Fifty Shades of FDE

I get a lot of questions regarding body armor. I used to have those questions myself and it took a lot of research on my own to get the answers. There are many types and levels of body armor; each designed to counter a specific threat. The best body armor for you will be determined by what you are going to use it for. There’s a lot of information out there and I will do my best to explain it all in the simplest way I can. I am going to describe the different levels of body armor by what the threats they were made to defend against. Hopefully this will help you make an informed decision in what body will work for you. Please don’t rely solely on what I have to say, do some research on your own because you can’t have too much information on something that your life depends upon. Also, I’m not the know-all expert in this area, I’m just the end user who uses multiple levels of armor everyday and have done so for over a decade. All of these levels come from NIJ (National Institute of Justice) they are the ones that come up with each rating that is required at each level. You yourself have to decide on the mobility vs. protection level each has to offer; it is an issue that you have to figure out for yourself.

Sharp Threats (Knives)
Level I. (Soft Armor)
This level of body armor is not well known because you would only see it in jails and in prisons. It is used by jail deputies and Department Of Corrections officers and usually the higher risk response teams in these facilities. In jail or in prison, there isn’t a firearm threat, but the likelihood of a knife or shank is very high. This body armor is light and usually thin (half as thick as ballistic body armor) but it will stop a sharp object from penetrating. That’s where the protection ends, it will not stop any ballistic threat. When I say ballistic I mean bullets and threats from firearms.

Handgun Threats (pistol caliber)
Level II (Soft Armor)
This is the first level of protection to defeat a ballistic threat coming from handguns. Most Peace Officers are issued this type of body armor. This includes .22lr 9mm to .45 ACP. Level is limited to certain velocities coming from different calibers that usually include magnum rounds. Magnum rounds are more powerful than standard rounds by being heavier bullets with a lot more gun powder behind them meaning they go a lot faster. These rounds may defeat this level of body armor.
Level IIIA (Soft Armor)
This level covers almost all handgun threats where Level II protection ends. This is the highest level of protection that comes from soft body armor. It is more resistant to ballistic threats coming from handguns by have more layers of Kevlar or Spectra etc. This level will stop everything level II and beyond to include .44 magnum to 12 gauge slugs (although it’ll stop a slug, it doesn’t mean that you’ll survive the trauma). This is the level of protection that I’m issued at work and I wear it every second I’m 10-8. Levels II and IIIA will not stop a sharp threat like Level I. This is why a knife threat to most Peace Officers is a deadly threat. So far all the levels above are soft armor and don’t offer much protection from blunt force trauma. They’re designed to keep a round or knife from penetrating it’s panels but expect some bruising or broken bones if you’re shot in your armor. To give yourself some better blunt force protection, you can get a hard trauma plate. I have a hard plate in my vest that will actually stop handgun rounds by itself and do a lot more to keep the blunt force trauma at a minimum.

Photo Credit: Muzzle Flash Media

Level IIIA (Hard Armor)
This comes in the form of ballistic helmets. It is the highest level of protection that is available today with the technology of body armor where it is. The military is working on a Level IV helmet but they are trying to get it light enough to be worn. Even though it wasn’t designed to stop rifle rounds, there have been a few cases where soldiers have been very lucky with a helmet stopping an 7.62×39 round. The technology has gone a long way by making the helmets lighter.
None of the levels above are rated for rifle threats. Rifle rounds  are usually pointed and have higher velocities that double or even triple that of pistol rounds.

Rifle Threats.
Level III (Hard Armor)
Yes this gets a little confusing for some. This is III, not IIIA and is the basic rifle protection that is the most prevalent type and level to face this threat. They come in the form of hard plates that are inserted into plate carriers. There are a lot of manufacturers that make these plates and each have their own capabilities. Level III is rated to stop most rifle caliber up to .308 or 7.62×51 excluding AP (Armor Piercing) rounds. There are three main types of Level III Hard Plate armor: Steel, Ceramic and Dyneema. Each has it’s own pro’s and con’s:
1. Steel:
Pro’s: the most affordable option. Will stop most threat without a lot of deformation, giving more blunt force protection. It is capable of stopping multiple hits.
Con’s: it’s heavy with most plates weighing in at 7+ pounds per plate! Depending on the type of cover, Steel plates are known to spall or deflect rounds. Some companies have taken care of this problem by applying special coatings on their plates that take care of this issue.
2. Ceramic:
Pro’s: it does a good job at keeping blunt force trauma by breaking in the process of getting hit. It’s also affordable, although not as inexpensive as steel plates. Sometimes lighter than steel.
Con’s: some are as heavy as steel plates. Most Ceramic plates won’t stop multiple hits because it breaks when hit. Since it is brittle in nature, its is very fragile and can crack if dropped.
3. Dyneema:
Pro’s: it’s light weight, with some plates weighing less than 4 pounds! It will stop multiple rounds. It is durable and not prone to cracking.
Con’s: these plates are usually the most expensive per plate because of it being light weight. They might be degraded by high temperatures, I have seen some research that states this but it is more prevalent to level II soft dyneema armor failing at point blank distances. I haven’t seen or read anywhere where a level III dyneema hard plate failed due to heat.
Some of these plates will exceed the Level III rating but for AP threats, we move onto the highest level.

Armor Piercing Rifle Threats.
Level IV (Hard Armor)
This is the highest level of protection from any type of armor available today with technology where it is at. This comes in two types, but mainly it is in the form of Ceramic plates. Like I said earlier, some level III Steel plates will stop these AP threats even though they aren’t rated for them. The Ceramic plates are heavy at this level but it is to my knowledge the only option available for this threat.

My armor. I have a lot of body armor that I personally own. I have a retired level IIIA vest that stays in my trunk. In addition, I have two plate carriers: a Level III (dyneema) that is at work with me; a Level IV (ceramic) that lives in my trunk. I have three surplus ballistic helmets: an old PASGT Kevlar helmet (from desert storm), two ACH’s (Advanced Combat Helmets) the current ballistic helmets that are available today. I have one at work and one in my trunk. I will do a separate post later on helmets.
All of these armor systems have a service life, (most 5 years) but I can’t afford to keep replacing my plates and armor so I keep them in use. They should still function regardless of their expiration dates.
Beware of where you buy your armor. I personally do not buy any armor that isn’t made in the USA nowadays. There’s a lot of Chinese made knock offs that have poor quality control and I wouldn’t trust my life with those products. Again you get what you pay for, how much is your life worth?

I hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year! Welcome to 2016!
My last post of 2015 focused on being very efficient with the weapons that you own. This post is about your personal knowledge of the many different weapon systems that are out there and why you should have that knowledge.

Weapons have been around since the beginning of time and they have improved drastically over time. This is especially true with firearms. Firearms technology has advanced quite a bit; starting out with single shot pistols and muskets that had a rate of fire at 7 shots per minute if the shooter was good to miniguns that fire 4,000 per minute.

Me shooting with my first AR15 many years ago.

Firearms today, in my opinion, is advancing on at a similar rate with computer technologies. It’s hard to keep up sometimes but it’s a hobby and a huge area of interest for me.
Firearms are as diverse as there are people because people are their creators. You can see that in each modern firearm, there are traces of lineage of you will, of features that go way back in time.
With this, there are many different weapons systems in existence. Most gun owners may own just one firearm and know only how to operate that one. There’s nothing wrong with that. If they know how to use it and it works for them, perfect. That’s not me however. I have several different types of weapon systems because each of them was designed for a specific purpose. I don’t own firearms just for the fun of it, although they are fun to have; they are tools that I will use to defend my family, myself and others from anyone who wants to harm them whether it be a criminal, terrorists it doesn’t matter.
It is widely known that members of our special forces units train with as many different weapon systems as they can and usually fire thousands of rounds through each system in order to familiarize themselves with weapons that they might come across in the battlefield. This is important knowledge for them because they’re usually deep inside enemy territory without backup or resupply and may have to pick up a enemy weapon to continue the mission.
This knowledge isn’t just useful for special operations units; it’s also very critical for Law Enforcement Officers as well as civilians whether they have CCW or not. Think about it. Although it’s more prevalent today than ever that LEO’s are issued patrol rifles, most LEO’s still only carry a pistol on their person and their long guns are either in a rack or the trunk of their unit. An off-duty officer and citizens who carry concealed only have a single pistol on their person, most likely a compact/subcompact pistol or revolver and hopefully with a few spare mags. If you’re one of the above or even a unarmed civilian, you really don’t have a lot of firepower or any at all.

Firing a friend’a AR15 with an ACOG

Firing an AK47 type rifle a few weeks ago.

Now put yourself in a critical scenario that is all too common unfortunately: an active shooter/terrorist attack. These mass murderers or terrorists usually are armed with a long gun of some sort, usually an AR15/AK47 semi automatic rifle. The pistol that you’re carrying is obviously no match against these weapon systems so your best chance at survival is to get out of the “X” or the target zone. If you’re law enforcement, you don’t have a choice but to move in. If you can’t get away, you’re going to have no choice but to fight or die taking it in lying down. You already know what I’ll do. I’m going to fight or die fighting. Hopefully I won’t lose my life but I’m never going down without a fight. If you’re able to take out of the shooters with your pistol, you’re probably running low or are out of ammunition. Now it’s time to even up the odds a bit by picking up the dead shooters weapons and magazines and move to take out the remaining shooters. Now isn’t a great time to figure out how that weapon system works; its time to reload that mag and go to work. I was taught in the academy to never use a suspect’s weapon because you may not know what condition it is in. If the shooter was shooting and killing innocent people with this weapon, I’m pretty sure I know it works so throw that stupid SOP out the window and go get the job you signed up for done!
Now what’s the best way to get familiar with different weapons systems without spending a fortune buying all of them? The answer isn’t playing Call of Duty or anyone of those first person shooter games, I will say that they do show with some degree of accuracy how to reload the weapons. I’d say to start, you could watch training videos, there’s a ton of videos on YouTube that are useful, I like to watch Vickers Tactical and hickock45 for my research. Nothing compares to having the real weapon in your hands so you can fully manipulate it and it’d be even better to shoot with it so you can see how the sights work and how the weapon recoils. Many gun ranges have rentals that you can try out. If you have friends who shoot, chances are they will have different weapons than the ones you own and vice versa, have a range day and shoot each other’s weapons and share the knowledge. If you at least know how to load, fire and reload a certain weapon system, you’re much better off than not knowing. It’s some more knowledge to throw in your tactical tool box. I’m not going to go into each and every system out there, that’s your job. What I suggest would be to familiarize yourself with these types of weapons: semiautomatic pistols, pump action shotguns, semiautomatic rifles AR15’s and AK types. These are the most commonly used weapons by these cowards who attack innocent civilians, let’s turn it around on them and take them out before they can do more harm.

“Beware of the man who only has one gun.”

I found this quote fitting for me as the year comes to a close. 2015 has been a very busy year when it comes down to the weapons systems that I parted ways with and the the ones that I acquired.

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I went through a sort of ‘spring cleaning’ with the guns I own. The reasoning behind it? I wanted own the guns that I want and enjoy shooting and get rid of ones that I never shoot. Makes sense right?
My spare time and especially range time is extremely limited due to my priorities with family and work. If you know me, I put my family first above all else. So when I do find the time to hit the range, I want to get in practice with the few guns I will use when the time comes. Financially, guns and gear also aren’t anywhere near the top. In order for me to afford the guns I want, I needed to sell some to fund them. Fortunately, guns hold their value pretty well and I sold most of them without losing out on what I paid for them and a few I got more for what I paid initially.
Before this year, I was never one to sell my firearms. There was a strong sentimental value each of them had. I had to get over it in order to get what I wanted. After selling my first one, the rest got easier to part ways with. I’m positive that they are all getting much more use than I would’ve had I still owned them.
I started with selling my HK USP .40. I wanted to replace my current duty weapon at the time, my Sig P229R because I wanted a newer and simpler weapon system to operate at work. It was hard to sell because it was the very first pistol I purchased the moment I turned 21. I was my duty weapon for a few years before my P229; but it has been sitting in my safe collecting dust. I sold it to a friend who always wanted a USP but couldn’t afford the msrp price tag. It was a win-win for the both of us. Thankfully, the HK VP9 had a lower msrp and I was able to obtain it along with a Surefire X300U for not much more than what I sold the USP for. I’ve been carrying my VP9 for months now and as far as pistols go, I shoot very well with it and ergonomically, the best for me.
To read my review on the VP9:

My back up guns went through a few changes. I sold my Beretta M85F Cheetah chambered in .380 ACP to buy the Beretta BU9 Nano. I initially wanted a Glock 43 but they were hard to find at the time so I got the Nano because it was available immediately. When my partner offered to sell me his spare Glock 43 (he had two) I quickly sold the Nano.
To read the review of the Cheetah: http://wp.me/p5LV2Z-1R
To read the review of the Glock 43: http://wp.me/p5LV2Z-39
Now onto the weapon system that I never thought I’d I ever own because of it’s hefty price tag: the FN Herstal SCAR 17s. I was going to sell my M1A since it was the gun I was replacing the SCAR with. I had buyers back out and it’s still waiting to get picked up so I had to sell some others for the time being. The first sacrifice was easy: the GSG-5, a MP5 clone that was chambered in .22lr. It was a fun little plinker but it didn’t get shot a lot. Next was the HK USC .45, a civilian version of the UMP SMG. This was a lot harder to sell because it has since been discontinued and very rare. Good thing for me, it’s value shot up and I was only willing to let it go for the right price. I tried to sell it amongst friends first, for a much better deal than what I ended up selling it for but no one could afford it so I threw it on gunbroker and it sold minutes before the listing ended. The transaction was very simple and didn’t cost me too much in fees. The P2000sk in .40 was next to go. This was my last .40 caliber weapon I had but it also had some sentimental value as well, it was my first back up gun and was my main off duty carrying weapon for years. I also wanted to limit the different ammunition types I had and so it went. Now I finally had enough to fund what I’ve wanted for years, my very own FN SCAR 17s.
To read my review on the 17s:

Back to the quote; the reason that the man with one gun should be feared is that he probably knows how to use it. It insinuates that he shoots it a lot and trains. This is very important especially now, more than ever. I’m a huge proponent of everyone’s right to self-defense because it is a human right, not because our Second Amendment guarantees it; despite states that infringe on that right. The best tool to defend yourself is a firearm. Owning a firearm is a nice start, knowing how to operate it under stress and effectively would be optimal. It is something that a lot of gun owners take for granted and sadly the same goes for LEO’s. I made the decision or decisions this year to improve not only my weapons systems and gear, but my personal skills with each of them. I did so by limiting the amount of systems I owned and making sure that I shot more with each of them; quality over quantity. I was fortunate to get some training at work and some training outside of work at Falcon Ops Group.
To read my After Action Review of that course:

The time chooses you. Remember this fact: You never ever know when or where some bad things are going to happen to good people, yourself included. San Bernardino happened a few counties over from where I work. Some of my friends lost their friends in that terrorist attack. The first responders when interviewed said that they had hoped to not have seen what they did in their entire careers. I hope for the very same thing. This is the world we live in today, we are still at war. These cowardly attacks can happen anywhere in a free society, all we can do is prepare outselves and make ourselves the absolute worst nightmare for these terrorists/criminals who think they can go unopposed during their attacks. Best way to deal with someone trying to kill you? Han Solo did it best in the Cantina, he shot first! If someone is pointing an AK47/AR15 (it doesn’t matter) you’re not required to wait and return fire, you may never get the chance to.
The law enforcement response to the San Bernardino attack was swift and the first to arrive were there in minutes, the terrorists were still able to murder in cold blood, over a dozen people and injuring dozens of others.
A lot of friends who were on the fence on gun ownership reached out to me after this horrific event and asked for my advice on what guns to purchase. Like I said, getting the right tool for job is only the beginning, teaching yourself how to use that tool well is where you want to be.
I started this blog in February and I got a lot of feedback so I will continue to write and try to write more often. Thank you to each and everyone who follows this blog and especially those who share it amongst your friends. I don’t make any money from this, I just like to pass along my personal knowledge, hoping that it’ll help others make big decisions on gear etc. Stay safe and train often!

I saw YouTube video where the two guys in it were discussing the relevance of a .308 battle rifle for civilian ownership and usage. They didn’t think it was for civilians, but it was for the military.

They had some good points but I think they are wrong. In my opinion, .308 or 7.62×51 battle rifles are very relevant for civilian ownership and I’ll explain my thought process.
First we need to get the negatives of the .308 platform over the .223:
1. Magazine Capacity is usually limited to 20 rounds vs. 30. (in California and some other states it’s 10 regardless and makes this a mute point, so it’d be an advantage over the .223)
2. Weight of the rounds/magazines/rifle are always heavier.
3. Cost of Ammunition is on average .70 per round vs .50 and below for .223 (this is an non issue when you buy by the case, cost can get down to .40 per round)
4. Overpenetration. A .308 FMJ has the potential to overpenetrate (a negative for home defense and a positive in most other engagements)
With that out of the way, let’s talk about the advantages a .308 platform gives the civilian shooter or anyone utilizing it over a .223.
It makes up for all of the negatives in one huge area: ballistics. The .308 round out performs a .223 in every aspect: effective range, accuracy in adverse conditions, effect on targets with an average .308 round delivering about 3 times that of a .223 in weight. I myself have never been in combat so I can’t tell you from personal knowledge how rounds effect those who are trying to do you harm. From numerous interviews that I’ve seen of our service members, it’s not unusual to hear them say that they would normally put three or more rounds with a 5.56 rifle to ensure the threat was no longer a threat.
Sure, there’s JHP ammunition available to give the .223 round better ballistic capabilities. Then there’s also JHP’s for .308, which will make it much more effective than a .223. When there’s no JHP available, the standard M80 ball 7.62×51 or standard .308 ball ammunition is king. You can also hunt most game with .308 whereas you’re very limited on what you can shoot at with a .223.

I own both M1A and SCAR systems
in .308. I will say that the M1A was very capable at medium to long range engagements but it was too unwieldy for close up work. It was best fired from a kneeling or prone position, standing took a lot of practice and arm strength.
This is why the SCAR 17s was a weapon system had always been on top of my list of guns that I wanted. To me it’s the ultimate battle rifle and it kind of is for everyone else. It’s light weight and very ergonomic that allows it to be run as a CQB weapon and keeps it’s long range qualities as well. It’s a jack of all trades and it’s a great weapon system that is accurate, reliable and proven- not by me but our USSOCOM soldiers and sailors on the battlefields of Iraq,  Afghanistan and all over the globe.
Back to the civilian world. I’ll give one scenario as an example: the freeway ambush. This is a scenario that I’ve thought about long before it was recently brought up on CNN with the arrest of the man who assisted the San Bernardino terrorists. He was part of a plot that never took place thankfully but it can easily happen. Their plot was to hide out in the hills overlooking the 91 freeway armed with rifles. They would stop traffic with IEDs and then open fire on the stranded motorists and responding first responders. If I was one of those stranded, I’d like to have my SCAR 17s to return fire at the terrorists who may be at least a hundred yards or more away. A .223 platform just isn’t enough firepower in my opinion to adequately meet this threat because you’re already at a position of disadvantage.
I can go on all day long about different scenarios but you get the picture. .223/5.56×45 is a great platform and the .308/7.62×51 doesn’t replace It; it augments it, but if it’s your only rifle available and you’re on your own, which would you rather have? I know I’d want my SCAR 17 over my M6A2 any day.

One huge complaint against the FN SCAR weapons system is the fact that it is very limited on rail space forward of the gas block. The rail is short because FN designed the system to be modular, allowing the end user (Special Operations Forces) to swap out different barrels quickly for their mission. If the rail was extended, it would negate the ability to mount the shortest barrel.

There are numerous aftermarket rail extensions available for the SCAR system. FN, PWS, MW Industries, Handl Defense and Kinetic Development Group.
I needed a rail extension because I wasn’t planning on ever cutting my barrel down and could not have a foregrip and bipod mounted together comfortably with the stock rail. What I didn’t want was added weight and bulk to my SCAR as it is the lightest Semi-Automatic .308 battle rifle on the market and I want to keep it that way.
After all of my research, I concluded that the Kinetic Development Group MLOK MREX rail extension was the best solution for my SCAR 17s. This rail and the majority of others work on both 16&17 systems.

I got the 6.5″ FDE rail that gives me three MLOK sections forward of the gas block. It has a lowered top picatinny rail that allows you to put an X300, X400, TLR, PEQ, DBAL, whatever you want on top without that unit obstructing your optics. The design of the rail is slim and low profile, making much easier to grab. Best of all, it weighs in under 4 ounces!
What comes in the box:
The MREX
2 Torx wrenches (T20&T25)
6 screws, packaged in the order you’ll use them.
1 pack of Vibratite
2 MLOK rail sections
1 KDG PVC velcro patch
Installation was easy, there’s no written manual, there’s however a tutorial video on YouTube, which is even better! https://youtu.be/zd-xiXisAKg
I used a heat gun and my own set of torx wrenches and a rubber mallet.
I’m not a gun smith and don’t fiddle around with my guns too much but I was satisfied with the fact that I was able to do this myself.
After the installation, you could see right away how the overall look and feel of the SCAR was immensely improved for the better.

I placed Magpul MLOK covers on the side MLOK slots, placed an MLOK vertical grip under the gas block and the longer rail section a little further up to accommodate my Harris Bipod.
The SCAR system is advertised to keep it’s zero after barrel changes. After taking it to the range and shooting it, I can attest that is does hold it’s zero.
Ergonomically, my SCAR 17 is better; it allows me to have a better grip on the fore end, and I no longer worry about getting hit with the charging handle!
I’m glad I made the right decision on which rail extension I chose. For more information, go to https://kineticdg.com/

For those who know me well, this would be a shocker because I’m known to be an HK and Sig snob when it comes to pistols. I never disliked Glocks, I just never preferred them.
After many years of being a gun owner, I finally bought myself a Glock 43 as my back-up weapon for work. It replaced the Beretta Nano which was a gun that I owned for the shortest amount of time. The Nano is a nice little pocket pistol but I liked the ergonomics of the 43 and the trigger a lot better.

Why the 43 over the 26? The 43 is perfect for what it was designed for: a pocket pistol with a slim profile. You do lose out in firepower with it’s stock 6 round capacity magazines but it fits comfortably in a pocket holster in my support side pocket when I’m 10-8. A 26 would have to be in a vest or ankle holster. Weighing in at 1.5 lbs loaded, it’s very light to carry all day long. It’s light weight, however makes it a little harder to shoot with more felt recoil.
Shooting the 43.
It definitely took a lot of dry fire practice and live firing for me to get used to the trigger. It’s not as clean as it is in other Glocks and feels a little heavier to pull. I ended up needing to put more of my trigger finger for the trigger press and needed to get used to the increased recoil. I’m no shooting expert by any means or a sharp shooter. I’m just an average shooter who is always learning and adapting my skills to get better.
After a lot of practice, I qualified with it just fine. To qualify, you need to shoot 15 rounds at a small silhouette target 22 feet away and score at least 70%. Sounds easy right? It actually takes some discipline with a little gun to make sure your hits count. Miss three rounds, and by missing we’re talking not hitting inside the 7 ring. So after taking my sweet time for the qual, I slowly pressed the trigger until it surprised me each time, I was able to send 14 of the rounds in one group a little high a left of the X mostly 8 and 9 ring hits and one stray at the lower left in the 8 ring. At least all of my rounds counted and I passed!

I did some minor important upgrades to the 43. I got Vickers Tactical sights by Wilson Tactical with the front sight being a Tritium dot night sight and black serrated rear sights. The stock Glock sights are merely place holders for the buyer to choose from numerous sight options out there. I chose this set-up to assist in day time and night time/low light situations. http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Glock/products/169/

Another necessary upgrades are the magazines. I got Taran Tactical Innovations firepower base plates. I have a plus one for the magazine that sits in the gun to keep a low profile and three plus two for my spares. This remedies the round deficit from the the stock mags.
http://tarantacticalinnovations.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=44_49_81
The Glock 43 is a well made pocket pistol that is light, slim and is reliable as all Glocks are known to be. It’s my back-up in case my primary weapon goes down or dry. It’s always in my pocket ready to go for my worst day on the job.

Pocket holster by Desantis V5

I’ve always wanted to Camouflage my rifle via rattle can but never had the courage to do it. I wasn’t confident in my skills and was deathly afraid of ruining my $2100 LWRC M6A2. I thought about having it Cerakoted but I don’t have $200+ to throw into aesthetics alone. Yes, I know Cerakoting has a purpose in protecting the rifle and does it well, I just can’t afford it!
Last week I decided to just do it and I have to say that it was relatively easy to do and I’m very satisfied with the end product and the fact that I did it myself. Here’s how I did it:
Materials:

Multiple Cans of Rustoleum Camouflage paint. Tan, Brown and Dark Brown
(I had to use one Krylon can for Green)
Masking Tape
Camo Netting
A well ventilated area to use. It was my backyard and I used an old kennel to put it on top of.
That’s all you will need!

I broke down the entire process in 5 phases. Hint* take your time and have fun!

Phase One: Prepping

This is the absolute most important of all the phases. Wipe down the entire rifle with a lint free towel to take off any oil from your fingers and anything that will get in the way of a good contact with the surface and the paint.
Remove all your furniture, stock, pistol grip, anything you don’t want painted. (my furniture was already Camouflaged by a friend) if you want to paint those items, spray them separately.
I left my Trijicon Reflex on my rifle.
Use masking tape to tape off the very few places that shouldn’t be painted. For me, it was the objective lens, fiber optics on the Reflex sight; the critical parts of my BUIS, the piston system under the 12 o’clock rail, the bottom of the receiver where the pistol grip meets. I also left an empty 10 round pmag in the rifle. That’s it! Now you’re ready for-
Phase Two: Base Coat.

You always want to go with the lightest color to dark. I used the Tan Rustoleum Camouflage can for this. This phase is almost as important as the first. I set my rifle standing level on my dog’s old cage kennel and started spraying. The key to all of the spray painting is figuring out the distance and speed of your spray. For me it was two to three feet. Now spray in one direction and do long, steady and fast strokes to keep the paint from running.

For best results, do multiple light layers while letting it dry during each run. This is the longest phase because you have to get every part of the rifle. Be very thorough and make sure you get all of the angles. Once one side is dry, rotate it and get the next side until you get it all. You might be doing this for a long time! I spent over an hour on this phase, with the dry times included. I allowed the base coat to dry overnight before I moved onto the next.
Phase Three: Pattern.

Here’s where you utilize your artistic license. I used some camo netting for my pattern. The tricky part is getting the netting to stay close to the surface so I could get more definition from the net. I started with green and for all of the different color paints, I did a random pattern of stripes. For the color paints, do quick, short sprays at alternating distances to get a different random layers and saturation. Once one color was dry, I moved to the next, Brown. Do this multiple times until you’re happy with the pattern. Carefully take off the netting to check the status and to let dry. Same as the previous phase, rotate until you get all of the angles. At the very end, I used the dark brown to hit a few spots.
Phase Four: Air Dry.

I let it sit for half an hour before I moved it to a better place for it to dry. I let it dry for a few hours after that. The last thing you want is your fingers smearing the paint!
Phase Five: Putting it all back together.

Carefully remove all of the masking tape. Replace all of the furniture that you took off and you’re all done! See it wasn’t so hard!

Had to save the US Flag!

Since you don’t need to take the rifle apart, your Zero doesn’t change.

Running the Surefire Warden kind of cooks the paint right of the brake. Oh well. If you have any questions, leave a comment!

I thought I’d write an update to my previous review of the Surefire Warden since there is still not much information on it. The good news is that people are starting to get their Wardens from Surefire and their dealers.
So far, I haven’t seen many end users place the Warden onto a 7.62 rifle. I decided to replace the Surefire WarComp flash hider with the MB762 Muzzlebrake on my FN SCAR 17s to take away a lot of the recoil. The WarComp works as advertised; it eliminates the flash signature and has comp ports at the top to keep the barrel flat, the byproduct is a significant increase in recoil.

The MB762 is a highly effective two port brake that works opposite of the WarComp. It takes away a lot of recoil but gives a huge blast signature and flash, especially with a 7.62×51 cartridge. Enter the Warden. It attaches easily and snug on the brake and effectively directs all of the blast forward. Having the Warden attached does negate some of the brake’s effectiveness, with a very minimal added felt recoil. What does this mean? You can now shoot indoors and around your friends or partners in a tactical environment depending on what you use it for without sacrificing too much of the recoil reduction from the brake.

Top right: MB762
Bottom right: MB762 with Warden attached.

I take advantage of the “Multi caliber” feature of the Warden. I switch it over from my M6A2 and SCAR 17s therefore I definitely got my money’s worth!

Our Second Amendment, in my opinion is our most important Amendment in our Constitution because it gives us the right to defend ourselves from our own government and enemies, foreign and domestic. It gives our First Amendment and the rest some teeth and protection.
With everything going on in the world currently, it is more important than ever. It is a known fact that the percentage of actual Law Enforcement Officers per population in the United States is grossly out of balance. Just numbers alone, there isn’t enough Law Enforcement personnel available to be everywhere all at once.
Even agencies with the most highly trained, best equipped officers still have to wait for a call and then respond.
It is just mind boggling how anyone can blame an inanimate object and hold it responsible for the actions of evil people. It has always been a people problem. People don’t blame cars for DUI related deaths etc.
Gun ownership is not for everyone, besides those who aren’t allowed to own one; there are people who cannot and will not take another person’s life no matter the circumstance. There is nothing wrong with that, that is a choice each person has to make for themselves. For those who choose exercise their Second Amendment Right to own firearms, who has the right to tell them how they should do it? It says, “Shall not be Infringed.” So technically nobody really has the right to do so. Sure there needs to be laws to prevent those who shouldn’t have them and background checks.
There’s the argument that the forefathers never intended to allow the rights to be extended to semi-automatic AR-15’s. How would they know? All the other rights including the First Amendment are able to adapt with the advances of technology so why are we singling out the Second? Did the forefathers expect the invention of the internet and social media etc? Didn’t think so.
All of the most recent mass shootings should be a reminder why it is important to have the ability to defend ourselves from evil people, and not blame the weapons they choose; weapons that are usually banned for them to possess in the first place.
Criminals and terrorists do not obey any laws. Why would anyone expect them to obey the gun laws and gun free zones?
The Second Amendment does not give anyone the right to commit murder or crimes. It is against the law to murder and do criminal acts with firearms last time I checked.
I support every law abiding citizen who chooses to defend themselves and utilizes their Second Amendment Right.
For those who are against guns, I leave you with this question:
Would you rather have the ability to defend your own life when there is a person standing over you about to murder you or ask for mercy?
Also know that having a gun doesn’t guarantee safety and success. It however gives you a fighting chance at tipping the outcome in your favor.

Surefire doesn’t really need any introduction, it’s reputation as a high quality flashlight and tactical equipment is second to none in the industry.
I’ve used their lights and equipment for over a decade starting from my time as a young Explorer. I still use their products daily on my duty weapon, belt and off duty. Everything they make is made to sustain the harshest condition and be reliable. If you ever break any of their products or it just happens to stop working, they have a no hassle guarantee. I’ve broken lights and other tactical gear from hard use and their customer service technicians have always taken care of me by fixing the problem or replacing it.

The main complaint I hear is that they’re so expensive! That may be true but I always say that you get what you pay for. I have bought other brands and they all have failed me at some point. The difference is that I’d have to replace it out of my own pocket. Surefire stands behind their products and they will take care of you as they have on many occasions with me. You are paying for a dependable, durable and peace of mind.
The technology has drastically changed over the years. Ten years ago, incandescent lights were the brightest while LED lights were durable but not nearly as bright. That is not longer true, LED technology has surpassed incandescents with brightness, runtime and durability. It’s truly amazing how many lumens you can get out of a single battery these days and the tactical run time has been getting longer and longer.

I have so many Surefire lights over the years and on a daily basis, I used multiple Surefire products on duty and off.
On my car keys, I have a Titan Plus that runs on one single AAA battery that puts out 15/75/300 lumens. It is always with me ensuring that I always have a light whenever I need it. Depending on my attire, I have a EB2 flashlight that gives me a blinding 500 lumens, and 5 for jobs that need less light. When I’m on duty, I have a GX2 Tactical on my belt the puts out over 300 lumens and an X300 Ultra that is mounted to my duty weapon, the HK VP9.

For home defense, I have a Fore End shotgun light that replaced my original fore end.
For tactical equipment, I have Surefire EarPro that fits my ears easily compared to the annoying foam inserts that like to fall out. I run Surefire Muzzlebrakes on both my M6A2 and SCAR 17s to eliminate recoil. To make the rifles more useful in CQB and to limit flash signature when employing a muzzlebrake, I have the Surefire Warden Blast Regulator which directs all of the blast and concussion forward. (see my review on the Warden in my previous post).

Overall Surefire is at the forefront of tactical technology that is always innovating and creating the best tools for almost any job that requires lights or tactical equipment.