Ripple Sole on the right, standard tread on the left. The Ripple Sole boots were clean before wearing them for one day.
Part of the claim of them is that they will put a spring in your step. I dunno about that, but they do seem to reduce fatigue for me.
But. . . and there always is a downside.. . . they accumulate crap in those grooves. In the military, when I wore them, we always got into mud, and my boots would hold what felt like an extra 20 pounds of mud on them. Just walking around one day with them on I find the grooves packed with crud. Now, there is a simple and super effective way to get all that gunk out. Just walk on the carpet in your house. It will all transfer to the carpet.
These soles can give you extra traction, but only in one direction. Not much help when you are walking down hill. I found out yesterday that they provide very little traction on a wet tile floor. I was sliding around like I was on ice skates. Pure luck I didn’t fall.
Compared to standard treads, these can sometimes make significantly more noise.
I was tempted to start this post with “I hate them and you should hate them too.” But I don’t really hate them, I just find that every time I wear a pair the cons out weigh the pros.
I was just reading this morning about the new “squad common optic” the USMC is buying to replace the old reliable stand by RCO ( also known as the ACOG) for use on rifles and carbines.
Fielding to Fleet Marine Forces will begin in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 and will be completed by fiscal year 2023.
“The Squad Common Optic provides greater lethality compared to the existing system, the Rifle Combat Optic,” said Lt. Col. Tim Hough, MCSC’s Program Manager for Infantry Weapons.
The SCO is a magnified day optic that improves target acquisition and probability-of-hit with infantry assault rifles. The system comprises a noncaliber-specific reticle and incorporates an illuminated or nonilluminated aim-point. Because the optic is variable in power, Marines can identify their targets from farther distances than the RCO.
“The SCO supplements the attrition and replacement of the RCO Family of Optics and the Squad Day Optic for the M27, M4 and M4A1 weapon platforms for close-combat Marines,” said Tom Dever, interim team lead for Combat Optics at MCSC.“
Above from Matt Gonzales, MCSC Office of Public Affairs and Communication
So what are we to make of this bit from the USMC Press & Propaganda office?
The Marines are going to get a variable power optics to replace the ACOG. They see this as a more flexible optic solution for the boys to have on their carbines. I wonder how useful it will really be for the average user. I would bet the optic gets set at either its lowest or highest magnification setting and rarely zoomed in and out. The ” noncaliber-specific reticle ” is also something I wonder about. Have they come up with a version that kinda works with several proposed rounds? The Vietnamese have a saying, a man with 10 thousand talents eats nothing for dinner. I think a reticle with a BDC would have been a smart move. Its easy for even the most blase rifleman to use.
I guess we will see. The variable low powered optic has become the new belle of AR15 users who want optics over the last few years. It was inevitable that it made its way to infantry rifleman.
At The Front ‘s owner started teasing these and showing pictures in their weekly emails. The owner made one for himself and then asked regular customers if they would buy one if they made them and sold them on the website ( www.atthefront.com). Looks like enough people were interested.
At The Front’s Mobile phone pouches are made from WWII US fabric. They’re a bit of a cross between an M1 carbine and .45 mag pouch. They will accept up to iPhone plus and Samsung note 10’s. The pouch is worn by passing a belt through the sleeve on the back. Made in USA. $39.99. Made in the USA in good old Kentucky, AKA God’s State.
On January 17, 2017 Sig-Sauer was declared the winner
of the Army Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition. Sig-Sauer’s P320 based
M17 / M18 design beat out designs from Beretta, FN, Glock, CZ and Smith & Wesson
to name a few.
In addition to fielding new pistols, the Army is
fielding an entire ‘system’ of accessories that include a holster kit
manufactured by Safariland and a new family of ammunition consisting of five
different rounds. The ammunition in the program is the M1152 full metal jacket
(FMJ), M1153 Special Purpose, M1156 Dummy, a Drill round and an inert round.
The Army also wanted a Pistol Aiming Laser (PAiL) for the warfighter that would
provide the soldier with a white light, infrared light (IR) and an IR aiming
laser.
On September 5, 2018, the Product Manager, Soldier
Precision Targeting Devices (PdM SPTD), located at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia
published a Request For Information (RFI) for Competitive Procurement. The RFI
requested data from potential sources for a Pistol Aiming Laser (PAiL) with
Laser/white light Illuminator, that meets performance requirements set forth in
the Modular Handgun System Capabilities Production Document Addendum for the
Pistol Aiming Laser Module.
To find the soldier a light with the desired capabilities, the Army conducted an evaluation between the LaserMaxDefense (LMD) Pistol Enhancer (LMD-PE-IR-1) and the Streamlight TLR-VIR-II weapon light. Evaluation of the offerings by LMD and Streamlight took place in the summer of 2018.
LaserMaxDefense Pistol Enhancer LMD-PE-IR-1
Streamlight
TLR-VIR-II
There has been some discussion on the internet as to why the DoD didn’t select an existing, proven weapon light like the Surefire X300 or X400. These two lights were disqualified from consideration for the PAiL requirement because one of the design requirements in the DoD industry solicitation was for the pistol aiming lights submitted for evaluation to not extend past the muzzle of the M17/M18 pistol. Here are a few photos that I took to demonstrate the differences in light profiles.
On January 17, 2019 LaserMaxDefense (LMD) announced that they were awarded an initial contract from the U.S. Army for 20,000 Pistol Enhancers. The PAiL is being fielded in a kit that consists of the M17 pistol, a Pistol Enhancer and a specially designed holster from Safariland shown in the following photo.
Photo
courtesy of Soldier Systems Daily
A U.S. Army Infantry company was authorized nine M9
Beretta pistols. Under the Modular Handgun System fielding plan, Army pistol
authorizations increased to 46 pistols in the an Infantry company. Pistols are
being assigned to soldiers in leadership positions from the Team Leader level
up to the Commander and First Sergeant. Each pistol issued in an Infantry
company will be issued with a PAiL and holster.
Some of the more notable features of the LMD Pistol
Enhancer are:
* Battery
compartment is on the bottom of the light body. This enables the battery to be
changed without removal from the pistol. This ensures retention of laser zero.
* The laser is located inline with bore of the pistol
increasing accuracy once zeroed.
* The windage and elevation can be adjusted with a slotted screwdriver or multi-tool.
The multi-position switch on the left side of the PAiL
has the following functions:
White
dot- White light
Red dot-
Off
Green
dot- IR light and IR laser
The black button at the rear/top of the PAiL body on
the left and right side is the main on/off switch for the unit. It is easily
manipulated from each side with the index finger.
One item that seems to be complained about by soldiers
using the PAiL is that the IR aiming laser is on anytime that the IR light is
on. The IR laser/light cannot function separately from each other.
The LaserMaxDefense Pistol Enhancer comes in a small, sturdy cardboard box. Inside the box is a pink bubble-wrap envelope that contains the Pistol Enhancer, a clear ziploc bag with one CR123 battery and one Pistol Enhancer booklet.
The U.S. Army does not have a separate Technical Manual (TM) at this time and the LMD booklet fills the role of TM at this time. Here are some excerpts from the booklet.
Overall, The LaserMaxDefense (LMD) Pistol Ehancer/PAiL brings a compact improvement in functionality to the M17/M18 pistol as part of the MHS fielding program. The integration of the aiming laser into the light unit could translate to faster target acquisition and increased lethality once the PAiL sees use in a combat environment.
The features of the Pistol Enhancer/PAiL are:
WHITE LIGHT
175 lumens (typical) of white light
IR ILLUMINATOR
175 mW (typical) of 850nm illumination
IR LASER
850nm 0.7 mW max (class1) eye safe aiming laser
Length:
< 2.8″
Height:
< 1.4″ (not below trigger guard)
Width:
< 1.5″
Weight:
2.6 ounces with battery
Housing Material:
Glass filled nylon can be in black, desert tan, or FDE
Switching:
3 position rotary switch
Activation:
Tactile feel button located on both sides of the unit for easy
location in the dark. Single tap on single tap off + Momentary.
Power:
Single CR123 reduces previous battery requirement by 50%
Battery life:
2 hours continuous in any mode
Bore sight retention:
within 4 inches at 50 yards
Operating range:
-10° to 50° Celsius
Immersion:
1 Meter for 30 Minutes
Warranty:
1 year
Price:
$349 per unit
Currently the LMD Pistol Enhancer is only available to
the U.S. Department of Defense, government agencies, law enforcement agencies.
Personnel that work for a DoD, government or LE agency can also purchase the
units by contacting LaserMaxDefense from a DoD/government/agency email account.
There is some discussion of a revised PAiL for the
civilian market. I think a version with a visible laser in place of the IR
laser would be a popular accessory purchase by people who have had the
opportunity to purchase one of the Sig-Sauer M17 Surplus pistols that came onto
the civilian firearms market in 2019. I have used my personally purchased LMD
Pistol Enhancer and Sig-Sauer M17 Surplus pistol in the photos in this article.
For owners of the Sig-Sauer M17 Surplus pistol, there
is Facebook group dedicated to these pistols and accessories at:
