Too much pistol?

Do you own a pistol? If so, I'd love to hear your feelings about it. I don't, as legislative requirements (and costs, to be fair) to do so are more than I want to go through for what would be for me, just a hobby. However, I know that some of you readers do, so I have some honest questions for you, regarding how, what and why. I'd love to hear your stories, and to report them back in a future article, with your permission.
What it come down to is:
How much pistol is too much pistol?


-"I'm looking for a really big gun, that holds a lot of bullets" - Kuffs (1992)

what is your current go-to pistol?
what caliber and cartridge, and was this a deciding feature?
what is your motivation to own a firearm?
what was your motivation to carry a firearm?
do you open-carry, concealed-carry or store-secure?
what features of your pistol made it appealing for your use?
what training have you had?
what regular training do you perform?

Feel free to comment below, or send me an email at
Apocalypseequipped@gmail.com if you'd like to answer some, any or all of those questions for me to use in an upcoming article.

Wish Lust: Bomber Paracord Keychains

I'm a big fan of paracord, not only as a rope for binding, tying, strapping, load-lifting and shoe-lacing, but also as a construction material.

I also love my Kickstarter community, and was contacted by Sarah Buckley of Bomber & Company who wanted me to look over their current project, the firestarter-paracord-bracelet-and-keychain set.

They offer two paracord items, a keychain, with a H&K style metal clip , a split ring keychain and 1.5m of paracord, woven in a Portugese Sinnet / Solomon Bar style construction, and most uniquely, includes a small bar of ferrocerium firestarter woven into the cord, it weighs a mear 35g so isn't going to add much to your load.

The bracelet is equipped with 3m of paracord, in a 19-22cm loop and offers the same firestarting capabilities as the keychain, swapping out the H&K clip for a steel washer to terminate one end, and the ferrocerium bar to "button" the bracelet closed. The washer becomes the striker for the firestarter. the bracelet weighs in at only 20g.

Due to popular demand, Bomber & Company are also bringing back the Bomber Barrel Duffle bag Set along with th Bracelet and Keychain rewards in this Kickstarter campaign.

The complete Bomber Set includes the original Bomber Barrel Duffle Bag, Mini Bomber Travel Kit, Bomber Survival Bracelet, and Bomber Survival Paracord Keychain.  Well worth the look-in.

All of the original tooling and pattern costs have been set up. Now, they're just in need of funding to get started on the new production runs.

I like the looks of the keychain, and bracelet, especially the inclusion of firestarting functionality. They certainly look like an easy and unobtrusive way to keep some in your person, and are totally waterproof.

Keep your eyes on Bomber & Company, they may be small, but I think they'll be coming up with more products as interest grows.

Reblogging: Focus on the 25M target.

I came across an article by John Mosby, who is a U.S. military veteran and current instructor, who's school covers a range of hooah courses such as: Combat Rifle, Clandestine Carry Pistol, Grid-Down Medical Care, Security Patrolling, Close-Quarters, Battle (CQB)/Fighting in Built-Up Areas and Vehicle-Based Patrolling

I don't have any personal experience with the fellow (or in-truth the kind of courses he offers) but I do have some experience with the mindset he has. The article in question relates to situational awareness, and he occasional propensity of people who either should know better, or at least present a front of should have known better to be less than attentive. 

https://mountainguerrilla.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/focus-on-the-25m-target/

Mr Mosby has some honest opinions around people's physique that I might not have expressed the same way, but he's entitled to his opinion and probably knows better when it comes to the physical requirements and standards certain callings should have.  This said, I find his observations on people's behaviour very telling.

I may well be one of the gear-collecting, Dungeons & Dragons playing types who needs to do more realistic training  fundamentals well before I move on to being a Delta Force, Ranger, MASOC operator, but I think we can all agree, we could all do well to "hone the edges on your ax." 

Me in D&D mode. 

ApocalypseEquipped: Review: ITS ETA (Med kit (basic)

ApocalypseEquipped: Review: ITS ETA (Med kit (basic): As first seen (well, apart from a teaser) on Breach, Bang & Clear ....   I was so excited to see this tucked away in the corner of my...

Review: ITS ETA (Med kit (basic)

As first seen (well, apart from a teaser) on Breach, Bang & Clear .... 

I was so excited to see this tucked away in the corner of my Propper package, because I've had a lot of trouble trying to get one sent to me, due to the specific rules surrounding selling the Z-Medica QuickClot Combat Gauze  as an export.

This is the ETA Trauma Kits in Fatboy which is designed to fit into the ITS Fatboy Trauma Kit Pouches, but can also be either sealed or broken down for easy access to the individual components, or stowed as is, in its heavy duty vacuum sealed ziplock bag. They’re also well suited for cargo pockets if you’re not going to be keeping it in a pouch for storage.


The ITS team who put their expertise together to develop the kits select every item in the ETA Kit carefully to complement the others and serve multiple purposes. They make several different versions. The Basic, Standard and the MIL/LE ONLY version, as well as new International version, with concessions to Z-Medica's export policy.

Here's what is in the kit that I received, the Basic, with a stock photo from ITS, as I didn't want to pop the seal on mine (bad reviewer, I know).

Basic Contents

• QuikClot Combat Gauze LE (1)
• HALO Chest Seal (2)
• Pressure Dressing (1 — 4″)
• Elastic Bandage (1 — 4″)
• Z-Fold Dressing (1)
• Combat Casualty Card (1)
• Nitrile Gloves (1 Pair)
• Pencil (1)
• Contents List w/ TCCC Care Under Fire Instructions (on reverse) (1)

 The kit is sterile when sealed (which is why I didn't want to bust mine open), and ITS also stock an "inert" training version, for those who want to train how they fight, and fight how they train.

The slightly more substantial "Standard" kit also features

• MojoDart Decompression Needle (1)
• Nasopharyngeal Airway (NPA) Adj. 28fr (1)

Which are a couple of things you'd really be wanting some medical training before using, thats not just patching boo-boo's and plugging holes.

The MIL/LE ONLY replaces the Basic/Standard QuikClot Z-Fold Combat Gauze LE with the more specialised Z-Fold Combat Gauze (w/ X-Ray Detectable Strip — Green Package). The International Kits feature an international version of QuikClot Gauze.
The FatBoy med kits hit very snugly into a two-magazine Platatac FUP pouch which is my gold-standard for pouches, but has an easy-access fit in their slightly larger WUP pouches.

I will be packing the ETA FatBoy with me on all adventures from now on, and it's a good reminder for me to chase up refreshing my FirstAid certification too. This is a great kit, dense, well thought out and packaged and appointed. Lets hope I never need to stop a sucking-chest wound, but if I do, having a kit like this might well make all the difference.

ITS also stock all the same contents in their "TallBoy"kit but stacked long, rather than wide, because it's not always about girth. If you really just need a pocket-sized pal, the EDC Trauma Kit might be more your style.

If you don't feel you'll often be responding to trauma, but rather more minor injuries, you might consider the ITS Boo-Boo kit, or, if you're like me and have multiple kids, and occasionally stab yourself in the leg with a sword, the slightly larger Boo-BooPLUS kit might suit your needs. 

Web store now ONLINE

I am very pleased to announce that I have opened a webstore, and will over the next little while be stocking it with a variety of tactical and survival type goodies.

I will be adding more stock as time goes on, and reviewing as I go.

There will be things I have covered her, as well as other things I have yet to review, but worthwhile adding to your supplies.

Follow the link and look it over.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions, and I'll see what I can manage about stocking it with the needfuls YOU have in mind!

www.tacticalcoyote.com

Review: BokerPlus - Automat Kalashnikov 11 knife

This is one of the few folders I have in my collection, and it was one that I got on a whim, and sort of never put into high rotation. However, it has some features and aspects I thought I'd share, AND it is the one that I am stocking my Bug-Out-Jar kits with.

I have two other folders in my collection, my EDC CRKT K.I.S.S. , my other Boker, the 343 Scalpel folder or my trusty old Shelham clasp knife . None of these are as chunky as the BokerPlus AK 11. 

The sturdy handle features textured solid billet aluminium scales over the liner lock frame. Normally I don't go in for flashy looking scales, but I overlooked these this time because of the functionality of the thumb flipper and the strap cutter.

It is a liner-lock style folder, with both the liner, and the lock being stainless steel. The blade itself  is a black coated, 440C stainless steel tanto tip. The integrated seatbelt cutter in the hilt is built into the folder side, rather than the spine side, so can't be accidentally deployed unless the main blade is already out.

The steel frame also ends in a lanyard hole and glass breaker pommel even more functionality. With an overall length of 20cm (8"), with 8cm (3.3") being the blade and 12cm (4.7")being handle, and with it's all-metal construction, weighing in at 185g (6.5oz) the knife is a very solid tool in the hand.

The thumb-flipper on the spine becomes a nice finger guard when deployed, and the crenelations on both the spine of the blade and scales gives a positive grip, even on its all-metal frame. The bullet shaped inset on the back of the blade gives you a secondary flipping point, if the back thumb-flipper isn't your thing.

The action of of the locking mechanism, which is locked in place but the liner, also has a tension bar inside the scale. This, in conjunction with the thumb-flipper, gives you an assisted deployment of the blade. Check local regulations where you live restrict that kind of thing. Know your local laws. 

The release is really snappy, and will open the blade all the way in a moment. Great for single handed use, or in an emergency when fine-motor skills are at a premium.

I tried out the blade and the strap cutter on some 1" webbing. The blade worked really well, but the hook-cutter needed some getting used to as it is a single straight edge rather than a hook like on the Gerber Crisis Hook. 

This is a solid, and well put together blade, and I think its well suited to sitting as a backup blade, which is why I wanted to have it in the Bug-Out-Jars.