thearmsguide

StripLULA AR Magazine Loader: Spend More Time Shooting, Less Time Loading

The StripLULA is a 10 round 5.56/.223 magazine loader. It weigh’s in at a mere 1.5 oz, has a universal fit, and is military grade. The StripLULA is small (pocket-sized) and lightweight. It is tough and durable; made of glass-filled, UV protected, high-strength polymer.

Maglula Ltd is an Israeli company owned and operated by Ran Tal and his family since 2001. Ran likes to fix problems that he sees in the world and has done just that his whole life. Currently, Ran is focused on the problem of efficiently and comfortably loading firearm magazines! He’s onto something with his line of pistol and rifle magazine loaders that are simple, easy to use, and efficient. No more thumb pain or difficulty loading that last round in a new magazine with Ran’s tools, including his 5.56/.223 magazine loader the StripLULA

What Is It?

With only one moving part, it’s difficult to not figure this thing out!

How Does it Work?

Attach the StripLULA to your magazine, slide in your ten-round stripper clip or 10 loose rounds, flip the top, press down, drop the stripper, and you’re done! It’s really that easy to do.

Who Needs this Tool?

If you’ve ever struggled getting the rounds into a magazine or ever needed to get it done quickly; this tool is for you.

I’ve attended instructor courses where we’ve gone through 1,000 to 1,500 rounds or more in a couple of days’ worth of shooting. Having the StripLULA would have saved me a great deal of time!

In addition to making your time more efficient and your thumb more comfortable, MagLula claims that using their tool increases the life of your magazines by keeping the lips of the magazine intact (reducing wear and tear) and helps keep the magazines cleaner.

If you’re looking for a product that makes you more efficient, helps you spend more time shooting and less time loading, and helps your magazines last longer than this is an investment you can’t afford not to make.

Spend more time shooting and less time loading; get yourself a StripLULA for about $27.00 and I’ll see you on the range. Do yourself a favor and make sure you don’t buy a cheap knockoff of the original.

The StripLULA can be found for sale at a variety of stores including Academy, Brownells, MidwayUSA, Cabela’s, BassPro, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Turner’s, CheaperThanDirt, Sportsman’s Guide, ShopRuger.

Stay Connected with The Mic Loop

Sometimes it’s the simple things that work the best. Take for instance the original Mic Loop. Until you’ve needed The Mic Loop you probably won’t understand The Mic Loop. Don’t make that mistake, just get one now and save yourself the problems.

Many years ago I initiated a traffic stop on a wanted felon. He failed to stop and the pursuit began. After crashing through a chain link gate and showering the roads with sparks for several blocks, all four tires were flattened and the wheels spun within the tires putting on quite the smoke show and bringing his rig to a slow, anti-climatic stop. My backup unit and I began a high-risk traffic stop when said bad-guy decided to give us a little bit more of a show by running from us.

As we stumbled through backyards in the dark, I had one big misstep on an uneven yard and took a dive head first like I was sliding into home base. My portable radio, with what was an attached shoulder mic, launched from me and all communications was lost for the remainder of the chase. My partner made an amazing running shot with his TASER and bad guy went to jail but that moment of losing my shoulder mic stuck with me.

A simple yet effective design of hook and loop closure to your body armor, tethering the microphone to your body just flat out works. Losing your microphone may seem like an inconvenience but it’s so much more, that radio is your lifeline!

The Mic Loop is marketed to law enforcement officers but could be very handy to anyone that is tasked with wearing a radio with a mic and you have something for it to hook to.

When I initially received my Mic Loop for review, I was a little perplexed about how I was going to make it work with my fancy new Bluetooth Motorola mic. It was a simple problem to solve by running it through the D-Ring on the clip and attaching The Mic Loop to my body armor.

If you wear traditional, concealed body armor, go with The Mic Loop Original. If you use a plate carrier or external body armor, go with The Mic Loop MICRO. At about $10.99 for the original and about $9.99 for the Micro, it’s a smart investment.

Shots Fired: FX-9 Pistol

The FX-9 from Freedom Ordnance has proven very popular. We were introduced to this affordable pistol-caliber carbine by Classic Firearms. Instead of adapting existing AR receivers to a blow-back action and pistol-sized magazine Freedom Ordnance did it right and built it from the ground up to run pistol calibers. This not only ensures that it will run, but also saves on weight and size.

The principle is simple. 9mm Glock magazines aren’t nearly as long as an AR-15 magazine, so why make the receiver so long? Freedom Ordnance managed to shave more than an inch off the length of the receivers. The entire package is scaled and sized properly for a pistol caliber. Keeping with the PCC trend however is the compatibility with several AR parts. Before tweaking it too much we wanted to know how it would run out of the box.

The video below shows testing with factory, Korean, Jagemann, ETS, Pro-Mag, ProMag, and SGM Magazines. We also tested a variety of ammunition loads from 158gr all the way down to 65gr.

After having such great results we decided the FX-9 pistol is a keeper. We’ve begun the transformation into making it a house-gun. Light, short, and high-capacity with just enough mass to make it controllable. What’s not to like?

Shots Fired: FX-9 Pistol! — FX-9 Upgraded trigger, safety selector, and grip

Since we know the gun runs it was time to upgrade the user interface. This meant dropping the standard GI safety selector for a lighter and more tactile option from Radian. Installation was simple, but it is worth noting that the engagement doesn’t feel quite as positive.

The grip was also swapped out from GI to a Hogue for more comfort and positive traction. Trigger has been the touchy spot. Previous attempts with triggers from JARD failed, and as with all non-standard reciprocating masses there is concern the hammer may not catch and result in doubles or a run-away gun. Internet lore says that the 3.5# option from CMC works and so we’ve got that installed and ready for testing.

The pistol really begs for a hand-stop. Until we have one to try, some strips from Hexmag serve as a physical memory point. An adapter muzzle device was sourced to permit the rapid mount and dismount of a suppressor. As a fan of the MP-5 a trilug mount was the only choice. A light will also find its way onto the rail before the front end is complete.

The simplest of the changes from the out-of-the box configuration was of course the magazine. Nothing beats the simplicity of a translucent magazine from ETS to know just how many rounds remain or what is loaded.

What hasn’t been determined yet is which sighting system to go with. Around the house point and shoot is likely to be all we need. Micro-dots require too tight of a sight picture, as do many conventional red-dots. For “who’s there?” aiming I think a laser will do best, but I’d like to hear from the readers what they use for home-defense optics.

Holster Selection: Things to Consider

During my 1,900 hours as a defensive shooting instructor one of the dominating questions I was asked was about holster selection. In my experience this is the hardest one to answer. I have good news and bad new for you: The perfect holster match for your body shape, selected firearm, carry position, and attire exists. It’s also likely to be the fourth or fifth holster you try.

Dara, Theis, Alien Gear, Clinger, Raw Dog Tactical, High Threat Concealment, 1791 Gun Leather, Coast, the guy down the street, and that latest-and-greatest brand they push at the local gun store. They all are the perfect match for someone, just maybe not you. What makes them either the prefect match or not depends on features, comfort threshold, carry position, cost, and mission of the day.

Personally I break one of the fundamental tactical rules and rotate between a few different holsters and handguns depending on my attire and tasks for the day. This is a tactical no-no because it means that my draw and pistol handling will vary from one combination to the next. Fortunately thousands of rounds and hundreds of hours of training along with weekly practice give me a false sense of confidence in my decision. Besides, if I wasn’t willing to try different combinations how would I know what worked best?

The video below has some knowledge nuggets that with any luck can help you find a favorite by your third or even second attempt instead of fourth or fortieth.

Now this guide is merely a guide and not a definitive end-all, be-all of holsters. The same considerations listed above have applied to me and so I can’t speak to holsters for every gun model, carry position, or clothing type. What I can say is that using my Bersa BP9CC in an Alien Gear holster with Ulti Clips I’ve been able to comfortably conceal at a trade show while wearing slacks and a tucked-in dress shirt. I love my Grand Power P11 and found it to fit nicely and ride very comfortably in an outside-the-waistband from 1791 Gun leather. My Walther PPS M2 rides very nicely in my No Print Wonder from Clinger Holsters. For the worst-case scenario my Walther P99AS is easily concealed in my SOG bag which also houses an Ally One from Angel Armor.

Yes, every one of those links takes you to more information about those options, so bookmark this page and use this as a guide and hopefully we’ll help you feel safer sooner than unguided exploration might have done. Let us know what you carry and in what in the comments below.

Wilder Tactical Evolution Mag Pouches: Hold Your Gear Together

Going back to my first deployment in 2005 I can account for difficulties with transporting magazines. The issued gear, and even some of the aftermarket options were all either too tight or too loose. That was of course despite the fact that all of our magazines were the same size. After a while it became a trend to create a pull by looping some gutted 550 chord around the base plate, and wrapping it in tape to quiet the mag a little, and keep the plate from popping off. The mag pulls inspired some guys to make base plates with built in pulls and now a monster company thrives.

Author, his team, and their solution to carrying what other gear of the time couldn’t.

That may have solved the challenge for GI mags, but what about the rest of the wide world of shooting? The aftermarket world is flooded with “solutions”. Some of them prove to simply be solutions for having too much spending money, but I think I’ve found one that actually offers shooters a solution.

Wilder Tactical was started by a former Ranger Medic who understood what it meant to have needs that standard gear didn’t satisfy. I can relate to this as our standard load of 70-110lbs did not fit in an issued pack in any sort of organized way. We were lucky in that our needs were answered by another veteran company, Tactical Tailor. Wilder Tactical has solved the challenge of finding the right mag pouch, or having to change your kit each time you change weapons.

The Evolution Series of pouches from Wilder Tactical can not only flex to hold mags of different dimensions, but are also stack-able if you so desire. For me this is a no-brainer great choice as every weekend I find myself shooting at least two new handguns for the first time. As much as I love the extra pockets on some of my “range wear”, it doesn’t beat a pouch for repeatable training and application. Check out the video below to see it in action. You’re welcome to skip the first 50 seconds or so and get right to the mag pouches at work.

“My Sights Are Off” and other Pistol Accuracy Myths

Alien Gear’s Cloak Tuck 3.5: A Holster that Fits Comfortably

Alien Gear Holsters Cloak Tuck 3.5 IWB (Inside the Waistband) Holster is a holster that fits over 500 different pistols, comfortably.

Alien Gear Holster's Cloak Tuck 3.5 IWB Holster, A Holster that Fits - Comfortably — Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.5 IWB Holster

I’m a little more “girthy” than I wish I was. Inside the waist band or IWB holsters aren’t something I’m very drawn to – until I tried the Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.5 IWB holster a try.

What’s Missing

The first thing to take note of when looking at this holster is the absence of any screws, rivets, or protrusions on the side that rests against your body. The entire back-side of the holster is covered in a cool vent neoprene which allows air to flow and moisture to wick away. You won’t find anything against you or your britches to snag or jab.

The clips are sturdy and when worn with a quality belt, this holster isn’t going to pop out or wander away.

Many different holsters offer the user the ability to adjust where the retention clips are for adjusting the depth or cant of the holster. Alien Gear has come up with a slick way to make it more realistic that the user will actually adjust the clips and dial it in to their body. Simply rotate the clips down and pull them out. Insert the clip into the hole that you think is going to make the desired adjustment and rotate it back up. It’s really that simple and that quick.

Alien Gear Cloak Tuck, It’s Cool

The Cloak Tuck holster is comfortable and sturdy. Behind the cool vent neoprene is a steel core. The design allows for rigidity where you need it and flex where you want it.

With the holster, I received additional retention spacers, allowing me to adjust the tightness for the amount of desired retention I was looking for. The one it came with seemed to be spot on for my Glock 19 when being worn. While not being worn against the body, the gun will come out too easily but I’m not sure why that would be a bad thing.

American Made, No Hassle Warranty

As with all Alien Gear products, this holster is American made with a no hassle warranty/guarantee.

Remember to get a great belt to wear with this Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.5 holster and if you’re a bigger fella or gal, get your pants one size bigger for some wiggle room, and wear your gun!

Try this holster for 30 days and if you don’t like it, Alien Gear will take it back…. no questions asked.

MSRP: $49.88 as tested.

Grab yourself a quality holster like those offered by Alien Gear and come train with us.