SGM (ret) John McPhee served a distinguished career in U.S. Army Special Operations for over 20 years, retiring in 2011.
John has spent his adult life in Special Operations and Special Mission Units. He is a Master Instructor in all aspects of special activities, missions and operations. He has over 6 years of private special activities consulting and is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in: Special Activities, Operational Preparations, Limited Signature Operations, Reconnaissance, Singleton Operations, High Threat Dignitary Protective Services, Extreme Long Range, Designated Marksman, Advanced Precision Rifle Marksmanship, Combat Marksmanship, Live Fire CQB/CQC, Advanced Pistol Marksmanship, Advanced Carbine Marksmanship, Ariel Gunnery (Rifles, Shotguns, Ariel Personnel and Vehicle Interdictions, Mechanical, Ballistic and Explosive Breaching, Freefall Instructor Programs, Infiltration/ Exfiltration Techniques, Ground Mobility, Unit Pre-Deployment Training, and Research and Development of; Soldier Systems, Weapons, Ammunition, Thermal and Night Optics.
Qualifications;
Special Forces Target Interdiction Course
US Army Sniper School
NRA Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun, Instructor
NRA Range Safety Officer
Advanced Mountain Sniper Course, Instructor
Advanced Freefall, Instructor (Ratings Current)
Freefall Coach (Ratings Current)
California Personal/ Executive Body Guard Certification (Rating Current)
2005 Budweiser World Cup Super Heavyweight Jiu-Jitsu Champion
2004 Presidential Security Detail (Ariel Heavy) Cartagena, Colombia
He has trained countless U.S. Special Operations forces, thousands of International Tier 1 Operators and Special Forces around the world. He is one of the handful of operators with over a decade of combat having served in multiple theaters from Bosnia and South America to recent war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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.
Off The Grid Concepts has introduced the Dynamic Intervention Contraceptive Karrier (D.I.C.K.). Sure, it might seem superfluous. That is, until you need a viable safe.
According to OTG – “Knowing that you have the ultimate high speed carrying solution for your most desired safety mechanism should be the best peace of mind you could ask for. When the ladies see this they know you’re a man who means business and one who is financially responsible. So your money is going towards your ammo, not paying for a “negligent discharge.”
Off The Grid Concepts is offering the D.I.C.K. in multiple “mounting” solutions including MOLLE for your “war belt” and a regular belting solution for your “low pro” urban operations. Color options are wide ranging and can include urban camouflage so she doesn’t get apprehensive and see it “coming.”
Make sure you protect that money shot when engaged in CQB (close quarters body) shooting situations!
You may remember Steel Flame’s rail mounted skull from Tactical Fanboy’s SHOT Show coverage. It’s just a little something to give your range gun some bling. Now, they’ve taken in up a notch with this new creation seen here on this Rifle Dynamics AK.
If I could describe Steel Flame in one word it would be “passion”. A Native of Southern California, founder Derrick Obatake is a Master Jeweler and Graduate Gemologist with over 32 years experience. After many successful years in the jewelry game he decided to launch Steel Flame. It is the ultimate culmination of his passions, his meticulous talent and his restless imagination. I had the honor of meeting Derrick during a recent trip to the LA area and let me tell you, this guys is awesome! He didn’t know me from Adam and brought my family and me in for a visit. We toured the shop and I can tell that he has found his niche. What’s more, Derrick is humble. He regularly uses his talent to work behind the scenes to raise money for LE and military causes. He is also an avid shooter and knife collector. This guy is our kind of people. His work is not cheap, but when you look at the detail, it’s worth every penny to someone who values innovation and craftsmanship.
We first introduced you to the Bulldog Assistant Gunners Kit during SOFIC but now we have lots of details on the kit. It was designed specifically for employment of US issue Machine Guns under fire and includes:
-Lightweight Spare Barrel Bag for the M249 Saw, M240L, Mk46, Mk48
-Lightweight Spare Barrel Mat (Cooling area for the Spare Barrel)
-Custom designed Rapid Access Ammunition Pouch
The BAG Kit is an integrated design with the various components including the ammunition pouches that are designed to hold the prepackaged 7.62 , 100 round and 5.56, 200 rounds ammo boxes; Spare Barrel Bag, Spare Barrel Mat as well as a way to carry the Tripod all working together. All of the components are MOLLE (Modular Light weight Load carrying Equipment) compatible and can be adapted to various pack frames including ALICE and MOLLE.
The Spare Barrel Bag and Mat are 75% lighter than than current issue items (3.25 Lbs weight reduction) and offer improved accessibility and greater security regarding the tripod retention. Additionally, ammunition is readily accessible allowing for rapid reloading of the weapon system it supports as you can see in the video.
Currently the AG, AB and Gunner share the load across three men. With the BAG Kit the AG and Gunner will have the ability to carry all the necessary accessories to support the weapon system reducing the minimum number of personnel from 3 to 2 for employment of this weapon system.
One of the shortcomings with currently issued items is that the AG must be exposed to enemy fire for extended periods of time to gain access to needed weapon accessories before the weapon system is operational. The current Squad and Platoon machine gunners must carry a sling; spare barrel bag (which holds the spare barrel and tripod) as well as ammunition pouches of various sizes. The necessity of exchanging ammunition drums or rapidly linking the additional belts of ammunition to the weapon is paramount since there are only 50 rounds in the CAP. A 100 rd CAP exists but it interferes with the Tripod Mounting System and its use is currently being reviewed by the US Army.
Advantages of the AG BAG Kit include: Soldiers can rapidly reload the machine guns meaning more rounds down range while in contact with the enemy. Soldier movement in restrictive terrain is improved due to a better integration and distribution of weight of the weapon accessories and the AG BAG is designed specifically for use under fire.
Bulldog Equipment has integrated a new (Patent Pending) lighter weight system. Bulldog’s design is 75% lighter than current MOLLE. This was accomplished by using a single layer of 1″ webbing, removal of the plastic stiffener and the permanent mounting of a stamped metal one inch Tri Glide from ITW Nexus. This allows for the webbing to be locked in place preventing accessory movement. The BAG Kit ammunition pouches are designed around the dimensions of the 100 Round Card Board Ammo Box that the 7.62 ammo is supplied in. Therefore depending on your units preference you can choose between 100, 200 and 300 Round pouches which are integrated with a patented ammunition tension feed system. This bracket provides enough tension on the rounds to prevent rounds from falling from the pouch onto the ground regardless of its position, even if inverted. The tension however does not interfere with the feeding of rounds into the weapon. This (Patent Pending) Ammunition Pouch allows the ammunition to be rapidly accessed and linked to the ammunition in the CAP. The current issue CAP holds 50 rounds and it takes more than 20 seconds to link the ammunition together using current issue ammo bags. The Bulldog Ammo Bags allows for expedited and efficient ammunition access. Bulldog Equipment developed the current issue Spare Barrel Bag NSN 1005-01-5369646 in 2003, that Spare Barrel Bag weighs 4.5 Lbs. Bulldog’s Spare Barrel Bag generally has a life span of 3-5 years proving its design exceeds any durability requirement. With the knowledge learned from previous solutions we utilized the same materials for this new Spare Barrel Bag and Spare Barrel Mat. By changing the design they were able to save 3.25 Pounds with this new design. It weighs just 1.25 Pounds. Also the Spare Barrel Mat and Bag are two separate products. This allows replacement of individual components creating a cost savings for the military. The current issue spare barrel bag is not MOLLE compatible, extremely cumbersome as well as having a large foot print that makes carrying and deployment difficult. The ease of use and rapid access of BAG Kits Spare Barrel Bag and Spare Barrel Mat allow for rapid barrel change. A large number of machine guns are being serviced or rebuilt in theater due to damage caused by soldier failure to properly change the barrel.
Finally, the Tripod is secured in the Barrel Mat during movements by using 1 inch Fast Tacks from ITW Nexus mounted on the side of the Ammo Bags. The BAG Kit comes with a variety of spare hardware which will allow for personalized equipment placement and repair in the field of all plastic components.
This is a great time to obligate end of year funds toward these bags. To learn more contact www.bulldogequipment.us.
TCI has created a solution to improve comfort and convenience of wearing tactical headsets with contemporary tactical headsets. You may have noticed TCI’s solution when it was recently televised on NBC’s “Stars Earn Stripes” television series where military operatives and celebrities teamed-up to compete and earn money for public safety and military charities.
The Liberator Series Behind-the-Head (BTH) Attachment Kit works with the Ops-Core FAST, Base Jump and other high-cut tactical helmets by allowing users to attach their tactical headset directly to the helmet. It works exceptionally well with Ops-Core helmets with Occ-Dual or advanced nape support straps, while preserving valuable helmet rail space for other mission gear.
The Liberator Series Behind-the-Head (BTH) Attachment Kit was designed as a conversion kit for Liberator II and III BTH headsets to improve modularity, comfort, fit and convenience. Users can don and doff their headset and helmet simultaneously, yet quickly detach the headset from the helmet to place on another compatible helmet. Or, they can wear the headset or helmet independently.
Other attachment systems use the limited rail space of the helmet and the mounting system protrudes outside the normal width of the helmet. TCI noticed that this makes them prone to breakage and removing the headset from the helmet quickly is an endeavor. What’s more, their concern was that you couldn’t effect an expedient battlefield repair if it broke.
The Panteao Gun Team will be hosting a free Shooting Sports Clinic during the IDPA Nationals on Sunday, September 23rd. It’s open to all participants of the IDPA Nationals and the instructors will be Panteao Gun Team members Bob Vogel, Tom Yost, and “Super Dave” Harrington.
The Clinic is limited to 40 participants, so please RSVP as soon as possible to secure your spot. You can email Panteao Productions at info@panteaoproductions.com. The Clinic will start Sunday at 9:00 AM and run till approximately Noon. Participants should bring score sheets from the match along with gear and ammo.
In addition, Panteao Productions will be filming the Clinic for an upcoming video, so here is your chance to be in one of the Panteao videos.
Here’s the official blurb on the the Infrascanner 2000 – It is a portable screening device that uses Near-Infrared (NIR) technology to screen patients for intracranial bleeding, identifying those who would most benefit from immediate referral to a CT scan and neurosurgical intervention. In the triage of head trauma patients, the Infrascanner can identify patients most likely to have intracranial bleeding.
Now, think about this. You now have a diagnostic tool that you can use in the field to detect Traumatic Brain Injury. That is huge.
SGM (ret) John McPhee served a distinguished career in U.S. Army Special Operations for over 20 years, retiring in 2011.
