#reft

Havoc Poster Now Available!

Cry Havoc And Let Slip The Dogs OF War. 

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PALMETTO STATE ARMORY

Jamin McCallum first served 3 years on Active duty in the U.S. Army before making the transition to the South Carolina National Guard.  While in the National Guard, the now commissioned Lt. McCallum served a tour with an Army Combat Engineer Brigade. Combat Engineers actively search for and disable roadside bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). During his tour, Lt. McCallum’s vehicle was hit by an IED, and he suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury ( TBI).

As Lt. McCallum returned home, he was unable to continue his career as an Accountant due to his TBI and boredom. One of the biggest symptoms of a TBI is the inability to stay focused on a thought or topic for extended periods of time. As unfortunate as this was to Lt. McCallum’s family, he decided to chase his dream of owning a business and doing something he truly loved…Guns! In 2010,  Lt. McCallum created Palmetto State Armory (PSA) because he couldn’t find a company that provided all the magazines and ammo he needed for his numerous firearms.

After starting out as a magazine and ammo company, Palmetto State Armory found almost immediate success in selling magazines, so they expanded their portfolio to include gear and gun parts. This is the reason once you visit Palmetto State Armory, you’ll think of this store as the Walmart of guns.

What do you really need in your IFAK?

Let’s be honest; there are some ridiculous first aid kits out there with everything from a single piece of combat gauze to almost anything you might find in an operating room.  But what do you actually need in there?  There are a lot of pre-packed kits on the market that I think fall short, mainly because the purposefully omit life-saving products in order to reach a certain price point.

Before we go much further, let me make the statement “IFAK kits will be expensive.”  Expect to pay at least $200 for your IFAK and accompanied medical items.  I know this may sound like a lot, but if something dire happens to you, you will spend the rest of your short life wishing you had splurged on the good stuff.

The below-recommended contents are based on years of real-world experience, actually seeing what does and doesn’t work.  These items will fit in a small IFAK and will provide necessary life-saving options.  I will expand on this and say that none of the below medical equipment will do you any good if you don’t know how to use them.  I’d argue that knowing how to use these items is more important than actually having the items themselves.  While I could go into all the recommended courses available, I will save that for a later post.

I will make my IFAK list based on the MARCH algorithm.  The military’s MARCH algorithm varies from the traditional ABC (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) used by civilians.  MARCH stands for:

Massive Hemorrhage- The military puts Massive Hemorrhage at the top of the treatment list.  This means that if you arrive at a patient, you’d want to treat a massive hemorrhage first before moving on to any other injuries.  Now, it’s important to note that a massive hemorrhage means a sizeable arterial bleed is dumping copious amounts of blood onto the ground.  This isn’t a cut that is dripping on the ground; it is large volumes of blood loss that could lead to death in less than a minute or two.

Airway- This pertains to being able to draw air into the lungs.  Airway would be something like an obstructed airway due to debris, a tongue of an unconscious patient or mouth and throat burns.

Respiration- This pertains to the actual breathing process. Standard treatment for respiratory ailments would include something like a collapsed lung or a sucking chest wound.

Circulation- At this stage of the algorithm we go back to general bleeding and lacerations to keep lots of cuts from leaking precious blood out of the body.

Hypothermia/Head Injury- This last piece of the algorithm is a little bit contentious in that many healthcare providers believe you should treat hypothermia throughout the MARCH treatment process. I agree with this method of thinking, but it is always wise to reassess for hypothermia after all the holes have been plugged.

With the above algorithm in mind lets look at what items are going to treat those issues.  Keep in mind this doesn’t address things like spinal cord injuries, burns, smoke inhalation or other possible non-visible injuries that you as a civilian might encounter.  However, those are injuries that you as an everyday civilian wouldn’t be able to treat with anything out of your IFAK anyways.  So these items cover things that you can personally manage and potentially use to save someone’s life.

Massive Hemorrhage:

Military Poster 

“Somewhere a true believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere condition, training day and night. 

The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn’t worry about which workout to do- his ruck weighs what it weighs. His runs end when the enemy stops chasing him.

This true believer is not concerned with how hard it is; he knows he either wins or dies. He doesn’t go home at 17:00, he is home. He only knows the cause.

STILL WANT TO QUIT?

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Whether it's your team room, man cave, or barracks room, get in the right mindset with this poster.

18" x 24"

You might not have known this, but Sig Sauer has recently released the new P365 SAS. With one look, you can tell this pistol is quite a bit different than most concealed carry style handguns on the market.

First off, the SAS, which stands for Sig Anti Snag, is true to its name. Everything about this pistol is “anti-snag.” Not only is the magazine release and slide catch made flush with the slide, but there’s no traditional front or rear sight.

Best AR-15 Scopes

One of my friends, a fellow gun enthusiast, once told me that the AR-15 is like a Barbie for men. The endless amount of accessories, modifications, barrel lengths, and furniture makes his comparison pretty spot on. Many of the changes folks make to their ARs are aesthetic and don’t really improve much. However, a few modifications, such as with the trigger, barrel, and optics can drastically increase the capability of the AR-platform. Red dots once ruled the shooting world. Improved technology has given us the ability to have powered optics that enable long-distance engagement and positive identification of our targets further downrange.

HOW WE RATE OUR SCOPES

There are a dozen different categories we can use to compare different AR scopes. Weight, maximum magnification, glass quality, eye relief, etc. For our uses, we’ll stick to a more pragmatic and practical approach using just three criteria.

Reliability

The most important question is: does it work when you need it to? Your gear needs to stand up to whatever your intended purpose is. All your tools should work when it counts, whether for competition or when your life depends on it.

Price

Is it affordable? Like everything, magnified optics for your AR can be very cheap or extremely expensive, sometimes doubling or tripling the cost of your AR. Generally, you get what you pay for, and quality isn’t cheap, but a few scopes on this list will offer you excellent quality for a lower price.

Accuracy

Is it consistent under the conditions you want to use it? After all, the primary purpose of mounting a scope on an AR is to increase your accuracy by giving you a precise aiming point. Your scope adjustment dials and reticle need to be predictable and repeatable to maximize your accuracy potential.

AR-15 SCOPES