Many of you, no doubt, are interested in protecting your family so you have made the decision to become proficient with your handgun.  If you practice this lifestyle let me tell you what I think is the foundation of any system you employ while out on the street.

You might think it is a particular firearm.  We assume you have chosen a quality firearm of your preference.  If you like it, and it works for you then you already have that covered.

You might think of it as the holster you choose.  Many of our readers ask what we like to use.  The truth of it is, we use quality kydex and leather from a variety of makers whenever they suit our purposes.

The foundation of any carry system is your belt.  It makes no difference if you have the fastest draw in Tombstone, and you firearm is the best.  A belt holds it all together.

It’s often funny to me that we spend upwards of $500 on a firearm, but go to Walmart for our belts.  If you are carrying off duty or as a citizen, a belt keeps the foundation stable.  The last thing you want as an off duty cop is for the bad guys to see you printing through a jacket.  A flimsy belt will not allow your holster to keep the firearm close to your body. Gun belts are sturdy and made specifically for the task.

Take some time to look over the following links of belt manufacturers.  You will find many styles and price points.  Even the cheapest gun belt is better than any belt you will get at the mall.

Bianchi

Galco

Milt Sparks

Wild Bill’s

Many of you are familiar with IDPA, but for those of you who are not it is the International Defensive Pistol Association.  Shooters must shoot basically factory guns that can only be modified lightly.  Magazines are loaded to 10 rounds maximum and you shoot with a concealment garment.  In short, it is about as fun as gets.  Being in Nashville, we have the luxury of shooting IDPA almost every week at a different match.  If you are looking for a Nashville match, check out the Music City Tactical Shooters.  These are great guys who run solid matches.

One of the great questions that exists is whether or not IDPA is simply a game or whether is actually good for training.  I think the answer is actually YES!

IDPA is a game.  There are rules, points, and timers.  You are shooting made up courses of fire that may or may not ever happen.  You are competing against a clock and your fellow competitors.  If you don’t think so go watch the bantering that takes place between friends at these matches.

No doubt some of the rules are argued about in the “tactical” community.  A word about such community is in order.  Just because you read it in an internet forum doesn’t make it true or tactical.  There are plenty of places to get tactical advice, but keyboard commandos are not who you want to listen to.  Get some training.  But I digress.

The rules can be argued about, but they work for the game, while being generally sound practice for your private world.  Remember that at the end of the day you are participating in a competition.

However, IDPA does give you some training.  It teaches you to shoot faster and more accurately.  You must remember stage protocol, reloading your firearm different ways, shooting from cover, and it gives you a little pressure.  Nothing like having 40 of your new best friends watching you flub a stage.

I encourage all you to check out some form of competition in the next few months.  You will discover quickly that it will be a wonderful learning experience.  Check the rigs people are using.  Check out their shooting styles and learn as much as possible.  Above all, have a great time enjoying your sport while getting better.

One of my friends was kind enough to let me check out his new MTAC holster made by Minotaur, distributed through Comp-Tac.  The MTAC is an IWB holster that a hybrid of leather and Kydex.  This sets it apart from most other IWB holsters that are made from either one the other of the two materials.

IWB is the single most concealed option if you want to take advantage of your belt in your CCW system.  Many attribute the IWB to the famous holster maker Milt Sparks whose Summer Special is a classic.  The obvious benefits are the concealability and the fact that it is the easiest way to carry a full size firearm.  The downside is that the holsters are generally hard to use when reholstering your firearm, and for many people it is just plain uncomfortable.  If you are into wearing those skinny jeans that are fashionable today (I assume if you are reading this, you probably don’t) give up now.  It will never work.

I have carried a Colt Commander IWB for many years off duty.  I love the 1911 platform, but I found that traditional holsters didn’t seem to work well enough for me.  IWB allowed me to carry the firearm securely and discreetly, but  I have never tried to carry my Glocks IWB because they seemed too bulky.

The MTAC changes all of that.  The hybrid combination makes it great.  The Kydex allows the gun to snap into place securely, and it allows for easy reholstering.  No worries about the mouth of  the holster closing up under the pressure of your belt.  Reholstering was simple and fast.  The leather backing on the holster makes it extremely comfortable against your body.  To be honest, I was simply amazed at how comfortable it was.  The holster was canted forward similar to the FBI cant which made it perfect all day where.  The butt of the gun doesn’t want to fall away from your body which tended to happen a lot with my IWB holster and the Commander.

How comfortable is this holster?  Recently my friend actually had to stop driving to check if he still had his firearm.  The holster had done its job.

Spring has arrived in Nashville after a long winter that seemed like it didn’t want to end.  We have seen those wonderful days that start to call for a short sleeved shirt.  My regular attire for the rest of the summer will include some sort of Polo shirt so I thought I would give you my thoughts on Tactical Polos that are available today.  We requested shirts from 5.11, Woolrich Elite, Blackhawk! and Eotac.  We received shirts from everyone except Eotac.

It may appear at first glance that all Tactical Polos are generally the same.  This is true in a sense, but there are some subtle differences.  When requested a shirt from 5.11 they were in the process of changing there tactical line, so they asked us to review there Professional Polo.  Woolrich and Blackhawk! both sent tactical Polos. The shirts were tested over the last 3 months in several climates.  They were worn casually, at the range and during instructor classes.  They were all washed and dried repeatedly.

Since the 5.11 shirt is a little different it gets to go first.  I have used 5.11 stuff as a citizen and as a LEO.  In fact my introduction to tactical gear came through 5.11.  Their gear is solid and they have more selections than you could possibly wear in a lifetime.  The Professional Polo is a softer look than their Tactical Polo.  It still has the pen pockets on the sleeve, but the mic loop on the front of the shirt is missing.  It feels softer, but that is based only on perception because they don’t list the weight of the fabric on their website.  I will say it is the softest wearing shirt that we reviewed.

The test shirt came to us in black.  This is always a tricky thing for manufacturers because most of the time the shirts end up looking washed out very quickly.  There is nothing like wearing a faded shirt!  However, 5.11 says the shirts won’t fade or shrink, and our experience confirmed that.  After about 10 cycles the shirt still looks just as good as it did when we received it.

One final feature that 5.11 incorporates are flexible collar stays.  If you haven’t worn a suit to church or work lately, it is likely that you haven’t thought about collar stays lately.  Most shirts don’t have them, and I have never seen them in a Polo.  Their purpose is to keep the collar pointing down instead of rolling up. The 5.11 collar was actually my favorite of all the test shirts.

Who should buy this shirt? Anyone who works in an environment where a Polo is acceptable.  They look great and feel great.  I would also recommend this shirt as a lighter duty shirt.  If you are looking for a shirt for some of the guys who don’t work the street everyday, this shirt is fantastic.  I have no reason to think it wouldn’t hold up to extreme duty except that 5.11 offers a true Tactical Polo that is better suited for this purpose.

Many of our regular readers know that we have been reviewing some products for Woolrich over the last year.  We tested their Tactical Polo in the long and short sleeved versions. We received navy blue shirts that have done great through hard wear at the range and in casual situations alike.  Woolrich has the standard pen pockets that all of the shirts have on the sleeve, but they also have included a pocket with a zipper for the left sleeve.  This pocket can hold lots of things that you might want to keep handy like i.d., a small cell phone, or even an MP-3 player or I-pod.  Obviously you may not want your guys listening to I-pods in their shirts, but they can.

The Woolrich shirts have not faded over the last three months which is remarkable.  If you purchased a regular polo from a department store, it would wash out too quickly.  These shirts are made from a 8.5 oz material which is extremely durable.  They represent a great value for the longevity of the shirt.

Who should buy this? Anyone who will need a Polo for outdoor work, even if it is not directly related to Law Enforcement or tactical situations.  This shirt would be great for people who want a classic look in a durable work shirt.

The Blackhawk! shirt we received was our first experience with any of their apparel line, and I have to say that I was impressed.  The Blackhawk! shirt is not a blended shirt.  It is 100% cotton pique shirt that is advertised as a great class B uniform shirt.

This shirt came in gray so I can’t speak about fading as much as the others, but it held up great through the last 10 washings it received.  The shirt has a very interesting collar that is ribbed, with some type of insert to help it maintain its shape.  Of all the collars, this one is the biggest, and probably my least favorite of the three.

One feature that is missing from the other shirts are hidden buttons.  The Blackhawk! shirt has a hidden button placket.  This gives the shirt a very clean appearance.

Like the Woolrich shirt, this shirt also has a pocket on the left arm that they describe as a media pocket.  It also functions as the pen pocket.  Where as the Woolrich shirt has a zipper, this shirt uses a hidden button to keep valuables from falling out.  The shirt also features a button hole for routing a cord underneath the collar of the shirt.

Who should buy this shirt? Anyone looking for a tough shirt that can serve outside in conditions that will tear a part a regular polo.  It would make a great LEO shirt for class B uniforms.  Blackhawk! doesn’t list the weight of the shirt, but it feels like the heaviest of the ones we tried.  It is definitely a thick shirt.

All of these shirts sell for around $35-$40 so there isn’t a real price advantage for any brand.  The main thing to remember is that they are offering a quality Polo that holds up.  Don’t waste your time on a cheap mail order shirt.  All of these Polos can take the abuse of an outside environment, and they will look great after many washes.

**Special thanks to Blackhawk!, 5.11, and Woolrich Elite for providing shirts for this article.

A friend of mine came by the other night to pick up a really cool gun that he had ordered, and he dropped me a surprise; The Art of the Dynamic Handgun, by Magpul Industries.  It’s a 4 DVD set that follows Travis Haley and Chris Costa as they teach the Handgun Course to a group of shooters.

The first thing that I want to say about these DVDs is that they are some of the best produced gun DVDs I have ever seen.  Most gun DVDs look like they were shot at a range with a handycam.  You just don’t get what you pay for in many cases.  These were done first rate with great editing.  You definitely won’t get bored watching these, and for $50, they are a solid value.

The Dynamic Handgun shows civilians, military and law enforcement how to properly deploy a handgun in many situations you are likely to see on the street.  They cover basics and advanced shooting positions that you should practice but normally don’t.   The one thing I came away with is that my training has been far too soft lately.   It is too easy to go shoot a few mags at the range and never get dirty or tired.  This obviously leads to a plateau of skills that are rusting away.

Interestingly enough for all you Fist-Fire fans, the shooting position looks familiar.

If you want to see a preview, check out their stuff on You Tube.

NY Daily News Photo

Trijicon has been a household name for many of you for a long time.  I have used their stuff for years, and until this week I was unaware they added a Bible Verse inscription to their scopes.  It has generated a lot of heat.  One commentator called it proselytizing.  I certainly think they are within their rights to do so, because they are a private company.  I guess more than anything this story cracks me up because it really doesn’t seem like it should be news.  They are great scopes, and you don’t have to buy from them if you don’t like their views.  There are plenty of companies I choose not to buy from because of their views, political and moral.

Here is the NY Daily News story and a picture they ran with it. By the way, John 8:12 says, “. . . I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” NIV

One of the things that comes up from time to time is the usefulness of lanyards for pistols.  Some of the 1911’s offered today by custom makers are offering the lanyard loop again on the mainspring housing.  This leads us to ask, “Is this practical or simply tacticool?”

This is a tricky one, because there is no hard and fast rule to help you decide.  If you want a lanyard loop on your gun, so you can say you have one, it is probably not a good idea.  If you want a lanyard loop to hang your lucky charm on it, again, not a good idea.  If you want people to think you were part of the MEUSOC, not cool.

However, there are several people who can benefit from them.  Obviously active duty military and Law Enforcement could benefit from the weapon retention.  Hunters who are carrying a sidearm for backup.  We recently completed a lanyard loop install for a Glock Pistol that didn’t have one.  The customer is a kayaker who wants to make sure the fish don’t get to enjoy his pistol.

In certain situations lanyards can be a lifesaver or a matter of protecting your investment.  Other times, they simply make you a wannabe.  You have to decide.

SOB can mean something that isn’t polite to say, but in the world of CCW it means Small OF Back.  I recently carried an SP101 this way.  It is one of the best ways to conceal no matter what your attire is for the day.

SOB carry can be done with an expensive holster from Galco or other makers, but you just as easily carry with a very inexpensive Inside the Waist Band holster from Unlce Mikes.  These neoprene type holsters can be found all over the place in the $10-$15 range.  They offer a great platform for this type of carry.

One thing to remember; when you buy for SOB using and IWB holster, make sure you buy it for the opposite of your dominate hand.  A right-handed person needs a left-handed IWB holster for SOB carry.  This puts the butt of pistol pointing to the right, allowing for a very easy draw.

It takes a little getting use to, especially when sitting, but it is actually quite comfortable and very concealable.  The only disadvantage that I see to this type of carry is the small loss of draw speed when compared to strong side hip carry.  However, with a little practice you can become very quick and make up some of that time.

It was bound to happen.  Trade your clunker fleece for a cool one.  For a limited time, Blackhawk! is allowing you to trade in your old fleece to get 50% off on a new fleece.  You can trade as many as you want, and they will even reimburse the shipping back to you.  It is definitely worth checking out if you have some old, ratty fleece lying around.  Just in time for Christmas.

One of the debated questions today concerns how much spare ammo you should carry.  Police often carry 2 spare magazines bringing their ammo to around 45 or 46 rounds.  Obviously most people in Law Enforcement will never have to use their pistol in the line of duty, much less discharge anywhere near that kind of round count.  So if most encounters only require a few rounds, why bother withe the extra hassle?

If you carry an autoloading pistol, you need to carry a spare magazine.  The main reason is that the magazine is the weak link in the pistol’s system.  The majority of feeding problems can be traced to magazine malfunctions.  If you are in a tight spot when your gun jams, you will better off if you have a spare mag handy so that you can jettison the mag in the gun and clear the malfunction, inserting a fresh magazine into the gun.

Another tactical reason is that it balances the weight on your belt somewhat.  I know this is lame, but I figured some of you won’t take to heart the real reason, so something to do with fashion might influence you.