Mayflower APC (assault plate carrier)

This is my first Mayflower product and I was immediately blown away at the comfort and design of the product. I am in fact wearing it as I write this article to remind myself of the warm kangaroo pouch feel of it. I currently use 11x13 swimmers cut AR500 steel plates that are quite thin, but a little heavy, and provide ample protection even from multiple 7.62 NATO rounds. But that is for another review.

The Bad
One bad thing is that it is a fairly traditional design, but with some great improvements. There is no padding at all inside the carrier or on the shoulder straps themselves, but it does come with removable padding for the straps. While being well stitched, I would have liked to see the shoulder straps continue farther down the inside of the plate carrier for maximum durability and support.

The Good
I'll start at the shoulder pads because they are an excellent item that can be purchased separately, although mine came with the carrier, and can be used on almost any carrier. they slide on via two elastic straps on top and have nylon flaps that are closed with hook and loop so that comm wires and drinking hoses can be easily routed through. The shoulder straps themselves are no frills hook and loop adjusted straps that are sewn to the front and loops through plastic on the back panel. They are very rugged and leave quite a bit of room for adjustment. I am a big guy and I still have some room. One bonus, for me, is that I have plenty of available loop on the straps left over for moral patches.

The Rear Panel
The rear panel has 6 columns and 7 rows of PALS webbing. There is no hook and loop on the rear panel which could be a no go for some, but is fine for my uses. The cummerbund attaches to the back very much like the front of a traditional plate carrier would with a flap that over laps and folds underneath, doubling as a closure for the rear panel armor pocket. The rear panel pocket itself does have an inner closure flap as well. Inside the rear panel pocket is a strap that holds the armor plating as high in the pocket as it will go. It is not a universal carrier though and the size of armor plates you want will correspond with the size of carrier purchased. There is no provision for soft armor in either of the panel pockets, but soft armor could be squeezed in behind a plate.

The Front Panel
Like the rear panel the front panel has 6 columns and 7 rows of PALS webbing. 3 rows are above the front flap. The flap itself opens on the top and a triple magazine pouch, sold separately, can fit inside if desired. There are also two pull tabs sewn to the corners of the front flap for easy manipulation of the flap. The upper portion of the front panel also has a pocket with hook and loop closure that can accommodate many items. Mine holds a rite in the rain notebook, several pens, and an MRE spoon. One unique feature of the front panel is two loops of PALS on either side of the front panel that are situated vertically. They were intended to accommodate attachment points for comm gear, this creates a multitude of options for you to do things with. Personally I use them to attach ITW Grimlocks. The front panel pocket is similar to the rear with the exception that the front flap does not fold underneath.

The Cummerbund
It features 9 columns and three rows of PALS webbing, on the L/XL size, and has elastic on the rear portion for form fitting while moving. The rear attaches with hook and loop as well as the front. The cummerbund itself features two pockets the first being a pocket that almost spans the whole length and has hook and loop closure. The smaller inner pocket will hold most side plates securely. The triple magazine insert also fits perfectly in the cummerbund pocket and allows very nice placement of three extra magazines, or six if you use both sides for maximum deadly potential.

At around 200 bucks this is a high value product that I have thoroughly enjoyed wearing in the field. The lack of padding can be made up for with soft armor inserts, some foam padding purchased from a craft store, or by having more testicular fortitude.

Taurus TCP

The Taurus TCP is the little brother of the PT709 slim. The design is based off the wildly popular .380 caliber Kel Tec design. Although many different copies have been designed and manufactured to get in on the .380 boom over the last few years there is a few features that sets the Taurus apart.

The triggers on most .380 pocket pistols are long, heavy, and sometimes rough. Since most of these are being carried in concealment or pockets without manual safety levers a long trigger pull is a good thing. But what sets the Taurus apart is the smoothness of the trigger pull. I noticed right away in side by side comparisons the trigger was far superior to the other pistols.

The second major difference is the last round hold open feature. This feature is usually reserved for full size pistols. In such a small pistol with a limited magazine size this is a must have in my opinion.

The only bad things I have to say about it is that it is fairly unattractive and the magazines have a strange backwards lip. Inserting the mags takes a little getting used to because it is the only magazine that I know of that has the strange lip. Although it does aid in crating a slightly larger grip once inserted.

The magazine capacity is six rounds and one in the pipe. The pistol comes with two magazines and a strange belt carrying case that looks akin to a cell phone or PDA case.

Magpul MIAD Pistol Grip

The MIAD pistol grip form magpul seems to be every bit worth the 35 bucks or so that it sells for. While most modern grips offer a storage compartment and good ergonomics the Magpul MIAD offers so much more for a great price. In the box you get three different back straps, two different front straps, a bottom plate insert, the grip, a mounting screw, literature, and a Magpul sticker.

The three different back straps give you a varied grip size so that you can try different grip sizes. The two larger grips also have a tail of sorts off the back to keep your large hand in a comfy pocket. The rear back strap can be removed at any time even if the grip is mounted to the firearm. The two front strap basically only consist of one with an index finger stop and one just textured. Other front straps can be purchased separately. The front strap can only be changed when the grip is off the firearm.

The bottom plate insert that comes with the Magpul Miad grip has a small rubber insert that will hold three rounds of 5.56×45. A cool feature though is that you can purchase other bottom plate inserts that will hold either two 123 batteries or an extra bolt and firing pin.

The Magpul MIAD also comes in 4 different colors, black, foliage green, flat dark earth, and OD green. The textured hard plastic surface seems to grips fairly well actually and is nice in very hot and very cold environments as it doesn’t hold a particular temperature too long.

Ron Paul 2012

In a time where we live with bloated federal government with unprecedented spending, out of control banks and a war on our liberty as we know it, there is a battle brewing next year for our presidential election. We live our lives today not in the light of common sense policies, and the rule of law, but of a new breed of federal politician that seeks not the welfare of the people and our liberty, but that of his own welfare. The federal government was meant to protect the rights of the people from the states, from foreign influence, from big business and from your fellow man. Our founding fathers knew we were imperfect beings, so they sought to create a document that would serve as a safeguard against tyranny. That document was our constitution. There is only one man today who has a 30 year voting record and the following to win against our corrupt federal system. Only one man that is an unapologetic constitutionalist. That man is Ron Paul. It is our duty to protect the republic by any means possible. We are given that chance this coming year by voting for common sense, voting for our constitution, by voting for RON PAUL!

Kodiak Gearslinger

For the last few months I have been toting around the Kodiak Gearslinger as an EDC bag. It is lightweight, durable, and has well designed pockets. Personally I have to give it a 4 out of 5 reloads. Yes I just created a new rating system.

The reason why has nothing to do with the quality of the gearslinger, which I find to be very high, but with the ergonomics of the one shoulder strap design. I have found that with considerable weight it will want to slump off your shoulder and swing down. Maxpedition's answer to this problem is a secondary strap that crosses you chest to buckle into the main strap. I have found this to be fairly inadequate when carrying a lot of weight. This seems to be a common theme with me as I am used to carrying a lot of weight and usually demand more from things I buy than they are designed for. I also found that drawing a firearm from the provided concealed carry pouch is not easy if you have cinched up the strap to have it ride high on your back.

What I like about the Kodiak Gearslinger is it's high quality construction and well laid out pockets for when you slide it around to your belly. I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to carry a light or moderate load and doesn't want to have a man purse style EDC bag. I also found that an AK47 Draco pistol fits perfectly inside the main part of the bag. You may want to consider the Kodiak Gearslinger for a truck bag that you could pull an SBR out of, if it had a folding stock.

Due to the way it is setup I imagine the purpose of the Kodiak Gearslinger is intended more for paperwork and EDC items that you might want to carry around. This would be a great bag for a student or someone in an industry that doesn't need the ultra-professional look.

How To Contact Your Representatives

A good republic is one that has active sovereigns involved in the day to day processes of its government. In these troubled times it is more important than ever to keep abreast of what our representatives are working on, and to contact them about issues we care about. It is my hope that we all strive to be better men and women by staying informed and in contact with our legislators.

You can find out who you representatives are at: http://whoismyrepresentative.com/
At http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml you can find out all kinds of information about senators, congressmen, and executive branch officials. You can also find out how to contact them there as well.

You can use this website to find your state representatives for issues concerning your state. http://www.votesmart.org/official_state.php

Remember that when you are contacting an elected official, no matter how angry or displeased you are with them, you must address them with some level of civility, or you will not be as effective. It is important that you have fully researched the topic you are writing to them about so that you can keep it short and to the point, and present a more effective argument for your case. In short don’t be an ass. I will write my congressman as an example if wish to see one.

Dear Representative/ Senator (name)
As a military veteran and concerned citizen I take my role as a citizen defender very seriously. I hope and pray that it never comes down to the nation needing to call on the ranks of our citizens to defend the nation, but there are many willing and able.
Over the last few decades, we the people, have seen many of our second amendments infringed upon arbitrarily from time to time. The National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 has for too long created a road block for many who wish to obtain ordinary firearms and equipment. Countries that have more restrictive firearms laws even allow sound suppression devices to protect our hearing. Short barreled rifles and shotguns are also clearly not firearms that pose any more of a threat than a normal firearm.
I would also like to address the dire situation that the Hughes amendment, to the 1986 Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA), has created. This amendment coupled with NFA regulation has created a limited market for machine guns. By creating less of a supply, and a larger demand by increased population, we have effectively priced the common man out of the ability to own one of these firearms. This is a de-facto ban on machne guns, and not only does this threaten our ability to be properly prepared to be citizen defenders, it is clearly a violation of our human right to defend ourselves.
I respect you very much by your record of defending veterans and hope that you would give these issues your attention as, we the people, are sick and tired of finding ourselves with less jobs, less money, and less rights.
Sincerely
(your name)

This is an example of one that I have submitted. You can use it and change the information around to fit you or write one yourself!

Korean (KCI) Glock Magazines

The KCI Korean mags have gotten some very good and also very bad press. I am not going to dispel any myths or give you an unequivocal account of their failures or successes. I am going to give you my opinion on the KCI mags that I have purchased and used over that last few years.

The Good
First of all KCI mags are very cheap. I found them to be less than half the cost of factory Glock magazines sometimes less that a third the price of factory Glock mags. The fit and finish of the KCI mags is very good. I have disasembled, cleaned and lubed all my magazines and found the interior of the mags to be as good or better in some cases than factory Glock mags. The floor plates and followers seem to look exactly the same and I could tell no difference. I have also had only one malfunction with one of my KCI 33 round 9mm mags.

The Bad
I’m not sure what the difference in the metal or the finish is between Glock factory mags springs and the KCI mags springs, but the KCI springs are a lower quality. I found them to be slightly thinner in diameter and coated in a black finish. The factory Glock mags seemed to have a more robust feel for them, and they I found little to no wear on them, even though I use them more than my KCI mags. The one 33 round KCI 9mm mag that I had the malfunction with had a slightly twisted spring. I am assuming that I must have either tried to overload the mag or done something to it to damage the spring.

All in all I have found the magazines to be within acceptable limits to carry every day. If I had the money I would buy all Glock factory magazines though. I attribute that to just being a stickler for matching things. If you are interested in the mags I highly suggest you buy one or two and give them a try for yourself.