This sums it up

“So the final conclusion would surely be that whereas other civilizations have been brought down by attacks of barbarians from without, ours had the unique distinction of training its own destroyers at its own educational institutions, and then providing them with facilities for propagating their destructive ideology far and wide, all at the public expense. Thus did Western Man decide to abolish himself, creating his own boredom out of his own affluence, his own vulnerability out of his own strength, his own impotence out of his own erotomania, himself blowing the trumpet that brought the walls of his own city tumbling down, and having convinced himself that he was too numerous, labored with pill and scalpel and syringe to make himself fewer. Until at last, having educated himself into imbecility, and polluted and drugged himself into stupefaction, he keeled over--a weary, battered old brontosaurus--and became extinct.”

-- Malcolm Muggeridge, Vintage Muggeridge: Religion and Society

(H/t Sipsey Street Irregulars)

-JL

“Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny of his cruel ministry we will not tamely submit -- appealing to Heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free.”

MVT Forum Update!

Max has posted some great news over the MVT forum.

Go here to read the news.

Help this be a very successful forum.

Oh, and he offers training too. 


-JL

“Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny of his cruel ministry we will not tamely submit -- appealing to Heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free.”

New post from Max

Max has posted some great videos on the fight against communist terrorists in Rhodesia.

Go check them out here.




-JL

“Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny of his cruel ministry we will not tamely submit -- appealing to Heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free.”

Rifle Plates

Much has been made about rifle plates. I am no expert but I know good products when I see them.

Two good companies to think about purchasing plates from are:

www.bulletproofme.com

www.ar500armor.com

Prices will vary on both because of materials. 

For the price, it is impossible to beat the AR500 Armor Plates. They have a Line-X coating on them to prevent spalling. I have a 10x12 Advanced Shooters Cut (ASC) with the extra build up. I got it with a 15% discount on a special they were running. I had it 5 days later from Arizona. The plate was surprisingly comfortable. The plus side to steel plates is their durability. You don't have to worry about dropping these and breaking them. They will likely break the ground if dropped. The downside is they are a little heavy. The price is just right on these at $85.00.

I also have a ceramic plate from Bulletproofme.com. This a 10x12 also and is triple curved. This thing rocks. The comfort is outstanding and it is a stand-alone multi-hit plate. The downside with this one is "multi-hit" for ceramic plates means 2-3 hits and the plate is toast. Granted the plate does its job and you are alive, who cares? The price is quite high on these compared to the AR500 plates. Upwards of $250.00 each for the ceramic.

Both options are great. Find what works for you and your budget. Train and get in shape. Lugging around gear requires strength and endurance. Get ready before SHTF. Don't make it harder on yourself by being unprepared. 

-JL

“Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny of his cruel ministry we will not tamely submit -- appealing to Heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free.”

ATS War Belt Review

A few days ago I ordered a new battle belt (BB). I went with the ATS Tactical War Belt. I ordered it on a Sunday Evening and it shipped Monday morning and arrived Wednesday afternoon.

Before I get into the ATS belt, I want to point out why I wanted to change to something better.

I was using a Condor Gen II Molle belt. It works fine and is quite comfortable. Plus it doesn't break the bank at around $24.00. Couple the belt with a $15.00 H-harness from Condor and I had a great set-up. Of course, as I progressed in my training and in my philosophy of how to best use a BB (Thanks to Max's CRCD course), my BB needed to change. The only problem with the Condor belt is the sides that curve around the waist. As you can see from the below picture, there are missing sections that allow for flexibility in the belt.

You can clearly see that I am missing sections of molle webbing. While this may seem like a small issue, I guarantee you it is not. In the bottom picture, the open section of webbing to the left of the SERPA holster is where my IFAK usually goes. After that is attached, I have NO ROOM left for anything else like food, water, extra ammo, nothing.

Tangent: I am experimenting with SAW ammo pouches to find a good balance of storage and comfort. Pictured is a 200rd pouch stuffed with Clif bars, jerky, and an MRE for patrol. This pouch is much too large for a BB and will be thrown in the patrol ruck in exchange for a few 100rd pouches.

Enter the ATS Tactical War Belt.

Not only is this thing very well build, it's light, comfortable, made in the USA, and has no breaks in the molle webbing. It also has 3 rows of webbing versus the two rows Condor utilizes.

The inside of the belt (where the web/riggers belt goes) is lined with Velcro to secure the belts to one another. It truly felt like one belt when I had everything attached. The padding in the belt is about 1/4" thick foam pad which feels great. The lining is also a type of moisture-wicking material to keep the wearer cool. I use a Blackhawk 2.25" duty belt as an inner belt. While that may seem like overkill to most, I love it because it gives fantastic support to my gear.

The bottom of the ATS War Belt does not fasten closed on the bottom. It is open to allow attaching gear to the inner belt at any point - this is an awesome design feature. 

The harness loops are ITW Nexus if that matters to you. I honestly don't know the difference in manufacturers. This brand seems to be widely used by higher quality manufacturers. My Condor h-harness will be used to support this.

I normally set my BB up like this from left to right: (see first picture)

2 HSGI Tacos for speed reloads

1 Condor MA4 double M4 mag pouch (holds 4 GI mags or 4 PMAGs) - to refill HSGI Tacos when empty. These will fit AR, AK and FAL mags with no problem.

BDS Ultimate Dump Pouch  very large dump pouch w/ different attachment options. It does take up some room if you mount it to your BB so I advise attaching it directly to your inner belt. 

USGI Saw Ammo Pouch - 100rd and 200rd. Great for storing short-term food and extra mags.

Paint the suckers!

IFAK - Condor Brand in Multicam - this is simply fantastic. Yeah, it's Chinese. Its a tri-fold design that allows for plenty of goody storage like chest seals, clotting agents, etc. Plus it rips away from the velcro panel for quick access.

Blackhawk SERPA - Good retention holster. Probably going to change it out at sometime for a standard molle holster if space becomes an issue as it takes up 4 sections of molle.

Tangent #2: I've been thinking about adding a fighting knife or some sort of blade to the belt. I am not sure how to mount it securely though. I have a Gerber LMF II. I think it's a great knife that holds an edge very well. The sheath is pretty good and has a great retention. Any ideas or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I may stick with my Recon I knife in my pocket as a close quarters type weapon.

I have worn the belt around and must say it much more comfortable than the Condor. I will update as I become more comfortable with this belt.

-JL

“Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny of his cruel ministry we will not tamely submit -- appealing to Heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free.”