While a movie release is a bit of a departure from the normal content on ITS, I still feel that’s it’s important to mention. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I’d highly recommend it based on the realism and the real-life Navy SEALs that inspired it.
Here’s the footage we shot of the 2012 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference Capability Exercise by International Special Operations Forces. This took place in the bay off the Tampa Convention Center.
Shown here are a CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor demo, C-130 military free fall water jump, MH-47 helocast operation, fast rope insertion and a ground/maritime assault.
MM has been doing reviews longer than anyone out there and is a tremendous online resource for gear reviews. His unbiased reviews are something we have in common with him and from the perspective of now being the manufacturer, it’s a breath of fresh air to hear exactly what someone thinks of your product.
This last week as I attended SOFIC in Tampa, Florida, I had the opportunity to visit the UDT/SEAL Museum in Ft. Pierce. It was my first time to visit the museum and the first time I had the chance to look at the memorial wall that was erected to remember each member of the UDT/SEAL community that has fallen since they born in the waters of Ft. Pierce.
Out of these men on the wall, I knew four during my time in the Navy and at BUD/s, Marc Lee, Alex Ghane, Ryan Job and Jason Workman. Before I left my visit at the museum, I went inside to ask if they had a piece of paper that I could use to make a rubbing on the wall of my friends. The man I asked said “I can do better than that” and proceeded to grab a large piece of felt-like material, a big black crayon-looking puck and head towards the door. He said, “I’d be honored to help you” and I admit that my allergies got to me a bit as I thanked him.
I’m not comfortable with that fact that my friends are up on that wall and I’d rather be able to pick up a phone, or see these men in person again one day. They gave their tomorrows so that we could have today and this is what Memorial Day is all about to me. Honoring their sacrifice and never forgetting.
This is why I’ll be at the Carry The Load event in Dallas today and tomorrow, walking for 20 hours and 12 minutes with a brick for each of these warriors. Rather than try to express the meaning of Memorial Day here, I’d like to present an excellent article written this week by Debbie Lee, Marc Lee’s mother and founder of America’s Mighty Warriors, a charity that’s near and dear to us at ITS Tactical.
Fallen But Not Forgotten
Memorial Day weekend has kicked-off and people all over the nation are jumping into their cars, RVs and Motor homes to take advantage of the three-day weekend. Everything is packed and ready to go after weeks of focused planning. Many have anticipated this weekend for months and planned for camp-outs, parties, fun at the lake or beaches and just a little R&R.
For those who choose to stay home you can take advantage of the “Huge Blow Out Sales” on everything from mattresses to cars, oh and don’t forgot all those sales at the market for that big BBQ. Many kids are cheering as this marked the end of their school year and the swimming pools are opening for the season.
It seems every ad in the newspaper, commercial on TV or banner reminds us to “Celebrate Memorial Day” or wishes you Happy Memorial Day! The majority of Americans don’t even find those statements conflicting, or understand what Memorial Day is really about.
Celebrate….Memorial??????
Let’s check the dictionary, a memorial is an object which serves as a focus, for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event, day a unit of time. Memorial Day was always the 30th of May until 1968 when Congress changed it to the last Monday in May so to allow for a three day weekend, now known as Memorial Day weekend. As a nation we have set aside this time to reflect (to think seriously) and remember (to recall to the mind by an act or effort of memory) our brave military heroes who gave their life in combat. This requires effort and serious thoughts not celebration and happiness.
As I child I remember getting together with family for picnics or BBQs and we looked forward to camping trips or trips to the lake. There were a few trips I remember to the cemetery, but it was to place flowers on deceased relative’s graves who had never served in the military. I thought Memorial Day was to remember loved ones who had died. I wasn’t taught and therefore I missed the opportunity to teach my children that Memorial Day is to remember those who paid the ultimate price. Freedom comes with a price, it isn’t free.
It really was my son, Marc Alan Lee who taught me about Memorial Day. Please take a momemt to watch this tribute video.
I have been on a campaign for years to Reclaim Memorial Day and educate and challenge people about what Memorial Day is really about. Many well meaning people still choose to make their speeches or advertising about thanking and honoring our troops on Memorial Day. As a nation that’s why we have Veterans Day and Armed Forces Day to do that. Personally, I’ve made it my mission to honor and thank the troops everyday, but our focus, our speeches, our thoughts of remembrance are to be on our brave warriors who gave their final breath defending everyone in America and what we stand for.
If you are a Gold Star family member everyday is Memorial Day for you, not a day goes by that we don’t remember our son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, or spouse who gave all of their tomorrows so we could have today. We remember them with pride and pain.
I don’t have to focus or use effort to remember Marc’s smell, his laughter, his grin, his hugs, his playful antics and sense of humor, his voice or who he was and how he impacted every life he touched. He was a gift that God gave me for 28 years and I was blessed that God picked me to be his mother. That young man did more in his 28 years than most do if they live to an old age. Marc successfully completed his mission and I know where he is and I will see him again one day.
I founded America’s Mighty Warriors in response to Marc’s last letter home and our mission is to honor and support our troops and the families of the fallen. I understand Freedom is not Free! I will be that voice for our troops and those who have laid down their weapons and left their boots behind and have no voice.
Have we as a nation placed our priority on fun and self fulfillment for Memorial Day weekend and forgotten our fallen heroes who died in combat?
Not only will I be remembering my son Marc whose name means Mighty Warrior, but I will be remembering every one of America’s Mighty Warriors who gave their lives, no matter what conflict, what branch of military they served in, how old, married or single, enlisted or officer. I will remember their sacrifice and their families and will live my life in a way that would honor them and make them proud!
I’m challenging you to make the effort this Memorial Day Weekend and REMEMBER those who died so you could have the freedoms you have. EDUCATE yourself, your family and those in your sphere of influence as to what this weekend is really about and then HONOR our fallen heroes and their families left behind. Attend a memorial event near you, stop and decorate the grave of a fallen hero, watch a movie or read about a fallen war hero, begin conversations reflecting and remembering, find a Gold Star family or teammate of a fallen servicemember and thank them and show your gratitude and remember to pray for them.
I remember when I was driving from Phoenix to San Diego for Marc’s funeral and we were stopped in traffic because of a bad wreck that had shut down the freeway. I had an envelope with pictures of Marc for the service and remembered looking at people in the cars next to me. Their lives were going on normally and had no clue that my son had just given his life in Ramadi and ours would never be the same. I had this urge to get out of the car and show them Marc’s picture and tell them his heroic story. I remembering questioning my thoughts, how weird, I thought to myself. Since then I’ve heard that from so many Gold Star families, they feel the same, we just don’t want you to forget our loved ones. As a nation we owe it to our fallen heroes, they gave it all for us.
“A nation who forgets it’s defenders will itself be forgotten” ~ unknown author
Stay tuned for coverage coming from Day Three of SOFIC 2012 and be sure to follow us via Twitter and Facebook for even more updates.
This post will update throughout the day as our coverage continues, so check back often for all the awesomeness!
If you have specific requests, please leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best to track down the information for you. Thanks for tuning into our coverage!Continue reading →
Stay tuned for coverage coming from Day Two of SOFIC 2012 and be sure to follow us via Twitter and Facebook for even more updates.
This post will update throughout the day as our coverage continues, so check back often for all the awesomeness!
If you have specific requests, please leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best to track down the information for you. Thanks for tuning into our coverage!Continue reading →
Stay tuned for coverage coming from Day One of SOFIC 2012 and be sure to follow us via Twitter and Facebook for even more updates.
This post will update throughout the day as our coverage continues, so check back often for all the awesomeness!
If you have specific requests, please leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best to track down the information for you. Thanks for tuning into our coverage! Continue reading →
ITS Tactical is headed out to Tampa, Florida this week for SOFIC, the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, which runs May 22nd thru the 24th at the Tampa Convention Center.
SOFIC is the defense industry’s premier event, much like SHOT Show for the outdoor industry, but on a much smaller scale. The Special Operations community and the defense industry behind it is relatively small when compared to the outdoor industry as a whole.
The conference provides a forum for military, government and industry professionals to collaborate, network and discuss challenges and how to best build key global partnerships that support the Special Operations community.
USSOCOM (United States Special Operations Command) is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, which is the primary reason the conference is held here. The idea for SOCOM was realized after Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 and the debacle at Desert One, which led to a botched rescue attempt of 52 Americans being held at the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran.
Since being created in 1987, SOCOM has been the joint component of overseeing each different branch of service’s Special Operations Command. For example, the Army has ARSOC (Army Special Operations Command), The Navy has NAVSOC (Naval Special Warfare Command), the Marine Corps has MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Command) and the Air Force has AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command). While each functions as an individual command, SOCOM oversees command and control when joint service operations take place.
SOFIC is generally limited to active duty military, first responders and government employees, but industry affiliates, NDIA (National Defense Industrial Association) members and press are allowed as well.
It’s important to understand that while we’ll be providing coverage of SOFIC, there are many things we can’t and won’t take photos of, so our coverage won’t be as extensive as SHOT Show. That’s not to say we won’t have great coverage, but we do want to mention that caveat.
Be sure to follow our coverage this week from Tampa at ITS Tactical. We’ll also be providing updates via Facebook and Twitter with what we’re seeing too. A particular event to note is that Special Operations Forces from ten different countries are staging a mock attack on Tampa during the show, demonstrating their capabilities. We’ll be sure to be on hand to give you a front row seat!
Here’s a look at a couple of videos from SOFIC to give you a feel for the conference and the size of the show floor.
Be sure to check back here tomorrow for the start of our coverage from SOFIC!
Kelly and I recently had the unique opportunity to visit the talented crew of Rifle Dynamics in Las Vegas, NV for a behind the scenes look at what they’re all about. It was great to meet such an awesome group of people running the show at a solid American company.
This article is packed full of awesome information on the AK platform, including an interview with owner Jim Fuller and his no-nonsense explanation of 922R Compliance, what to look for when purchasing an off-the-shelf AK, DIY tips on how to keep your AK in top shape and an exclusive first look at the first Rifle Dynamics Production AKs.
Rifle Dynamics
Learning all about how Rifle Dynamics got it’s start, was great to hear from Jim himself and what they’re bringing to the industry. Purpose built fighting rifles that you can stake your life on is what they do best. Their credo, “these must work under the most extreme conditions,” lives up to the quality they produce.
While being well known in the industry for manufacturing combloc (communist bloc) weapons, specifically the Kalashnikov, Rifle Dynamics got its start in 2007 after Jim realized that there weren’t many armorers or gunsmiths that understood the AK platform and the true needs of the fighting man. What started as a torture test and a hobby of learning about the platform, turned into all that Rifle Dynamics is today.
Something we noticed when touring Rifle Dynamics, was just how passionate everyone was about their job and wanting to provide the best craftsmanship possible to their end user. It’s always inspiring when you get to talk to the people behind the scenes and learn all about what makes them tick.
The Kalash
Whether you call it an AK, Kalashnikov, or Kalash, the timeless combloc firearm was one of the first assault rifles manufactured. AKs are well known for their reliability, ease of use and lower price point. That last point about price can be misleading, as not all AKs are created equal. Jim gets into that below in a video on what to look for when purchasing an AK, it’s a must watch for anyone considering an AK purchase.
The Avtomat Kalashnikova (AK) was the brainchild of weapon designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1946, when he entered the codenamed AK-1 in a competition started by the Soviet Army to find an assault rifle capable of firing the new shortened version of the 7.62x41mm cartridge, known as the M1943 (7.62x39mm). It’s also been said that the reason for the competition was to find a competitor to the Sturmgeweher 44 (StG44) that the Germans effectively employed against the Soviets in WWII. The StG44 fired the 7.92x33mm Kurz round, a shortened version of the 7.92x57mm Mauser round.
The codenamed AK-2 is what would become the AK-47, after a design improvement was suggested by Kalashnikov’s assistant in 1947. While not officially adopted by the Soviet Army until 1949, the Kalashnikov production was certainly not without faults. While starting the production with stamped sheet metal receivers (Type 1), there were problems with warping that caused high rejection rates.
A machined (milled) receiver was substituted and production continued, albeit very slowly. These steel milled receivers are referred to as Type 2 (1959 – 1953/54 and Type 3 receivers (1953/54 – 1959). In 1959 the original Type 1 warping problem was solved and a stamped sheet metal receiver was re-introduced as the Type 4 or AKM (M meaning modernized). The AKM is what’s traditionally encountered today and what most AK variants are based on, though still incorrectly called AK-47s instead of AKMs.
In 1974 the Soviets began fielding a new design that utilized the smaller 5.45x39mm cartridge, which they dubbed the AK-74. One thing you have to give to the Soviets, is that their naming convention is pretty straight forward! It’s been said that the utilization of a smaller round came out of the US adoption of the 5.56mm, although that was ten years earlier. The 5.45 did significantly reduce the weight of the 7.62x39mm round to about half.
1979 is when the AK-74 first saw service with Soviet forces in the Afghanistan conflict and is still in production today, along with the AKM. These two firearms share around a 50% parts commonality. Just like the history of the M-16, the AK isn’t without problems, but the history of the AK platform is a little easier on the end-user than the M-16 and it’s early malfunctions.
The AK was originally designed to stand up to the wet, muddy and freezing conditions in Russia and is still well know for these characteristics today. As mentioned earlier, all AKs are not created equal. Here’s Jim with what to look for in your next purchase.
What To Look For When Purchasing AKs
DIY Tips
As you can see from Jim’s video below, there are quite a few things the DIYer can tackle with the AK platform, but the majority of improvements to the AK require access to machining. This is why taking the same approach to the AK that we took with the AR in our DIY AR-15 Build, isn’t feasible.
The AK requires jigs and machining that the average person doesn’t have access to, such as being able to properly dimple the receiver for strength or utilizing harder rivets vs. standard american aluminum rivets; working on the AK is definitely a tedious process. Don’t get me wrong, there’s certainly a lot of tedious work that goes into the AR as well, but you can build an AR from the ground up with just a few tools and a vice, not so with an AK.
Also, if something is out of spec on your AK it will never run right. It’s better to leave the more complicated processes to professionals, like the crew at Rifle Dynamics. This is why I left my Romanian SAR-1 with the crew at Rifle Dynamics for some work and can’t wait to report back on the modifications I’m having done. With the success of the Battle Comp 1.5 we permanently attached during our DIY AR-15 Build, one of the things I’m having done is getting a Battle Comp AKBC installed.
Call me a traditionalist, but I can’t bring myself to get rid of the wood stock and handguard you see in the photos here of what my SAR-1 looked like when I left it with Rifle Dynamics. Still to this day it’s some of the nicest wood I’ve seen on an AK. Jim mentioned how well the SAR-1 was built by the Romanians and a great base gun to start with. I was particularly impressed with the fact that it had the correct headspacing, as a lot of the off-the-shelf AKs don’t.
One last tip request came to us via Facebook, where Kurt asked what the Rifle Dynamics preferred to use for lubrication on AKs. Jim’s answer was White Lithium Grease. Check out the photos at the bottom of this article for the point on the AK Bolt and Bolt Carrier that Jim recommends lubing at. By placing the grease at these key locations, it will lube the AK in the necessary spots as it’s charged a few times.
If you’d like to learn more about what you can do with the AK platform at home, be sure to check out the Panteao Productions AK Armorer’s Bench DVD with Jim Fuller.
Rifle Dynamics Production AKs
In true Soviet style, Rifle Dynamics has kept things simple by offering four models of their new production rifles. The RD 700 series is chambered in 7.62x39mm, while the RD 500 series is chambered in 5.45x39mm. Each series has the option of a triangle sidefolder stock or a Magpul CTR with the RD AKM-4 stock adapter.
RD 501 – 5.45×39 w/ Triangle Sidefolder
RD 502 – 5.45×39 w/ Magpul CTR
RD 701 – 7.62×39 w/ Triangle Sidefolder
RD 702 – 7.62×39 w/ Magpul CTR
Built from stock Saiga IZ 132’s (7.62) and IZ 240’s (5.45), Rifle Dynamics strips them down to bare receivers, pulls the barrels and starts the rebuild process. The Saiga platform is utilized for the quality of the Russian cold hammer forged chrome-lined barrels and properly heat-treated receivers.
All models feature custom front end work, such as the barrel being cut, crowned, threaded and pinned to an overall length (OAL) of 16.25″ to include the compensator. The Battle Comp AKBC is included on the 700 Series and the Battle Comp 2.0 on the 500 Series.
Sandblasting and Parkerizing with Norrells Moly Resin Finish in your choice of Black or FDE
A few other attention to detail items that Rifle Dynamics includes and are well known for, are fitting the trigger group, fitting the bolt carrier/rails, re-headspacing, polishing/correcting angles on the bolt lugs and front trunnion for smooth locking and unlocking. They also dehorn the trigger guard, magazine release, safety and charging handle. Factory side rails are removed for less weight and a cleaner look, with all unused holes TIG welded and cleaned up.
You can see there’s a tremendous amount of work that Rifle Dynamics puts into each one of these new production rifles and as the video below shows, they shoot like a champ! Having personally fired the RD 501, I can’t say enough good things about what the crew at Rifle Dynamics have accomplished out of the AK platform! Reach out to Rifle Dynamics if you’re interested in their new production AKs, they’re going quick!
A new product from Rifle Dynamics, that’s just been announced, is their exclusive Battle Comp AKBC74. The new compensator will fit 24mm right hand thread on most 5.45 AKs equipped with a 24mm front sight base. There’s also a prototype being kicked around for 7.62 as well.
Out on the Range with Rifle Dynamics
Kelly and I really enjoyed the opportunity to run some guns out of Rifle Dynamics’ arsenal. We shot the production rifles, a few fully-auto AKs and Krinks, as well as the AES-10B and PKM. While I love shooting full-auto, I cringe every time I do at the cost of that wall of lead!
We’d like to thank Jim, Karen, Roger, Billy and the entire Rifle Dynamics crew for rolling out the red carpet and their incredible hospitality. We appreciate them taking the time out of their busy production schedule to meet with us. Hopefully we can return the favor next time they’re out this way in Texas.
ITS Tactical is teaming up with our friends at MADCAT Aviator Operator and whomever would like to join us this Memorial Day here in Dallas, TX for Carry The Load.
Carry The Load is a 20-hour Memorial Day event honoring and thanking members of the military, law enforcement, firefighers and their families for the sacrifices they make.
It’s a life-changing journey for people as they walk or run as long or as little as they can in the 20-hour period. Like the service members they honor, they carry more than they have to, longer than they think they can.
Carry The Load
We’ve organized a team to participate in the event and are calling on you to show up and help us Carry The Load. As mentioned, there’s no commitment to the whole 20 hours that we’ll be there, to register for free on our team we’ve dubbed the ITS Tactical Joint Task Force, click here. Even if you can’t make it out, you can help us reach our goal of raising $2,000 for the event. To donate to our team, please click here.
As a GORUCK Tough member, I’ll be carrying my weighted GORUCK GR2 pack in honor of my friends that have fallen. We’re also still finalizing what team weight we’ll be carrying. Throw up a suggestion in the comments if you have one. Please also share this post with anyone you think might be interested in participating or donating.
Even if you don’t think you’ll be able to stay long at the event, we’d love to still have you on the team. We’re also calling on any Texas-based businesses in the industry to join us in coming out and participating on our team. We’d like to get everyone together that we can for this event.
Carry The Load – Dallas starts on Sunday, May 27, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. and goes through Monday, May 28 at 12:12 p.m. It’s being held at Reverchon Park in Dallas, TX. If you’d like to participate and join our team, sign up here.
Help ITS Tactical and MADCAT remember our fallen this Memorial Day!
Memorial Day weekend has kicked-off and people all over the nation are jumping into their cars, RVs and Motor homes to take advantage of the three-day weekend. Everything is packed and ready to go after weeks of focused planning. Many have anticipated this weekend for months and planned for camp-outs, parties, fun at the lake or beaches and just a little R&R.
Learning all about how Rifle Dynamics got it’s start, was great to hear from Jim himself and what they’re bringing to the industry. Purpose built fighting rifles that you can stake your life on is what they do best. Their credo, “these must work under the most extreme conditions,” lives up to the quality they produce.
One last tip request came to us via Facebook, where Kurt asked what the Rifle Dynamics preferred to use for lubrication on AKs. Jim’s answer was 
