Scorched Dark Earth is what happens when you use too much gasoline on your bonfire. It is also a new color offering from Mission First Tactical (MFT). Their Scorched Dark Earth is a response to their customers who requested a color that would match many of the other Flat Dark Earth accessories on the market.
Check out MissionFirstTactical.com.
I prefer to use Aimpoint red dot sights on my AKs because I trust them. However, some people like to keep their AKs more original/authentic/correct. There are a wide variety of Russian made red dot sights for that type of shooter, but the run time on these sights can vary so widely that it is hard to make sense of all the options. Thankfully, a poster with the screen-name TX-Zen (of RussianOptics.net), who happens to be an AK guru, posted a fairly comprehensive run time test. You can check it out on the UW Gear discussion forum.
INFORCE, maker of the excellent WML, is showing a new pistol mounted light at the US Army Maneuver Conference. Details are scant at this time but one detail that INFORCE was able to share with me is that the weight is pretty scant, too. This new light weighs in at just 2.85 ounces. Additional details will have to wait until INFORCE completes their press release.
I am most interested to hear about the switching system. It appears to be switched via large paddles or buttons. It is definitely unique which is a common trait among many INFORCE products.
Keep an eye on the INFORCE website and Facebook page for details.
The Stark Equipment SE-1 is a tremendous grip that suffers with some strange aesthetics. I think their looks often prevent people from trying these grips which is really unfortunate because the SE-1 was a grip that was ahead of it’s time. Check out our SE-1 review from November 17, 2010 and you will see that it was one of the first grips, possibly the first grip, to feature the more vertical orientation that is becoming so popular now.
Now that strange looking grip that works so very well is available in Multicam. The SE-3 Vertical Grip is also available in Multicam and I think they look pretty darn good. Check out the SE-1 and SE-3 on StarkEquipment.com.
There is no good way to secure a tape switch to a hand guard. Scratch that… There was no good way. Say goodbye to zip ties, glue, tape, and adhesive Velcro and say hello to the TAREINCO TSH (Tape Switch Holder).
The TSH is simple and I mean that as a compliment. It is just a heavy duty elastic cuff with 5 pockets sewn in that are used to secure tape switch pads and cords. You just slide it onto the hand guard wherever you want it and then route your tape switch through it.
The biggest asset of the TSH is its ability to place a tape switch nearly anywhere on a hand guard. Previously, you were mostly limited to mounting on a rail via a rail cover, between rails with some sort of glue/Velcro/tape concoction, or on a vertical grip. The TSH can be positioned nearly anywhere on just about any rail. The switch can be placed anywhere on the circumference of the rail.
I have successfully stretched the TSH over the widest part of a collapsible buttstock so there is little doubt that it will fit just about any hand guard. I have tried it on LaRue Tactical rails, Daniel Defense Lite Rails, Daniel Defense M4 Rails, Magpul MOE Hand Guards, standard plastic hand guards, and Troy TRX Extreme Rails. It is stretchy enough to fit very tight even on small diameter rails like the Troy TRX Extreme and forgiving enough to stretch over the largest and most awkward parts like the fixed front sight base sticking up through a Daniel Defense M4 12.0 FSPM Rail.
In my time with the TSH, it never really moved, rolled, or bunched on me. I was actually expecting that it would but it held fast. It does have a bit of give due to the nature of the fabric but it just stretches a bit and then moves back into position. If you did have issues with movement, they would be relatively easy to fix. For instance, you could stipple your hand guards or rail covers under the TSH. This would create a hook and loop like effect that would absolutely lock down the TSH.
I will admit that I don’t really care for tape switches but that was due in large part to the previously untenable ways of affixing the pad and handling the wires. The TSH goes a long way toward taming my previous issues with these switches.
The one real issue that I found was that if you use a hand guard rail that has very deep voids between the rail sections, you may find that the TSH doesn’t work well for placing the switch between the rail sections. In this case the TSH will suspend the switch above the body of the hand guard instead of resting directly against it. You really need something rigid to push against when you are using a tape switch so having it suspending in air won’t work. However, this issue can be mitigated by either changing the switch position so it sits directly on a rail or with the use of certain rail covers that bridge this gap.
The TSH is a simple, versatile, and surprisingly elegant solution to some of the issues that kept me from using tape switches – namely securing the tape switch pad and wire management. Every time I see some new clever thing from TAREINCO I can’t help but wonder what we will see next.
The TSH is available at TAREINCO.com. I should also mention that I have a few of these to give away so stay tuned.
Disclosure: The TSH was provided to me for review, free of charge, by TAREINCO.
