Gear Incoming: New Products Recoil Staff October 24, 2019 Join the Conversation At RECOIL, we review every product fairly and without bias. Making a purchase through one of our links may earn us a small commission, and helps support independent gun reviews. Learn More We believe that the best defense is a strong offense, especially when it comes to a life-and-death confrontation. But that doesn’t mean we neglect all defensive gear or training for the sake of more guns, ammo, and accessories. We also make room in our budget for a medkit and some armor. The PakProtect fulfills that latter category. This plate is made of “ultra high molecular weight polyethylene with a polyurea coating” — science speak for bulletproof. With a protection level of NIJ Level IIIA, it can defend against your common handgun rounds and even up to a 12-gauge 1-inch lead slug. At 11 by 14 by 0.25 inches and weighing 1 pound, 2.5 ounces, the PakProtect is designed to slip into a backpack or messenger bag to give you or your children strong defense in a discreet package. Make: Gladiator Solutions Model: PakProtect MSRP: $130 URL: pakprotect.com Tactical pants with huge cargo pockets are about as played out as everyday backpacks covered in PALS webbing. Nowadays, it makes more (fashion) sense to go low-profile. That’s why Propper has come out with its HLX lineup of pants. They’re aimed at melding technical performance and high functionality in slacks that appear business casual. Crafted from 67-percent polyester and 33-percent cotton canvas, the HLX has ergonomic front welt pockets for smartphones or magazines, concealed thigh compartments, action-stretch fabric inset, and contoured stretch waistband, among other features. It’s also been treated with durable water repellent to fight off dirt and liquids — be it bad office coffee or mud on the range. Make: Propper Model: HLX Men’s Pant MSRP: $60 URL: propper.com What’s one of the first accessories you attach after assembling a rifle? An optic, no? But what if you blew your financial wad on the build itself? Enter the Hawke Vantage Red Dot 1×25. At less than $100, this budget model gives you a solid option that won’t break the bank. It features a 3-MOA red-dot, an integrated mount, and an 11-stage digital brightness control. The nitrogen-purged optic is fog, shock, and waterproof and features sturdy but lightweight aluminum construction. The multicoated glass has 25 layers for maximum clarity and is parallax-error free from 10 yards. It comes with a lens cloth, lens cover, honeycomb sunshade, installation tool, CR2032 battery, and two-year warranty. The Vantage is available with 20, 25, and 30mm objective lenses and with either a Weaver or 9 to 11mm rail. Make: Hawke Sport Optics Model: Vantage MSRP: Starting at $89 URL: us.hawkeoptics.com RECOIL never has a second cup of coffee at home. Well, actually sometimes we’ve been known to, especially when the brand is true to the K.I.S.S. principle. Fueled Coffee sent us some of their offerings and brings it back to basics. Bold, but smooth. Flavorful, but not overpowering. If you’re over the fancy hipster sh*t that tastes like it’s been filtered through potpourri, then give this a try. Fueled’s grower-direct coffee flavors come from Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and Honduras, and they certainly seem to have done their homework on what it takes to get it right. Make: Fueled Coffee Company Model: Race Ready, Weekend Warrior, Daily Driver SIZE: 12 ounces MSRP: $13 to $15 URL: www.fueledcoffee.com Collagen’s one of nature’s superfoods, but getting it can be a super pain in the ass. The traditional method of getting the protein-rich food into your diet is making bone broths. If you don’t have time to boil beef or chicken bones for hours, then LonoLife’s convenient powder is the best alternative we’ve found. The flavored broths come in convenient, single-serve packets that easily stir into hot water in place of a cup of coffee or tea. The flavored (and unflavored) collagen powders mix with just about any drink or food recipe to paleo-supercharge your diet, helping keep skin, joints, bones, and the digestive system healthy. And, we’ve sampled a few flavors and found the stuff is tasty and easy to use. Make: LonoLife Model: Bone Broths and Collagen Powders FLAVORS: Thai Curry Beef, Chicken, Vanilla, and more MSRP: $16-$20 URL: www.lonolife.com A few years ago, Dead Foot Arms released a folding stock adapter that can be fired while folded, using an abbreviated bolt carrier group as well as a nested buffer and springs to shorten the operating system. Using this system, its brand-new SCW Tailhook is a super-compact, PDW-style telescoping pistol brace, adding just 2.5 inches to the rear of the gun. A longer version uses a standard BCG and Dead Foot’s double recoil spring assembly, adding 4 inches out back. A new, trimmed-down Tailhook Mod 3 brace from Gear Head Works caps off the single telescoping bar on the left side, extending to a 12.5-inch length of pull. Our test unit happily ran 223REM and 300BLK suppressed and unsuppressed. The one-sided stock made shooting lefty awkward with the 2.5-incher; however, the 4-inch is fine on either side. Make: Dead Foot Arms Model: SCW Tailhook MSRP: $575 (2.5-inch), $450 (4-inch) URL: www.deadfootarms.com Getting old sucks, and for us, the subtle expansion of aches and pains, ear-ringing, and get-off-my-lawn moments weren’t as noticeable as the squinting we now need to see the tenth-mil marks on our scope turret. MK Machining’s Turret Magnifier is an affordable and lightweight answer to our failing eyes. The 3D-printed bracket slides over the scope tube and clamps in place with a single machine screw. The polymer lens provides 3x magnification and the magnifier includes a few easily replaceable spare lenses. It’s available in three sizes and looks way cooler than shooting in reading glasses. Make: MK Machining Model: Turret Magnifier SIZES: 1-inch, 30mm, and 34mm MSRP: $25 URL: www.mkmachining.com Whether you’re making a repair or putting together your latest project, a Torx tool and an Allen wrench ain’t too far away. And often they’re found together on the same multi-tool. The Twist & Fix from CRKT is a creative take on this genre. It features five L-shaped tools, each with a Torx head on one end and a hex on the other. They all revolve around a central axle, lengthening the tool you need and keeping the other four out of the way. You can spin them — kind of like the barrel of a wheelgun — or snap an individual tool off and on the low-profile frame. Standing at 4.1 inches long and 7 ounces, the Twist & Fox is both fun and functional. Make: Columbia River Knife & Tool Model: Twist & Fix MSRP: $30 URL: crkt.com Spuhr’s ideal scope mount system (ISMS) mounts are the all-business option for guys who want a beefy, feature-laden optic mount. The blocky appearance and overbuilt, six-screw-per-ring mounts were always a bit too much for the aesthetic purists in the hunting crowd, though. Without compromising the core feature set of the ISMS system, Spuhr redesigned the rings and mounts with smoother lines and reduced weight. The mounts and rings still feature Spuhr’s legendary precision, wedge leveling system, and its rock-solid stability. The mounts are available for Picatinny rail-equipped rifles, with direct attach versions for Sako/Tikka and Blaser rifles, as well. Make: Spuhr Mount Model: Hunting Series Mounts MSRP: $235 URL: www.spuhr.biz As light and easy to install as pistol magazine wells are, there’s almost no reason to forgo one on a full- or mid-size pistol. They may be pricey or add girth to the pistol grip and compromise concealability, but Reptilia’s Black Hole Magwell barely registers on both counts. It’s flared enough to aid reloads without fattening your grip, and it costs less than a botched reload, either in competition or on da streetz. The reinforced nylon part features a simple one-screw installation on any Gen3 or Gen4 Glock 19, or 23, with Glock 17 fits on the way. Make: Reptilia Model: Black Hole Magwell MSRP: $23 URL: www.reptiliacorp.com There are 10 compartments in Safariland’s new Range Backpack, we think. We keep losing count and arguing if a zippered compartment inside another compartment counts as a separate space … The point is, the new pack offers a ton of room for your range gear, and plenty of options to keep it organized. Safariland clearly designed this thing for competition pistol shooters, but three-gunners and precision guys will find it’ll serve them, too. All the compartments are padded, and several feature internal organization features such as pistol mag sleeves. The large ammo compartment is structured to keep things from getting crushed, the top pocket is ideal for large ear pro, and there are straps to hang a competition belt, or maybe a tripod. There’s also a double pistol rag and rain cover. It’s a well-thought-out range bag. Make: Safariland Model: Shooters’ Range Backpack MSRP: $195 URL: www.safariland.com Thanks to its long-standing team up with Andrew Bawidimann, we think of Otte Gear as the original purveyor of tactical artwork. Its Poppies of War print is an almost subtle mash-up of toes-in-the-warm-sand comfort and Taliban-era sentiment. At first glance, it’s a broad, vaguely organic pattern; but a focused gaze reveals a smattering of weapons that are familiar to anyone who’s spent some time in Afghanistan. The shirt itself is 100-percent cotton with a cut that’s slightly more tailored than a typical Hawaiian shirt and features coconut shell buttons. Sporting this shirt at your next informal event, we can guarantee you’ll be comfortable … and that you won’t have a problem getting a conversation going. Make: Otte Gear Model: Aloha Shirt COLORS: Black or Vintage MSRP: $125 URL: www.ottegear.com Explore RECOILweb:12 Days of Christmas 2022 - Day 12 - Primary Weapons Systems$12k Gun Package Giveaway from a Gemtech AllianceStreamlight 2018: Smaller lights, Bigger BrightsRECOILtv NRA 2018: New Beretta APX Variants NEXT STEP: Download Your Free Target Pack from RECOILFor years, RECOIL magazine has treated its readers to a full-size (sometimes full color!) shooting target tucked into each big issue. Now we've compiled over 50 of our most popular targets into this one digital PDF download. From handgun drills to AR-15 practice, these 50+ targets have you covered. Print off as many as you like (ammo not included). Get your pack of 50 Print-at-Home targets when you subscribe to the RECOIL email newsletter. We'll send you weekly updates on guns, gear, industry news, and special offers from leading manufacturers - your guide to the firearms lifestyle.You want this. Trust Us.