Dave Gets Tactical… Sorta’
This is a bright and reliable headlamp from Coleman. Coleman
makes good stuff. I still use a Coleman camp stove and lantern
I’ve had for over 40 years. Powered by three AAA batteries, it
has three LED bulbs with a maximum output of 75 lumens.
An outfit called Ms Clean makes a line of cleaning kits stored in a (very) tough plastic case, shaped roughly like an AR 30-shot magazine. The cases are also available separately so you can store whatever accessories you want. Okay, get it out of your system. “Just wait until you reload with your cleaning kit instead of a fresh magazine,” or how about “I want my mag pouches full of ammo, not cleaning gear!” The folks at Ms Clean have heard them all. It seems most of the witticisms come from warriors of the armchair type. Feedback from actual military and police personnel has been very positive.
No, you won’t inadvertently load your AR or M4 rifle with the cleaning kit, for the simple reason the case is intentionally built too large to fit the magazine well. It’s shaped the way it is because military and police personnel generally have extra magazine pouches available for attaching to belts or web gear. I suppose I should warn you not to locate the cleaning kit pouch near your actual magazine pouches, but it would be patronizing and offensive, so I won’t.
If your rifle ever has mud, snow, or a bullet from a squib load lodged in the bore you’ll appreciate the sectioned steel cleaning rod in the Ms Clean kit. Soft cases also have a way of getting squished, resulting in gun cleaning solvent spread all over your daypack The plastic cases used by Ms Clean are very tough and when snapped shut are leak-resistant. The plastic is solvent-resistant as well, and can even be used as a solvent reservoir for cleaning small parts.
The cleaning kit, with sectioned rod and attachments, 5.56 bore and chamber brushes, 7.62 and 9mm bore brushes, dental pick, double-ended brush, cleaning patches and clean/lube solvent has an MSRP of $44.99. If you have spare parts or other accessories to stow, the case alone is $22.49 and various colors are offered.
These are my most-used headlamps. From left, S&W model
SW026AHL; Petzl Tactikka +RGB’ and a Terralux TLH 50.
I like these because they are well made, tough, water and
impact resistant, versatile and put out lots of light. The S&W and
Petzl get the most use because they run on inexpensive AAA
batteries. The TLH 50 uses CR-123 batteries but I love it for
outdoor use when I want maximum light output.
This Ms Clean case comes complete with cleaning gear for both AR-style rifl es and has bore bushes for pistol barrels. It’s crush and water resistant and shaped to fi t pouches for AR magazines. The orange case in the pouch holds some 1911-pistol spare parts or could be confi gured to hold whatever you think you need.
Head “Tactical?” Lights
Lights are essential for home and personal defense. I like lights either handheld or weapon-mounted — or both — with the on-off switch right under my finger. It took me a while to appreciate headlamp lights though, the type with a band fitting around your head. I wondered about their tactical utility, since I’m a totally tactical guy in a totally tactical world. It’s all got to be tactical. Okay, just kidding. Honest. But still, a headlamp is kind of hard to turn off or on quickly when you have a handgun or long gun in your hands. Plus bad guys might use the light as an aiming point, which is good for them and bad for me.
Then one night I went for a midnight ramble on the Polaris Ranger, and on impulse grabbed the Petzl Tactikka + headlamp. Suddenly, I could drive with both hands, and see off to the left and right, where the vehicle lights didn’t reach. If I dropped the key, I could see to find it — again.
Next day I phoned Editor Roy, babbling with the zeal of the newly converted. I could hear Roy’s patient sigh as he said, “I have half a dozen headlamps and use one or another about every day. You mean you just figured this one out?”
“Well, yeah, but I don’t see a tactical aspect.”
“Suppose the Ranger breaks down or a tire goes flat. Wouldn’t you say it’s good tactics to fix it? And wouldn’t it help to see what you’re doing, and still have both hands free?”
“It does kind of sound tactical.”
“The Petzl light you’re talking about has a strobe function,” he lectured. “So if you were lost, would attracting the searchers attention be a good tactic or a bad tactic?”
“A good tactic.”
“Very good. And as far as using a headlamp in a defensive situation, just because it has a headband doesn’t mean you have to wear it. In a pinch, even you could hold it and turn it on or off as needed.”
“That sounds pretty tactical too.”
“Nice. Why are we having this conversation again? Don’t you have photos to take and articles to write?”
Also, keeping the editor happy is a good tactic. Maybe I am becoming tactical?
