FirstSpear TV

Archive for January, 2014

OR – Ultimate Survival Technologies – ParaHatchet

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

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The ParaHatchet from Ultimate Survival Technologies features a 5mm stainless steel handle/blade and is wrapped in 8.2′ of either Orange or Glow In The Dark paracord. The blade integrates 3 hex wrenches and a rope cutter. It’s affordably priced and is the kind of insurance I’d throw in the trunk with a survival kit.

OR – Selk’Bag – Patagon

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

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Selk’Bag has been around for several years now but many have considered it a gimmick, more suitable for car camping (or slumber parties) than serious outdoor pursuits. But now they’ve introduced the new Patagon, a serious upgrade to the ergonomic sleep system that resembles an expedition suit rather than a sleeping bag. Rated for use to 35 Deg F, with extreme use to 9 Deg F, this is no small feat considering the extremities are separate from the torso. The bag is insulated with their proprietary KreKran which is named after the Chilean Ona Indian words Kre for Sun and Kran for Sun-Man. Temp ratings by independent lab.

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Below, you can see the mesh lined, zippered vent found either side, mid-thigh. You will also notice that the booties can be removed via zipper so that the wearer’s boots are exposed for movement.

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The Patagon features a magnetized quick release hand closure system with integrated hand straps that let you secure the mittens out of the way.

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The two-side, zippered bib opening is baffled and goes all the way to the waist on the right side (while worn).

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Available in Forest Black, the Patagon incorporates an adjustable hood and offered in sizes Med – XLge.

www.selkbagusa.com

SHOT Show – Crye Precision – Six12

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

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Probably the biggest surprise at SHOT Show was the debut of Crye Precision’s Six12 Breaching Shotgun. The threat to the breacher is great. He remains exposed at the breach point while at work. Oftentimes he will use a shotgun to breach but these are Masterkey-style short barrel shotguns with limited capacity (generally, 3 shells). If the breacher is engaged, he may be unable to reach his sidearm or carbine and in many cases, he foregoes the carbine altogether due to not having enough hands. Then, there’s that pesky small capacity of the standalone breaching guns. The 3 or 4 shells (if one in the chamber) may not be enough in the event multiple doors must be breached as a building is accessed. The gun can be reloaded but it’s a slower process than replacing a magazine,

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The idea of a carbine mounted, revolver-style breaching shotgun with a removable/replaceable cylinder magazine came to Caleb Crye in a dream and he brought firearms engineer Eric Burt onboard to make the concept a reality.

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It offers a revolving cylinder containing Six 12 ga shells (hence the name) in a bullpup configuration that retains a full barrel length while keeping the overall length short enough for stand alone or carbine mounted use. Crye Precision has developed a patent pending means to deal with the recoil of a bullpup configuration so that it doesn’t affect the carbine. When the trigger is pulled the cylinder rotates like with a revolver but before the round is fired, it moves slightly forward to mate with the barrel in order to contain the force and flame. Considering the location of the round in relation to the shooter, this is critical.

In this video produced for SSD by Blind Owl Media, weapon designer Eric Burt goes over some basics of the Six12.

Crye Precision Six12 breaching shotgun at Shot Show 2014 from boo keller on Vimeo.

According the Eric Burt, these should be available for agency purchase by December with individual sales commencing after the new year.

www.CryePrecision.com

Tactical Tailor Awarded PNDC Member Of The Year Award

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

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Tactical Tailor is extremely proud to share that it has been awarded the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition Member of the Year Award. This is a singular and distinctive event for Tactical Tailor, coming as it does from such a prestigious organization of defense and contracting companies.

“To say this is a huge honor for us would be to damn the PNDC with faint praise,” says Tactical Tailors CEO Casey Ingels. “This sort of recognition, from within a peer group of such critical companies…it’s just…it’s just a huge honor!”

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The Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition is an association of defense and security industry companies that work together to foster steady economic growth for their region, to help sustain long-term profitability for its members. Perhaps most importantly it works to maintain those within the needs of the both the individual warfighter and—on a much larger, more strategic scale—on all warfighters. The PNDC membership includes companies from every level of the defense industry—they run the gamut from companies like Leatherman Tools, Benchmade Knives and FLIR to Oregon Ironworks, Raytheon and Leupold.

Ingels is a former enlisted Soldier who served in the 2/75 Ranger Regiment who used his GI Bill to earn a law degree. He has been the CEO of Tactical Tailor for several years now and Chairs the PNDC’s Advocacy Committee. The company was founded by an Army veteran, has numerous veterans in its leadership and employs many more.

The PNDC has worked tirelessly all year to mitigate the damage caused by sequestration. Its members have been a “go to” resource for journalists, scholars and legislators since sequestration first began. It has been instrumental in providing the resources necessary to understand the impact of budgets, the government shutdown, sequestration itself and defense appropriations. Meetings with national representatives have been held from Puget Sound to Capitol Hill in order to contextualize and clarify the reality of defense contracting as opposed to the so-called “military-industrial complex.”

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Over the last several months the PNDC has met with Congressmen, Congresswomen and Senators from several states in order to work through the defense financial crisis.

“We’ve worked with Congressional Members to streamline the Federal procurement process,” says Ingels, “so we can increase the return on defense and security investment—for instance, looking life-cycles and long term value of products or services versus first year cost or lowest bid. We have helped with reforms that help contractors of all size, and to make it easier for government buyers to source what they need commercially, without duplication or replication…it has been a busy year.”

A few other PNDC accomplishments include:

·Strealining procurement regulations and reforming ITAR restrictions to more rational, common sense standards.

·Provide local authority to defense and security officials who best know the needs of their base or agency.

·Provision of support to companies in key industrial sectors at risk of unfair foreign competition.

·End the practices of manufacture in US territories claiming Berry-compliant “Made in the USA” but not paying US minimum wage to workers

·Fund matching to K-12 districts, colleges and universities for workforce training.

If you look at the recent bipartisan budget agreement, or go back and read opposition to the sequester, much of what you see will be the direct result of information, background and context provided by the PNDC.

The PNDC Member of the Year Award is selected by its membership. Companies earning the award must earn the respect of their peers and be recognized for achievement—not just for contribution to advocacy (though that is important) but for corporate leadership, positive business practices, manufacturing practices and what Ingels calls the “care and feeding” of employees.

www.tacticaltailor.com

OR – Bison Designs – Kool Tool Line

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

Coming soon from Bison Designs is the Kool Tool Belt.

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As you can see, the magic of the Kool Tool Belt is in the buckle which serves as a mini tool kit. I had a chance to meet Brian Kelleghan, the owner of Bison Designs and he showed me a couple of other new items. I like that they continue to introduce new products and have beyond the web belt designs that have become a staple of virtually every outdoor store. In addition to the belt, Bison Deaigns is also set to release a couple of different models of the Kool Tool including Klip, Klip-Biker and Karabiner. These are all key chain-based tools and Kelleghan has built them to be TSA-compliant. As a demonstration, he sent three through the x-ray with his carry-on luggage and put three in a bowl with his keys. None raised an eyebrow. While this isn’t a comprehensive evaluation of the how the products will fare with your local TSA office, it’s a good indicator. And remember, every TSA officer interprets the rules in his or her own way.

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In one corner, Bison Designs had a small display of Boy Scout items and it turns out that Kelleghan is a fellow Eagle Scout and Scout Leader. He manufactures multiple licensed items for BSA, including a couple of products that I know he has got to be losing money on. But that’s the way of the organization. Most of us don’t expect to get back what we put in.

Bison Designs is an innovative company that builds some great products. Check them out.

www.bisondesigns.com

Tactical Fashion Police – Field Report #2

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

We’ve been remiss in sharing Tactical Fashion Police field reports. The last one featured a home made combat shirt. But this one will definitely get you noticed down the pub. Granted, it’s not quite as nice as the Tigerstripe Tuxedo Coat I sported at SHOT show, but it’s definitely got flair.

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Thanks NP!

Fight And Flight Tactical – T.A.S.K.

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

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The T.A.S.K. (Tactical Ass Scrubbing Kit) is quite possibly the only non-disposable tactical body cleanser currently on the market. Constructed from 8mm antimicrobial spacer mesh, the T.A.S.K. fits standard-sized soap bars, although it also works well with just slivers of soap and even liquid soap, and facilitates a thick lather to wash away dirt and grime, while inhibiting bacterial growth. Includes 6″ webbing loop for hanging out to dry, use at a field sanitation station, or simply for retention.

Available in Black and Tan.

www.fightandflight.com/index.php/tactical/miscellaneous/t-a-s-k-tactical-ass-scrubbing-kit.html#

Shadow Ops Weaponry – SHDW45 Suppressor

Monday, January 27th, 2014

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To celebrate the release of their brand new SHDW45 suppressor, Shadow Ops Weaponry is offering the first 300 sold at the low price of $300 – %40 off MSRP.

The suppressor is a “Cayce” design, which utilizes special internal methods and measurements to provide a top .45 ACP silenced performance. The suppressor is also usable on 9mm, 10mm, and .40 firearms with different pistons.

Use coupon code SPARTA at checkout to take advantage of the price.

We aren’t personally familiar with Shadow Ops Weaponry suppressors, but when we received news of this offer we thought it was worth sharing. Especially considering the impending changes regarding the use of trusts and corporations to transfer NFA items (41P). It’s an opportunity to get a hold of a suppressor before it gets more difficult to obtain one.

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www.shadowopsweaponry.com/products/261-shdw45-acp-silencer