Crye Precision quietly released new G3 All weather Combat shirt and pants, and G3 All Weather Field Pants. Also, they have begun shipping MagClip, the AR magazine holder they first showed at SHOT Show in 2011.
Product Announcement
Fortis has a new sling mount out for AR15 and M4 carbines. The sling adapter is named the Fortis Multi-point Sling Attachment (MPSA-A), and provides three different mounting options covering both left and right handed loop, as well as a QD socket. The edges are nicely radiused, and the 6061 aluminum is mil-spec anodized. The Fortis MPSA is made in the USA, and is available though multiple retailers including Rainier Arms, who is the primary distributor.
Damage Industries recently released their sling Multi Mount. How often are guys changing slings that they need 3, 4 or 5 different sling attachment points on their rifles? I see the utility of these types of devices for departments or units that maintain a fleet of rifles whose users can choose their own slings. But for the average shooter, it seems like you’re going to be fine with either a QD, HK hook or slot.
Using a multi mount attachment does start to make sense, though, when you look at the economics. An inexpensive rail sling attachment that has a couple attachment options and doesn’t weigh significantly more or take up any more space on a rail than a multi mount presents more value than a device that only offers one attachment method. If you end up changing your sling after a few years, not worrying about buying a new mount is worth something.
The Damage Industries Multi Mount reminds me of the VTAC LUSA and the Blue Force Gear Rail Mount Sling Loop. Damage Industries has married the best aspects of these devices while holding the price to $25. The Multi Mount adapts a sling to a 1913 Picatinny rail via a pair of rotation limited QD sockets, HK style or MASH hooks, or slotted directly through the device. It’s made in the U.S. of billet aluminum with Mil-A-8625 type III class 2 hardcoat anodizing. The only thing that worries me is running a steel HK or MASH hook through an aluminum fixture. I’ve seen steel hardware really chew away at aluminum sling attachments over the course of a deployment.
Damage Industries is currently shipping black and dark brown versions and is gauging interest in a FDE version.
Read More
ITT gave us a look at its latest technology, called iAware Link. ITT has added the ability to display a video overlay in the eyepiece of an NVG. The feed can come from any SVGA signal and appears as in a box over the intensified or thermal image. The user twists a knob on the device to fade the video overlay from opaque to invisible. The overlay can pipe in a feed from UAVs, robots, computer screens, video cameras or a myriad of observation devices.
Exelis showed us the technology in its flagship product, the updated iAware Fusion. You can skip to about 3:13 in the video to see the actual overlay screen. The device is a commercialized version of the Army’s ENVG, which offers thermal, I² and a fused mode (a combination of thermal and I² also called “Predator” mode). Adding the iAware SVGA overlay mode, iAware Fusion is also a little smaller, takes one less battery and has a beefed up metal front plate over the ENVG.
Exelis also showed us two more products from the iAware line. The Tactical Mobility NVG combines I²-only with the iAware overlay for the export market, and the Clip on Device is a box that adds the iAware Link SVGA overlay capability as a depot level upgrade for PVS14 series NVGs.
Triple Aught Design, more commonly referred to as TAD, has some new items released for spring. A Merino wool short sleeve shirt, ten pocket “covert” pants, and an update to the Ranger Hoodie LT.
Click the pics to jump to the product specs, and we will look at reviewing some of these in the near future.
Read More
Surefire is now offering “K2 Energy” branded rechargeable CR123 batteries for use in their LED flashlights. The SF2R charger comes with a pair of rechargeable CR123 for $29, and a pair of batteries is $12. The batteries will last for more than 500 charging cycles, saving a significant amount of money. But, the rechargeables offer about half the runtime of a set of primary CR123s.
Getting a charger and a second set of batteries for backups for $41 will net a savings of about $800 considering a 12-pack of batteries costs $20. So, even with the reduced runtime, this should be attractive to anyone on a budget (read, all of us!).
But, there are some caveats worth noting when using rechargeables in flashlights. Rechargeable batteries have a little power spike as they start to deliver power. Surefire’s LED lights can deal with it, but the power spike can cause older incandescent bulbs to burn out. So, stick with the primary CR123s for vintage lights.
Read More
Joonho “JK” Kim can draw. Need proof? Look at this drawing he did of Chris Costa. Sure, he looks badass. What you don’t know is that when Costa was posing, he was actually eating a Twinkie in his boxers while checking his voicemail. So, yeah, JK can make anyone look like a badass.
So, why draw Costa? Why not. JK’s earlier work “Spirit of a Warrior” features a badass with a Spartan-looking shadow. Turning to Costa, the man has a gladiator fetish and a following. Heck, even his Beard has a following. And, it turns out, Costa’s been looking for a way to satisfy his fans’ hunger for autographs and pictures; so here we are. JK does his thing, Costa takes care of his fans. Win-win.
JK will offer a series of seven drawings, the first of which is available today from JK’s website, www.tacticaldrawings.com, for $45. The remaining six drawings will follow at roughly 3-4 month intervals.
Costa is giving 100 percent of his proceeds to the Stars and Stripes Foundation. JK’s invested his time and talent heavily in this project. He can’t afford to donate 100 percent, so JK’s donating a portion of his proceeds to Stars and Stripes Foundation as well as his church.
I know what you’re thinking: “$45 for a drawing? Of Costa?” These are not shop wall pin-up posters. This is an 18” x 12” water-colored, pencil drawing printed on 100 pound matte paper using a digital press bearing Costa’s digital signature.
Consider all the work that went into the drawing. JK spent 20 hours researching and preparing. He made period-specific props from cardboard and found a gladiator-esque model to guide his representation of the “spirit” warrior. He roped-in Pima County Deputy Sheriff Avery Cox as the model. (As an aside, JK told me, “I feel sorry for any criminal caught by that guy.”) He added some of his own touches to the armor, but the shoulder, arm and shinguards are period-accurate, as is the shield. Russell Crowe fans may recognize the helmet is inspired by the one worn by Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the film, “Gladiator.”
So, all that work and we haven’t even gotten to Costa, yet. JK worked from photos of Costa and his gear. From his shades to his shoes, it’s all there in detail. I jokingly asked JK if the beard was the toughest part to get right. “Actually, the LaRue was the hardest part,” JK told me. “Chris’ gun has a unique rail configuration and it was tough to get the rail covers right.” I’m glad the man’s priorities are in the right order. In all he racked up another 40 hours drawing and coloring the piece.
“The artist gets his share. If not for the JK, this wouldn’t happen, it’s not like I could draw this myself. JK’s allowing me to do something cool that profits Stars & Stripes Foundation,” Costa told me. “Am I going to make a profit on my T-shirts, my patches, and other stuff? Absolutely, I’m trying. But this is different.”
“I think it’s important for people to see that Costa Ludus is a small company starting in the red and we’re trying to do the right thing,” Costa explains about the idea of donating his share of the artwork profit, ”and one of those things is this project.”
If you haven’t seen JK’s work, you should check out his portfolio. He does custom work for agencies and individuals that want to memorialize or commemorate people or events. He’s heavy on the law enforcement art because that is his background at the moment. He’s been the Pima County, Tucson, Ariz., Sheriff’s Dept. and Regional SWAT chaplain since 2005. So he’s been immortalizing his boys while using them for models. You might tell from the lines in his work that he studied sculpting as a student in South Korea before moving to the U.S. in 1981.
Read More
Sling mounts are a funny thing, some people like love QD sockets, some hate them. Other people feel you can only trust a sling that weaves through a mount, others hate the restriction of not being able to pop the sling off. I make no attempt to sway people one way or the other, but a new company named Fortis is taking a familiar spin and going ultra light weight.
The Fortis Rail Attachment Point (RAP) is a hard coat anodized 6061 aluminum mount which affixes to a standard 1913 rail by way of an allen head screw. The entire mount, including the screw and back plate, weighs in at .35 ounces, which makes it the lightest weight QD rail mount I’ve ever come across. We got ahold of several of these, and had no problems mounting them to rails. The machining is well done, and all edges are rounded. The QD socket itself is anti-rotational, and to test how well the mount held up we locked it to a rail, then stood on the weapon while jerking on the sling. I’ve seen other QD sockets pop when this is done, but there were no such issues with any of these. The Fortis RAP takes up very little rail space, and can mount facing up on down, or side, top, or even bottom rails if you are so inclined.
Fortis is a new company and doesn’t yet have a website, but the RAP is currently available for $19.95 through Weapon Outfitters as well as other online vendors. Fortis also offers the mount with a heavy duty QD swivel, which raises the price to $29.95. The Fortis RAP is made in the USA.
Fake Magpul MBUS found in the wild. Most folks would give this a quick look and not notice. But, if you’re familiar with the real MBUS, top, you would notice the feel of the polymer is different. It’s much lighter, the pins are recessed differently, and most obvious, the graphics are dicked up.
Read More
FirstSpear’s Fight Strap is a great grab-and-go ammo platform. It looks like the perfect setup to store a set of mags for a hasty resupply.The mags are secured and covered, so it looks like you could chuck the thing to a very grateful teammate during a fight. Load it up with mags and a maybe a small trauma kit, and it’s a quickly donned ambush bail-out bag. Use the haul handle to link a few together with a ‘biner for a larger resupply. There a two versions. Each holds either five 30-round 5.56 mags or five 20-round 7.62 mags. $76 each. More info at First-Spear.com.
Recent Comments