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Monthly Archives: January 2013
Tough Hook Kickstarter Project
Through a friend, I was put in contact with Tarik Lazri. He is a former U.S. Army soldier who has an idea for a heavy duty hanger and transporter for body armor. Lazri told me of his frustrations with hanging up his plate carriers and body armor in stints in Iraq and as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan. I said, “You should see the makeshift hand-twisted coat hanger nightmares holding ballistic vests in our police locker room.” He replied, “Exactly!” When I met with Lazri and he showed me his patented I-beam-inspired Tough Hook. It was thick and sturdy with turned up ends to keep the straps in place. It … Continue reading
Posted in Protective Armor
Tagged Body Armor Hanger, Kickstarter, Scuba Gear Hanger, Tarik Lazri, Tough Hook
2 Comments
Tactical Tailor Urban Operator Backpack Review
I like gadgets and things in which to carry them. Last year, I fairly assaulted SHOT Show 2012 wearing a Maxpedition Sitka in Khaki. It was just too small for my burden then, and for 2013 I had since added a Canon DSLR. Although a sling bag is easy to access, when filled with notebooks, pens, cameras, spare batteries, an iPad 2 and accessories, business cards, morale patches, product CD’s, press kits, Clif bars, water, Mil-Spec Monkey hoodie, and a daily burgeoning collection of swag (pirate booty), the distribution of weight in the oft-rotated bag could vex a loadmaster. I needed a backpack. Okay, another backpack. Damn, … Continue reading
Shooting an IWI TAVOR at SHOT Show 2013
The Israel Weapons Industries (formerly Israel Military Industries), in collaboration with the Israel Defense Forces, has a seventy year history of producing arms for a country in constant conflict. IWI is the maker of such iconic names as UZI, GALIL, and Desert Eagle. IWI US, Inc. will be bringing upcoming brands for assembly and sale to United States soil. The TAVOR SAR is one of their exciting new offerings. IWI had TAVORs to shoot at SHOT Show 2013 Media Day. Yeah, baby. IWI US’s General Manager Brad Howard gave us a tour of the TAVOR platform then we were able to toe the firing line. Howard had told us that … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Bullpup Rifle, Israel Weapons Industries, IWI, SHOT Show, SHOT Show 2013, TAVOR Modern Sproting Rifle, Tavor SAR
1 Comment
Wha-a-a?
Around 2130 hrs last night, I was standing beside the road with a sheep on a leash. I did not see that one coming. Some kids caught a ewe that had gotten loose from a nearby farm. (Must be a sheep witness protection program, because I didn’t even know it was there.) I retrieved a dog leash from my trunk and kept the animal quiet until the owners arrived. There were some strange looks from passing motorists. I had seen a coyote earlier in my shift. There was a strong possibility the nervous sheep had been chased by a pack of our local predators. I have had dogs, cats, … Continue reading
Posted in Humor
2 Comments
TrackingPoint Update from SHOT Show 2013
I was able to see the TrackingPoint Precision Guided Firearm in action firsthand at the SHOT Show Media Day. On the long range, I watched as a novice shooter got behind the Surgeon rifle and Networked Tracking Scope, then hit a 962 yard shot on his first attempt…uh, Wow! TrackingPoint had an iPad streaming live video next to the .338 Lapua rifle. Bystanders were able to watch on the screen as the shooter “tagged” the distant piece of steel and then let the microprocessors work the dope. The Guided Trigger will only allow a shot to be fired when the scope and tagged target are optically aligned. The rifle operator … Continue reading
DDupleks Kaviar 26L Frangible Shotgun Ammunition
The Latvian gentlemen from DDupleks Ammunition were demonstrating their Kaviar 26L frangible shotgun “slug” at SHOT Show 2013 Media Day at the Range. The 12 gauge round is designed to dump its energy into the immediate target without over-penetration. The DDuplexs rep shot a water jug at 15 yards with the Kaviar. A Kel-Tec KSG was used for the test. This is from the DDupleks website: Combined material shotgun slug for training and LE purposes. Slug expands and fragments only after hitting the target and provides energy transfer immediately without
Posted in Firearms, SHOT Show, Technology
Tagged Frangible Ammunition, Police Shotgun, SHOT Show
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New Kahr CW380 Review
At SHOT Show 2013 Media Day at the Range, I was able to shoot five small handguns that are new to the market for 2013. My first was the latest “budget” offering from Kahr Arms, the CW380, designated the CW3833. I may have said “budget,” but the Kahr CW380 still has all the important functional features that have made their pistols popular with shooters and ’carryers. The 10.2 ounce micro-sized CW380 has a polymer frame with 4140 steel inserts, matte finished 416R stainless slide with bar-dot sights, “Safe Cam” DAO firing system, and quality fit and finish. The C-series of Kahr handguns finds its lower price point by using conventional … Continue reading
Posted in Concealed Carry, Firearms, Off Duty, SHOT Show
Tagged CW380 Review, Kahr Arms, Kahr CW380, off-duty gun, Police Back-Up Gun
6 Comments
TASER International Introduces New X26P
A TASER International press release announced the introduction of their latest Conducted Electrical Weapon, the new X26P. The X26P uses the company’s latest technological advances and design combined with familiar ergonomics from its popular predecessor, the X26. New electronic architecture takes the X26P out of the analog era and into the digital one, like its sibling the X2. The old X26 used a gas tube spark gap and a fixed energy discharge, while the latest version moves to a solid state arc controller that measures and adjusts the electrical output. Other improvements include extended battery life, increased logging of usage data, and an IPX2 rating for weatherproofing against rain and … Continue reading
SHOT Show 2013 Small Gun Round-Up
At the SHOT Show 2013 Media Day at the Range, I was able to shoot a number of new small handguns meant for concealed carry self defense. The latest offerings from Kahr, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory, and Ruger were loaded, locked, and let loose. In the photos, you will notice the dusty guns. It was very windy and fine sand mixed with the usual post-firing gunk. As I have said before, these guns are shot by literally hundreds of media members during this single day of firearms torture. All the guns I used functioned perfectly as designed.
SHOT Show 2013 Media Day at the Range
Today was the SHOT Show 2013 Media Day at the Range. It was about 28 degrees when we arrived in Boulder City with a steady 20 mph wind, gusting to 35. Why the weather report? It definitely affected both the guns and gunners. I saw at least one handgun negatively impacted by the freezing temps–think polymer changing its resilience. No, not a Glock. The temperature variable and gusty wind also led to challenging conditions under which to evaluate the firearms. I know that my shivering and numbed hands definitely did not lead to steady sight pictures or clean trigger breaks. All in all, there was substantial bitching about the wind … Continue reading
Thanks For Nothing
To the baggage handler or TSA worker who stole My full flat ground Spyderco Delica from My luggage, Use it in good health. Sarcasm. Randall
Posted in SHOT Show
2 Comments
Poll By Sen. Bill Nelson
Please cast a vote in the poll (right column) on the Senator’s page in support of the Second Amendment. Randall
Posted in Uncategorized
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TrackingPoint to Introduce Precision Guided Rifle Scopes
The Consumer Electronics Show, one of Las Vegas’ biggest conventions, is happening this week. At 140,000 attendees, CES is twice the size of the SHOT Show. For all the myriad gadgets and electronic toys being shown at CES, I thought this was one interesting bit of technology with future law enforcement potential. TrackingPoint, Inc. builds precision rifles in Austin, TX. Their latest advance is the patent-pending Intelligent Digital Tracking Scope, a kind of Heads-Up Display for a rifle. This advanced scope calculates a firing solution for the shooter, as it takes into account wind speed and direction, humidity, ballistic drop, parallax, incline and cant of the weapon, and other factors. … Continue reading
SHOT Show 2013 Begins Next Week
The annual Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas runs from January 15 through 18. Last year over 61,000 attendees descended upon the Sands Convention Center to view the wares of 1,600+ exhibitors. I was one of 2,500 media members. It is time for me to pack up the iPad, notebooks, and cameras to take my yearly sabbatical as journalist and not cop. As usual, I am honored to join the great guys from BlueSheepdog.com and GunsHolstersandGear.com at the Big Show. GHG is already running a truckload of 2013 pre-Show info here. SHOT Show is an industry trade show hosted by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. As … Continue reading