TYR Tactical

Gunfighter Moment – Larry Vickers

June 25th, 2016

This GFM is a little different coming from me as I generally keep mine firearms related; this one is about awareness or tuning into the world we live in. This world is far different from the one I grew up in as a child – in some ways better; other worse. I turn 53 this month and I can tell you adapting to change and staying aware is a real challenge and as you get older is less and less fun. The old adage about teaching a dog new tricks applies here. Understand the Internet and social media has us all connected more than ever but also allows us to isolate ourselves more than ever – all at the same time. Bizarre but true.

Case in point a friend of mine recently got stung by PayPal for firearms related transactions and had his account frozen. He wasn’t selling guns but that didn’t matter – they still locked him down for a period of time. Those that know PayPal know they are extremely anti-gun. My buddy is embarrassed as he was clueless and admits he should have known better but I see it’s a byproduct of the strange Internet awareness, or lack thereof, world we live in. Do your best to stay switched on and tuned in – it’s for your own good. In more ways than one.

-Larry Vickers
Vickers Tactical Inc.
Host of TacTV

Larry Vickers of Vickers Tactical is a retired US Army 1st SFOD-Delta combat veteran with years of experience in the firearms industry as a combat marksmanship instructor and industry consultant. In recent years he has hosted tactical firearms related TV shows on the Sportsman Channel with the latest being TacTV of which Bravo Company is a presenting sponsor. Larry Vickers special operations background is one of the most unique in the industry today; he has been directly or indirectly involved in the some of the most significant special operations missions of the last quarter century. During Operation Just Cause he participated in Operation Acid Gambit – the rescue of Kurt Muse from Modelo Prison in Panama City, Panama. As a tactics and marksmanship instructor on active duty he helped train special operations personnel that later captured Saddam Hussein and eliminated his sons Uday and Qusay Hussein. In addition he was directly involved in the design and development of the HK416 for Tier One SOF use which was used by Naval Special Warfare personnel to kill Osama Bin Laden. Larry Vickers has developed various small arms accessories with the most notable being his signature sling manufactured by Blue Force Gear and Glock accessories made by Tangodown. In addition he has maintained strong relationships with premium companies within the tactical firearms industry such as BCM, Aimpoint, Black Hills Ammunition, Wilson Combat and Schmidt & Bender.

Larry Vickers travels the country conducting combat marksmanship classes for law abiding civilians, law enforcement and military and has partnered with Alias Training to coordinate classes to best meet the needs of the students attending the class.

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 us some words of wisdom.

You Never Know Where They’ll Show Up

June 25th, 2016


Thanks David!

GunTV Taps Former Harris Publications’ Shirley Steffen & Karin Levine, Rounds Out Sales & Marketing, Increases Reach To Firearms & Accessories Companies

June 24th, 2016

Social Responsibility Network’s GunTV builds on successful launch, on-boards veteran print sales and marketing powerhouse duo.


Hockessin, Del. (June 20, 2016) – Social Responsibility Network’s GunTV, the first-of-its-kind television shopping network for firearms, accessories and related consumer goods, announce the addition of Shirley Steffen and Karin Levine to its sales and marketing team. “Shirley and Karin round out our sales and marketing team with their stellar reputations and work ethic. Scaling the network from our launch broadcast schedule of 6 hours per day 7 days per week, to 12 hours per day 7 days per week, and ultimately operating 24/7 is an enormous undertaking. The ladies are smart, confident and inextricably connected to the industry having spent 28 and 21 years, respectively, with Harris Publications,” said Valerie Castle, Managing Partner of GunTV.

“Shirley and I are thrilled to join Jeff Wood, Director of Broadcast Segment Sales & Merchandising and Scott McCoy, Spot Advertising Representative with GunTV in leading the effort to grow GunTV to its fullest potential, including rolling out the company’s newly introduced Share & Save affordable advertising opportunities for firearms accessory companies to share broadcast segments with high quality, complimentary products and save big,” said Karin Levine, Sales & Marketing Representative with GunTV.

GunTV recently opened up both the half hour and the quarter hour to allow all manufacturers to ‘Share & Save’. The prices for participation for a 90 day period are $5,250.00 net (shared 1/4 hour) or $10,500.00 net (shared 1/2 hour). All Share & Save program sponsorships include GunTV website participation and professionally produced :30, :60 and :90 second video assets for use anywhere.

“Karin and I are blessed to have had lots of choices following our departure from Harris. We took the time to reflect on our experiences over the past few decades, and consider all opportunities with a view to doing what we love, and loving what we do. GunTV was an easy choice for us. There’s simply no other platform as innovative, and with the new Share & Save offers, manufacturers can benefit from sales and brand building on GunTV. We look forward to sharing the opportunities that GunTV offers. As if reaching 60 million households wasn’t enough, we can offer our clients opportunities to increase their exposure with footage from the show, TV spots, outstanding photography, social media support and more. We are thrilled to include GunTV in the portfolio of what Bang Media will be offering,” said Shirley Steffen, Sales & Marketing Representative with GunTV.

Interested advertisers, please contact Shirley Steffen at ssteffen@guntv.tv or 516.729.6920 and Karin Levine at klevine@guntv.tv or 917.690.1222.

Natick Civilian Graduates From Jump School

June 24th, 2016

Every once in awhile, the civilian staff at the Natick Soldier Systems Center get to attend military courses. For example, I know a guy who went to jumpmaster school while he was in jump status as a civilian there after having served on active duty in the Army. Others have attended mountaineering courses with the nearby Vermont Army National Guard.

Recently, Jennifer Hunt, a textile technologist/materials engineer on the Aerial Delivery Engineering Support Team, or ADEST, at the Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center graduated from the Basic Airborne Course.

“I wanted to go and have the experience of using and jumping the parachute equipment I work with and inspect every day,” said Hunt. “The opportunity has given me a different and fuller perspective of the work I do for ADEST and has made me better qualified to do my job”

I’m very impressed with Ms Hunt’s effort here. Most people who attend are in their late teens and early 20s. She is 41 years old! That means she had to get an age waiver to attend. Not shabby, especially for a civilian employee.

Having never served in the military, she spent a year training to the APFT’s 17-21 age group standard and worked on pull-ups. Ms Hunt is under five feet tall so she had to jump to grasp the bar. That’s one dedicated lady.

Congratulations to Ms Jennifer Hunt.

Airborne!

To learn more, visit www.army.mil/article/170170/natick_civilian_takes_giant_leap_to_learn_more_about_soldier_equipment

SOWW Charity Rifle Raffle

June 24th, 2016

The Matt “Axe” Axelson Tribute Rifle raffle raises funds for Special Operations Wounded Warriors, a 501(c)3 charity which benefits wounded Veterans with various outdoor activities throughout the year.

axe-raffle2016-1

The following is an overview of the technical specifications of the Axelson Tactical “AXE” Special Purpose Rifle. Each rifle has special engraving and has been Cerakoted with a 3 color camouflage pattern which was done by hand to provide each rifle a slightly different and unique look. Cerakote has been provided by PD Warehouse in Chandler, Arizona. All rifles are hand-fitted and checked by SIONICS Weapon Systems and inspected by a Master Armorer.

-Upper Receiver Half: The upper receiver half is built around the SWS 18” Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) barrel. The upper receiver is a standard M4 styled flat top upper receiver with M4 feed cuts made from a 7075 T6 aluminum forging.
-Barrel, SIONICS Weapon Systems: stainless 18” SPR barrel. The twist of the barrel is 1/8. This barrel is chambered in .223 Wylde, uses a .0995 gas port and features an M4 barrel extension. It uses a standard .750 gas block manufactured by Geissele Automatics. The muzzle device is a Battle Comp 1.0 manufactured by Battle Comp Enterprises.
-Rail System, Geissele Automatics: MKII SMR 15” free-floating rail system.
-Bolt Carrier Group: Bolt carrier is an M16 profile made from 8620 tool steel and features an NP3 coating. The carrier key uses (2) grade 8 fasteners and is staked to prevent loosening. The bolt is made from Carpenter 158 steel and meets standard MILSPEC requirements.
-Sights, Magpul MBUS PRO: front and rear sights.
-Charging Handle, Vltor/Bravo Company Gunfighter: MOD 4 handle.
-Lower Receiver Half: Standard M4 style made from a 7075 T6 aluminum forging. It features an enhanced aluminum trigger guard from B5 Systems.
-Lower Receiver Extension: Vltor MILSPEC dimension A5 lower receiver extension. It features a rifle action spring and the Vltor A5 5.33 oz. buffer.
-Trigger Group, Geissele Automatics: SSA-E trigger.
-Selector Lever, Battle Arms Development: Ambidextrous Selector Lever.
-Butt Stock, B5 Systems: Enhanced SOPMOD stock.
-Front Pivot Pin and Rear Take Down Pins, Battle Arms Development: Enhanced Pin Set.
-Pistol Grip, Bravo Company Manufacturing: Gunfighter MOD 0 grip.
-All other components are standard MILSPEC parts.

sowwcharity.com/2016-axelson-tactical-rifle-raffle

OSS Video Of US Govt. Agency Torture Test – Part 2

June 24th, 2016

MURRAY UT – Last week, Operators Suppressor Systems (OSS) announced the results and a video of recent testing by a US Government agency that compared an OSS Flow-Through suppressor with the current best-in-class baffle suppressor.

This week, some have had questions about the test agency, their methodology, and the results highlighted in our video. For those who are interested, OSS would like to provide additional background and details on the tests, the results and the video.

The Tests:

Last fall, in OSS’s ongoing collaboration with the US Government and Military, prototype OSS suppressors were tested and experienced a handful of heat-related fails to outer housings and internal components.  

Armed with the testing data, the OSS R&D team refined and tested material and geometry mods to some suppressor components. Final prototyping was completed at the end of last year, and on January 6, 2016, the US Government agency responsible for determining “the next generation of small arms signature reduction” for SOF and tactical operators conducted a new test.

This test’s protocol and methodology was established by the agency and supervised by the agency’s personnel. Representatives from the various branches of the US Military were also in attendance and monitored the test.

It was held at OSS test facilities in our Murray UT headquarters. OSS has invested in advanced testing equipment in Murray, and as this state-of-the-art equipment was not readily available to the government agency, they requested that their test be conducted at OSS. OSS personnel participated solely in weapon handling, test firing (as seen on the video), and data recording.

As described in the video, this was a brutal torture test to determine suppression performance under the most extreme conditions – 240 rounds per cycle with eight 30 round mags of semi- and full-auto fire for at least six cycles!  

At the request of the testing agency, the commercial off-the-shelf baffle suppressor was purchased, and the OSS suppressors were randomly selected from inventory, as were the Daniel Defense Mk18s.

The Results:

Although only highlighted in the video, the dramatic difference in performance between the OSS suppressor and the baffle suppressor was, in the words of several of the government attendees, “Remarkable.”  

The reason is simple.

Baffle suppression creates significant backpressure. And over a firing table like the one used in this test, critical problems can arise:

  • Blocked gas and increased particulate accumulation can create weapon malfunctions
  • As particulate collects on the weapon and baffle suppressor components, sound and flash suppression erodes
  • Expanding energy creates extreme heat, especially under full-auto fire
  • OSS’s patented Flow-Through suppression does not increase backpressure, and allows for effective expansion of gases, transfer of energy, mitigation of heat, and suppression of sound and flash.

    These conditions were witnessed during the test and highlighted in the 3-minute video. The complete raw video of the test cycles is available for viewing via Dropbox hereNote: we’ve removed the link to the dropbox due to PERSEC concerns of images of government personnel attending the event and caught on film.
    -SSD

    Tomorrow:

    OSS’s patented Flow-Through suppression is a leap ahead and undoubtedly disruptive advance over existing baffle technology — the type of advance the US Government is working hard to test, validate and procure across various branches and services (see recent CSASS announcement).

    We’re proud to have earned the opportunity to have OSS products tested, improved and proven against the best-in-class competition.

    We’re excited to offer the same technology and performance in OSS’s new ELITE line of 5.56 and 7.62/.30 Cal suppressors.

    And as more learn about and experience the unmatched performance of OSS, we know they’ll understand what we mean when we say “Don’t Get Baffled.”

    For more information visit www.osssuppressors.com.

    This OSS press release is in response to a press release earlier this week by SureFire.

    Daniel Defense Releases Ambush .308 Hunting Rifle

    June 24th, 2016

    Black Creek, GA – June 23, 2016 – Daniel Defense, engineer and manufacturer of the world’s finest firearms and accessories, has released a new .308 rifle designed specifically for North American hunters. The Daniel Defense Ambush .308 in Kryptek Highlander is an accurate, hard-hitting platform engineered from the ground up to take down any North American big-game animal. And it’s quickly setting a new benchmark for what a hunting rifle should be.

    Ambush_308_Highlander

    At the rifle’s core is a free-floating, 18” Cold Hammer Forged barrel, which comes standard with Daniel Defense’s Superior Suppression Device Extended, for reduced muzzle-flash. This high-quality barrel connects directly to the upper receiver and free-floating KeyMod handguard with a robust 4-Bolt Connection System with patent pending barrel extension, resulting in increased stability, better accuracy, and reduced weight. The Ambush .308 is fed via an optimized bolt carrier group featuring a redesigned geometry and a new extremely slick, low-friction coating that ensure smooth, reliable feeding under most any circumstances.

    Ambidextrous controls make operating the rifle—including dropping the magazine, releasing the bolt, and switching the safety selector—intuitive and comfortable for right- and left-handed shooters. The charging handle is also ambidextrous, as well as user-configurable, and can be set up on either side with a larger or smaller handle in order to accommodate magnified optics or iron sights for a snag-free setup. Finally, to help hunters deliver on-target shots to bring down their prey, the Ambush .308 has a crisp 2-Stage Geissele Super Semi-Automatic (SSA®) Trigger that provides a smooth, precise trigger pull every time.

    The highly maneuverable and configurable Daniel Defense Ambush .308 has an overall length between 35.375” and 39”, depending on buttstock adjustment, and weighs only 8.6 pounds. Its rail system features a 15-inch Picatinny top rail and KeyMods at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. The rifle is available in multiple colors /patterns, including and Kryptek Highlander, with plans to offer it in Realtree Xtra pattern soon. With an MSRP of $2949.00, it is available from stocking Daniel Defense dealers.

    www.danieldefense.com

    FirstSpear Friday Focus – Operator Photo Contest

    June 24th, 2016

    DesignPrototypes_MG_3720

    For this week’s Friday Focus, FirstSpear is offering a chance for the SSD readers to get their hands on some genuine FirstSpear Design Prototypes, ranging from End user requests to truly one of a kind items, through the Operator Photo Contest.

    Operator Photo Contest

    1. All entries must include a FirstSpear item.
    2. Item must be worn or interacted with by a live human
    3. Must include a face FS can ‘Operator Blur’ i.e. they will blur/redact the faces.

    Contest Judges include former Marines and other Active duty or Retired Service Members so theme your images accordingly, if you’re interested in winning. Include guns, your girlfriend, anything you think will increase your chances, you won’t offend anyone related to the contest. Extra points for down range images.

    The contest deadline is July 8th. Email your entry to media@first-spear.com. Winners will be announced shortly after.

    Good luck!