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Review: Crimson Trace LG-405 (S&W J-Frame LaserGrips)

By on December 6, 2012 in Reviews, Tactical Gear

As much as I liked the Crimson Trace (CT) LG-417 for the Glock, I think I may actually like the LG-405 for Smith & Wesson J-Frame Revolvers even more. These CT LaserGrips greatly enhance the capabilities of a classic CCW.

Overview

The LG-405 is a compact grip for a compact handgun. It is relatively slim and only as long as the J-Frame grip tang. The grip is comprised of cushioning rubber on the upper back and front strap with hard plastic panels on the sides. The laser module is located at the top of the grip panel on the opposite side as the cylinder latch. There is a very small switch at the base of the grip that can disable the laser.

The grip has all of the ergonomic features that I like to see in a J-Frame grip. It completely covers the front strap of the grip tang so it is hand filling. It fills in behind the trigger guard to keep it from beating the tar out of your knuckle, it keeps the base of the grip tang clear for easier concealment, and the cylinder latch side of the grip is aggressively recessed to allow the use of speed-loaders.

Observations from Use

The LG-405 would be a great J-Frame grip even without the laser. This is subjective but it does everything I like a J-Frame grip to do. It has ergonomic features that take the edge off the sharp recoil that is typical of these handguns, it is textured enough to lock it into the hand during recoil, it stays out of the way of even with the most finicky speed-loaders (Safariland, which also happens to be my favorite), and it does this all while remaining very compact.

If you want to improve your double action trigger pull, get a laser, head to the range, and prepare to be humbled as you watch the laser dot dance, dart, and dive all over the target as you learn to control the trigger throughout the long and heavy double action trigger pull. It can be hard to master, but being able to see how your trigger pull is affecting your point of aim in real time on the target is the type of feedback that can help accelerate your learning.

J-Frame revolvers have one main issue that holds them back in low light scenarios – you can’t see the sights. The sights on most J-Frames consist of a short ramp front and a shallow notch rear that are not easily replaceable. They are hard to use in full daylight, let alone in low light. The addition of CT LaserGrips makes the J-Frame far more useable in low light, even when used with a flashlight. In drills, my hit probability and hit quality both when up while the time it took to take these shots went down. The LaserGrips provide a measurable improvement in the low light capabilities of the venerable, old J-Frame.

The same issues with the sights mentioned above, also make it difficult to use the J-Frame at extended handgun distances (beyond 15 yards). The difficult-to-master double action trigger doesn’t help either. However, the LaserGrips improve both issues. They provide an easier method of aiming and give real time feedback about what your trigger pull is doing to your point of aim. They give the confidence necessary to utilize the J-Frame at 25 yards and further.

The grips must be removed in order to change the batteries (2x 2032 coin cells). I co-witnessed the laser to the iron sights, then removed and reinstalled the grips to test whether the laser held zero after removal. It seemed to or at least it was close enough for my purposes. If you do have to re-zero, it is pretty easy to do. You can simply co-witness to the iron sights at your desired distance and then refine at the range if you like. I find that co-witnessing alone is good enough for my purposes.

Wrap Up

The LG-405 LaserGrips make J-Frames easier to use effectively in low light and at extended distances, effectively removing two limitations of the J-Frame revolver. If you carry a J-Frame, it should be wearing a set of LaserGrips.  I am convinced of that.

Check out the LG-405 LaserGrips on CrimsonTrace.com.

Review: NavELite Backlit Magnetic Wrist Compass

By on December 3, 2012 in EDC, Reviews, Survival, Tactical Gear

The NavELite Backlit Magnetic Wrist Compass is a sort of amalgamation of good features from other types of compasses and new tech that combines to make a compass that really isn’t like anything I have ever used. It comfortably occupies the space between a button compass and a larger compass – offering much of the convenience of the button compass with a measure of the accuracy and functionality of the larger compass. It also has one pretty good trick up its sleeve that makes it extremely useable in low light.

Overview

The NavELite has everything you expect from a quality compass. It is liquid filled and has a metal needle that rides on a jewel bearing. It has lume paint on the needle and lume painted north reference points. The bezel ratchets to allow the user to set a direction and it can be operated with gloves. The face is marked in 5 degree increments.

The wrist band is comfortable and should fit most wrists. It fastens like a typical wrist watch. The battery compartment is located not in the body of the compass, but in a small compartment on the wrist strap.

That battery powers the NavELite’s most distinctive feature – an electro-luminescent (EL) back light. The back light is operated via a simple, momentary only button located on the side of the compass. When it is pressed, the face of the compass lights up in a cool blue/green color.

Observations from Use

The NavELite Backlit Magnetic Wrist Compass excels as a quick direction reference. It is always available and easy to find since it is strapped to your wrist. It is faster and easier to use on the move than a compass that you keep in your pocket. This is even more apparent in low light. You don’t need to use a flashlight to charge the lume paint or squint to see the face markings. The EL fires up immediately and makes the face extremely easy to read. Everyone knows how handy EL can be on a wrist watch. It is just as useful on a compass. Even if the EL fails for some reason, the compass will continue to work and it lume paint glows very well.

With its 5 degree markings, the NavELite lacks the resolution that you would typically want in a compass for use on an orienteering course but I wanted to see what it could do, so I tried it anyway. I am not going to tell you that finding waist high, 4” wide, brown orienteering markers in the woods is easy with the NavELite but I can tell you that it is doable with a good pace count and some terrain association (you’ll need those skills no matter what compass you use).

I found that I could use the ratchet mechanism and the bearing pointer on the compass as sighting references. The ratchet mechanism for the bezel is located at the bottom of the bezel and can be used as a rear “sight”. The bearing pointer at the top of the bezel can be used as the front sight. The user simply looks over both of them, aligning them to point at a distant landmark to determine an azimuth. Using this technique allowed me to sight an azimuth with as much precision as I can with a standard baseplate compass. I don’t see anything about this in any of the material so it may not be intended to work this way. If so, it is a very welcomed accident.

The needle dampens fairly quickly. I never really had to wait for it to dampen. It is stable enough that rough directions can be determined when moving (though stopping will give you better results with this or any other compass).

It probably goes without saying but I will mention it anyway. This doesn’t replace a good baseplate compass or a set of map tools if you plan on using the NavELite with a compass. The wrist band (among other things) prevents the NavELite from being able to be laid on the map to determine an azimuth so will need separate map tools or a baseplate compass to do your map work.

The wrist band is flexible and very comfortable. It feels somewhat like a silicone divers watch band. The battery compartment on the wrist band takes some getting used to but it mostly stays out of the way. It has a bit of Velcro like material on it that mates with the strap in order to help keep the wrist band closed where it flexes over the compartment.

The NavELite Backlit Magnetic Wrist Compass is not water proof. It would probably be fine in a light rain but dunking or heavy rain may cause the EL backlight to fail. Thankfully, the EL backlight is not essential and NavELite provided the redundant system of lume paint. There may be water resistant models in the future.

While the NavELite is predominantly marketed toward the military/tactical market. It is very much at home with the hunter or outdoor adventurer. I would love to have something like this for those before and after dark treks to and from a hunting spot.

Wrap Up

In my testing of the NavELite Backlit Magnetic Wrist Compass two main advantages stuck out to me more than any others. First, getting a direction reference doesn’t get much faster or more convenient than this. Second, it is hard to imagine a compass that could be easier to use in low light than the NavELite Backlit Magnetic Wrist Compass. The quality seems to be excellent and the combination of features makes it very convenient. I found the EL so handy that it has me wondering if NavELite could develop a baseplate compass with the EL feature. This one is going to be tough to send back.

Check out NavELite.com.

Review: JAVRAN HALP Holster

By on November 26, 2012 in EDC, Guns, Reviews, Tactical Gear

Most of the Velcro backed “universal” holsters on the market are downright terrible. Many of them are difficult to draw from due to poorly executed thumb-breaks or snag prone designs (often both). They get away with it because they spend their time locked away in a bag and they are cheap so hardly anyone actually thinks much about them. The standard designs were ripe for some innovation so that is just what JAVRAN did.

The HALP Holster from JAVRAN is a Velcro backed universal holster that offers one all important improvement over other similar designs – it has a longer sleeve. This longer sleeve is the key to it improved performance and functionality. It is the simple design tweak that makes the HALP better than anything else that I have tried (more on this later).

Overview

The HALP isn’t complicated. It consists of 2 main parts – a semi-rigid, Velcro backer and an adjustable flap that wraps around the handgun. The backer is made from 2” webbing with hook Velcro sewn to the back while the flap is made from a double layer of 1000D nylon.

Observations from Use

As I said earlier, the key to what makes the HALP better than anything else that I have tried is the longer flap. Most similar holsters have a flap that is just wide enough to cover most of the trigger guard. The muzzle of the handgun ends up dangling out in the open, below the flap which creates a snag point for weapon mounted lights, ejection ports, and front sights during the draw stroke. The wider flap also provides great retention and protection. It is such a simple adaptation that pays off in a tremendous increase in functionality.

I was able to adjust the flap to fit everything from a G17 with weapon light to an S&W J-Frame revolver. The adjustment range is wide enough that it should with anything but the smallest and largest handguns.

You can determine the tension of the holster by how tightly you wrap the flap around the handgun when you are fitting it. I found that I like to wrap it a bit tighter at the bottom and looser that the opening. This makes re-holstering a bit easier and still provides good retention.

Speaking of re-holstering… the HALP Holster would benefit from some reinforcement to the flap position. Since it is made from a double layer of 1000D nylon, it has very little structure which makes it prone to push and fold into itself while re-holstering. I am not sure what could be done, but a layer of webbing under the top part of the flap would provide some additional structure or lines of stitching at close intervals might also provide some additional structure. This is a small issue but it would be a big improvement to a great product.

Wrap Up

I am sure that I haven’t even come close to trying every holster of this type on the market but the HALP Holster is far better than any others that I have tried. Given the growing popularity of Velcro lined bags and packs, I suspect that more and more people will be looking for something better than the typical Velcro-backed universal holsters. They would do well to check out the HALP Holster from JAVRAN.

Check out the HALP Holster on JAVRAN.com.

Disclosure: JAVRAN provided this holster to me, free of charge, for review.

PS – I should also mention that JAVRAN has some of the coolest Made in the USA tags that I have ever seen.

Grey Ghost Gear Plate Carrier on Sale

By on November 17, 2012 in Reviews, Tactical Gear

Grey Ghost Gear is clearing out their lightweight plate carriers at a pretty attractive price. I have been using one for a few months and figured this would be a good time to pass on a sort of mini-review.

This plate carrier has some features that I haven’t seen anywhere else. Some are good. Some need some work.

I like the “admin” pouch at the top front of the carrier. It is accessed via angled slash openings. The openings are unsecured so you won’t want to stow small, easily lost items in it, but is perfect for items like gloves or similar bulky soft goods. A little bit of Velcro to secure these openings would be nice. It is also a handy place to jam a magazine that you want to retain during an admin reload. I have also used it as a hand warmer.

I have a love/hate relationship with the cummerbund. On one hand, the plastic stiffened, Velcro covered cummerbund is a stroke of genius for use with Grey Ghost Gear’s side plate pouches. This set up allows the user to easily adjust the rid height and horizontal positioning. On the other hand, the cummerbund may not be able to be adjusted small enough for some users. I had a bit of difficulty getting it small enough for me, but I found that I could shorten the cummerbund enough by folding the tapered ends under. Adding the side plate carriers also helps the carrier fit better.

The grab handle is a lightweight marvel. It is made from folded 500D nylon to keep weight down and it is sewn to the rear plate pocket all the way down the sides at intervals. This creates various paths for routing cables and hydration tubes and serves as reinforcement for the drag handle. Genius.

The plate pockets are lined with a layer of ripstop nylon for extra durability. They are lightly padded and have 3D mesh on the surface that goes up against the user for comfort and breathability. This plate carrier wears cooler than any other that I have tried.

The shoulder straps on this carrier are excellent. They are very low profile and stay out of the way to provide a nice clean shoulder pocket for your rifle. The shoulder pads are small to keep the weight down and they feel so good that it makes me wonder why everyone else makes theirs larger.

The Grey Ghost Gear Plate Carrier is a great piece of gear with a mediocre cummerbund. The idea of the cummerbund is great but it lacks adjustment. In spite of that, it has become one of my favorite plate carriers.

Grey Ghost Gear is selling these at half off right now. They are available in Coyote Brown and Multicam at GreyGhostGear.com.

Review: Mission First Tactical TEKKO AK47 Integrated Rail System

By on November 15, 2012 in Guns, Reviews, Tactical Gear

The TEKKO AK4 Integrated Rail System is a polymer hand guard for the AK family of weapons that offers several configuration options. It is a drop-in replacement for the standard hand guards that has a top rail, 2 removable side rails, and a bottom rail.

All of the rails are made of polymer. The top rail is integrated into the gas tube cover. The side rails are removable and there is a single spot to attach them on either side of the hand guard. The lower rail is integrated into the lower hand guard. It features a nicely textured cover that matches the shape and feel of a standard hand guard without a rail when it is in place. It is pretty clever.

The polymer feels sturdy – not cheap. I also noted that every screw that is used to secure the various pieces of the TEKKO Hand Guards screw into a metal nut instead of plastic. My sample required some slight fitting, but it took just seconds to do with a rotary tool and likely had more to do with the receiver of the AK that I installed it on than the dimensions of the TEKKO Hand Guards.

Observations from Use

The bottom rail is my favorite part of the TEKKO Hand Guards. If you don’t need it, you can cover it and the hand guard will feel as if there is nothing there at all. If you do need it, it can be a great place to mount a vertical grip. Just be sure that the vertical grip is mounted far enough forward or is trimmed short enough that it does not interfere with rocking the magazine in and out.

The side rails are most useful mounting a light or a sling mount. I use the sling mount on the hand guard retaining cap so I was free to use the rail for light mounting. This works well with some caveats. You will likely need to use an offset light mount if your AK has a sling loop on the hand guard cap. If your light mount is very thick, it may interfere with the sling loop on the left side of the AK. I fixed this easily by using the sling loop as a place to mount a Blue Force Gear UWL. Also, lights mounted on these side rails can take up a lot of space on the hand guard so you will either want to use a vertical grip or put the light on the opposite side with a tape switch to keep the hand guard clear enough to hold easily. Much of how you configure the side rails will depend on your shooting style. There is enough flexibility here to accommodate most people.

The top rail is tied into the hand guards with 4 long bolts that screw into metal nuts in the lower hand guard. This configuration seems sturdy and it did allow an RDS to hold zero in limited testing. However, I do have some reservations about keeping an optic on the polymer rail long term and it does sit higher than I prefer so I generally do not use the top rail piece. If you are going to use this top rail for optic mounting, I would limit it to a very lightweight optic. Again, it held up fine in my limited testing. The light weight optic advice may be paranoia based on previous experiences with polymer rails.

There is no metal heat shield in the lower hand guard. I did not have any issues with heat or melting but I also didn’t do any mag dumps. It would be nice if there was a heat shield but many hand guards are fine without them.

Wrap Up

I like and continue to use these hand guards almost entirely because of the bottom rail. The rest of the features are useful but I especially like having a lightweight way to attach a vertical grip. They offer quite a bit of flexibility at a lower weight and cost penalty than many metal rails. I should also note that they are made in the USA so they can help meet your 922R compliance requirements.

Check out the TEKKO AK47 Integrated Rail System on MissionFirstTactical.com.

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