NEW AMERICAN TRUTH: November 2007

What's New

Brigade Quartermaster / 5.11 Tactical Holster Pants

Nothing ever stops evolving. The 511 Tactical Pants, once so well known as “Royal Robbins” have changed in different ways across the past few years. First, the pants are comfortable. Listed in the Brigade Quartermaster catalog as "active canvas with spandex" these pants feel softer and that softer feel equates to greater perceived comfort.

The biggest noticeable difference between the Brigade Quartermaster exclusive 5.11 Tactical Holster Pants is the way the cargo pocket is made on the side. There is still that large cargo pocket with a velcro secured flap. The cargo pockets on these pants are 8" x 8" with a 1" gusset for greater capacity. Depending on your needs you can open the flap on the cargo pocket, tuck it inside the pocket itself and have a soft platform (if you will) to help hold in place and secure a tactical holster platform. The two outer pockets are perfectly sized to hold rifle magazines which means they are plenty big enough to hold pistol magazines, knives, flashlights, etc. While the holster / pants compatibility is shown in these photos with a Safariland platform, the pants will work with any dual strap single hanger holster platform.

In response to comments and requests from contemporary operators, 5.11 Tactical put wallet slots at the top of both hip pockets. While that may not seem like a big deal, I ask: have you ever driven a long distance with your wallet at the bottom of one of those hip pockets? It ends

up perfectly placed to make your leg numb on long drives. By putting in the wallet slots 5.11 Tactical has alleviated that problem.

This second photo shows where the straps go through on the outside of the cargo pocket but under the exterior magazine pockets. This design allows you to use the cargo capacity of those exterior pockets while wearing the holster.

Now, in all fairness and honesty, with the pants on and a holster in place holding my Glock 19 AND rifle magazines in both exterior pockets on that side, I DID run into the magazines with my hand as I gripped my Glock for presentation. Understand what I'm saying here: it feels different. But it in no way interferes with my draw or securing a firm grip on my handgun.

I really liked the fit and comfort of these pants more than the normal 5.11 Tactical pants. The addition of spandex into the material makes them move much easier and there's just enough stretch to reduce resistance when you kneel, go prone, bend or twist. The latest catalog from Brigade Quartermaster has them listed at $49.99 - which is damn reasonable when you consider the price of "regular" 5.11 Tactical Pants.

For more information about these or any other Brigade Quartermaster products, check them out online at www.actiongear.com.

Traditions Black Powder .44 Caliber Revolver Redi-Pak

I’ve always been a fan of westerns set in the mid to late 1800s and have, therefore, seen my share of scenes involving black powder revolvers. When Traditions sent me their .44 Caliber Redi-Pak I had mixed emotions about taking the weapon to the range. I never realized how much fun such a revolver could be. I knew the basic information: there was a projectile (usually lead) that was loaded into the weapon on top of a wad of some time (usually cloth) that was on top of a powder charge that was in front of some type of igniting device usually referred to as a cap.

Thankfully, the Traditions Performance Firearms Blackpowder Revolver Redi-Pak (which is trademarked by the way) had a user manual with it that answered many of the questions and gave all the appropriate warnings. Included in the Redi-Pak are:

- the revolver. This is probably an important thing to have if you're going to shoot.
- Cleaning patches and cleaning solvent. Important to have AFTER you've been shooting. Blackpowder guns don't like to function dirty anymore than your other revolvers or pistols do.
- Ammo: .44 caliber lead balls. I never thought something that looked so rough could fly straight - or some semblance thereof.
- Flask (more on that in a minute)
- Nipple wrench (huh? I had to learn about that one)
- Capper (see note about nipple wrench)
- Cleaning kit
- Wonderlube 1000 plus (no clue until I got into the manual

What I realized, first and foremost as I sat down to learn about the revolver and then again as I sat down to type this, is that you'd BETTER read the directions before trying to shoot this weapon. If you're as clueless as I was you're going to hurt yourself unless you get properly educated before trying to fire a blackpowder weapon. They ARE weapons that fire a potentially lethal projectile after all.

Since the Redi-Pak quite wisely doesn't include blackpowder or caps, you have to acquire those separately. Refer to the manual to learn proper loading sequence, powder charge, etc. Don't be in a hurry. Having someone else who has fired blackpowder weapons before is helpful.

Traditions makes ten different kinds of reproduction black powder weapons. One of them, the LeMat, is really a unique weapon we encourage you to check it out. The manual includes exploded parts diagrams of each weapon as well as information on:
- Safety Precautions & Warnings (read them. As listed above, some of them are unique to black powder weapons)
- Safety Procedures
- Loading
- Handling
- Decocking (uncocking)
- Care and cleaning
- Storage
- Lead Exposure
- State Warnings

For more information about Traditions Performance Firearms, check them out online at www.traditionsmuzzle.com.

SOG Scuba Demo

I received a SOG Knives Scuba Demo Knife in response to a request I put in to them. Why? Because I had read about the knife’s history in Vietnam and I wanted to learn even more about it. Now, the first thing I learned is that “SOG” originally stood for Studies and Observation Group, which was an elite joint services military group designed for covert operations. Sanctioned to develop and purchase their own equipment, the original SOG created a knife for use in one of the harshest environments in the world.

According to the information released by SOG Specialty Knives, only 39 of the original SCUBA/Demo knives were manufactured, and only one is known to still be in existence. 38 of the originals were reportedly delivered to the Naval Advisory Detachment, which were then issued to OPLAN 37 ALPHA in 1964. 36 were lost in operations and two have disappeared. Due to the truly unique nature of this particular knife design, SOG Specialty Knives revived it and sells it today in honor of the original. Let’s take a closer look...

Made of AUS-8 Stainless Steel, with a Rockwell Hardness of 57-58, the full tang blade measures 7.25” and is not quite one-quarter of an inch thick. There is about 1.25” of choil (that unsharpened part of blade directly in front of the hilt), leaving six inches of cutting edge. The spine is serrated and the serrations are sharp... The blade design could be referred to as drop point, but just as accurately referred to as a spear tip. In front of the serrated back edge, there is about an inch of false edge, but the fact that it isn’t sharpened doesn’t affect penetration as far as I could tell. Overall length of the knife is 12.25” which means you get five inches of handle. There is an appreciable full length hilt and hard round butt cap that is useful for hammering. The hilt and buttcap both appear to be made of brass, but I couldn’t confirm that in time for this review. The grip is made from leather washers - and that means that although this knife has “scuba” in its name, you shouldn’t really use it for scuba diving. Eventually the saturation will ruin the grip.

The knife is delivered with a leather sheath, a small sharpening stone (1”x3”) and a leather thong that can be used as a lanyard for the knife, or a tie-down for the sheath. The leather sheath fits the blade tight, and the additional security of a thumb-snap strap is present. There is an appropriately sized pocket on the face of the sheath for carrying the sharpening stone. The sheath is both stitched and riveted though there is no rivet at the bottom tip. Then again, given the presence of the other rivets, there’s no way you can push the knife that far down. The knife weighs 13 ounces - a little more than 3/4 pound.

This is an exceptional blade given that it’s a reproduction of a 30+ year old design. I am happy to be adding it to my collection and promise not to abuse it this way again. In the future, should SOG decide to make a contemporary version of it - with G10 grips (or something similar) and a kydex (or something similar) sheath, I’ll be writing a check for one pretty quick. I consider the knife perfect in size; with an exceptionally designed blade and two excellent cutting edges. The buttcap is good for hammering, but I hate to do that to brass; perhaps titanium? If it ever happens, I’ll be sure to let you know!!