Archive | Survival

Scrap Yard Knife Works – Regulator and Deregulator Available

By Matt on March 15, 2010 in Knives, Survival, Tactical Gear

Scrap Yard Knife Works (SYKW) offers very affordable hard use knives in limited runs. They post knife for only a few weeks and then it may not be available again for years. They typically only list a handful of designs every year so some people wait religiously for their knives to be posted.

The Regulator and Deregulator are the most recent designs and they are available now. Get them at the SYKW store.

I am going to pass on this one but the price is tough to beat for a knife of this size, durability, and warranty.

A-TACS Camo – Interesting New Camo Pattern

By Matt on March 15, 2010 in Survival, Tactical Gear

A-TACs camo is a new “universal” camo pattern that was first displayed at SHOT Show 2010. Universal camo patterns are designed to work well across a variety of different environments. A-TACS is essentially designed to perform the same role as patterns like Multicam or UCP.

Click image to visit the A-TACs website.

It brings a few new and unique ideas to the table that make it noteworthy. It seeks to correct the flaws in modern digital camo patterns (like UCP, MARPAT, CADPAT) as perceived by the A-TACS designers. From the A-TACS “About” Page:

Replace un-natural square pixels with organic pixels. Utilizing our patented process, we created a palette of natural colors digitally sampled from real-world elements in carefully controlled lighting. The pattern is then created using a mathematical algorithm that writes “organically-shaped” pixels using the specific color information given. The resulting pattern while still digital, is far more organic in appearance.

Use small patterns to create larger more distinct shapes designed to work at a distance. Small shapes create larger shapes and larger shapes are organized into a distinct pattern with no horizontal or vertical orientation. This unique “pattern within a pattern” concept allows A-TACS® to effectively break the human outline at great distances thereby, minimizing the “blobbing” effect of other patterns when viewed from a distance.

More effective use of color-range produces a better concealment system. A-TACS® is created using a far greater range of inter-mingled natural colors than was previously possible. The overall base color for the cast is a neutral tan which is designed for use in open, rocky or arid environments.

It is noteworthy that so many vendors were supporting the launch of A-TACS at SHOT Show. It seemed to be in every booth on everything from rifles, to clothing, to tactical gear. Some of the vendors include Remington, Blue Force Gear, Danner, Bushmaster, and Emerson Knives. This pattern appears to have a lot of momentum right out of the gate.

I am impressed with the pattern in the pictures that I have seen. However, pictures will not tell the full story since they are usually taken against backgrounds that are hand picked to show case the pattern. One thing that does stand out regardless of the background is how well the larger and smaller shape mix in order to break up the outline of the wearer. It does seem to be quite visually disruptive. The current color scheme seems to favor urban or rocky environments, though the designers say that they can customize the color scheme for any environment.

A-TACS is certainly worth keeping an eye on. Hopefully we will have more real world pictures and data soon.

More info:

A-TACS Gallery

Coverage on Soldier Systems Blog

Coverage on The Firearm Blog

US Palm AK Attack Rack (AKAR) – A New AK-47 Chest Rig

By Matt on March 14, 2010 in Guns, Survival, Tactical Gear

Click for a larger view.

Chest rig choices have been somewhat limited for AK-47 users. Eagle Industries has a couple of dedicated AK rigs and several manufacturers make chest rigs that are somewhat universal. Often these universal rigs don’t work well with the curved shape of the AK mags or hang up on the locking tab located on the back of the mag. US Palm has a new rig that will, at the very least, give AK users another choice.

This chest rig is somewhat spartan (as any good chest rig should be). It is basically just a means to carry 4 primary mags and 4 items like pistol mags, flashlights, or multi-tools. Each of the primary magazine pouches is lined with a high wear material to protect the pouch from the locking tab on the backs of the magazines. They also have a unique shape that is tailor-made for AK mags. The materials used in the construction are all top-notch (500D Cordura, ITW hardware). The shoulder straps look broad and somewhat flat (as they should be). Primary mags are retained via “bungee” loops that offer great retention and speedier access than flaps. It will be available in all the colors that you have come to expect including Multicam.

I only have two potential misgivings. First, I have always preferred AK chest rigs with a 3 mag set up since the size and shape of AK mags make them more difficult to manipulate when you have to reach across your body to the weapon side pouch or to the pouch nearest your support side. With the 4 mag set ups, the middle two pouches always seem to be more usable than the outer two. Second, the rig it appears to favor right handed shooters due to the shape of the pouches. I guess the AK47 isn’t particularly lefty friendly either.

You can find more info here:

US Palm (once their website is updated)

Scottsdale Gun Club

One Source Tactical

Multicam in Afghanistan – It works!

By Matt on March 14, 2010 in Survival, Tactical Gear

Click Here and Count’em if you can!

Check the above post on Gear Scout. Multicam certainly works in Afghanistan!

NovaTac 120T Review

By Matt on March 13, 2010 in Flashlights, Reviews, Survival, Tactical Gear

Why Carry a Light?

If you carry a gun regularly, you should also carry a light. Many shootings happen at night. You may even find yourself in a low-light situation during the day time if you are indoors. Colonel Cooper’s 4th Rule mandates that we are to be sure of our target and what is behind it before we pull the trigger. We must have a light in order to properly identify our target before we shoot.

A bright white light can also give you an advantage by disrupting your attacker’s dark adjusted vision. In some cases this may even temporarily blind your attacker (according to Surefire) – giving you needed fractions of seconds to respond swiftly and violently. Disrupting the night vision of your attacker alone is not a sufficient response to being attacked. You must be ready and willing to follow-up with overwhelming violent response.

Hopefully, we are in agreement that we should all be carrying a light (or two) along with our guns but that is the easy part. The hard part is choosing a light to carry. There are certainly no shortages of manufacturers who would be happy to supply you with a “tactical” light. Many of these manufacturers offer multiple lights. The options can seem limitless and overwhelming.

One of those manufacturers that would be happy to sell you a light is NovaTac. The brand is somewhat new but the people behind it are not new to the tactical light scene. They have used their experience and innovation to bring several lights to market. The one that we will focus on for this review is the 12oT.

NovaTac 120T

The NovaTac 120T is built from the ground up to be a compact tactical light. The specifications, construction materials, and ergonomics leave no question about that. This light is purpose-built.

Specs:

3 Brightness levels (120 lumens, 10 lumens, .3 lumens)
Easily accessible disorienting strobe
Extended tail cap button and grip ring (allows use of multiple flashlight and handgun control techniques)
Momentary or click-on functionality
Pocket clip
Automatically compensates for weakening battery
Runs on a single CR123A battery
Waterproof to 66 feet
3.3″ long, 1″ in diameter, 3.1 oz

Materials:

Aluminum body
Steel bezel ring
HAIII hard anodized finish
Polycarbonate lens with anti-reflective coatings
Steel pocket clip

Runtime:

High: 30 Minutes
Medium: 14 Hours
Low: 240 Hours

More information can be found on the 120T spec sheet(PDF).

How Does it Work?

On paper it sounds somewhat complicated but in use it is actually very simple. The 120T has only one button. The user can access all functions from this button by using a series of clicks and/or presses. It helps if you understand the difference between clicks and presses. The user clicks by quickly depressing and releasing the button – like you would click a mouse button. The user presses by depressing and holding the button.

Momentary – Press the button. The light will stay on high until you release the button. This is very natural and lends itself very well to short bursts of light while moving and “slicing the pie”.
Constant or Click-on – Click the button. The light will stay on high until you click the button again.
Medium – Starting from any high mode, click the button twice quickly. The light will stay on medium until you click the button again.
Low – Starting from high or medium mode, click the button three times quickly. The light will stay on low until you click the button again. Any clicks from this mode will put the light back in high mode.
Strobe – Press the button from any constant mode or click-press from off.

Notice that the light always comes on in high mode. This is good news. It means that no matter how you turn on the light, you will immediately have 120 retina searing lumens on tap. This feature is important in a tactical light versus a general use light that may come on in a more battery conservative low mode. The designers of the 120T correctly assume that tactical users would need the most light available at the very instant they turn on the light.

The medium and low modes make this light useful for general use as well. You probably won’t be holding an attacker at gunpoint every time you fire up your flashlight. You may just be trying to find a key or walking the dog. The medium and low modes are well-chosen and very useful. I especially appreciate that the low mode is truly low. It can be used without destroying your dark adjusted vision. The vast majority of lights miss the mark here because they are too busy chasing the biggest lumen numbers to actually make a useful light.

The light carries very well in a pocket using the included pocket clip. The light rides very deep in the pocket and seems very secure. The checkering on the body of the light is somewhat aggressive and may fray your pockets over time. It does, however, make for a very secure grip. A lanyard can be attached to the pocket clip.

The shape of the light lends itself to several handgun/light combination holds. Many people are familiar with the FBI flashlight technique, Harries technique, and the Surefire/Rogers technique. NovaTac promotes the Thorpe Technique which is specific to their lights. There is a thick o-ring provided with the 120T to aid in acquiring this grip. It is quite simple to use and indexes the light well. I suggest that you practice this technique before using it as you would any new technique.

Worth a Look

I am quite pleased with this light. I believe it offers an excellent set of features to law enforcement, military, and civilian users alike. If you are in the market for a feature rich but still easy to use light, be sure to check out the NovaTac line of lights.