Working K-9 military dogs are an incredible force multiplier. Simply put, they can do things that humans cannot. Besides being faster and more agile, they are amazing at tracking while remaining stealthy. More specifically, the Special Operation Forces working dogs are truly America’s Tier One K9′s.
According to the Warrior Dog Foundation, each entity of SOF employs a Multi Purpose Canine program. These dogs train in nearly every aspect imaginable. The MPC’s have the ability to sniff out IED’s and other explosives as well as pick out the scent of an insurgent from several hundred meters away. These incredible animals are usually the ones helping us, but this time they need our help and this is where the Warrior Dog Foundation comes in.
You may be asking yourself why someone would want to fold the stock to the side on an AR-15, which is a reasonable question and one I asked myself. Before SHOT Show this year, I’d never seen a product that could take a standard AR fixed stock (adjustable or not) and allow it to fold to the side.
I had the opportunity to meet up with the guys from Law Tactical at SHOT, where they were able to tell me a little bit about the Law Tactical Folding Stock Adapter. The first thing I thought was that you’re not going to be able to fire the gun with the stock folded, knowing full well the AR’s order of operations.
Removing the buffer, action spring and receiver extension by folding the stock to the side, won’t allow the firearm to cycle properly. While optimistic of the adapter’s role on the AR, I also saw the immediate advantage to facilitate more options for storage and concealment. [Read More…]
I’m no expert. This article is a follow up to the Mammoth Sniper Challenge AAR I wrote a few months back and is intended to help point people in the right direction to start the process of long range shooting, and avoid making some common mistakes along the way. Folks have asked me to provide more info on how and what I did to get ready for the challenge and how they may be able to do the same thing. While I hope the following will be helpful, I take no responsibility for what those who may read this do with the information. Now if this inspires the next International Sniper Challenge winner, I’ll take all the credit they may wish to push my way.
If you are like me, you are always looking for a holster that feels just right. Something that is minimal yet works under every situation you throw at it. For an armed citizen, off duty officer or anyone who does not want to outsource their protection, carrying a firearm is a very real situation. A huge topic with carrying is the method and position of your firearm.
Finding your style of carry is only something that can be done via trial and error. The most common holsters are IWB (inside the waist band) and OWB (outside the waist band). IWB holsters ride between your body and your pants while OWB are on your belt and offer more comfort but are less concealable. Shoulder holsters are a little over the top to some, but in specific situations it’s better to be armed than not. The external forms of carry are not my preferred method due to the risk of not having complete control of the firearm, but as I said before, it is better to be armed than a victim.
What do you think of when you hear the words belly and band? Perhaps images of exercise straps or maternity pants waft through your mind, but what I’m actually talking about is handgun concealment.
Most of the people I’m around who have a concealed carry permit use Kydex or leather holsters when carrying, so when I began looking for ways to carry that’s naturally what I migrated towards. The three rigid holsters that I invested in over time haven’t worked that well with my wardrobe, so I thought it would be cheaper to keep looking for the right holster solution instead of buying a bunch of new clothes. Plus, I didn’t want to greatly modify the style of clothing I like to wear.
For several months, I’ve been wearing a Comfort Fit Belly Band by The Well Armed Woman instead of a waist band holster and it’s actually become my go-to concealment option. There are some definite pros and cons when it comes to wearing a belly band, but I thought it might be helpful to share my experience for anyone who might be considering one. [Read More…]
This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending the Trident Concepts Combative Pistol Level One course in Bastrop, TX.
I’ll start this off by saying this was by far the most helpful block of pistol instruction I’ve ever attended. I mean that not to discredit any instructors I’ve trained with previously, but to say that this course was my “Ah hah!” moment in my pursuit to better my pistol skill-set. [Read More…]
I’ll admit that before today, I hadn’t heard of K9 Veterans Day. In my research efforts to learn more about this, I discovered that Joe White, the founder of the movement to nationally adopt March 13th as K9 Veterans Day, is no longer with us.
Since 2009, Joe’s wife Sally has continued the effort to get nationwide recognition for this holiday and I’d like to help her spread the word here on ITS. It appears that in 2010 New Jersey officially recognized the date for K9 Veterans Day, but I couldn’t find that any other states had done the same.
I feel that the mission statement from k9veteransday.org best sums up why we need to have national recognition for K9 Veterans Day: [Read More…]
Rifle Dynamics is one of the most innovative rifle manufacturers in the in the industry; continuously pushing the boundaries of what’s capable with the AK platform and designing purpose built firearms that become highly valued for their craftsmanship, functionality and attention to detail on every level.
However, Rifle Dynamics is much more than the great firearms they produce. They’re a company that I highly respect for their passion, integrity and ingenuity in a platform of firearms that’s largely ignored when compared to the popularity of the AR-15.
There’s a certain level of mystery surrounding how to work on AKs, at least to me. Perhaps this is due to their extreme reliability in nearly every environmental condition and the low maintenance they require. I’ve owned an AK for over 10 years and put a few thousand rounds through it, but have never had to do much more than keep it well fed.
I feel this and the stigma of the AK being the “enemy’s weapon of choice,” has largely hindered its popularity. This mindset is changing and has been for the past few years. With our troops having faced this weapon in the battlefield and the recent resurgence of the platform, more people are starting to notice the once forgotten AK and appreciating it for its merits.
From my perspective, the resurgence is due to a few things. The first is with our military needing to understand the platform on the battlefield, including it’s capabilities, operation and pitfalls. Battlefield pick-ups are a reality and the need has never been greater for our military’s familiarization. The next reason for the growing popularity, in my opinion, is due to companies like Rifle Dynamics, who have be advocating the AK for it’s reliability and performance while uniting the industry with good information. Finally, I feel that ammunition costs and the availability of 7.62×39 and 5.45×39 (until recently) have helped the resurgence as well. [Read More…]
This recent news of the TSA allowing small knives onboard aircraft, has flooded the internet with misconceptions and question as to what constitutes a “small knife.” Today, with the help of a great email I received from KnifeRights.org, I’ll attempt to set the record straight.
John Pistole, a TSA administrator, recently announced the lift on their ban of small knives at an aviation conference in New York. He stated that these small knives would be limited to “retractable blades shorter than 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) and narrower than 1/2 inch at the widest point.” There would still, however, be a ban on “knives with locking blades or molded handles” and that “fixed blades are still prohibited.”
As you can see with the quotes above, this leaves a lot up to interpretation, so I was grateful when I received the recent email from Knife Rights that had images from the online TSA PDF, showing exactly what these new guidelines allow.
From the images, you can see that by “retractable,” Pistole means “folding.” If you’ve ever owned a Swiss Army Knife, you’ll know that the blades don’t lock in the open position, but are foldable. This can be dangerous when cutting, as the blade can fold back into your fingers if you’re not careful.
Obviously the TSA doesn’t believe these are just as capable of inflicting damage as a locking blade and are also still banning box cutters and razor blades. Pistole said ”there is just too much emotion involved with those.”
Knife Rights suggests that whatever knife you’re carrying through the airport, (after April 25th, 2013) be sure to measure the blade length from handle to tip, not just the sharp edge. They also mention that Leatherman “Squirt” or “Style” multi-tools are allowed.
The term “molded grip” has apparently been invented by the TSA and Knife Rights suggests that it means any handle that is ergonomic and excludes anything but slab-sided Swiss Army Knives or multi-tools.
Shortly after the announcement yesterday, one of my favorite knife companies, Emerson Knives, released an image on their Facebook page of the new “TSA Compliant” knife, the Hummingbird. As you can see from the photo below, it’s questionable whether the TSA is going to allow this to get through. There’s no production timeline posted on the Hummingbird yet, but I’ll be waiting with baited breath for feedback on whether someone gets one through.
Just remember that the final decision on these allowable knives rests with the TSA, however “rational” their decision appears to be in this situation. I am glad to see this get through though, hopefully our Knife Rights organizations like kniferights.org and the American Knife and Tool Institute can help at getting the TSA to further relax their guidelines. It’s important to support these organizations, so please head on over to their Websites for more information and do what you can.
I assume it’s going to take quite awhile after April 25th for everyone working for the TSA to be brought up to speed, so be prepared to lose a few Swiss Army Knives until they get the memo. Kelly used to travel with small scissors for her crochet projects and got through just fine at multiple TSA checkpoints, only to have them taken by a misinformed TSA agent in Albuquerque, NM. Please remember the changes don’t go into effect until April 25, 2013, so don’t try to bring your small knife on board until then!
What does everyone think of the new guidelines? Does the Emerson Hummingbird stand a chance?
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