Magpul has released the ACSâ„¢ QD Swivel Mount for the new Adaptable Carbine/Storage Stock. It attaches to the stock and allows for the quick attach/detach of slings to the weapon yet limits the rotation of the sling to prevent hangups.
To order visit www.magpul.com.
Spending an afternoon with Larry Vickers is like visiting a demented Santa Claus. That is if ol’ Saint Nick were cool and into guns and mayhem. Every time I see him he has something new to show me.
I had a chance to visit with Larry on the set of “Tactical Impact” at US Training Center in Moyock, NC. In addition to the amazing amount of firearms lore that just rolls off his tongue, Larry started pulling treasures out of the back of his truck. He would mumble “Hey, have you seen this?” as he rummaged through a couple of bags. Out would come a rare firearm or a gadget currently under development.
But two of his finds are worthy of mention, simply because they are classics and quite rare. Both were used by Allied Special Forces in World War Two.
The first was an original FP-45 (Flare Projector) Liberator pistol developed by US Amy Psychological Warfare during WW II. The name was adopted to conceal the true nature of the project with weapon components also having innocuous names used in standard manufacturing parts. The weapon was adopted by the OSS for use by partisans behind Axis lines. The simple design allowed the shooter to neutralize an enemy in order to procure his weapon for himself. The breech lock pistol was shipped in a cardboard box with 10 rounds of .45 ACP ammunition, a wooden dowel to remove the empty shell casing, and an instruction sheet in comic strip form showing how to load and fire the weapon. Extra rounds of ammunition could be stored in the pistol grip. Designed to be cheaply mass produced ($2.10 a copy), there were only manufactured over an eleven week period in 1942 when over one million pistols were produced. Interestingly, while there are numerous stories about the Liberator’s wide spread use in occupied France, it actually saw more use in the Pacific theater.
The second find is a reproduction Hi Standard HD-M silenced .22 pistol first produced during WWII. As you can see from the photo, the pistol featured an integral silencer and after the war many of the weapons passed to the US intelligence community. Oddly, one of the pistols was included in the survival equipment carried by U2 pilot Gary Powers when he was shot down over the Soviet Union. The suppressor component was designed to drop the weapons signature by 28 decibels and can be removed for cleaning or maintenance of the pistol. However, the suppressor was only designed for 200 rounds and would be discarded after use and replaced with a new component.
Keep an eye out for more surprises from Larry Vickers and his co-hosts Jason Falla and Kyle Defoor on Tactical Impact and Tactical Arms. Check your local listings for time and channel.
Canada has decided to develop a unique urban camo pattern called Canadian Urban Environment Pattern (CUEPAT). Ok, makes sense. But not the why and where. That is where it gets weird. We had to take this straight from the tender:
“The Department of National Defence, Defence Research and Development Canada – Suffield, (DRDC-S), AB, has a requirement to develop a Canadian Urban Environment Pattern (CUEPAT) based on the unique requirements of Canada’s three major metropolitan areas, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. The current CBR individual protective equipment (IPE) used by the Canadian military is provided in a woodland or desert camouflage. A camouflage suited to the Canadian urban environment is required when the milatary (sic) operates in urban terrain.”
So essentially, Canada’s equivalent of DTRA is seeking a camo pattern based on domestic urban environments. What’s even more curious is that the pattern is specifically for chem-bio gear. One would think that for domestic CBR defense, one would want to blend in with the local population as much as possible, perhaps as first responders or in items that more closely resemble civilian clothing.
However, what makes this even more interesting is that the tender is the Public Works equivalent of a sole source solicitation. The work is being handed over to Guy Cramer and Co at HyperStealth Biotechnology Corp. So how did they get this sole source contract valued at $24,900.00 C$ (GST extra)? Once again we have to look at the tender.
“The Contractor holds the proprietary right to the advanced fractal algorithms and feed back loop technology to develop non-repeating digital camouflage patterns. HyperStealth Biotechnology Corporation’s design team of Guy Cramer and Timothy R. O’Neill share copyright on approximately 8,000 digital camouflage patterns. Access to this extensive data base for the purposes of developing a new Canadian urban environment camouflage pattern is critical to the success of the project. All Intellectual Property Rights in the Foreground Information shall belong to the Contractor as soon as they come into existence. There are no alternative sources of supply for this requirement as no other Canadian source exists that has the capability to design and develop digital, non-repeating camouflage patterns using state-of-the-art fractal algorithms and feed back loop technology, with concomitant IP protected access to approximately 8,000 copyrighted patterns that can be used in full support of meeting the requirement.”
That’s right, copyright on over 8,000 patterns! Some other nuggets from the solicitation include that the period of performance will be from contract award until March 31, 2010 but may include follow on work. Interestingly, HyperStealth will be allowed to retain the intellectual property developed under this contract.
So the way this is written, it looks like the Canadian government is paying HyperStealth almost 25 large to do work they have already accomplished and they are giving them six months to do it. In the end, the Canadian government will have an urban camo pattern fine tuned for use in their own major cities and applied only to chemical and biological warfare clothing. Like I said; interesting.
Last week I was offered the chance to join the cast and crew of “Tactical Impact” and “Tactical Arms” on the set at US Training Center in Moyock, North Carolina.
The US Training Center facilities are fantastic and provide the team a variety of backgrounds to accommodate filming. Viewers who have attended training sessions at the Xe campus will recognize the range complex and if it has been awhile since you last visited some of the additions would surprise you. In addition to ranges and various backdrops, US Training Center also features an on-site dining facility and hotel-like accommodations.
While I was there they were filming an intro sequence that will be featured on an episode of “Tactical Impact” focused on Special Forces. As the cast and crews are the same for both shows, segments are shot in overlapping schedules. Very little of the work is conducted indoors so it can lead to some long days in weather extremes from the North Carolina heat to cold rainy days that hover just above freezing. Cold and wet describes my time on set perfectly.
It is on days like this that the material provided by sponsors goes beyond the “This will look great on screen” to “Man, good thing this product performs as advertised”. And perform they do. Early this year as production for this season was ramping up, show co-host Larry Vickers called me and asked if I could recommend some equipment to be used on the show. After speaking with producer Eric Sherertz and soliciting input from co-hosts Jason Falla and Kyle Defoor, I contacted several companies to see if they would be interested in providing products for use on the show. The response from industry was fantastic, so keep your eyes peeled while watching both series for some of the newest products in the tactical market.
EOTAC provided a variety of clothing items from their Operator Grade line including specially embroidered shirts for the cast and crew. Additionally, Propper provided embroidered TAC.U uniforms as well as several items from the Adventure Tech line. Under Armour donated jackets, hats, and gloves. Additionally, several cast members use Vickers Tactical gloves. Arc’teryx LEAF was well represented through their US distributor Uber Group.
Footwear companies who have participated include OTB Boots, Tactical Research, and Salomon. Both Smith Optics and Revision Eyewear provided several styles of eyewear for use during the season and SOG Knives provided their popular SOG tool as well as pocket knives.
Bulldog Equipment also produced variants of their Mirage Camouflage uniforms for the show. As you can see from the photos Mirage does a great job of blending in with the environment used on the set. Additionally, Daniel Defense provides the DDM4 for use in many of the tactical scenarios depicted on the shows.
Despite the inclement weather, it was a great day and both cast and crew were able to get the film in the can thanks to the support of these sponsors.
The SureFire M300A Mini Scout Light we recently wrote about is now available. It is an excellent option for those who want to reduce even more weight from their weapon and relies on a single CR123 battery combines with a shock-proof LED emitter and TIR lens to provide 110 lumens. Just like its big brother the mini scout comes with an integral Picatinny mount. The light is activated via the tailcap push button switch or by using a remote pressure-activated tape switch.
See all of the details at www.SureFire.com.
The many challenges faced by military and SOF personnel operating as snipers in Iraq’s tumultuous urban battlefields drove the need for a sniper platform capable of greater firepower with a repeatable one minute of angle accuracy. The M110, developed by Knight’s Armament Company of Vero Beach, filled the need. When the U.S. Army adopted the Knight’s platform, rumors filled the air waves that the venerable M-24 would be retired – much to the chagrin of veteran snipers who feel that the M-24 is more accurate and simpler to maintain. Regardless of what side of the fence you sit on with this issue, the pressures of Afghanistan nixed the M-24’s retirement.
For years, the USMC saw a need to maintain the .300 WinMag in its inventory as a bridge caliber between the NATO 7.62mm x 51 and the .50 BMG; the wisdom of that position has been borne out by the rigors of the Hindu Kush.
The U.S. Army has seen the light, and in response to requests from units deployed in Afghanistan, will begin sending many of its M-24s to Remington’s facilities in North Carolina to be converted to .300 WinMag, a move that is sure to bring light to Remington’s eyes. Driving that decision is the need to engage targets out to 1200 meters, and other than the time tested .338 Lapua Magnum, nothing says hello like a .300 WinMag 190 grain BTHP at 2600 feet per second.
–Sal Palma
Copyright 2009 Sal Palma
A new, expanded edition of “Tactical Pistol Shooting” was just released. Just like the first edition it is a solid work and is filled time tested pistol handling techniques. Written by special operations veterans Erik Lawrence and Mike Pannone, two guys who know their stuff. Major improvements over the first edition include full color photos and an improved section on shooting while wounded. Speaking with the author on the new photographs he said that working with Mike Pannone and the photographer was a joy. Mike knows all of the drills cold allowing Erik to work with the photographer and see each shot from his perspective. They wrapped up the entire book’s worth of photos in two hours! I still find it amazing that “Tactical Pistol Shooting” contains over 350 color photos in a trade paperback for under $25. It is worth the cover price and is an excellent reference.
Order it at BHIgear.com. You can even include an autograph and message.
Sal Palma at Sniperworx e-Magazine would like to announce that the 2009 International Sniper Competition is scheduled for October 15-22, 2009. This event will again bring teams from all over the world to Fort Benning to compete in 10 to 15 sniper related events.
The focus of the competition is to bring teams together to share battlefield lessons learned, provide training initiatives and ideas and to compete tactically and technically. The event is limited to 35 teams (70 snipers) not including unit coaches, commanders and spectators.
This is a world class competition hosted by one of our country’s finest Post. Ft. Benning, GA Leading the Way.
Sponsored by the Army Sniper Association.
