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range day

Oakley SI Flak 2.0 – Thin Blue Line edition: The right shades for an officer on duty or a great range day

When it comes to the eye protection for the range, I tend to be extraordinarily picky. No, it’s not just because I have a weird shaped head and only a precious few sunglasses designs can both look decent and stay affixed to my dome (but I’ll admit that’s part of it). It’s also because I have an unusual medical condition that robs me of portions of my vision for days, weeks, or even months at a time. It first surfaced a few years ago after a particularly rough night of sparring. I took a solid right cross and, I’ll admit, my bell was rung, but I thought I was fine otherwise… that is, until I woke up the next morning to find my right eye had all but stopped working.

A trip to the emergency room suggested that having my bell rung must have also detached the retina, but further diagnosis from specialists revealed that my buddy’s right cross and my newfound blindness were actually just a matter of coincidence. It was my retina itself that was swelling, likely due to a combination of blood pressure and a cortisol injection I had recently received in my spine… don’t you just love staying active as you get older?

Since then, the condition has returned at random intervals, usually during periods of high stress, and now, unfortunately, in both eyes. Most days, I can see just fine… but a few times a year, I end up with the center of my vision almost completely compromised. It’s hard to explain just how scary blindness feels for someone that has spent their life in a sighted world — especially for a guy like me, that makes my living by doing foolish things outside and then writing about it.

So, with the specter of blindness always looming overhead (even when my vision is working fine) I take things like eye protection very seriously. I’m grateful for every day I wake up and can see my daughter’s face, every trip to the woods where I’m able to capture good sight picture on my rifle, and every evening I spend mindlessly staring at the various screens in my rec-room.

Knowing how fundamentally different my life would be like without my vision means that I’m not willing to compromise when it comes to protecting what I’ve got. So, while there may be some fairly inexpensive forms of eye protection available on the market, I tend to stick strictly to companies I’ve come to trust through a combination of my own experiences and their historical track record. When those are the standards by which you judge, it’s tough to beat the product line offered by Oakley Standard Issue, or Oakley’s military, government, and law enforcement specific arm.

Over this past weekend, I had the chance to put their Flak 2.0 Thin Blue Line edition shades through their paces, and although they aren’t the same design I tend to gravitate toward, I found them to be extremely comfortable and utilitarian. Even in 90+ degree Georgia weather, soaked in humidity and wearing a plate carrier, these glasses didn’t budge from my face in the sweat deluge they were subjected to. Eye-pro doesn’t do you much good if it falls off your face, and I don’t have the time nor the patience to constantly push my glasses back up my nose while training. Oakley’s patented “Unobtanium” grips see to it that these shades stay where they belong.

These glasses are incredibly light while offering near complete coverage of your field of view, eliminating those annoying moments when the angle of your glasses allows the sun to creep in and blind you from the side. Fogging is minimal, even in the brutal conditions I subjected them to this weekend, and their XYC optics ensured the clarity of my vision (such as it is) through the lenses and downrange.

The O-Matter stress resistant frame adds to the piece of mind you get when you order a set of Flak 2.0s for duty use or intense training. These frames may be light, but they’re not going to break on you if you do manage to drop your glasses. These shades also sport the Thin Blue Line collection Oakley logo on the sides, making them a unique and fitting choice for police officers or anyone that likes to show their support for the men and women in blue that keep our street’s safe.

You don’t need to know how scary going blind can be to know that you don’t want to risk it. Whether you’re a cop in need of duty glasses or a shooter that appreciates the sacrifices made on our behalf by those in their blue uniforms, you can’t go wrong with Oakley SI, and these Flak 2.0s are further proof of that.

Orders yours from Oakley SI for around $160 here.

.50 BMG versus Steel plate INSIDE ballistic gel

.50 BMG versus Steel plate INSIDE ballistic gel

Rifles, optics, plate carriers and more: we at Loadout Room test and review a wide variety of gear.  Sometimes though, we like to sit back and watch shit blow up.  While I’m excitedly working on this week’s reviews, I currently have exactly zero .50 BMG chambered rifles, armor-piercing-incendiary-tracer (APIT) rounds, or even a nice little flamethrower.  My capability to pierce armor while incinerating the general area is sadly low.  Thus, I need videos like this one.

Here we have YouTube host GY6vids doing exactly as the title specifies, launching .50 BMG APIT rounds into a brick of ballistic gelatin, which coincidentally also holds a steel plate.  The results are IMPRESSIVE!  Check it out.

Rex Nanorum 

@Rexnanorum

Watch an M-60 Tank, 106mm Recoilless Rifle Vs Land Rover

Watch an M-60 Tank, 106mm Recoilless Rifle Vs Land Rover

Some people have all the fun. The guys over FullMag have a dream job. They get to fire all kinds of weapons, spend all day at the range, blow shit up and go home at night. And get paid to do it.

They put together an awesome video of buying an old Land Rover “on its last legs” and parking it out on a range in the desert and firing an M-60’s main 105mm gun with a solid shot of aluminum into the main engine compartment and if that isn’t enough fun, they set up a 106mm recoilless rifle right behind the vehicle and let the backblast of the venturi tubes do their worst.

Here in the U.S., we tend to only see large armored vehicles like tanks parked at local National Guard installations. They resemble large metal works of art, rather than the mighty war machines they truly are. Even if you happen to spot a tank scooting around the Motor T lot, the chances you’ll see one firing its main gun are about the same as winning the lottery while getting struck by lightning. As a result, it’s sometimes hard to really appreciate the sheer power of these vehicles.

We’ve watched footage of tank-on-tank action in the deserts of the Middle East, and we’ve seen shots of modern tanks firing at static targets on test ranges. But it’s not every day you get to see a tank decimate your aunt’s Land Rover. Watching a tank shoot a tank may offer important insight into how armored platforms stack up, but it’s only after seeing a video like this that you understand just how destructive even old, outdated tank platforms really are when stacked up against things normal folks cruise around in every day.

Enter the YouTube channel FullMag, which got a hold of a M60 Patton tank, and a Land Rover LR3 that was a bit long in the tooth. FullMag let these two vehicles–both renown for their off-road capabilities–work out differences the old-fashioned way: with a 105mm tank round.

The shot hits the Land Rover’s passenger side fender and creates an explosion of parts and debris that’s eerily reminiscent of a person taking a round to the head: the fender remains largely intact while the engine, along with wheel and suspension components, is blown out the other side.

Having done a ton of range firing of 106mm RRs and training an anti-tank company on them, I can attest to the power of the backblast of them. After a day of putting steel downrange, one feels like he’s taken body blows from Mike Tyson. This looks like incredible fun.

To see the entire article by Alex Hollings and watch the video, click here:

Photo: FullMag

Uncle Mike's range bag: Compact quality

Uncle Mike’s range bag: Compact quality

Simple, compact, and handy are the best ways to describe the Uncle Mike’s Range Bag. This moderate sized bag is made from Ripstop nylon for increased durability and nylon is already water-resistant. This range bag is best suited for handgun shooters who want a single bag to tote everything. It perfectly accommodates a full-sized handgun, a couple hundred rounds of ammo, ear and eye pro, magazines, a holster, a cleaning kit and more. The Uncle Mike’s Range Bag could be used with rifles and shotguns, but is a bit small to carry multiple pieces of gear for multiple guns.

Uncle Mike's range bag: Compact quality

The Rundown on Uncle Mike’s Range Bag

Instead of being a big ol beast it’s lighter, smaller and easier to store and carry. The bag is one large main pouch with two mini pouches on the outside. Uncle Mike’s Range Bag has two internal pouches to separate gear, and a few mini pouches for smaller gear. This keeps things organized and makes small gear hard to lose.

Uncle Mike's range bag: Compact quality

The top is a larger dual zipper opening that’s wide enough to pull out all the big gear without issue. I like this wide opening because it allows me to see inside the bag for what I need. This keeps me from having to pull everything out to get something like an extra pair of eye pro. Included with the bag is a fleece lined pistol sleeve, which doubles as a handy cleaning mat.

Uncle Mike's range bag: Compact quality

Finally, the bag itself is padded on the bottom and sides. This gives you that hair of extra protection when transporting guns, ammo, electronics and more.

Uncle Mike's range bag: Compact quality

Performance

For the sake of this review, I stuffed the bag with a wide variety of different gear to see just how large a load it could handle. I packed in tons of ammo, rifle mags, handgun mags, flashlights, knives, ear and eye protection, and just anything that was quasi-gun related I had on hand. The result was a very heavy, and well-filled bag. The Uncle Mike’s Range bag bulged at the sides but it didn’t rip when lifted and carried. While it’s made to be compact you can toss a lot of gear in there if you want to.

Uncle Mike's range bag: Compact quality

As a firearms writer I pack some very random gear on my range trips. Guns and ammo sure, but also note taking gear, a camera and tripod, a shot timer, and sometimes a tablet or laptop. There is plenty of room for my junk, and more if I choose. As long as you aren’t a dedicated 3 gunner this bag is going to suit 99% of shooters.

Check out the Crate Club to get a monthly crate of quality gear that’s hand-picked and tested by Special Operations veterans.

 

*Originally published on the Crate Club Knowledgebase


Video: Loadout Room meets up with NeoMag for Drill Day

Video: Loadout Room meets up with NeoMag for Drill Day

We here at the Loadout Room have reviewed the minimalist NeoMag spare magazine pocket carry system more than once. I also had the pleasure to interview the owner a while back to find out more about the business and the product he produces. Needless to say we use and recommend this product to anyone who carries concealed.

  • NeoMag Product Review
  • NeoMag Interview
  • NeoMag Ambassador Pat McNamara

I recently had the opportunity to meet up with the owner of NeoMag for a day on the range. Not only was it nice to put a face to all the emails and texts, but it was the first time I had the chance to run a few drills which included reloading from the NeoMag.

In this episode of Drill Day I meet up with Scott Witner, the man behind The Loadout Room. We come up with a drill that puts us into 3 different shooting positions from 3 different distances. Later in the video we throw in a second weapon system and have a little more fun.

 

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