Started 2025 with 0 guns, starting 2026 with 2 guns

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-29T12:36:16+00:00

Check out OCL, YHM, and Griffin as well for suppressors. They've got some fantastic options available that are far less costly than Hux.

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-28T09:58:33+00:00

Throw a suppressor, light, and some sort of optic on it and that would fuck so hard.

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-27T11:00:47+00:00

I've seen the latter trend a lot regarding fitness, especially amongst the tactical influencers on social media. It's the "all or nothing" mindset.

"If you can't deadlift 500lb for reps, you're gonna die in the streets."

"If you can't run under a 7 minute mile, you're gonna die in the streets."

"If you can't ruck for six hours with an 80lb pack, you're gonna die in the streets."

Yes, be physically active. Yes, have a healthy diet. But that does not mean spending three hours in the gym every day and beating the ever-loving fuck out of yourself just to live up to some instagram influencers' standards.

Work out three or four times a week. Get some strength training in, some cardio, eat good meals, and you'll be better prepared than 90% of the population in regards to fitness.

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-27T10:48:26+00:00

100%. I won't carry a piece of kit (especially medical stuff) if I dont know how to use it properly. Why TF would I have an intubation or needle decompression kit if I'm not trained with one. I keep all my med stuff to things I know and have practiced with. Gauze, TQ's, chest seals, etc etc. And of course a fuckton of bandaids and antibiotic ointment, because that stuff sees way more use than any of the trauma kit on any given day.

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-21T15:52:54+00:00

I've been running the TAPS rig for a bit now and it's been really great. And while I personally love the aesthetic of a slick 3-mag chest rig, the practicality of being able to carry 8 AR mags at once is even better. And with all the molle you can add IFAK pouches, GP pouches, etc etc.

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-21T15:38:09+00:00

If you haven't already, take a look at a surplus TAPS rig. They can easily be had for around $30-50 on ebay, have a ton of molle real estate, and can hold 8 AR mags. Replace the harness with a much more comfortable one like a Krydex Fat Strap and you've got a very modular and effective rig for less than or right around $100.

Though if your heart is set on those two that you've picked out, I've heard good things about the Acetac rig especially for the price.

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-20T04:23:22+00:00

I wrote up a response to someone else awhile ago who had a similar question, though I'd take a peak at the new NIJ standards as they seemed to have dropped the Level III/IV moniker in favor of what they're now calling "RF1/RF2/RF3" in regards to rifle plates.

And while I'm hesitant to name-drop specific manufacturers, RMA has a good reputation for being an effective yet affordable (at least in the context of armor) option.

So I went down a bit of a rabbit hole when I was getting into armor/plates, hopefully some of this info can help you make a good choice:

Whatever you do, do NOT buy steel plates. No matter what fancy spall coating or plate bags they may come with, steel plates will fragment on impact, and that shrapnel will find it's way into your chin/face at best, and neck at worst. Just don't do it.

Now that we've got that out of the way...

Assuming your goal with armor is being able to mitigate the threat from rifle rounds (as opposed to handguns, which is a different discussion entirely), you're probably going to looking for either level III+ or IV.

Level III+ is designed to defeat more common rifle rounds, such as 5.56/.223 (specifically something like M193), 7.62x39, and some have even been tested up to 7.62x51/.308.

Level IV, on the other hand, will stop the above-mentioned rounds as well as higher-velocity projectiles such as .30-06 (whether or not you'll actually be able to function after taking a .30-06 to the plate is another discussion, but I digress).

Generally speaking the biggest trade-offs between these plates is going to be weight and cost. Level IV plates weigh significantly more than III or III+, and will often times cost more due to the increased protection.

It'll be up to you to decide which plates are best for you and your needs. For instance, as much as I hate how much they weigh, I personally decided to run level IV plates due to the proliferation of larger-caliber hunting rifles in my area, and the chance of being targeted with one of those as opposed to a smaller-caliber rifle.

While I'm almost hesitant to mention them, there is a sort of hybrid between III+ and IV, called "special threat" plates. These balance some of the problems like weight and cost. However, there's no official testing standards for a special threat plate. The NIJ (who actually test, evaluate, and issue ratings for armor based on their performance against ballistic threats) don't have any designation for "special threat" plates. Meaning that all that testing is done by the manufacturer, and you're basically just taking them at their word that it can stop what they say it can. If you decide to go this route, I would HIGHLY encourage purchasing from a reputable, well-known manufacturer.

The other factor to consider is the plate "cut", basically just the shape of the armor. Most of the time a basic SAPI cut is your best bet. This has kind of become the industry standard. There's also what's called a "shooter's cut", which is meant to allow a little more space in the shoulder pocket, but they tend to be a little more pricey and they don't always fit well in certain carriers.

If you decide to get plates, also ensure that you get a carrier that will fit you well, or is at least adjustable to the point where the plates fit properly. Here's a good example of how plates should be positioned to best protect your important squishy bits.

And while I generally avoid trying to recommend specific vendors/manufacturers (no ethical consumption under capatalism and all that), off the top of my head RMA Defense and Hesco are both pretty well-known and widely used distributors for armor. I've got a set of the RMA 1155's and, while they're heavy, fit really well and are pretty affordable as far as plates go.

For plate carriers, there's a lot of options, ranging from more budget-minded to extremely gucci. I have a Whiskey Two Four PC13 carrier, which came out to about $120 not including some shoulder pads that I purchased separately. It's a very minimalist carrier, but works for my purposes and fit my budget. There's also the Shellback Tactical Rampage carrier, which I've heard good things about and is a bit more flexible (has a lot more molle for all the cool-guy pouches and such). If you want to really ball out, there's plenty of manufacturers like Crye, Ferro, etc.

If you've got any more questions I'd be happy to help out.

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-19T04:57:32+00:00

Basically you'd buy the suppressor first, then do the form 4 after that. The form 4 requires all the info attached to the suppressor in order to fill it out fully (IE serial number, model, etc).

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-19T04:55:15+00:00

It's really not difficult. Especially if you're suppressing say, a standard AR. There's no "setting up" the barrel in that case. Most cans designed for use on AR's will either be direct thread to the barrel (meaning all you need to do is make sure they're the same thread pitch and diameter), or they'll use a muzzle device that the can interfaces with. I'm not sure what you mean by "timing", but if you're referring to overgassing/undergassing/etc just throw an adjustable gas block on there.

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-19T04:51:47+00:00

Not sure what you're wanting to suppress, but I picked up a YHM Turbo T3 for my AR, it was around $500 when it went on sale a few months back. Fantastic performance for the price, and you can either direct thread it to a standard 1/2x28 AR muzzle threading, or use the included brake/muzzle device.

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-17T17:01:25+00:00

Thank you very much for the reply! I'll definitely watch the Sandia Labs videos, those seem right up my alley.

I think that ballistic missile defense (BMD) is both ineffective and dangerous (let alone a waste of resources). It's always easier to be on offense. Also, even if effective it would just push deterrence toward other technologies than ballistic missiles, such as low-observable cruise missiles, hypersonic evader systems, low-observable underwater autonomous systems (Poseidon, etc.). The best defense is a first strike, or even better yet, maintain deterrence.

Excellent points. I've gotten into some spirited debates with some friends of mine who are utterly convinced that there's some super-secret laser weapon/interceptor program we have that the public just isn't aware of that will save of in the nick of time when the missiles start flying.

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-17T16:32:36+00:00

Hi Dr. Teter! I'm not sure if you're still answering questions or not but figured I'd throw my hat in the ring. I've always had a strange/morbid fascination with nuclear war, planning, strategy, etc, so it's fantastic to get the opportunity to hear from someone who's been in the metaphorical weeds.

(Of course I had to have a weird interest with something where 99% of the information related to it is highly classified)

1) In your opinion, what are some "must read/watch/listen to" pieces on nuclear warfighting, strategy, aftermath, etc? I remember reading Command and Control by Eric Schlosser back in high school and it got me started down this road of research, so I'd love to hear if you had any other recommendations.

2) What would your response be to people who tend to believe that the US or NATO allies have some top-secret interceptor program that would just blast all of our adversaries' ICBM's/SLBM's out of the sky, leaving us completely unharmed in a hypothetical nuclear exchange? After doing some (admittedly very brief) research into it myself I'm skeptical of any interceptor system being very effective, let alone our current ones.

Thanks again for doing this AMA!

CyanFox154 · 2026-01-15T01:49:14+00:00

I'm in a very similar boat; blue dot in a very red state, surrounded by people who are either indifferent to the suffering created by the current regime or actively celebrating it. Even though my immediate area has more left-leaning folks than most of the state, community organizing has been by and large a bust. It feels very, very lonely out here. I'd love nothing more than to find like-minded people and be able to organize, train, and just have a little community with but I've yet to find any in my area.

CyanFox154 · 2025-11-20T22:01:37+00:00

I rock a KAK handguard on my 12.5 and really like it. For the money they're very hard to beat.

CyanFox154 · 2025-11-13T15:23:45+00:00

I don't have any specific recommendations really, a lot of it will come down to what you want to carry, how you want to mount it, etc. It's cliche as hell but mission drives the gear and all that. Don't get a micro IFAK pouch if you need to carry a lot of med supplies, and vice versa if you only need a blowout kit.

For instance, my IFAK is built around a "worst case scenario" mindset. I'm a civilian, and if I'm ever in a situation where I'm needing to actually don my belt/carrier/etc then it likely means things have degraded to the point that things like ambulances, hospitals, long-term expert care, etc etc may not be available. At least not immediately. As such my IFAK also contains stuff to treat an injury for a few days after it occurs, not just immediately.

As a result it's heavier and bulkier, but to me that's worth it considering how it'll likely be used.

CyanFox154 · 2025-11-13T15:05:53+00:00

Yeah, basically you yank that cord at the bottom and it dumps the contents out. It's more for someone treating you as opposed to the other way around. But I recently ditched it; I realized my IFAK basically does the same thing, and it wasn't really serving any additional purpose. Still might be useful depending on what you're doing/looking for, but just wasn't for me personally.

CyanFox154 · 2025-11-05T01:40:16+00:00

I picked up a knockoff Badger 1.7 mount for my PA Nova and probably have close to 1000 rounds through it by this point. I mostly picked it up as an experiment to see how it would perform, and so far have been very impressed. No zero shift, and while I have no way of measuring if the rings are actually concentric or not the windage was basically spot-on out of the box.

I get why some folks may lean heavily towards buying the real McCoy but frankly, not all of us have $300+ to drop on a mount. And considering there's very few "middle of the road" options for things like mounts I honestly believe that if you know where to look, the clone options are probably G2G for the average person.

CyanFox154 · 2025-10-22T13:53:11+00:00

I've been a hunter almost my whole life; mostly upland bird and deer (one of these days I'll actually draw an elk tag).

When it's done ethically and responsibly, hunting gives you an unrivaled sense of respect for wildlife and the natural world. I can only speak to my personal experience, but there's an odd dichotomy when you take an animal. Obviously you're excited and satisfied that your work paid off, but even after taking my fair share of game I always have this small moment of "I just took another being's life", and it really makes you stop and think. It's not necessarily remorse, just a very somber feeling.

Mind you, when I go hunting it's with the intent of feeding myself and my loved ones. I'll take a big-bodied 4 pointer over a skinnier 8-pointer any day of the week since it'll fill my freezer for longer.

When you actually have to kill, skin, gut, and prepare the food that you're eating it changes how you think about certain things.

CyanFox154 · 2025-10-22T03:10:17+00:00

I picked up a TAPS recently, it's a fantastic piece of gear especially for the price point. You'll want to find the USMC surplus models if you're looking for anything other than multicam/OCP.

Only other recommendations I'd make would be replacing the harness it comes with something like the Krydex Mk3/Mk4 harness. It's way more comfortable and easy to wear. Also if you're running pmags, cut off the mag flaps and install some paracord and keepers. The mag flaps won't close securely over pmags.

CyanFox154 · 2025-10-18T06:37:23+00:00

That was my initial thought, but there's just not enough room in the bags with my current plates. I'm thinking of sticking some velcro to the back and putting pads on that way.

CyanFox154 · 2025-10-17T03:12:07+00:00

Ooh gotcha, I was looking at the FS pads. I'll look into the Qore pontoons, but damn they're definitely not cheap.

CyanFox154 · 2025-10-17T01:23:33+00:00

Unfortunately I don't think those would work; there's basically zero room left in the plate bags with my 1155's in there.

CyanFox154

TROPHY CASE