During SHOT Show a lot of folks asked Tactical Mama about the “Tacticute” tab she was sporting on her badge holder.
These are the creation of my friend Dave, proprietor of Mojo Tactical located on Oahu Hawaii. He’s also the mad genius behind zombie cookie monster. I have a feeling the first run is going to go fast.
Here is a copy of teh main marketing material that Mossberg was passing out at SHOT Show for their new Flex system that allows you to rapidly reconfigure 500/590 series scatterguns into a variety of setups. Wonder if any after market companies will build to the Tool-Less Locking System standard.
Elite Defense gave us some good news and some bad news today. The good news is that they drew a winner for the Higher Ground raffle which consists or a carbine and a whole slew of kick ass accessories. Of course, the bad news is that I didn’t win it.
However, Rusty H of DSGArms.com from the great state of Texas (Ticket # 62120219) is the winner! Congrats!
Higher Ground (a program of Sun Valley Adaptive Sports) provides a multidisciplinary approach to the long-term healing, restoration, and rehabilitation of wounded veterans with TBI/PTSD.
Thanks to www.EliteDefense.com for putting this on!
FR specialists Massif don’t often run sales, but when they do run one, it’s worth checking out.
They are clearing out some discontinued items and overstock items. There are some GREAT deals – especially on the Winter Army Combat Shirt and Universal Combat Shirt.
The announcement is on their Facebook page. And, if you look at their most recent post on Facebook, you’ll get a coupon code for free shipping on the entire order until February 2.
Suppliers are limited so act now! The sale ends February 13th.
NRA Life of Duty recently visited Gunsite Academy, the granddaddy of firearms training facilities.
If you’re in uniform and you’re not a member of NRA’s Life of Duty, you should be. After all, it’s free!
Grey Ghost will be releasing their new Plate Carrier VERY soon. I think the description that accompanied the photos pretty well sums up this LiteLok vest…
“How about 46% lighter and 100% badass, low IR and complemented with FR Lined material…..also utilizes the new Jacquard woven MC webbing not printed crap…….Velcro printed loop”
Smith & Wesson has a new M&P15 MOE rifle This one is the M&P15 MOE Mid-Length MAGPUL SPEC Series with Magpul furniture and S&W/Magpul co-branded lower receiver (a forged lower based on the original Magpul billet lower). The MOE Mid- comes with the DVD set Art of the Tactical Carbine I and II along with the appropriate Magpul goodies.
The Sphinx, a Swiss SDP pistol is the weapon that stood out most for me at Media Day on the Range (well, other than the Bulldog gatling gun, but you can’t easily carry that concealed or on duty). It has to be hard to come up with a new pistol design that doesn’t mimic what has been done before or try to just combine the various strong points from other pistols and put ‘em all together. Not only do most people already have their favorite (often displaying loyalty to the point of zealotry) but barring the advent of an incredibly unique new idea or some new material it’s hard to do something truly original. I really liked the Sphinx, and can say in honesty that it might be one I’d purchase and carry (depending on departmental restrictions and holster availability). That’s the first time in a long time I’ve been able to say that.
Soldier Systems: The Sphinx 9mm Pistol
Joey at War Sport warned us we’d like the Sphinx (they’re owned by Kriss, which he distributes) and he was absolutely right. Sphinx Arms is initially marketing the weapon to military and LE personnel, but are definitely interested in selling to the civilian market. Right now it’s all black, Double-Action/Single-Action with an ambi decock lever and mag catch. One of the really interesting things about it (besides the streamlined way they built the frame, so there’s almost nothing to catch or drag on) is the upper frame, which is built of hard-anodized aluminum (I like the way the Swiss shooters said aluminum) with Teflon inserts. It has a nice integrated recoil buffer, full length guide rods that are machined in (not inserts) and a standard Pic rail with 4 notches.
Though I didn’t notice it at first, the grip is actually interchangeable, with three components. It’s built to withstand extremes of temperature and you can switch the grips out for different shooters (small, medium and large) which might be a plus to agencies where matching the grip of smaller framed officers is a concern (like some female and smaller male LEOs) to some of the hulking neanderthal types (also including some female and many male LEOs).
Soldier Systems Daily: Another view of the Sphinx
The last thing of note are the Defiance sights, which are apparently exclusive to the Sphinx (due to the noise and everything going on I wasn’t able to determine if they were going to eventually offer Defiance sights for sale to retrofit other pistols). Defiance sights are fiber/Tritium day/night green sight with a 2-dot rear sight.
I may wind up getting a Sphinx, if the price is right; if so I’ll give you a more thorough review.
On the range:
-DR
Propper International, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (W911QY-12-D-0006), and Tennessee Apparel Corp, Tullahoma, Tenn. (W911QY-12-D-0007), were awarded a $45,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of 1,670 fuel handler coveralls from each contractor. Work location will be determined with each task order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 16, 2017. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with three bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Natick, Mass., is the contracting activity.
Available in 26, 35, 53 and 70 lbs versions, the Ironskull Fitness Skullbells are shaped, obviously like skulls. Pretty cool if you want to change your workout up a little bit. Available in a variety of colors, check the site to see what’s in stock.
Thanks Curtis!
Wild Things Tactical has hired Victor Ramos to head their military sales department. Vic brings years of experience in outfitting our Warfighters and he tells me he plans to not only expand availability but also product offerings.
Wild Things Tactical has heard it’s “harder than rocking horse shit” to get Wild Things Products, so they have placed all Wild Things products on GSA. Additionally, they are rolling out a improved distribution network to get their products to the Warfighter, quick fast and in a hurry. If there are any questions or concerns reach out to Vic Ramos at Victor@wildthingsgear.com and 760 707-9079.
Jonathon Keith Idema was a character. For some of us, he was a nemesis, others an amusement and far fewer still considered him friend. Rare was the person in the tactical industry of the 80s and early 90s who didn’t have a brush with him.
Last year, I had read that he had barricaded himself in his home in Mexico, in a standoff with local law enforcement, his welcome long worn out in his homeland, America. Sounded like classic Keith, as he was known in the old days. After spending some time in federal prison for wire fraud, he reinvented himself as a professional adventurer and went by the monicker “Jack”. This time he ended up in an Afghan prison for running an illegal jail and torture.
He always seemed like the kind of guy who would pop up again somewhere else, with a new name and a new game. Admittedly, I was surprised to hear of his death at only 55 even though it was common knowledge he had AIDS. Only the good die young so I figured Idema would survive to a ripe old age, living off of the proceeds of hair brained schemes and frivolous lawsuits.
Here is a link to a pretty colorful obituary of Idema. Read it and then share your memories in the comments.
There will be many SSD readers who completely identify with this sentiment…
-DR
SSD recently had an opportunity to check the latest prototypes from USSOCOM’s Protective Combat Uniform Block 2.
Designed to be worn in temperatures ranging from 40 deg to -50 deg F, PCU is a 8 level environmental clothing system consisting of a variety of performance clothing items that can be configured based on conditions. For PCU, moisture management is a key feature driving its development. Keeping Operators dry, keeps them in the fight.
The original Block 0 configuration was fielded beginning in 2003 based on gear selections from PEPSE (Personal Environmental Protective Survival Equipment) and espousing wear principles from Mark Twight‘s seminal work on climbing, “Extreme Alpinism“. In 2006, USSOCOM charged their support office at Natick to make incremental improvements to the system based on user feedback and streamline the production process, facilitating a partnership between major outdoor manufacturers and National Industries for the Severely Handicapped.
Recently, to further modernize the system for the evolving needs of the SOF Operator and to insert the latest outdoor technologies, Natick’s PM-SOF sat down with representatives from the various stakeholders and went through Block 1 level by level. Based on these meetings, and some field trials of the new designs by 10th SFG(A) and NSW Det-Kodiak, the upcoming Block 2 system will feature a few changes.
Black is Back by Popular Demand. Black Camo Form that is.
We’ve spoken about the benefits of Camo Form in the past. The tape-like material not only does serves to provide visual camouflage for your weapons and sensitive items, it also enhances the grip and can also help deaden noise created when gear rubs together. Additionally, it leaves no residue when removed.
Reintroduced into the line at SHOT Show, Black has been quite a hit. “Feedback from the 2012 SHOT Show has been great,” said Tanya Brooks, vice president of sales. “Tactical gear buyers were very excited to see the return of this very popular color.”
“We saw a huge increase in demand after halting production of black Camo Form,” said Travis Huisman, chief operating officer at McNett. “Our customers spoke, we listened and black Camo Form is now back on the shelves.”
Black CamoForm rejoins MultiCam®, Realtree AP™, Realtree Max-4®, Snow, Standard Desert, Digital Desert, Standard Woodland, Digital Woodland, Universal Camouflage, Mossy Oak® Brush, Mossy Oak® Shadow Grass, Mossy Oak® Break-Up and Mossy Oak® Obsession.
If you were at SHOT and didn’t get the chance to get by the Line of Fire booth, you missed out on meeting David Lyon. David is the president of Forward Solutions LLC and the guy who developed the Lion Individual EOD kit. In addition to that kit and some other specialty pieces of kit they are developing, Forward Solutions provides consulting services to companies and individuals dealing with “high stress and dangerous situations”. He (David that is) is a medically retired Marine EOD Tech also heavily involved in organizations focused on helping veterans deal with living day to day with catastrophic injuries.
The Lion Individual EOD kit was developed over the course of five combat deployments. It’s primarily intended for dismounted operations and includes a well-designed hook and line capability and cable coil as well as a number of tools. It can be mounted a number of ways. You can contact David at 877-801-4541, e-mail him at info@forwardsolutionsconsulting.com or contact Force Multiplier, the company that is distributing the Lion kit: Force Multiplier, 5482 Oceanus Drive, Suite F, Huntington Beach CA 92649. Cage Code 6JER4.
Tactical Fanboy caught this interesting Mil Std 1913 rail accessory courtesy of Spartan Imports.
As you are no doubt already aware, a substantial number of companies debuted new weapons this year at SHOT Show. Literally dozens, from the big names like Smith & Wesson, ArmaLite and Benelli to smaller domestic companies to those not as widely known or at least widely distributed here in the US (Caracal, Akkar). One of the pistols I took a look at was a 1911 frame built from the ground up by Cabot Guns of Pennsylvania for left-handed shooters. It’s the only true left-hand pistol on the market right now that I’m aware of. No doubt one of you Soldier Systems readers will have more to offer on the matter.
In fairness, I’m guessing I didn’t get as much out of it as some people might have, because I’m not a mutant. I’m right handed. This thing was smooth though, and had a very nice trigger break. The wood used on the grip was their own, which I thought was interesting (meaning it was wood from their own trees from their own property, behind the shop where they’re built). You don’t see that very often. They also take four months to build each gun, which is also not exactly standard. It’s made of 4140 billet steel, designed to exceed National Match accuracy out of the box, with their own walnut as mentioned earlier and also olive wood or box elder. The front sight they use is called the Rozic blind sight, which comes off the front of the breach face. Sights are tritium, white- or gold-dot.
“Twelve percent of shooters are left handed” said Cabot Guns President Robert Bianchin in an interview. “The industry has ignored the left-handed gun cohort and, while we do not make mass-produced guns, we will do our part to provide a true left-handed shooting experience for a select number of gun enthusiasts.”
If you want one, better get after it. If I understood them correctly they’re only building a few this year. I thought the Cabot representative at Media Day on the Range said a few dozen, the website says one hundred.
For more information, check out Cabot Guns on line. The South Paw is detailed on their website here.
-DR
Finally, something we can all use…
Kaos Kydex Solutions has developed a kydex dip can holder. It is designed to securely hold a can of smokeless tobacco and can be mounted on multiple platforms. Here t is shown mounted horizontally to PALS, but it can also be mounted vertically to either side or mounted to any size belt via a belt mount kit. MADE IN USA! and available in Coyote, Black, OD green, and a ton of civilian colors as well as hydrographically dipped in MultiCam or A-TACS. Check them on Facebook at www.facebook.com.
A few weeks ago we showed you samples of Grey Ghost Lightweight Assault Packs in Hyde Definition’s PenCott camouflage.
They are now available in BadLands, GreenZone and SandStorm at the amazingly low price of $79!
