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Vaultek LifePod – Lock it Down

By
Travis Pike
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There are numerous differences in what one considers a safe. What we are looking at today isn’t quite a safe, but can act like one in many ways. Vaultek calls it lockable storage and that’s a bit more accurate. The LifePod by Vaultek is a small lockbox that incorporates both manual and electronic locks. It’s not designed for one particular use, but it does seem to make an excellent gun box for transport, temporary storage, or for a vehicle.

The LifePod could secure anything you wished, but as a gun writer its not hard to guess what I’m going to lock up. Others may choose to lock up cash, valuable jewelry, important documents or electronics. The box will certainly fill those roles as well. The LifePod is small and very lightweight. It would easily fit in a backpack, a sling bag, or in the center console of most vehicles.

It comes with compression latches as well as a locking system. It’s also water-resistant and could seemingly act an awesome tool to product valuable gear from breaking on hikes, humps, or any other adventures you go on.

As a Gun Safe?

Safe is too strong of a word. This wouldn’t be a box I’d leave my gun in for an extended period of time. However, if I was traveling this is going to be a must-have. It comes with a tether that allows you to tie it down as well. I could see a lot of value in the LifePod when it comes to having to leave a gun in a vehicle. I don’t mean a truck gun or long term storage.

This is perfect if you get to an area where it’s illegal to carry a gun. Say I go to a government building where carry is prohibited. The LifePod is adequate enough for a short period of time where I can’t carry. A thief would have to move fast to open my trunk and get the LifePod cut off its tether.

Another good job for the LifePod would be a nightstand safe. It’s quick to open and would prevent kids from grabbing your gun while you sleep. I wouldn’t leave the LifePod unsecured with a firearm for long, but it fills a gap as a lockable storage device.

The LifePod is dust, water, and airtight. It even floats.

How Does the LifePod Work?

The safe is electronic with a 4 digit key code option as well as a manual lock and key option. Interestingly enough inside the box is a way to turn off the manual lock to prevent picking. This would be a must for me when it comes to flying with guns.

The LifePod allows you to program a four-digit code for quick and easy opening. It runs off of a 9-volt battery that can last for up to a year. Additionally, there is a port for a Micro USB adapter should the batteries die and you find yourself without a key.

Inside the LifePod comes with three layers of soft material that can be shaped to your specific firearm or item. The LifePod is just large enough to hold one full-sized automatic handgun.

Programming the four-digit locking code is simple and the unit is very responsive to touch. When you enter the wrong code a red LED lights up with a negative tone, the right code gets you a green LED and the sound of an unlocking safe.

I’ve put in the code hundreds of times, just sitting on my desk, over and over again to see if I could induce failure. I can happily say the lock unlocks and locks without issue regardless of how many times I punch in my four-digit code.

You undo the compression latches and now you have access to your LifePod. To lock the safe press on the lock button for two seconds. You’ll hear the lock engage and you are golden.

The LifePod

The LifePod feels extremely well made and looks slick and modern. It comes in a wide variety of different colors and is lightweight and compact. It certainly has its limitations. As you’d imagine someone could break the LifePod open with a little time and some basic hand tools. The LifepPod isn’t made for long term storage but acts as a modern lockbox that ensures your valuables are well protected when a safe isn’t accessible.

Avoiding Counterfeits – Don’t Get Fooled

By
Travis Pike
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I don’t think there is a thing in the world that China doesn’t copy. They mass-produce a wide variety of counterfeit items and mark them with real brand names. The gun world is not immune to counterfeits. Sure, we don’t necessarily see counterfeit guns, but gun parts and accessories are copied, counterfeited, and produced by the tons.

Looks Legit

The vast majority of these products come from China. In fact, according to this NPR article in August 2019, CBP and the ATF stopped shipments totaling 53,000 counterfeits. These including stocks, sights, and other gun parts. It’s a major issue and one that any potential gun owner should be aware of.

Today we are going to address how to avoid counterfeits and how to tell if an item is a counterfeit gun part.

Counterfeits Vs Licensed Reproductions

Before we talk about counterfeit items we need to address that there is a difference between a counterfeit item and a licensed reproduction. There is a huge demand for gun parts for the sport of airsoft.

This is a real MBUS Pro, but it is widely counterfeited.

People want their airsoft guns to look and feel like the real thing. In fact, airsoft and similar sports seem to drive the counterfeiting market more than any other specific factor. This is why the most common counterfeit items are high dollar tactical gear.

This doesn’t mean there are no legitimate companies working within the letter of the law to fill this airsoft demand. A number of companies are producing, or licensing their designs, to airsoft companies. These reproductions are designed for airsoft and marketed as such. The biggest company doing this is Magpul with its “PTS” line of products.

Unfortunately, these reproductions are few and far between.

How To Tell if it’s a Counterfeit?

Interestingly enough this answer will vary depending on each item. The biggest way to tell when a product is a counterfeit is to consider who is selling it. Wish and Aliexpress are well known for marketing and selling counterfeits and they don’t sell anything beyond counterfeit goods. With Wish or Aliexpress you are also buying them at super low prices. No one is really being tricked by these two websites.

No, what happens is jerks buy these counterfeits and then attempt to pass them off as the real thing. This is where websites like eBay and even local buy, sell, and trade forums are full of this crap.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screenshot-www.ebay_.com-2019.10.14-13_13_29.png

eBay is seller to seller and full of people trying to pass off low-end junk for high-end parts. This isn’t just scopes, stocks, and sights, but parts as small as charging handles are counterfeited. China was even importing 80 lower Receivers according to a 2013 Article from the Firearms Blog.

Amazon is a little better, but the problem still persists with many reviews pointing out that their item is a fake. Some of these fakes are done extremely well in terms of color, controls, markings, and other small details.

Down and Dirty With Fakes

This is a fake Steiner Dbal D2. It looks good, it’s hefty and has real weight. The QD attachment is well done. The logos are visible too. However, once you start looking at the finer details it becomes apparent that this is a well-made fraud.

This is the Real Thing

First, the controls to adjust the laser are all backward. Second, the pressure pad uses the wrong connector, Those are two apparent differences you can spot with the naked eye. Oh, and it lacks a serial number.

This is the fake… Notice the Up and Down Adjustments are reversed

I only know this because I poured over real pics of Dbals and began picking out the inconsistencies. I was given this fake for free so I wasn’t scammed. It just got my wheels turning at how well these are made.

The best thing you can do is know the item you are buying inside and out. If possible ask questions, like where did you buy, and when? It’s typically easy to verify if the product was sold at that retailer or if it was even being produced at that time.

If possible get the serial number and call the actual company for verification. Most high-end optics companies like Steiner, Trijicon, and Aimpoint serialize their items.

PEQ 15s DO NOT HAVE WHITE LIGHTS

Optics and accessory companies are hesitant to give a lot of pointers on what to look for in fear of having the counterfeits being copied even more. However, Trijicon, Eotech, and Aimpoint all have pages dedicated to helping spot fakes.

The best advice I can give is to use common sense. If it’s a deal too good to be true then it likely is. People don’t sell Acogs for 120 bucks, and PEQ 15s don’t have white lights. Buy from trusted retailers and understand the deal of a life time rarely is.

UNDERSTANDING THE HELLCAT U-DOT

By
The Armory Life
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The Optical Sight Pistol (OSP) version of the Hellcat accepts red dots like the excellent Shield RMSc. But let’s not forget those iron sights backing it up…

Let’s be frank. There are so many cool things about Springfield Armory’s new 9mm Hellcat, it’s hard to decide where to focus. From its 11+1 capacity in a stunningly compact gun to its excellent grip texture to its streamlined design, there’s a lot to talk about here.

But if there’s one thing that seems to have really caught everyone’s attention, it’s the pistol’s ability to accept micro-sized red dots on the OSP (Optical Sight Pistol) version. There’s no getting around the fact that being able to cram a little red dot like the Shield RMSc onto a gun this size is remarkable.

But what about those sights backing up that red dot, featured on both the OSP and standard versions of the Hellcat? In my opinion, these “U-Dot” sights are one of the coolest features of the new pistol.

Setting Your Sights

To be honest, I’ve only recently started getting into customizing my CCW guns. For years, I would stick with “stock” guns only. However, over the past few years I’ve started adding/changing things here and there, and slowly warmed up to more thoroughly customizing my guns. And one of the first things I would change out was the sights.

What I wanted was a good tritium front sight, preferably with a high-visibility ring (in a bright color) around the night sight dot. This would give me a sighting system that would offer high visibility in the bright sun, as well as night sighting in low-light. I’ll tell you from personal experience that getting a good set of sights like this is going to set you back something in the range of at least $100 — and more like $150 or more.

U-Dot bright front sight on the Hellcat
The front sight of the U-Dot system features a tritium dot surrounded by a large and highly visible green luminescent ring.

Which brings us to the Hellcat’s U-Dot sights. These things are exceptional, and rival many of the aftermarket sights I’ve used over the years. Factoring in the $569 MSRP of the standard Hellcat (and $599 for the OSP version), these sights alone in my opinion make the gun a smart buy.

Read On

SIG SAUER ProForce M17 Airsoft Pistol Now Shipping

By
Keith Finch
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NEWINGTON, N.H., (October 16, 2019) – SIG SAUER, Inc. is now shipping the semi-automatic SIG AIR ProForce M17 airsoft pistol.
 
Designed for professional training, this high-end SIG AIR ProForce airsoft pistol is a replica of the U.S. Army issued P320-M17 9mm pistol in look, balance, and handling characteristics and engineered to SIG standards for precision, accuracy, and reliability.

The ProForce M17 features a polymer frame and metal slide with full blow-back action. The proprietary drop magazine holds 21 rounds of 6mm polymer or biodegradable BBs.  An adjustable “hop-up” feature creates spin on the BBs for additional stabilization in flight, resulting in increased distance and accuracy.  A picatinny accessory rail allows for quick and easy accessory mounting, comes with an optic cut for the addition of the soon-to-be-released SIG AIR Red Dot Optic, and is available in 12g CO2 cartridge or green gas power options.

ProForce M17 Airsoft Pistol:

Total length: 8.5”
Barrel length:  5.5”
Weight:  2.6 lbs.
Finish:  Coyote Tan
Muzzle Velocity using .20g Polymer BBs: Up to 410 fps (CO2), up to 320 fps (Green Gas)
Muzzle Energy: 1.5 joules (CO2), 1 joule (Green Gas)
Caliber:  6mm BB
Magazine Capacity:  21
Power Source:  CO2 or Green Gas

MSRP: $179.99

The ProForce M17 is available for purchase at the sigsauer.com/store.

For more information on SIG SAUER airguns, visit sigsauer.com/airguns.

About SIG SAUER, Inc.

SIG SAUER, Inc. is  a leading provider and manufacturer of firearms, electro-optics, ammunition, airguns, suppressors, and training. For over 150 years SIG SAUER, Inc. has evolved, and thrived, by blending American ingenuity, German engineering, and Swiss precision. Today, SIG SAUER is synonymous with industry-leading quality and innovation which has made it the brand of choice amongst the U.S. Military, the global defense community, law enforcement, competitive shooters, hunters, and responsible citizens. Additionally, SIG SAUER is the premier provider of elite firearms instruction and tactical training at the SIG SAUER Academy. Headquartered in Newington, New Hampshire, SIG SAUER has almost 2,000 employees across eight locations. For more information about the company and product line visit: sigsauer.com.

The NGSW Three

By
Keith Finch
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For those following the Next Generation Squad Weapon contract competition being run by the US Army, all three finalist submissions have been made public.

The crux of the competition is an update to the individual service weapons of the US Military’s fireteam elements, specifically the Army. The Marine Corps is closely following the development as well but has their own requirements to remain directly involved as a purchasing entity. The Marines have charted their own course in recent years by adopting the service exclusive M27 as an updated service rifle while the Army stuck it out with the M4A1.

Both weapons are behind the technological times however.

The NGSW is for two weapons in a new unspecified 6.8mm round that should vastly outperform current 5.56 and 7.62 rounds for effective range, accuracy, and wounding characteristics. One rifle and one automatic rifle will be selected. The weapons will also be forward thinking compatible with future optics and power systems in development.

The 6.8mm was selected as part of the ‘overmatch’ theory in that we would have a standard small arm that could out range and out damage round per round any of its peers. Greater effective range and greater effect on modern equipped near peer infantry are the end goals. The 6.8mm should, in theory, still retain a very manageable recoil (think along the lines of 6.5 Creedmoor) while being ballistically superior to 7.62x51mm legacy systems.

The finalists are…

Sig Sauer (Their MCX derivative and belt fed automatic rifle are the title image)

General Dynamics OT&S, with partners True Velocity & Beretta

Automatic Rifle
Carbine

And Textron Systems partnered with Winchester and H&K

All Images VIA Soldier Systems

Here’s my take on the systems.

Textron

The Textron, H&K, and Winchester collaboration appear to be fairly straightforward designs spinning off of Textron’s telescoped ammunition concept. Controls are AR like, appear ambidextrous, and feature largely familiar layouts for both rifle and automatic rifle. There is a lot going on with the handguard area, I suspect for near future battery storage to power optics, laser, and ancillary equipment.

It does look the most awkward to use out of the three. It reminds me of trying to hold the M203 equipped M16, that bulky beast, but without the benefit of a grenade launcher.

Winchester did win the contract to run Lake City, which seems to indicate they will be making their ammo. This could be any ammo however, if one of the other competitors won Winchester would make that ammunition design. Or any design the DoD decides for that matter.

General Dynamics OT&S, with partners True Velocity & Beretta

The most interesting of the three submissions is the General Dynamics. They’re going bullpup. And they have video.

From True Velocity’s Instagram

It’s quite an action series. Long barrels on short guns is still the defining advantage of bullpup rifles. I do like me a bullpup every now and then, the X95 and Tavor 7 being prime examples. They’re utilizing the True Velocity polymer cased 6.8mm rounds and feature a very squat sound suppressor.

The selector on these are a rotary design located above the trigger guard, not dissimilar in function from an SA80. It’s curious they appear to be splitting the safe and fire from the semi-auto and automatic functions. The design even looks a little reminiscent of the Barrett bullpup .50’s.

This would be the greatest departure from current small arms design and doctrine in the US forces of the three submissions. I don’t know how well the bullpup automatic rifle is going to function from a volume of fire standpoint either. The Marines are currently requiring a magazine fed design, consistent with the M27 in that regard, to consider the system for adoption.

Both the AUG and SA80/L86 that were used as bullpup support weapons were largely supplanted by more effective belt feds. It will be interesting to see and hear the Army’s take on the system.

Sig Sauer

Sig, who has been eating up contracts since the M17/M18 win, honestly looks to have the best looking submission.

Unlike the other competitors who partnered Sig has been doing it all themselves. Suppressor? Theirs. Ammunition? Theirs. Optics? Theirs, with two fresh wins on the SDMR M110A1 and the SOCOM 1-6x to run with. There are open optic solicitations too and a slew of legacy systems but they are all compatible.

The ammunition is the most conventional of the three 6.8mm rounds submitted, being a metallic cartridge. It’s a brass/steel hybrid. The rifle layouts themselves are highly ergonomically consistent with modern designs. The carbine and automatic rifle have AR style selectors and the carbine features full ambidextrous controls, plus a forward side charger charging handle to supplement the traditional AR location.

Gratuitous M-LOK and hard point QD’s for slings abound. The stocks fold and are adjustable for length of pull, M4 derivatives of some variety.

The automatic rifle is reported to have a sidegate feed system for the belt and, I believe, can be magazine fed as well.

Final thoughts

Given similar reliability and performance numbers from the three weapons systems, I would select Sig’s submission without hesitation. While I think True Velocity has something going with their polymer cased ammunition I don’t like the ergonomics on their systems at a glance the way I do Sig’s. The same goes for Textron, in their case its the bulk of the system.

Sig’s, again at a glance, appear to incorporate the majority of modern rifle features into the system without additional bulk. They compliment the AR ergonomics and would require a much lower training/retraining curve to implement the system than the General Dynamics bullpup. While the Textron appears closer the departure still appears to be greater than the Sig submission.

Going to a new round will be the most significant departure from conventional small arms theory in decades. Going to the telescoping ammo or polymer casings, if reliable, could significantly cut shift weight distribution in favor of carrying more rounds. I don’t have weight specs on any of the individual components though at this juncture.

If Sig wins though, they’d have a hell of a hold on the US small arms community, something they absolutely want.

Registration Leads Towards…

By
Keith Finch
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NZ PM Jacinda Ardern, image via Newsweek

Checking back in with our southern hemispheric friends in New Zealand they have more gun control on the way.

Comprehensive gun register part of next stage of firearms law reform post Christchurch shootings

Seven months after the Christchurch shooting the second tranche of this gun control reform process is underway. The new law emphasises that the possession and use of firearms is a privilege (as opposed to a legal right), and aims to ensure that people in lawful possession of their firearms act responsibly in the interests of personal and public safety.

To supposedly achieve these goals the proposed law will seek improvements in the licensing of shooting clubs. It will also refine who is “fit and proper”, with prima facie restrictions on, among others, gang members and people who show patterns of behavior that exhibit or promote violence, hatred or extremism.

Okay, so far standard, but without a lot of detail in who gets to be a ‘gang member’. Is that covered by being convicted of participation in organized crime? Or can you just get tagged as a gang member for allegedly running with a gang by being seen around them in some manner? No trial or conviction, just an alleged association?

This is the third time in recent history New Zealand has attempted to reintroduce a firearms register. If it is approved this time, it will give authorities better information to trace hundreds of thousands of legally owned weapons, solves crime and slow the flow of firearms to criminals.

Will it though? States and nations with firearm registries tend to abandon them as prohibitively costly and underwhelmingly effective. The 237,000 gun owners are already on registry. Why the individual guns too? Criminal elements will never report their weapons, their ownership, or their illicit actions to the authority so what data is this giving New Zealand beyond a streamlined method for removing lawful (for now) arms from the general population.

New Zealand’s homicide rate was, until Christchurch, at a 40-year low (35 murders in 2017). Of these deaths, only one in ten involved the use of firearms. Stabbing or cutting weapons were responsible for a quarter of all homicides.

That sound familiar? Like the ratio of stabbing and cutting implements compared to rifle use in homicides domestically? Yet the reaction in NZ was to sweep aside all the lawful owners, who are shown by that very number not to be a problem, and just hope that the next terrorist follows the rules and doesn’t acquire a gun or explosives…

Great plan, Prime Minister. Stellar.

Previously lawful military style semi-automatics are less common in homicides, they made up only 7% of the total. Compared to shotguns (still legal) which are 33%. This all sounds like the gun control wet dream of systematically banning them all. If we had to take care of the guns that were only 7% of all murders, surely we have to take out the guns accounting for far greater ratios.

Between March 2018 and 2019, there were 3,043 instances where police recorded an offence that involved the use of a firearm unlawfully. More specific evidence suggests 97 instances in the decade from 2008 to 2018 where firearms were used, or threatened, against law enforcement officers.

Most firearms crimes are committed by people who are not licensed to be in possession of a gun. A minority of these crimes are committed by people licensed to possess firearms. All evidence points to the lawful owners being exactly that, lawful, and yet every new restriction targets them most drastically in an effort to influence by proxy through the tool, the gun, those who would do harm anyway.

What are the metrics that define these measures as successful? In what meaningful way can restricting lawful access to arms influence the unlawful use of arms?

New Ruger PC Carbine Chassis Model – M-LOK, Adjustable Stock, and AR Grip.

By
Keith Finch
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The new PC Carbine’s glass-filled polymer chassis system, with integrated rear 7075-T6 aluminum Picatinny rail, allows for standard AR grips and rail-mountable stocks or extensions. (Photo: Ruger)

A new Chassis Model version of their 9mm pistol caliber PC Carbine that allows the use of standard AR pistol grips and collapsible buttstocks has now hit the market.

Sporting M-LOK, a threaded barrel, QD sling sockets, a 6-position MOE stock, and Ruger’s AR grip (quite comfy) the formly conventional layout of the PCC has received quite an update.

The Chassis Model comes standard with the much appreciated interchangeable magazine well system to accept common Ruger and Glock magazines, and a reversible magazine release and charging handle to accommodate right- or left-handed shooters.

Overall length is 32.25 and 35.5-inches with the adjustable MOE stock. The incredibly simple disassembly system is still in place too. Disassemble and reassemble with a twist.

The model's CNC-milled handguard is Type III hard-coat anodized aluminum with Magpul M-LOK accessory attachment slots on all four sides. (Photo: Ruger)

The model’s CNC-milled handguard is Type III hard-coat anodized aluminum with Magpul M-LOK accessory attachment slots on all four sides. (Photo: Ruger)

The new PC is available in a pair of 10-round state compliant models for those behind the lines– one with an adjustable stock and threaded barrel, and the other with a fixed stock and non-threaded barrel. Even the restricted states can enjoy the newest iteration.

MSRP is $799.

The Pistol Caliber Carbine has been an explosive item for the last several years. They’re fun to shoot, effective home defense tools, many are highly portable for hiking/survival, and the ammo is inexpensive and available. The adaptable PCC Ruger has developed hits an incredible number of these requirements and desirable feature sets out of the park. All while looking something out of 80s/90s Sci-Fi.

Neat!

CNN Uncovers Why Gun Control is a Sham

By
Keith Finch
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Image via CNN Joseph Roh in the factory where he manufactured and sold AR-15-style weapons before being raided by agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives five years ago.

To legislate something effectively, you must first define it.

CNN has published a story. It’s an illustrative story. It reveals much about the actual true state of law and firearms in this nation, and by extension around the world. We tend to live in this bubble within ‘Rule of Law’ and when the laws we are most aware of make sense, speed limits for example, we begin to naturally assume all laws make around that much sense too. Even if we know better.

He sold illegal AR-15s. Feds agreed to let him go free to avoid hurting gun control efforts

So.

Here’s what happened, you can read the whole fasicating thing on CNN’s page but for those who would rather a summary, here we go.

Joseph Roh illegally manufactured AR-15-style rifles in a warehouse south of Los Angeles. No serial number 80% type deals.

More than two dozen of his customers were legally prohibited from possessing a firearm. But they could push a button, pull a lever, and walk away a short time later with a fully assembled, untraceable semi-automatic weapon for about $1,000.

By “technically” building their own firearm the buyers were never subject to a 4473 NICS transfer and thus no background check. They were still breaking the law, as they were prohibited persons, but there was no notice to any LEO agency because the only point where it became a functioning firearm and subject to the controls inherent on manufactured firearms, it was in the owner’s possession.

Firearms built for personal use are not required to be serialized. They cannot be sold legally until they are serialized. Roh was playing fast and loose with this legal provision and got rolled up for it. Facing federal charges as an illicit arms dealer Roh hit the courtroom.

And now… the charges are being dropped on a deferred prosecution agreement. Basically if Roh keeps his nose clean for X amount of time he’s free and clear of the full list of charges that were circumventing the background checks and manufacturing laws.

Why?

It’s all in the definitions.

Because the AR-15 (and several other modern rifle designs) use a two receiver system to distribute the held operational parts, they are not functional firearms. When seperated from any functioning parts they are not firearms.

Duh, but we’ve always done it this way…

Yes but by the definitions of laws like the Gun Control Act the AR-15 is not a firearm until it is assembled. Prior to that it is just parts, non-controlled.

If Roh’s case were to go to trial, by the findings of the judge involved, the very definition of what constitutes a firearm would have to change. And not in the favor of supporting the current regulatory and control systems in place.

Under the US Code of Federal Regulations, a firearm frame or receiver is defined as: “That part of a firearm which provides housing for the hammer, bolt or breechblock, and firing mechanism, and which is usually threaded at its forward portion to receive the barrel.”

This is two parts on many modern firearm designs, which makes neither one of those parts meet the federal definition of receiver. Even a Glock pistol doesn’t meet this definition as most of the parts referenced are held in the slide, not the frame.

To comply with ‘spirit of the law’ manufacturers have always picked a core part of their design to serialize, it did not have to meet the full federal definition of a receiver or frame.

The Conclusion

Roh, if he keeps his nose clean, gets to walk free from all charges in order to preserve the standing practices of federal firearms policy.

To legislate something effectively it must be defined.

TEAM WENDY® LAUNCHES RADIO RIG FOR SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMUNITY

By
Keith Finch
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CLEVELAND, OH (Oct. 14, 2019) – Team Wendy® formally announced today the launch of its Radio Rig, the company’s first ever chest rig. The item is available for immediate purchase.

The chest harness is a first for the Cleveland-based company, a leading provider of exceptional head protection systems worn by thousands across military, law enforcement, search and rescue (SAR), and adventure communities.

Radio rig with SILYNX communication system

“We strive to provide our clients with optimal solutions by identifying gaps and filling unmet needs in the market,” said Team Wendy CEO Jose Rizo-Patron. “Through our ongoing engagement with several domestic and international SAR communities, it was clear to us that they needed a comfortable, purpose-built communications rig that includes a better approach for cable management. Our Radio Rig also serves as a complimentary solution to our widely fielded EXFIL® SAR helmets.”

The skillfully crafted harness offers an abundance of compartmentalization without compromising mobility. It comes with an assortment of three pouch sizes (small, medium, large) to accommodate any size radio or GPS. It features a separate weather-resistant zippered accessory pouch to protect a cell phone or other electronic equipment from the elements.

PALS webbing on the front provides a modular attachment system for the included pouches, as well as any other MOLLE / PALS compatible holsters, bags, etc. Fidlock® magnetic buckles allow for the front section to fold forward providing access to the backside of the front panel, which features a clear touch-screen compatible pocket for electronic devices (phones or tablets), maps, notes, etc.

Radio Rig clear admin pocket

The front panel features an interior zipper pouch, including two pockets:

One pocket is dedicated to cable management with six separate pass throughs for cables to enter from the exterior and be stored inside.

The second pocket is for organization, including some webbing to help secure pens, flashlights and multi-tools.

Low-profile rear panel and straps allow for use with other backpacks if needed. That panel has loop for mounting ID patches and PALS webbing for securing any other small pouches.

Radio Rig interior pocket

“This rig was designed with explicit input from the communities we serve,” said Rizo-Patron. “They told us what was missing from the chest rig market and our engineers went to work.”

The Team Wendy Radio Rig retails for $134.95 and is now available for purchase on TeamWendy.com, through authorized Team Wendy dealers, and will be available on Amazon.com in the coming weeks.

Team Wendy has also partnered with Silynx®, a leader in the communications industry, to offer a version of the CLARUS XPR in-ear communications system with a specific wiring configuration that serves as a sound complement to the new Radio Rig, as well as the EXFIL SAR helmet platform. The Silynx system, available for purchase through Team Wendy, consists of an in-ear headset, control box, dual comm splitter, and the option of a Smartphone adapter and one of four radio adapters compatible with 95 percent of radios on the market – including the Motorola APX.

ABOUT TEAM WENDY

Team Wendy is a family-owned company dedicated to providing exceptional head protection systems designed from the inside out for those who risk their lives every day. Founded in 1997, our Cleveland-based company places a strong focus on the prevention of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in honor of the company’s namesake Wendy Moore, who died tragically from a TBI following a ski accident.

As a leading supplier of helmet systems for military, law enforcement, search and rescue, and adventure sports, Team Wendy is steadfast in our dedication to the pursuit of improving head protection research, design and development, bringing more choice, better technology and reliable customer service to the industry.

Team Wendy was recognized as a winner of the Cleveland Top Workplaces 2019 award by The Plain Dealer and was also named one of NorthCoast 99’s Best Places to Work in Northeast Ohio in 2016.

Learn more at www.TeamWendy.com.

WHY YOU NEED IRON SIGHTS

By
The Armory Life
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While you might think you don’t need those iron sights that come on your SAINT rifle, they are actually a highly capable aiming system.

Editor’s Note: This is part one of a three-part series on sighting options for your rifle. This first entry covers iron sights, the second part will touch on red dots and the third addresses rifle scopes. Stay tuned next week for part two and the following week for part three.

While the AR-15 (or “Modern Sporting Rifle”) continues to balloon in popularity for competition, hunting, and defense, there is one facet of it that does not seem to get that much attention: iron sights. Why is that? Many people who are enamored with the AR-15 are equally infatuated with optics. Whether it is magnified optics or red dots, both types of sights are tremendously popular compared to iron sights. So, with optics coming to the forefront of shooter preferences, why and when would someone want to still run iron sights? Fully knowing what a basic set of irons are capable of might be half the battle.

Always On

The misperception of iron sights might stem from the various upbringings we have all had with firearms. If you were introduced to guns as a child with a single-shot, bolt-action .22 Long Rifle with iron sights you likely progressed from there to bigger, better and more modern firearms. Other factions of shooters may have joined the arms bandwagon later in life and began with an AR-15 with an optic, or potentially a different scoped rifle. If you initially skipped over iron sights in your start with rifles, it would be admittedly difficult to regress back to “lesser” technology. Unfortunately for that aforementioned group, lacking a rudimentary understanding of iron sights means you’re missing a basic skill of marksmanship.

When the conversation of “should you use iron sights” or at a minimum understand them comes up, I immediately think of Murphy’s Law: What can go wrong, will. Moreover, the technology in optics can fail. Whether it’s a battery dying or glass being irreparable damaged, if you have back-up iron sights you can always remain in the fight, hunt, or competitive event.

Old-School Rangefinding

So, removing the thought of Murphy’s Law from your mindset, why else should you understand and deploy iron sights? For one, the width of a mil-spec front sight post (FSP) can be used to measure the relative size and distance of objects. A mil-spec FSP such as the one present on the Springfield Armory SAINT AR-15 is 0.07” wide. Some fast math tells us that is loosely 3.2 mils at 100 meters.

More people should become comfortable and familiar with this view because if your optics fail this may be all that you have to work with, for better or worse.

The military teaches that a mil-spec FSP at 150 meters is the average width of a military-aged male’s torso (approximately 19” across). So, for example, if a whitetail deer is facing you straight on and your FSP completely covers the deer’s chest, that particular deer should be at loosely 150 meters. While this is a very primitive ranging technique, in the 21st century it’s great knowledge to keep tucked away in your mind. And it always works. No batteries to run out or glass to break.

Read On

California Gun Control: 15 New Laws Signed

By
Keith Finch
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California Governor Gavin Newsom shares his reaction to two mass shootings over the weekend in Texas and Ohio during a press conference, Monday, August 5, 2019, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. On his left is Mark Ghilarducci, the director of Cal OES and on his right is Xavier Becerra, Attorney General of California. Image via Sacramento Bee, SacBee.com

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday toughened California’s already strict gun control laws, signing fifteen bills that broadly expand the state’s “red flag” law and limit the purchase of semiautomatic rifles by individuals to one per month.

Newsom, who was elected last year on a campaign that promised strict limits on firearms, signed the bills passed in response to recent mass shootings. Using the tired language of “epidemic” gun violence Newsom would see California reclaim its top spot as the most restrictive state in the nation to own a firearm and give only lip service to respecting the 2nd Amendment.

“This continues California’s leadership in terms of gun safety,” Newsom said while signing the bill.

Absolutely sir, because your other measures have proven so effective in stopping the violence in your cities.

Senate Bill 61, prohibits Californians from buying more than one semiautomatic rifle per month. It also bans the sale of semiautomatic centerfire rifles to people younger than 21, removing a provision of the law that allowed younger people to buy such guns if they have a hunting license. I can just hear all the violent individuals of the west coast giving up and turning their hearts to peace.

“Our efforts to keep high-capacity weapons out of the hands of teenagers, continuing to close loopholes in law, and working with the DOJ and governor’s office this past year on this slate of bills is important and appropriate work that will continue to make our communities safer,” Anthony Portantino, the bill’s author, said Friday.

Was there a recent epidemic of licensed hunters losing their minds we needed to be concerned about? No? Just domestic terrorists who will pay this law just as much heed as all the others they ignore? Right, just checking.

Limiting Personal Sales

Another Portantino measure signed by Newsom reduces the number of firearms an unlicensed individual (Non-FFL) is able to sell each year and the frequency with which they are able to sell.

So more government intervention in your property rights, that will certainly curb those gang killings. Don’t they already ignore a background check law too?

“It is my hope that these bills can prevent a future horrendous violent situation,” Portantino said.

Yeah… hope is all you have there, bud. I hate to have to remind you that the people who you are trying to prevent doing violence on the general population are undeterred by your efforts. They don’t think like you do. And the hypothetical ‘if it can save just one life’ is a terrible justification for policy decisions. It’s an emotional plea, not a reasoned plan.

Reasoned Opposition Fell on Deaf Ears

Republican legislators opposed the one-gun-a-month bill and criticized the state for failing to remove guns from the hands of thousands of felons and people judged by the court to be severely mentally ill as it is already empowered to do. The state will not utilize its already empowered resources to pursuit felon in possession charges.

“Instead we continue to do more and more legislation that interferes with the law-abiding citizen’s right to own and possess firearms, which is their constitutional right to do,” said Assemblyman James Gallagher (R-Yuba City).

The reasoning for the lack of prosecution is sound, they don’t consider these people to be an above average threat. Without evidence that a violent crime is imminent a felon possessing a gun is about as much a concern as anyone else. If that felon has a history of violent crimes, especially recent, that’s a different matter and there is far more cause to be worried.

However, a poll found that 68% of Californians say laws covering the sale of guns should be stricter. The poll, released Oct. 2 by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California, found that 38% of state residents said they are very concerned about the threat of a mass shooting in their area, up from 28% who had the same fear in a PPIC poll two years ago.

Unfortunately, what this poll likely illustrates is mass ignorance of the topic.

Should there be concern for mass shootings and other high casualty attacks?

Yes! It’s a regular topic here, but we also point out that violence against your person is a low probability high impact event.

But it gets treated in the media like a high probability high impact, because it’s scary. The subtle undertone, deliberately in many cases, is that without legislative action this will happen again. And the inference drawn then is the belief it will happen to you, this is encouraged by way these events are reported on. This inference draws support for any measure that states it can prevent the bad thing from happening.

It uses emotive support in place of reason. Per usual… Good luck my California friends.

Survival Gardening Indoors

By
Dr LateBloomer
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Lots of people keep a collection of seeds in their Doomsday/SHTF supplies – just in case they need to create a survival garden. But what about the people who don’t have much (if any) yard space? Did you know that you can grow many kinds of fresh vegetables indoors? 

The big requirement for a window garden is a bright south-facing window – or three. Obviously in a collapse situation like the next Great Depression, you may not have electricity to run “grow lights”. But you don’t need them if the orientation of your home is right. I am lucky to have a large south-facing patio slider. Since I don’t use the slider much to go in and out, I’ve got most of two large ceiling-to-floor windows to work with.

An indoor window garden won’t produce in the abundance of an outdoor garden, but your “crop” is protected from the ravages of insects and wildlife (or scavenging humans), and the growing season is longer due to the more steady indoor temperatures.

Your window garden likewise won’t produce enough to support a family of five, but it will give you some fresh greens to supplement and brighten up a stored food supply, and will also help stave off nutritional deficiencies that come with a limited diet.

A window garden doesn’t require a big financial investment, and there is no backbreaking labor involved. Seeds can be saved or are relatively cheap, as is indoor potting soil (especially if purchased end-of-season). Dwarf and container varieties of many vegetables do exist if you search for them. The containers can be “free” if you use repurposed plastic containers or cardboard boxes as I have. Additionally, I have used toilet paper rolls and takeout containers with clear lids as seed starters for zero additional expense.  

Cardboard planters
Winter seed “craft” project
soil for seedling cultivation
Sprouting cherry tomatoes in “free” containers.

My biggest financial outlay was for a set of wire shelving once my collection of plants got too large. I even repurposed a large orange juice jug into a watering can. It got to be a personal challenge for me to see how little I could spend, and for awhile I was calling myself “The CheapAss Gardener”.

Here is a short run-down of what I’ve had success with indoors over the past couple years.

Cherry tomatoes

I have had great success with the heirloom variety “Tiny Tim”. The first consideration is that since it’s an heirloom, the seeds will breed true. The plants are relatively compact and will bear several times, especially if you cut them back and fertilize when they start getting ugly and leggy. I have a Tiny Tim growing in an old Halloween bucket that has remained alive in my window over the last winter and is continuing to bear even into the end of its second season. The plant is now about 20 months old and still going. I never knew that was even possible.

Tomato plants grown indoors
The year-old Tiny Tim still producing blossoms in March of its second season.
Survival gardening tomatoes
Literal clusters of indoor cherry tomatoes

In addition to eating them fresh, you can halve and dehydrate cherry tomatoes too, so their value as stored food is additive to their value as fresh food.

Cabbage

Believe it or not, I have been able to grow small heads of cabbage in a cardboard box in my window. Cabbage is another vegetable that can be eaten fresh, but also dehydrated for storage. I used seeds of any old “garden variety” (pun intended) for my experiment and it was fine, but dwarf varieties do exist, and I’m going to look into those further.

Cardboard grown cabbage
Cabbage grown in a cardboard box in my window.

Snap peas

I originally bought two pre-started plants of Sugar Ann Snap peas on a whim at the garden center. They worked well indoors because the vines are short and bushy and don’t go all over the place. They were such a success that I bought seeds for the following year. These little pea vines happily climbed up a wire grid that I clipped to the shelving rack I was using. They bore cute little tender pods that I added to my salads and stir fry. Snap peas can also be dehydrated if your plants are producing too much for you to eat at once.

Indoor grown snap peas
Happy window snap peas.

Lettuce

I tried several varieties of Lettuce, including: Black Seeded Simpson, Butter crunch, Romaine, and Salad Bowl. Nothing formed actual heads, but the tender leaves are tasty as is, and I enjoyed many fresh-as-you-can-get salads last season.

Shoebox grown green
Fresh greens after a dreary winter – in a shoebox.

Spinach 

Spinach is another leafy-type vegetable that I had modest success with in the window. I didn’t get a huge yield, but I got enough tender leaves to add to soups and a few salads, and some to freeze in ice cube trays for later use.

Herbs

Many fresh herbs are quite happy in a bright window too. Although you can’t make a meal of them alone, they can provide trace nutrients and give some flavor variety to the “same-old same-old” grains, dried beans, etc. that are in your stored supply.  Plus you can make hot tea out of them! Herbs that have done well in my window include: Thyme (regular and lemon), Oregano, Basil, Mint, and Rosemary.

Failures

I tried a few veggies that didn’t go well, too. Green onions just were not enthusiastic for me, and despite three tries I couldn’t get carrots to give me more than a handful of two-inch orange dwarfs. 

A few stunted carrots are better than none.

Still, if we are talking about an economic collapse and survival food, then a handful of fresh but stunted beta-carotene is better than none at all. And so are a few green onion tops even if they don’t bulb out. Toss it all in the soup pot with a few other “failures” and everybody still gets some nutrients. I also hear (but have not tried myself) that you can make pesto with the “waste” green carrot tops. Waste not Want not. Fresh greens when you’ve been eating out of cans? Why not?

Next year I’m looking at trying a dwarf broccoli and maybe some peppers just to see how it goes. I’ve also read that you can grow potatoes in a large pot or garbage bag indoors. That sounds like a new experiment waiting to happen at my house.

My early season window garden – complete with various cardboard boxes, holiday buckets found on sale for a few cents apiece, take out salad bowls wrapped in duct tape, and toilet paper rolls.

Even in good economic times a window garden is a fun and colorful way to expand your fresh food diet. It is very satisfying to be able to pick your dinner salad right out of the window. Even if you don’t have a yard, utilizing a bright window to grow vegetables can not only make you feel like a real gardener, it can shore up your nutritional intake during hard times.

Common Prejudices about Gun Owners

By
DRGO
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(from youtube.com)

There was a time in the United States when owning a gun wasn’t considered an indicator of what sort of person you were. Owning a gun didn’t mean anything more than owning a wrench did. They’re both tools. And they were regarded as such.

Unfortunately, legal gun ownership and use carries much more social and political baggage than it used to. People have formed prejudices against legal gun use that can make guns an uncomfortable topic for gun owners.

Some of these prejudices are manufactured to push a political agenda. Some have occurred more organically. However, they’re all problematic for the same reason: they’re wrong.

And, these prejudices are especially damaging because they not only stigmatize legal gun owners, they scare new gun owners away from purchasing firearms—even when they may have a completely legitimate reason for getting a gun, like personal defense.

Unfortunately, the most common prejudices are repeated often on social media, and are even “verified” by certain news outlets.

These are the common prejudices that get favorable treatment in a lot of circles.

All Gun Owners are Extreme Conservatives

First, yes, it’s true that many conservatives own guns. But there are also liberals who own guns. There’s even a Liberal Gun

Club.

Unfortunately, the politics of gun rights and the Second Amendment have been painted as a partisan issue. Maybe it’s a strategic move to fracture support for the Second Amendment and reduce coordinated resistance to gun control regulation.

Either way, the fact remains that nobody can discern who you voted for, or even which party you might affiliate with, just based on whether or not you own a gun.

Additionally, owning a gun doesn’t indicate any malice or hatred for the government. Opposing regulation that you don’t agree with isn’t resistance or belligerence. People should have input in the formation of new laws and regulations that affect them. Whether or not you support new regulations isn’t an indicator of the desire to start a rebellion or insurgency.

Possessing a Gun Indicates Violent Behavior

This opinion gets touted a lot by biased news media. People claim that the only reason to carry a gun is if you’re looking for a fight. Or maybe you’ve had someone ask you why you have a gun ready for home defense as if you’d be crazy to have a gun in your house.

The idea that the only reason you’d have a gun is because you’re actively looking to engage in violence is a fallacy. The mere possession of a tool does is not an adequate indicator of intent.

Guns are tools. And, just like other tools, there are multiple uses and various needs, for guns. Simply having a gun does not indicate which of those uses you intend to use the gun for.

Furthermore, the total number of firearm homicides in the U.S. each year is far less than one tenth of one percent of the total population. Even the total number of violent crimes reported in 2017 was only 5.3 million, which would be just under two percent of the population. So the actual data reveals that owning a gun is not a good predictor of violent behavior.

Anyone who believes that mere possession of a gun proves a certain intent has made a predetermined decision, without enough information to accurately reach that conclusion. It’s textbook prejudice.

Gun Owners Are More Likely to Be Racist than Those Who Do Not Own Guns

This one comes and goes in terms of popularity. In 2013, the Huffington Post published an article which cited a study that “showed” this. However, the study used something called “symbolic racism” to evaluate people’s biases, and more recent articles mostly cite anecdotal evidence.

So this seems like another predetermined judgement based on inadequate information.

Is it true that racists own guns? Sure. But people who aren’t racists also own guns. Even though the numbers are tough to work out on this one, the most likely scenario is that the number of upstanding gun owners far outnumbers the racist gun owners.

On the other hand, something up to half of households in the United States own guns. Which means that there’s a very good chance that there are more racists who don’t own guns than racists who do!

Just addressing this issue requires a lot of assumption and inference, because it’s so hard to get any good information. That means there’s not enough information to make a dependable judgement. So, this assumption about gun owners is certainly painting with a very broad brush, and almost certainly can’t be accurate.

Let the Prejudices Lie

Although these prejudices can make things uncomfortable, especially in conversations about guns rights and gun ownership, they’re most deeply held by people who occupy the extremes of the political spectrum.

Chances are that most people don’t buy these ideas wholesale. We gun owners from any walk of life can work against these prejudices by clearly articulating why we own guns and how to make gun ownership  safe and useful for everyone.

We have the pride to fight these prejudices.

.

.

—Jay Chambers is a Texas business owner, archer, shooter and survivalist.  He believes in free speech, resiliency and self-sufficiency in an increasingly unpredictable world. 

All DRGO articles by Jay Chambers

Bump Stocks: Hundreds of thousands still unaccounted for after ban

By
Keith Finch
-

I saw this over at the Washington Times… Let me tell you… I’m shook.

The federal government collected fewer than 1,000 bump stocks during the run-up to a new ban in March, despite estimates that hundreds of thousands of the devices that mimic machine gun fire are in circulation, according to federal data provided to The Washington Times by the Justice Department.

As the nation marked the second anniversary Oct. 1 of the Las Vegas massacre, which prodded the Trump administration to ban bump stocks, the numbers offer a cautionary tale on the scope and resources needed to enforce any sort of gun buyback program.

You know everytime we tell you a law or rule has no enforcement mechanism and cannot function they way a gun controller says it will, we aren’t kidding. This isn’t just an exercise in, “BuT Ma SecOnD AmmEndermEnt!?!” and blind opposition of any and all rules on firearms. We, the folks of the industry who do this everyday, actually try and craft effective ways to be sure we are mitigating these risks.

But no one takes us seriously when we way so, because we’re just the “gun lobby” and couldn’t possibly want to reduce and protect folks from violence? Could we? Maybe when we stated there was no enforceable way to do this and there would be massive non-compliance we were speaking from a place with a little more evidence backing than simple bluster.

Between the issuance of the final rule banning the devices in December 2018 and April 4, 2019, shortly after the prohibition took effect in late March, 582 bump stocks were “abandoned” to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to Justice Department records, and 98 bump stocks were kept as evidence.

The Times obtained the records through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The administration cited estimates that 280,000 to 520,000 bump-stock-type devices were in circulation when it published the final rule in December.

Well… that’s rough. 680:280,000 is .24% and that is a best estimate from those numbers. 99.7% non-compliance or unknown compliance.

The Justice Department has resisted releasing the number of bump stocks people have turned in to the federal government, saying it paints an incomplete picture of compliance with the ban.

People could destroy the devices themselves or turn them in to other law enforcement agencies, ATF spokeswoman April Langwell said.

I’m sure all those hundreds of thousands of folks got right on that compulsory destruction of their own property. People are thrilled to do that. It wasn’t like this was a stupid reactionary rule change in response to a single horrific criminal event that was destined to fail from its inception.

The Washington State Patrol reported in late March that about 1,000 bump stocks were turned in as part of a local buyback program before funds were exhausted.

“…before funds were exhausted” and yet the device is supposedly so dangerous it must be mandatorily removed from society. Yet the government cannot foot the money to buy them at full MSRP back in, at the very least, a show of fair compensation for the property. That’s a rule somewhere isn’t it?

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. – Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

I would and will consider mandatory destruction for public safety ‘taken for public use’.

The ban could be seen as something of a smaller-scale “trial run” for what the federal government would have to do under a mandatory ban and buyback of certain military-style, semi-automatic firearms along the lines of what Democratic presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke is advocating, said Robert Spitzer, a professor at SUNY Cortland.

“I think it does have some implications for that,” said Mr. Spitzer, who has written extensively on the politics of gun control. “On its face, it’s not clear how any kind of mandatory program would work.”

Mr. Gottlieb agreed.

“It telegraphs, quite frankly, that if a Beto O’Rourke-type confiscation scheme ever got passed, that at best they’d have a fractional percent of people actually turning them in,” he said.

No kidding. The problems with prohibition are well known, yet often ignored, and I to this day cannot fathom why.

Just… Stop… With the Tampons…

By
Keith Finch
-

Dark Angel Medical has been preaching the gospel of blowout and trauma medicine far and wide. But the masses hated them because they spoke the truth…

Or something like that. Note that the comments on the video are off. That’s how much internet wrath came upon them that it just wasn’t worth dealing with. But for those who don’t want to listen to the vid here is the wound packing short version.

A TAMPON IS NOT ENOUGH GAUZE. There’s a reason that combat gauze, laced with clotting agent to aid in stopping bleeding, is foot after foot after foot. The tampon is nothing by comparison. Nothing. They get saturated and then bled through.

This is along the same vein as claiming the M1 Garand is a viable modern combat rifle because a 30.06 is still a powerful round. It’s obfuscating the whole complexity of a situation to one technically true point to “prove” the theory true.

In the case of the Garand, its that the 30.06 is still plenty lethal and that it was used during WWII and Korea to good effect.

In the case of tampons for wound packing its that tampons “absorb blood” and can be put in a hole to do so clearly that’s enough. It takes zero account of actually destroyed tissue mass or volume of blood being lost. It’s literally “small bullet hole can be plugged with small absorbent tissue. The same logic would allow you to use Kleenex. It doesn’t work.

“Better Than Nothing…”

Ok rando who would rather buy women’s hygiene products in order to literally NOT DIE instead of proper tourniquets and gauze. High point is just as good as Glock or Sig too.

If your justification for not buying equipment for an emergency is that in an emergency you can make do with a “better than nothing” terrible worst case piece of desperation, your plan sucks.

It’s $20 folks. 3x 24in rolls.

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