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Blackheart International Weapons Manuals

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Previously, we’ve covered Blackheart’s excellent M16/M4 Handbook by Mike Pannone. Blackheart has been in the business of training people and developing outstanding training materials for years. One of their flagship products is their line of weapons manuals. Individual volumes in this ever expanding series cover US, Allied and Threat small arms (with the Mk 19 and RPG-7 thrown in for good measure). Authored by Blackheart’s staff of former Special Forces personnel, all of the manuals feature step by step instruction, clearly written with numerous illustrations. Each manual consists of Operations, Maintenance, Immediate Action, Use of Accessories, Manufacturer Markings as well as Ammunition information. We keep an entire set of these manuals in our reference library. Considering the amount of Soviet Bloc weapons we all are running across these days, you should seriously consider getting a set as well.

Currently available are: Makarov Pistol, PPSH-41 Submachine Gun, AK-47/74, PKM Machine Gun, DShk 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun, RPG-7, HK-69A1 Grenade Launcher, M2 Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun, M203 Grenade Launcher, M79 Grenade Launcher, MK19 MOD3, 40mm Grenade Machine Gun, and MAG58/M240 Machine Gun.

All of the training manuals can be found on this page. Many of them are also on GSA.

Also, to celebrate the end of the fiscal year in style, Blackheart will be open from 8 AM to Midnight the 27th, 29th, and 30th of September. When you order, don’t forget to pick up a calendar.

Photos courtesy of Blackheart International, LLC.

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Off Duty – Blackwater Bear Cub Swing Target

Thursday, September 18th, 2008

Blackwater Manufacturing has released a new swinging target set designed for small caliber weapons. It’s great for plinking with a .22.

Each kit contains:
1) TARGET
2) TARGET ARM
3) TARGET PIN
4) LEG
5) LEG MOUNT

Three additional target sets are available. One example is below.

Blackwater offers an excellent warranty. Should a part break under normal use within the first year after purchase simply ship the defective part back and they will send a replacement part.

For more info contact: BLACKWATER TARGET SYSTEMS

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Blueguns – The Training Weapons You Have Been Seeking

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

Training weapons…a lot of folks look for them, even military units. But where to find them? Why, Blueguns of course. They make enough different models of training weapons that they can cover pretty much any basic need: rifles, shotguns, pistols. Of these weapon types, they cover quite a few individual manufacturers including Colt, Springfield, Baretta, and others. Naturally, the company is named Blueguns so the guns are going to be Blue. For example, the entire family of Colt rifles and carbines is in Blue but they have pretty much any production version you would need. On the other hand, although it is marked as a DPMS carbine they do offer a Black flat top carbine. This model has proven especially popular with those requiring dummy weapons for waterborne training.

If your requirements are somewhat more exotic, they also have knives, crowbars, weapons magazines and even, RPG-7s, M-14s, and M-60s (the last three in natural colors).

They can be ordered directly from Blueguns.

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M16/M4 Handbook

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

Mike Pannone’s excellent handbook, “M16/M4 Handbook–an Operational Guide to the Standard U.S. Military Assault Rifle” has been on the market for several months now but we don’t feel it has been given all of the exposure it deserves. In our opinion, it should be issued to every member of the military the day they arrive at Basic Training, regardless of branch of service. In fact, to echo one reviewer’s comments, issue of the handbook shouldn’t be limited to military members but to law enforcement as well as anyone who employs the M16 or M4. It is filled with the pertinent facts required to properly operate and maintain the M16 family of weapons. Notice it is a handbook. It’s compact size means that you can keep it handy when training.

Mike Pannone began his service in the Marines serving in Recon. Later he transferred to the Army and served in it’s Special Operations Forces. He has also served as a defense contractor and currently serves as an instructor. To put it lightly, Mike Pannone knows his way around a carbine.

At $19.95 look at it as an investment. The handbook is available from Blackheart International.

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PCU Alternate Source of Supply

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

ADS and Beyond Tactical are proud to announce that they are beginning to offer the complete Protective Combat Uniform in the issue Ranger Green as well as Coyote. Available as an entire kit or as individual components, this is an excellent opportunity for units requiring PCU out of the procurement cycle as well as for units or individuals that wish to upgrade their current environmental clothing system. In addition to standard sizes, customers will be able to take advantage of Beyond’s custom sizing program. Originally conceived in the fall of 2001 by PM-SSS in order to satisfy an urgent need for operational clothing to combat the environment of Afghanistan, PCU is a clothing system consisting of seven levels used in concert with one another based on activity and environment.

ADS has gone one step further by developing an excellent DVD which provides an overview of PCU components and their use as well as some excellent background on the system’s design philosophy by the “Godfather” of PCU; Mark Twight. In concert with Kwikpoint, makers of the waterproof basic language guides currently in use in theater, ADS is offering a pocket users guide describing PCU components, environmental conditions and a wheel to help the user correlate components with conditions. This has been needed for a long time and is a must for even current users of multi-component environmental clothing systems.

The user guide is available from Kwikpoint.

Look for a future article with more details on PCU.

Contact ADS or Beyond Tactical for more information.

User guide graphics property of Kwikpoint.

Tags: ADS, Beyond Tactical, Mark Twight, PCU
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Becoming Batman

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

Batman is the ultimate Badass. A science hero, Batman is the product of dumb luck and a very strong will. He has tapped the very pinnacle of human potential and has access to Gucciest of kit. He is so popular because of all super heroes, he is the most plausible. Its easy to consider yourself in his situation. A new book entitled, “Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero” from The Johns Hopkins University Press by E. Paul Zehr is poised to be released in October. Zehr is an associate professor of kinesiology and neuroscience at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and long time practitioner of Chito-Ryu karate-do. In his book Zehr examines what it would take to become the “Bat”.

Scientific American has a great interview with Zehr on the subject.

Available from The Johns Hopkins University Press.

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Solkoa – SERE Products and Training

Thursday, June 5th, 2008

Solkoa is well known in very tight circles for their specialized survival training. In conjunction with an expansion that provides both training and full E&E kits to a wider customer base, Solkoa has began to offer some of the individual pieces of their line. Solkoa specializes in working with the user to develop a dedicated kit or they can provide a variety of containers, survival aids, and general guidance so that the individual can develop their own solution. I hope to see a full article on the container in the near future, but sufficed to say that they are works of art; truly. Specialized symbols can be machined directly into the container.

I recently tried the fastfire fire starter. Like so many of their other products, each package is discreetly wrapped in a resealable black bag that does not scream military. Each package of two pieces of tinder is designed to start up to 16 fires and the tinder burns both smokeless and odorless.