This time, we find our SteelFlame SSD logo tag on the highest via ferrata in France, La Croix du Verdon.
Thanks for the pic, ‘J’!
Archive for August, 2014
You Never Know Where They’ll Show Up
Sunday, August 24th, 2014RE Factor Tactical – Pelican Case Insert Combination
Saturday, August 23rd, 2014
RE Factor Tactical’s Pelican Case Insert is designed to help organize the inside of a Pelican case. It consists of a front panel with PALS and Velcro loop webbing that allows for compatibility with hook patches/pouches and/or PALS compatible pouches. Three included hook and loop tape strips adhere to the interior of the case so that the insert can adhere to the top lid.
Inserts that are compatible with the 1700 and 1750 are currently available.
www.refactortactical.com/product-p/rfpcc
Gunfighter Moment – Ken Hackathorn 
Saturday, August 23rd, 2014
Get on any of the internet tactical/gun forums and you will note an array of people arguing about meaningless issues like the proper way to press the magazine catch on their pistol or carbine, or some such topic. We see folks getting wrapped around the axle about issues that are not really all that important. One topic that gets some real traction is the issue of whether you should reload your pistol or carbine before it goes empty or at slide/bolt lock. Some instructors teach to count your shots and always reload before the gun goes empty.
Yea, right. They haven’t been in many shootouts if they believe in that sacred cow.
I once asked Jim Cirrillo about when did you know to reload in your many shootings. Jim used the NYPD issue 4″ Heavy Barrel M10 S&W .38 special revolver. He was a highly skilled PPC competitor, so in theory he should have been able to count 6 times or sense when his revolver was empty…right? Well, Jim’s answer to my question was very straight forward, “When the trigger went ‘click-click’ two or three times, I knew it was time to reload.”
The game boys of USPSA often complain about IDPA because IDPA dictates either slide lock reloads or tactical
reloads from behind cover. A common line from them is,” I want to reload when I want to, not when I have to.” I
would like to have a full head of hair and a 32″ waist line too, but reality is that you rarely get to reload when you want to, most of the time it is when you are pulling the trigger and there are no loud noises.
Running around the range leaving a trail of partially loaded magazines may be great fun when you can plan on how many targets you will engage with 2 rounds each, but just doesn’t work out very well in a world where you don’t know how many targets you will have to engage or how many rounds it will take to make them stop doing what it is that requires you to ventilate them. Plus, most folks don’t always have a large number of spare magazines on them.
Hope for the best scenario, but you damn well better prepare and train for the worse. I note that many folks now advocate carrying just one spare magazine in their hip pocket. Bravo for at least carrying a spare, but remember, if you ever need it, you will need it real fast. A belt pouch is a much better solution when that time arrives.
-Ken Hackathorn
Ken Hackathorn has served as a US Army Special Forces Small Arms Instructor, Gunsite Instructor, and NRA Police Firearms Instructor. He is currently an FBI Certified Firearms Instructor, Certified Deputy Sheriff with Washington County SO, Ohio, and a SRT member and Special Response Team trainer. Ken has trained US Military Special Operations forces, Marine FAST and SOTG units and is a contract small arms trainer to FBI SWAT and HRT.
Ken has provided training to Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and been active in small arms training for the past 25 years. He has written firearms related material for Guns & Ammo, Combat Handguns, Soldier Of Fortune, and currently American Handgunner and contributed to at least six other gun/shooting journals. Ken was also a founding member of IPSC and IDPA.
To see Ken’s Training Class Schedule visit aliastraining.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 SSD readers hard earned words of wisdom.
SilencerCo, Noveske, And Aimpoint Giveaway
Saturday, August 23rd, 2014
As a follow up to their first Find Your Range video, SilencerCo has partnered up with Noveske and Aimpoint to provide a fully-loaded 8″ GEN III Noveske rifle chambered in 300 BLK, which also includes a Saker 762 suppressor and an Aimpoint T-1 2MOA red dot sight.
For details, and to enter, visit www.silencerco.com/noveske-giveaway or www.facebook.com/silencerco
.
TYR Tactical – PICO-MVW Direct Action Plate Carrier
Friday, August 22nd, 2014
TYR Tactical’s PICO-MVW Direct Action Assaulters Plate Carrier (PICO-MVW-DA) is designed to fit standard SAPI and ESAPI plates .75 – 1″ thick, with “wings” that provide further side protection. The external portions of the vest are made using TYR’s own PV material, and the internal portions of the vest feature antimicrobial/FR treated padded spacer mesh for comfort. The PICO-MVW-DA has tourniquet mounting grommets and a removable assaulter zip-on back panel for a multi-platform modular design. With a wide range of operational configurations, the PICO-MVW-DA can be scaled up or down depending on the environment, threat, and load requirement.
FEATURES
• PALS Webbing for MOLLE Attachment
• Tourniquet Mounting Grommets
• Removable Assaulters Zip-On Back Panel
• Holds 9 M4/M16 Mags
• Hydration/Communication Tabs for Routing
• Removable MOLLE Kangaroo Front Flap, Holds Three 5.56 Mags
• Front Wing Mag Adapters, Set
• Shoulder Pads
• Ballistic Vein™ to Stabilize and Enhance Soft Armor Inserts
• Reinforced Drag Handle
• Comes Standard with PALS Adapter Sets:
(TYR-LW106A23F, TYR-LW112AS-4, TYR-LW106A23)
• Repair Buckle Kit
• Compatible with the XFrame™ Dynamic Load Carriage™ System
• Certified Level II NIJ 0101.06 T52/SP Level 2 Armor Package Specifications [SOCOM, FBI, DEA] with an extremely high performance and lightweight ballistic solution. (.82 AD)
The PICO-MVW Direct Action Plate Carrier will be available in MultiCam. TYR Tactical is planning on releasing the PICO-MVW during their upcoming Labor Day sale. They’re also currently holding a contest on their Facebook page with this carrier as the prize.
John Barklow, SOCOM Survival Expert Joins Beyond Clothing
Friday, August 22nd, 2014
Former SOCOM Survival Equipment Analyst, Master Mountaineer, and Senior Survival Instructor John Barklow will help lead Beyond’s efforts to develop survival technology and techniques.
Seattle, WA, August 23, 2014 – Beyond Clothing, a technical clothing designer and manufacturer for the outdoor industry and professional user community, has brought on Master Level Special Operations Community mountaineer John Barklow to serve as the company’s Survival Master Trainer. In this capacity, Retired Naval Chief Barklow will help lead Beyond’s efforts to continue developing state of the art outdoor and military clothing technologies that enable professional users and consumers to operate and survive in the harshest of conditions.
A 20-year Chief Navy Diver, Barklow brings with him decades of experience developing essential military and commercial technical outdoor gear, and has served as an instructor and leader for SOCOM in the art of survival. He retired from military service in September of 2008 and made the move from Kodiak, Alaska to Salt Lake City, UT in August. Barklow’s first book, ” Dress to Kill” about how to live and survive in the wilderness, is set for release next spring.
“I am excited to join the Beyond Team to continue our mutual work of developing and advancing vital clothing technologies, and educating users on the art of survival,” said the master training specialist. “Beyond’s focus and commitment to the end user and their ability to execute their missions safely, irrespective of environmental factors, made our pairing a good fit. Survival isn’t just about securing top notch clothing, it’s also about educating the user on how to use said clothing to ensure their safety.”
As part of his new role as Beyond Clothing’s Survival Master Trainer, Barklow will be leading a series of videos for the company, detailing training and survival techniques that he has mastered in his military and civilian capacities. The videos will debut this fall and are expected to assist both mission and commercial customers with utilizing Beyond’s uniquely advanced clothing systems.
“John is an American hero and well known and respected in the Special Operations Community. Having his superior product development and instructional expertise behind Beyond Clothing greatly enhances our ability to ensure that every end user of our product is utilizing their gear to its potential,” said Beyond Clothing President Richard Elder. “It’s going to save lives. We are honored beyond measure to have him as a part of the Beyond team.”
Congrats to John and the Beyond Team! We can’t wait to see what comes next.
A Look at Operational Camouflage Pattern (Scorpion W2 Variant)
Friday, August 22nd, 2014Yesterday, SSD received several yards of the Scorpion W2 variant of the US Army’s recently adopted Operational Camouflage Pattern in 500D Cordura. As you can see, from these photos, it is similar to the commercial MultiCam pattern developed by Crye Precision and used by the US Army as OCP in Operation Enduring Freedom as well as various other DoD elements over the years. But, it isn’t an exact match. There are numerous differences in the patterns.
The May 2014 marginal marking is the date that the pattern was registered.
Two striking elements are the rather wide brown and green-based bands that run across the pattern. Additionally, you will note that Scorpion W2 is less dense than MultiCam and lacks vertical elements present in MultiCam.
Here you can see the eight colors in the pattern’s palette. The pattern is 60″ wide and repeats every 25″ vertically, which is the close to the same as MultiCam.
Below, you can see the MultiCam pattern. The pattern is about 60″ wide with a 26″ vertical repeat. The pattern is much more dense and would seem busy when compared to Scorpion W2. However, we do have almost 10 years of effective operational use of the pattern which was used as a baseline pattern in the unfinished Phase IV of the US Army Camouflage Improvement Effort.
Please Note, major coloration differences are due to photos taken in different lighting.
What do you think?
Smith Optics – The Gray Man MilSpec Ballistic Aviators
Friday, August 22nd, 2014
The Gray Man ballistic aviators were developed by Smith Optics with direct input from Special Operators. The idea was for MilSpec sunglasses that would allow them to blend in during low-vis operations i.e. as “Gray Men”. Created over a year ago, they’re now available for the civilian market.
The frame can be ordered in either Matte Black or Matte Gunmetal with Gray Mil-Spec lenses. The Gray Man meets ANSI Z87.1 and MIL-PRF-31013 clause 3.5.1.1.
www.smithoptics.com/elite/Root/Elite/Sunglass/GRAY-MAN-TACTICAL/p/GMTPCGYBK2
