A buddy sent me the link to the Moray Commando Camo 5mm Wetsuit. His email was cryptic but described it to a “T”, it was a simple, “I found the Johnny Quest wetsuit.”
Moray wetsuits have been well known for years and this camouflaged model is intended for spear fishing. But, it might be just the ticket for guys looking to do a different form of hunting.
www.oceanhunter.co.nz/shop/Products/Wetsuits/5mm+Wetsuit/Moray+Commando+Camo+5mm+Wetsuit
Last week we dropped a photo of a Pineland flag sticker, made by Infidels Inc. Turns out, they’ve got a whole line of Pineland vacation souvenirs. This is my favorite design having spent a little time at that resort.
Check them out.
Violent Little Machine Shop is offering a ‘Leland Yee Is Tough On Guns’ patch. Made from American full-grained vegetable-tanned saddle leather, with coyote stitching and black Velcro hook on the back. Oversized at 3.5″ x 2.5″. As you may know California Rep Yee (Dem) was arrested by the FBI on March 26, 2014 on charges related to public corruption and gun trafficking (automatic firearms and shoulder-launched missiles from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an Islamist extremist group located in the southern Philippines) and attempting to re-sell those weapons to an undercover FBI agent, as well as accepting a $10,000 bribe from an undercover agent. Ironically, he is well known for introducing anti-gun legislation in California.
Available for pre-order.
www.violentlittle.com/collections/patches/products/leland-yee-patch
TYR Tactical celebrated the grand opening of their new facility in Southern Pines just outside of Fort Bragg, NC. We were there for several hours throughout midday and it was very well attended. TYR Tactical used the opportunity to raise $1300 for the Unit Scholarship Fund with a raffle for various TYR products including a combat smock from the new Huron line.
The facility’s layout has ample room for growth with offices, a large showroom area, custom shop and large production floor with shipping area. The Custom Shop will specialize in TYRORIZING, allowing you to take one of the five available platforms (PICO-DA, PICO-MV, PICO-MVS, COMA001, Ultra Low Vis Plate Carrier for the Velocity ULV Plate) and customize it by adding any of their existing pouches. “Customization” refers to hard sewing pre-existing TYR Tactical pouches/MOLLE to one of the 5 above platforms. TYRORIZE \’tir-o-rise\ [adv] Meaning to modify or enhance an operator’s existing nylon or armored equipment.
This video from TYR Tactical gives you a great overview of their new shop.
TYR Tactical joins a growing tactical industry in Moore County, NC which includes Quantico Tactical, Spartan Blades, Warsport Industries and XGO among others.
A group of 10 military wives are currently in the process of training to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro later this year in support of Scotty’s Little Soldiers. The mothers’ goal is to raise enough money for the charity to purchase a holiday home for the families of those who lost their lives while in the service of the British Armed Forces.
You can read about their ongoing efforts and progress at the following link: 10armywives.blogspot.co.uk
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Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a UK-based charity who’s aim is to support the children of men and women killed while serving in the British Armed Forces. The charity provides Christmas and birthday gifts, treats, trips and activities for the families of the fallen as well as enabling them to use the charity holiday lodges.
www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk
MIL Sistemika is a Slovenian firm that develops and sells commercial off-the-shelf products in the area of military command & control, communications and training, and simulation products.
Their Personal Eye System is a personal tracking, asset tracking, military navigation, and tactical data sharing application designed for Military personnel, Law Enforcement, security forces, Emergency Services, VIP protection services, and asset tracking, designed for use with Android-powered devices.
It offers topographic land and sea navigation, asset tracking, and blue force tracking – BFT and Common Operational Picture (COP) sharing. PES is currently being evaluated by the Slovenian armed forces, Police and National Crisis Management Center as a part of their BMS (Battlefield Management System).
PES is currently available on Google Play – play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=si.milsistemika.pes
Sig Sauer hasn’t made any official announcements yet, but they’re now manufacturing their own ammunition under the ‘Sig Sauer Elite Performance’ line. The ammo is loaded with Sig’s proprietary “V-Crown” bullet, and is manufactured in Eubank, Kentucky in a Sig-owned facility. Lucky Gunner managed to get a hold of a few boxes of the first batch of ammo in the following calibers: .380 ACP, 9mm Para, .40 S&W, .357 Sig, and .45 ACP, and performed limited testing on all except the .357 Sig. Groups were fired for accuracy, measured velocity on a chronograph, and performance through ballistic gelatin.
You can read Lucky Gunner’s full review at the link below.
www.luckygunner.com/lounge/sig-sauer-v-crown-ammo-review
First and second focal plane and misdeeds in the punchbowl!
I hope you already got a cup because I might be pissing in your punchbowl.
Front focal plane/first focal plane (from now on referred to as FFP) refers to the reticle being in front of the magnification on a variable power optic. This means as the power of magnification is increased, the reticle size increases proportionately. This is extremely advantageous on higher variable power optics with maximum magnification 10X or greater. The benefit is that the reticle retains its true calibration regardless of magnification. This allows the shooter to use the optimal magnification setting for range estimation and holds given the circumstance and have a true MOA/mRad scale.
Rear focal plane/second focal plane (from now on referred to as RFP) refers to the reticle being behind the magnification on a variable power optic and that means as the power of magnification is increased the reticle size remains constant. The reticle is only truly calibrated at the maximum magnification. This is advantageous specifically on low power optics (those starting between 1-1.5X variable to 4-8X) because the reticle is much more clearly visible at the minimum magnification and ranging is overwhelmingly (in my case always) done at the max magnification.
At 1X with an FFP optic, the reticle is very small and in low light very difficult to see so you NEED an illuminated reticle or dot. If the illumination fails for some reason you are bound to mount the rifle and really need to see some aiming reference (think short range engagement) and barely be able to see anything in the tube. Even in broad daylight an FFP reticle at 1x is hard to use rapidly due to the size of the reticle at the lowest magnification setting and the calibration is really meaningless in the midrange powers (1-4) as the hash marks are hard to see at those powers. Let’s use for instance a 1-8X variable power FFP scope. It is designed for the reticle size to be optimized at 8X. That means at 1X it is 1/8th the optimal size.
For the reasons stated above, I am not a fan right now of FFP on low power optics (last few sentences will explain so read on please!). Low power optics, again those starting between 1-1.5X and variable to 4-8X are better suited in RFP so the reticle is consistent and optimally sized at the lowest to highest magnification setting in case the dot/battery fails. I take that position from experience with both military and sport application in day and low-light/night use. Also, you are not going to range someone/something at anything under 200m with any setting but full power when you only have 4-8X considering the guns (5.56 and.308) shoot as flat as they do. With a 50, 100 or 200m zero your max point blank range, the distance where the bullet does not go above or below your height over bore for most AR based military carbine and sport carbine applications, you can hold center on an 8” target (plate or cranium) and get an effective hit out to 250 in 5.56 with standard sight height and 50 or 200m zero and out to 200m with a 100m zero (with non-SBR barrel lengths and based on a 16” gun with 55 grain M193). You can estimate close enough at fewer than 200m for a minor hold as not to need an FFP in my professional and operational experience. It is also more expensive and less functional for a combat or sport optic and is outperformed by the larger and optimized SFP reticle size with or without illumination. It is a capability without a requirement for low power optics. I see the benefit as negligible and the down-side distinct based on the profile of application of a low power variable magnification optic for combative and sport use.
Caveat- If you want an FFP low power optic then it needs illumination with extreme battery life/durability like an Aimpoint … and if Aimpoint can do it than the others can as well. I’d sign on to that but until then I’ll remain an advocate of rear focal plane variable power combat/sport optics in the 1-1.5X to 4-8X range of magnification. They dramatically increase the reach of any rifle yet still afford the close range speed and reliability of a reticle that is scale optimized and usable even without magnification.
– Mike Pannone
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.
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.
