FirstSpear TV

Archive for August, 2016

SilencerCo – Harvested: Borderlands

Thursday, August 11th, 2016

SilencerCo recently hunted aoudads with UFC Featherweight Fighter Chad Mendes, utilizing suppressed rifles and the assistance of expert guides. The full release can be read below:

HARVESTED

/?härv?st/

verb

past tense: harvested; past participle: harvested

to catch or hunt (animals) for consumption and use

Hunting. It’s a tradition. It’s a challenge. It’s a way to provide. We don’t just understand this–we live it. Hunting is a part of our lives just as much as it is a part of yours.

During World War II, American soldiers stationed off the Barbary Coast of Northern Africa discovered a native sheep species, known as the aoudad. Recognizing their potential as a game animal, they shipped them to Texas; Aoudads quickly proved to be an extremely challenging hunt for multiple reasons. Their keen sense of smell, hearing, and alertness to danger, combined with their capability to retain water from sparse vegetation and survive long periods of time without it, gives them the ability to live in rugged, dry habitats that are often too harsh for other animals.

We had the rare opportunity to scout the high desert terrain with UFC® Featherweight Fighter Chad Mendes in search of this elusive creature. Equipped with silenced rifles and accompanied by expert guides, we set off to reconnect with the wilderness and harvest some challenging game.

About Chad Mendes

Chad began wrestling at the age of five and continued the sport throughout high school and college until his competitive success led him to move to Sacramento and train with Team Alpha Male. Before turning pro, however, Mendes took home an impressive list of ranks and titles, including two-time PAC-10 Champ, two-time D-I NCAA All-American, and a second-degree black belt in wrestling. Now, after less than three years of professional fighting, Mendes has also earned seven wins by way of knockout, two wins by submission, a record of 4-0 in WEC with wins over Javier Vazquez, Cub Swanson, Anthony Morrison, and Erik Koch, and he has won six of his last nine fights. Mendes most recently founded Finz and Featherz, a hunting and guide service.

silencerco.com/harvested

The Evolution of the Caltrop

Thursday, August 11th, 2016

SIG SAUER 9mm V-Crown Ammunition Named ‘Ammunition of the Year’ at the 1st Annual Firearms Industry Choice Awards

Thursday, August 11th, 2016

Newington, NH (July 27, 2016) – SIG SAUER® 124gr 9mm V-Crown® Elite Performance Ammunition was named ‘Ammunition of the Year’ at the 1st Annual Firearms Industry Choice Awards held July 21-23, 2016 at the Rockcastle Shooting Center in Park City, Kentucky. Category winners were selected after a comprehensive live-fire test and evaluation process involving more than 65 firearms and firearms-related products. On May 23–25, 2016, a panel of 20 independent evaluators was assembled at the Rockcastle Shooting Center to test and assess the “Products of the Year” in seven different firearms-related categories. The evaluation team was selected based on their unbiased, extensive experience in a variety of shooting-related fields including law enforcement, military, gunsmithing, reloading, competition shooting, shooting instruction, retail, distribution, hunting and media.

In the ammunition category, the SIG SAUER 124gr 9mm V-Crown Elite Performance Ammunition ranked number one out of the 21 different brands and calibers that were tested head-to-head over three days. The evaluation team shot 2,000 rounds of the Elite Performance Ammunition through multiple guns and found it to the best of the best in the test. They judged each product on how well it fits into the product category position in the marketplace, loading, chambering and cycling, manufacturing consistency, performance, durability, and market appeal. Testers cited the SIG V-Crown’s smooth cycling, reliability, and consistency in addition to its attractive packaging and pricing.

The Firearms Industry Choice Awards is the brainchild of the management team at Rockcastle Shooting Center and David Power, who serves as vice president of sales at Oneida Molded Plastics.

“We felt the need to develop a more in-depth product testing process for firearms and firearm-related products and wanted to conduct the most comprehensive, unbiased product evaluation the industry has ever seen,” said Nathan Noble, co-owner/ co-founder of the Rockcastle Shooting Center. “The experts who willingly gave of their time to be on the test panel and numerous manufacturers who submitted product indicate they concur, and the results will help guide consumers as they assess future product purchases, and just as importantly, help guide the manufacturers in what is driving the purchase of their products.”

The evaluation team for the 2016 Firearms Industry Choice Awards collectively has:
– 151 years of military and law enforcement experience
– 138 years as instructor / rangemaster / coach
– 67 years of gunsmith and related experience
– 64 years of retail, retail services and distribution
– 24 years as media
– 346 years of recreational hunting and shooting
– 288 years of participation in competitive shooting sports

Each phase of the Industry Choice Awards including the evaluation, the Inaugural Firearms Industry Team Challenge, and the Industry Choice Awards Banquet and Celebration was covered extensively by Recoil magazine and Down Range TV with Michael Bane. Future issues and episodes of each will feature details of the Industry Choice Awards and the products chosen as Products of the Year.

“We are truly honored to have the SIG 9mm V-Crown ammunition recognized as the best ammunition of the year by this team of industry professionals,” said Dan Powers, president of the SIG SAUER Ammunition Division. “Every caliber we make – whether for personal defense, hunting, competition or target shooting – goes through our rigorous testing process to ensure the highest quality and reliability. The SIG V-Crown personal defense ammunition was designed for ultimate stopping power thanks to its consistent, controlled expansion with exceptional on-target energy, maximum weight retention and superior penetration. We deeply appreciate the time the evaluation team took to test the SIG V-Crown ammunition and are glad they had a chance to experience its reliability and performance firsthand.”

All Elite Performance Ammunition is manufactured in the United States by SIG SAUER to the same exacting standards as the company’s premium pistols and rifles. For more information, visit www.sigammo.com.

Follow SIG SAUER on social media, including Facebook at www.facebook.com/sigsauerinc, Instagram at www.instagram.com/sigsauerinc, and YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/sigsauerinc.

ORSM – Blue Freedom

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

Standing alone in the plethora of solar panels offered by various manufacturers at Outdoor Retailer is Blue Freedom, a personal water turbine which can be placed in running water to generate power (5 watts).  The internal lithium polymer batter has a capacity of 5,000 mAh.

Blue Freedom is 7.75 inches across and weighs 20 ounces.  Currently, Blue Freedom is not designed to generate power from the wind, but they told me they are working on it.

blue-freedom.net

ORSM – Brunton Axis Pocket Transit

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

I don’t know which influenced me more, my time in Scouting or my time in the military, but I love compasses, so whenever I see a new one, I want to check it out. This is Brunton’s Axis Pocket Transit.

First off, it’s a transit, so this isn’t the orineteering compass you keep in your daypack. Created by a geologist, the Axis, it requires only one measurement configuration for strike & dip, trend & plunge, bearing & vertical angle, increasing efficiency and accuracy of measurements. Additionally, Compass North is parallel to the main hinge axis, making the Axis the only transit able to measure strike and dip concurrently, through contact or sighting methods.

Features:
-Dimensions (Closed): 3.92″ X 2.78″ X 1.18″
-Weight: 12.5 oz
-Compass Bearing Accuracy: ±1/2 WITH 1° graduations
-Inclinometer Accuracy: ±1/2 WITH 1° graduations
-Dip Angle Accuracy: ±1 WITH 2° graduations
-Plunge Angle Accuracy: ±1/2 WITH 1° graduations
-Azimuth Graduated Circle: Model F-5012
-Quadrant Graduated Circle: Model F-5011
-Magnetism: NdFeB rare earth magnet on sapphire jewel suspension; high visibility North and South markings; induction damping for quick stabilization.
-Adjustable needle locking mechanism

www.brunton.com/products/axis-pocket-transit

ORSM – Wild Country Revo Belay Device

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

Wild Country’s Revo is an award winning, bi-directional, self locking belay device. It can be loaded from either side and if the rope moves too quickly through the device, it locks, regardless of which direction the rope is oriented.  What’s more, it can’t be overridden when belaying or lowering a climber which will reduce brainfart accidents.

This video shows how the Revo works.

The Revo from Wild Country on Vimeo.

www.wildcountry.com/revo

Kryptek and Affliction

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

ORSM – Salomon Water Shoes

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

Salomon is very popular with SSD readers and they showed two new water shoes for 2017.

First up is the S-Lab XA Amphib. Unfortunately, S-Lab shoes are limited production so you may have difficulty finding this runner/water shoe hybrid.

Salomon also displayed the upcoming Crossamphibian Swift M which is a lighter weight alternative to the current Crossamphibian. Also, notice the tape lacing system.

www.salomon.com