Feral Jundi

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Gear Review: Black Friday Deals

Filed under: Cool Stuff,Gear Review — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 2:48 AM

   Hey gang, check it out.  Matt put together this list of Black Friday specials pertinent to our industry, so a big thanks to him.  With the coming surge in Afghanistan and all the maritime security stuff, everyone will be hitting the online stores hard and buying stuff for deployments. So definitely take advantage of any deals now, and I hope these sites still have stuff after the big rush. Also, if any other vendors would like to add their deals to this list, just let me know and I will add it, or you can just put it up in the comments section. –Matt

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SOG Knives -Online Sale Nov. 26th-Dec. 11th TAKE 50% OFF SELECT PRODUCTS! Just use coupon code”WINTER” when ordering.

EOTAC– If you place an online order from November 26 to November 29, you will receive a 25% discount. Enter the following discount code during checkout…. TURKEYDAY

TAG Gear – Thanksgiving Day Sale- 55% off entire site. Even Armor!

Battery Junction – Black Friday 7 Day Blowout Sale – Flashlights, batteries, chargers…

Photon Light – Thanksgiving Sale – 15% off entire site

Boondock Saints Online -IL Duce’s 50% off Black Friday BLOWOUT!!! One day only – Friday the 27th! Enter code “DUCE50” at checkout.

Blade Tech – 25% off everything. Starts Nov 27th, ends Nov 29th.

Blackhawk! – Save an additional 20% off Clearance Items, Now through Nov 30th. Use promo code “BLACKFRIDAY”.

Botach DEFENSE – Save an additional 5% off already discounted items. Use coupon code “BLACKFRIDAY”. And use coupon code “FREESHIPPING” for free shipping on all orders over $100. Now through Nov 30th.

Brownells – Black (Rifle) Friday Sale – Save 10% off all orders over $150 – Sale good from Nov 27th – Nov 30th, Black

Friday to Cyber Monday. Use promo code “CYB”

BDU.com – Six Days of Savings – Take 12% off anything from Wednesday through Monday. Use coupon code “blackfriday”

Mako Group – 30% off anything on the site. Use coupon code “BLK-FRI”. Valid Nov 26th-Nov 30th.

Supply Captain-The sale runs from now until the 29th. The coupon code “TURKEY09” at checkout, which will net you 25% off a purchase over $75.

A big list of other stores and their Black Friday ads here.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Gear Review: Armor and Weapons in the War-The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Filed under: Afghanistan,Gear Review — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 11:51 AM

   I think these three stories do a pretty good job of discussing what’s what in the war.  In the second story, there is a article mentioned in the UPI about weight versus mobility, that you can check out as well.  My take away from all of this is that armor is too heavy–duh, and our weapons suck.  The thing to ask, is are we able to catch the Taliban up in the mountains when we hunt him?  And better yet, do our troops have a weapon that will work as advertised when we catch up to these ‘miscreants’. (I love using that word, because that is what the Pakistanis call the Taliban–lol)

   Don’t get me wrong though, because many of these advances in weapons and armor is amazing and they have their place.  But we have to be realistic about what really wins battles up in those mountains, and against mountain people. –Matt

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Captains Journal

A soldier hiking in the hills of the Korengal Valley. 

Weapons failed US troops during Afghan firefight

October 12, 2009

By RICHARD LARDNER

Associated Press Writer

In the chaos of an early morning assault on a remote U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan, Staff Sgt. Erich Phillips’ M4 carbine quit firing as militant forces surrounded the base. The machine gun he grabbed after tossing the rifle aside didn’t work either.

When the battle in the small village of Wanat ended, nine U.S. soldiers lay dead and 27 more were wounded. A detailed study of the attack by a military historian found that weapons failed repeatedly at a “critical moment” during the firefight on July 13, 2008, putting the outnumbered American troops at risk of being overrun by nearly 200 insurgents.

Which raises the question: Eight years into the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, do U.S. armed forces have the best guns money can buy?

Despite the military’s insistence that they do, a small but vocal number of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq has complained that the standard-issue M4 rifles need too much maintenance and jam at the worst possible times.

A week ago, eight U.S. troops were killed at a base near Kamdesh, a town near Wanat. There’s no immediate evidence of weapons failures at Kamdesh, but the circumstances were eerily similar to the Wanat battle: insurgents stormed an isolated stronghold manned by American forces stretched thin by the demands of war.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Gear Review: The TAG Havoc Armor Carrier

Filed under: Gear Review — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 11:52 AM

I just ordered a medium sized version of this rig and it just came in the mail the other day. There was a bit of a wait, but not too bad. (About two months) And for disclosure, I bought this and I picked this product based on my own research on low profile BALCS carriers.
First impressions is that this vest is built well. All of the velcro is in strips, so that you can have each piece separately replaced, as opposed to dealing with really fat pieces of velcro that would require total replacement and sewing surgery. That is good, because most shops that do repairs overseas on the bases carry the smaller strips of velcro.
The color is a good looking coyote brown, and not ‘puke green’ or whatever weird version of coyote brown you see floating around out there. So I like the color.
Now on to the functionality of this carrier. Mine is a medium, because I own RBR BALCS cut medium sized armor panels. My panels did fit in this medium sized Havoc, so for you BALCS owners, that is good news and the product works as advertised.
On that subject, I own a CIRAS vest (land version) by Eagle Industries, and that is a great vest. It serves the purpose of having a molle capable vest that I can put pouches on and set up for contracts that require that kind of equipment. But I also wanted a low profile vest, and I want the ability to use the BALCS armor in my CIRAS vest for that low profile vest. Dual purpose kit is cool. (less stuff to carry as well).
Better yet, I prefer wearing a harness (my Tactical Tailor Two Piece MAV) over a low profile rig, and whenever I can use that set up, I do. That allows me to use a layering principle for my kit. If I want to just wear my vest, and not the pouches and rifle ammo, then I can. Or I can throw on the harness–it gives me choices, and I like choices with kit.
I even have a plate carrier (Tactical Tailor’s PC, but I prefer the low profile plate carrier from DBT) that allows me to use just my plates. That is great for hot weather or when contracts stipulate that I wear a plate carrier.
So there you have it, I have three types of vests to answer any and all types of contracts that I might work. Everything from the low profile gigs (the Havoc and plate carriers work there) to the everyday field rig (CIRAS). That is my system, and it works for me.
Back to the Havoc. The really neat feature of this vest is that you can adjust the position of the plate inside the vest, so that it correctly covers key areas of the body. (like positioning the thing right below the suprasternal notch) There is also a side plate pocket which holds a 6×6 plate. I don’t have a side plate to test this out, but I do plan on getting some in the future. It looks to me like it would fit just fine in there. (it might even fit a 6×8)
Another cool deal is that you can use different shape plates in this vest. Unfortunately, I have the square plates that RBR sells.(size 10×12) I recommend getting plates that have the corners cut, just so you can present a rifle and your butt stock has contact in the shoulder pocket. But I am glad the vest holds the plates I have, and there is space to fit all types of plates out there. The pocket inside has a little wiggle room to meet your needs.
The down side? I don’t have any yet, because even the price is decent in my book. (about 150 bucks, depending on where you go to buy). The wait sucked, but good things come to those that wait. I guess after wearing it for awhile, I can comment about durability. The weight is good, and I really like how it sucks in tight with the side flaps.
Oh, that is another thing about this vest. I don’t like having to mess around with three straps or whatever on each side, when putting a vest on. The Havoc is perfectly set up to throw on and slap one large strap of velcro on one side to tighten. Simple and quick to put on is good. So there you have it, FJ recommends this product, and it is about the best offering for a low profile BALCS carrier that accepts plates and side plates out there. –Matt

Edit: Also sign up for TAG’s newsletter and check the forums from time to time for any coupon codes. You can save a bunch of money with that stuff, and thanks to Matt for reminding me.

 

 

Detailed Description from the Company

Tactical Assault Gears Havoc armor carrier is designed to carry the SPEAR/BALCS cut soft armor. The Havoc has plate pockets for front and back trauma plates. The carrier also has built in 6”x6” side plate pockets inside the carrier. The Havoc is made of 500 Denier Cordura Nylon to reduce the overall weight. The Havoc is lined with mesh on the inside, and has the ability to accept ballistic groin protectors if needed. This is a great solution for operators who prefer to use chest rigs or assault vests over their armor carriers. Made in the United States, 100% lifetime warranty.

Link to product here.

Soldier System’s review of the Havoc here.

Lightfighter post with pictures about the Havoc here.

Buy the Havoc at Amazon here.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Company Spotlight: Illusicam

     Hey gang, I am always on the look out for the latest thing, and I came across this cool little company the other day.  They make some really interesting camouflage patterns.  It’s the kind of stuff you won’t see anywhere else. The advantage I see with these patterns, is that there are more varieties for whatever region you are at.  For example, the desert pattern has five separate patterns to choose from.  That makes sense, because not all deserts are the same. The same goes for jungles, woodlands and winter lands, and the unique patterns of this camouflage will give you more choices for these particular areas.  That is good news for hunters, military, contractors and police.

   As for using these prints, right now they can be turned into transfers that can be attached to weapons or gear lockers or whatever you want camouflaged. Check it out. –Matt

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About Illusicam

Illusicam was founded by the owner Jeff Wilcox in 2008 with the vision of becoming a leader in “technological camouflage” to be used for seasonal hunters, military, law enforcement and government agencies. Illusicam offers a wide variety of cost-effective patterns to meet the individual needs of its customers. The patterns can be used on virtually any application such as; fabrics, complete rifles, rifle stocks, rifle cases, equipment cases, ATV’s, vehicles and much more.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Publications: State Department Amends ITAR To Add Temporary Export Exemption for Body Armor

   Good information to know.  If anyone else has anything to add, let me know or post it up in comments so we can get it out to the industry.  Cheers. –Matt

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State Department Amends ITAR To Add Temporary Export Exemption for Body Armor

August 7, 2009

The Department of State is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to add an exemption for the temporary export of body armor for exclusive personal use to destinations not subject to restrictions under the ITAR § 126.1, and to Afghanistan and Iraq under specified conditions, effective August 6, 2009.

In order to use the exemption, the protective equipment must be for the individual’s exclusive use and must be returned to the United States. The individual may not re-export the protective equipment to a foreign person or otherwise transfer ownership. The protective equipment may not be exported to any country where the importation would be in violation of that country’s laws.

The U.S. person declaring the temporary export of body armor to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) should use CBP Form 4457, “Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad.” In the event the body armor is lost or otherwise not returned to the United States, a detailed report about the incident must be submitted to the Office of Defense Trade Controls Compliance. The report should describe all attempts to locate the body armor.

Interested parties may submit comments at any time by any of the following methods:

E-mail: DDTCResponseTeam@state.gov with an appropriate subject line.

Mail: Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, Office of Defense Trade Controls Policy, ATTN: Regulatory Change, Section 123.17, SA-1, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20522-0112.

This notice may also be viewed on regulations.gov.

For further information, contact Director Charles B. Shotwell, Office of Defense Trade Controls Policy, Department of State, Telephone (202) 663-2792 or Fax (202) 261-8199; E-mail: DDTCResponseTeam@state.gov. ATTN: Regulatory Change, Section 123.17.

From the blog Official Export Guide

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