SIG SAUER - Never Settle

Archive for June, 2013

The Winkler Axes That Started It All

Monday, June 3rd, 2013

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ABS master smith Daniel Winkler has been producing various “Breaching/Combat Axes” for several US units since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom but the genesis of the project was actually in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. A member of the US Navy contacted him and asked him to develop an axe for his team based on some of the traditional American designs he had been doing. Daniel produced a prototype and the requester purchased it himself. The team approved the axe but due to finance restrictions placed on their funding there was no money to finance the purchase for the rest of the Unit. Daniel’s client carried the prototype axe during the first Gulf war and later retired from military service. In an odd twist, after 9/11 he reentered military service, but this time with the US Army. During his training and deployment other members of his team saw the effectiveness of the axe and wanted one too. Daniel made several more at the same 15-year-old price (actual cost) and the guys were lining up to purchase them with their own funds. These photos taken at Blade Show are of two examples of Winkler Axes produced for that very Operator.

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www.WinklerKnives.com

American Kami Maniaxe Options – UPDATED

Monday, June 3rd, 2013

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We took this photo of several versions of the American Kami Maniaxe which is the world’s first completely modular axe system consisting of Four handles and Fifteen heads. Totally interchangeable and user configurable to suit whatever mission profile life might throw at you.

americankami.com

Updated – This one is mine. It’s not a chisel grind.

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Blade Show – Canal Street Cutlery Co

Sunday, June 2nd, 2013

Canal Street Cutlery Co has introduced a line a hand assembled knives designed specifically for military users. There is a fixed blade model as well as a simple Barlow pocket knife.

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The BlackOps Military Sheath Knife incorporates a 7-3/4” D2 blade which is Cerakote finished in Desert Sand, Forest Green, or Marine Black. It incorporates an exposed full tang and a Bruf-Tar G-10 commando grip handle with hand hafted finger guard and an in butt ~ 3/16” cord hole. Available with Cordura sheath as well as Kydex low profile riveted or MOLLE compatible clip sheath in Desert Sand, Forest Green, or Marine Black.

These Canal Street Cutlery knives are available exclusively through Bottom Line Military Sales including unit and agency orders.

S.O.Tech Re-certified for ISO 9001:2008

Sunday, June 2nd, 2013

We got an awesome note from S.O.Tech the other day. Yeah”grueling” sounds a bit over the top but that’s the point of ISO certification. It is the gold standard in ensuring a company consistently manufactures a quality product and requires a great deal of time and effort. Congrats guys!

After an extensive and grueling audit S.O. Tech is proud to announce that we have passed and re-certified for ISO 9001:2008 certification.

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What’s ISO?
ISO certifications ensures that our customers get a quality product, every time. Consistently and efficiently. Historically speaking most small businesses aren’t ISO certified due to the high cost of certification and by the book procedures.

Also keep in mind that the majority of large manufacturers and corporations are all ISO certified and for a reason including Car companies, computer manufacturers, etc.

www.SOTechtactical.com

Gunfighter Moment – Mike Pannone

Sunday, June 2nd, 2013

Noner’s Rules

#1 GOOD LUCK IS FOR NOVICES, BAD LUCK IS FOR EVERYONE. BANK ON SKILL, AT LEAST YOU CONTROL THAT.

#2 EVERYTHING IS A REHEARSAL FOR SOMETHING. THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO DO THINGS: THE BEST WAY…AND ALL THE OTHER WAYS. FIGURE OUT WHICH IS WHICH.

#3 A GUN IS LIKE A PARACHUTE. WHEN YOU NEED ONE IT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO SAVE YOUR LIFE, IT HAS TO WORK AND YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO USE IT.
-Mike Pannone

“TO BE A WARRIOR IS NOT A SIMPLE MATTER OF WISHING TO BE ONE. IT IS RATHER AN ENDLESS STRUGGLE THAT WILL GO ON TO THE VERY LAST MOMENT OF OUR LIVES. NOBODY IS BORN A WARRIOR, IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY THAT NOBODY IS BORN AN AVERAGE MAN. WE MAKE OURSELVES INTO ONE OR THE OTHER.”
Carlos Casteneda “Tales of Power”

Mike Pannone retired from the Army’s premier assault force (1st SFOD-D) after an explosive breaching injury. A year after his retirement America was attacked on 9/11 and he returned to help serve his country as the head marksmanship instructor at the Federal Air Marshals training course and then moved to help stand up the FAMS Seattle field office. In 2003 he left the FAMS to serve as a PSD detail member and then a detail leader for the State Department during 2003 and 2004 in Baghdad and Tikrit.

In 2005 he served as a ground combat advisor of the Joint Counter IED Task Force and participated on combat operations with various units in Al Anbar province. Upon returning he gave IED awareness briefings to departing units and helped stand up a pre-Iraq surge rifle course with the Asymmetric Warfare Group as a lead instructor. With that experience as well as a career of special operations service in Marine Reconnaissance, Army Special Forces and JSOC to draw from he moved to the private sector teaching planning, leadership, marksmanship and tactics as well as authoring and co-authoring several books such as The M4 Handbook, AK Handbook and Tactical Pistol shooting. Mike also consults for several major rifle and accessory manufacturers to help them field the best possible equipment to the warfighter, law enforcement officer and upstanding civilian end user. He is considered a subject matter expert on the AR based Stoner platform in all its derivatives.

www.ctt-solutions.com

Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn they offer some words of wisdom.

Someone Was Missed At Blade Show

Sunday, June 2nd, 2013

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Now we know what was more important.

Kryptek Hats Coming Soon From Slangvel

Sunday, June 2nd, 2013

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Slangvel currently manufactures M43-styles, Bigeards, Recce Hats, 2? Brim Boonie Hats, Berets, and Rhodesian Kepis. All of his offerings are made via eBay as they come off the line so you have to check back regularly to ascertain available styles and patterns.

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He’s getting ready to release a run in Kryptek Mandrake (M43 seen here) as well as Highlander and Nomad.

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Those interested in his services should visit Slangvel on eBay. myworld.ebay.com/slangvel.

Blade Show – Al Mar Knives

Saturday, June 1st, 2013

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The genesis of the Al Mar Eagle Ultralight goes back to 1984, with the development of the lightest knife possible, with the greatest blade-to-handle ratio. Eventually users asked for something a bit more robust. Al Mar Knives created the Eagle HD in 2012 with heat-treated stainless liners and G10 scales. This year Al Mar chose to incorporate ZDP189, which is the hardest steel available, but keep the overall dimensions and ergonomics of the Eagle. The Eagle HD ZDP incorporates the same heat treated liners (despite assertions by some SSD readers, this is not as common as you would think). The blade itself offers a Rockwell of 64-65 after heat treatment. Al Mar’s ZDP189 is laminated with a softer outside steel and an inner core of the ZDP189 stronger steel, to yield an incredibly strong, yet durable blade.

Shipping soon from www.almarknives.com