Click here to view the embedded video.

We had a bunch of people asking for these jackets so it was hard to ignore the wittiness of our commentors and choose the winners randomly. But we did. Rolling dice and random number generators are cool, but in the end we wanted a more dramatic mechanism to get our result; random questions to an editor on deadline. We videotaped the event both to prove it’s authenticity and to have as evidence in case it all went wrong.

The winners as chosen randomly by Vago Muradian, the editor of Defense News, are comment numbers 28 and 47. Congrats to John and Rich.

Knights Armament Corp (KAC) has done an early release of their new Aimpoint T-1 mount ((P/N 25682).  In speaking with C. Reed Knight III, these are mounts are production mounts, but changes may be made in the future as additional feedback comes in.  KAC has taken something as simple as a mount, and gone after it with their usual determination, and brings a little extra with their mount.

The KAC mount arrives with all mounting hardware, screws, and spacers needed.  The box was opened to reveal everything in sealed packaging, and there is no way that parts are going to get lost, unless of course its on your end after you cut open the bags.  KAC T-1 mount height options come three fold.  First, you can install the optic direct to the KAC T-1 mount, this method is functional for the HK 416 users.  Second, the user can install one of the risers, which gives an absolute co-witness.  The absolute co-witness places the iron sights directly inline with the red dot.  Last, but probably the most popular, is the use of both risers which raises the optic and places the iron sights in the lower third of the sight picture.  This gets the shooters head up a little higher, while still retaining a cheek to stock weld.

In speaking with Reed Knight III, we talked about mounts in general, as well as the KAC Micro Aimpoint Mount P/N:25682.  There are a lot of companies that base everything on “return to zero” after removal and reinstallation.  While this is nice for CQB weapons, and perhaps even standard distance shooting, a sniper isn’t likely to rip his scope off while out in the field so he can drop on an Eotech or Aimpoint, regardless of what the mount will do.  Real world precision and  distance shooting involves rezeroing or verification of zero after removal of scope or other work.  Reed commented that while a .5 or 1.0 MOA return is considered good for most companies mounts, it still isn’t what they look for in a precision weapon mount.  In military testing, the KAC SASS mount was considered the most accurate, and most repeatable mount tested.  Through removal and installation the mount was exact enough that no measurable shift was found in testing.  Pretty impressive, but this was not done through the use of  QD mount.  This was through a traditional one piece non removable scope mount.  What does all of this have to do with the KAC Aimpoint T-1 QD mount? Simple, it shows that KAC isn’t looking for a one piece fits all solution.

The mount is machined from billet, and the underside reveals two solid lugs which engage 1913 spec rails.  The third and center lug moves back and forth, and interfaces with the tension adjustment screw on one side, and the the locking QD lever on the other.  The lever angles back against the receiver, and isn’t likely to snag on anything.  In shooting and running dry drills with this unit mounted and in full gear, I’ve found it simple to remove and install with one hand, as well as snag free.  The mount is also reversible in the event that other equipment being mounted is a consideration.  Another nice feature is that the locking lever does not directly cam against the rail surface, which eliminates the possibility of receiver gouging.  Along those same lines, the mount clamping surface is right at 1.25″ from my measurement, which is a nice departure from mounts which rely on a small contact section.

I’ve used this mount on 4 different manufacturers rails (Daniel Defense, Vltor, KAC, and Noveske) and 6 different upper receivers to include standard forged military uppers as well as the reinforced Vltor MUR and VIS.  As you might expect, there were minor variances between them, but adjustment of the mount is done easily by releasing the locking lever, then pressing directly in.  With this done, the adjustment screw emerges from the other side, and can be tightened or loosened by hand or with a coin.  No wrenches or other tools are required for mount tension adjustment.

At $180, the only downside would be considered the price.  Reed commented on this and pointed out that the initial production models were limited, and that costs are obviously higher with limited production runs.  KAC is actively looking at ways to lower the cost, while still retaining the high quality that KAC holds to each of its products.  Reed felt that once full production was underway, these would become more widely available and with a lower price tag.

To sum it up, while a little more expensive than some of the cheaper mounts, this is a high quality, tool free, mount that provides a very close return to zero and gives users three different mounting heights.  If you own an Aimpoint T-1, this is worth looking at.

 

GearScout is pleased to introduce our newest contributor, Stickman! Stick is going to keep you gun guys up to speed with reviews and news.

Stick earned a few stripes during his 8 years in the military, and now splits his time between catching bad guys as an inner city police officer and shooting photos of tactical equipment. With 18+ years on the police force, he’s become a weapons and tactics instructor, an armorer for Glock, Colt, and Remington firearms, and a pretty much the last guy you want interrupting your waffle house holdup.

As far as the screen name, we’re down with that. The guy works in a big city, has made a few bad people go away and has earned the healthy paranoia. We’re willing to indulge because we know the guy, we know some of his friends and he backs it all up with his deep industry knowledge and man-in-the-stack gear reviews.

Welcome Stickman!

Their prices are in-sane.

It’s Monday morning. You’re busy, we know.

But after lunch, when you’re all(most) caught up, check out this web-app that lets you take gun parts and drag’n drop your dream gat in minutes. Choose a starting point from a bunch of popular rifles and pistols and then accessorize like it’s 2004 and you just got your first Blackwater paycheck. When you’re done, you can save your creation for sharing on your blog or favorite forum.

PimpMyGun

I love hip flasks, but they’re usually too fancy for practical use. I’ve owned a handsome little stainless steel flask for years. It’s very slim but too heavy. And I always worry about losing the cap. It’s now in the gadget drawer gathering dust.

I don’t have a flask fetish or anything; I just like my gin — even if I’m on the road. Is that so wrong?

Anyway, Stanley is coming out with three new styles of flasks in its NINETEEN13  line. I recently had the chance to try one of them out. Its flat, leaf green color blends well in any camp, field or ballgame setting. The screw-off cap stays attached to the flask by a black rubber arm that’s sturdier than it looks. It prevents the cap from being dropped in the dirt, and it helps the flask stand up when it’s turned upside down to dry.

It holds 8 ounces of your favorite poison and doesn’t appear to taint the taste. The Beefeater gin I kept in it for four days tasted like I poured it out of the glass bottle. The stainless steel body weighs just 4.75 ounces, that’s about half the weight many traditional flasks. It’s made in China, but most things are these days.

In addition to the green, the new flasks also come in black with a cool scull and dark gray with “UNBREAKABLE” written on it. The green model features the standard, nineteen13 star logo. Stanley’s new flasks will be available sometime this fall at www.stanley-pmi.com for about $20 bucks.

GearScout received the Surfire Saint last night. We brought it to the studio to give our readers an exclusive first look in a huge SFW flashlight porno shoot.

The unboxing isn’t a meme I quite understand, but we’re not here to judge. So if you’re a flashlight guy, turn the lights down low, get a box of tissues and enjoy the 62 image photo gallery after the jump. We’ll be back with a review and beamshots before you know it.

[[Show as slideshow]]

 

UPDATE: Comments will close at 15:00, EST. We’ll announce the winners at 16:00.

We’re making room in the GearScout warehouse! I’ve got two slightly used size medium, crocodile colored Arc’teryx Combat Jackets to give to two of our readers. We wore them for about a month in Iraq for a review. Just tell us why you want one in the comments and we’ll pick two winners at random on November 20th.

Click here to view the embedded video.

With today’s release of Modern Warfare 2, there is already speculation about how to make the next installment of the hit video game even more realistic.

Great Line: “Infinity Ward is also developing a version of the game for the Wii which will come packaged with a 17 pound controller shaped like an M249 machine gun that you must carry at all times but cannot fire without explicit orders.”

Operators will get an updated version that adds satellite communications to supplement the system’s current digital radio network. With the current system, Long range comms are only possible when units use high-powered, vehicle based repeaters within the CNRS/EPLRS network. This update could pave the way for light units without Stryker Combat Vehicles to use the system.