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Review: TacPack – June Edition

By on June 30, 2016 in Reviews

Hopefully you are familiar with the concept of TacPack by now. If not, you can read the reviews of the previous TacPacks for some background. I recently received the June TacPack and this one had some big time potential, especially for a lucky few. Here are the details…

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HexMag Advanced Tactical Grip – This grip features the well known HexMag hexagon pattern and is adjustable for grip angle (17, 25, and 33 degrees). It feels nice in the hand, looks good, and seems to take stippling well which is good because it feels a little slick.

Live Fire Emergency Fire Starter and 40% Coupon Code – Live Fire’s fire starting products are excellent. If you received the June TacPack, I suggest you use the Emergency Fire Starter as a chance to try out Live Fire. Then go buy several more with the included 40% off coupon code to tuck away in your packs, vehicle kits, and where ever else you need them. This is a really nice intro to some great gear.

ABKT Boot Knife – This is going to be one of those toss-it-in-a-kit-and-forget-it items for me. It is a cheap knife but the sheath seems to hold the knife well, the edge sharpened well with just a few passes on a stone, and it should be right at home as a cheap beater that I won’t cry about when I break it while throwing it at stumps. This is really the first inclusion in a TacPack that has fallen flat for me.

CRKT Getaway Driver – This little gadget is great. It’s core functionality is as a screwdriver but it carries standard screwdriver bits on board allowing you to swap the bits as you see fit. You could match the bits to the fasteners you need and then tuck it away on your gear, on your bike, in your range bag, or anywhere else you might need. It will even open your bottles. This thing is useful.

TacPack LE Patch – Everyone likes patches.

Seekin Precision Post Card of Winning – I wasn’t sure what to call this but it is a scratch-off card and a solid inclusion. Several of these cards will be instant winners of gear from Seekins Precision. Every other card will be a discount code that has the potential to save you some serious coin – well over $100 on a complete upper.

Stickers – There were two stickers included in the box. My tool chest will be sporting them shortly.

.999 Silver Coins – Two lucky boxes were shipped with silver coins from GMR Gold.

Wrap Up

The boot knife fell flat in this one and a lot of the value of the box is in the coupons which some may not like. That is the nature of these boxes and the surprise is part of the appeal. I’ll use the coupons and get pretty good value out of them. The Getaway Driver is something I never would have purchased for myself but after getting one in this TacPack, I like it so much that I bought another one. The Seekins Precision winners and those who received the coins are probably dancing the streets. Those are some very cool giveaways.

Check out TacPack and get in line for the July box which promises to have some big time giveaway items from Bull Moose Tactical.

Review Update: Black River Tactical Covert Comp

By on June 25, 2016 in Reviews

It has been more than a year since I originally wrote the Black River Tactical Covert Comp review and it has continued to be a very solid performer for me since then. When I wrote the original review, I was looking for a muzzle device for shorter barrels but my biggest surprise was how well-rounded and well-mannered the Covert Comp was on a 16″ barrels. I have become even more convinced of its merits on longer barrels now that I have spent even more time with it.

BRT Covert Comp Interior

The Covert Comp is somewhat unique in the realm of linear comps in that it is very compact and it does a good job of reducing flash. In fact, it is similar to the A2 flash suppressor in terms of size, weight, and flash reduction. Many linear comps are really meant only for shorter barrels. They tend to be large and heavy due to features designed to create additional back-pressure. Longer barrels don’t need that additional back-pressure to function and they certainly don’t need the additional weight. Most linear comps also do very little to reduce muzzle flash – they simply direct it forward.

It is that combination of compact size and flash suppression that has really endeared to me as an all around muzzle device. The bonus is that it still does what linear comps do which is make recoil more linear with less muzzle rise all without increasing noise or concussion to the shooter or those around the shooter. There really aren’t many muzzle devices out there that can do those things.

You can gain more muzzle control with a brake but you’ll also gain noise, concussion, and flash. You can probably find larger linear comps that do a better job of directing sound forward but it will come with a weight penalty and probably won’t reduce flash as well. The Covert Comp exists in a functional sweet spot that has me convinced that linear comps, like the Covert Comp, are very underrated as all-around muzzle devices.

The Covert Comp proves that linear comps aren’t just for short barrels!

Check out the Black River Tactical Covert Comp.

BRT Covert Comp Side

Review: TacPack – May Edition

By on May 23, 2016 in Reviews

Hopefully you are familiar with the concept of TacPack by now. If not, you can read the previous review of the April TacPack for some background. I recently received the May TacPack and it’s another solid one. Here are the details…

Once again, I felt that this box delivered a solid value for the $49.95 per box subscription price and, again, all of the items are actually interesting to me.

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Madhouse Design Gun Control System – MSRP $49 – Madhouse Design makes several firearm accessories including run rests, muzzle brakes, and an entire line of gun storage gear that they call their Gun Control Systems. These are basically modular, adjustable rack systems that retain your handgun via a “pin” that goes into the muzzle. I know that is going to be controversial for some people but, I believe it is a safe and effective storage method when executed well. I have been storing handguns in my safe in a similar way with a different product for years. The strength of the Gun Control System is how adjustable it is and how versatile it is in how it can be placed. The quality is excellent and the pin that they designed to go into the barrel is very sturdy and highly unlikely to harm the barrel.

ReadyMan Network EDC Tool – $15 – If you like knucks and other cool impact weapons, you’ll like this.

ABKT Tactical Gunsmith Mat – $10 – I don’t know what makes a gunsmith mat “tactical” but this one from ABKT had me more excited than anyone should be over a gunsmith mat. It has a thick felt-like top that should be good for wicking up gun oil and a heavy rubber bottom that ensures it doesn’t move. This is the most substantial mat of this type I have felt and the quality is obvious. It also seems to resist setting in a rolled shape if stored that way.

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Gerber Shard Keychain Tool – $7 – The Gerber Shard is a dandy. They aren’t expensive but they are useful. I have one that lives on my keychain and, unlike many tools, it is TSA-friendly. This is a solid addition to the box and the type of thing you’ll find all kinds of uses for in your EDC, survival kits, or range bag.

Exotac tinderZIP – $9 – Exotac’s tinderZIPs are very cool and they work. The May TacPack comes with a pack of 5 of them. Each tinderZIP contains 6″ of Live Fire Gear  Fire Cord which is a paracord-like product that contains inner strands that are excellent tinder. You just hitch the onto the zippers on your jacket, backpack, bikepacking bags, or where ever you want to keep some emergency tinder. Then, if you need tinder, just cut it open, fluff the inner strands, and apply a spark. They light even when damp.

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GMR Chris Kyle Commemorative Coin – $3.50 – These pure copper commemorative coins are very cool. One, they immortalize an American hero and two, their proceeds go to the Chris Kyle Foundation. If you follow the metals markets, you’ll know that pure copper has some value and potential as an investment.

The May TacPack is close to selling out if it hasn’t already. I understand that next month will have some scratch off tickets for prizes and discounts from Seekins Precision. Check out TacPack.

Good Gear: Surplus Swiss 20L Water Bag

By on May 17, 2016 in Preparedness, Reviews, Survival

I have used several different types of plastic water storage containers over the years and all of them have had significant downsides. Most of them have sprung leaks at the seams. They are difficult, especially when full, to dispense water from without spillage. They also take up a ton of space even when they are empty. I still have and use several of these plastic jerrycan style containers because they were the only way I had to carry a large amount of water to the range or when camping with the family but I have ceased using them to store water.

A friend of JTT recently told me about Surplus Swiss 20L Water Bags as an alternative to rigid plastic containers so I gave them a try. These water bags are black rubber bladders with heavy rope handles at each end. They have a large fill port and a push button spigot that makes dispensing water a snap.

The bags seems to be extremely durable to the extent that they can be dropped from head height or stood on when full without bursting – I have done both. The welded seems are massive and, given what I see and what I have read in reviews from others, it is difficult to imagine them leaking even with abuse. These have seemingly solved the durability issues that I have experienced with the rigid plastic cans.

The form factor of these bags provides some interesting functionality. First, because they are made from black rubber, they can be laid in the sun to heat the water and this is surprisingly effective. This ability to heat the water along with how easy they are to hang by the rope handles makes them very effective as a solar shower bag. The rope handles have a bit of plastic tubing on them that makes them very comfortable to carry even when full. Finally, they fold completely flat when empty which is a very welcome change if you are used to rigid cans.

Apparently, these bags used to be far more plentiful and inexpensive. That is never the case for long with good surplus items. There are now retailers charging $20+ for a single bag and the shipping is also quite expensive. After shopping around a bit, I purchased a few of them from MidwayUSA who had the best price I could find by a mile, especially when you factor in the shipping.

Initial Impressions: Streamlight ProTac Rail Mount 1

By on May 11, 2016 in Flashlights, Guns, Reviews

I have been working with both the new ProTac Rail Mount lights from Streamlight for a couple of weeks now. I have spent more time with the Rail Mount 1 in particular. This post should not be considered a full review given the short time they have been in my hands. Consider it something like my initial impressions and perhaps an answer to some common inquiries that I receive here often at JTT – AA battery powered weapon light availability and a more general question about affordable lighting set ups .

These lights were sent to me by Impact Weapons Components (IWC) for the express purpose of testing them with a variety of IWC mounts of which I own several. That article will come later and will have plenty of pictures of the lights on various IWC mounts and impressions of the combinations.

Initially, I have had the Protac Rail Mount 1 mounted in an IWC SMC Light Mount on an Arsenal SGL-21 with Magpul MOE AK Hand Guards and also on an AR-15 with Magpul MOE SL Hand Guards. This setup has proven to be very useful in both cases.

protac rail mount 1 on IWC SMC

AA Battery Compatibility

I commonly receive questions regarding the availability of AA weapon lights. While alkaline AA batteries are generally less suitable for weapon lights than lithium CR123A batteries, I do understand that gun guys also tend to have a prepper streak. The perceived long term availability of AA batteries makes a weapon light powered by them attractive. I am happy to report that the ProTac Rail Mount 1 can be powered by a single AA battery without modification (the documentation specifically mentions alkaline and lithium chemistries).

The output is reduced to 150 lumens on high for the lower voltage AA batteries but, according to Streamlight, the light will provide regulated output for 1.5 hours on an alkaline AA and an impressive 4.5 hours on a lithium AA. Compare those numbers to 350 lumens for 1.75 hours with a CR123A. That 150 lumen performance for 4.5 hours with a lithium AA may actually be very appealing to those who prefer a light in the 120-150 lumen range (though lumens don’t tell the whole story of what makes a light bright enough or too bright).

Remember that it wasn’t that long ago that 120 lumen LED weapon lights were the bleeding edge. 150 lumens from a single AA battery is impressive especially considering this is one of the very few dedicated weapon lights that can be powered from a AA battery.

Affordable Options

Questions about affordable versions of this or affordable versions of that are some of the most common questions received here at JTT with weapon lights being a frequent topic. I like to point out that you must also consider the price of not only the light but the mount and hand guard in that discussion. Additionally, your weapon light must be useful regardless of how affordable it is or isn’t. If you find a cheap hand guard but it requires a jerry-rigged mounting solution to work with a light, that isn’t a good value. If you have a high end hand guard but you are limited by your light’s integral mount (or lack their of), the usefulness of the total package can suffer.

This is where I believe these lights can really stand out due to their use of the Scout Light mounting system. The lights themselves are affordable and are compatible with a variety of affordable, high-quality mounts that can be mounted to affordable, high quality hand guards.

You could add Magpul MOE Hand Guards to you rifle (AR or AK), use an SMC Light Mount, and a ProTac Rail Mount light. Add a vertical grip or IWC hand stop if you are so inclined. All of these items are quite affordable but this isn’t just an affordable light mounting option. It’s a very good option. The light falls right where it should for easy operation. It is relatively lightweight. The hand guard is cleared for establishing a good grip. This is just a solid front end set up for your AK or AR that is all made possible by the compatibly of the ProTac Rail Mounts with existing light mounts.

This is a functional front end for any rifle. The SMC Light Mount makes the light easy to operate and leaves plenty of room for a sling mount, even on a short hand guard.

This is a functional front end for any AK or AR. The SMC Light Mount makes the light easy to operate and leaves plenty of room for a sling mount, even on a short hand guard.

Other Impressions

In general, I have been impressed with these lights over my short time with them. There is certainly no replacement for time and repetitions over a large sample size when it comes to establishing the reliability of something like a flashlight so these impressions are very preliminary. On the other hand, the Streamlight ProTac handheld lights are fairly well vetted at this point.

The Rail Mount Lights use a large collimating lens in order to shape the lumens that are pushed out the front. The lens itself is quite large compared the reflectors found on the ProTac handheld lights (about the size of the lens found in the Streamlight TRL-1 HL). The beam shape is very good with a nice hotspot for good throw and a wide corona for taking in a wide view of your surroundings.

I am impressed with the value that these represent much like the Streamlight TLR-1. These lights come with an integral mount, a tape switch, a tail cap, and various other items for mounting and routing the tape switch. The Rail Mount 1 comes with both a CR123A and AA battery. The quality is on par with what I have come to expect from the ProTac line (I own several of the hand held lights). Part of the value is also Streamlight’s customer service which in my experience has always been excellent with quick responses and satisfying outcomes.

I will continue testing and trying different mounts. In the mean time, you can check out the ProTac Rail Mount lights and various IWC light mounts at Impact Weapons Components. They will be offering combo deals on these lights with their mounts soon so stay tuned. Remember to use code TRIGGERJERK at checkout to save 5%.

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