YOU GOT SOME GATOR

GATOR CAM PAINT HOW TO - just had someone ask about the custom paint on the Flat Top Mossberg Tactical 22Lr. We've always known it as GATOR and it's very simple to achieve. You will need the following: 

1. The object you want to paint; 2. 3 to 4 spray cans of paint (I use KRYLON FUSION as it holds up better than most of its competition and after 7 days offers a better chip resistant finish);
3. An old mesh laundry bag (likely to find at a surplus shop or CANX/PX); and 
4. Make sure you have a dedicated place with good ventilation cause the fumes are wicked.

I start with a base coat of my primary colour (TAN). I do two coats and let it dry between each coat.

I cut the mesh laundry bag down both sides so it can be laid flat over the surface of what ever I'm painting. If the mesh isn't touching a dry surface you won't get the effect you're looking for.

With all my parts (disassembled) laid out, the base coats dry, and the mesh covering the parts I start with a second colour (BROWN) and do large strips, then I use my third colour (GREEN) and do the same thing ensuring I leave areas of the base coat visible.

Once the pint is dry I remove the mesh and using the colour from the base coat (TAN) I hold it about 2 to 3 feet away and fleck the parts lightly which down plays the darker colours and almost seems to blend or fade the colours together.

I don't like to use black personally as it's not a colour found in most natural environments and any shadows cast on the surface of the GATOR CAM will do the job nicely.

Now this can be done with any assortment of colours and looks pretty slick. If you're going to use a colour like "PINK" you'll need to use a primer. I would also suggest that if you are intent on doing it that way, base coat with a white or light grey and use a colour like "PINK" as your final coat to make it pop. I did this on a RUGER 10/22 for a friends little girl and she loved it. I've also finished a shotgun for a buddy using white, yellow, black, and hunter orange.

It takes about an hour to do if you rush it, or you can do your base coat and leave it over night for better results.

TACTICALLY PINK

This ones for a friend down south. There has been an increase of women interested in practical shooting and of course our sisters who serve side by side with us. As a result of this and a drive by the shooting industry to increase the number of female shooters there has been an increase of stores and manufactures designing gear just for women. I'm not talking about simple industry things like pants and shirts either. Now the most visual has been the amount of PINK Gear flooding the shops and sites. Some of the bigger names are MAGPUL with a full pink line of furniture for her carbine, Remington and Mossberg who have put pink mossy oak on their rifles and shotguns. Or John and the guys at Original SOE Gear who have been using pink thread and materials to make some of the toughest girly gear on the market (not a joke). The one I'm interested in today is a Toronto Area Manufacture and retailer, Kim Page and her baby "PACKING IN PINK" (PIP) who based her business on the premiss “just because I shoot like a man doesn’t mean I have to look like one.” PIP has one of the largest assortments of pink shooter (and I mean shooter) gear and it's not the cheap crap we've seen popping up over the last couple years. PIP has recently started a contract with BLADE-TECH to produce Holsters and Mag Pouches, on top of providing the assortment of women's apparel and safety equipment for the ranges.  I truly applaud Kim and PIP for is their dedication to education and safety as well as continuing the up swing in female shooters. I recently purchased some of the PIP gear for my wife and was taken back by the high quality I saw and the thought put into the pink. So with all this said, I give it about a year before we start seeing completely pink designer rigs and pouches on the ranges to go with the growing number of hello kitty rifles (again not joking).  And you know what, I look forward to it, I would like to see more women educating each other and at the range shooting and I don't care what colour they wear. Wouldn't you?

PLAYING WITH KYPTONYTE

LASERLYTE RML K-15 KRYPTONYTE -  This little laser site comes in black or tan and mounts easily to anything with a rail. It offers travers and elevation dials to setup your site alignment which takes about 5 min right out of the box if your sites are on. The green kryptonyte laser it produces is amazingly brilliant and easy to see and the addition of the temporary on pressure switch is nice allowing you to use when you need it and not as a constant here I am beckon. The down side to this as with all weapons electronics is battery life being short. The K-15 uses CR123/SureFire batteries and chews through them relatively fast. That said it only takes one at a time and has a watertight compartment. The K-15 can be submersed for limited amounts of time as we found out the hard way and works just as well in the rain. For the price you get a decent piece of kit. Compared to the cost for other similar systems it's a good place to start but make no mistake it's not a military grade site.

CONSTRUCTION 7/10 - The K-15 is made of quality materials and despite its size doesn't have that cheap crappy feel.  It can take more then a few good smacks against random door frames and car doors and other objects that seem to be part of the daily grind.  Surprisingly it can be submersed for a limited amount of time and still works great.  If there is any complaint it's the batter life and the temp on switch which will require replacement after consistent use so you mite want to get a back up.

DESIGN 3/10 - nothing special about the design, it's a compact laser weapons site.

DURABILITY 6/10 - It has held up despite being bashed against everything have come in contact with over the last 6 months.

OVER ALL IMPRESSION 6/10 - The cost in regard to results makes this a nice little piece of kit for any active shooter.  It is highly visible even over distances better then 300 meters. It is compact which means you don't have to remove it from your weapon system when you store it.  Over all it's a laser site and it works.

ROCKY S2V Boots

One of the most commonly discussed things by most Troops or LEO's is footwear. You can go out for a smoke, or be in the canteen and hear guys debating why the boots they have, are the best thing going. After ten years of wearing everything from the issued Black Cadillac's, Magnum Stealths Gen 1 and Gen 2, Custom Danner's, Original SWAT, Bates and even Oakley's until they self destructed due to the Carnage of a fall training EX, I have finally found something truly amazing thanks to a friend.

ROCKY S2V. I've been wearing them for about year now to do everything from stand in front of classes instructing to patrolling in the waist deep swamp during late November. The first thing I noticed about the S2V was the aggressive vibram tread that rides up the side of the boot and the thick leather used on the different versions of the S2V. I originally figured they would be a light boot, something like the Original SWAT's I had. But oh no, these puppies are relatively heavy due of the materials used to ensure the S2V outlasts whatever you are doing with them.

The next thing I noticed was the instep is covered with this dimpled material which is to prevent the boot from wearing out if you happen to be doing any Fast Roping (comes without as well) and to actually help keep from burning up your arches.

What you can't see from the outside, is the insoles. One of the most amazing things ROCKY has done is stuffed in a sole that is thick and offers lots of cushion which helps ease the shock on the legs and knees. In conjunction, there are small cut outs on the bottom of the soles that work with venting located on the heel and toe of the S2V boot to help force water out. Trust me, I've put this to the test and it really helps. I made the mistake of not packing a second set of boots this November and spent the rest of the week with damp boots. Normally this would cause trench foot, but by simply rotating through clean socks, I was able to work through it and come out the other side with healthy, happy feet.

Now for the down side. There are only a few things to mention that even remotely come close to negative points. The venting in the S2V boots does allow strong winds to enter the boots, however, for the most part I've worn them in a Canadian winter and my feet were fine as far as cold. Second down is the steep price of about $200.00 to $280.00 CAN per set which is something most guys hate about the boots and just end up buying a $100.00 set of something else. I have two sets myself, and despite the price, I would recommend these to anyone who needs a rugged Mil Spec Tactical Boot. Last but not least is the three days it takes to break them in. The S2V's are made of thick tough materials and as a result can chew your ankles up a bit until they are broken in but it only takes a few days and the boot bites are gone after a week.

The ROCKY S2V (which stands for Stealth and Silence = Victory) are one of the most complete Tac Boots out today in my humble opinion. The best description I've heard to date is "Boots like those from Original SWAT are designed for LEO's who need to run guys down, the S2V is designed to kick the door in and boot stomp them instead of chasing them."

This is one of those "Spend the Money" pieces of kit that you can't go without. Given the choice, I would rather have one set of these then multiples of anything else.

Construction: 10/10 - Extremely well built and constructed.

Design: 10/10 – Thought that went into the S2V is apparent.

Durability: 10/10 – Longest lasting boot I've ever seen.

Over all impression: 10/10 – If your feet could be wrapped in love these are it.