I recently received several products from Wild Things Tactical (wildthingsgear.com) to review out of their Soft Shell line of clothing. Before receiving the samples, I had only heard of Wild Things from my outdoor adventure experience. I was unaware that they have been providing tactical clothing built to customer spec for many years.

After wearing the samples I spoke with Brian Foley, the product manager for Wild Things, about the Soft Shell and Lightweight Soft Shell lines that they have out. For those of you not familiar with soft shell, it is a very interesting garment. Soft shell provides full range of motion, breathability and stretch for the user. While not waterproof, they describe the garment as being double water repellent. I have worn the soft shell jackets in rain. As long as you are not being hammered by a downpour for hours it seems to bead the water on the surface.

Wild Things soft shell is like a second skin. It is quieter than gortex and insulates much better. As you war it, the body heat you put off with activity actually pushes the moisture away. This becomes great for operators. The garments are designed to be outerwear for those on the move, and body armor can be worn over the top of the garment.

Wild Things Tactical has specifically designed and manufactured technical garments for the military and most of the alphabet agencies. Additionally all of there products are 100% domestic. To that end they carry a certified certificate of compliance. Right now 9 out of 10 products being shipped by them go out with the multi-cam pattern. This was first adopted for Operation Enduring Freedom. I have a pair of the multi-cam pants and they are extremely well done. The process for multi-cam is a 7 step process of dying the fabric to make it look that good.

The price for the Soft Shell Jacket is $399 comes in black, brown and multi-cam. The Lightweight version is $299. The lightweight version has been my favorite so far given the mild climate I live in. Many people have asked me about the price point because it is so steep. Go back to the fact that these products are made in America and given so much detail and it explains it. However, in the spring of 2012, Wild Things will begin offering consumer line that will be very competitively priced.

Products in the new line will include a lightweight soft shell system, a hybrid combat shirt made to go under body armor produced under the Smith & Wesson M&P label, a CCW soft shell, and a new lightweight wind system. They are calling this a lifestyle line indicating its price point and intended market. It looks like Gall’s will be carrying the line for those of you who might.

I would encourage those of you who make a living outside to check out this line of clothing. It definitely fills the void in many areas in regards to blocking wind and rain. With several weights available, it is easy to find the product that will work well with your environment. As they continue to expand into the consumer market, their visibility will grow as the products become more and more affordable.

At the end of the class we let the students shoot many of our personal guns so they can get a feel for what’s out there.  One special treat is that one our instructors has a Pac-Lite conversion for his Ruger Mark III.

These conversions come threaded for the addition of a suppressor.  An interesting thing about the Ruger line of 22′s is that what you think is the upper is actually considered the gun.  That means you will have to do paper work on the Pac-Lite to own one.  It is classified as a gun and is serialized.

The conversion will run anywhere from $250-$350 and the paper work for the suppressor cost $200.  The can will be $200 and up.  It isn’t cheap, but if you have a friend who owns one it is great fun.

It is neat to be able to shoot one of the guns you have seen in the movies and hear the difference.   With subsonic ammo, these are very, very quiet.  I found the following video on youtube to demonstrate.  At one point he is running ammo that is so quiet it has turned the gun into a single shot pistol requiring the shooter to cock it each time.

I personally like lasers for those of you who need help seeing the sights because of being in the bifocal stage of life, but they may not be as beneficial to the rest of the shooting world as you are being led to believe.

Check out this article I wrote for guns.com to see my thoughts on the matter.

I can’t stress this enough.  If you are going to carry a gun, you need to MAKE SURE IT RUNS!!  Don’t think it runs.  Take the time to run your carry rig with the ammo you are going to use on the range for extensive testing.  Had that mag been in a CCW situation it would have been bad news.

You may not have heard of Inforce Flashlights, but they are gaining a lot of momentum in the tactical community.  Their lights are solid platforms that offer some pretty cool features.  I recently received a Multi-function light that has 4 different settings; strobe, beacon, momentary and constant.

With 225 lumens, this light is for real.  The thing that I like the best is the strobe function.  This is absolutely wicked!  I had my wife apply it towards me in a darkened room the other night and it is completely disorienting.

These lights are submersible to around 60 feet, they come with a hard case and batteries provided, and they have a removable clip for MOLLE attachment.

There are several other versions including a multi-color light and a simple handheld.  Check them out at here for more information.

One of our instructors got this holster a couple of years ago, and then another one of our guys bought one for a Glock.  After trying theirs on, I knew it would only be a matter of time before I had one of my own.

My favorite way to carry is normally a J-Frame in pocket carry with a homemade leather holster.  It is simple, effective and I can forget about.  Having done this for too many years to count, it feels natural to me.  My favorite way to carry a semiauto is to carry Inside the Waist Band (IWB).  IWB is the most concealable method for CCW carry.

For years I have carried a 1911 this way, but couldn’t find a way to make it work with my Glocks.  The one issue that most people deal with carrying IWB is that the butt of the gun tends to want to fall towards the ground.  I constantly feel like I am pushing the butt of the gun up.

Enter the Minotaur MTAC.  It is made with a leather backing for comfort against bone and skin, but it has a kydex holster that locks the gun in place well and allows one handed reholstering.  It also has adjustable belt clips that allow the holster to lock into place and eliminate the gun butt drop problem described above.  It does a great job of holding the gun secure, and it sucks the butt of the gun high against your body.

With a vest or outer garment this holster is rock solid.  But the best news is that with a polo type shirt it is totally viable.  I now have a go to holster for my Glocks, even my 17 which I never thought would make a great carry gun. As a final note, you can change Kydex bodies to allow you to carry all your favorite guns.

This weekend we had a TN Handgun Carry Permit Class.  It was interesting to see what the students were using.  One student had been turned on to the Ruger LCP.  He originally came in for a Glock 19, but after seeing the LCP the decision was simple.  Paired with a DeSantis Superfly, it is a great combination for pocket carry.  He ended up shooting a perfect score, so I would say it’s a viable CCW option.

If you are interested, contact Jim at Mossy Creek Arms.  I promise you will like the price.

The problem comes in that we never practice like we mean it.  How many people have told me what a great shot they are until we went to an IDPA match.  When the timer went off and people were watching it got serious; seriously ugly.

Next time you are enjoying the shooting sports, put some effort into mentally concentrating for a portion of your practice.  It should be serious because lives are depending on it, maybe even your own.  After you have gone through some drills, pull out those cans and blast away.  Who says you can’t mix business with pleasure?

If you haven’t looked at the Ruger LCP for CCW, you are missing a great pistol.  Our retail arm, Mossy Creek Arms,  has been selling the LCP’s as fast as we can get them in.  In fact, I met a customer at the shop this weekend to complete the sale of a used Glock 19.  But when he saw the LCP he quickly changed his mind.

The LCP has several upsides.  First, it is in .380 caliber and not .32.  That small change makes it better for CCW.  Second, the LCP is so light that you will easily be able to carry it all day without radically changing your lifestyle.  It does you no good to have a CCW permit and gun that you don’t carry.  This gun will easily slip into a front pocket with the DeSantis Super Fly holster pictured below.

The only drawbacks to the LCP are the sights and number of magazines included.  The sights are super small.  This isn’t necessarily a hindrance in the CCW world, but if you are looking for a range gun, this isn’t it. Its small size will make it a little uncomfortable.  Also, the gun is only supplied with one magazine.  This is a departure from most semi-automatics that generally come with two.

You probably won’t enjoy a day at the range with this one for all day plinking, but if you need a discreet CCW you should definitely check it out.  Contact Mossy Creek Arms for pricing.