You don’t have to climb to a mountain top to hear a wise man utter wise words. That sounds like a lot of work for not a lot of pay off. I would much rather just order a patch from MADCAT Aviator/Operator.
The Keep Calm and Reload patch features truly wise words. These are words to live by and words to stay alive by. Keep Calm and Reload might be the wisest thing you hear all day.
Get your own Keep Calm and Reload patch at MADCAT Aviator/Operator.
This is a public service announcement: The size of the ballistic plate dictates the amount of coverage in terms of area, not the size of the carrier. I am certain that many of you know this already but I get emails and comments about it frequently enough that it merits discussing it here.
I have posted about a very budget friendly ballistic protection package, a review of the low profile plate carrier from Beez Combat Systems, and the Shellback Tactical Banshee plate carrier. After each of these posts, and every once in a while since posting them, I have received emails that contain questions about or even derision of these set ups because they are perceived to be too small to provide enough coverage. This point of view represents a fundamental misunderstanding of how body armor works.
In most cases, the carrier itself provides no protection at all. It is the hard armor plates that provide protection from rifle threats (they will also stop handgun threats) and soft armor inserts that provide protection from handgun threats (and protection from plate deformation and fragmentation). The size and placement of the hard and soft armor dictate the amount of coverage that is provided, not the size of whatever carrier you are using to hold the plates.
Even the most compact plate carrier and a full coverage body armor set up will provide the same area rifle threat coverage if they are using the same size plates and most do use the same plates. Hard armor plates are sized to be just large enough to cover the heart and lungs of the wearer which is a roughly 10″ by 12″ area. Full coverage body armor can provide additional handgun and fragmentation protection due to larger areas covered with soft armor inserts but the carrier has nothing to do with this. Only those areas covered with hard armor will be protected from rifle threats.
So, while I really like hearing from readers, hopefully I don’t have to get any more emails about how compact plate carriers don’t cover enough. Remember, the size of the hard and soft armor that is inside of the carrier dictate the coverage area, not the carrier itself.
Sometimes it seems that holsters are such simple things that are designed to do a simple task – carry a handgun. However, the sheer number and variations of holsters on the market should tell you that holsters, especially good holsters, are not such a simple thing after all. There are a lot of holsters on the market that really just aren’t any good. Thankfully, the MOD-1 from Orion Concepts is good – not perfect but really, really good.
The MOD-1 from Orion Concepts looks new and familiar all at the same time. At first glance it looks like a leather pancake holster until you notice that it molded from kydex. There have been other companies who have adapted proven leather pancake holster designs to kydex but none that were quite like this.
While this looks very much like a typical pancake holster, it is designed to be worn in a different way. The MOD-1 has very large belt “loops” that are designed to allow the wearer to route their belt over the holster, not behind the holster. This results in a holster that wears in a way that I have never really experienced. The grip is drawn into the side of the wearer tighter than any other holster that I have tried and that is a very good thing. The gun rides very close, like an inside the waistband (IWB) holster, but allows the easy access and comfort of an outside the waistband (OWB) holster.
The front of the holster (the part that is away from the wearer) is more molded than the back. The back of the holster (the part that is against the user’s body) is very lightly molded. This seems to be part of why this holster is so comfortable. There are no real hotspots or pressure points even though the holster is pressed very tightly against your body. I have always found leather holsters to be more comfortable than kydex. This is the first kydex holster that I have used that challenges that notion.
The MOD-1 has a small but effective sweat guard. It does a good job of keeping you separated from the slide of your handgun and, maybe more importantly, does a good job of preventing your shirt from sticking into the holster (especially important for striker fired pistols with no manual safety). There is also a small projection on the sweat guard that covers the magazine release button. It is molded generously enough to work with the Vickers Magazine Release.
As good as this holster is functionally, it is a bit lacking in the area of fit and finish. There are areas where it looks like whatever tool is used to finish the edges slipped and marred the surface of the holster. The edges are finished so that they are smooth but this has created some sharp spots on the bottom of the holster (these edges don’t contact the wearer at all and are easily fixed). Thankfully, the opening of the holster is nicely rounded and lacks sharp edges. The molding is not as crisp as some kydex holsters but the retention is solid. It also seems like there could be a couple more rivets used in the construction and the material around the bolt loops could be left thicker though I had no durability issues during more than 4 months of carry. These issues are purely cosmetic.
The MOD-1 carries very well. Like every other shooter, I have far more holsters than I have handguns and this is the most comfortable one that I own. It also carries closer and conceals better than any other outside the waistband holster that I own.
It carries very well right on the point of the hip thanks to its curved shape. This is generally where I like to place OWB but many holsters are either too flat or too bulky on the belt for this position to work.
One thing that worried me about the holster when I first received it was I had to skip a belt loop with most of my pants in order to wear the MOD-1. With a typical OWB holster you can route the belt through the holster so that it passes through the holster, a belt loop, and then the holster again. The MOD-1 doesn’t allow that but after months of use, it has been a complete non-issue.
The MOD-1 allows a pretty smooth draw stroke. It holds the gun closer like an IWB holster but higher like an OWB holster. The result is a draw that is easier than an IWB holster but perhaps a tiny bit slower than some OWB holsters that don’t conceal as well. Anytime the grip is held in close to the body, you will sacrifice some speed. This is why competition holsters ride out away fro the body and concealment holsters ride close. You are trading some speed for a holster that conceals very well.
The MOD-1 is a tremendous holster based on function. It rides so comfortably and so close to the body that it really just exceeds anything else that I have tried. There are some fit and finish issues with my example but these issues do not diminish function at all. I suspect that we will be hearing a lot more about Orion Concepts and their MOD-1 holster as they get into the hands of more users. These are excellent holsters.
Check out the MOD-1 with and without weapon lights on Orion-Concepts.com.
I have had the pleasure of reviewing a couple of tomahawks from Omnivore Blade-Works in the past. I was very impressed with the designs, the durability, and the function.
Omnivore Blade-Works is now in the process of improving much of their current line of knives and tomahawks for 2012. The Anubis, Omnivore’s flagship tomahawk, is one of the products that will benefit from a design refresh.
The Anubis will now feature an enlarged guard to keep the user’s hand off of the sharpened edges of the head. It has a more hooked base of the handle to improve chopping performance. The 1095 steel of the older version has been replaced with .285″ thick O1 tool steel. It will be electroless nickel plated for extreme corrosion resistance. Like the previous model, it will be available with micarta handle slabs or a bare steel handle with cord-wrap. Cerakote is optional.
These are some serious tomahawks that can absorb and dish out some serious abuse. Check them out at Omnivore Blade-Work’s website.
It seems like Battle Arms Development is always up to something and the list of available levers for the BAD-ASS is always growing. The new Short Crank will be the next lever released for this already extensively configurable AR-15 selector.
The Short Crank is a shorter version of the Crank lever. It is designed to be mounted on the same side as your trigger finger. The shorter length keeps it out of the way of your trigger finger while still providing enough leverage to operate it.
There is also another mystery lever that will be released soon. Stay tuned for details.
