Military Times GearScout » operator envy

Operator’s Choice #2: Weapon Light

Rob Curtis — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:00:40 +0000

We’ve all heard it; You can’t hit what you can’t see. Sounds catchy, but it’s not true. You can put a lucky round in a fleeting, backlit target before you can accurately identify it. How do you know it’s not a friendly? Better to flood a shadowy recess with a momentary blaze of light to look for bad guys. Superbright rail-mounted LEDs with remote switches allow rapid identification of a target without affecting your weapon grip or readiness.

What they said: “During close-quarters battle, most buildings will have limited visibility inside, even during the day. A white-light illuminator, combined with the proper training, allows the war fighter the ability to maneuver on the enemy and rapidly engage the threats accurately. The white light illuminator should be mounted on a weapon with a pressure pad or momentary type switch allowing the operator to activate the light only when necessary without changing his normal grip on the weapon.”

Operator Favorite: Surefire M600C Scout Light ($425)
The Scout Light is the lightest (3.5 oz) and most compact rail-mount light available in its brightness range. It’s a simple, single-brightness LED light that will light up a target at 150 meters while still providing good peripheral light. It runs on two CR123s for two hours, which is typically a few weeks downrange. Surefire’s modular system of heads and bodies means you can replace the KX2C LED head for an incandescent head if you need white light with the capability to use an IR filter.

Also mentioned: Surefire G2 ($40)
The inexpensive polymer-body light can be weapon-mounted with a separate rail mount and is compatible with many Surefire heads and switches.

Operator’s Choice #3: IR Pointer

Rob Curtis — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:00:15 +0000

U.S. troops do their best work at night, thanks to formidable low-light tech that lets you see our enemies before they can see you. Night-vision goggles by themselves are a PIA to use with optical sights. An IR pointer lets you ID and aim in through NVGs and engage targets in total darkness.

What they said: “Makes hitting the target at any range in complete black a possibility without compromising your position.”

Operator Favorite: Insight Technology ATPIAL $N/A (Go through your unit’s supply chain for this one)-
The Advanced Target Pointer, Illuminator, Aiming Light AN/PEQ-15 delivers a visible laser pointer along with an IR pointer and IR illuminator that makes a deadly combo when used with NVGs. We heard that the IR pointer can be defocused and used to light up and ID targets hundreds of meters away under NVGs. The visible laser is slaved to the IR to make it easier to sight in. It runs from a CR123 for 6+ hours and, best of all, it’s about half the size of the older AN/PEQ-2.

Operator’s Choice #4: Extended Rail

Rob Curtis — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 13:00:54 +0000

The 1913 Picatinny rail is the defacto mounting system since devices can be quickly and solidly attached or removed using cam levers or thumbscrews. Items are indexed using set spacing on the rail, and most items will retain a zero after remounting. Early handguards were short and rail-less, meaning you needed expensive custom mounts for front-mounted accessories. Later came a short bolt on rails that gave a common mounting system and more real estate, but the rails were clamped around the barrel and that affected accuracy.

Recent rail systems are longer and free floating, meaning they attach to the barrel nut instead of the barrel. This single point of contact means no matter how many gizmos you mount on your heater, the weight won’t cause any barrel deflection or point-of-impact shift when shooting with a supported handguard. New alloys mean the guards can extend the usable area of a handguard considerably without effecting weight, stability or heat transfer performance.

What they said: “A free-floating handguard improves accuracy by isolating the barrel from external pressure. It provides a solid mounting platform for other accessories, keeps the front end light and feels more like a rifle than a giant Lego brick.”

Operator Favorite: JP/VTAC Modular Handguard ($175)
Ditch the cheesegrater and use all that space on your extended handguard to actually hold your carbine instead of a foregrip. The tubular handguard with user-mounted rail sections mean you mount small sections of rail where you want your devices and leave the rest light and clean.

Also mentioned:
Daniel Defense RIS II ($400)- One of the few free-float rail systems that offers a removable bottom rail that allows the mounting of an M203.
LaRue Tactical ($250-$300)- LaRue is a traditional-style handguard with a pin-indexed barrel nut and rails that hug the barrel for a lower profile.

Operator’s Choice #5 Sling

Rob Curtis — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:00:32 +0000

Too many service members consider a sling an afterthought, not really part of the primary weapon. But our operators told us a good two- or one-point sling can have a profound effect on the effective use of your carbine. Modern military operations call for an adaptable sling that accommodates fast roping and climbing while allowing quick and effective weapon presentation. No way this is going to happen with a Vietnam-era three-point sling.

One-point slings are popular because they keep your primary at the ready and allow lightning-fast transitions to your pistol. Adjustable two-point slings give you the ability to present quickly while making it easy to sling a rifle across your back and snug it down for climbing or fast-roping.

What they said: “As everyone knows, if you are moving with a single-point sling and don’t have at least one hand on the carbine, eventually you will catch a hot barrel in the legs or groin — and try climbing a rope or wall and see what kind of circus that turns into. The three-point sling is the best-kept secret in spec ops, and the secret is that it sucks.”

Operator Favorite:
Both the VTAC Sling ($35-$41) and the Blue Force Gear VCAS ($45-$105) were popular in our survey. Both two-point slings come from operational experience gleaned while working behind the fence at Ft. Bragg. The major difference is the adjustment system. The VTAC has a loose tail that you pull to tighten and a stout, spring-loaded buckle tab you pull to loosen. The VTAC is designed to snug up during engagements to make a more stable shooting platform. The VCAS has no loose tail and uses a custom sliding buckle on a loop to gather or loosen the sling. Both slings offer a balance of adjustability and simplicity that have proven equally popular across SOCOM.

Operator’s Choice #6 Trigger

Rob Curtis — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:00:53 +0000

When it comes right down to it, a shooters most intimate point of contact is the trigger. So it makes sense that some of our participants tossed the stock-heavy GI triggers and installed precision two-stage jobs that enhance the feel and accuracy of their weapon. Two-stage means you pull through the first stage up to the break point, then snap through to fire. Upgraded trigger groups provide a more consistent and predictable break, but some aftermarket triggers are too light — great on the range but dangerous in combat. Do your homework on this one.

What they said:

“Geissele SSA trigger, the best there is. Non-adjustable, drop it [in] to enhance hit probability, especially in the mid-range under stress.”

“Most factory triggers are not that good out of the box. No one makes a better, more reliable trigger group than Geissele. They hold their products to exacting standards.”

Operator Favorite: Geissele SSF ($250)
Hard to find and harder to pronounce (Guys-Lee), this is a drop-in, two-stage trigger with no adjustment. The pull is set at the factory and remains constant for the life of the trigger. The SSF is designed for combat and has been praised for its simplicity and durability. The SSA ($175) is the non-select fire version of the drop-in trigger .

Operators Choice #7 Back Up Iron Sights

Rob Curtis — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:00:54 +0000

Although you can find photos of cracked, shot and crushed Aimpoints and EOTechs that refused to die, one day those iron sights are going to save your butt. There’s only one trait to consider here: Reliability. The rear sight will likely be folded obediently beneath your optic until you really need it. At that point you want it to flip up without extra button-pressing or knob-twisting. You also want it to be able to hold a zero and not pop up when it’s not needed. Same goes for the front, but some guys roll with a non-folding front sight so they can aim over the top of their optic for really close fights.

What they said: “If your primary sight uses batteries, eventually it will have an electrical problem. I hope that when it happens, it’s not when you’re fighting for your life. But if it is, BUIs and training will hopefully allow you to prevail.”

Operator Favorite: Troy Folding BattleSight set ($250)
Troy was widely chosen as the backup iron sights of choice. They stay closed until needed and flip up easily with no controls. Folding requires a hefty button press so they won’t fold until you want them to. Once they are open, it’s going to take a 1000 lb accident to shear the cross bolt holding the sight up.

Made from aluminum and stainless steel, they should last as long as your rifle. Mount them on a Picatinny rail, use a bullet tip to adjust in .5 MOA clicks and know they are there when you need them.

Operators Choice #8 Mags

Rob Curtis — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:00:07 +0000

Crappy magazines are one of the largest source of stoppages in combat rifles. Some guys swear by standard USGI mags and others won’t let anything but polymer in the mag well. The USGI mag is simple, but the alloy construction leaves the feed lips susceptible to damage from a drop or long-term wear. Once the lips bend out, it’s double-feed city. But they’re metal and they’ve been around forever. The other camp points to the reliability of the polymer mag, with feed lips that won’t bend out of shape and that keeps those rounds feeding smoothly.

What they said: “I shot over 40,000 rounds of carbine last year and the PMAG never once gave me an issue. I did absolutely nothing to maintain them.”

Operator Favorite: PMAG/MagLevel PMAG ($14.95/$17.95)
PMAGs were the only mags that our respondents brought up. At least three things distinguish the PMAG from the USGI mag: The polymer construction is tough. They’ve been dropped and driven over and still continue to feed smoothly. The unique self-leveling follower keeps things trucking upward inside the mag. The MagLevel version shows you how many rounds you or your battle buddy have left with a quick glance at the orange level indicator on the mag’s side.

This Frog May Keep You From Getting Fragged

Rob Curtis — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:14:00 +0000

[See post to watch Flash video]
The $75 215 Gear Frog Zero retention lanyard has been designed by a Navy Seal as a simple, fast and overbuilt device to keep operators from falling from helicopters. It uses a trick shackle, called ‘Frog’ by its Italian maker, that automatically snaps in by just jamming it straight into the anchor point. With 2 internal gates, the shackle is as secure as using two opposing carabineers but way faster.

I could have wasted twenty minutes trying to explain how the shackle works in writing. Instead, I asked Bryan Smith, one of our awesome graphic artists, to waste five hours of his time building the cool animation you see above. Hit the play button to watch the frog internals move. Pinching the two lower legs primes the frog. As soon as it makes contact with a bar, it snaps closed around it. Pinch the lower legs again and pull to release.

With the Frog shackle rated to hold more than 6000 lbs., the break strength comes down to the stitching on the nylon webbing. 215 Gear uses eight 42 stitch bar tacks at either end of the shock-corded 1 inch tubular webbing equaling a total holding strength of 4000 lbs.

A.R.I.E.S. Suppressor System Pushes R.O.E. Envelope

Rob Curtis — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 05:31:29 +0000

The suppressor and carbon-fiber fetishists at Shooter Depot have reduced the size and complexity of their large and complex A.R.I.E.S. system. The new 5.5-inch, 2-component can is 1.25 inches shorter than the original 3-piece setup after integrating the inner module with a threaded end cap.

The Advanced Rifle Integral External Suppressor (A.R.I.E.S.) system’s claim to fame is that it has no effect on the bullet’s point of impact and actually helps tighten shot groups. The system uses a carbon-fiber fore-end tube that mounts the suppressor out in front of the muzzle instead of threading onto it. This places no weight on the end of the barrel.

More deets and a photo gallery after the break.

Using an oversize barrel-nut, the barrel free-floats in a carbon fiber sleeve that extends past the muzzle. The suppressor is threaded to the end of the sleeve leaving a gap between the muzzle and the suppressor module. With this setup, the weight of the can is carried by the barrel-nut.

In order to get this $2,750 upgrade (retail) on your AR, for example, Shooters Depot takes your rifle and adds their oversize barrel-nut and a low-profile gas block to accommodate the new carbon-fiber heat shield/fore-end tube. They send it back with the new CF sleeve and the suppressor.

There is a catch for you AR types… other than the price. That sexy CF heat shield is way too big for your Picatinny rail handguard to fit over. So, Shooters Depot made a $450 oversize quad-rail that screws into a flat-top receiver and gives you a quad-rail.

The system is available for more than a dozen rifles at prices that start at $2,500. Military prices are $500 cheaper across the board.

Granite Tactial Gear Wins With CHIEF Patrol

Rob Curtis — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:31:47 +0000

Knowing that nothing sells to the military like an impressive string of letters, the folks at Granite Gear came up with a new pack that is as sturdy as its acronym. The Composite Hybrid Interchangeable Ergonomic Framesheet (C.H.I.E.F.) uses a 3D-molded framesheet with three distinct zones of flexibility. That sounds good, but what counts is what happens when the designers load it with 100 pounds and toss it off a 35-foot railroad trestle onto the ground to test it out.

Nothing happened.

In order to win the patrol-pack portion of the SOCOM BALCS competition, the 5500-cube Chief Patrol was designed to weigh in under 7 pounds while carrying up to 90-plus pounds comfortably while in body armor. Some testing lead to the tweaking of the harness connection point, the addition of an ITW Nexis Snapdragon break-away sternum-strap connector and the direction of the zippers. The pack also sports removable shoulder-strap padding that gives soldiers better flexibility while wearing body armor. It also rides surprisingly low for a pack this large, allowing decent helmet clearance while standing or prone. It also has an internal radio pocket, a bottom-exiting hydration port arrangement, top-mounted haul loops and offers top or front access. Pricing isn’t fixed yet but should be under $500 when they are available in late fall, 2009.

More pics of the Chief Patrol and a peek at the new Bloc Solid Compression Bags after the break.

Granite Gear’s new military specific BlocSolid square compressable packing cubes offer a little heavier fabric than their commercial sacks and are square. They pack better and fit into the spaces in your ruck and baggage better than older round models. They’ll come in military specific colors and mutlicam later this summer.

Mystery Ranch Unveils the TactiPlane Pack

Rob Curtis — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:29:01 +0000

After winning the SOCOM BALCS competition for a large recce ruck back in December 2008, Mystery Ranch gave the winning pack a name and shared some details this week. The new pack is 9 lbs, 10 oz, and holds 6900 cubic inches in 3 compartments. The internal frame pack accommodates and stabilizes loads of more than 100 lbs.

The TactiPlane is full of Mystery Ranch features like the Bolster Ventilation and Stability (BVS) system that keeps the pack stable when wearing body armor and aids in ventilation when carried without body armor. It also uses a modified low profile lumbar pad to further integrate with body armor.

The main compartment is 5500 cubes, with the top and two back pockets holding 700 cubes each. No details on price or commercial availability yet.

TactiPlane Suspension

Shot 09- Ops-Core Quits Beating Around the Bush, Releases Own Helmets

Rob Curtis — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:00:53 +0000

Ops-Core, known for their super comfy and secure helmet strap system, have finally birthed their own brain buckets. The FAST Bump Shell and the FAST The FAST Bump Shell and the FAST Ballistic Shell are operator-only with their “gun-fighter”, high ear cut, reminiscent of the MICH 2002. The 1.50 lbs Bump doesn’t offer any ballistic protection beyond a bat to the head, but it is light thanks to its carbon fiber shell. The Ballistic carries an NIJ IIIA rating and weighs 2.93 pounds. More details and a bigger pics after the break.

Both helmets come with Ops-Core’s own Occ-Dial adjustable fit band and Head-Loc chinstrap, FAST-Arcs side mounted accessory rails with a night vision lanyard system that holds the optic to your face with two bungie cords, and Velcro in all the right spots for battery holders, fireflys, and what ever else you need on your head.

MSRPs are $593 and $882 for the Bump and Ballistic, respectively. Get them in Foliage Green, Urban Tan, Black, Mutli-Cam and MARPAT.

Shot 09- New Arc’teryx Midlayer- This Thing Is Hot, But Pretty Cool

Rob Curtis — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 07:12:09 +0000

The Prada of battlewear has come up with a super-packable alternative to your trusty-but-bulky fleece. The Atom uses a light, lofty insulation called “coreloft” to keep you warm during stop-and-go activity in cool to cold weather. What’s really cool is the huge, breathable powerstretch side panels that lets your stink out when your internal furnace is pumping.

The mid-layer weighs in at a measly 10.6 ounces and repels a light rain and deflects more wind than a wind-stopper fleece. Other features include a luxurious brushed collar, a longer cut, insulated zipper flap, an internal pocket, an athletic cut and longer sleeves that will allow you to shoot prone without exposing your wrists to the chill — or the enemy. Available for $160 in fall ‘09. Arcteryx

Salomon’s Quest Hiking Boots Coming in Cool or Fugly

Rob Curtis — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:52:59 +0000

Here are Salomon’s new Quest 4D hiking boots. Salomon based the design on their best selling running shoe, the XA Pro 3D. The family resemblance is unmistakable when I picked the boot up and realized it weighed about as much as a sneaker. Operators will appreciate the usual Gore-Tex lining when combined with a new shaped last that extends up around the foot for support and protection from rocky outcroppings found high up in the Afghan landscape.

The Quest boot comes in 2 colors, gray and orange. Yep, orange. They are a European company, after all. It didn’t take long for the international SOF outfitter RPT Tactical in Virgina Beach to see the operator appeal. They shrewdly bought every single one of the non-ugly boots and should have them in stock in March below the $220 MSRP. A few more details and a full GearScout photo recon after the break.

The “4D” isn’t referring to a 4th dimension set aside for feet. Or, in this case, narrow feet. The Quest does feel narrow and runs a 1/2 size small in the other dimensions. Salomon uses 4 layers underfoot- the sole, then some padding, a shaped frame for support, and another layer of padding for protection from rocks.

Pre-production samples of the boots are on tour and Salomon was kind enough to provide some colorful remarks from three of their deployed field testers. I suppose the profanity adds credibility, but we are a family publication so I used some to save your ef’ing virgin eyes.

“Here are some pics from the trip. The quests hard at work. Everything i have said about them is absolutely true. Thanks again for letting me try these out. I have told everyone about them and we are just waiting on ADS get them. They are going to be key for me when i go on my trip. i have y ankles as do most of the guys i know and these boots are a life saver.”

“How close are we to seeing those boots? i know they had said somewhere around feb or march but i was just wondering if there had been any changes. They have saved my ankles on more than one occasion. I was walking the other day and i slipped off a rock right into a hole. let me tell you if i had anything else on my ankle would be up right now. but because of the boots i received a semi mild sprain. Well like i said how can i order 4 more pair when i get home?“

“Dude the boots are amazing. everyone wants them. im afraid to leave them at the team”

Available from:
RPT Consulting
757-963-0742
sales@rptactical.com