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Review: Bogota Titan-Flats Entry Toolset

By on May 25, 2012 in EDC, Reviews, Survival

People have been requesting a full size Bogota Rake for years. SEREPICK heard their pleas and created the Bogota Titan-Flats Entry Toolsets.

Top to Bottom: Bogota single, Bogota triple, a shallow hook, and a basic tensioner

Overview

The Bogota Titan-Flats Entry Toolsets are made from titanium which makes them very light weight, corrosion resistant, and non-magnetic. The kit contains a Bogota triple, a Bogota single, a shallow hook, and a basic tensioner.

Rather than the familiar compact, quarter bend format of the typical Bogota Entry Toolsets, the Titan Flats are more like traditional picks in form. They are larger overall than the other Bogota Entry Toolsets but they are flatter. This makes them ideal for use as a very flat stand-alone kit or as an addition to a full kit.

A little heat shrink tubing keeps the tools together in one compact kit.

In Use

I have already covered why Bogota Rakes are so effective in some depth in previous reviews. They work and they work well. I know of no other pick that gives even the first time user such a good chance of success.

I thought that I would find these Bogota Titan-Flats had better “feel” and were even more effective than their smaller counterparts due to their larger handles, but that wasn’t really the case. That isn’t a knock on the Titan Flats but rather a compliment to the smaller Bogota Entry Toolsets because these Titan Flats are still quite good.

They do have excellent feel. If you are used to picking, you would likely prefer this set. The shallow hook is quite good as is the Bogota single. In fact, the Bogota single is quite versatile. It can be used to rake or as a pick when inverted. Both provide very good feel and feedback when picking.

The Bogota triple works very well but I found myself actually preferring the form factor of the compact Bogota rakes. It may be that I would feel differently if my first experience with Bogota Rakes was with the Titan Flats, but I have become so used to the hooked handles of the Entry Toolsets for raking. This is purely preference.

The tensioner is very basic but it works. I prefer a tensioner that has a little more flex than this but that is only because I lack skill and the flex makes up a bit for my heavy handedness. Skilled users will likely find this tensioner to be completely sufficient.

Titan-Flats shown with Titan-Minis and a quarter for scale

Conclusion

I think the biggest upside to this kit is its versatility. It is just as comfortable as a stand-alone kit as it is as an addition to someone’s full pick set. Until now, it has been somewhat difficult to find a Bogota triple with a full handle. It will also serve as a great gateway to raking for those who are used to bypassing locks with full sized tools. Every tool in this kit works and offers performance that will satisfy everyone from beginners to pros.

Check out the “Titan-Flats” on SEREPICK.com.

Adams Arms Manimal Muzzle Device

By on May 25, 2012 in Guns, Tactical Gear

The popularity of 14.5″ barrels on AR-15s is exploding. These barrels require the addition of a pinned and welded muzzle device in order to reach the 16″ minimum legal barrel length so it seems that there are suddenly several muzzle devices that are specifically designed for this purpose. However, none of them have taken the purpose built nature of their design as far as the Manimal flash suppressor from Adams Arms.

This photo from Adams Arms shows the Manimal (right) compared to a standard A2 flash suppressor.

The problem with pinning and welding a muzzle device is that it makes it impossible to take the gas block off the end of the barrel without destroying the muzzle device. So shooters were basically stuck with whatever gas block and hand guard that they chose at the time the muzzle device was permanently attached. Adams Arms solved this problem by designing the Manimal with a small enough outside diameter to allow a standard .750″ gas block to slip over it. Genius!

The device is similar to the extended A2 flash suppressors that are sold for the express purpose of being permanently attached. I do not have any time behind the Manimal but I can attest to the fact that this style of flash suppressor does indeed suppress flash fairly well and it does suppress muzzle rise a bit as well.

This Manimal isn’t on the Adams Arms site yet but I suspect it will sell very well once it is available.

Hitting the Range – Check Your BUIS

By on May 25, 2012 in Guns, Tactics and Training

I had the opportunity to take two new AR-15 shooters to the range this week and an issue came up that likely affects many users of this rifle platform – proper implementation of back up iron sights (BUIS).

How many of you completely remove your red dot sight (RDS) when you zero your BUIS? I know I used to because it made it “easier.” Nobody wants to miss a chance to use that nifty quick detach (QD) mount that costs some extra hard earned dollars! If this is you, then you may want to try using your iron sights through the RDS to confirm your BZO (battle sight zero).

Having the RDS in place between the front and rear BUIS may change the way you see or index the sights and as a result the point of impact of your rounds may be off enough to notice at 50 yards. This is especially true if your Aimpoint/RDS is set with a “lower 1/3” co-witness mount. Lower 1/3 mounts place the optic slightly higher than the BUIS sight plane so that your view is less obstructed by the front sight. While I see this as a worthwhile benefit, it does make the BUIS a little more difficult to index, see, and use through the RDS.

This issue is mostly negated if you run an “absolute” co-witness optic mount. I personally don’t prefer these mounts because the front sight (I prefer a fixed front sight base on fighting ARs) is a little more intrusive on the “field of view.” I find that guys who typically don’t “trust” RDS tend to run the absolute co-witness mounts so that the irons are easier to use in an emergency.

Everything is a trade-off and I trust my RDS as much as any other high quality gear item I run on my rifles. Anything, no matter how expensive or tried and true, can fail at the worst possible moment and having multiple back up plans is always a good thing. So there you have it – a great reason to get you and your rifles out to the range to test and make sure everything is adjusted appropriately.

Why We Train: The Economy

By on May 24, 2012 in Why We Train

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last five years, you’re probably well aware of the fragile state of the economy of the United States and the rest of the world. I am not an economist, but the fact that we’re in big trouble is becoming more and more apparent. Anyone who at least takes a regular perusal through the daily news is probably well aware of how thin the veneer of our civilization is and how quickly it could be peeled away. If sudden economic turmoil were to grip our nation, I think it’s safe to assume that widespread disruptions to many basic services could occur quickly. If this were to happen, it could wreak havoc in large metropolitan areas.

My purpose here is not to tell you how to prepare for the possibility of tough times down the road, but to motivate you to reach out to those close to you and maximize your ability to help each other. If you need some motivation to spur you along, then look no farther than this amazingly well done five minute video. This is a problem that has no achievable political solution and runs deep and wide across party lines. Why else would a sitting US Senator feel the need to warn of a financial meltdown in 2-5 years? The bottom line seems to be that things which can’t last forever, won’t.

The sky is not falling… yet. If you haven’t done so, it seems the time is ripe to take an inventory of your personal situation. The good news is that wise and carefully measured preparations will not waste any resources. Hopefully you will find that any steps taken to improve your situation will not only provide peace of mind but will also deepen relationships and enhance your quality of life, regardless of circumstances.

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