Old Grouch’s Military Surplus Tactical Pack Cover with Rain Hood and Improved Military Poncho News

Old Grouch’s Military Surplus has introduced two new items to accompany their Improved Military Poncho (see previous post).

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The first is a longer version of the Improved Military Poncho. The “Tall” version measures 94″ compared to the standard 82″ of the regular version. The poncho is a full 12″ longer and has an additional row of snaps but the spacing on center remains the same so that both the regular and tall version can be snapped together when used as shelter halves.

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They have also worked with the manufacturer of their ponchos to create the Tactical pack Cover with Rain Hood. This is a water resistant cover that can be fitted to your pack via a drawstring and elastic strap. It also has a head and shoulder hood that can be pulled up and over the wearer. It covers in such a way that gear on the chest like chest rigs or items on your armor are still accessible. It is available in two sizes based on the size of your pack.

HolsterWizard.com

HolsterWizard.com could be a handy source for anyone in the market for a new holster – especially for obscure or less popular handguns. It is basically a search engine for holsters that polls multiple manufacturers and puts all of that information at your finger tips.

I tested it by searching for holsters for the long discontinued Ruger Security Six. I thought it would probably turn up page after page of soft nylon universal holsters but it actually turned up 54 holsters, only a few of which were nylon universal type holsters. It even found some holsters that I hadn’t come across in my Google searches for Security Six holsters. I was very pleasantly surprised and it has already proven to be useful for me.

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Review: Suarez International Combat Magazine Guide

I have been using the Suarez International (SI) Combat Magazine Guide for almost 1 year now on one of my Generation 3 Glock 19s and I like it quite a bit. It may seem strange to use a magwell on a carry gun to some but I may have some unique perspective for those who think that way.

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Overview

The Combat Magazine Guide is a drop-in magazine well enhancement that is available for a number of different Glock models. It is machined from “aircraft grade” aluminum and hard anodized. Installation is easy and similar to every other magwell that I have ever used.

Observations

I will say up front that the marketing for the Combat Magazine Guide is a bit over the top. I have come to expect that from SI but I have also come to expect that the quality and function of the product will be very good at a reasonable price. That has been true for this and all the other Glock parts I have used from them.

Suarez Combat Magazine Guide

SI states in their marketing materials that the Combat Magazine Guide gives a 3% edge is reload speed. I have never really found that to be the case with ANY magazine well intended for use with double stack magazines. I have generally found that reloads are more forgiving of not-so-perfect technique but, averaged out over several reloads, not necessarily faster.

At this point, you may be wondering why I still like magwells on Glocks if I haven’t really found them to be faster. Most people have a pretty narrow view of what a magwell does. I don’t discount their ability to clean up a slight miss during a reload and their potential to speed some reloads but I see them as a grip enhancer as much as a reload enhancer.

The grip enhancing aspects of a well designed magwell are especially apparent on short gripped handguns like the Glock 19. My hands are wide enough that they can cause two issues (I usually wear a medium or, occasionally, a large glove so we aren’t talking about especially meaty hands here). The first is that magazine may fail to drop free due to contact with the meat of my palm. The second (and more painful issue) is that the meat of my palm can be pinched between the Glock frame and magazine base plate. This can cause a painful blood blister which is less than pleasant when you are part way through a long training session. The Combat Magazine Guide prevents this from happening by effectively holding back the meat of my palm.

Additionally, the wedge shape of the Combat Magazine Guide serves to drive the hand higher on the gun and lock it in against the beaver tail area at the back of the grip. The shape at the front of the Combat Magazine Guide creates a sort of shelf that drives your finger high into the trigger guard. It really helps lock your grip into place.

The design of the Combat Magazine Guide doesn’t really alter the concealability of the Glock 19. It fits so close to the Glock frame that base plate of your magazine is still the longest part of the gun. This is key for three reasons. One, it is the butt of the gun that has the biggest effect on concealment. Two, you can still get finger tips on the baseplate for malfunction clearances. Three, it works with a wider variety of aftermarket baseplates than magazine wells that encompass more of the baseplate.

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Wrap Up

Is the marketing for this item over the top? Yes. However, I think SI is actually selling themselves short with the “3% edge in speed” claim. Speed is quantifiable but it is harder to quantify how well the Combat Magazine Guide works to enhance the grip. It is well shaped and thoughtfully designed in a broader context beyond just speeding reloads.

Check out the Combat Magazine Guide at Suarez International.

Disclosure: The Combat Magazine Guide was provided to me for review, free of charge, by a marketing professional for SI.

Watson Knives Clinch Pick Modifications

The factory production version of the venerable Shivworks Clinch Pick is a very good knife right out of the box but there is room for improvement. For instance, the sheath has too much material around the guard area of the knife. This prevents the user from gripping the Clinch Pick optimally without having to adjust their grip. Some users also find the handle to be slightly larger than it needs to be and, as with any factory knife, the edge can be improved. That is where Watson Knives comes in…

Joe Watson Clinch Pick Mods

Watson Knives now offers a Shivworks Clinch Pick Modification package that addresses the issues above. The mod package has three components that can be mixed and matched based on your needs. Watson Knives can re-grind the knife with a thinned, hollow primary and secondary bevel to improve cutting performance. They can also thin and texture the G-10 handle slabs to slightly reduce the handle size and greatly improve grip. Finally, they can trim your sheath so that it has both excellent retention but also allows a proper grip right from the sheath.

These modifications will require you to send your Clinch Pick to Watson Knives so be sure to follow directions carefully. Check out the Shivworks Clinch Pick Mods at Watson Knives.

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