need arises.  This bag is truly unique.  Keep reading for my critical assessment.

For many the idea of having a tactical mindset for hunting seems a bit of a stretch. For those who work in the warrior realm though, hunting can be as much about training as it is a recreational event.  The tactical points we focus on are pretty clear cut when hunting.  Be it hogs of the four leg or two leg variety.

Let's look at 4 key components to developing the tactical hunting mindset in this article.  We'll start with situational awareness.  Do you want to find hogs? Do you stalk them, or stage an ambush?  Another key is commitment and follow through.  Who knows how many hogs have been lost that shouldn't have been where this principle wasn't correctly applied. Clarity in the moment, or what the Japanese call Mushin, is critical.  There's more going on here than some people realize.  We'll address that.  Finally, we'll look at hunting as training.  These keys can be game changes for tactical training and tactical hog hunting.  Read more to learn more.

Over the last decade it seems that the expansion of the AR market has managed to put a black rifle in the safe of every serious gun owner in the country.  My carbine classes have seen a dramatic increase in popularity with AR’s being the most common weapon.  One of the areas I get the most questions on in these classes centers on the maintenance of the AR. Maintenance is equally important for the tactical hunting crowd.  Imagine spotting that big boar you’ve been looking for.  You take aim, wait for the right angle, when all is right, you pull the trigger.  Nothing.  The bolt wasn’t all the way forward.  The noise you make to get it chambered alerts the hog to your presence and it’s gone.  Or worse your shot is less than perfect and now the hog is charging and you have a failure to feed.

The Trijicon ACOG is a real world, battle tested and proven tactical optic.  It's used by no nonsense warriors whose lives depend on good gear, sound tactics, and keen competencies.  Fortunately for the civilian market, these workhorses are available to the rest of us.  As is obvious by my previous articles, I'm a fan of mixing the tactical world and the wild hog hunting world.  I think they have a great crossover, that skill in one arena pay dividends in the other.  On that same theme let’s talk about the use of traditionally tactical optics for use in hog hunting. For this entry, we’ll look at the ACOG.  More specifically I want to talk about the Trijicon ACOG 4x32 w/ 4.0 MOA RMR Sight.

Like the wild hog population count, the world of hog hunting has exploded over the last few years.  Once the exclusive domain of the traditional hunter, this phenomenon is now catching the attention of tactical professionals and enthusiasts.  There is a whole set of competencies that can add adrenaline to the challenge of hog hunting, not to mention significantly adding to the number of targeted pigs successfully put down. Especially for civilians, I believe that hog hunting offers one of the best opportunities to practice tactical skills with a firearm. Let's look at maximizing your success on a group of feral foes.

In the minds of many, the hunting world and the tactical world are mutually exclusive. Their purposes, methods and gear are relevant to the field of application. Yet, I would venture to say that on some fundamental levels they both share a very serious theme:  the efficient and effective deployment of a weapon to put down a target. When push comes to shove, triggers are being pressed for the same reason.  Having spent thirty plus years training in CQB / CQD style combatives, I believe there is something to be gained by the tactical shooting community through an occasional hog hunt.