This one is for our friends out there in Combat Camera, and any other career field where you are expected to carry two things with which to shoot people. The patch comes from the mind of Geoffrey T. Campbell, and is available from the Monkey (Milspec Monkey that is). From your Gear Scout team, our humble apologies for the souls we have harvested, and for those we have yet to steal.
Campbell was a United States Marine Corps Combat Photographer, and is now out working as a photographer in the Salt Lake City area, check him out, and if you are local to him, consider supporting a vet.
http://milspecmonkey.com/store/patches/soul-stealer
The term bandolier originated in the 1570s, and meant shoulder belt. The advent of firearms saw the bandolier change from a utilitarian item, into ammunition carrying attire. Enter 2012, and Grey Ghost Gear is bringing the bandolier back with a more modern, and low profile twist.
I’ll point out that I was dubious about the elastic involved, but I figured I would give it a fair test when it arrived. My test was simple, I pulled four PMAGs out of the back of my cruiser, and hung it over the passenger seat for a shift. I figured with the way I drive, combined with the magazines hanging in a manner so they would be most likely to fall out, that I would be picking them off my floor within 30 minutes. It never happened, not only didn’t they fall out, but they didn’t slide or shift at all. If you saw a city cop driving around with a bandolier, that was me. After a few days, I became convinced these weren’t going to just fall out regardless of how I drove or what curbs I ran over.
I figure there are two purposes for this bandolier, one is ammo storage in vehicles, packs, armories or bags. The second is low profile carry of magazines. On my next set of days off, I set off in civies wearing the bandolier and 4 fully loaded PMAGs. While wearing a hard shell jacket, it was just about impossible to tell I had this on. I wasn’t about to walk the streets wearing a man dress or anything, but I felt the concept was close enough. Guys who are trying to keep a low profile in certain lines of work understand what I mean.
The downside to this bandolier is that you really need to use PMAGs, and Grey Ghost Gear was pretty upfront with that. The heavy elastic grabs the ribbing of the PMAGs, but without that ribbing, it wouldn’t function the same. Grey Ghost sent us an email and gave us a price update of 4-Mag Bandolier – $39.95, 6-Mag Bandolier – $44.95. I admit, I thought these would be slightly cheaper, but it was explained to me the material costs are what keep this more expensive. This makes sense, as a cheaper specified material would reduce cost, while reducing quality. We’ve all seen stretched out elastics before, and I don’t want any part of cheap stretched gear which doesn’t hold form.
So I’ve made no attempt to hide my excitement about this bottle. The boys at Hydro Flask gave me this 18-ounce, narrow-mouth bottle at Outdoor Retailers last month, and I’ve carried it around like a Precious ever since.
I love it so much (don’t roll your eyes) that I feel it deserves some kind of cornball haiku:
Oh so cold, you’re hot//Double-wall and stainless steel//Theft by cube-mate, RAWR
No one has actually taken mine yet, mostly because they’d have to pry it from my not-so-cold-because-the-bottle-is-so-well-insulated hands.
Read MoreThe A-TACS camo pattern is growing in popularity. Mayflower Research and Consulting is offering their kit in A-TACS.
One of the more enjoyable stops we made at SHOT this year was at the Cabot Guns booth. The gentlemen working the booth truly were gentlemen, and with a love for their craft. While I could have sat and talked with them for hours about the 1911s they make, we only had a short time. Cabot Guns is making a left handed 1911, and they state on their website “The South Paw is the only left-handed 1911 style pistol available in the market. The South Paw is precision constructed from 4140 billet steel to extreme tolerances. The South Paw, like all Cabot Gun firearms, is designed to exceed National Match accuracy standards right out of the box.” When you start talking about CNC work down to 0.001 inches, you are in an entirely new realm of 1911 machining.
Cabot Guns 1911s in lefty or regular version aren’t cheap, but the 1911 game isn’t really one to jump into if you are squeaking out coins, especially if you want to reach for the top shelf.
http://cabotgun.com/
Raquel Rusing of Triple Aught Design was running around SHOT in a new pair of pants, and while they are prototypes, they are still worth noting. Raquel and myself had a conversation which was similar to one I had recently had with my wife, and no, it wasn’t about me doing more work around the house. The female market for clothing tends to be rather basic, at least when it comes to outdoor and tactical lines. It seems many manufacturers have the idea that mens clothing is suddenly built for women if you just make them in smaller sizes. Any man can tell you women are built different than men, and it would make sense for the clothing to be built to accommodate those assets.
Raquel pointed out the various features of the pants, and sent over some specs, as well as her take on them which is quoted below. She pointed out several things that needed to be changed in these early prototypes, and to be honest, I think many of the issues were things only a female would notice. From a guys respectful point of view, there was nothing wrong with what I saw, and from her flock of protagonists which seemed to follow her, I don’t think most other guys had complaints either. Still, a minor change to the seat of the pants, and altering the cargo pockets were two of the changes she noted.
Click the image for specs and more information.
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What makes a good collapsable stock? One that’s rigid, offers a good cheekweld surface, has a solid, simple locking mechanism and the ability to hold up to bumps and drops inherent to battlefield conditions.
Solid lockup can be had across the board, but look for a secondary friction lock if you get annoyed by rattling. Though, that rattle also equates to a tiny amount of play in the system and could have an effect on the rifles accuracy when taken to extremes.
Sling attachment points should suit your carry and shooting style. Tube tops should be smooth and fit your face. That goes for the hairy among you, interruptions in the cheekweld surface will pull beard hair and cause a loss of concentration. Of course, weight and size are constant considerations, and modularity fits here, too. Some stocks have removable storage that can be pulled to save ounces if not needed.
Read MoreSHOT showed a lot of new things, but in the case of Otis, it wasn’t any of their weapon cleaning kits we were surprised to see. Otis has developed, and submitted their rail to the military in both their carbine and extended length sizes. While the extended length rail is designed for the M16A2/A4 series, it can work equally well on carbines if the Front Sight Base (FSB) is removed.
Otis showed us a complete line up of tools and training videos proving they are ready to both manufacturer, and provide the support for all new free floating rails for the military. This rail is going to be available in a 7075 aluminum version for the military, as well as the more typical 6065 aluminum for commercial sales. It is a two piece free floating rail which installs by cutting off the delta ring cap and removing the spring, then clamping the two rail sections to the barrel nut.
Spuhr showed us a few mounts at SHOT, the one which caught our immediate attention was the Grenade Launcher Aimpoint T-1 mount. Spuhr states this mount can be set up to work with ” most brands of small Red Dot Sights, such as Aimpoint Micro, Trijicon RMR, Docter, or what the customer prefers.” They also point out the mount can be used with small or medium sized laser sights.
My guess is the T-1 will be the most common optic used, but its always nice to know there are additional options available.
It took a little longer to close the previously reported deal, but I received word this morning that Para USA is now under the wings of Freedom Group, Inc. This rounds out FGI’s portfolio by adding the groups only pistol manufacturer.
In a release issued today, FGI gives up little but the basics. No word about the terms or cost of the acquisition. This
“We welcome Para into the Freedom Group Family of Companies,” stated. E. Scott Blackwell, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Freedom Group Inc. “Para USA is a leader in handgun technology and their fine products exemplify quality, innovation and performance. Para is a perfect complement to our industry-leading family of brands, and our success in 2011 with the Remington R1 – 1911. We look forward to deploying both human and financial resources to continue to develop and supply current and future handguns for consumers and our channel partners. We also wish to thank all its employees for their continued dedication that has made Para a success.”
Para will continue day-to-day operations at their Pineville, NC based facility.
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