The Usual Suspect Network (USN) is one of my favorite corners of the internet. The USN is a forum where you can spend time with friendly folks talking about basically all the same stuff you read about on this blog.
The USN recently celebrated its ten year anniversary and they commissioned a patch to commemorate it. The patches are available on the forum (you must be a member to view the link). Head over to the Usual Suspect Network and join today!
Battle Systems already offers killer tape. Now they offer killer patches too.
They are offering 3 patches initially with others coming soon. There is a Battle Systems logo patch (any logo with a tomahawk is automatically the best logo), an 0331 USMC MOS patch, and a “rooster” machine gunner’s patch. There will be other 0300 series USMC MOS patches coming soon.
All of the patches are made from flexible PVC with Velcro backing. Hit BattleSystemsLLC.com to get your own!
The concept of mounting red dot sights (RDS) to handguns is not new but it is gaining more and more traction. However, there can be significant downsides to the various ways that people mount their RDS on their handgun. Two of the most common downsides are that the RDS sits too high to be as useful as it could be, or that once your slide is machined for a certain RDS you are stuck with it. The Atom Mounting System from Unity Tactical looks like it is poised to change all of that. This concept really knocked my socks off.
Rather than milling slides to mount a specific RDS, the Atom Mounting System mills the slide with a large dovetail to accept a plate that can be interchanged to accept the RDS of your choice. This system is ingenious. It sits low enough to allow the use of suppressor height sights through the RDS much like typical handgun RDS mounting methods but it also allows the user to change optics as they prefer or as technology advances. To change optics, you simply install a different optic mounted on a different plate. The plates install consistently enough that Unity Tactical claims they will return to zero.
Another benefit of this system is that it is the first practical system for mounting the excellent micro Aimpoints (T-1 and H-1) to a handgun. The micro Aimpoints mount with 4 screws that are affixed to the bottom of the Aimpoint. This means that low mounting one on a handgun was basically impossible or required extensive modification to the slide to allow access to the mounting screws. As a result, people would either surface mount them (which makes them sit very high and adds weight) or they simply used a different RDS. The Atom Mounting System allows easy access to the underside of the mount and is the first practical micro Aimpoint mounting system for handguns.
The Atom Mounting System will be available first for 9mm/.40S&W Glocks. Shortly after, it will be available for the Smith & Wesson M&P, large frame Glocks, and possibly more handguns later. The adapter plates will be available for all of the common handgun mounted RDS – T-1, RMR, Deltapoint, MRDS, and there will also be an iron sight/blank plate available. The modification to the slide will be performed by Mark Housel at L&M Precision Gunworks, LLC. Pre-ordering is available now and regular ordering will be available in about 8-9 weeks.
The Atom Mounting System has already been through extensive testing and evaluation. On paper, this looks like the most practical handgun RDS mounting system yet by a long shot. Check out UnityTactical.com or email Atom.Preorder@
The original Ten Speed Chest Rigs from Blue Force Gear were well known for their light weight, low profile, and versatility. However, they weren’t user configurable. Blue Force Gear went back to the drawing board and has returned with a new design for the Ten-Speeed Chest Rigs that gives the user even more flexibility.
The key to the original Ten-Speed Chest Rig’s lightweight, low profile, and versatility was the unique design of the Ten-Speed magazine pouches. This new version has the same pouches but there are fewer of them. The outer pouches have been replaced with MOLLE webbing so the user can add their own pouches like a blow out kit or admin pouch. So, the Ten-Speed Chest Rigs with MOLLE have the versatility of the Ten-Speed elastic mag pouches that can carry just about anything that you can fit into them along with the versatility of MOLLE webbing. Math isn’t my strongest subject, but I am pretty sure that equals more versatility.
Check out the Ten-Speed Chest Rigs with MOLLE on BlueForceGear.com.
GearPods are a interesting solution for organizing and carrying survival gear (and more). The solution revolves around a proprietary cylindrical container design that is water resistant and allows pods of 4 different sizes to be connected together in a single column. The result is an organized stack of gear that allows easy access and efficient organization. You can even use any of 7 available colors to indicate the contents of a GearPod at a glance.
The GearPods can be purchased pre-stocked with items that cover necessities like first-aid, fire starting, shelter, navigation, and more. They can also be purchased empty so that the user can build their GearPod kit with whatever gear they prefer. There are also various bags and sleeves available that allow the GearPods to be attached to backpacks or used as a stand alone system.
I haven’t seen GearPods in person but I am impressed with the unique approach. Check them out on GearPods.com.
