Tactical Life

5.11 Tactical Launches New Packs, Apparel, Boots & More for 2018

5.11 Tactical isn’t playing around. The Irvine, Calif.-based company is looking to continue its dominance in the gear, apparel and accessories space by unleashing a ton of new products at SHOT Show 2018. See the press release below to see what’s in store for this year.

inspired by 5.11’s battle-tested backpacks, the new Rapid Origin Pack is an ideal mission-ready pack. Lightweight and medium-sized, the Rapid Origin features multiple quick-release and adjustable straps to customize the fit. A web platform on the front allows pouches or gear to be added, and there is a secure CCW compartment and an internal admin panel. Built with a large, drop-front inverted U opening, the interior is easy to access and includes a padded laptop compartment. ($84.99)

The new Aerial Shirt is made using dissolving yarn technology, resulting in a highly breathable, moisture-wicking garment that features breathe-through ventilation and excellent air flow. The Aerial includes 5.11’s proprietary RAPIDraw placket for easy access to a concealed carry weapon. ($49.99) The Have a Knife Day Shirt is a button-down, built with a RAPIDraw placket for easy access to a concealed carry weapon. It features a subtle knife print pattern in its lightweight cotton/polyester fabric. Small bellows under the neck yoke offer easier movement for everyday wear. ($49.99)

5.11’s new Cupron Socks make the most of copper’s natural anti-microbial properties. Cupron’s anti-fungal fibers prevent the growth of, while also killing 99.9% of T mentagrophytes, athlete’s foot fungus. The socks feature moisture-wicking polyester with a Cupron copper heel and toe, as well as compression zones designed for fit and all-day comfort. ($24.99/3 pack)

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*Photo courtesy of 5.11 Tactical

QALO Silicone Rings: A durable comfortable wedding band alternative

Functional

Are you a hunter, fisherman, love shooting guns, or are you just a general outdoors kind of person. Have you been climbing down from somewhere and your wedding ring gets hung up on something and you say “whew that was a close one “? Throw a QALO (Q-Quality, A-Athletics, L-Love, O-Outdoors) silicone ring on your finger and you need to worry no more.

I remember my instructor telling me on my first day on the flight line to put my wedding ring in my pocket. He said it could get caught on something while I was preflighting and climbing all over the helicopter. Of course being much younger and obviously knowing way more than he did, I kept my ring on. That is until the one day when I saw someone get their finger caught while climbing down from the Chinook. Let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty. From that day forward I always wore my ring around my dog tag chain.

Stylish

It has been 18 years since that day at the flight line, and I am still crawling up and down helicopters. I am glad that I found QALO a few years ago. They have been in the silicone ring business since 2012 when two guys decided they hated their metal wedding bands and wanted an alternative that was comfortable and safe. These rings are awesome, I have a few that I rotate on a regular basis. I wear the camouflage if I am outdoors. The slate grey one most of the time on a daily basis. And for a night on the town, I will throw on the Pearl. They have quite the selection of ring styles and colors for both men and women alike. They have a military discount as well as a First Responders discount, and their customer service is second to none.

If you are looking to replace that metal wedding band and want something stylish, comfortable and inexpensive, check out the line of QALO silicone rings.

Top Military Advisor: Joint Forces Will Beat ISIS to Death with Entrenching Tools

A top military advisor has issued a stern warning to ISIS fighters, saying via social media that the bad guys would be shot in the face or beaten to death with entrenching tools if they fail to surrender.

“ISIS needs to understand that the Joint Force is on orders to annihilate them,” the statement from Army Sgt. Maj. John Wayne Troxell—the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—begins. “So, they have two options should they decide to come up against the United States, our allies and partners: surrender or die!

“If they surrender, we will safeguard them to their detainee facility cell, provide them chow, a cot and due process,” Troxell continues. “However, if they choose not to surrender, then we will kill them with extreme prejudice, whether that be through security force assistance, by dropping bombs on them, shooting them in the face, or beating them to death with our entrenching tools.”

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*Photo courtesy of Facebook/Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman

Romanian Fighter: The Short-Barreled PM md 90 AK Variant

Romanian versions of the AKM have long been among my favorite variants in the AK world.

The foregrips are a real aid to shooting full-auto models, and they help control the semi-auto Romanian rifles better in rapid-fire, too.

The original Romanian AKs were the Pistol Mitraliera model 1963 (PM md. 63), with a fixed stock, and the PM md. 65 with an under-folding stock. Operating the PM md. 63 and PM md. 65 is basically the same as using an AKM. But the PM md. 63 and PM md. 65 differ subtly: The foregrip slants forward on the PM md. 63 but rearward on the PM md. 65 to allow the folding stock to full collapse. Another distinctive feature of these rifles is the lack of a muzzle brake, though the muzzle is threaded and usually has a muzzle nut. Always an important feature for rifles chambered in 7.62x39mm, the bore, chamber, gas piston and gas cylinder’s interiors are chrome plated. Though non-corrosive 7.62x39mm ammunition is readily available nowadays, remaining stocks of corrosive ammo are large and turn up on the surplus market. PM md. 63 and PM md. 65 rifles often came with 20-round magazines to make it easier to reload with the foregrip in place. This was especially true with the PM md. 65.

Many parts kits for the PM md. 63 and PM md. 65 have been imported into the United States. Many of those were from the version of the rifle produced for Romania’s Patriotic Guards, who were issued semi-autos. Reportedly, those rifles were produced after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, when the Patriotic Guards were formed in case the Soviets turned their attention to Romania. The rifles were designed to give the paramilitary force a weapon without a select-fire capability.

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New: FN 15 Pistol in 5.56 & 300 BLK and FN 15 Tactical Carbine FDE

FN is set to introduce three new additions to its FN 15 series for 2018: a pistol model available in two calibers and a carbine in flat dark earth (FDE).

First up are the new FN 15 pistol models. Available in both 5.56x45mm NATO and .300 AAC Blackout, these pistols feature 10.5-inch (5.56x45mm NATO) and 12-inch (.300 BLK) cold hammer-forged, chrome-lined barrels with a 1:7 twist and an A2 flash hider (5.56) or a Surefire ProComp 762 muzzle brake (.300 BLK), as well as carbine- and pistol-length gas systems designed to get “the highest level of performance out of each cartridge,” FN says in the press release.

Both FN 15 pistols also come with an M-LOK rail; fixed low-profile stainless-steel gas block; FN combat trigger weighing between 4.5-7.75 pounds; 30-round magazine capacity; and SB Tactical’s SBX-K stabilizing brace. The 5.56 model weighs in at 5.2 pounds, while the .300 BLK version is slightly heavier at 5.65 pounds.

Next, FN is putting out a full FDE version of the FN 15 Tactical Carbine. The enhanced Mil-Spec lower and the match-grade, free-floating, chrome-lined, cold hammer-forged 16-inch barrel provides durability and ensures solid performance, the company says. This carbine retains the same features of the FN 15 Tactical series, including the 3-prong flash hider found on the FN SCARs; mid-length gas system and H1 buffer to reduce recoil; B5 grip and buttstock; and a 12.5-inch P-LOK rail with an M-LOK accessory mounting system.

Each version of the FN 15 Pistol can be purchased at a MSRP of $1,599, while the suggested retail price for the FN 15 Tactical Carbine is set at $1,499.

For more information, visit fnamerica.com.

Hunt-Ready AK: The K-VAR VEPR Rifle in .308 Win

A firearm design’s true test of time is reflected in how often it is copied, and perhaps no other design has been copied as much as the AK-47. There are dozens of rifles, pistols and shotguns based on the AK-47, but the VEPR series of rifles ranks among the best made of the progeny.

Rifles in the VEPR series are sporterized versions of the AK intended for the hunting segment of the market. Compared to a wide peer group of AK-style rifles, VEPRs are built at the Russian Molot factory, where they’re made to heavier-duty RPK standards. There are several variants of the VEPR that differ with respect to features such as stock design and sights, but they are all significant upgrades in quality compared to service-grade AK rifles. A number of chamberings are available, too, including models in 7.62x39mm, 5.45x39mm, .223 Remington and .308 Winchester. VEPR rifles have been imported at various times by several companies, and K-VAR Corp. of Las Vegas, Nevada, is currently importing the entire product line. K-VAR is known for importing the best-quality AK variants, including VEPRs and milled-receiver Bulgarian AKs.

VEPRs originated in the mid-1980s in response to an import ban by the first President Bush on “assault rifles.” Rifles with thumbhole stocks and “civilian” aesthetics/features were deemed “OK” to import, whereas those with military adornments were not. This ban popularized the thumbhole stock on AK-based rifles, and the nonsensical elements of this ban are still operative today on imported rifles. Despite all that, I recently got my hands on a K-VAR VEPR in .308 Winchester, and I came away once again reminded why I love this style of AK.

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*Photo courtesy of Tactical Life