Sidewinder Compact III

Rumors of Their Impending Demise are Greatly Exaggerated

January 30th, 2010

Over the last few weeks I have repeatedly heard rumors concerning three separate companies that are supposed to be going out of business. In one case, the rumor is unsubstantiated and in the other two partially true.

1. Specter Gear is going out of business – Not True. They displayed at SHOT Show, their website is still up and, they are answering the phone.

2. Brigade Quartermaster is bankrupt – Partially True. True, they didn’t show up at SHOT Show and their booth remained empty, and true they did settle outstanding bills a little short. Sold to Ira Green, long time producer of uniforms and insignia for military and law enforcement, their main strong points are a solid reputation with their customer base going back over 30 years and a presence in military exchanges and clothing sales stores including kiosks and actual store fronts on several bases. If they can get the vendors worked out, expect them to come back strong.

3. Command Arms Accessories – Partially True. Currently undergoing a rebranding and are now called EMA Tactical.

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Read Us on Your Kindle

January 29th, 2010

Soldier Systems Daily subscriptions are now available for your Kindle. Visit us at Amazon.com to subscribe.

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Magnum Boots USA Steps in to Lend Support to Haiti

January 29th, 2010

Magnum Boots USA is donating nine hundred pairs of boots and shoes to soles4souls.org, which will be distributed to victims of the earthquake so they are able to safely reconstruct their lives.

“Our hearts go out to our Haitian neighbors as we struggle to comprehend the magnitude of this disaster, and we cannot forget how important basic necessities – such as shoes – will be in the ongoing rescue and rebuilding efforts,” said Bill Berta, CEO of Magnum Boots USA. “We deeply appreciate the work of Soles 4 Souls and encourage everyone to look into their own closets in support of this tragedy.”

For ways to help those in need, please donate your gently used shoes to Souls4Souls. For more information please log into www.soles4souls.org for details.

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Cadex Defence Launches New Site

January 28th, 2010

Cadex Defence has maintained a pretty low profile over the years. While they might be short on publicity they are long on credibility. Take a gander at their products page. It’s no wonder that so many turn to them to solve special problems. Rumor has it that they participated in working some of the manufacturing kinks out of the ACR although no one will verify this.

New Cadex Defence Website

www.cadexdefence.com

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Kifaru’s Outside The Wire Bag

January 28th, 2010

It was great to see Kifaru Tactical exhibiting at SHOT Show. In addition to their currently offered products, Kifaru was quite bold about showing off their prototype Outside The Wire bag. Mel had told me about the concept over the phone a few months ago and I immediately thought of an old school doctor’s bag. Sure enough, when I saw it in person visions of Doc Adams from TV’s “Gunsmoke” immediately came to mind.

Kifaru Tactical's Outside The Wire bag

The advantages are obvious. It’s dimensions are perfect and a lot of work went into getting them right. It will also stand on its own without fall over whether empty or full. Additionally, the stiffened flaps open and close with ease and features dual, stowable handles. Finally, it is large enough so that you can see into it to find what you are looking for.

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SPEAR BALCS Low Visibility Body Armor Vest (LBAV) Pre-solicitation

January 28th, 2010

Natick dropped a pre-solicitation for a new Low Viz Body Armor carrier on the street on the 15th of January while all of us were concentrating on SHOT Show. The actual solicitation which is supposed to hit the street by the end of the month is worth, “The minimum contract value will be $57,000 with a maximum value of $22,800,000.00.” SOCOM is seeking a Commercial Off The Shelf carrier and vendors will have 30 days to submit to include, “Complete proposals shall contain offerors technical, manufacturability, past performance, price and warranties to include Production Demonstration Systems (PDSs) packages. Initial Submissions will require 3 complete PDSs for each size and version of the SPEAR BALCS LVBAV.” This is for carriers only and not armor.

PACA Low Viz Carrier

This requirement has been fulfilled for many years by the PACA carrier. However, it was only compatible with BALCS cut armor and plates used in the CIRAS and RBAV. This procurement demands a carrier that is compatible with both the RBAV and MBAV armor.

Finally, this is a set aside for small business. With so many companies being gobbled up by big business I wonder who is left to support this solicitation. Read about it here.

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Bates Gives Us a Glimpse of SHOT Show

January 27th, 2010

Bates did a great job of encapsulating the SHOT Show experience into one minute, minus the arrests and sore feet. Thanks guys!

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The Surefire RAID M720 – Best in Show

January 27th, 2010

Surefire noticed that customers were beginning to use their pistol lights in ways many hadn’t thought of before such as in place of the scout light on their carbine so they looked for a way to introduce more functionality in a similar foot print. The result is the new RAID series of lights. There are three versions of the RAID M720 coming including a white light only variant, high intensity white light, and the white light/IR combo. An added bonus is that Surefire has introduced a strobe function to this series of lights.

Surefire M720V

As for the M720V (IR), they took the Vampire technology released last year and applied it to their weapon light but with a difference. A simple twist of the bezel located behind the head switches from white to IR to disable. Integrating both white and IR lights into the same package, the new M720V packs a lot of power into a compact package. There are three IR settings (Low, Med, High) and four white light functions (Flashlight, Med, High, and Strobe). The RAID can be dismounted from the weapon and used as a flashlight or the same function can be used as a navigation light.

Notice that the battery compartment is at an angle. This is so that you can swap the two CR123 batteries without removing the light from the weapon. In addition to the light’s integral switches, there is also an optional tape switch.

Out of everything I saw at the show, this is the one thing that everyone with a weapon can use. The M720V is available in March from Surefire with other models to follow throughout the year.

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