The Tavor 7 may be pretty new to the American market, but the idea of getting a .308 rifle on/near the level of functionality as a 5.56 rifle has been around for decades. Many people who have used the 5.56 in combat, myself included, are not too impressed with some of its weaknesses. This leads to people looking for a rifle that gives them a good balance of controllability, reliability, capacity, ease of use, and the ability to accessorize. The Tavor 7 hit that fine balance for me, but it does need some help through aftermarket accessories in order to truly get it to the level of a 5.56 rifle. I have already covered/will cover these modifications and additions individually in separate articles, so I am not going to delve into nauseating detail here. Rather, I am going to focus on why and how these components optimize the performance of the Tavor 7.
I admit that I am a bit addicted to analyzing gear and brainstorming every bit of it. Is it enough? Is it too much? Will it get used often? I think this has something to do with my history as a grunt in the Marine Corps or being a Boy Scout. You always wanted to go with the bare minimum on your person so you could be fast when you needed to be, but you had plenty in your pack if things got bad or drawn out past the expected time window. I think the same philosophy should be applied to the zombie apocalypse, and then some. Mobility is survivability, and faster is always the goal.
In a zombie apocalypse, there is a certain set of things that are highly needed in order to make survival much easier and manageable. In this article I am going to analyze each item and talk about how they can help you in day-to-day life, or even in a pinch. Most of it is obvious, but some things might not have entered your mind unless you were thinking a bit more unconventionally.
When people hear “combat” or “tactical” training, they think of learning about inflicting pain and destruction on others instead of receiving it themselves. Unfortunately, it is equally possible that you will receive wounds during combat in the process of inflicting wounds on others. For this reason, you need to have the knowledge and the gear to treat yourself and others if you should become wounded.
In this article, I am going to be doing an apples-to-apples comparison in the sense that I am going to compare two belt-based combat systems. However, this is going to be somewhat of an apples-to-oranges comparison because one is modifiable (US ALICE LBE) while the other is sewn onto the base pad (British system). Regardless, both belt systems are still liked and used to this day. I am just going to relay my experience with these load bearing systems and give you my opinion on the two.
Fighting in an arctic environment requires a different approach than fighting in the desert or in an urban environment. The arctic is similar to the jungle because the environment is just as hostile as the enemy. You will have to pack specific items and have a plan to fight off the enemy and the environment at the same time. This is not an easy environment to fight in, which is why Alaska and Northern Canada are popular locations for experiencing and learning winter warfare strategy and tactics. However, the complexity becomes compounded when you conduct these operations in Rural areas near large population centers.
Your fighting loadout is very important to set up right as it is what you will rely on to get through a fight. It should allow maneuverability, weapon manipulations, and be able to facilitate your capabilities in a fight. Ergonomic gear placement, gear scrutiny, and combat conditioning with your fighting load will facilitate your ability to fight effectively.
Within the last 19 years, companies have expanded and improved on our ability to fight at night, particularly in the white light realm. Many high-profile companies have made advances in lumen/candela output, runtime, durability, attachment options, etc. Then there are smaller companies like Olight that are small but making huge leaps in light capabilities. The Odin is their latest model that is designed for rifle mounting, and it is a shining example of what we can do technologically. With a length of 5 ¼”, various mounting and use options, magnetic recharge, and a 2,000 Lumen output at a price of $150 ($120 on sale), this light potentially gives other companies like Surefire a run for their money.
I can not tell you how important it is to make sure that your combat loadout is logical to your mission. In the past, I have written about my feeling towards body armor, universal loadouts, etc. In this article, I want to talk to you about mitigating the burden of your loadout in order to increase your chances of survival and mission success. I will toss in a few anecdotes and links so you can get a better idea of what I am talking about. The moral of the story is to REALLY consider your mission and be honest with yourself about each item and its necessity.
Recently, as of a few months ago, I decided that there wasn't much of a good reason to go through the fall, winter, and spring with just a handheld light on the pistol I am most likely to carry with me. I happened upon a picture posted by Sage Dynamics that was captioned "No excuses" and it showed a Glock 43 with a TLR-6 on it. I was confused at first and found that it had been out for a while, but with the more popular and expensive model actually having a laser on it as well. After much research and debate with myself, I decided to get it. If you have a single stack pistol, you may find that Streamlight has a model for your gun as well, and you may want to invest due to some of the information and reasons I am going to share with you here.
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Do It RiteAlaska-Based Youtube Vlogger, Retired Marine, Firearm and Gear Tester. Archives
December 2023
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