RE Factor Tactical makes some very thoughtfully designed training targets but sometimes you just want to have fun at the range (or just give a more fun makeover to your training). They are now offering the Dartboard Target and this one looks like it would be a blast to shoot with buddies or your kids. The target is printed with a full dartboard and instructions for 3 different games you can play.
Dartboard Target at RE Factor Tactical
The Slide, from Elevated Technologies Inc., is an optic mount that has a height adjustment feature that allows you to create the co-witness of your choice. If you want to use lower sights and place your optic closer to the bore, you can do that. If you want to raise your optic out of the way of fixed iron sights, you can do that too.
Elevated Technologies Inc currently supports the Trijicon MRO and optics with the Aimpoint Micro hole pattern. Their modular two piece, dovetailed design seems like it could be made to support a wide variety of optics easily.
Check out ElevatedTech.com.
Philanthropic campaign aims to support military and public safety organizations during the holiday season
Vertx®, a leader in low-profile apparel and gear for the Prepared Professional, announces the return of its 5 Days of Thanks campaign. The campaign aims to say “thanks” to customers while paying it forward to organizations that support veterans, law enforcement or other groups that protect our life and liberty. The 5 Days of Thanks Campaign gives customers the opportunity to submit the name of their favorite charity or organization to receive one of four $500 contributions or one $1000 contribution.
By signing up at https://www.vertx.com/thanks customers will be able to submit their entries as well as enter for a chance to win a $200 Vertx gift card valid through December 31, 2017. A complete list of terms and conditions for the 5 Days of Thanks campaign can be found on the Vertx website.
The 2017 Vertx 5 Days of Thanks campaign begins Sunday, Oct. 1 and will run through Nov. 15, 2017. Read More…
Vertx is a premier tactical and outdoor brand for the modern day prepared professional. Vertx designs world-class apparel, bags and packs that are created by best-in-class designers to combine a low visual profile with superior functionality. Since its inception in 2009, Vertx has earned trust among the nation’s top operators for exceptional performance, fit and durability. Vertx is a brand of Fechheimer, a Berkshire Hathaway Company.
The Wasp Rig is a chest rig designed by Gadsden Dynamics in collaboration with Rockcastle Shooting Center trainer Justin Vititoe. Many of the chest rigs that Gadsden Dynamics makes are designed to be slick and low-profile enough to conceal and the Wasp Rig is no different. It draws much of its design from their Underground Partisan Chest Rig but adds a number of additional features.
This chest rig features a single open top AR-15 magazine pouch, two open top double stack pistol magazine pouches, and an admin pouch that can also be used as a med pouch. Gadsden Dynamics also includes a single column of PALS webbing that can be used for attaching a pouch or securing items like chemlights, tourniquets, and flashlights.
The harness is unique to Gadsden Dynamics. It consists of a “Y” shoulder harness that meets at the center back of a single lat belt. This design should be to be easy to don quickly since the user need only worry about a single buckle on the lat belt once the harness is adjusted to fit.
The Wasp Chest Rig is available in two versions, the Wasp Rig and the Enhanced Wasp Rig. The only difference is that the Enhanced Wasp Rig allows the user to remove all of the pouches from the harness via a single Velcro panel. This opens up a number of concealment options or even attaching the panel directly to a plate carrier.
Welcome to Bargain or Just Cheap? This series will review budget friendly knives for a variety of uses in a short format. All of the knives will cost less than $50 (in most cases, much less) and will be purchased out of my own pocket. I’ll buy them, carry them, and use them in an attempt to determine if the knife is a bargain or just cheap.
You would think that it would be easier to find bargain fixed blades than it is to find bargain folding knives due to the simplicity of a fixed blade knife. However, that isn’t always the case for one reason – sheaths. Most bargain knives come with terrible sheaths and by the time you replace the lousy included the sheath, the knife isn’t a bargain anymore. It takes a little digging but there are bargains out there beyond the standby Mora.
RUIKE Knives is kind of like the knife division of Fenix Lights though their affiliation with the flashlight maker isn’t always spelled out clearly on their website. They make a number of interesting and value minded knives but there is one in particular, the RUIKE Hornet F815, that drew me in several months ago.
Steel: Sandvik 14C28N
Handle: Textured G-10
Blade length: 3.35 in.
Spine Thickness: .14 in.
Overall length: 7.48 in.
Weight: 3.7 oz.
Sheath: Injection molded
I was initially drawn to the Hornet because I was looking for a full sized fixed blade knife that was both stout and lightweight. I like flat grinds and drop point blade shapes for general use. The Hornet seemed to hit all those points. It has been on several adventures since then, spending a lot of time tucked into a Hill People Gear Runner’s Kit Bag, and has served me well.
The Hornet is relatively lightweight while still offering the durability and comfort of a full tang knife with slab handles. The knife’s most distinctive feature is its skeletonized handle with textured G-10 slabs. This feature is VERY well executed. They slabs are fit to the tang very well and RUIKE even took steps to chamfer the edge of the G-10 inside the lightening cutout. The result is a knife that is lightweight for this type of construction, more comfortable to use than a knife without handle slabs, and that offers great grip even with gloves.
RUIKE uses Sandvik 14C28N at .14″ thick on the Hornet. Sandvik 14C28N is a great steel that takes a fine edge without much fuss. This knife cuts and slices well at .14″ thick and with the relatively tall, flat saber ground blade. It cuts well but is also stout enough to stand up to hard use like batoning.
The sheath is made from injection molded plastic. Like many plastic sheaths, it is bit bulkier than a real kydex sheath would be. However, it is functional. It has adjustable retention (not often seen on injection molded sheaths) and secures the knife well. The included clip works well for belt carry and is adjustable for a number of angles. I removed the clip on mine since I generally carry it in a pack or Kit Bag.
The RUIKE Hornet F815 bumps right up against our $50 limit for this series but it packs a lot of features not commonly found on bargain fixed blades. It is well designed. It offers a great balance of durability and lightweight. It comes with a functional sheath. It’s a good looking knife with very good fit and finish. The steel is not a bargain basement steel. I call it a BARGAIN and like this knife a lot.
I will be using Amazon as the price base line for this series. All knives were purchased by me from Amazon:
Note: This design is also be available from Sanrenmu, who may actually be the OEM maker of the Hornet, with lower grade 8Cr14Mov steel for considerably less money. I purchased the Hornet because of the better steel and the backing of RUIKE for any potential warranty issues.
Our goal is to represent knives for a variety of uses from EDC, to outdoor, to tactical knives. Do you have a favorite affordable knife? Let us know about it in the comments!
