The Multiple Applications Group “M7 MilSim Unit” is giving away a tactical rig once they reach 500 ‘likes’ on Facebook. Here’s their explanation:
Here’s the rig in question, followed by an explanation of their group. If you go check them out, tell ’em Tactical Fanboy sent you.
“Consisting of current and former Military, IC’s, and Civilians, Multiple Applications Group is a collective of professionals taking a combined 40+ years experience in ‘Extreme Applications’ and applying the knowledge to scenario preparation, training elements, product testing/review, and delivery of experienced advice.
Extreme: Reaching a high or the highest degree.
Application: The act of putting something to use.
We are faced with Extreme Applications on a daily basis. Whether driving in a bad storm, fast roping from a helo under fire, or pushing for that last mile in a marathon. It is something we face in our daily lives yet we rarely prepare for. It is in that moment when ill preparation meet with an outstanding circumstance that we choose to excel or let consume us.”
Check out this video that details the events leading up to the story that the Black Powder Red Earth Facebook game takes place in.
Speaking of which, the ‘Black Powder Red Earth’ graphic novel is still readily available from Amazon and other retailers. Give it a look, it’s a pretty good read.
If you have a Facebook account, you can help to decide which exclusive weapon camouflage is going to be included with the signature edition of the upcoming Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Simply go to the (conveniently linked) Signature Edition Camo Vote page then ‘like’ the camo you, uh, like the best. The winner will be chosen on November 30th, so get those votes in ASAP!
Like to shoot? Like girls? Like girls who like to shoot? Perhaps you’re a girl that likes to shoot? In the interest of open-mindedness, maybe you just like to dress like a girl who likes to shoot. Anyway, you should go look at the store recently set up by the Austin Sure Shots, an all-female shooting league in the Lone Star State. Yes, there are some shirts and hoodies in there suitable for males. You might also check them out, if you’re a female shooter in Texas. They train in a couple different locations, once a week, and they do more than just spend time on the range. They do IDPA, rifle work, tactical drills and concealed carry stuff, plus bring in SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) on things like post-shooting psychology, legal issues pursuant to shooting in self-defense, etc.
Coming February 2012, Converse will be releasing special edition Chuck Taylors based on cartoon hip-hop/electronic band The Gorillaz. Four prints will be available, all taken from artwork done by Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the band. Appropriately enough (for this blog, anyway) the only print images released so far are of the camouflage seen on the ‘Geep’ featured on the cover of the band’s self-titled debut album. They’ll be available internationally from select retailers and online stores and will retail for approximately 60 USD.
If you watch Top Shot at all, you probably remember Sara Ahrens. She is a patrol sergeant with the Rockford (IL) Police Department and appeared on Top Shot Season 3. Recently she had occasion to try out the “Corner-Shot”, an oft-maligned and largely piece of kit. Here opinion is below. It’s interesting that she very politely points out where someone showed a lack of understanding towards the specificity and niche use of the Corner Shot. Was it truly a lack of understanding? Yes, it certainly was. You can be really good at something and still be ignorant of others. Many of us have been shooters, some in Tier One, high end units. We absolutely respect that, but that doesn’t make any of us the grand master of tactics. Blithely disdaining a piece of equipment, or a TTP, without taking into account the context in which it is intended to be used, is just foolish.
Here’s some good news for those of you who happen to own a Contour ROAM camera. Skyway International Inc. has extended its line of CamSkin covers to include the Contour ROAM. The new skins include four tactical finishes: Flat Black, Olive Drab, Desert Camo and MultiCam. If you’re looking for something a bit more ‘civilian’, there are also the four sports gloss colors: White, Yellow, Blue and Red. These skins join those already available for the Contour HD 1080p, the Contour GPS and the Contour Plus. For those interested, the skins are currently available on Amazon.com.
Here’s something you don’t see every day, especially if you’re from Chengdu. Okay, that’s a lie. We have no idea what you would see ever day in Chengdu, but we’ll bet it’s not this. Still…are they really “special forces” or are they a police tactical unit, or is this just some kind of cool photo opportunity? In fairness, they might be very professional and very well trained, and just as unhappy about parading about in a dog and pony show as a lot of people will be happy to mock them.
As you may recall from previous posts, author Dalton Fury has a novel coming out in January. He did a pretty awesome swag giveaway for Thanksgiving…now he’s doing one for New Year’s. Yesterday’s was $1200 worth of kit that Delta operator Kolt “Racer” Raynor (the protagonist of Black Site) runs with in the book. Much of the kit was provided by Uber Group and Black Palm Syndicate. Apparently the new prize is still under construction (or classified) so they have released details, but you can probably expect with a high degree of confidence that it will be damn cool. As before you, you need to preorder the book and then post the book vendor you used, date of purchase, etc. on the contest facebook page. (Note: if you entered the ARC Drawing or first Kolt Kit Bag Giveaway you are auto-entered in the New Year’s Eve drawing; buying another copy will increase your chances.) Though a large number of people were invited to the contest, the Facebook rules apparently didn’t allow for as many as DF (who by the way was an adviser for Modern Warfare 3) would have liked, so he’s asking everyone to spread the word.
Check it out. If you happen to register, let ’em know Tactical Fanboy sent ya, would you?
Palladium has recently released the Pampa Tactical Boot in Brown/Olive Drab. All boots in the Pampa Tactical series have uppers that are made from rubberized Full Grain Leather combined with a 2520 denier Ballistic Nylon. The boots also feature Palladium’s one piece molded rubber outsole, a Dri-Lex moisture wicking covered sockliner, and a medial side zipper that locks in place with a closure. Other colors available include Black/Metal, Tan, and Olive Drab/Black.
Lotta folks have been to Ft. Hood over the years, military, dependents and civilians. A LOT of troops, considering it’s been around since WWII. Not everyone liked it, of course, but it is a soldier’s right to complain. Here in just a couple weeks you can spend the weekend there, get in a hell of a fight, then come home; and you won’t be complaining. It’s Operation Reindeer Games 10. This one is being run by MilSim Event, to show you a good time AND to help out Toys for Tots. This year’s Reindeer Games will be held at the Ft. Hood Triple MOUT Facility on 07 DEC 11. From the SIGINT and HUMINT we’ve been able to gather, there will be a number of shooters at this operation from Texas (obviously) but also from Oklahoma, Louisiana and other states. The background detail is pretty impressive. In fact, it seems had to believe they’ll be able to pack all of it into a one-day shoot-fest. MilSim Event is a relatively young MilSim organization that has made quite mark on the MilSim world in just a short period of time. They’ve run a number of very successful operations with many notable features (like having shooters in a helicopter making gun runs over the guys on the ground). More information below. Note that you gotta have biodegradable BBs, proper uniform and a toy for Toys For Tots. Missing any of those things, you might as well not even come through the main gate.
FORT HOOD, Texas - Soldiers assigned to A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division training at Ft. Hood.
July’s Tac Girl represents the month named after the death and deification of Gaius Julius Caesar. She’s not only going loud in July, she rocks the cover.
Mayflower asked Soldier Systems to find a deserving home for one of their Assault Packs and UW Gen IV Chest Rigs. SSD can’t think of a better group to honor than their readership, so it’s being given away tomorrow based on readership today. To enter, tell them what you’re thankful for in the comments section below the article.
Check it out on Facebook. Preorder Dalton Fury’s new fiction novel, Black Site (which rumor has it will be advanced reviewed by the Mad Duo, who have already talked to the author). “A truly unprecedented opportunity…1200 bucks worth of top-quality stuff. In the bag a Suunto Core All Black Military watch, pair of Salomon XA Pro 3D Mid Assault Boots, and an Arc’teryx Combat Jacket from Uber Group. Fourteen custom tees, two hats, and sticker pack from Black Palm Syndicate. Plus a Surefire Pen Glass Breaker, a set of custom Hibben throwing knives, and much more. Pre-order Black Site from Amazon or Barnes & Noble and post the date of order and vendor on our Facebook page to enter. Good luck!”
Note that if you already entered, you can double the number of times your name goes into the hat. Per the author, if you can talk a friend into pre-ordering Black Site and posting to the giveaway page by 1300EST today, you’ll have a chance of winning AND you’ll double yours. Hopefully you have friends who can read.
You’re rapidly running out of time, boys and girls!
Doesn’t matter how good you are. How smooth, how well rehearsed, how fast your mag changes are or how far you can throw the frag. Your mental acuity under stress can be awesome, your ability to analyze a emergent threat within the context of any particular operating environment or condition. You can ninja your way through the chokepoints assaulting the Grand Bazaar like it’s cool, and nothing comes near you. You can clear Interchange by yourself with one revolver, two pocket knives and bottle of moisturizing lotion.
Doesn’t matter how good you are. Sometimes you bollock it up. Sometimes some jackass kills Soap and ruins the game for you. Sometimes you need…the tactical facepalm.
“We checked that spare magazines were ready to pull out. Pick them up the wrong way and you waste a precious second or two turning them around. Put them in your belt kit with the curve the right way up, and they’re ready to slap into place. A lot of people put a tab of masking tape on the mag to make it easier to pull out. When my mags were empty, I’d throw them down the front of my smock for refilling later. We could use the rounds from the belts of the Minimi…” Andy McNab, Bravo Two Zero
McNab and his kit, from the book.
Once upon a time, smocks were at the top of the list when it came to trading swag with the Brits. Scoring one was a Big Deal. I remember in Saudi and Kuwait back in ’90 and ’91, scoring a desert para smock was the height of triumph, and and anything rumored to be an “SAS smock” was beyond price. Looking back now, most of the alleged SAS smocks came from Paras, and most of the “Para smocks” came from infantry units (or that’s what it seems like, anyway).
Anyway, this new First Spear smock mentioned over on Soldier Systems is going to be a hit. Unfortunately now I’m going to have to buy one…the chances of trading for one is slim to none. Eventually I want one of the original Denison smocks, but that may just be a pipe dream.
You know what’s sad? There are thousands of young American troops now who have no idea why us older guys really wanted one of these. Next up? I’m gonna need a Cold War era Barbour jacket, but we’ll concentrate on the smock first.
WW II era Denison Smock
Sniper from HM Scots Guards, the Falklands
The Squadron Smock from First Spear (via Soldier Systems)
Wicked Lasers is touting they’re newest laser, the S3 Krypton Series, as the most powerful handheld laser you can legally own. They advise that it’s over 8,000 times brighter than the sun and say it’s under review by the Guinness Book of World Records. “Safety goggles are a must.” They even provide them and a “tactical” holster! Of course, in the video they seem to confuse the range at which the beam is no longer visible to the human eye vs. how long it actually extends, but that’s really a minor quibble. If it’s visible from outer space, as they claim, that’s pretty damn visible.
This trailer for Max Payne 3 showcases the technical aspects of the game, including the use of the Euphoria engine for realistic character movement and individually modeled bullets, to create a well-crafted and cinematic experience. Bullet time hasn’t looked this good since the original Max Payne came out. Or the first Matrix movie. Take your pick.
“I want to see MW4 come out with a battlefield that’s 85% civilian, with 50% of those supplying the enemy with ammo and warning them when you get close. Also, shooting any vehicle, damaging any building or killing any civilian erases all your saved games and makes you start from scratch. Lastly, your loading screens are newscasts from home about how meaningless the next mission is and you have superiors second-guessing your every bullet in the After Action summary. Oh, and remove the tac-knife completely. Now that would be a wargame.” Luke B.
Beard Beanies is a series of headgear with a unique twist: attached to each beanie is a knitted beard that covers and protects the wearer’s face, making them great for any number of outdoor activities. Models include the ECO2, Jeep Cap, and LumberJack, made from materials such as 40 Gram thinsulate and Jimtex recycled cotton fibers. Each beanie is also hand-made to order, so you’re looking at a minimum of 5 business days before shipping.
