September 2018 | Page 6 of 7

2 Sep 2018

How to Charge a Fully Discharged AGM Battery

I learned about trick on how to charge a fully discharged AGM battery from the official Optima website. The process shown in the video above mirrors the process recommended by the actual manufacturer. You do need to be careful, but this is not something I cooked up in the basement.

AGM batteries are a little different than regular batteries, even deep cycle batteries should not be fully discharged. Most battery chargers have electronics that prevent them from dangerously recharging bad batteries. Completely dead AGM batteries can’t produce voltage to operate this safety device unlike deeply discharged traditional batteries.

What this method does is to trick your charger into thinking it is topping off a good battery while it is actually recharging a old dead one.

This does not always work, these batteries are not designed to be fully discharged and if they sit to long in this state there may be too much internal sufination to allow the electricity to recharge the battery.

Equipment Needed:

Battery charger
Jumper cables
Good battery (it doesn’t really matter what type as long as the voltage is the same – AGM or flooded cell just make sure both are 12 volt)
Deeply discharged AGM battery
Multimeter
Timer

Procedure:

Hook up the good battery and deeply discharged AGM battery in parallel
- In parallel means connect positive to positive and negative to negative.
- Do not have the charger connected to the battery yet
Hook up the good battery to the charger.
Turn on the charger.
Let charge for an hour
Check the AGM batteries. If they seem hot to the touch their may be something wrong with the batter. Batteries normally become warm during charging so a little warmth is not something to be alarmed with.
- Also discontinue the process if you hear the battery a hissing sound coming from the safety valves.
With your voltage meter, check to see if the AGM battery has charged to 10.5 volts or above. This should take less than two hours.
Once the “bad” battery reads 10.5 or more, disconnect the charger
Connect the “bad” AGM battery to the charger.
Turn on the charger and continue until the AGM battery reaches a full charge

In most cases, but not all, this will charge a fully discharged AGM battery. There are professional AGM battery service centers that may be able to do more. This is important to me as these batteries are very expensive. I have three doe my solar set up and they cost over $300 a piece.

2 Sep 2018

Twod Flip Up Back Up Iron Sights Review

I am not really very trusting of knock off weapons sights for serious guns. However, so far I am pretty pleased with these sub $20 Flip Up Back Up Iron Sights.

I have to admit that if they weren’t for my golf ball launcher I probably would not have tried them at all, but so far they are very solid.

The Front and rear sights lock positively in the folded and deployed positions.

I don’t detect any noticeable wobble when I grab them and push them around.

Flip up iron sights back up iron sights (BUIS) will never be as rock solid as the old M16A2 carry handle sights, but these are plenty strong for the money.

This is especially true with sights costing less that $19.00. However, I find that if you have realistic expectations and a tiny budget, these sights do a good job.

Here are some features of the Flip Up Back Up Iron Sights from Twod.

Spring assist mechanism flips sight into upright position easily, manually folds down with the help of button on the side.
Front sight is adjustable for elevation using a A2 front sight tool. Compatible with most Picatinny rails.
Faster target acquisition with dual apertures. The dual aperture rear sight is adjustable for windage.
Low profile folding design of the sight reduces snag and interference with other equipment.
Non-rust anodized aircraft-grade aluminum construction provides strength and durability. Light weight

I think these are meant for airsoft guns, and I would not put these on a serious defensive gun, but that does not mean they can’t have a place in my safe. Not every gun is a defense tool. That is not to say a safe queen or a plinker can’t be used defensively. The gun I have these sights on is a adult toy that I use to launch golf balls and PVC pipe caps.

2 Sep 2018

Twod Hunting Rifle Bipods Review

Today I have two hunting rifle bipods from Twod, they are almost identical in design. The difference is size. The one pictured on the left of the screen is adjustable from 9-13 inches. The bipod on the right of the screen adjusts from 6-9 inches.

The smaller version is cheaper. It is $15.99 on Amazon, with its big brother costing $19.99.

Both bipods attach to a sling swivel stud, something I have a hard time saying fast. If your rifle does not have an attatched stud, but it has a rail the rifle bipods each come with a rail mount adapter.

Both are constructed of black anodized aluminum and are pretty sturdy.

I have had several of these type bipods over the years and for the price they are hard to beat.

Here are some additional features

Quickly attach to or detach from the rifle using existing swivel stud.
Foldable arms with spring tension control.
Comes with the mount adapter.
Adjustable leg length: 5 settings for different length, the bipod is ready to meet your needs.
Made of hardened steel and aluminum, non-rust black anodized finish, the rifle bipod is duty and light weight.
Legs are spring loaded and extend and retract with a small push of a button.
Rubber padded on top to protect forend of gun

Twod Green Laser Boresighter Bore Sight kits

2 Sep 2018

Twod Green Laser Boresighter Bore Sight Kit Review

This is not the first laser boresighter I have used on this website. I like using these tools, but if you don’t have one you can always use the old school bore-sighting method.

Of the Laser Boresighter kits I have bought, I like this one because Twod was thoughtful enough to add a box. I have several of these devices in various bags but I always seem to lose the arbors. Without the bore adapters you can’t use the laser.

4 Adjustable bore adapters fit almost all .22 to .44-cal. pistols and rifles.
Crafted from anodized, tough aircraft aluminum. No metal touches the rifling of your firearm.
Bore sighter activates with a button switch. Pressing the switch, it will emit a straight green laser beam with a long sighting range.
It allows you to quickly zero-in on your target without wasting excessive amounts of ammo.
Get 1 of Qualifying items for 21.99 offered by T-wod. Enter code 9FIJPOBU at checkout.

Special offers and product promotions

Receive 1 of these free when you purchase 1 or more Twod Shooting rest bag offered by T-wod. Enter code Z9XS26SK at checkout. Here’s how (restrictions apply)
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Save 10% on this item when you purchase 1 or more Twod AR-15 Gun Cleaning Mat Large offered by T-wod. Enter code C6AQIROQ at checkout. Here’s how (restrictions apply)
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Save 10% on this item when you purchase 1 or more Twod Rifle Scope 2.5-10x 40 offered by T-wod. Enter code 7BGA9ZYY at checkout. Here’s how (restrictions apply)
Save 10% on this item when you purchase 1 or more Twod Rifle Scope 2.5-10x 40 Dual Illuminated offered by T-wod. Enter code TYT8OBLG at checkout. Here’s how (restrictions apply)
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2 Sep 2018

Victagen Rechargeable LED Flashlight Review

Between my wife and my son I can’t keep flashlights. He likes to play with them, and She is scared of thunderstorms. I keep buying some and handing them on doorknobs. However, they never seem to get put back on the doorknobs.

This is just a typical LED 1000 lumen tactical style rechargeable LED flashlight, but it has some neat additional features.

Unique Features:

It is rechargeable. It has a built-in USB charging port make it easier and quicker to charge the flashlight. The flashlight only takes 2 hours to charge and can keep working on the highest setting for 1.5 hours or more.
It doubles as a bike light with the included 360 degree swivel mount bracket. The flashlight rotates to shine any directions you want. It also is easy to slide in and out of the bracket without having to detach the mount from the bike. I don’t ride bikes a lot, but this looks like a handy option for my ladder rack on the red truck.

Additional Features:

Output brightness: 1000 lumen range out to 350 yards.
Waterproof : IP-65 (Don’t put it into water directly.)
4 switch Modes: high / middle /strobe / SOS
Peak Beam intensity: 25700cd
Lamp base: XML-T6 Highlight LED. With a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours or more, no need to
consider replacing it for the whole life
Material: high quality aero-grade aluminum alloy, this flashlight is sturdy and durable
Power by included 18650 battery. Unscrew the tail cap to change the battery if you need.
Internal wiring applies the high efficient booster circuit, working voltage is wide and can utilize the batteries in the largest extent

The package includes:

This $19.99 Prime shipping Victagen 18650 Tactical Rechargeable LED Flashlight comes with the light, one bike mount bracket, a USB charging cord, and one 18650 rechargeable Li-ion battery. So far I am very happy with the light and am probably going to stick it in my wife’s purse so that she will stop stealing all the emergency lights I keep storing around the house.

Monthly Archives: September 2018