This is one of those rare weeks when I am actually home. Technically, I got home on Friday night, but if you wonder why you have not heard from me for a couple of days... See attached video. I have been utilizing unorthodox exercise techniques which kept me busy.

Nevertheless, from the standpoint of guns and optics, most of my personal shooting is further preparation for the hunting season:
-I need to get my muzzleloader checked to make sure the scope is still properly sighted in
-I have a couple of handloads to test for the 8.6 Blackout Fix

I do want to do a livestream on Thursday evening on Youtube/Facebook, however. There are a few things I can think of that would make for a good topic, I think. However, I am also looking for input and the supporters here at this community sorta have the right of refusal. If there is something particular you'd like me to cover, that takes precedence. Let me know if anything comes to mind.

I have registered for SHOT Show 2023. If you plan to be there, let me know. It would be great to put a face to a name.

I have been spending, as my schedule allows, a good amount of time with a GRS wood laminate stock and I really like it. There are some clever things about its geometry and I find it really easy to shoot well with. I plan to record a video on it this week and, hopefully, get it edited and released toward the weekend.

This coming weekend, we will have a short family camping trip in the general vicinity of Taos. It is golden leaves season in New Mexico, so I want to go take some pictures. It is also the general area where I will likely have an elk hunt, so I want to look around.

Originally, I was hoping to go scout for mule deer this weekend in a very different part of the state, but this is a rare opportunity when I can get my kids AND my wife out into the outdoors. I can't pass that up.

Going back to guns and optics for a moment: one of the scopes I was really hoping to look at earlier in the year is finally making its way to me: Blackhound Emerge 2-12x44 https://www.blackhoundoptics.com/product/emerge-2-12x44-ffp-mil/
As you can tell from the earlier MPVO review I did https://darklordofoptics.locals.com/post/2595767/mpvo-video-comparison , I believe this is a category that is underserved.

The need for 2x or so on the low end can be somewhat questionable, but if you have been listening to my various thermal clip-on ramblings, you know why I think it matters.

If you plan to be using a thermal clip-on with your day scope occasionally, there is a good reason to have the dayscope go to a magnification slightly lower than the equivalent FOV of your thermal. It helps you see menus better in some designs and makes it a little more flexible in case you want to experiment with different thermals. Ideally, 1.5x on the low end would be better, but 2x of the Blackhound Emerge is better than most.

It is not a very large scope, but it is a touch heavier than I like at right around 30 ounces. Still, it is an interesting option with a reticle that should work well enough on both low magnification and high magnification.

I do not know if it will make its way here in time for me to take it hunting, but that's a distinct possibility.

In an odd way, it sets up an interesting price range analysis: for $500 or so you can get Chinese-made Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 2-12x42. Blackhound Emerge 2-12x44 is very similarly configured for around $1k. It is made in Japan, but aside from that I am very curious to see whether the performance justifies the price premium.

I have been asserting for a little while now that the sweetspot for FFP optics appears to be in the $1k to $1.5k range for the time being. However, it is always good to revisit that.

Also, I just pinged Burris again on whether the XTR3i 3.3-18x50 is coming in with reasonable numbers. It is another scope I want to examine from the "where is the sweetspot" standpoint.