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Archive | March, 2011

Review: Tactical Watch Cover

By on March 21, 2011 in EDC, Reviews, Tactical Gear

A watch is an integral part of the gear that we carry everyday. It can also be a significant investment that needs to be protected. I have found that time spent on the shooting range can be very hard on a timepiece so I set out to find a way to protect my watch when I train.

I came across several options. I could leave my watch at home, but I like wearing it on the range. I could also purchase and install a watch band with a built in cover. However, these watch band covers don’t really blend in an office environment which means I would constantly be swapping out the watch bands. I couldn’t find a solution that I liked until I found the Tactical Watch Cover.

Description

The Tactical Watch Cover is a simple 1 7/8″ wide black neoprene band that can be placed over your watch, band and all. The band has a 1″ diameter hole cut in the center that allows you to view the watch face. The stretchiness of the neoprene material allows the band to stretch enough to accommodate most watches. It also has a flap that can be secured with hook and loop material.

Fit, Finish, and Details

The Tactical Watch Cover seems to be very well made. It is made from a single piece of neoprene that is doubled stitched onto itself to make the flap that covers the watch face. The hook and loop material is sewn around its perimeter. The neoprene material is about 1/8″ thick and has a very slightly shiny appearance.

In Use

Neoprene is the perfect material for this watch band. It is very stretchy which allows it to move with you and makes it very comfortable. It is also excellent at protecting the watch from impact. I have worn the Tactical Watch Cover all day on several occasions and I basically forgot that it was even on my wrist.

I like to use the Tactical Watch Cover when I am running through my dry fire drills at home or when I am on the range. Training with an AK can wreak havoc on a watch. When I need to reach the bolt handle during a reload, I reach under the AK and use my index and middle finger to pull the charging handle to the rear. This has lead to several impacts between my watch and my AK. This motion can put the watch face in a precarious position, but the Tactical Watch Cover protected the face of my watch admirably.

If you break a watch band pin, the Tactical Watch Cover can retain your watch. Your watch immediately falls off of your wrist if one of the 2 watch band pins in a typical watch band breaks. If this happens at an inopportune time, you may never see the watch again. However, the Tactical Watch Cover can actually keep a broken watch on your wrist. You might not even notice the broken pin until you remove the cover.

The Tactical Watch Cover also serves to reduce the visual signature of your watch. If you don’t want glare from your watch face or glowing watch hands to announce your presence in the dark, the Tactical Watch Cover might be perfect for you. I generally don’t have to worry about my watch giving my position away in the office but there people out that that need this functionality.

Viewing your watch when the Tactical Watch Cover is in place is very simple. You can pull the flap completely open or simply push it to the side. The stretchiness of the neoprene allows you to stretch the flap enough to see the watch without undoing the hook and loop material.

Conclusion

The Tactical Watch Cover is an elegantly simple product. It is a great design that has been constructed with the perfect material. It works.

Members of the Usual Suspect Network can purchase the Tactical Watch Covers on the forum or the seller can be reached via email at fosters@socal.rr.com.

I have a few of these to give away, so keep an eye on the blog for more details.

Beez Combat Systems AK47 Low Profile Chest Rig

By on March 19, 2011 in Tactical Gear

Beez Combat Systems (BCS) has a new AK47 specific chest rig available called the AK47 Low Profile Chest Rig. It features the ability to carry 5 AK47 magazines, a generous 14 column by 4 row field of MOLLE webbing, shock-cord pull-tab retention, and a large internal pouch for carrying various items. The included H-harness helps distribute the weight of 5 AK  mags.

I really like the design of this rig. AK mags seem to work better in odd numbers when they are carried across your chest. The closer they are to your center line, the easier it is to deal with the curve and length of the magazine when drawing it from the pouch. I usually find the center 3 magazine pouches are easiest to reach. If I were running this rig, I would use the outer 2 mag pouches to feed the inner 3 when I was rotating ammo.

Steel AK magazines are somewhat  heavy and can be very bulky when stacked on top of one another. This rig allows the shooter to carry 5 magazines without the need for stacked magazine pouches. This makes it about as low profile as you will find in an AK specific chest rig.

BCS tells me that they purposely designed this rig with very deep magazine pouches to better support the weight of the magazine. I would prefer a slightly shallower pouch for two reasons. The first is so that more of the magazine is exposed for gripping during reloads and secondly to allow the use of 20 round magazines. BCS is a custom shop, so they assure me that these modifications will be no problem. There are definitely perks to dealing with custom shops like BCS.

Even if the pouches were made shorter, there would still be plenty of room for mounting a blow out kit and some pistol mags. The large MOLLE field on the front of this chest rig should give you plenty of options for mounting additional pouches. Just be sure to resist the temptation to use every last inch of real estate.

It is great to see this kind of well thought out AK specific support gear coming to market as the AK itself continues to adapt and evolve.

UltiMAK ACR2 Multi Rail Forend System for the AK-47

By on March 18, 2011 in Guns

I have been using the UltiMAK M1-B Optics Mount for the AK-47 for years. It is an excellent way to mount on Aimpoint on an AK.

UltiMAK makes more than optics mounts these days. I recently came across their ACR2 Multi Rail Forend System for the AK-47. There are several rail systems available for the AK but what makes the ACR2 unique is that it extends all the way to the muzzle end of the gas block.

This extra length gives you plenty of room to run your support hand out further on the hand guard if that is the way you prefer to shoot. Some shooters feel cramped on the standard length AK hand guard. The extra length will also give you plenty of room to mount a vertical grip without interfering with your magazine changes.

The ACR2 is machined from aluminum that has been hard anodized. It features attachment points made from 4140 steel. The attachment system is so rigid that UltiMAK claims that it will allow a laser aiming device to maintain zero in field conditions.

The ACR2 is available in two configurations that accommodate milled or stamped receivers.

TI-7 Tactical Buttstock

By on March 17, 2011 in Guns

There is a new AR-15 buttstock on the market – the TI-7 from Tactical Intent. It appears to combine features from several successful stocks that are already on the market with a dash of its own unique elements.

The TI-7 has integrated storage compartments for battery storage. These tubes are placed in such a way that they enhance the cheek weld of the user. The adjustment lever is shielded from accidental contact. There are plenty of sling attachment points including a QD sling swivel receptacle.

One of the more interesting features to me, may seem mundane to others. The shoulder pad actually curls down under the toe of the stock. I use the toe of the stock to pivot the rifle up from low ready so this shape looks like it would be very functional.

The TI-7 is available for mil-spec and commercial diameter receiver extensions (buffer tubes). It is available in flat dark earth, foliage green, and black.

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