Right out of the gate, let me tell you, if you subscribe to my facebook, read my blog, miss me on the forums, or are otherwise concerned with paying attention to what I say because you like my gear reviews, you may as well go ahead and un-like and un-friend me now. As of this writing I have 865 fans on my TYV facebook page, so lets wait and see if that number goes down in the next few days.
The bottom line is I can’t compete with the other guys that are out there doing this stuff, and it seems silly to try. I don’t have the time or the financial backing of Andrew over at vuurwap...whatever to do the kind of analytical analysis he does. I wish I did, God bless the guy. I have a couple of tests I probably ought to just send him. But here’s the thing, and that is that based on the Curve of Inevitability, I realize that it doesn’t matter. How many times can I go test some New Hotness, be unable to discern any real measurable improvement that the same investment of ammo wouldn’t have produced, and release my findings only to be met with the wailing and gnashing of teeth of the internets, and maybe one or two percent that get it?
I can’t take pictures, nor do I have the industry connections, like Stickman or Militarymoron. I don’t have the personality of Milspec Monkey. I am hopefully not quite as mentally challenged as nutnfancy or that weird Russian dude (if he even really is Russian). I’m tired of dealing with deadlines, editors, and publishers all to make less money in writing commissions than I spent doing whatever it was I was writing about.
I’m tired of starting projects I don’t have time or resources to see through. I’m tired of industry people sending me knicknacks and then getting all assed-up when I don’t produce a review, or a favorable review, in their timeline, which they don’t bother to tell me about right out of the gate but instead work themselves into a lather with zero communication, and when they do write to complain I offer to give it back only to have them reply with “no, no, just keep it”. Do they really think this shit pays the bills? Like I don’t have a job to get to in order to actually make my car payment, aside from all this silly “firearms lifestyle” stuff? I tell them right out of the gate that this is a part-time side gig and things happen when they happen. By the same token, I don’t blame them for being mad when they’re out product, which is money, so it’s probably better to just stop asking.
What I can do is what I’ve always naturally done, and that is question things. Especially establishment things. I’ve always been a “why?” guy, and if 20 people are saying the same thing, it just makes me ask “why?” even more. As Patton said, “if everyone is thinking the same thing then someone isn’t thinking”. In architecture school, why is everything. I learned quickly that what you said was as important as what you did. The Guggenheim makes a horrible house, and Falling Water makes a horrible museum. Why, or a purpose, matters. And just because you say, or think, you have a purpose doesn’t mean that’s the real purpose. The guy that buys a Harley and tells his cowokers he wants to “ride and be free” may very well think he wants to do just that. But if he’s logging 20 miles a month and they are all to the bar and back to go meet his new biker friends, I would argue that he’s neither riding, nor free. Similarly if a guy is buying a gun because he says he needs to protect his family but then can’t go take a single Saturday away from them to learn how to use it, I’d say he must not really be feeling that threat all so much. You may not see it the same way, and you don’t have to. Start your own blog and support all that stuff. Or stay subscribed here and tell me off.
I just simply don't know any other way to be, and at nearly 38 years old it's too late to change. The good news is that I can keep saying what I want, how I want, whether I'm posting on a forum or banned, have 865 facebook fans or 8. Frankly, at 8, I bet it'd be the 8 that were getting the most out of it. But trying to be the evaluator guy with accelerometers and high-speed cameras, or the photographer guy with 10,000 facebook likes, a phone full of industry friends, and a calendar, or some youtube celebrity, just isn’t in my DNA.
So, going forward, what TYV will be is primarily the blog. If you’ve read stuff there and found it informative, keep on subscribing. If you like concept pieces, like arguments, like to occasionally read something you don’t agree with but that gets your brain spinning, keep on reading. If you like hearing the counter-point to whatever new-hotness drops at SHOT, this is the place. But if you’re waiting for charts, reviews of training classes, links to the latest magazine articles, etc. that shit is done and you’d probably be better served by un-liking the facebook page. Your bloodpressure will thank you. If you’ve been putting up with me because you’re waiting for some new review to come out that “makes his attitude worthwhile”, it’s not coming. I don’t have the time, the results are no longer interesting to me, and I’m tired of casting pearls before swine. Which isn’t to say that every single time my fingers strike a key a pearl is produced, but I’m no longer interested in hearing your snorts, or wasting my time and money only to be greeted by snorts.
2012-09-19
2012-09-18
The Curve of Inevitability
Pretty arrogant huh? To call something you came up with “inevitable”? Like most things I say or do that come across as arrogant, it’s mostly tongue-in-cheek. Mostly.
So what about this curve? What is it? What’s invertible about it? Well, to start with, it’s two curves, and it looks like this.
Right about now you’re either thinking “yeah, I get it, it’s the indian not the arrow” or you’re thinking “this guy is a jackass, everyone knows good gear helps you if you have the ability”. And you’re both right.
As a community or industry we throw around phrases like “it’s the indian not the arrow “ or “it’s the singer, not the song” all the time. Mostly we pay lip service to them. It’s not until you keep trying to solve software problems with hardware (how’s that for a cliche?) and START RECORDING THE RESULTS, and see that you’re not getting anywhere that you really start to grasp those concepts. And what is outlined in the curve is the reason for that.
For someone starting out right out of the gate with their first gun, if you take away their stock Colt 6920 with iron sights shooting Wolf and hand them a gun with stainless barrel, two-stage trigger, magnified optic, and bi-pod, and give them some match-grade ammo instead, they are going to shoot tighter groups. “But Rob”, you’re saying “aren’t you the one that always says those things don’t make you a better shooter?” Yes, I am. And they don’t. They just made some guy with a whopping 100 rounds through an AR ever shoot a tighter group on a piece of paper. Now, if his whole goal in life is to only ever shoot that size group, and he’s never going to practice beyond that first 100 rounds, and he’s never going to shoot any other gun until he need to shoot that size group again at some point in the future, then he should go buy all that shit and bolt it on his rifle and stick it in the safe. He will forever stay at the far left-hand peak of the red line. He doesn’t know shit from brown bread, has zero ability, and so gear matters more to him than to any other person in the universe of firearms. He will see more improvement per dollar spent on gear than anyone else, ever. And it still matters twice as much in your head as it does on the range.
But the very next time that guy goes to the range, all that shit is going to matter less. And less. And less. and his buddy or partner who doesn’t have so much disposable income to burn on gidgets and wizmos is probably becoming a better shooter, and catching up to the guy with the proton pack and flux capacitor on his gun pretty quickly. Give that broke guy a class instead of a scope and a bipod and he’s going to be smoking the rich dude right quick. Because the money guy that never practices and relies on all his accessories is going to plateau right out of the gate. So not only does your actual reliance on all that stuff wane pretty quickly, but it also means your abilities are going to stagnate right where they are, and sooner or later your head is going to pop out of your ass and even you are going to realize how little it matters. That’s why after the initial peak both the red and the green lines go down, but the red line really drops fast. That’s the post-head-pop trajectory.
Whether you start with the basics or you start with more gun than you know what to do with, at some point the two lines almost meet. They never fully meet because most people will always fool themselves into putting more emphasis on the equipment than they should. More on that at the end of this post. But you reach a point where the gear is mattering less and less and your skills really are being limited by the equipment you’re using. Many people think this happens much earlier than it does, and they go from Production to Limited to Open all in the matter of a few months because they think it’s their skills that plateaued. They haven’t. If you’re not WINNING Production at your local match, to the point that everyone else that shows up is battling for second place, it’s not the gear. Most people are going to miss that bottoming out, which is why the green curve bottoms out a little bit after the red.
But there is a point that you simply can’t improve in either time or precision without changing the equipment. If you’re shooting 2” groups with iron sights at 100 yards with XM193 out of a Milspec barrel, you’re definitely at the limit of your equipment. If you’re cleaning dot torture at 7 yards with your Glock 19 with mostly stock parts, you’ve definitely reached the limit of your equipment. If you can shoot a Half-and-Half clean with iron sights and a stock 6920, you’ve reached the limit of your equipment. There are dozens of other examples, but these are just a few, and they’re made here to point out that there is a limit. I had a 2005 GTO that I used to take to the drag strip. When I was getting the same ¼-mile time, week after week, and it was the best time I was seeing anyone report with a stock car, I had reached the limit of that equipment. If I wanted to go faster I needed a torque converter, or drag radials, or I was going to have to start getting into power-adders.
So the results actually do improve with the new gear. The thing is, you’re also still learning and practicing all this time. If you’re not, you’re not seeing the improvement. And if you’re not the type to practice, you’re not the type to keep records, and in that case this whole post is useless to you. You cannot report improvement if you don’t keep records. If you can’t tell me how much tighter your groups got with your new trigger or optic, or how much faster your times got, you’re no less silly than the guy who put a cold air intake into his Civic and reported a 15 HP increase by measuring with “the seat of my pants”. So if you know it is helping, you must be keeping records, and if you are keeping records you have to be practicing, otherwise what is there to keep records of?
Now notice on the graph that about the time you start to plateau in ability, the “thinking” curve, the red curve, starts back down again. you though I just drew this shit with my finger, didn’t you? Well I did, but I still drew the curves with a purpose. That’s because you’re finally starting to get it. That’s the second, smaller pop. Like when a jet comes back down from breaking the sound barrier.
Remember earlier when I said I’d talk about the curves touching at the end of this post? Well this is that part. Notice that the red line is still on a downward trajectory? If you’re lucky, that will continue, and you will finally, actually, understand what people mean when they say “it’s the indian and not the arrow”, and you’ll also realize how you had no idea what you were talking about when you said it before this point.
So what about this curve? What is it? What’s invertible about it? Well, to start with, it’s two curves, and it looks like this.
Right about now you’re either thinking “yeah, I get it, it’s the indian not the arrow” or you’re thinking “this guy is a jackass, everyone knows good gear helps you if you have the ability”. And you’re both right.
As a community or industry we throw around phrases like “it’s the indian not the arrow “ or “it’s the singer, not the song” all the time. Mostly we pay lip service to them. It’s not until you keep trying to solve software problems with hardware (how’s that for a cliche?) and START RECORDING THE RESULTS, and see that you’re not getting anywhere that you really start to grasp those concepts. And what is outlined in the curve is the reason for that.
For someone starting out right out of the gate with their first gun, if you take away their stock Colt 6920 with iron sights shooting Wolf and hand them a gun with stainless barrel, two-stage trigger, magnified optic, and bi-pod, and give them some match-grade ammo instead, they are going to shoot tighter groups. “But Rob”, you’re saying “aren’t you the one that always says those things don’t make you a better shooter?” Yes, I am. And they don’t. They just made some guy with a whopping 100 rounds through an AR ever shoot a tighter group on a piece of paper. Now, if his whole goal in life is to only ever shoot that size group, and he’s never going to practice beyond that first 100 rounds, and he’s never going to shoot any other gun until he need to shoot that size group again at some point in the future, then he should go buy all that shit and bolt it on his rifle and stick it in the safe. He will forever stay at the far left-hand peak of the red line. He doesn’t know shit from brown bread, has zero ability, and so gear matters more to him than to any other person in the universe of firearms. He will see more improvement per dollar spent on gear than anyone else, ever. And it still matters twice as much in your head as it does on the range.
But the very next time that guy goes to the range, all that shit is going to matter less. And less. And less. and his buddy or partner who doesn’t have so much disposable income to burn on gidgets and wizmos is probably becoming a better shooter, and catching up to the guy with the proton pack and flux capacitor on his gun pretty quickly. Give that broke guy a class instead of a scope and a bipod and he’s going to be smoking the rich dude right quick. Because the money guy that never practices and relies on all his accessories is going to plateau right out of the gate. So not only does your actual reliance on all that stuff wane pretty quickly, but it also means your abilities are going to stagnate right where they are, and sooner or later your head is going to pop out of your ass and even you are going to realize how little it matters. That’s why after the initial peak both the red and the green lines go down, but the red line really drops fast. That’s the post-head-pop trajectory.
Whether you start with the basics or you start with more gun than you know what to do with, at some point the two lines almost meet. They never fully meet because most people will always fool themselves into putting more emphasis on the equipment than they should. More on that at the end of this post. But you reach a point where the gear is mattering less and less and your skills really are being limited by the equipment you’re using. Many people think this happens much earlier than it does, and they go from Production to Limited to Open all in the matter of a few months because they think it’s their skills that plateaued. They haven’t. If you’re not WINNING Production at your local match, to the point that everyone else that shows up is battling for second place, it’s not the gear. Most people are going to miss that bottoming out, which is why the green curve bottoms out a little bit after the red.
But there is a point that you simply can’t improve in either time or precision without changing the equipment. If you’re shooting 2” groups with iron sights at 100 yards with XM193 out of a Milspec barrel, you’re definitely at the limit of your equipment. If you’re cleaning dot torture at 7 yards with your Glock 19 with mostly stock parts, you’ve definitely reached the limit of your equipment. If you can shoot a Half-and-Half clean with iron sights and a stock 6920, you’ve reached the limit of your equipment. There are dozens of other examples, but these are just a few, and they’re made here to point out that there is a limit. I had a 2005 GTO that I used to take to the drag strip. When I was getting the same ¼-mile time, week after week, and it was the best time I was seeing anyone report with a stock car, I had reached the limit of that equipment. If I wanted to go faster I needed a torque converter, or drag radials, or I was going to have to start getting into power-adders.
So the results actually do improve with the new gear. The thing is, you’re also still learning and practicing all this time. If you’re not, you’re not seeing the improvement. And if you’re not the type to practice, you’re not the type to keep records, and in that case this whole post is useless to you. You cannot report improvement if you don’t keep records. If you can’t tell me how much tighter your groups got with your new trigger or optic, or how much faster your times got, you’re no less silly than the guy who put a cold air intake into his Civic and reported a 15 HP increase by measuring with “the seat of my pants”. So if you know it is helping, you must be keeping records, and if you are keeping records you have to be practicing, otherwise what is there to keep records of?
Now notice on the graph that about the time you start to plateau in ability, the “thinking” curve, the red curve, starts back down again. you though I just drew this shit with my finger, didn’t you? Well I did, but I still drew the curves with a purpose. That’s because you’re finally starting to get it. That’s the second, smaller pop. Like when a jet comes back down from breaking the sound barrier.
Remember earlier when I said I’d talk about the curves touching at the end of this post? Well this is that part. Notice that the red line is still on a downward trajectory? If you’re lucky, that will continue, and you will finally, actually, understand what people mean when they say “it’s the indian and not the arrow”, and you’ll also realize how you had no idea what you were talking about when you said it before this point.
2012-09-17
Care
This is a post I’ve sat down and started to write multiple times, and it’s never come out right. I hope this attempt get across what I want to.
I get asked all the time “why do you care?” This is usually in response to some post or comment of mine pointing out, or making fun of, something I think is “stupid”. Inevitably someone will come along and ask “why do you care?” Interestingly, this is often followed by an accusation of me being an “asshole” or a “dick” or a “jerk”.
I don’t know why I care. But what many seem to miss is that what you think I care about really isn’t. I’m not interested in appearing smart, building industry contacts, schmoozing, or other self-serving goals. I’m simply interested in helping to keep people from making the same mistakes I did, and selfishly I find that if I can make my case in writing it helps me to solidify a concept in my own mind.
So then comes “well, you think making fun of the guy or being a dick to him is going to get him to think or change his mind?” Nope, I sure don’t. That guy is already too far gone. The kind of guy that starts a thread to post about what he sees as a piss-poor rollmark on a Colt AR, or the kind of guy that revives a thread that hasn’t had action in a year just to defend his purchase to a bunch of strangers, or who sees an entire chart and explanation of features who gets all worked up over the fact that his personal AR has a single feature that is in conflict with the document... There’s no helping that type, and it’s because they are all emotionally wrapped up in whatever it is they are posting about.
But I’ll tell you a secret about the internets... for every two guys posting in an argument there are 200, if not 2000, watching and reading. So every time there is a thread with a bunch of guys congratulating themselves on being stupid with no dissention, there are exponentially more people reading it thinking “well, if they were wrong someone would say something”. Think I’m wrong? Then that’s because you’re one of the guys posting, and you don’t talk to the guys reading very often. But I get emails weekly, if not more frequently, from guys saying things like “you know, you saved me a lot of money. I read this thread and was all set to buy one of them until I read your post and realized I just need to shoot more”. Even the people that DON’T agree with me, who may have their ego wrapped up in their argument, are going to have to question their position at least a little bit to come up with a counter argument. Unfortunately, all too often, that counter argument gets wrapped up in “well, I just don’t agree”, which essentially means “I have no idea what I’m talking about, can’t articulate a valid point, but want you to leave me alone”. Fine. But those other 200... 2000... guys? That makes an impression. And it’s THOSE guys that email me thanking me for saving them money.
Regardless of whether an issue gets resolved or not, whether it be Zumbo, or RECOIL, or triggers, or optics, or whatever, the fact is that the discussion is good for people. Otherwise everyone just reverts to what they are supposed to be doing, or thinks they are supposed to be doing. Take the guy that tells me “I’d love to go take a class but I have to stock up on gear first”. It’s really not his fault. He simply doesn’t know better. It’s what he’s supposed to do. I live in SE Florida, and today I was leaving the store when I saw a woman in her 50s, all buff and toned, wearing workout gear, with fake hair, fake tits, and fake lips, come running out of the store and get into a Mercedes. Why does she do all of that? Because she doesn’t know better. To her it’s normal, or what she’s supposed to do. and guess what? When you show up to IDPA or to a class in your 5.11 pants and vest, with your Oakleys and so on, you’re just like her. Know what the two of you have in common? Neither one of you are thinking. It takes a fly in the ointment to get people like that to think. and I’m that fly. Sometimes you may agree with what the fly says, and sometimes you may not. It may well be that the times that you don’t agree are the times that you might ought be paying the most attention.
Which still doesn’t address WHY I care. The truth is I don’t really know. But I think it’s interesting that I’m questioned about it all the time, from people who in turn call me names. How is it I’m the “mean guy” who’s a “dick”, but also the one that cares? Frankly, I think it’s pretty dickish of you that YOU don’t care. And let’s take just a second to look at what you DO care about. Post after post on facebook or the forums about your collection of irrelevant guns? or favorite college or pro sports team? Or your car? Or your golf swing? or some dippy band you saw last night? Or your dinner? or social issues that don't affect you? or some legal case that’s getting tons of publicity on TV in a town or state that is thousands of miles from you? or even worse, politics? Like any of that matters? So while you may not care about the same things that I do, the fact is that you care about some pretty stupid shit yourself. Everyone does. It’s the way the world works. I’m trying to get a guy to think, maybe save himself a few bucks, maybe even save his own life (if he stops buying guns and starts buying gym equipment) and you’re worried about some over-paid thug running after a little ball, and I’M the dick? Seriously?
TYV has been undergoing some changes lately. Most of it happened without me realizing it, but after thinking on it some and discussing it with a few friends, even I’ve noticed. This post is the first part in what will be three posts, hopefully released over the next three days, attempting to give people an idea where things are headed and why.
I get asked all the time “why do you care?” This is usually in response to some post or comment of mine pointing out, or making fun of, something I think is “stupid”. Inevitably someone will come along and ask “why do you care?” Interestingly, this is often followed by an accusation of me being an “asshole” or a “dick” or a “jerk”.
I don’t know why I care. But what many seem to miss is that what you think I care about really isn’t. I’m not interested in appearing smart, building industry contacts, schmoozing, or other self-serving goals. I’m simply interested in helping to keep people from making the same mistakes I did, and selfishly I find that if I can make my case in writing it helps me to solidify a concept in my own mind.
So then comes “well, you think making fun of the guy or being a dick to him is going to get him to think or change his mind?” Nope, I sure don’t. That guy is already too far gone. The kind of guy that starts a thread to post about what he sees as a piss-poor rollmark on a Colt AR, or the kind of guy that revives a thread that hasn’t had action in a year just to defend his purchase to a bunch of strangers, or who sees an entire chart and explanation of features who gets all worked up over the fact that his personal AR has a single feature that is in conflict with the document... There’s no helping that type, and it’s because they are all emotionally wrapped up in whatever it is they are posting about.
But I’ll tell you a secret about the internets... for every two guys posting in an argument there are 200, if not 2000, watching and reading. So every time there is a thread with a bunch of guys congratulating themselves on being stupid with no dissention, there are exponentially more people reading it thinking “well, if they were wrong someone would say something”. Think I’m wrong? Then that’s because you’re one of the guys posting, and you don’t talk to the guys reading very often. But I get emails weekly, if not more frequently, from guys saying things like “you know, you saved me a lot of money. I read this thread and was all set to buy one of them until I read your post and realized I just need to shoot more”. Even the people that DON’T agree with me, who may have their ego wrapped up in their argument, are going to have to question their position at least a little bit to come up with a counter argument. Unfortunately, all too often, that counter argument gets wrapped up in “well, I just don’t agree”, which essentially means “I have no idea what I’m talking about, can’t articulate a valid point, but want you to leave me alone”. Fine. But those other 200... 2000... guys? That makes an impression. And it’s THOSE guys that email me thanking me for saving them money.
Regardless of whether an issue gets resolved or not, whether it be Zumbo, or RECOIL, or triggers, or optics, or whatever, the fact is that the discussion is good for people. Otherwise everyone just reverts to what they are supposed to be doing, or thinks they are supposed to be doing. Take the guy that tells me “I’d love to go take a class but I have to stock up on gear first”. It’s really not his fault. He simply doesn’t know better. It’s what he’s supposed to do. I live in SE Florida, and today I was leaving the store when I saw a woman in her 50s, all buff and toned, wearing workout gear, with fake hair, fake tits, and fake lips, come running out of the store and get into a Mercedes. Why does she do all of that? Because she doesn’t know better. To her it’s normal, or what she’s supposed to do. and guess what? When you show up to IDPA or to a class in your 5.11 pants and vest, with your Oakleys and so on, you’re just like her. Know what the two of you have in common? Neither one of you are thinking. It takes a fly in the ointment to get people like that to think. and I’m that fly. Sometimes you may agree with what the fly says, and sometimes you may not. It may well be that the times that you don’t agree are the times that you might ought be paying the most attention.
Which still doesn’t address WHY I care. The truth is I don’t really know. But I think it’s interesting that I’m questioned about it all the time, from people who in turn call me names. How is it I’m the “mean guy” who’s a “dick”, but also the one that cares? Frankly, I think it’s pretty dickish of you that YOU don’t care. And let’s take just a second to look at what you DO care about. Post after post on facebook or the forums about your collection of irrelevant guns? or favorite college or pro sports team? Or your car? Or your golf swing? or some dippy band you saw last night? Or your dinner? or social issues that don't affect you? or some legal case that’s getting tons of publicity on TV in a town or state that is thousands of miles from you? or even worse, politics? Like any of that matters? So while you may not care about the same things that I do, the fact is that you care about some pretty stupid shit yourself. Everyone does. It’s the way the world works. I’m trying to get a guy to think, maybe save himself a few bucks, maybe even save his own life (if he stops buying guns and starts buying gym equipment) and you’re worried about some over-paid thug running after a little ball, and I’M the dick? Seriously?
TYV has been undergoing some changes lately. Most of it happened without me realizing it, but after thinking on it some and discussing it with a few friends, even I’ve noticed. This post is the first part in what will be three posts, hopefully released over the next three days, attempting to give people an idea where things are headed and why.
2012-09-02
Gun & Gear Recommendations for starting out
In part because or new endeavor at Goal-Oriented Training, and in part simply because I just get asked a lot, I thought I would take a few minutes to generate a list of guns and gear that I generally endorse. Not because my name is on it, not because anyone is paying me, but because it's the stuff I use myself and have arrived at after wasting thousands of dollars on gear that was either garbage, great but impossible to ever get, or just simply wholly inappropriate for what I (and probably you, if you're reading this) do and want to do with a gun. I'm going to break this down into separate sections for pistol and rifle, and hopefully you are smart enough to figure out how to mix and match in the event that you want or need both.
This list is not intended as all-encompassing. It doesn't cover load-carriage for higher-round-count events, specialty gear, magnified optics, sighting systems for pistols, etc. This is meant as a list of basic recommendations for someone starting out, which ironically also happens to be a lot of the same gear I myself am using 10+ years later after a ton of trial-and-error with fancier crap. This is what we call "a clue".
For those that prefer a summary, here you go
This list is not intended as all-encompassing. It doesn't cover load-carriage for higher-round-count events, specialty gear, magnified optics, sighting systems for pistols, etc. This is meant as a list of basic recommendations for someone starting out, which ironically also happens to be a lot of the same gear I myself am using 10+ years later after a ton of trial-and-error with fancier crap. This is what we call "a clue".
For those that prefer a summary, here you go
- Belt
- Wilderness Original Instructor's belt (5-stitch)
- $40
- Pancake-style Holster
- Dark Star Gear
- email for quote
- Pouch-style Holster
- Kydex Pistol Magazine Pouch
- Ready Tactical Pistol Magazine Pouch from SKD Tactical
- $25 (get at least two, four is better)
- Nylon Pistol Magazine Pouch
- HSGI Taco with Dark Star Gear loops
- $35/ea (get at least two, four is better)
- Rifle Sling
- Boonie Packer 2P Cinchable
- $20
- Sheriff of Baghdad Weapon B-Sling
- $40
- Viking Tactics Sling
- $43
- Blue Force Gear Vickers Combat Applications Sling
- $45
- Kydex Rifle Magazine Pouch
- Ready Tactical AR15 Ambi Speed Mag Pouch from SKD Tactica
- $28/ea (get two)
- Nylon Rifle Magazine Pouch
- HSGI Taco with Dark Star Gear loops
- $50/ea set (get two)
- Magazines
- NHMTG
- $14/ea
- Magpul Pmags
- $15/ea
- Tango Down ARC magazine
- $19/ea
- Lancer Advanced Warfighter Magazine (AWM)
- $16/ea
PISTOL
GUNS
In short, what you want is a high-capacity, polymer-framed, pistol. For more minutiae, nitty-gritty, etc. you can read my article "Where Do I Begin", but what that means is Glock, Smith & Wesson M&P, or certain models of Springfield XDm. Do yourself a favor and get a 9mm. If you have some objection to that round, the problem is you, not the caliber. The once caveat I'll offer here to the entire pistol selection thing is that if you are in a job where you are issued a firearm, use that firearm. In fact, go buy yourself a personally-owned example of that firearm.
GEAR
Pistol gear falls into three sub-categories: holsters, belts and magazine pouches.
Holster
First, if you already have a holster you use for concealed carry, train with that. I cannot think of a single concealed carry holster that is worth a shit that doesn't also work well as a training holster. By "works well", I include the ability to re-holster one-handed, which means it needs to have a rigid opening at the top. If your IWB holster doesn't, and it collapses when you draw the gun, you're doing it wrong.
Second, if you're going to have a range holster, just get a plastic holster. Your gun is plastic, get a plastic holster. When it comes to holsters, there are two types with the first being a "pancake style" and the other being a " pouch-style". Whichever you get, you need to size the loops to the width of your belt!
For the pancake style I only use one now, and that's the kydex holsters I get from Dark Star Gear. They can do different sized loops, make tweaks to the design based on your needs as you shoot more and discover your own personal quirks, etc. He can also do them in various colors, whether for vanity or operational reasons.
For the pouch-style, I like the Revolution series from Blade-Tech. These holsters are widely available, inexpensive, and much better than the junk like the Fobus or the silliness that is the Blackhawk Serpa. Just make sure you get the Revolution that comes with the Stingray loop, and not the paddle, as the Revolution paddle is massive, and I don't believe it's as secure as the Stingray loops that firmly affix the holster to the belt. Then be sure to read the manual and adjust the Stingray loop to match your belt width. These also make a good holster if you're trying a new pistol and aren't sure about it yet because it's inexpensive.
Belt
Whatever you do, get a shooting-specific belt, don't just use whatever belt you got that came with the pants you bought. And use a belt that fits in the loops of your pants, or that is made up of an inner belt that goes through the loops and outer belt that attaches to that inner belt either via velcro or keepers. An outer belt that isn't secured to an inner belt is a non-starter and a recipe for failure. I also prefer the 1.5" width as it fits through the loops on every pair of pants and shorts that I own, and the extra .25" does nothing for me. In a pinch, gear with 1.75" loops will fit on a 1.5" belt, but sometimes the reverse is not true.
I may be out of touch, and/or piss a lot of people off, but after doing the circuit of the various boutique belts, I'm back to belts from the Wilderness. They have exactly the right balance of vertical stiffness to support the holster and gear and horizontal flexibility to be comfortable and make it easy to thread-on gear. I like the 5-stitch, Original Instructor's belt which is a bargain right now at $40.
Magazine Pouch(es)
There are two options here. Regardless of which you choose, buy at least two, preferably four, individual pouches, and avoid the double-pouches that limit flexibility.
If you own one pistol, or one type of pistol, and only shoot that one pistol/type (which I strongly recommend, FYI), then having a kydex pouch, or several of them, makes the most sense. Given that, I like and use the Ready Tactical Pistol Magazine Pouch from SKD Tactical. They have a secure clip that allows you to clip the pouch on and off the belt without undoing the belt, they can be adjusted for tension with just a little bit of heat if you need to, and at $23/ea they are a bargain. There are other, similar, pouches on the market but they aren't as good as the Ready Tactical. Again, get the loop sized to match your belt.
For those that insist on changing their pistol more often than they chase their underwear, or if you are just starting out and aren't entirely certain you ade the right choice of pistol, having a pouch that is more flexible and takes a variety of magazine types, the HSGI Taco with Dark Star Gear loops is the way to go. The taco is a "modular" pouch design that allows not only a variety of magazines but also things like flashlights, multitools, etc. all to fit in the same pouch. The Dark Star loops, in turn, allow you to attach a pouch that's meant for MOLLE to a regular pants belt. Understand that at $25 for the pouch and $10/loop, it is a more expensive option, but it is cheaper than buying four Ready Tactical pouches for every gun you own, and you gain the flexibility of being able to use the pouches for other items as well.
RIFLE/CARBINE
GUNS
Colt 6720 from Clyde Armory. This is the single best option on the market right now, and what I would buy if I was buying a new rifle today, or giving someone else a rifle to start with. If you want to start with iron sights, talk to Clyde Armory about getting them to swap the folding rear for a fixed, but if they won't, get yourself a Daniel Defense fixed rear sight. Second choice would be any of the BASIC rifles with plastic handguards from BCM or Daniel Defense. This is not a slight on any other product on the market, but is simply my preference. The major advantage the 6720 has is that it is light, and that it is a Colt. Just because it is a Colt does not mean that it won't have problems right out of the box, but in my experience it does mean that it is the gun least likely to have problems right out of the box. BCM and Daniel Defense are very, very close behind that.
For those that want to start out with an optic, the Aimpoint PRO is the best deal going on the market right now. Comes with a mount that gets it up to the right height on an AR and all you have to do is bolt it on and go. I'll cover the pros and cons of starting out with optics vs. irons in another bog post.
GEAR
Rifle gear falls into three sub-categories: slings, belts and magazine pouches.
Sling
I like, and use, four different slings. In truth, I find that as long as it's a quick-adjust, two-point sling, I'm pretty happy, but these are the four I'm most familiar with, have been happiest with, and actually use and recommend. I'm going to list them in order of cost.
Boonie Packer 2P Cinchable - $20. This is the best $20 sling I'm aware of on the market, and it does what other slings do at half the cost. Great option for those starting out, but GET THE 1.25" VERSION AND NOT THE 1.5" VERSION. While I love the 1.25", I can't stand the 1.5" as it adds complexity to how the sling attaches to the gun.
Sheriff of Baghdad Weapon B-Sling - $40. This is the sling I buy now when I need a new one, although if I have a heavy rifle I'd prefer a padded sling. For anything ~8 lbs or less, this is my first choice. Light, simple, unobtrusive, quick to adjust, etc. The rear attachment may not work on all stocks, but you can just cut it off and attach it with a QD sling swivel if your stock has the socket. No big deal.
Viking Tactics Sling - $43. The best thing about this sling is that it comes slightly padded but not overly-so. The downside is that with the way it's designed and adjusts it leaves a dangling tail which I find annoying sometimes. GET THE ACTUAL VTAC VERSION, NOT THE 5.11 VERSION. They are not the same.
Blue Force Gear Vickers Combat Applications Sling - $45. Essentially the same as the Boonie Packer but with better hardware and materials. My one complaint with this sling is that there are a lot of variants out there and I just flat out don't like the way that some of them attach to the gun as they over-complicate the thing for no reason. There is also a padded version for $55 if you have one of those heavy guns with a lot of crap bolted to it.
I need to make a note about sling accessories. How you attach the sling to the gun is as important as the sling itself, and you are going to want to experiment with different locations as you go through different evolutions of how you shoot. Flexibility is your friend, and to that end having a way of quickly attaching/detaching the sling is a good idea. Get yourself some QD sling swivels. At least three (for when you lose one). If your rail or handguard don't have a way to attach them, you'll need to add it. ONLY USE ATTACHMENTS THAT LIMIT THE ROTATION OF THE SWIVEL. If it doesn't limit rotation, don't use it. 4-axis limits (with stops vertically and horizontally) is good, 6 is better (which adds stops 45* in either direction between the 90* stops). Impact Weapons Components offers a variety of QD sockets for almost any application.
Belt
For a standard pants belt, see above in the pistol section for the Wilderness belt. There are other options that are more complicated and allow for carrying more load, but for starting out I think one or two magazines added to the Wilderness belt is all you need, and even now I rarely use more.
Magazine Pouch(es)
As with the pistol examples above, there are two options here. Regardless of which you choose, buy at least one, preferably two, individual pouches, and avoid the double-pouches that limit flexibility. I am also generally not a fan of the pouches that stack pistol magazines outside of carbine magazines.
If you own one carbine, or one type of carbine, and only shoot that one carbine/type (which I strongly recommend, FYI), then having a kydex pouch, or several of them, makes the most sense. Given that, I like and use the Ready Tactical AR15 Ambi Speed Mag Pouch from SKD Tactical. They have a secure clip that allows you to clip the pouch on and off the belt without undoing the belt, they can be adjusted for tension with just a little bit of heat if you need to, and at $28/ea they are a bargain. There are other, similar, pouches on the market but they aren't as good as the Ready Tactical. Again, get the loop sized to match your belt. Since they are "ambi", they also allow you to experiment with bullets-forward or bullets-rearward in your pouches, and they accept Pmags, GI mags, Lancer mags, and Tango Down ARC mags (the only four magazines I use or recommend).
For those that insist on changing their carbine more often than they chase their underwear, or if you are just starting out and aren't entirely certain you made the right choice of pistol, having a pouch that is more flexible and takes a variety of magazine types, the HSGI Taco with Dark Star Gear loops is the way to go. The taco is a "modular" pouch design that allows not only a variety of magazines but also things like flashlights, multitools, etc. all to fit in the same pouch. The HSGI rifle Taco will take magazines from ARs, AKs, AND 7.62/.308 rifles! The Dark Star loops, in turn, allow you to attach a pouch that's meant for MOLLE to a regular pants belt. Understand that at $30 for the pouch and $20 for a pair of loops, it is a more expensive option, but it is cheaper than buying four Ready Tactical pouches for every gun you own, and you gain the flexibility of being able to use the pouches for other items as well.
Magazines
When it comes to pistols, you should buy factory magazines for the gun you have, and that's it. When it comes to the AR, there are a few options, and typically buying "factory" magazines will just mean you're paying a premium for the same thing you can get elsewhere for less. There are four types of magazines I use and recommend, with my first choice being the NHMTG magazines because they store tighter and I can get more into an ammo can or a bag. No matter which you use NUMBER YOUR MAGAZINES and trash the ones that repeatedly give you trouble.
I currently use NHMTG which I get from 44mag.com for $14/ea. I like the smaller profile, I like that they will fit in any pouch, I like that I can fit more into an ammo can, and I like that I can add the Magpul Ranger Plate and not affect the size of the magazine in any dimension other than length.
The Magpul Pmags are EVERYWHERE and can be had for less than $15. I found myself using them exclusively and I almost couldn't remember ever buying any. They are good magazines, but the feedlips can chip, which in turn can cause malfunctions, with the colored versions (meaning, not black) appear to be more prone to this failure. If you simply have to have colored magazines, get the black ones and paint the ridged part. Leave the smooth part, that goes into the magazine well, unpainted because if you add bulk in that area they may not drop free.
The Tango Down ARC magazine are a good magazine, and if you want a clear mag these are my choice. The clear material in most magazines is weaker, and I like the ARC for this because they have what appears to be the strongest waffling to add rigidity to the weaker material. ONLY BUY THE MK2 ARC MAGS. I hated the first gen because they caused me lots of problems and I watched others have problems, but the MK2 version resolved those problems for me. Many online retailers were recently dumping the originals, so buyer beware.
If you shoot a lot of Wolf or other steel-cased ammo, the Lancer Advanced Warfighter Magazine (AWM) is what you want. They are a little expensive, but the steel they use in the feedlips somehow gives the slickest feeding of any magazine I've tried, even... especially with the steel-cased ammo. I'm not a fan of the clear/smoke/etc. and prefer the black.
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