Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Weather...
Freezing rain, sleet, and lighting so close it scrambled the radio in my car on the way home. I had to chip off at least a quarter inch of ice on the windshield just so I could get going, and thankfully I made it home before it got too covered again (the wipers are still under about an inch...) And I have to work at 7am. Welcome to spring in Wisconsin.
Tactical Tailor Mini-MAV
A while back I was looking for a small rig to carry a few AR mags and a couple handgun mags. Nothing complex, just a way to carry ammo and avoid the gear overload a full out load bearing vest can generate. A good chest rig.
A while back I snagged a Chinese AK chest rig for under $10.
It's a great set-up, in theory. Three 30 round AK mags, and four grenade pouches. I don't regularly carry grenades, so those pouches are usually empty though (except when I dressed up as an Afghan for Halloween. Then they were great for my wallet and cell... Man-Jammies don't have pockets...)
Most importantly, it's simple, and hold just enough for a quick response scenario. I actually tend to keep it in the trunk of my car, as a WASR makes a great trunk gun. My only complaint is that there's no way of swapping out at least a couple of the grenade pouches for a couple pistol mag holders of some sort without extensive modification of the rig (OK, not that extensive, but not MOLLE convenient.)
So I decided that I wanted a small rig for 3-4 AR mags, in single holders (ever try going prone with double pouches?) and at minimum, one spare double-stack 9mm mag. MOLLE is great, since modularity is dang nice, and if I were to switch from an AR to something else, I would only need to swap pouches instead of the whole rig.
So I poked around the ol' interwebs, and in a mildly round-about way, came to the Tactical Tailor's web store. Tactical Tailor was not a new name to me, and I doubt to many others. They've built up a good reputation for putting out quality American made gear, and backing that gear with great service.
What was new to me was their "Mini-MAV" chest rig platform. A simple MOLLE platform slightly smaller than the trusty Chinese rig, but sporting a ton of improvements. So I ordered me up some Multicam goodness and looked forward to the brown truck of happiness dropping it off in a couple weeks.
First impressions are everything, and the Mini-MAV did not disappoint. Read more after the jump-
A while back I snagged a Chinese AK chest rig for under $10.
 |
| It's the best photo I can find... but it's a rather ubiquitous item. |
It's a great set-up, in theory. Three 30 round AK mags, and four grenade pouches. I don't regularly carry grenades, so those pouches are usually empty though (except when I dressed up as an Afghan for Halloween. Then they were great for my wallet and cell... Man-Jammies don't have pockets...)
Most importantly, it's simple, and hold just enough for a quick response scenario. I actually tend to keep it in the trunk of my car, as a WASR makes a great trunk gun. My only complaint is that there's no way of swapping out at least a couple of the grenade pouches for a couple pistol mag holders of some sort without extensive modification of the rig (OK, not that extensive, but not MOLLE convenient.)
So I decided that I wanted a small rig for 3-4 AR mags, in single holders (ever try going prone with double pouches?) and at minimum, one spare double-stack 9mm mag. MOLLE is great, since modularity is dang nice, and if I were to switch from an AR to something else, I would only need to swap pouches instead of the whole rig.
So I poked around the ol' interwebs, and in a mildly round-about way, came to the Tactical Tailor's web store. Tactical Tailor was not a new name to me, and I doubt to many others. They've built up a good reputation for putting out quality American made gear, and backing that gear with great service.
What was new to me was their "Mini-MAV" chest rig platform. A simple MOLLE platform slightly smaller than the trusty Chinese rig, but sporting a ton of improvements. So I ordered me up some Multicam goodness and looked forward to the brown truck of happiness dropping it off in a couple weeks.
First impressions are everything, and the Mini-MAV did not disappoint. Read more after the jump-
Monday, March 21, 2011
Wish in One Hand...
Despite how much you hope, there don't seem to be magic elves that are nice enough to come edit photos for you while you're sleeping.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
"Snort!"
Hey, CNN, since this war was half your idea in the first place, can't you at least go 72 hours before switching sides?So glad I didn't have a mouthful of coffee at that point...
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Shiny!*
Apparently Raven Concealment Systems have made some improvements since my last order.
First impressions - the profile of the M&P makes for a much more secure feel to the holster than the Sig (more bits on the left side of the gun to provide texture) and the soft loops are a massive improvement over the "paddle clips" of old.
I'll get some more pictures and more words in the next couple weeks at some time, but to sum it up, at first impression, the wait was well worth it.
*Been watching a bit of Firefly as of late...
Friday, March 18, 2011
"Always Have a Knife"
Robb Allen is finally learning the lesson my Grandfather taught me nearly 20 years ago, the title of this post. I can forget my phone or wallet at home, and it's a mild inconvenience, but I feel naked if I don't have my pocket knife. Needless to say, I hate flying (how am I supposed to open the dang peanuts!)
There's just too many reasons to carry a good pocket knife.
There's just too many reasons to carry a good pocket knife.
Die Snow...
I had to drive a couple dozen miles to the next town north for a dental exam (apparently the DOD doesn't contract any of the dozen or so dentists in town...) and between the warm-ish temperatures and light rain, all the vast fields of snow were generating some pretty impressive banks of fog.
It made interstate driving kind of suck, but seeing the steam rising up off the snow made me think of the snow's soul rising up from it's melting body, and I'm rather ok with the idea.
On a side note, since I was close, I ducked into Gander Mountain to drool (being effectively broke, I wasn't in any real danger.) They had a basic black ACR there, and the guy behind the counter didn't even know what it was, and they had the front sight mounted backwards, but it was a lot lighter than I expected. The price tag made me laugh though. Also fondled a S&W .380 Bodyguard. If I do decide to pick up a tiny .380, that'll probably be the one, it felt pretty good in my hands, and has the full compliment of pistol controls, and the laser is a fantastic idea on a tiny gun with tiny sights like that.
It made interstate driving kind of suck, but seeing the steam rising up off the snow made me think of the snow's soul rising up from it's melting body, and I'm rather ok with the idea.
On a side note, since I was close, I ducked into Gander Mountain to drool (being effectively broke, I wasn't in any real danger.) They had a basic black ACR there, and the guy behind the counter didn't even know what it was, and they had the front sight mounted backwards, but it was a lot lighter than I expected. The price tag made me laugh though. Also fondled a S&W .380 Bodyguard. If I do decide to pick up a tiny .380, that'll probably be the one, it felt pretty good in my hands, and has the full compliment of pistol controls, and the laser is a fantastic idea on a tiny gun with tiny sights like that.
Warp Speed 5 Captain!
Is not the speed to reholster in. Caleb talks about the importance of holsters, and most importantly, why "speed reholstering" is bad.
He also touches on the concept of the "hard stop" after shooting. It's a good idea, and I think including a "search and assess" in with that is a good habit to get into.
He also touches on the concept of the "hard stop" after shooting. It's a good idea, and I think including a "search and assess" in with that is a good habit to get into.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Let There Be Light
I've mentioned before that I'm a big fan of a white light on a defensive gun. One of the biggest reasons people don't is because it can make the gun more difficult to conceal.
Well, holster makers are catching up.
Well, holster makers are catching up.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Just Another Reason
Coffee is a thing of wonder and deliciousness. Studies show it may reduce the occurance of strokes.
.38 Snubbies
"It's about as narrow-purpose as a handgun can be, and tricky to shoot well: the sights are hard to see, not to mention the basic physics problem of trying to hold a sub-1lb. object steady with two fingers while pulling a 10+ lb. trigger, all the while knowing it's going to smack your hand like a ball bat when it does go off? I mean, if you were trying to frustrate a new shooter and turn them off on shooting as a pastime, could there be a better gun to give him or her?"And-
"Sure, snubbies live up to a lot of their selling points (It's small! It's light! It'll fit in your purse!) but no one ever seems to tell women what it feels like to shoot one. So let me say it right now... It sucks."I do think I should pick one up at some point, just to show people these things. They may be a great sollution for somebody who's familiar with firearms, but are far from a great novice gun.
Uhg....
Halfway to the office and realize my wallet's sitting on the desk... at home...
Gonna be a rough day.
Gonna be a rough day.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
True...
"...wind turbines are nothing but prayer wheels for suburbanite Buddhists."Probably not the answer, just like Tam says, but I do think they're neat to look at...
That being said, the overall idea of cutting back nuke power because of one record setting series of events is plain stupid. I heard Germany is shutting down a bunch of theirs until they can go over their safety procedures. Somehow I doubt they'll have the problem of a Top 10 earthquake (5 times stronger than the plants were designed to withstand...) followed by a massive tsunami knocking out the backup generators to deal with. Overall Japan just happened to get bit by Murphy hardcore, and it's no excuse to hobble your own infrastructure half a world away.
AR Lube Tips
From The Shooter's Log. My only added comments are that unless you're in a complete dustbowl (like great chunks of A-stan) you really can't run it too wet. That being said, I tend to just hit the points the article mentions with some good gun grease and blast some CLP in there when it gets gross (which is often... I hate cleaning guns.)
Monday, March 14, 2011
Handy-dandy Guide to NFAs
From the ATF. I do like the art, it's quite tasteful. No pistols with VFGs though, as Uncle points out. Those count as AOWs too.
New(ish) Resource
At least new to me. Power Factor Show has a good series of videos to help you get into shooting games.
(H/T Caleb)
(H/T Caleb)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Malfs
Game winning and life saving. Caleb has a post on the CTD blog on malfunction drills, complete with a video (with the naughty word edited out) that's well worth checking out.
Lulz at the Drunks
When the cop asks if you have any beer in your backpack, it's key to remember the mesh water bottle pocket does a poor job of hiding a Miller Light can.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Still Alive
Just working night shifts the tail end of this week, and I don't sleep well to begin with. Rest assured, I am well insulated from the insanity to the south for the time being. (Although I think I may need to consider keeping my gear packed and uniforms ready...)
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