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Training Plates – An Investment

By on October 22, 2011 in Tactical Gear, Tactics and Training

Hopefully some of you who read my recent article on a High Value Armor Setup that consisted of TAP Gamma plates and the excellent Shellback Tactical Banshee PC were inspired to purchase armor. Even armor as inexpensive as the set up in that article is still a significant investment which is why you might want to consider expanding that investment with a set of training plates.

Training plates are the same approximate shape and weight as your ballistic plates but they lack any ballistic protection. Their purpose is to provide a realistic training experience without jeopardizing the integrity of your expensive ballistic plates. These should be especially attractive to shooters who spend their own money on their armor and will have to replace them out of their own pocket in the event of breakage.

You might think that because a ballistic plate is bullet resistant that is extremely durable. This is not necessarily the case. Ceramic plates can be subject to cracking and chipping that can reduce their effectiveness. You might not even be able to visually detect these flaws. It can pay to use training plates as a stand in for your ballistic plates when the ballistic plates are unnecessary.

I currently have 2 sets of Training Plates from Patriots-Choice. These are made from thick PVC plastic that is extremely rugged and provide a very realistic stand in for my more expensive plates. I picked up both sets on Ebay for a song.

There are plenty of other companies that manufacture training plates and Soldier Systems often has the skinny as new ones come to market. Here are some options that Soldier Systems has uncovered:

You have dropped a sizable amount of money on your plates. Consider protecting them from as much wear and tear as you can with a set of training plates.

 

SLiP2000 Pink Label Gun Lubricant

By on October 21, 2011 in Guns

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and SLiP2000 is reminding us of that with their Pink Label Gun Lubricant.

The Pink Label bottles contain the standard SLiP2000 gun lubricant which I rely on extensively along with their Extreme Weapons Lubricant. They are available in 1 and 4 ounce sizes. I keep the 4 ounce bottles in my range bags and cleaning kit and the 1 ounce bottle in a pouch on my belt so I always have it handy while on the range.

SLiP2000 will donate $.25 for every bottle that is sold. There has never been a better time to pick up some more lubricant or upgrade your current lubricant to SLiP2000. Check out the Pink Label bottles on the SLiP2000 website.

Rainier Arms Urban Carbine (RUC)

By on October 20, 2011 in Guns

The new Rainier Arms Urban Carbine or RUC is first complete rifle offered by Rainier Arms and it is heavy on features but light on weight.

The RUC features a few Rainier Arms exclusive components like the Rainier Arms XTC compensator and their Evolution Free Float System. The XTC is a high value muzzle device that compensates for muzzle rise and suppresses flash. The Rainier Arms Evolution Free Float System is a lighter weight version of the regular Evolution Free Float System manufactured by Samson MFG. The RUC also features other well thought out components like the BCM Gun Fighter Charging Handle, VLTOR iMOD stock, Magpul MOE+ grip, Geissele trigger, and the relatively new Diamond Head Back Up Iron Sights.

The barrel is cold hammer forged with a 1 in 7″ twist. It is available with a pinned 14.5″ or 16″ lengths. The low profile gas block is pinned which is a nice touch. The rifle should shoot very softly with its mid-length gas system and “H” buffer. The lower is forged and features a nicely flared magazine well. The bolt carrier group is everything you would expect from a premium rifle like this. It is an auto carrier that is MPI HP tested and features a properly staked gas key.

The component list is impressive and so are the specs but the most impressive things is that the RUC weighs in at a scant 6.5 pounds which is very impressive for a rifle with this many features. The shooter only needs to add a light, sling, and optic all of which can be added with very little weight penalty these days thanks to light weight options like the Aimpoint Micros and Surefire Scout lights.

You can pre-order your own RUC at a very attractive introductory price on the Rainier Arms website.

Patch Collecting: AO Medium Speed Moderate Drag

By on October 19, 2011 in Patch Collecting, Tactical Gear

Advanced Outfitters (AO) has one of the best taglines in the business and it is a well known fact that great taglines make great patches. From the moment that Kevin at AO first uttered “Medium Speed, Moderate Drag,” he must have know it was destined for patch greatness.

The patch features green embroidery on a tan background. The “Medium Speed, Moderate Drag” tagline is embroidered on the face of the patch as is the AO website address. I like that this patch feels a little like an inside joke since most people have no idea what “High Speed, Low Drag” means so this patch is actually somewhat low profile.

You can contact Advanced Outfitters through their website, on Twitter, or on the Usual Suspect Network.

New Attack Racks from US PALM

By on October 18, 2011 in Guns, Tactical Gear

The original AK Attack Rack from US PALM is widely regarded as one of the best AK specific chest rigs on the market. Now there are two new versions of the Attack Rack for shooters to choose from – the AK Attack Rack V2 and the Multi-Platform Attack Rack.

Both of the new Attack Racks share some features including the ability to add level IIIA soft armor. This is a feature not often seen in chest rigs. The Attack Rack with ballistic insert provides a very broad area of coverage. Both Attack Racks also have similar horizontal handgun magazine/flashlight/multitool pouches.

The AK Attack Rack V2 offers a nice alternative to the original AK Attack Rack. The V2 adds the features mentioned above as well as a few other notables. The fronts of the AK pouches now feature MOLLE webbing for the attachment of additional pouches. The 4 handgun magazine pouches on the sides of the original are now replaced with MOLLE webbing so that the user can add items like a general purpose pouch or first aid kit. There will also be optional accessories available like medical and general purpose pouches sized to fit the side MOLLE fields perfectly and a universal holster insert.

The Multi-Platform Attack Rack supports weapons other than the AK. It can carry 5 AR-15 or .308 magazines. The entire front of the Multi-Platform Attack Rack features a uninterrupted MOLLE webbing field for attaching additional pouches. It can also accept the universal holster accessory.

Check out the whole line of Attack Racks on the US PALM website.

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