I don't think I've said this before, at least not in print. I have voiced my thoughts on this to a few people, but have never written it down.
Morale patches are not really my thing. I've just recently bought a Tactical Beard Owner's Club patch from the guys at TBOC, and subsequently, a Mil-Spec Monkey hat from Fire Support to mount it on but apart from that and the Bravo Company team patches I have from the now almost defunct airsoft team I used to play with, I've never worn patches on my gear.
Having said that, they don't bother me. Some of them are pretty cool and/or amusing, but they don't really do it for me. What does offend me massively are the 'Pork Eating Crusader' and 'Infidel' style patches that have been going around for the last few years. The pages of Wikipedia describe the term Infidel as:
"An infidel (literally "one without faith") is one who has no religious beliefs, or who doubts or rejects the central tenets of a particular religion – especially in reference to Christianity or Islam.
Infidel is an ecclesiastical term in Christianity around which the Church developed a body of theology that deals with the concept of infidelity; which makes a clear differentiation between those who were baptized and followed the teachings of the Church vs. those who are outside the faith. The term infidel was used by Christians to describe non-Christians or those perceived as the enemies of Christianity. The usage of the term for non-Christian monotheists distinguishes the term from heathen or pagan. As such, the term infidel has often been applied to atheists, whose disbelief is viewed negatively by both Christianity and Islam."
Are these patches specifically designed to offend and alienate an entire culture? If they offend me, then surely the Muslim population as a whole must be horrified, not least when they see it written in their own language on someone that is supposed to be helping their country. This strikes me as counter-productive and distasteful at best and behaving like a naiive and immature wanker at worst. If someone from another country walked down the street outside your house armed and in full combat geat with a patch on their arm that said 'Satanist' or 'Church Burner' or the like, I'm pretty sure a great many people would be offended, not least members of the conservative Christian republican persuasion (who, by definition, should also be deeply offended by the term Infidel). In the eyes of extreme fundamentalists, I would imagine a violent reaction might ensue, presumably something that would be actively discouraged rather than provoked. If, however, someone can provide me with a valid reason as to why these patches are a good idea and not just ill-advised and in bad taste then I'd be prepared to listen and reconsider, but I think this is unlikely.
I'm not going to link to any specific manufacturer or retailer as there are a great many producing these items and I wouldn't want to pick out individuals, needless to say, I consider the manufacture, retail and use of these to be pretty irresponsible. I don't know how prevalent the use of these patches is in the current middle eastern conflict areas, but they are pretty popular in the airsoft community and, to summarise, I don't like it.
Showing posts with label tactical gear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tactical gear. Show all posts
Friday, 20 January 2012
Friday, 16 December 2011
Kydex Holsters
Been thinking recently about holsters. I recently bought a railed Marui SIG 226 and an Army Detonics .45 Combat Master. The SIG is pretty easy to accomodate holster-wise until you get the M3 torch on it, then it becomes a pain in the arse. Unless you want to spend top dollar on a holster, which I don't really as I rarely use a handgun on the airsoft field. You also have to consider the difference in the width of the Marui SIG's slide compared to the real thing, especially when buying Kydex holsters, there is always the chance that they just won't fit.
The Detonics is similarly difficult to holster because of the placement of the nearsight. Lots of US manufacturers make holsters to suit the Detonics fans but again, you have to spend a lot of money to get a good one.
The alternative is to make your own holster. Kydex looks like a pretty easy material to work with and is relatively cheap. For a holster that costs around the $80-100 mark, which, by the time you've factored in shipping to the US and the inevitable customs charges, you are going to be paying around the same in £Sterling, which is too much cash for something that will be rarely used other than to just hold a sidearm that never gets pulled on the airsoft field.
In my search for the wisdom of the Kydex holster masters, I've found some pretty good info on the net. I started out looking at the high end Kydex holsters and found Raven Concealement. Raven's gear is used by Chris Costa and features quite heavily in the Magpul training videos. Their stuff looks top notch with a wide variety of choice of styles and supported weapons platforms. this site is my benchmark for determining whether it is actually worth investing in time, tools and materials to try and make the holster. Let's see how that works out. Sometimes the cost is not so important as the challenge and the learning of new skills (this is still the justification for the amount of time and money I've poured into my L119A1 when I could have just sent it to Fire Support and got them to do it).
As far as obtaining the materials, I found a couple of sites in the US. KnifeKits.com, as the name suggests, supplies kits, materials and tools for making knives and sheaths and the like, inlcuding Kydex sheets. ParacordSecrets.com don't actually supply kydex sheets, but have a bunch of kits for sale (knives and magazine carriers rather than holsters) and a load of interesting articles and bits of hardware for sale.
By and large, so far, the most informative article I've come across is this one on the 1911 Forum giving a step by step set of instructions on making a really professional looking kydex holster. Now the guy who wrote this tutorial has a fully equipped workshop with some awesome power tools, but nothing that could not be achieved with a normal drill and toolbox and a bit of care and attention.
Now I need to get some kydex sheets. Watch this space...
The Detonics is similarly difficult to holster because of the placement of the nearsight. Lots of US manufacturers make holsters to suit the Detonics fans but again, you have to spend a lot of money to get a good one.
The alternative is to make your own holster. Kydex looks like a pretty easy material to work with and is relatively cheap. For a holster that costs around the $80-100 mark, which, by the time you've factored in shipping to the US and the inevitable customs charges, you are going to be paying around the same in £Sterling, which is too much cash for something that will be rarely used other than to just hold a sidearm that never gets pulled on the airsoft field.
In my search for the wisdom of the Kydex holster masters, I've found some pretty good info on the net. I started out looking at the high end Kydex holsters and found Raven Concealement. Raven's gear is used by Chris Costa and features quite heavily in the Magpul training videos. Their stuff looks top notch with a wide variety of choice of styles and supported weapons platforms. this site is my benchmark for determining whether it is actually worth investing in time, tools and materials to try and make the holster. Let's see how that works out. Sometimes the cost is not so important as the challenge and the learning of new skills (this is still the justification for the amount of time and money I've poured into my L119A1 when I could have just sent it to Fire Support and got them to do it).
As far as obtaining the materials, I found a couple of sites in the US. KnifeKits.com, as the name suggests, supplies kits, materials and tools for making knives and sheaths and the like, inlcuding Kydex sheets. ParacordSecrets.com don't actually supply kydex sheets, but have a bunch of kits for sale (knives and magazine carriers rather than holsters) and a load of interesting articles and bits of hardware for sale.
By and large, so far, the most informative article I've come across is this one on the 1911 Forum giving a step by step set of instructions on making a really professional looking kydex holster. Now the guy who wrote this tutorial has a fully equipped workshop with some awesome power tools, but nothing that could not be achieved with a normal drill and toolbox and a bit of care and attention.
Now I need to get some kydex sheets. Watch this space...
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
RMJ Tactical Warhammer
Dear Santa,
I know it's a bit late in the day, but if you're passing through Chattanooga on the way to my house, could you pop into RMJ Tactical and pick me up some of their goodies, specifically their incredibly bad-ass warhammer (as seen on MilitaryTimes.com). I fully expect the zombie apocalypse to happen soon, so supplying me with this bad boy is practically a public service. Oh, and a tomahawk and kydex holster would also be cool.
Love,
David
I know it's a bit late in the day, but if you're passing through Chattanooga on the way to my house, could you pop into RMJ Tactical and pick me up some of their goodies, specifically their incredibly bad-ass warhammer (as seen on MilitaryTimes.com). I fully expect the zombie apocalypse to happen soon, so supplying me with this bad boy is practically a public service. Oh, and a tomahawk and kydex holster would also be cool.
Love,
David
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
$7 for this? Seriously?
The Tourniquet Retainer from Mayflower costs $7. A good idea, but is it worth the money? It would take longer to set up the sewing machine than it would to actually make one of these. Seven dollars plus shipping for two short pieces of webbing and a few inches of shock cord? Come on.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Lost the screws from your SERPA eh?
Fear not. If you have a junior hacksaw or Dremel tool or something like that, pop along to your local Screwfix store. These screws will serve as replacements for the three that hold your SERPA holster to the MOLLE or belt attachment.
Rawl BZP Machine Screws Pan Head M4x20mm (Pk25)
Part No 97740-0025
£1.52
As mentioned above, youll need something to cut them down as these are 20mm long anf they only need to be about 8mm. No big deal considering the screws were only £1.52. I hate to think how much Blackhawk would rush you for some replacement screws, but a pack of five 25mm bolts with nuts in B&Q was £6.08.
EDIT: disregard the above, it's rubbish. When I got home and tried the screws properly, it turns out they are the correct size but have the wrong thread - only screwing in a couple of turns. Back to the drawing board.
Rawl BZP Machine Screws Pan Head M4x20mm (Pk25)
Part No 97740-0025
£1.52
As mentioned above, youll need something to cut them down as these are 20mm long anf they only need to be about 8mm. No big deal considering the screws were only £1.52. I hate to think how much Blackhawk would rush you for some replacement screws, but a pack of five 25mm bolts with nuts in B&Q was £6.08.
EDIT: disregard the above, it's rubbish. When I got home and tried the screws properly, it turns out they are the correct size but have the wrong thread - only screwing in a couple of turns. Back to the drawing board.
Saturday, 29 October 2011
5.11 Select Carry Pack
Just killing some time before I go out looking for Zombies, I was surfing the net for MP5K carry solutions when I came across this from 5.11. Unfortunately, it costs £105 without the optional pistol pouch, which is way too rich for me for something I would only use very occasionally, but is way cool all the same. More info on the 5.11 website.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Ares Armour RAD Pack
This is fricken' awesome. I've just seen this on the Airsoft international Facebook page. More info can be found on the Ares website.
"The Patents Pending Ares Armor R.A.D. (Rapid Armor Deployment) Pack is the next level of concealed weapon carry. If your enemy brings a gun to the fight, One up him with a full armor system and a weapon of your own."
"You can go from being an average unnoticed citizen and in under 2 seconds deploy a full armor system with a weapon giving you an unexpected advantage in an active shooter situation."
"The Patents Pending Ares Armor R.A.D. (Rapid Armor Deployment) Pack is the next level of concealed weapon carry. If your enemy brings a gun to the fight, One up him with a full armor system and a weapon of your own."
"You can go from being an average unnoticed citizen and in under 2 seconds deploy a full armor system with a weapon giving you an unexpected advantage in an active shooter situation."
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Warbelts
Over the last 12-18 months I have branched out into the worlds of Vietnam airsoft and M14 ownership, I have also expanded the amount of gear I own in an attempt to support these two new areas as well as updating some existing gear.
Whilst building these belts, I've been faced with some interesting dilemmas:
another day. MOLLE, in the case of the modern M4 belt, allows you to stack pouches, as in the case of the triple pistol magazine pouch on top of the double M4 shingle, which makes better use of belt real-estate and the stacked warrior utility pouches allows space for a canteen, ammo or SAW pouch and batteries and presents much less of a problem when faced with the requirements that I placed on the equipment, in fact the only real change to this belt compared to when I originally posted it here is the larger Warrior utility pouch to allow the belt to carry a 1-litre canteen if required.
This belt doesn't conform to the magazine requirements as it will always be worn with a chest rig (currently either the Tactical Tailor two-piece MAV or the 5.11 mini chest rig).
The belt that I had most trouble with was the M14 rig. As this is designed as a stand alone rig, unlike the M4 belt, and will not be worn with an accompanying chest rig or plate carrier and as a result has to carry four large magazine pouches which take up most of the belt. The belt is currently supported by a USGI load bearing vest, but I'm not keen on this and the additional pouches serve very little use when carrying an M14. Ideally, I would like a MOLLE version of this load bearing vest, but there is no real MOLLE analogue. The FLC comes close but features a built in belt and is not available in OD. If I can find a cheap coyote FLC I may give it a try, until then, this will suffice. Once I have equipped the M56 belt with a more appropriate harness, the LC2 suspenders will find there way back onto this belt. The pistol magazine pouch will also get swapped out at some point for one in OD.
The one thing I'm really not happy with on this belt is the SAW pouch. Can't quite put my finger on it, but it's not quite right. I think a large Tactical Tailor utility pouch may replace it in the near future.
With all that in mind, I bring you the 2011 Autumn warbelt range.
The M1956-based Warbelt
Still a work in progress, this belt consists of mostly M1956 webbing (pistol and rifle ammo pouches, belt & compass pouch) and also features a pair of later M1967 water bottle pouches and a 1963 dated leather 1911 holster.
Unfortunately, this is currently all held up with LC2 suspenders until I can get hold of a pair of long M1956 or '67 suspenders but will do for now. Other stuff I'd like to put on this includes a third rifle magazine pouch and a jungle first aid kit (if I can find the space) and maybe a couple of period carabiners.
This is intended for use with my M14 and also the Stoner, although this renders the magazine pouches redundent as they are too small for a Stoner ammo box. Plans are also brewing for either a G&P CAR-15 or XM-177, not decided yet.
The M14 Warbelt
Another work in progress. This is waiting on another pair of Tactical Tailor M14 pouches to replace the cheap and nasty Pantac quad magazine pouch. I would also like to change the Flyye SAW pouch but this comes in useful for the spare box mag when carrying the Stoner.
The Contemporary M4 Shooter Warbelt
Not much else to say about this fella. It's been used a few times in this configuration and I'm pretty much 100% satisfied with it.
Whilst building these belts, I've been faced with some interesting dilemmas:
- How do I carry everything I need to carry?
- How do I carry everything I need to carry without overloading the belt with unnecessary crap?
- How do I make the belt versatile enough to support more than one weapons platform?
- Magazine pouches for at least eight rifle magazines.
- Magazine pouches for at least two pistol magazines.
- Space for at least one 1-litre water bottle or canteen.
- Space for at least 1000 spare rounds (0.2g BBs).
- A handgun holster.
another day. MOLLE, in the case of the modern M4 belt, allows you to stack pouches, as in the case of the triple pistol magazine pouch on top of the double M4 shingle, which makes better use of belt real-estate and the stacked warrior utility pouches allows space for a canteen, ammo or SAW pouch and batteries and presents much less of a problem when faced with the requirements that I placed on the equipment, in fact the only real change to this belt compared to when I originally posted it here is the larger Warrior utility pouch to allow the belt to carry a 1-litre canteen if required.
This belt doesn't conform to the magazine requirements as it will always be worn with a chest rig (currently either the Tactical Tailor two-piece MAV or the 5.11 mini chest rig).
The belt that I had most trouble with was the M14 rig. As this is designed as a stand alone rig, unlike the M4 belt, and will not be worn with an accompanying chest rig or plate carrier and as a result has to carry four large magazine pouches which take up most of the belt. The belt is currently supported by a USGI load bearing vest, but I'm not keen on this and the additional pouches serve very little use when carrying an M14. Ideally, I would like a MOLLE version of this load bearing vest, but there is no real MOLLE analogue. The FLC comes close but features a built in belt and is not available in OD. If I can find a cheap coyote FLC I may give it a try, until then, this will suffice. Once I have equipped the M56 belt with a more appropriate harness, the LC2 suspenders will find there way back onto this belt. The pistol magazine pouch will also get swapped out at some point for one in OD.
The one thing I'm really not happy with on this belt is the SAW pouch. Can't quite put my finger on it, but it's not quite right. I think a large Tactical Tailor utility pouch may replace it in the near future.
With all that in mind, I bring you the 2011 Autumn warbelt range.
The M1956-based Warbelt
Still a work in progress, this belt consists of mostly M1956 webbing (pistol and rifle ammo pouches, belt & compass pouch) and also features a pair of later M1967 water bottle pouches and a 1963 dated leather 1911 holster.
Unfortunately, this is currently all held up with LC2 suspenders until I can get hold of a pair of long M1956 or '67 suspenders but will do for now. Other stuff I'd like to put on this includes a third rifle magazine pouch and a jungle first aid kit (if I can find the space) and maybe a couple of period carabiners.
This is intended for use with my M14 and also the Stoner, although this renders the magazine pouches redundent as they are too small for a Stoner ammo box. Plans are also brewing for either a G&P CAR-15 or XM-177, not decided yet.
The M14 Warbelt
Another work in progress. This is waiting on another pair of Tactical Tailor M14 pouches to replace the cheap and nasty Pantac quad magazine pouch. I would also like to change the Flyye SAW pouch but this comes in useful for the spare box mag when carrying the Stoner.
The Contemporary M4 Shooter Warbelt
Not much else to say about this fella. It's been used a few times in this configuration and I'm pretty much 100% satisfied with it.
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Most Tactical Loadout Ever...
Best bit is about 1:50 in. This dude is so cool, I wanna be just like him.
Edit: had to edit this after I'd posted it to add the guys other video - MTAR: Most Tactial AR-15. Brilliant.
Edit: had to edit this after I'd posted it to add the guys other video - MTAR: Most Tactial AR-15. Brilliant.
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Intelligent Armour MACH Helmets
Just had an email from Alex at Intelligent Armour about their new range of ballistic helmets. I'm no expert on ballistic helmets so I'll let this excerpt from the website explain:
The MACH range is aimed at the Military and Police special tactical units and close protection teams, Intelligent Armour have upgraded our standard Military Advanced Combat Helmet MACH 1 and added Ops-Core 2010 ACH-ARC Kit & Ops-Core VAS Shroud to enhance compatibility with all NVG and communication systems.
The Ops-Core rail system will be familiar to anyone intently following the changes of equipment that UKSF units are going through. The American Ops-Core rail system featuring heavily on the FAST ballistic helmets now believed to be in use by Tier 1 UK Special Forces, as well as their US counterparts, a range very similar to Intelligent Armour's MACH helmets.
As well as the MACH+Ops-Core range, there are more traditional MICH/ACH and PASGT style lines to choose from. Each of the helmets in the range has a downloadable PDF fact sheet with a full description and specification, like this one for the MACH1+Ops-Core helmet.
If you want even more reassurance of the quality of these helmets, there is also a ballistic test report from Wiltshire Ballistic Services Ltd outlining the MACH1, 2 and 3 helmet's ability to defeat 9mm FMJ rounds to NIJ 0108.01 level IIIA.
As I said, I'm no expert and this doesn't mean a great deal to me, but sounds very impressive. Email the guys at Intelligent Armour or phone them on +44 (0) 1453 700574 for more information.
Intelligent Armour are also on Twitter and Facebook if you want to keep up to date with future products and services.
The MACH range is aimed at the Military and Police special tactical units and close protection teams, Intelligent Armour have upgraded our standard Military Advanced Combat Helmet MACH 1 and added Ops-Core 2010 ACH-ARC Kit & Ops-Core VAS Shroud to enhance compatibility with all NVG and communication systems.
The Ops-Core rail system will be familiar to anyone intently following the changes of equipment that UKSF units are going through. The American Ops-Core rail system featuring heavily on the FAST ballistic helmets now believed to be in use by Tier 1 UK Special Forces, as well as their US counterparts, a range very similar to Intelligent Armour's MACH helmets.
As well as the MACH+Ops-Core range, there are more traditional MICH/ACH and PASGT style lines to choose from. Each of the helmets in the range has a downloadable PDF fact sheet with a full description and specification, like this one for the MACH1+Ops-Core helmet.
If you want even more reassurance of the quality of these helmets, there is also a ballistic test report from Wiltshire Ballistic Services Ltd outlining the MACH1, 2 and 3 helmet's ability to defeat 9mm FMJ rounds to NIJ 0108.01 level IIIA.
As I said, I'm no expert and this doesn't mean a great deal to me, but sounds very impressive. Email the guys at Intelligent Armour or phone them on +44 (0) 1453 700574 for more information.
Intelligent Armour are also on Twitter and Facebook if you want to keep up to date with future products and services.
Friday, 1 July 2011
Gun Porn From Surefire Promoting Hi-Cap STANAG Magazines
Surefire have started shipping their 60 and 100 round 5.56 STANAG magazines to dealers. Click here for the promotional video on their youtube channel.
Friday, 24 June 2011
NV Contact Lenses: Truth or BS?
BS or not, sounds sort of plausable and cool as hell. Apparently, the SeALs who took Bin Laden down were wearing these. Or the helmets with the peripheral-view PVS-15's also mentioned in the article. Either way, who cares.
Read the article at Kit Up.
Read the article at Kit Up.
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Helikon Tactical Gear
Being six foot two with a 34 inch inside leg, it gets pretty tricky to find combat trousers long enough without having to import them from the US. Most UK retailers I've tried seem to think that 31 1/2 inch inside leg is normal, I disagree. When I discovered Helikon Tactical gear, I was very pleased to see that they tailor for people like me as well as folks with regular and short legs and don't charge a premium price for it.
The first Helikon item I bought was from Military 1st who have a huge range of Helikon gear in all shapes, sizes and colours (well, OD, coyote and black, if you want to be specific). The Classic Army Fleece in olive arrived in no time - Military 1st's delivery times are among the best I've encountered, both times I've used them, the item has arrived the following day - and I was far from disappointed. The material is a good quality, as is the stitching. There are three pockets, a hip pocket on either side and a chest pocket, all with zips. The shoulders and elbows are reinforced with a windproof material giving the garment a bit of extra weatherproofing. The cuffs have an adjustable velcro fastening and the collar and waist benefit from an adjustable shock cord to keep the weather out that little bit more. The description on the website reads as follows:
Comfortable and warm Classic Army fleece made of quality and strong polyester. It fastens with a sturdy two-way zipper and features high collar which can be fastened to the neck, two side pockets and one chest pocket, all with zippers, reinforced elbows and shoulders as well as adjustable waist with drawstring and adjustable wrists.
* Front zipper
* High collar
* 2 side pockets
* Chest pocket
* Reinforced elbows and shoulders
* Adjustable waist with drawstring
* Adjustable wrists with Velcro
* Material: 100% Polyester
* Manufacturer: Helikon
I've worn the item quite regularly over the last month or so and have found it to be very comfortable. My only gripe would be the sizing. On the Military 1st website, the XXL is recommended for a chest size of 44-47 inches. I'm about a 45 chest, and being six foot two have pretty long monkey arms, so I went for the bigger size. It fits nicely, but is a touch on the big size, which is fine for everday use but if I was going to wear this for airsoft games when it's a bit chilly or as a mid layer under a jacket, I would want a smaller size. I tried it on under a Tactical Tailor two-piece MAV and there is a lot of excess fabric sticking out. I'd like to try an XL and may well get another of these fleeces in black, at £32.99, it's not out of the price range of most people who take their outdoor gear seriously, and it certainly compares and performs favourably against similar North Face gear I own. I have no experience of similar garments on the market that this item is directly competing with, such as 5.11 and Blackhawk as well as the classic US issued Peckham fleece (which the design is very similar to), but the price alone should make it a competitor. For anybody wanting more 'big-boy' features, the next model up in the range, the Liberty model, benefits from double-layered fabric, armpit zips, sleeve pockets and cordura shoulder and elbow reinforcements, all for a very tidy £44.99.
The Helikon SFU Trousers NyCo Ripstop trousers are a similarly nice quality, roomy and long in the leg (if you buy the long leg length, obviously) with sizeable and plentiful pockets, reinforced seat and reinforced knees with a double layer closed with velcro to allow the use of some sort of kneepad, although I could not find any such thing on the Military 1st website. Cutting some rollmat to fit would more than suffice. The official description reads thus:
These quality, heavy wearing and comfortable Special Forces Uniform (SFU) cargo trousers features 9 pockets, double layer on the knee and on the backside as well as pockets with Velcro closure on each knee for padding. Suitable for general forces personnel and cadets. Ideal for airsoft and paintball enthusiasts or fishing and hunting.
* Button fly
* Two regular front hand pockets
* Two rear pockets with Velcro
* Two roomy cargo style pockets with Velcro flaps
* Two smaller pockets at the front
* Small knife pocket with Velcro on the right leg
* Reinforced seat for longer wear
* Knee patch reinforcements
* Two Velcro slots for knee pads
* Side waist adjusters
* Internal drawstring tie bottoms
* Belt loops
* Material: NyCo Ripstop (50% nylon, 50% cotton)
* Manufacturer: Helikon
* Brand new
As you'd expect of any combat-type trouser, there are two hip pockets, two back pockets and two big thigh pockets. In addition, there is a calf pocket with a two-column row of elastic and a two-column row of PALS webbing stitched on three sides to afford a place to keep items like cyalume sticks or similar without fear of them falling out. The calf pocket itself is about the size of a STANAG magazine, probably designed for a field dressing or two. The other extra pockets sit over the hip pockets and again, are around the size of a STANAG rifle magazine, although putting one in this pocket, it sticks out the top of the pocket about an inch or so and would probably be at risk of falling out when in a crouching position, but it gives you an idea of the size, these pockets are probably better suited for soft objects to avoid the contents digging in. The rear and thigh pockets have velcro closure rather than buttons, which is a bit of a shame as I would have preferred buttons, but each to their own, it is a minor personal preference. Whilst browsing the Military 1st website, I did notice that the Helikon BDU trousers have button pockets and their M65 trousers have popper fasteners rather than velcro so there is plenty of choice if, like me, you find velcro pockets a but unwieldy. At £25.99 a pair, I can't really moan too much though.
Check out the full range of Helikon gear at Military 1st.
The first Helikon item I bought was from Military 1st who have a huge range of Helikon gear in all shapes, sizes and colours (well, OD, coyote and black, if you want to be specific). The Classic Army Fleece in olive arrived in no time - Military 1st's delivery times are among the best I've encountered, both times I've used them, the item has arrived the following day - and I was far from disappointed. The material is a good quality, as is the stitching. There are three pockets, a hip pocket on either side and a chest pocket, all with zips. The shoulders and elbows are reinforced with a windproof material giving the garment a bit of extra weatherproofing. The cuffs have an adjustable velcro fastening and the collar and waist benefit from an adjustable shock cord to keep the weather out that little bit more. The description on the website reads as follows:
Comfortable and warm Classic Army fleece made of quality and strong polyester. It fastens with a sturdy two-way zipper and features high collar which can be fastened to the neck, two side pockets and one chest pocket, all with zippers, reinforced elbows and shoulders as well as adjustable waist with drawstring and adjustable wrists.
* Front zipper
* High collar
* 2 side pockets
* Chest pocket
* Reinforced elbows and shoulders
* Adjustable waist with drawstring
* Adjustable wrists with Velcro
* Material: 100% Polyester
* Manufacturer: Helikon
I've worn the item quite regularly over the last month or so and have found it to be very comfortable. My only gripe would be the sizing. On the Military 1st website, the XXL is recommended for a chest size of 44-47 inches. I'm about a 45 chest, and being six foot two have pretty long monkey arms, so I went for the bigger size. It fits nicely, but is a touch on the big size, which is fine for everday use but if I was going to wear this for airsoft games when it's a bit chilly or as a mid layer under a jacket, I would want a smaller size. I tried it on under a Tactical Tailor two-piece MAV and there is a lot of excess fabric sticking out. I'd like to try an XL and may well get another of these fleeces in black, at £32.99, it's not out of the price range of most people who take their outdoor gear seriously, and it certainly compares and performs favourably against similar North Face gear I own. I have no experience of similar garments on the market that this item is directly competing with, such as 5.11 and Blackhawk as well as the classic US issued Peckham fleece (which the design is very similar to), but the price alone should make it a competitor. For anybody wanting more 'big-boy' features, the next model up in the range, the Liberty model, benefits from double-layered fabric, armpit zips, sleeve pockets and cordura shoulder and elbow reinforcements, all for a very tidy £44.99.
The Helikon SFU Trousers NyCo Ripstop trousers are a similarly nice quality, roomy and long in the leg (if you buy the long leg length, obviously) with sizeable and plentiful pockets, reinforced seat and reinforced knees with a double layer closed with velcro to allow the use of some sort of kneepad, although I could not find any such thing on the Military 1st website. Cutting some rollmat to fit would more than suffice. The official description reads thus:
These quality, heavy wearing and comfortable Special Forces Uniform (SFU) cargo trousers features 9 pockets, double layer on the knee and on the backside as well as pockets with Velcro closure on each knee for padding. Suitable for general forces personnel and cadets. Ideal for airsoft and paintball enthusiasts or fishing and hunting.
* Button fly
* Two regular front hand pockets
* Two rear pockets with Velcro
* Two roomy cargo style pockets with Velcro flaps
* Two smaller pockets at the front
* Small knife pocket with Velcro on the right leg
* Reinforced seat for longer wear
* Knee patch reinforcements
* Two Velcro slots for knee pads
* Side waist adjusters
* Internal drawstring tie bottoms
* Belt loops
* Material: NyCo Ripstop (50% nylon, 50% cotton)
* Manufacturer: Helikon
* Brand new
As you'd expect of any combat-type trouser, there are two hip pockets, two back pockets and two big thigh pockets. In addition, there is a calf pocket with a two-column row of elastic and a two-column row of PALS webbing stitched on three sides to afford a place to keep items like cyalume sticks or similar without fear of them falling out. The calf pocket itself is about the size of a STANAG magazine, probably designed for a field dressing or two. The other extra pockets sit over the hip pockets and again, are around the size of a STANAG rifle magazine, although putting one in this pocket, it sticks out the top of the pocket about an inch or so and would probably be at risk of falling out when in a crouching position, but it gives you an idea of the size, these pockets are probably better suited for soft objects to avoid the contents digging in. The rear and thigh pockets have velcro closure rather than buttons, which is a bit of a shame as I would have preferred buttons, but each to their own, it is a minor personal preference. Whilst browsing the Military 1st website, I did notice that the Helikon BDU trousers have button pockets and their M65 trousers have popper fasteners rather than velcro so there is plenty of choice if, like me, you find velcro pockets a but unwieldy. At £25.99 a pair, I can't really moan too much though.
Check out the full range of Helikon gear at Military 1st.
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Old School M14 Rig
In my search for a load bearing solution fr my M14, I decided to eschew the normal MOLLE route and throw together a few bits I already had lying around. Add a couple of Tactical Tailor 7.62 magazine pouches (okay, almost eschewing MOLLE) and you have the results below. It could do with another one or two magazine pouches (Tactical-Kit.co.uk only had two OD pouches in stock, more due in soon) but apart from that, I'm pretty happy with it. The HSGI holster may stay or go, possibly in favour of a USGI belt mounted model. It's 90% there I reckon.
More info on ALICE gear can be found on Wikipedia here.
More info on ALICE gear can be found on Wikipedia here.
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
New Stuff
Double Eagle Benelli M4 Shotgun
For a while I had a hankering for a shotgun. Now whenever I've seen shotguns in action on the airsoft field, they never seem to be very effective so I didn't want to spend upwards of £150 on something that can only really be described as a whim purchase. Again, the Chinese come to my rescue in the form of the range of shotguns produced by Double Eagle. The one I really wanted was the shorter barrelled version, but in the end, and as result of the complete lack of stock of these guns, I went for the DE M56DL Tactical M4 Full length from Airsoft World.
Rather than re-type what I have already said about this gun, I'll post the review that I did for the Airsoft World website...
I bought this shotgun, the DE M56DL Tactical M4 Full length from Airsoft World. I ordered it on the Thursday morning, paid the extra for Saturday delivery and it duly arrived Saturday morning. When I opened the box I was very surprised with the quality of this fifty quid gun. It's sturdy and feels well made and solid with rubberised grip surfaces. The gun comes with a single cartridge, a pistol-mag style speedloader, a bag of cheap yellow ammo, two point sling and a small allen key (which seems to be for adjusting the nearsight). I took it out of the box and had a go straight away. It's a good sized gun, I'm six two and it feels big for me. The extending stock would help smaller folk, but it would still be bulky and just to reiterate, feels more expensive than the price tag suggests.
The pump action is pretty stiff, and it makes a solid noise when fired with no rattles from the internals. The gun fires three rounds each time and holds a single 30 round cartridge in the compartment just in front of the trigger guard and can keep a spare in the hollow in the pistol grip, but I'm not sure I'd trust it to stay in there. My only complaint, and it was something mentioned in the description text on the website, is that the stock tube does come loose, which it did almost immediately. This requires a really long 4mm allen key (about six inches, which I'm still trying to source) to do it up. A minor gripe, but still a bit of a pain if you don't have the right tool for the job. I'm going to threadlock it too when I find an allen key to tighten it up again. My only other problem is finding somewhere with the spare cartridges in stock, then I'm taking it out for a go at a skirmish. Considering the price paid for this gun, approximately a third of the cost of a comparable Marui item, it's a brilliant bargain. I may even buy the short barrelled version as well sometime.
What I would add to this is that when the stock comes loose (which in my experience is as soon as you take it out of the box) you will need the aforementioned really-fucking-long 4mm allen key. Six inches is the bare minimum length and don't think, like I did, that you have a socket screwdriver or similar because the inner diameter of the stock tube is too small to take socket screwdrivers or the adaptors that are usually found on the ends of them. After a lot of trial and error, I found a suitable allen key made by specialist cycle tool manufacturer Fat Spanner. This allen key has approximately six inches of exposed shaft and is just long enough. A bit pricey at £4.50 for a tool you may only use a couple of times, but always worth having the right tool for the job. I eventually bought one from Bunney's Bikes in Nottingham.
Last night, as you can see from the picture, I set it up in full tactical mode with the Aimpoint from my M4 and a torch and torch mount. The torch I've had for a while, the remote switch is a Spiderfire item and the mount was a cheap one off eBay. Looks pretty good like this.
Blackhawk Crossdraw Vest
I've wanted a Blackhawk vest for a while. Not something I was desperate for, but from watching Stargate and Blackhawk Down, I quite fancied owning a DOAV (Delta Operators Assault Vest) at some point. I'm still on the lookout for a DOAV as they don't seem to come up for sale very often. In the mean time, I'll settle for this crossdraw vest that I bought off the UKAZ forum recently. Not used it yet but I have tried it on and it's pretty comfy. It needs a bit of adjustment, of which there is plenty. Velcro adjusters on the shoulders and drawstring adjusters at the sides of the rear panel and I imagine that this would fit most people.
I'll write some more about this on the future when I've had more of a play with it, until then, enjoy the picture.
Ares M16 85 round magazines
I promised to take a couple of mates airsofting for the first time recently. I had guns to lend but not enough magazines so I bought a box of these Ares plastic 85 round mags. The three problems I ran into are thus:
1. They are a bit fatter than metal mags and asa a result, are a bit of a tight fit in both the Classic Army and Guarder receivers of my two Colt rifles. I dare say they'll wear down with use, but at present, it's a bit of a squeeze getting them to seat properly and then less than graceful trying to get them out again. Low speed, high drag.
2. They don't feed very well, at least the couple of times I used them over the course of a days skirmishing at Urban Assault, I had a couple of feed issues which resulted in me ditching the mag and going to the next available metal one.
3. They re described as black, the label on the box says black. They are mid- to dark grey at best.
Complaints aside, a bit of silicon spray will probably fix the feed issues, grey is nearly black and I'll just have to fight with them whenever I use them, and to be fair, they'll always be the last mags to be used. For £45 including postage from Zero One you can't complain too much if they don't last forever either.
For a while I had a hankering for a shotgun. Now whenever I've seen shotguns in action on the airsoft field, they never seem to be very effective so I didn't want to spend upwards of £150 on something that can only really be described as a whim purchase. Again, the Chinese come to my rescue in the form of the range of shotguns produced by Double Eagle. The one I really wanted was the shorter barrelled version, but in the end, and as result of the complete lack of stock of these guns, I went for the DE M56DL Tactical M4 Full length from Airsoft World.
Rather than re-type what I have already said about this gun, I'll post the review that I did for the Airsoft World website...
I bought this shotgun, the DE M56DL Tactical M4 Full length from Airsoft World. I ordered it on the Thursday morning, paid the extra for Saturday delivery and it duly arrived Saturday morning. When I opened the box I was very surprised with the quality of this fifty quid gun. It's sturdy and feels well made and solid with rubberised grip surfaces. The gun comes with a single cartridge, a pistol-mag style speedloader, a bag of cheap yellow ammo, two point sling and a small allen key (which seems to be for adjusting the nearsight). I took it out of the box and had a go straight away. It's a good sized gun, I'm six two and it feels big for me. The extending stock would help smaller folk, but it would still be bulky and just to reiterate, feels more expensive than the price tag suggests.
The pump action is pretty stiff, and it makes a solid noise when fired with no rattles from the internals. The gun fires three rounds each time and holds a single 30 round cartridge in the compartment just in front of the trigger guard and can keep a spare in the hollow in the pistol grip, but I'm not sure I'd trust it to stay in there. My only complaint, and it was something mentioned in the description text on the website, is that the stock tube does come loose, which it did almost immediately. This requires a really long 4mm allen key (about six inches, which I'm still trying to source) to do it up. A minor gripe, but still a bit of a pain if you don't have the right tool for the job. I'm going to threadlock it too when I find an allen key to tighten it up again. My only other problem is finding somewhere with the spare cartridges in stock, then I'm taking it out for a go at a skirmish. Considering the price paid for this gun, approximately a third of the cost of a comparable Marui item, it's a brilliant bargain. I may even buy the short barrelled version as well sometime.
What I would add to this is that when the stock comes loose (which in my experience is as soon as you take it out of the box) you will need the aforementioned really-fucking-long 4mm allen key. Six inches is the bare minimum length and don't think, like I did, that you have a socket screwdriver or similar because the inner diameter of the stock tube is too small to take socket screwdrivers or the adaptors that are usually found on the ends of them. After a lot of trial and error, I found a suitable allen key made by specialist cycle tool manufacturer Fat Spanner. This allen key has approximately six inches of exposed shaft and is just long enough. A bit pricey at £4.50 for a tool you may only use a couple of times, but always worth having the right tool for the job. I eventually bought one from Bunney's Bikes in Nottingham.
Last night, as you can see from the picture, I set it up in full tactical mode with the Aimpoint from my M4 and a torch and torch mount. The torch I've had for a while, the remote switch is a Spiderfire item and the mount was a cheap one off eBay. Looks pretty good like this.
Blackhawk Crossdraw Vest
I've wanted a Blackhawk vest for a while. Not something I was desperate for, but from watching Stargate and Blackhawk Down, I quite fancied owning a DOAV (Delta Operators Assault Vest) at some point. I'm still on the lookout for a DOAV as they don't seem to come up for sale very often. In the mean time, I'll settle for this crossdraw vest that I bought off the UKAZ forum recently. Not used it yet but I have tried it on and it's pretty comfy. It needs a bit of adjustment, of which there is plenty. Velcro adjusters on the shoulders and drawstring adjusters at the sides of the rear panel and I imagine that this would fit most people.
I'll write some more about this on the future when I've had more of a play with it, until then, enjoy the picture.
Ares M16 85 round magazines
I promised to take a couple of mates airsofting for the first time recently. I had guns to lend but not enough magazines so I bought a box of these Ares plastic 85 round mags. The three problems I ran into are thus:
1. They are a bit fatter than metal mags and asa a result, are a bit of a tight fit in both the Classic Army and Guarder receivers of my two Colt rifles. I dare say they'll wear down with use, but at present, it's a bit of a squeeze getting them to seat properly and then less than graceful trying to get them out again. Low speed, high drag.
2. They don't feed very well, at least the couple of times I used them over the course of a days skirmishing at Urban Assault, I had a couple of feed issues which resulted in me ditching the mag and going to the next available metal one.
3. They re described as black, the label on the box says black. They are mid- to dark grey at best.
Complaints aside, a bit of silicon spray will probably fix the feed issues, grey is nearly black and I'll just have to fight with them whenever I use them, and to be fair, they'll always be the last mags to be used. For £45 including postage from Zero One you can't complain too much if they don't last forever either.
Monday, 20 September 2010
Holster Bad-Assery
I've just found a link to Andrews Leather over at the Zombie Hunters Forum. Not only do they make a brain-blistering array of leather holsters, but they also have excellent 70s cop show style guys modelling their wares. My personal favourite - the Firepower rig, designed specifically for "narcs who wished to make a good first impression on their customers".
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Completed Work - L119s & Warbelt
It's taken a long time but the L119A1 projects are finished. A Readymag is in the post, but apart from that, you see in front of you two finished guns.
The fullsize L119 consists of a Marui M4A1 RIS, although all that really remains is the stock and the internals. The 10" SFW is a piecemeal of Classic Army receiver and internals and Marui RIS.
The battlebelt has gone through a few incarnations but I'm finally happy with it. I'm trialling the weapon retention strap to see if I get on with it, this may stay or go but the rest is pretty much set in stone.
Apologies for the poor quality photos, I'll get some better ones up shortly. Just wanted to show off not one, not two, but three finished projects.
The fullsize L119 consists of a Marui M4A1 RIS, although all that really remains is the stock and the internals. The 10" SFW is a piecemeal of Classic Army receiver and internals and Marui RIS.
The battlebelt has gone through a few incarnations but I'm finally happy with it. I'm trialling the weapon retention strap to see if I get on with it, this may stay or go but the rest is pretty much set in stone.
Apologies for the poor quality photos, I'll get some better ones up shortly. Just wanted to show off not one, not two, but three finished projects.
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Tactical Camera Gear: When Two Gear-Obsessed Worlds Collide
Being a keen photographer and tactical-gear nerd, I wondered if there was any middle ground between the two. Cameras are obviously used in the Military and Law Enforcement fields for surveillance and the like, so there must be a requirement for hard use gear for storing and transportation of expensive and fragile electronics and optics. I thought I'd look into it.
I'm currently using a LowePro Toploader bag for my Sony a200. It's okay for the time being as I just have the standard lens that came with the camera and a couple of small accessories and cables that just about fit in the front zip pouch, but if I need to carry anything else, like a tripod or gorillapod, I have to carry another bag or rucksack, which isn't ideal. Something bigger and more practical is required.
The first site I found having typed in 'tactical camera gear' into Google was this camera grip/mount thing made from a wooden rifle stock with a couple of RIS rails, a torch and bipod attached. Not only really cool but practical and not entirely very complicated to make. This has been added to the future projects list. Unfortunately not really what I was looking for. I'm also not sure what the Police in the UK would make of you carrying it round in public.
Back to the old search engine, there are, as I expected, a couple of options from some of the major tactical gear manufacturers like Diamondback Tactical, and Flyye as well as a couple of Chinese airsoft sites like Toy Soldier and Airsoft Club. The DBT offerings consist of a camera/optics bag and a camera/optics bag with a laptop sleeve on the front. Both look as though they are designed as an insert for a rucksack or assault pack, although I could be mistaken. Toy Soldier and Airsoft Club, obviously at the other end of the tactical gear price range, have more of a variety. Toy Soldier boasts several items including a camera go-bag, single-point sling type camera straps and a couple of chest rig style offerings, with Airsoft Club having a more multi-purpose, multicam shoulder bag at a very reasonable US$22.99.
Although not particularly tactical, but still worth a mention are professional level photographers luggage manufacturers CCS who have an excellent range of gear ranging from simple compact camera pouches to full blown camera and lens rucksacks. If you can't find a bag on there, you haven't looked hard enough.
MOLLE systems are nowhere near as exploited by the photography industry as they could be. I found a few manufacturers that made individual MOLLE components that, combined with a battle belt, chest rig or drop leg panel could be very useful, not to mention cool-looking. Items such as the Forward Observer pouch from Hazard 4, the Spec-Ops padded utility pouches as well as some of the more military-oriented MOLLE accessories like dump pouches or clamshell style medic pouches and you could have a very versatile as well as individual camera-bearing solution.
Finally, although not a manufacturer or retailer, this guy clearly knows how to put together a camera rig such as the one I mentioned above, making use of commercial MOLLE components. Read his blog here.
I'm currently using a LowePro Toploader bag for my Sony a200. It's okay for the time being as I just have the standard lens that came with the camera and a couple of small accessories and cables that just about fit in the front zip pouch, but if I need to carry anything else, like a tripod or gorillapod, I have to carry another bag or rucksack, which isn't ideal. Something bigger and more practical is required.
The first site I found having typed in 'tactical camera gear' into Google was this camera grip/mount thing made from a wooden rifle stock with a couple of RIS rails, a torch and bipod attached. Not only really cool but practical and not entirely very complicated to make. This has been added to the future projects list. Unfortunately not really what I was looking for. I'm also not sure what the Police in the UK would make of you carrying it round in public.
Back to the old search engine, there are, as I expected, a couple of options from some of the major tactical gear manufacturers like Diamondback Tactical, and Flyye as well as a couple of Chinese airsoft sites like Toy Soldier and Airsoft Club. The DBT offerings consist of a camera/optics bag and a camera/optics bag with a laptop sleeve on the front. Both look as though they are designed as an insert for a rucksack or assault pack, although I could be mistaken. Toy Soldier and Airsoft Club, obviously at the other end of the tactical gear price range, have more of a variety. Toy Soldier boasts several items including a camera go-bag, single-point sling type camera straps and a couple of chest rig style offerings, with Airsoft Club having a more multi-purpose, multicam shoulder bag at a very reasonable US$22.99.
Although not particularly tactical, but still worth a mention are professional level photographers luggage manufacturers CCS who have an excellent range of gear ranging from simple compact camera pouches to full blown camera and lens rucksacks. If you can't find a bag on there, you haven't looked hard enough.
MOLLE systems are nowhere near as exploited by the photography industry as they could be. I found a few manufacturers that made individual MOLLE components that, combined with a battle belt, chest rig or drop leg panel could be very useful, not to mention cool-looking. Items such as the Forward Observer pouch from Hazard 4, the Spec-Ops padded utility pouches as well as some of the more military-oriented MOLLE accessories like dump pouches or clamshell style medic pouches and you could have a very versatile as well as individual camera-bearing solution.
Finally, although not a manufacturer or retailer, this guy clearly knows how to put together a camera rig such as the one I mentioned above, making use of commercial MOLLE components. Read his blog here.
Monday, 22 March 2010
Website Review: Intelligent Armour
A year ago I had an email from Alex, the owner of Intelligent Armour asking if I could post a link to their gear and training sites, which I was more than happy to do. Since then, Intelligent Armour has gone from strength to strength and now has a fully fledged and fully stocked web store with an excellent selection of gear, more reminiscent of a US based gear store than a UK one.
Intelligent Armour Limited provides tactical equipment solutions for individuals and teams. Our clients range from Government Agencies, Armed Forces, Police, and the Private Security / Close Protection sectors Worldwide.
Our aim is to supply the correct operational equipment at the best possible price, we seek to supply the most up to date field tested tactical products and body armour.
On first inspection the Intelligent Armour is well-designed, clear and easy to navigate. There is the usual selection of Oakley, Blackhawk and 5.11 gear, but further investigation leads to a wealth of unusual and interesting tactical gear aimed at law enforcement, military and private security, and also featuring equipment suitable for outdoorsmen, embedded journalists or anyone interested in high quality, hard wearing clothing and equipment, such as the Bugout Gear bags, Fjallraven clothing range. A the company name would suggest, an extensive range of covert and overt body armour, plates and ballistic helmets is also available. It is also nice to see a range of Fjallraven gear in ladies sizes and styles.
Fans of multicam will also be pleased to find a strong range of Blackhawk MOLLE accessories in this pattern. Whilst not particularly to my taste, it is a popular camo with geardos and airsofters and, due to it's recent adoption with the US army as well as the announcement of the adoption of the MTP camouflage pattern by the British Army, doesn't show any signs of going away in the near future.
My only criticism would be to say that there could be a bigger range of US brands on sale. I have nothing bad to say about the 5.11 or Blackhawk gear that I've come across, but it would be nice to see some others like Tactical Tailor or even some more esoteric brands like ICE Tactical or Maxpedition which you don't see very often on British retailer's web sites. That said, this is not so much a criticism of this site so much as an observation on UK tactical gear retailers in general. I'll freely admit that I don't know the politics behind the supply and demand of gear between the US and UK and this may be down to the US manufacturers and suppliers more than the UK retailers so I'll leave it here as a general observation rather than a criticism of what I have found to be a very impressive and interesting site.
My single favourite item on the site is the Fjallraven Vidda Trousers. At £110 they are not for the faint hearted. Fjallraven are new to me, but I am very impressed with what I have seen of them on this site.
If you are not convinced by the shop site, Intelligent Armour is part of Intelligent Holdings who also have Close Protection, Intelligence and Training divisions and are wholly owned by a former member of the British Army which suggests to me that this is a company that Knows what they are doing.
Intelligent Armour Limited supply to a number of Government units, and we have only recently opened up our marketing to Airsoft; and it's all going very well.
We try to keep our prices very realistic and ship to around 30 different counties each month; every month, our business is growing by 15-25%.
To finish off, a couple of point which may be of additional interest is that Intelligent Armour offer 10% discount to members of the armed forces and police services. A discount which has also very kindly been offered by Intelligent Armour to readers of this blog. Monthly product updates will also be a future feature. Stay tuned.
Massively Impressed...
SOLO International have managed, within a few days, to supply me with the Condor Tear-Away EMT pouch I've been after (from another site) since the beginning of the year. nice to have a good experience with an online gear store for a change. Thanks to Pete at SOLO for sorting this out.
I'll get a review of the pouch up when I get a chance.
I'll get a review of the pouch up when I get a chance.
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