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One of the biggest must-sees of 2012 is this piece of thermo-molded polymer that snaps around the edges of an armor plate. The rig is held  in place with a system of polyurethane-coated and radio-frequency-welded straps that are tough and have no sewn stitches to fray. Its futuristic looks belie its backward compatibility with the MOLLE/PALS pouch system. Using S&S Precision’s new pouch system will afford a more stable platform. The plate carrier will be dipped in any camo pattern available and will come in two versions — “Tactical” and “LE” — the difference being the thickness of the material and resulting weight. S&S told us the tactical version is 18 ounces, but the weight of the LE version hadn’t been finalized.
Price: $381.
Available: Summer.

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Chris Costa dialed in a major hit with LaRue offering the Costa signature series gun that combines the lightweight PredatAR chassis with an OBR 5.56 14.5-inch heavy barrel. To keep it from becoming a short-barreled rifle, which would require a $200 federal tax stamp and a lengthy wait, it comes with your choice of a pinned and welded Surefire muzzle brake or flash hider. Weighing in at 7.9 pounds, the direct gas impingement gun features a 1/8 twist barrel, a Geissele SSA trigger, a 13-inch handguard with LaRue grip panels, a two-position gas port (suppressed or unsuppressed), and Magpul furniture. It’s finished in flat dark earth and comes with a Costa Ludus logo engraved.
Price: Not yet set.
Available: ”Soon”

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Larry Vickers joins us in the Blue Force Gear booth to give a quick update on Helium Whisper and some news about his Vickers Combat Application Sling.

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UTM showed us their range of marking, non marking and blank rounds including their new 7.62mm blanks.

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Ronnie Fowlkes of FirstSpear gave me a hands-on demo of their new Tubes technology at the Elite Defense “Occupy The Range” event at SHOT Show 2012. I took the opportunity to ask a few questions about the system and to put a few rounds downrange while wearing the kit. I used a SCAR 16 to check for interference and/or discomfort and found there was none. The Tubes stand off enough and are positioned low enough that it didn’t come close to digging into my chest or collarbone. Check out the video here and standby for a followup on the 6/12 pouch attachment system and platform.

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Kyle Lamb and Smith & Wesson update the VTAC Rifle with new Geiselle trigger, Troy rail, more. 

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I’m not sure what’s more newsworthy in this video, this Sgt. First Class double amputee getting under canopy or the fact that he’s jumping with his military working dog, Axe. The canine harness, made by Harpoint, is called the Hardpoint Multi-Purpose Insertion Dog Vest. It’s a $450, mil-spec rig designed to keep dog and handler safe and secure in the hairiest environments.

Salute: Kitup via Gizmodo

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You can’t make this up. I dare you to highlight one single redeeming quality of this training video. (Aside from the sweet ponytail on the skinny guy wearing the 80′s Yakuza henchman uniform.)

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Here’s a quick video showing the differences between the USMC spec’d M27 IAR and the HK416 and its compatibility with aftermarket magazines. First, there’s a little confusion about the IAR variant being considerably different than the HK416. As you’ll see, the differences are minimal. There’s no heavier barrel and the internals are identical to the HK416D. The IAR is pretty much a 16.5″ HK416D with a bunch of accessories required by the Corps. Run through the gallery below for a closer look at some of the differences and unique features common to the HK416 and the M27 IAR.

Second, there’s a question of what mags work in the gun. While I didn’t get to full function check the mags in the gun, rumors about the Surefire HCM not fitting are wrong. You can see both Surefire mags fit and fall free with no issues. I haven’t shot the 100 rounder yet, but we’ve heard the 60 rounder runs fine. Surefire’s official response is that they didn’t design the mag to work with the gun, although they have heard some samples fitting in the HK416 and some not.

I’m hoping to get some range time with the gun and a set of mags in the next couple of weeks to see how reliably the Surefire HCMs function in the HK416.

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[UPDATE 12/16/2011: It's been a while but I just heard from Safariland that the mini-red dot Glock-o-licious 6354DO, both the light bearing and non-light bearing versions, are now compatible with the Trijicon RMR. The sample we had was a prototype and the production version has a larger cutout to accommodate MRDSs whether milled into the slide or mounted on dovetail adapters.]

We featured the new Safarliand 6354DO holster in the latest GearScoutTV episode above and mentioned that you’ll need to be explicit when ordering this holster. I have yet to make any sense of Safariland’s naming convention, but suffice it to say that if you look for a “Safariland 6354″ you’ll end up with a holster, but not the right one. The “DO” is important and it refers to the requirement of the original customer that it be compatible with the Docter Optic. Below are SKUs you’ll need to use to get one of the new Safarliand DO, dual-pivot series holsters. The only dealer that has actually stocked these is Grey Group. So if you want to save yourself some trouble, just call them and Ramia or Scarlett will take care of you.

Since we produced the video, Safariland and Trijicon got together and found that the RMR will work with the dovetail mount using the light bearing version of the holster. They are working through fit issues with the non-light bearing version, though, and Safariland will hopefully declare RMR compatibility soon. (The fit issue comes from the RMR’s unique shape. The two “horns” on the optic’s top are there to absorb shock and protect it during a drop, but they present a square-ish profile that doesn’t fit the holster’s rounded sight recess.)

These holsters are special order items and are not cataloged. They are available for commercial sale via special order. Any Safariland Dealer or Distributor is able to order these but they will likely not be aware of these holsters. The following part numbers may be helpful. The only way to order one of these holsters is with the exact part numbers listed below. All of these holsters come mounted to the Quick Locking System (QLS) 19 fork and have no other mounting provisions included. Other mounting platforms are available but not factory installed on the holster.

  • 6354DO-83-701-MS19 Glock 17/22, Optic, Multicam, RH, QLS fork only $155.00 MSRP
  • 6354DO-832-701-MS19 Glock 17/22, X300, Optic, Multicam, RH, QLS fork only $170.00 MSRP
  • 6354DO-683-701-MS19 Glock 34/35, Optic, Multicam, RH, QLS fork only $155.00 MSRP
  • 6354DO-6832-701-MS19 Glock 34/35, X300, Optic, Multicam, RH, QLS fork only $170.00 MSRP
  • 6354DO-83-702-MS19 Glock 17/22, Optic, Multicam, LH, QLS fork only $155.00 MSRP
  • 6354DO-832-702-MS19 Glock 17/22, X300, Optic, Multicam, LH, QLS fork only $170.00 MSRP
  • 6354DO-683-702-MS19 Glock 34/35, Optic, Multicam, LH, QLS fork only $155.00 MSRP
  • 6354DO-6832-702-MS19 Glock 34/35, X300, Optic, Multicam, LH, QLS fork only $170.00 MSRP

 These are various mounting options with the QLS receiver factory attached as well as a couple of miscellaneous parts:

  • 6004-27-55 SP10 small leg shroud, Drop Flex Adapter, QLS22, ambi, tan $90.00
  • 6004-16-55-MS22 MLS16 MOLLE fork with QLS22 receiver, ambi, tan $35.00
  • 568BL-1-551-MS22 Concealment paddle with QLS22 receiver attached, RH, tan $31.00
  • 568BL-1-552-MS22 Concealment paddle with QLS22 receiver attached, LH, tan $31.00
  • 567BL-1-55-175-MS22 Concealment belt loop with QLS22 receiver attached, 1.75″ belt loop, ambi, tan $26.00
  • 6070UBL-55-2-MS22 Mid-ride tan UBL, 2″ belt loop, with QLS 22 receiver, ambi, tan $40.00
  • 6075UBL-55-2-MS22 Mid-ride tan UBL, 2″ belt loop, with QLS 22 receiver, ambi, tan $40.00
  • 3004-1-55 Extra leg strap only, elastic, ambi, tan $18.00
  • 71-1-55 Universal Magazine pouch, 1.75” belt loop, tan $15.00
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