Table of contents for Issue - UN12 #11 in UN12

As we were working on the UN12 issue that you’re now reading, we received word that the 2021 SHOT Show has been called off. The cancellation of the largest firearms trade show is disappointing to say the least and is just one more sign of the crazy times that we currently live in. The feeling that the firearms world has never been more important than it is now is almost palpable. Gun sales from complete firearms to components and ammunition continue through the roof, to the point that finding almost anything in stock is a challenge, which can be especially frustrating if you’re trying to start or even complete a new project build. But firearms ownership is up and business is booming, and that’s a good thing for the industry…

When it comes to everyday carry solutions, the beauty is in the personalization. Each loadout can be tailor-made for anyone and any daily adventure. Some keep it simple with just the bare essentials, while others may require a more specific and focused set of products for their tasks. Given the way 2020 has progressed, you may find COVID-19 has introduced a couple of new additions to your daily carry kit, as it has ours, which can be used well after things go back to normal. We’ve selected a few items that can help aid in the daily routine and beyond, and we’ve included a couple items that can help keep the germs at bay. For some, combining technology and the outdoors may seem like trying to mix oil and water,…

“The Swiss-produced Brügger & Thomet (B&T) APC9 PRO Pistol, a semiauto compact PDW chambered for 9mm, is closely related to the U.S. Army’s B&T APC9K submachine gun.” Count ourselves lucky; we are living in the middle of a firearm customization boom. With so many aftermarket parts and talented craftsmen at our disposal, it seems as if we can create anything that we can imagine. But as much as we enjoy a fully customized gun, there are times that simple bolt-on upgrades are all you need to get your piece situated just right. This is the case for Ward Limann, a marketing executive by weekday and tactical training addict by weekend. Limann started off training with AR-15 carbines as his go-to weapons but has since switched over to shorter, 9mm PDWs.…

There are those of us who opt for basic, no-nonsense protection and those of us who consider extensive pistol customization as a part of the “basic” defensive package. Count Mr. Fischbach, the owner of the featured pistol, as one of the latter. For him, simply carrying a factory-stock pistol is not an option There’s no arguing that even in its stock form the Glock 19 has a legendary reputation for being a reliable and effective CCW pistol. Yet the allure of a custom G19 is understandably hard to ignore. In terms of function and form, the pistol, when customized, can definitely be improved upon. Looking to improve his self-defense carry pistol, Fischbach entrusted his Gen 3 Glock 19 to the hands of Jay Canter, a gun photographer by trade and…

As with anything else, when it comes to firearms customization, the sky is basically the limit. That said, there’s much to appreciate in builds that hark to a more of an OEM feel. Nothing wild, but dripping with understated goodness—for example, projects executed by builders like Michael Tsay through his company, Collector Design Werks, out of Southern California. Tsay formally established Collector Design Werks in the spring of 2019. Prior to that his customization exploits, for himself or for others, were only done on the side as a hobby. As it happens, his background is perfectly suited to producing well-crafted custom builds and the firearms accessories that comprise them. However, as with many of us, that background and its underlying passion were shelved for a few years in favor of…

No matter what type of vehicle a firearm owner drives, the importance for secure gun storage options is paramount. Finding just the right setup for your storage needs, however, can be quite the challenge due to the breadth of storage solutions currently on the market. Call it an embarrassment of riches for us gun owners, perhaps; we’re not complaining. To help you sift through the many options available, we’ve collected some of the most popular secure storage choices into this guide. Before you dive into the options blindly, it’s a good idea to assess your needs in order to zero in on which products will work best for your situation. What type of vehicle do you drive? Do you need quick access to your guns and gear? Do you need…

On its face, a knife is a simple tool, one seemingly as old as mankind itself. Dive deeper and you may discover that a knife isn’t quite as simple as it may seem. Sure, its main job is to cut, slice, or stab. How it goes about these tasks and how well it executes them comes down to many factors, including its shape, how it’s made, and what materials it’s made from. The knife you see before you is a modified Spyderco Spydiechef owned by one Dean Brown. He is an avid saltwater fisherman, and as such he has gone through many budget knives that succumbed to the corrosion brought on by the salty environs of the ocean air and, of course, by seawater itself. Understanding this, his wife bought…

Yet another polymer AR-15 compatible magazine has been recently released. With so many flooding the market, you may find yourself wondering—do we need another one? We emphatically say yes. The more choices and sources from which we can draw gear, the better. We always welcome more choices, especially if there’s innovation involved. The name of the Strike Industries AR-15 Magazine (32-rounds) may be a bit on the nose, but it’s the last part that gets us excited. Most standard-capacity AR mags, as you may know, are full when loaded to 30 rounds. And at maximum capacity, it can be a bit of a pain to load them into your AR. Many shooters recommend down-loading your mags by a round or two in order to ensure easier insertion, reducing your effective…

Swampfox Liberty Red Dot Sight Liberty is an all-new open reflex red dot sight that is intended for everyday carry and competition on pistols, carbines, and shotguns. The Liberty touts advanced features such as Shake ’N Wake motion-sensing illumination, a scratch-resistant hardcoat finish, extended battery life, and a 1x22mm window. $249 swampfoxoptics.com Arrowhead Tactical Apparel Carrier Joggers Experience the best in comfortable self-defense with Arrowhead Tactical’s Carrier Joggers. Every aspect of the Joggers was designed to optimize your everyday carry, starting with your handgun and extending to anything else you may need to feel comfortably prepared. They’re compatible with Arrowhead’s unique Carrier Retention Waistband. The package includes Carrier Jogger pants, removable Carrier Rapid Clasp Retention Belt, and a removable Arrowhead morale patch. $100 arrowheadtacticalapparel.com Faxon Firearms 5.56 MuzzLok Ported Flash…

Premium EDC Items Qalo Step Edge Silicone Ring  MSRP: $25 URL: qalo.com Our 2¢: For those seeking an affordable jewelry solution, this is a great option for anyone prone to losing things like their wedding band (which this author did within the first year of marriage). It features a nice design detail with its stepped edge, is very lightweight, and is extremely comfortable to wear. It’s great for activities like working out or swimming, or for those who work with their hands. Griffon Industries Hypalon Wallet MSRP: $28  URL: griffonindustries.com Our 2¢: If you’re looking for a minimalist wallet, the Hypalon is a great portable and lightweight option. It works well as a money clip alternative for securing cards and cash. We found the wallet easily connects to our belt…

If you’ve seen photos of SOF personnel in action over the past 20 years, you have undoubtedly seen bundles of glowsticks hanging from their belts and plate carriers. These items, known as chemlights, come in different shapes and sizes and are carried for a variety of purposes, most commonly for marking people, places, and things. Chemlights are activated by bending the translucent plastic housing and breaking a tiny internal container, allowing two chemicals to mix. The reaction produces a bright glow that illuminates the flexible outer housing and creates a colored light. Once activated, the chemlight cannot be deactivated—meaning it’s a one-time-use device. Mil-Spec chemlights are a lot tougher than commercial versions used to mark children during trick-or-treating or MDMA-addled millennials at the club. Standard-issue chemlights are made by Cyalume…

You can be as ready for adventure as possible, but something is just holding you back. Sometimes it’s simply the fear of the unknown that keeps a lot of people in their comfort zones, and understandably so. But you are reading this magazine, so you’ve either gotten over the hump—or you are about to. For me, it has taken a while to get comfortable with the unknown. How did I overcome it? By preparing for it, and just pushing myself into it. And every time I pushed forward, I’d see someone else coming back out₀ STEP FORWARD There’s a book that helped me as well on numerous levels: “The Complete Walker IV” by authors Colin Fletcher and Chip Rawlins. The book can be read in two ways—as a regular storybook…

It should go without saying that we’ve seen our share of customized firearms. We’ve nothing against complete off-the-shelf gun builds, but with such a robust firearms market, particularly in the AR realm, the sheer volume of product available has our gears constantly turning. At any given time we might have two or three or half a dozen potential builds floating around in our heads, based around parts or combinations of parts we’ve seen on the Internet, on Instagram, at the show, or at the range. For anyone looking to do a build from the ground up and tailor every aspect to his or her liking, there is no time like the present. It’s no stretch to say we’re living in what you might call a Golden Age for gun building,…

What is an instructor? According to the Google monster, an instructor is “a person who teaches something.” There is a lot of presumption and expectations concerning instructors in the firearms and shooting industries. Many presume we know everything about everything; we do not. Some may act like they do, but probably don’t. Some think we live a glorious life where people give us free stuff every day, but we don’t. Some think we do not fail, but we do. We are normal people who use our experience, training, data, and science to teach you about a subject. We are often lifelong students who continue striving to become better every day (or we should be). Most of us buy our own equipment, supply our own ammo, and handle our own logistics.…

The Compass Drill is designed to be a “balancing act” exercise intended to even out how your body and brain interface with the pistol in both the right and left hand. This is an exercise I introduce to newer shooters as soon as they grasp the essentials of safely handling and functioning the gun. By working ambidextrous drills like this early on in the training experience, new shooters tend to avoid the learned fearful bias against one-hand and support-hand shooting. This drill requires a newer shooter to mentally shift gears between tasks to ensure correct grip structure, trigger finger discipline, and muzzle awareness are established before he or she presents on target and begins to shoot. For more experienced shooters who tend to lean heavily on two-handed, dominant-side-only practice, the…

Once considered unique to the military and tactical worlds, morale patches are now creeping into other realms to include that of off-roading and other outdoor activities. There’s a simple reason for their universal appeal—they’re fun. It’s in this light that we are excited to include yet another fun-themed morale patch with this issue. Every print issue of UN12 comes with an exclusive morale patch designed specifically for our readers. Since the magazine’s inception, our morale patches inspired pouches. If you’ve served in the armed forces, you’ll be more than familiar with these field rations and have probably gotten a kick out of the pouch design. If this issue’s patch design looks familiar, it should. The patch included with this issue is based on our MRE-inspired morale patch bag design. For…

I’m your huckleberry. That line and a long list of other great quotes have been ingrained in our minds ever since we first watched the 1993 film “Tombstone” starring Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. Both the actor and the character really stole the show. Decades on, we can still recite dialogue from the movie by heart. We’re betting you can too. Apparently, we’re not the only ones. Amanda, co-owner of Ted’s Shooting Range in Queen Creek, Arizona, had this revolver customized as a tribute to the movie. It truly is stunning to look at. The custom work was done by 2A Tactical LLC in Gilbert, Arizona, making this an all-AZ affair. That the revolver is dedicated to a movie based in the Arizona town of Tombstone only seems natural. Being…

Starting your own brand is no easy task. It takes a great deal of determination, patience, and a bit of luck to create something from scratch. This is exactly what Josh Patterson had when it came to launching Off The Grid (OTG), an outdoor apparel brand. As a designer by trade having worked with an impressive roster of companies that includes DC Shoes, Quiksilver, Rip Curl, FOX Racing, and Prana, Patterson’s 17 years of experience provided insight and knowledge of the apparel industry, which in turn provided the foundation he sought to create his own brand. Growing up in Southern California gave him access to not only the beaches of San Diego but also the desert, where he would spend the winters piloting dirt bikes, off-road trucks, and buggies on…

As the undergrowth clawed its way across fenders and doors, the truck was filled with a sound that was both deafening and nerve-racking. The same tree limbs finding gratification in scratching across the paint slapped the windows with a vengeance. Spinning tires slung mud over the windshield as the soft earth tried to further hinder our progress. It seemed as if the woods themselves were angry at our attempt to navigate the narrow trail. The rockers of the old truck were rusted, the paint severely faded, and the windshield was threaded with cracks. Although it had its share of scars, when in four-wheel drive the faithful Chevy never failed to get us to our favorite hunting ground. It wasn’t pretty by aesthetic standards, but I felt invincible when I was…

Today’s warfighting gear bears little resemblance to the kit worn into battle over the past half century. The evolution of the past 20 years in the Global War on Terror has been so rapid that the original gear worn during the invasion of Afghanistan looks almost ancient. Advancements in technology, materials, manufacturing processes, and designs based on years of intense combat and ever-evolving mission sets have created stronger, lighter, and more effective kit than ever before. The sheer modularity allows individuals to tailor their loadout to the mission. A warfighter’s job is to destroy the enemy and win. A properly kitted warfighter will be able to achieve this much more effectively with proper gear. Perhaps more importantly, the warfighter will be able to win more easily if his gear is…

PDWs are a hot commodity these days and for good reason. Pandemics, political strife, social unrest, and societal upheaval are on their own enough to set most reasonable people on edge. And while it doesn’t really appear that the collapse of civilization as we know it is imminent, it never hurts to be prepared for any eventuality. We, the publishers of this magazine, you, the reader of this magazine, and trusted contributors to the magazine like Arizona’s Jay Canter, abide by a mantra that might be expressed as “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” Canter is one of those who, like us and perhaps you, lives ahead of the curve when it comes to outfitting his personal armory. A longtime resident of California, Canter found himself some…

If you haven’t fired a 9mm AR yet, you don’t know the fun that you’re missing out on. Rifle-caliber ARs converted to fire pistol rounds may seem counterintuitive to some, but to others it’s a great way to shoot their ARs more often. Not only can it be less expensive to shoot due to lower ammo costs, but many firing ranges can only accept pistol-caliber rounds. On top of that, pistol-caliber ARs can also serve as a viable home defense platform. Owners of AR-15 pistols or SBRs can now easily convert their platform to 9mm with CMMG’s innovative 9mm Banshee 200 MkGs drop-in receiver group. You may have encountered or even have a 9mm upper or two already, but we’d like to bring to your attention the fact that CMMG…