Author: 53gr
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H&H Medical: H Bandage and Thin H Bandage
Not every wound will be as dramatic as a gunshot wound to the femoral artery. You may encounter a situation where someone has a significant laceration that can be treated with direct pressure. The following situation is where the H Bandage or Thin H Bandage would come in handy. The flat fold Thin H Bandage…
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S&W M&P M2.0 Series
For those of you who love the polymer pistol goodness of the Smith and Wesson M&P line, an exciting new development has occurred. The M&P M2.0 series has been released. We here at Tactical Gun Review got our greasy mits on a few and here are our reactions to the new line:
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SIG Sauer P938
I never set out to buy a SIG Sauer P938 Nightmare. I was pretty happy with my sub-compact 9mm handgun (a Heckler and Koch P2000SK). However, it was a bit large for real concealed carry. As a firearms technician for a national sporting goods chain (big deal, right?), I see a lot of pistols. Anytime…
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Smith and Wesson M1917 Revolver
The Smith and Wesson M1917 revolver is an oddity; a wheel-gun chambered in an auto cartridge. It’s a military arm with a long and storied past. How much history? Well, mine is 98 years old. It’s so old that Smith and Wesson doesn’t even have web page for it. The closest thing you can find…
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Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50mm FFP EBR-1 Scope
After the excellent experience I had with my Zeiss, I went looking for another high-powered tactical variable-power scope. I found what I was looking for in the Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50mm First Focal Plane. Like so many of my optics and accessories, I purchased the Viper PST through Primary Arms. I’ve used the Viper PST…
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British “Northern Ireland” Patrol Pack
Anyone who’s ever seen Contact has wanted a British “Northern Ireland” (or NI) Patrol Pack. Of course, it’s not just the fact that it’s an interesting piece of foreign military gear. The pack is inimitably practical. Officially known as the Patrol Pack, 30 Litre, DPM, IRR, it has a few features worth mentioning. The camouflage…
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British PLCE Webbing Set
I’ve wanted a set of PLCE webbing for years now and have always balked at paying huge sums to get one from the overseas. This set of webbing is a great deal, since just a single PLCE utility pouch from Amazon costs $40 itself. For anyone who has ever wanted to own an interesting piece…
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Faxon Firearms 16″ SS Pencil Barrel – Initial Impressions
What first caught my eye about the Faxon Firearms 5.56mm stainless steel pencil barrel was its ridiculously light weight. I blinked, looking at Faxon’s website’s at the stated barrel weight of 1.19lbs – just over 19 ounces. That couldn’t be right; my pencil-profile 14.5” middy weighs 21 ounces. So I called up the folks at…
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DevilCat Pack – Upgrade your ALICE!
What is a DevilCat mod? It’s what happens when you take some new USMC hardware and upgrade an ALICE pack. I’ve been playing around with ALICE packs for a while now. I love the Medium ALICE, especially the woodland pattern radio pack case version. However, it isn’t big enough for an overnight hike, especially in…
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British Tactical 3-Row Hippo Belt and Yoke – Field Testing
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been testing British Tactical’s 3-Row Hippo belt. I’m continually impressed at how much I can put onto the Hippo belt and Yoke Webbing system. At present, it’s about 30 pounds. When I pick it up, I think, “Damn, that’s heavy.” Then I put it on. The Hippo belt and yoke…
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British Tactical 3-Row Hippo Belt and MOLLE Yoke – Initial Impressions
After my review of the Multi-Purpose MOLLE Panel, I’ve been coveting a Hippo belt. The fine folks at British Tactical sent me one of their Three-Row Hippo MOLLE Belts and a matching yoke. The Hippo belt is the similar to the battle belt concept, but there are significant differences. This product combination is what put…
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Load Carrying Equipment – Theories and Practice
As part of a continuing series, we’re going to be looking at Load-Carrying Equipment (LCE) and different philosophies and methods of use. Modern American forces tend to use their armor carriers, such as the IBA, IOTV and Scalable Plate Carriers as platforms to mount their gear. We’ll look at the pros and cons of this…
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Long Back British PLCE Bergen – A Military Classic
I’ve been lusting after a British Short Back PLCE military bergen for about 9 months now. Just a clarification of terms, “bergen” means the same as backpack. PLCE stands for Personal Load Carrying Equipment. Think of it as the British equivalent of our old ALICE system. I’ve tried everything to replicate on, from a medium…
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MSA TC2000 Ballistic Helmet – My Brain Bucket
My second year in Iraq, I took along a MSA TC2000 ballistic helmet. More commonly known as the MICH (or in the Army, the ACH), this helmet provides level IIIA protection from fragments and pistol rounds. Why did I buy my own instead of taking what the Army would give me at CIF down in…
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Primary Arms Compact 4X – Budget Optic Excellence
Everyone wants an ACOG, but if you’re not able to drop $1,300 on a fixed, four-power optic, are you relegated to crappy imitations? Well, imitations, yes. But crappy? Not anymore. Enter the Primary Arms 4x Compact scope. It’s affordable, accurate, durable and innovative. The quality of this scope far exceeds its price point. The multi-caliber reticle…