By Scott Smith | Contributing Editor
It was with sadness that I took to the keyboard for the last issue of The GunMag. Seventeen years ago this issue, I started writing for Gun Week—TheGunMag’s predecessor. I want to thank you the readers and Joe Tartaro for giving me this forum to share over the years the latest in firearms, clothing, accessories, training and competition.
We will be leaving you in this issue with clothing from a new kid on the block: Viktos (Phone: 800-597-7179; Online: viktos.com), a staple for shooters; 5.11 Tactical ( Phone: 866-451-1726; Online: 511tactical.com), semi-newcomers; First Tactical (Phone: 855-665-3410; Online firsttactical.com) Merrell Boots (Phone: 800-288-3124; Online; merrell.com) and sights from Trijicon (Phone: 800-338-0563; Online: trijicon.com). I chose items from these companies because clothing has been the most innovative area of growth in the industry and Trijicon is moving into the world of fiber optic sights which competition shooters cannot get enough of.
So let’s get started with Viktos. This is not a traditional tactical clothing company, but a company that brings tactical clothing to the street while still being useful for undercover, range and field use. They use innovative new materials and designs to give shooters, lifestyle clothing.
While I think BDUs in khaki can double as casual clothing, they really cannot, nor can a pair of spit shined combat boots work as dress shoes. Actually in this day and age of unprovoked attacks against people, it is a good idea to try to blend in and be the proverbial grey man. Viktos is one company whose entire mission statement is to dress the “grey man”.
Contractor Pants
At first glance Viktos’ Contractor Pants look like you would find them at a casual wear store in the mall where the cool kids shop. Fear not; these pants are built for serious use, not just to look cool. Viktos’ Contractor Pants are one of the few pants on the market that take into account many of us are no longer in our fighting trim. They offer Contractors in waist sizes 28-44 with inseams 32 and 34 inches. You can have them in Midwatch, Fieldcraft, Greyman and Spartan.
Contractor Pants are made from cotton/spandex with what Viktos calls an Attack Posture fit. This means the pants are sized to fit real men who are active and need clothing to fit their lifestyle. With the gusseted crotch, expansion flex knees and padded waistband these pants allow you to run, kneel, crouch, etc. without pinching and binding. The DuPont Teflon coating makes them water and stain resistant.
Viktos uses oversized belt loops to accommodate popular belts worn by shooters. The bottoms of the legs are reinforced to resist damage. The front slash pockets have easy access pockets on them to carry a knife or smart phone. There are also low profile cargo pockets on the thighs as well as additional easy-access pockets just above the knees. The rear patch pockets have a small flap to secure items carried there. To conceal small items there is a pocket in the rear of the waistband.
I found there was minimal shrinkage when I washed and tumble dried the Contactor Pants. They did come out of the wash softer than when I first wore them. They are worth the $130 MSRP.
Viktos also offers boots that while capable of surviving the rigors of a non-permissive environment are ideal for range, field or casual wear. The Johnny Combat Waterproof with its six-inch shaft looks like a basketball shoe on steroids not a boot, yet it fits and feels more like a good running shoe.
Johnny Combats come in greyman and nightfall in sizes 7-15. The waterproof Johnny Combat runs about a half size small, so order accordingly. Viktos use what they call their STRIFE outsole; it looks like a series of cones under the forefoot. This gives you good traction in virtually any condition and is rolled on the heel and toe, which gives you good start/stop traction and helps prevent peeling of the sole from the upper.
These boots are very light; I think some basketball shoes may be heavier. The weight is kept to a minimum by using nylon and other manmade materials with a waterproof laminate. Johnny Combats fit snugly but the toe box area offers plenty of room for expansion when carrying a load.
`I was impressed with the performance of the Johnny Combat Waterproof in the spring monsoons we had here in southwest Pennsylvania. My feet stayed dry, they did not slip on wet concrete and I had plenty of traction through the muddy hills around our range. These boots are worth the $140 price tag.
First Tactical
If you are looking for pants that will handle all the rigors of duty, hiking, competition or date night, look at First Tactical’s V2 Pants. Since its inception First Tactical has listened to the end user. They offer the V2 in waist sizes 28-54 with 30, 32, 34, 36-inch inseams in black, OD, khaki and midnight navy. Midnight navy is nearly identical to LA PD blue so they could be worn as class Bs, if your agency allows.
Spending a lot of time driving, I appreciate the stretch waistband. This feature is also good when you cannot resist one more pancake. The gusseted crotch also makes the V2 comfortable driving, hiking or shooting a match.
Even wearing these pants for hours on the range or driving there was no chafing. First Tactical has put a lot of research into the heart of the V2, their proprietary ARMS fabric. This fabric feels like a tight weave microfiber but wears like denim. It is a double dyed micro ripstop made from 6.4 oz. 65% polyester/35% cotton. Even when dried in a drier on high there was no shrinkage or fading. The Teflon Shield coating helps shed water and prevent stains.
If you need carry capacity, there are traditional front slash pockets, traditional thigh cargo pockets with a slot for a clip-it knife and there are flat slash rear pockets. Above the cargo pockets are small slash pockets that can carry a phone or magazine.
The V2 has internal access pockets for knee pads. You can use most low profile foam pads or First Tactical’s knee pads. Either way you will not get a bruise from that rock on the range. First Tactical’s V2 Pants give you a lot of bang for $49.99.
Merrell Boots
Merrell Boots made its first big push into the shooting/tactical portion of the outdoor industry at the 2019 SHOT Show. This does not mean they are new to shooters, hunters and armed professionals. They are now admitting what many of our troops and active shooters know: the MOAB family of boots is excellent hard use boots.
The MOAB Tactical brings all of the features of this popular hiking boot to those who require their footwear to meet uniform standards. While shooters, hikers and hunters do not require a certain boot color; uniform colors black, brindle, sage, coyote are perfect in the field because they hide all that range dust. They are also ideal boots for those who prefer boots that don’t match their shooting shirts.
The MOAB Tactical Waterproof is a practically perfect shooter’s boot. It uses Merrell’s M Select Dry membrane to keep your feet dry in the wettest conditions, Vibram’s TC5 outsole that is slip resistant and will let you climb a mountain if need be, the Merrell air cushion in the heel absorbs shock and the nylon arch gives you all day comfort. You will find the side zipper allows you to cool your feet in hot conditions, yet when it’s time to move, zip them up and you have a supportive boot. When I was a uniformed LEO, many of us wore side zipper boots just for that reason; any small degree of comfort during a 12-hour shift was appreciated.
When you look at the MOAB Tactical you will notice the waterproof leather straps that run from each eyelet to the footbed and the other strap that weaves from toe to toe. These straps give you targeted support, while reducing the weight of each boot and they prevent blowouts. The collar of the boot has a TPU overwrap that gives flexible support to your ankles without unnecessary bulk.
Merrell’s 8” Tactical Waterproof MOAB is one of the best values on the market, with an MSRP of $155. The last pair of MOABs I owned was worn three days a week for 12-hour shifts; at the end of a year of patrolling our installation on concrete and asphalt, the sole still gave good traction in muddy conditions. I know that versions of the MOAD were the only boots many troops from SOCOM and big Army would wear in Afghanistan. If MOABs can survive nearly daily wear in urban and mountainous conditions; I have no doubt they will be a nearly perfect boots for action shooters and hunters. Yes, Merrell does offer them in ladies models.
5.11 Tactical
One company that has gone through many changes over the years is 5.11 Tactical. Some of the changes have not been for the better, at least in the eyes of many shooters. Fortunately for both the company and shooters; 5.11 saw its failures and made improvements to overcome them.
The biggest change 5.11 made was to make their tried and proven Tactical Pant more shall we say trim fit. This is all well and good if you are the perfect trim fit GQ model. However, if you are not or you are a person with powerful legs, they were way too tight. This decision was quickly reversed and the Tactical Pant was again one of the most popular pants for outdoors people.
5.11 introduced the ABR this year. It is a much lighter weight pair of tactical style pants and in my opinion much improved. While the 8.8 ounce duck cotton of the Tactical Pant wears like iron, it can be really hot and heavy in mid-July. The ABR is constructed from 5.6 ounce 71% Polyester / 29% Cotton FlexLite ripstop which is much more flexible, lighter and dries much quicker when wet.
The ABRs have all the features we have come to expect from 5.11. There are double knees with a hidden interior opening for knees pads, a carabineer strap above the right rear slash pocket, deep front slash pockets, low profile flap close cargo pockets, a slash device pocket on the right leg, and a flap closure one on the left pocket. 5.11 also uses two-inch belt loops so you can use a duty belt or any other belt on the market. The large back center loop ensures your pants do not gap when bending over and all the loops are placed so as not to interfere with placement of gear.
ABRs are sized to fit a wide variety of guys from 28”-54” waist and 30-36 inseams with an unhemmed option too. They kept the colors to the basics, black, khaki, ranger green, dark navy and kangaroo. 5.11 also ensured the ABRs would not break the bank with a $54.99 price tag. ABRs are ideal for hot weather wear, if you are looking for new pants; check them out.
Another area where 5.11 has made great strides is their footwear. The Union is one of their latest waterproof boots. What sets these apart from other boots are they are nondescript grey man boots. Available in 7-15 in medium and wide sizes these boots run true to size. None of the colors—burnt, dark coyote, flint or even the black version—look like duty/uniform boots; which when trying to blend is a good thing.
Over the years I have worn several pairs of 5.11’s boots. The Union is the most comfortable and versatile to date. The collar of the boot can be tightened up when extra support is required without cutting into your Achilles tendon. This might not sound like an issue, but if you wear boots to climb or hike serious terrain, pinching the Achilles can cause serious issues.
The waterproof suede foot area of the boot supports your foot when traversing rough terrain. Thanks to the eVent lining your feet will stay dry. The nylon shaft reduces weight and thanks to the support straps gives your ankle support.
What I found to be the Union’s biggest selling point is the Vibram Nuasi 2 non-marking outsole with XS Trek formula. This outsole gives amazing traction. I gave these boots a serious test cruising over the hills of SW PA during our wet raining spring. Not once did I lose my footing, nor did the sole pack with mud. Thanks to several companies putting in natural gas pipelines, I had plenty of sandstone mud to hike through.
The rolled toe cap ensures that you don’t tear up the front of the boot when hiking, shooting from the prone, etc. The boot’s tread actually runs up the toe cap to give you a gripping surface when climbing rocky surfaces. I have found this to be an important feature climbing the rocky hills of the Southwest.
With The Union 5.11 Tactical has built a practically perfect general purpose boot. It is tough enough for duty use, does not scream “tactical” so it’s a good grey man boot, the outsole gives you great traction in the worst of conditions and the eVent lining keeps your feet dry in wet conditions. The $164.99 price is more than competitive in today’s market. If you need a quality pair of boots, the Union should be at the top of your list.
Trijicon
The last things we are going to look at are from Trijicon. Trijicon made its name with their battery or tritium-powered combat optics. A few of their sights use fiber optics as another “power” source for the aiming point, but they have not offered a true fiber optic sight until now. This year they introduced their Fiber Sights for handguns and Trijidot for shotguns.
Trijicon’s Fiber Sights take their experience from years of building the finest tritium sights on the market. I chose to use the sights for Glock 41MOS. Not surprisingly the rear sight fit like a glove in the dovetail. The sight base does not interfere with the MOS plate so you do not need to fit the base to allow removal of the plate. Trijicon uses a wide notch so you get an accurate fast sight picture. To further enhance the sight picture, the serrated sight has a slight inward angle. This greatly reduces/eliminates glare. The Union rear is also designed to allow one hand manipulation; it will easily catch a belt, door jamb, pocket, etc.
The front sight needed just a tap of a rubber hammer to slip into the sight hole. This is not rare; the finish can make a snug fit which helps keep the sight in place while tightening the set screw. The fiber optic pipette is secured at the front and rear of the sight and is bright in daylight. The ramp style ensures you do not get a halo effect.
At the range I found the Fiber Sights to be dead-on no matter what load I used. I have no doubt in the near future these sight will be seen on many competition and self-defense pistols. They are competitively priced at $105. The only thing some folks will not like is they do not co-witness with mini-red dots. I do not find this to be an issue, so I give Trijicon’s Fiber Sights two thumbs up.
Trijicon’s Trijidot, is one of the biggest advances in shotgun fiber optics I can recall. The body of the sight is aircraft grade aluminum that attaches to the rib via four set screws. The base comes in various sizes to mate with most any popular shotgun. The pipette comes in green or red to fit your needs.
What sets the Trijidot apart from any shotgun fiber optic is the sapphire lens. This makes the dot bright and sharp in any light. This is the same lens that covers Trijicon’s tritium sights. In addition to making the sight bright, it protects the pipette and allows you to clean it with a soft wet cloth.
When I mounted the Trijidot on my Predator Tactical Three Gun shotgun, what caught my eye was the size of the dot. It dwarfed the factory dot. This is a good thing for those of us with many years under our belts. I was pleasantly surprised it did not affect my point of aim/point of impact with slugs. When shooting clays, it made tracking the bird easy as can be. In my opinion that makes it worth every penny of the $90 MSRP. I have no doubt you too will find the Trijidot to be a vast improvement over OEM fiber optic beads.
Sadly, this concludes this article. Thank you all for allowing me to share my thoughts on clothing, firearms, training and general outdoor gear. I hope during the last seventeen years that I have helped give you ideas to help you in the woods, on the range or on duty. Again thank you Joe for the chance to write for you. Take care, God bless you all and our great country. I close now with my traditional good bye: get out to the range, shoot safe, shoot accurately and have FUN.