Alien Gear Rolls Out New Cloak Mod OWB Paddle Holster
The GunLink team has been enjoying Alien Gear’s holsters since we bought our first one shortly after they went on sale and have been wearing them almost exclusively as our primary holsters. Colder winter months, however, as well as different kinds of dress and situations occasionally alter my carry methods from my favorite old Cloak Tuck 1.0 IWB to an OWB holster. While I don’t prefer it in a lot of situations, especially in the hot shorts-and-tshirt months, I do like the convenience and ease of access (and not having to wear over-sized pants) afforded by OWB carry. That is why I was excited to see the latest new product coming out of the Alien Gear workshop at January’s SHOT Show: a new modular OWB paddle holster.
This cool, versatile holster has now moved from vaporware to CCW-wear with the official roll-out of the new holster. I look forward to getting one to try out for myself. The official announcement of the new model is below. Continue reading
Matt “Axe” Axelson Tribute Rifle to be Raffled to Benefit Special Operations Wounded Warriors
Brownells, SOWW Partner to Raffle Axelson Tactical Rifle
We consider it an honor to have sat before the likes of true American heroes such as Marcus Luttrell and Ron Bellan and to hear the heartfelt words of Matt “Axe” Axelson’s family during SHOT Show 2016 as they came together with Brownells to announce the raffle of a rifle package to benefit Special Operations Wounded Warriors (SOWW).
The package includes the Axelson Tactical Rifle – one of only 99 built – serial numbered AXE01. The rifle is a semi-auto replica of the one that Matt was carrying on June 28, 2005, when he and nine other US Navy SEALs and eight Army Aviation Soldiers were killed in combat in support of Operation Red Wings – the events of which were depicted in the book and film Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. Continue reading
SHhhhhhhOT Show 2016 – The Silencers of SHOT Show
The popularity of gun mufflers has exploded over the past few years thanks, in part, to efforts by manufacturer conglomerates, silencer demos and events, social media hash-tags that bring awareness (#SilencersAreLegal, #FightTheNoise), and the relative ease of procuring them – despite the blatantly unconstitutional restrictions placed on them by laws and BATFE rulings. There is even legislative action to make them even easier to procure – requiring only a 4473 instead of the tedious NFA paperwork and wait time (contact your reps!).
As such, it is no surprise that recent years at SHOT Show have seen an increase in suppressors in display, and the 2016 show was no exception. Continue reading
The New Tactical Optics of SHOT Show 2016
New Optics from Aimpoint, EOTech, and Vortex
There were several new tactical scopes on display at SHOT Show 2016, with three standout companies behind them.
Vortex’s US-made precision, red dot, and prismatic scopes
For precision shooters, Vortex was showing off their Razor HD AMG scopes. The Razor is a US-made first focal plane (FFP) scope that features apochromatic objective lenses, so the colors you see through the scope will remain true and the glass-etched reticle – available in MOA or MRAD versions- will remain in proportion to the target across the entire, substantial 6-24x zoom range. The constant reticle proportions and large, easy-to-use adjustment turrets will make this scope easy to use across a range of changing shooting conditions. All this comes with a price tag of around $3400.
Vortex also had a pair of tactical 1x scopes more suited for CQB, quick shots, and closer target shooting. Up first is the SPARC AR – an unmagnified AR-ready red dot. The new SPARC has a 2 MOA dot with 1 MOA adjustments and rear-facing digital brightness adjustments. It also includes an auto-off feature that shuts the unit down after 12 hours to save your battery – so no having a battle-ready rifle in your safe that is always-on and ready to grab and go. More good news: that battery is a standard AAA battery that is easy to find and easy on the wallet. That battery will net you anywhere between 300 and 5000 hours of run time, depending on which of the 10 brightness levels you choose. Continue reading
Girls with Guns Unveils New Hunting Gear at SHOT
Chances are if you are a female interested in the outdoors, hunting, or shooting, you have heard of Girls With Guns (GWG). GWG started in 2008 with apparel designed to be fashionable while still allowing a young woman to wear camouflage to the store. From humble beginnings in a garage, GWG started out designing and embroidering their own hats and now their items can be found in national chains such as Cabela’s and Dick’s.
Norissa Harman and Jen Adams are two friends who are young, fashionable, and avid hunters. They grew tired of having to wear small men’s, and probably large boy’s, clothing while hunting. When you are out in the field hunting, ill-fitting clothes can cause many problems, such as exposed skin, being noisy, and restricted movement. They eventually expanded their clothing line to include hunting clothes, designed by women for women. Continue reading
2016 SHOT Show Garners Rave Reviews
The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade ShowSM (SHOT Show®) rang up its second highest attendance total ever, attracting more than 64,000 industry professionals during a four-day run. Held at the Sands Expo Center Jan. 19-22, the SHOT Show also attracted a record number of buyers, sending a strong signal about the health of the firearms industry.
“We are ecstatic at the response to this year’s show,” said Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “And we’re optimistic for a year of strong sales, shooter participation, business-to-consumer outreach efforts, safety education and technological innovation.”
This year’s SHOT Show offered several new features that were well-received. These included SHOT Show TV, which aired in more than 70,000 hotel rooms across the city, a new NSSF Members Reception and the SHOT Show NEXT Pavilion.
“It takes an in-depth knowledge of what our industry wants and where it wants to go to pull off a show of this size and have the vast majority of those attending state, unequivocally, that this is the best show they’ve attended in years,” said Dolnack. “That kind of positive response is the result of working hard to add value to the customer experience through new, innovative features.” Continue reading
