A few weeks ago Shawn posted some pics of a couple of flat dark earth Magpul Pmags that had developed cracks along the spine of the mag. I just wanted to post a follow up and some thoughts.
Here you can see the cracks in both mags, in identical locations.
I sent an email to Magpul on Sun 04-13-14 about the issue. I received a response the following morning (Mon 04-14-14) stating they would be shipping out two new replacement mags and a return address label with which to send back the damaged mags. I received the replacement mags Mon 04-21-14, so just at a week turnaround from when I informed them of the problem to when replacement mags were in hand.
Just to be clear, the purpose of this post isn’t to bash Magpul. Quite the contrary in fact since I think their mags are some of the best currently on the market and even the two damaged ones still functioned. Their response to the issue was also top notch and hassle free.
The mail goal in this follow up is to reiterate YOU’VE GOT TO INSPECT YOUR GEAR.
Things wear out, even good companies send out lemons, etc. If it’s something you think you could be betting your life on it needs to be checked routinely and consistently. It puts the odds into your favor that things will function as they’re supposed to when you most need them to.
When the D3CR was announced I didn’t think much of it. However later I grew to like the idea of having a few mags, along with the ability to carry a pistol and pistol mags all in one small rig. So I went to order one and found it was out of stock.
Quite a while later they finally got back in stock and I was able to get one.
Initially the mag pouches were very tight. After a little use they have loosened up a bit and have not been an issue. I find USGI mags slip out the best, but it can sometimes be a pain in the ass to get PMags in there. While the rig isn’t slow, it is no where near as fast as something like a set of FastMags. I would not want to use non-AR15 mags in those 4 main pockets.
The two General Purpose pouches are rather small. Putting in a bandage and a tourniquet filled one up completely. They are much smaller then I expected.
Construction appears excellent, well assembled and well thought out.
The Stuff-It pouch is awesome for holding odds and ends. A single Saiga12/Vepr 12 mag, water bottle, Surefire 60 round mag, or SR25 mag all fit in it well and were easy to extract from it. Inserting items was slower as they often caught on the elastic cord that makes up the sides of the pouch.
The pistol mag pouches appear to be designed for a full sized double stack mag. My Glock 30 mags sat low in it and were slower to extract and the 1911 10 round mags high enough that using the retention elastic didn’t seem practical. A magnet in the pouch held a lone single stack 1911 mag in place well and the pouch could fit two single stack 1911 mags in it easily.
I tried carrying a pistol(G19, G26, M1911, and an aluminium trainer as shown above) in a cheap holster in one of the side pockets. I liked the draw and the accessibility of the pistol in that location, however I found that it flopped around too much and got in the way of using a rifle. This set up using that cheap leather holster would not work for me. I do not know if the recommend INCOG holster would make a difference there.
I like and would recommend the D3CR with the caveat that it is not the do every thing rig or the fastest gear available. However if its capabilities fit your needs, it is rather nice and well made.
Getting my hands on the smaller Eotech over the weekend, we thought we would take some pictures to compare them in size. A lot of people ask us about this and we had no chance to do this before now. For those trying to decide which they want, this may help. The Eotech is compact, but still no where near as small trim and light as the T-1. We have often given our opinion on the eotech and how we feel it can not be trusted based on the many, many instances of its failures in front of us or models we owned in the past. But there are always gonna be those who want them because they see SEAL or some such using them. Keep in mind even a lot of guys in SOCOM DO not care and will use what is handed to them. But, the point is, here is a comparison for those who want to see a good side by side. You can do you own research on which one you think will work best for you otherwise. You can find out thoughts and feelings on the trustworthiness of the Eotech in other posts.
Signed into law this week
Senate Bill 100, sponsored by state Senator Sara Beth Gregory (R-16), streamlines the Concealed Deadly Weapons License (CDWL) process by allowing applicants to submit their forms electronically. This applies to both new and renewing applicants. Allowing applicants to submit license information electronically provides them with greater access to the CDWL process.
Senate Bill 125, sponsored by state Senator Dennis Parrett (D-10), allows honorably discharged service members to waive the training requirement for a concealed deadly weapon license with the proper documentation.
Senate Bill 232, sponsored by state Senator Brandon Smith (R-30), requires that a chief law enforcement officer (CLEO) sign an application for the transfer of any item regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA) within fifteen days if the applicant is not prohibited by law from receiving it. By removing any possibility of personal bias and creating a statewide standard, SB 232 protects the rights of law-abiding gun owners across the Bluegrass State.
House Bill 213, sponsored by state Representative Joni Jenkins (D-44), allows corrections officers, current or retired, of urban-county governments or consolidated local governments to use their professional training to satisfy the training requirement in applying for a concealed-carry permit. HB 213, as amended by state Representative Stan Lee (R-45), also allows new residents in Kentucky who have valid concealed carry licenses from other states that have a reciprocal agreement with the Kentucky Department of State Police, to waive the training requirements for Kentucky licenses and to use the out-of-state license in Kentucky for their first 120 days of residence, providing that within sixty days of the resident moving to Kentucky, he or she delivers a form and accompanying documents by registered or certified mail to the Department of Kentucky State Police, evidencing proof of a valid out-of-state license to carry a concealed deadly weapon. This amendment also stipulates that an out-of-state concealed carry license will become invalid in Kentucky upon either the passage of 120 days or issuance to the person a valid Kentucky concealed deadly weapons license.
House Bill 351, sponsored by state Representative Gerald Watkins (D-3), allows an individual who has legally sought a court-issued Emergency Protection Order (EPO) the ability to better defend themselves by expediting the permitting process for a CDWL, after a background check. Senate Bill 106, sponsored by state Senator Jared Carpenter (R-34), was the Senate counterpart to HB 351 and its language and identical intent were included as well
I was helping out on the range when one of the Range Officers asked me to help clear a jammed Tavor. The owner was attempting to use a Surefire 60 round mag and had a brass over bolt malfunction and could not clear it.
What surprised me is when I easily cleared the visible jammed round the action wouldn’t cycle. Turns out there was a second live round jammed up in there. The follow bound in the Surefire 60 round mag allowing multiple rounds up into the action. How they got up and back in the action I don’t know. For any one who reads this who has used a Tavor and Surefire mags, how well has it worked for you?
A friend of mine showed me this broken spring from his Perazzi shotgun.
This spring for the lower barrel of a Perazzi shotgun reached the end of its service life and was replaced. Fortunately this particular shotgun came with two spares of this spring so the owner can keep it ready for competition. It is good to have spare parts for firearms you depend on. Often it is even better to have a complete working spare firearm.
I don’t know who to credit this too, but it is a different take on the matter.
Sometimes you can stumble across a deal that is too good to be true.
For example, not to long ago one dealer was selling used Aimpoints, Eotechs, and ACOGs very cheap. Aimpoints were running about 100-200 dollars including a Wilcox mount($90 MSRP), $300 dollar TA01NSN ACOGs and Eotech 553s.
Needless to say these were all used and abused military equipment. But we don’t know if these were legitimately surplus of if they “fell off the truck”.
There are a few major issues with buying surplus optics. The first is that there is the chance it is stolen. If it is stolen, and there is an investigation, you have have to turn it back over to the government with out compensation.
The second is that if you have an issue with the optic, the manufacturer may not offer warranty or repair it. Companies like Aimpoint, Trijicon, and L3 do not have a way of knowing if an optic was stolen government property or if was properly surplussed out. Because of this, most of the time these companies will not service these optics.
I bring this up because Law-Guns were selling military Eotech 553s. Some people were buying these and sending them in to Eotech to be rebuilt. Finally Eotech said these are government property, and confiscated the ones sent it.
This is a very interesting bit of history I thought would be worth sharing. It is a canteen taken from a fallen Japanese soldier during WW2. My friend’s father in law was a Marine during the war in the 1st Division I believe it was. At any rate. He kept it from the soldier he killed and as the war went in, he carved.scratched/engraved the name and date of every battle and invasion he was in.
You can also see some of the trench art scratched into it by the Japanese soldier. The Japanese flag being on the canteen already was likely the reason the Marine picked this one to keep in the first place.
Some manufacturing marks, or some such. I am not expert on WW2 Japanese canteen markings, so I have no real idea. Fascinating none the less.
And the Marine who brought it back, Earning many medals by the wars end.
Certainly is not something you see often and I would like to personally think my friend for letting me share this unique item with everyone.
I think this sums it up
Originally posted on Sierra Bullets:
Even though Sierra Bullet
s does not make .22 LR ammo or projectiles, we are constantly asked “Why can’t I find any .22 LR ammo anywhere?” Even the conspiracy theorists are at a loss on this one as they can’t even blame it on the government. They toss around thoughts of warehouses full of .22 LR rotting away just to keep it out of their hands, but that does not seem very realistic – even to them.
So what is going on here? Why is it that 1.5 years later, the shelves are still empty and bricks of .22 LR can still be seen selling for upwards of $75-$100 at gun shows? I do not believe there is one answer, but rather a few. Here are my opinions on the matter, for what they are worth.
Hoarders – Some people are…
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