By Diane Walls,
Contributing Editor
Everyone, shooter or not, needs some first aid training and the gear to go with it. With all the disasters that can plague us, manmade or natural, we all need to know something about taking care of injuries minor and major. It’s a good idea to have kits with basic essentials on hand to handle trauma and keep others alive until professional help arrives. Voodoo Tactical has a wide variety of medical gear bags and fully stocked kits to choose from in all sizes from small and portable to tuck into your range gear or vehicle, medium for your home or workplace, or large for excursions into remote areas or situations where help may be a long time coming. A loving gift would be a well-stocked kit and an offer to take a trauma treatment class with someone you care about. Go visit voodootactical.net/molle-gear to find what you need.
The AR-15 carbine is an excellent defensive tool for your home. We need to keep it safely secured and still within reach for an emergency. The ARVault from Gunvault can be mounted to structural elements in a closet or a decorative cabinet anchored to a wall. It secures the gun from easy access by unauthorized people and can be quickly opened when the firearm is needed. Find out more at gunvault.com/ar-safes.
If a new gunbelt is on the list for someone you love, Bladetech solves the fit issue with their Ultimate Carry Belt. It has a ratchet fit strip built in for all the adjustability one could want to work around layers of clothing and mounted gear that can be frustrating to accommodate with standard belt holes. It comes in web in black or tan and black leather is a nice option for a dressier look. It’s available from Amazon or any number of sporting goods retailers. Surf online for the best prices.
Many self-defense techniques with firearms can be difficult to practice safely without the security of an instructor at a reputable training facility. Still, practice is needed to keep the skills sharp. Retaining the gun from someone trying to take it, taking a gun away from someone threatening you with it, searching your home while trying to rescue family members are all important skills too dangerous to practice with even unloaded firearms. An inert replica of your firearm is something that is valuable for any practitioner of the defensive arts and particularly valuable for those instructing these skills. Blue Guns has training replicas that approximate the weight of the real thing and fit Into holsters like the guns they mimic for realistic weapon retention and disarming skills practice or instruction. Check out blueguns.com for a look at their vast array of training replicas to find what you need and shop online for best prices from a variety of retailers.
Gun Tote’n Mamas is a favorite for a wide selection of beautiful and affordable carry purses and bags. New this year is their rolling range bag to carry all your range gear in style. It comes in black, burgundy or blue paisley microfiber or, if you really want to go all out, distressed buffalo leather. It is designed with big sturdy wheels to roll over any terrain, a protective dirt and scuff shield on the bottom that can be easily rinsed clean and a stout telescoping handle like any fine luggage. Inside are removable compartments for storage of your essentials: guns, ammo, eye and ear protection, cap, cleaning kit and whatever else you might find practical to take along with you to the range. See guntotenmamas/collections/range-bags for prices and look for deals.
If you’ve ever had a problem with a new leather or kydex holster holding onto your gun too well until it’s broken in, there is Quick Draw Holster Lube to the rescue. This spray product is safe to use on leather or synthetics and will not harm firearm finishes. It also doesn’t interfere with holster retention capability. What it does is smooth and clean the inside surface of your holster to make drawing easier and quicker (hence the name). I used this on a very snug leather holster that was new and unusable without break-in and could draw the gun as soon as the spray had dried. The product isn’t greasy or smelly. I plan to keep some on hand. Go to quickdrawgear.com to learn more.
Eye protection is a must whenever shooting. Finding the right glasses that will fit under your ear protection without breaking the seal or giving you a headache can be a challenge. Peltor Sport Securefit Safety Eyewear is designed with flat earpieces that flex to fit under muffs. They come in clear, yellow or smoke lenses for any conditions and can be had in a set of all three lens colors or singly. Check them out at www.3m.com for more info on all Peltor protective gear products. Shop online for best price on a pair of your choice or the set.
Anything that makes cleaning your guns easier is welcome on my work bench. Swab-its Firearm Cleaning Products are reusable sponge cleaning tips that soak up solvents and lubricants to give even coverage to your gun’s barrel from breach to muzzle. They come in many sizes for pistols, rifles and shotguns so your caliber is sure to be available. When they have done their work, they can be washed in some dishwashing soap and water and dried to be used again. Each tip holds up for approximately 15 cleaning sessions before it should be discarded as too soiled or tattered. They generate less waste and save money over time. Go to swab-its.com to find their firearms swabs as well as general use and even medical use swabs.
If you have children in school or college, you know they need backpacks to carry all the books, notepads, writing instruments and all their other gear. You might also have that nagging fear that their school might be the one involved in the next shooting incident. Something to cover both problems and give at least a modicum of reassurance to students and parents could be the Guard Dog Bulletproof Backpack. These packs are good looking as well as utilitarian and, with a ballistic shield built in, can help protect vital areas of the body should the worst happen. Look at guarddog-security/practical-bulletproof-backpacks for information and shop online for the best deals from retailers that carry their products.
I recently received a pair of holsters from Clinger Holsters to try for everyday carry. They have a very nice pocket holster with a durable outside covering that sticks in your pocket when you draw and holds without moving around so it stays in position for a quick firing grip on your gun. It is sturdy enough to safely cover the trigger and soft enough to mold to an amorphous lump in the pocket that could be anything other than a gun to outside observation. It covers everything but the grips in a protective pocket that slows accumulation of pocket dirt in the workings of your pistol that we all find tends to accumulate when we carry daily. This holster, called the Comfort Carry, claims to be suitable for inside the waistband as well as pocket carry. I tried this with my usual trousers, no belt, and it did stay put when I moved around and didn’t pull free easily. It was, indeed, very comfortable. I wouldn’t feel comfortable using this option with baggy sweatpants that wouldn’t hold it firmly against me but with jeans, trousers or even a skirt with a waistband it would be an option for those who just hate belts or don’t want a clip to show that a gun might be present. A shirt could be tucked in over the gun to com
The Comfort Carry (top) and the Stingray (bottom) are two good daily carry holsters from Clinger Holsters that are very reasonably priced completely conceal it at the expense of requiring a little longer to access it. All this and the MSRP is $19.99.
The second holster is their straight drop inside the waistband holster in Kydex to fit my 1911 pistols. I carry forward of my hip because of my build and arm length. I found this holster to be comfortable with or without a
shirt tucked in between skin and holster all day, standing, sitting or twisting. It does a good job of concealing and has a sweat guard to protect the gun from caustic perspiration. It is cut to allow for a solid, high firing grip on the holstered gun. The belt clip is very robust and holds firmly hooked over the belt through all kinds of bending, sitting or squatting movement. It has a tensioning screw to adjust for proper retention of the gun. It even came with spare screws in case you lose one. This one is called the Stingray. MSRP is $39.99.
Both of these holsters would be excellent choices and very reasonably priced. Clinger makes other holsters that I have yet to try. Visit at clingerholsters/shop-now to choose from their selection of holsters for your gun and carry style.
