The rest of the collection

Here are the longarms from the collection. From Left to Right: Mossberg Maverick 88 in 12 gauge, Bushmaster AR-15 with Eotech sight in .223, Remington 710 in .30-06, Springfield Armory M-1 Garand in .30-06, Chinese SKS Type 45 Carbine in 7.62x39mm, Norinco Model 97 in 12 gauge, Arisaka based custom hunting rifle in .300 Savage and Sears and Roebuck Model 110 in 20 gauge. I had them out to catalog them, made sure I had all the serial numbers on file and check to ensure each one was in working order.

In putting together my collection, some were chosen because of their usefulness, some were just plain cool, and some just happened to fall into my hands. The Mossberg and AR-15 are excellent survival weapons, I can't recommend them highly enough. The Remington 710 was chosen to have something capable of taking larger game at a distance. The Garand is a piece of history and a cool rifle to shoot. I can't imagine lugging it across Europe or the Pacific though, it must weigh 15 pounds. The SKS is a vet bring back, no import marks, all numbers matching. I try and not shoot it too often, but it is a lot of fun. The Norinco Model 97 was something I have always wanted, and a real Winchester Model 97 was out of my price range. You can slam fire it just like an original (hold the trigger down and work the slide and it will fire each time it chambers a round, just plain brutal!) The Arisaka is a work of art, probably put together in the late fifties or early sixties, and no doubt done by hand. It has a Johnson Automatics barrel, from either a Johnson rifle or a Johnson Light Machine Gun. The stock was hand carved and has black and white bakelite inserts. It has a micrometer peep site instead of a scope, and a funky space ship type muzzle break on it. It is chambered in .300 Savage, which was quite the deer getter back in the day. And last, but not least, the Sears and Roebuck break open 20 gauge single shot, which is my personal favorite. Why, you may ask, with all the cool hardware lined up against the wall, is a old beater 20 gauge one shot my favorite? Well, it belonged to my Grandfather, and it bagged many a squirrel in it's day. It hung on his wall and I looked at it with reverence every time we visited. When he died, it went to live in my Father's closet. When he passed away last year, it came to live with me. one day, hopefully, it will belong to my son. Sentimental value, a family history in firearms, and an investment in my rights.

Bring the Heat...Just kidding

Here is a pic I took for insurance purposes of the handguns I have. Just thought you all might like to see them. I spent part of last night making sure I had all the serial numbers listed and that everything was in working order. They are as follows: Top Row- Smith and Wesson Sigma 9mm, Heritage Rough Rider .22 and .22 Magnum. Second Row- Glock 30 .45 ACP, Colt Official Police .38 Special. Third Row- Glock 17 9mm, Ruger Blackhawk .357 Magnum. Bottom Row- FEG PA-63 9mm Makarov (9x18).

The Glock 30 is my daily carry. I can't recommend it for everyone, but if you can handle a subcompact in .45 ACP, well, no one ever said a .45 wasn't enough. My only complaints are the difficulty in stuffing 10 rounds in the magazine (you basically have to buy it dinner and a drink to convince it to get in there) and the fact that a lot of the powder in the rounds does not burn in the barrel, so you end up with dirty hands when you shoot. Recoil is manageable, but I would suggest getting a sandpaper decal grip, it gets a little slippery when your hands sweat.

Best shooter in the bunch? A surprise, it is the 1950's Colt Official Police. Dead on every time. You can make a smiley face on the targets at the range.

Meanest recoil? Not the .45 Glock, not even the .357 Blackhawk. That mean little FEG PA-63! It has an aluminum alloy frame and it is ultra light. It feels like getting hit in the web of your hand with a Hungarian hammer after about 3 shots. Nice and concealable though. I have some questions on the stopping power of the 9x18 95 grain round, but the whole point of a gun that small is to use it as a last resort and take your shots up close. I wish Cor-Bon made those solid copper rounds in 9mm Mak, though.

Most difficult to shoot? The S&W Sigma. It has a double action only trigger with a loooooong pull. It took some time to figure out where to aim when you started pulling the trigger if you wanted to hit center mass. I started aiming about 6 inches above the targets head at 25 feet, with practice and time, I can now aim at the center of the neck and hit center mass on the chest every time. If this was your daily carry it would be possible to be consistent and pretty deadly with it, but it takes practice. I purchased to have a low cost, easy to maintain 9mm to use at the range.

I am no where near where I want to be with the collection, but I think this is a good start.

Paris loves RipperBravo6?

Nope, just a little bit of the fun to be had at www.photofunia.com . Check it out, almost as good as making yourself a dancing elf at www.jibjab.com .

Well, the long holiday weekend looms. With the market in the crapper (or is it up? I have stopped looking.) and President-Elect Obama filling his cabinet with Clinton era gun-grabbers and the Russian Navy sucking face with the Venezuelans, what do we have to give thanks for? Well, our preps of course!

With a few days off work, I am dedicating myself to reviewing what I have in place so far and making a plan to get where I want to be. I think we have about a month and a half of food, if we conserve in the larder, but I know we are short of things for breakfast, snacks, deserts and meat. I will make a list of what we have and then a list of what else we will want to pick up before the first of the year.

I am worried about the liquidity of our local bank, so I am going to start diverting funds every payday to more mobile forms of wealth (ie. hard currency) which I will keep in the firesafe along with the trusty .38 Colt revolver. Armageddon is no time to have to stop and use the ATM.

I am hereby vowing to check every firearm we have this weekend to assure it is in working order and properly lubed. Magazines as well. And I will make an inventory sheet for ammo that I can update each time more is added. How much is enough? 500 rounds of .30-06 on M-1 Garand En-Bloc clips, 200 rounds of .30-06 loose including at least 50 rounds of M2 AP. 1200 rounds of .223 including 100 rounds of tracer, 250 rounds of 12 gauge 00 buck, 500 rounds of 9mm, 500 rounds of .45 ACP, 250 rounds of .38 Special, 250 rounds of .357 Magnum, 500 rounds of 7.62x39mm, 250 rounds of 9x18 and 2500 of .22LR. We are not there yet, but I am proud to say we are close.

I will also review Bug Out Bag contents with the family to make sure what we have now will be adequate through the winter.

Lots to do in 5 short days, but I am thankful for everyday that I have to prepare. In this crazy world, the best you can do is complete something prep related everyday. It gives you a nice feeling of accomplishment.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. RipperBravo6, OUT!

Biggest Douchebag on the Planet award goes to...

This article is for anyone out there who is foolish enough to think that terrorists hate America because George Bush is our President. The truth of the matter is that terrorists hate America because we are different. They hate us because we drink beer on hot Saturday afternoons in July, because we allow our women to drive cars, because we don’t require public whippings for marital infidelity. They hate us because we listen to Rock and Roll, because we don’t all pray to Mecca 3 times a day, because we enjoy bacon and ham, and because we allow our citizens to have freedom of speech and religion. They hate us, in short, because we are Americans. They despise everything our country stands for. It does not matter who is President, they have always hated us and will continue to do so. For them , the only difference between George Bush and Barack Obama is that Bush brought the fight to them, and they believe Obama will not. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that Radical Islam is something other than Fascism. That is what it is. Fascism. Same as Hitler.

Al Qaeda No. 2 in Video Calls Obama Dishonorable
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Associated Press
CAIRO, Egypt — Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri insulted Barack Obama in the terror group's first reaction to his election, calling him a demeaning racial term implying that the president-elect is a black American who does the bidding of whites.
The message appeared chiefly aimed at persuading Muslims and Arabs that Obama does not represent a change in U.S. policies. Al-Zawahiri said in the message, which appeared on militant Web sites Wednesday, that Obama is "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X, the 1960s African-American rights leader.
Al-Zawahiri also called Obama — along with secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice — "house negroes."
Speaking in Arabic, al-Zawahiri uses the term "abeed al-beit," which literally translates as "house slaves." But Al Qaeda supplied English subtitles of his speech that included the translation as "house negroes."
The message also includes old footage of speeches by Malcolm X in which he explains the term, saying black slaves who worked in their white masters' house were more servile than those who worked in the fields. Malcolm X used the term to criticize black leaders he accused of not standing up to whites.
The 11-minute 23-second video features the audio message by al-Zawahiri, who appears only in a still image, along with other images, including one of Obama wearing a Jewish skullcap as he meets with Jewish leaders. In his speech, al-Zawahiri refers to a Nov. 5 U.S. airstrike attack in Afghanistan, meaning the video was made after that date.
Al-Zawahiri said Obama's election has not changed American policies he said are aimed at oppressing Muslims and others.
"America has put on a new face, but its heart full of hate, mind drowning in greed, and spirit which spreads evil, murder, repression and despotism continue to be the same as always," the deputy of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden said.
He said Obama's plan to shift troops to Afghanistan is doomed to failure, because Afghans will resist.
"Be aware that the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them," he said.
Al-Zawahiri did not threaten specific attacks, but warned Obama that he was "facing a Jihadi (holy war) awakening and renaissance which is shaking the pillars of the entire Islamic world; and this is the fact which you and your government and country refuse to recognize and pretend not to see."
He said Obama's victory showed Americans acknowledged that President George W. Bush's policies were a failure and that the result was an "admission of defeat in Iraq."
But Obama's professions of support for Israel during the election campaign "confirmed to the Ummah (Islamic world) that you have chosen a stance of hostility to Islam and Muslims," al-Zawahiri said.

These guys suck. No amount of backpedaling and groveling by the USA is going to change the fact that they hate us, and nothing we can do, short of mass suicide, is going to make them stop attacking us. So, the choice is ours, or rather our governments. I ask you, President- Elect Obama, are you going to take the fight to these assholes, or can we look forward to 4 years of Clinton/Carter appeasement that will embolden and strengthen our enemies? Never mind, I know the answer already.

Recent Survival Preps

I think if any survivalist could have their wish, they would like to be able to purchase all their survival supplies at once and never have to worry about getting anything else. Maybe Howard Hughes could do that, but in the real world, we survivalists have jobs, mortgages, car payments and kids that need shoes. So, getting things together takes a while. I suppose the longer Armageddon holds off, the better off I will be. I would like to take this opportunity to share some of my recent survival preps as well as a few things I have on my "To Do" list.

1. Building A Support Network

I recently had lunch with a very good friend. He owns several hundred acres off the beaten path and it has always been an unspoken arrangement that we could fall back there if needed. His place is less than 45 minutes from our house, but driving another 1000 yards back into his property, it could be 1850 again! However, I wanted to sit down with him and discuss something more formal. This was accomplished over excellent Vietnamese food last Friday. We discussed building a "pad site" at a location on his property, consisting of 2 to 3 10'x20' wooden platforms with wood or metal frames that could support large tarps. If we need to Bug Out to a secluded location, we can use these platforms to keep our tents off the ground and to have a covered area for shade and storage. If we never need to Bug Out, we will have a nice area to camp in the fall and winter. He agreed this was a good use of our combined resources and we are going to get started as soon as budget allows. Having someone you can count on is a big part of any prep. No one goes it alone, for very long anyway. I look forward to working with him and providing some safety and security for both our families.

2. Food Preps

I spent a good portion of Saturday afternoon vacuum sealing some of the stored food I have put back. Vacuum sealing decreases bulk and allows you to eliminate unneeded packaging. It also keeps your food fresh and rodent free. I vacuum sealed beans, rice, pasta and sugar. I will continue this week with instant potatoes, dog food and spices. I have discovered that the local Specs Liquor will give you free cardboard boxes. This makes storing and transporting the sealed food much easier. I will also look into some hard plastic containers for the canned goods. My goal is to have 3 months worth of food sealed and ready for use or transport. I also include the original instructions in the bag and write the date purchased or sealed on the outside to make prep easier. I look for dishes that can be made with either water only, or milk, which I have powdered. I also plan to order some #10 cans of freeze dried ground beef and chicken to add to the sealed staples. Pinto beans become chili with some meat, tomato sauce and the correct spices. Pasta becomes Chicken Ala King with canned veggies, Alfredo sauce and chicken. No need to die of food boredom as well as starving to death!

3. Hoarding gas and water

Although gas prices are reasonable (maybe reasonable is not the right word). I have continued with my plan to have 30 gallons of gas ready to go. I filled up 5 gas cans in a nearby town where 2 stores having a gas war have driven the price down to $1.65 a gallon. 2 of the cans were new and 3 were ones I had previously filled and later emptied into the truck during my bi-weekly rotation. I have 6 cans full and ready to go in the garage and will now build a storage rack to recapture some of my floor space. I have 3 six gallon water cans so far and plan to add 6 more for 54 gallons of portable water. 2 Fifty-Five gallon drums will complete my home water preps. I also plan to add some metal hooks under the eves of the house to hang 10'x10' tarps when it rains so that I can use to gather rain water and replenish the barrels as needed.

4. Guns and Ammo

I still have 2 guns on layaway at the Pawn Shop, but I intend to have both out by the January 20th. Why Jan. 20th? No reason at all, in case this ever comes up in court. Seriously, I know the incoming regimes feelings on gun ownership, so I want everything done before they get into power. Do I think they will defy the Supreme Court and walk all over the Bill of Rights? You bet. Everyone else has. I gave up my 4th Amendment Rights to the Bush Administration, but I will be darned if I will give up the Second Amendment ones to anyone else. Ammo in bulk is practically nonexistant since Election Day, and anything in military calibers is scarce as hens teeth, so anything I find, I will buy. I think that ammo prices will go down a little (temporarily) after NoBama is inagurated, so I will try and load up then, but I am committed to purchasing anything I come across, regardless of cost. After the guns are paid off, all the monthly gun budget will go directly to ammo until I have what I consider to be a safe amount.

5. Bug Out Bags

I will spend the next few months intensely working on family BOBs. I want us ready to go in case of any emergency, regardless if it means a night in a local motel, or a cross country trip to freedom. Everyone gets Nalgene bottles, firestarting kits, first aid kits and some survival food. You cannot be too prepared. I also will put back $200 so everyone can have $50 in small bills and an additional $300 for the family bugout kit. Cash is king. It is also time to buy some additional summer clothes to store in the bags while it is on sale. Considering summer here lasts for about 320 days, it is a good investment.

6. Expand my Universe

I have recently been in contact via the Internet with other local, like minded folks. My (pre)New Years resolution is to establish direct contact with as many of the as possible and discuss potential bartering and/or group buys. It will also help to establish local contacts in the event the balloon goes up. You never know what we might be able to help each other with.

That concludes my main preps, but I am also preparing myself mentally for the difficulties to come. That is an exercise that I do every day and I see no end in sight to that particular prep!

And the answer is yes, that is Tony Bennet that I am hanging out with in the picture (sort of).

Will history repeat itself?

I have been thinking a lot about our country since Election Day and, being an amateur historian, I would like to share a small piece of American History with you that might pertain to the current course of our nation.

Were you aware that the final spark that ignited the American Revolution (primed already by the Boston Tea Party...see previous article) was the attempted seizure of arms and ammunition from the Colonials?

You might be aware of the fact that our Revolution started with an exchange of gunfire between Colonial Militia and British Regulars on Lexington's town square (or greens as they were referred to in that day). On April 19th, 1775 at sunrise, 700 British Regulars entered the town of Lexington, Massachusetts Bay Colony and were confronted by 30 men from the Lexington Militia's "Training Band" who had been forewarned of their approach by Paul Revere and his forgotten, but no less heroic, counterpart William Dawes. Led by John Parker, A French and Indian War veteran, the Colonial Militia did not engage the British troops, but in the confusion, someone fired a musket. The British returned fire, killing 8 militiamen outright. You can read more about this incident on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lexington_and_Concord

But what were the British doing there anyway? Why turn up in such large numbers, concealed by darkness, in a small town such as Lexington?

The British were there to seize the Colonists weapons. Weapons guaranteed to the Colonists by the Militia system, guaranteed to them for their own personal safety. The British government, the Colonists own ruling government had decided that ownership of weapons by citizens of the Colonies was no longer good policy and had made a move to confiscate these weapons. Sound familiar? This very scenario threatens to rear it's ugly head again, right here in the very land those brave militiamen fought to create and preserve.

If you combine the oppressive taxes that are potentially coming, a government out of touch with the values of it's citizens and the outlawing and possible seizure of legally owned personal weapons, the irony is both bitter and tangible.

What our government seems to forget when trampling on the Bill of Rights, is that the Second Amendment is the one that assures we get to keep all the other ones.

I leave you with a quote from one of Founding Fathers that sums it up very well...

"And what country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." - Thomas Jefferson

Well said TJ. Read up America. The time may be coming when we need to water that tree.

Here is some history we can all relate to...

How many of you know about the Boston Tea Party? Not that it happened, hopefully anyone with a junior high education is aware of the incident. But how many of you know the real reason, the true cause of this bold and seditious act against His Majesties Government?

Well, it was the same thing that has been on the lips of everyone from Presidential candidates to Joe The Plumber for months and painful months.

Taxes. Overtaxation, Unrestricted Taxation supported by a distant and hostile government, Taxation without representation.

This was the spark that ignited the powder keg that was the American Colonies in the late 1770's. And there is a good chance that it will be the same spark that ignites the 3rd American Revolution sometime in our not to distant future.

The chart at the top of this post was lifted (with all credit due) from a website called The Conservative Ledger (http://www.davidprocsal.net/ A great site, check it out). It shows that the tax burden in this country is carried, quite unfairly, by the top wage earners. Keep in mind this is % of a total, not dollars paid. A flat tax, the only truly fair kind of tax, would have the top wage earners paying larger dollar amounts, but not carrying more than their fair share of the tax burden.

How did taxation lead a group of America's best and brightest (the group responsible, the Sons Of Liberty included Paul Revere, Thomas Young, Joseph Warren, Alexander McDougall, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, Isaac Sears, John Lamb, James Otis, Marinus Willett, John Adams, and Samuel Adams) to conduct an act of vandalism against the Crown? To take action against a government they had all been raised with and accepted since birth? To risk life and limb and take a stand against the most powerful force on earth?

Well, like most stories, this one is best told by Wikipedia:

The Boston Tea Party was an act of direct action protest by the American colonists against the British Government in which they destroyed many crates of tea belonging to the British East India Company on ships in Boston Harbor. The incident, which took place on Thursday, December 16, 1773, has been seen as helping to spark the American Revolution and remains to this day one of the most iconic events in American history. The Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts of 1767 angered colonists regarding British decisions on taxing the colonies despite a lack of representation in the Westminster Parliament. One of the protesters was John Hancock, a wealthy Bostonian. In 1768, Hancock's ship Liberty was seized by customs officials, and he was charged with smuggling. He was defended by John Adams, and the charges were eventually dropped. However, Hancock later faced several hundred more indictments.
Hancock organized a boycott of tea from China sold by the British East India Company, whose sales in the colonies then fell from 320,000 pounds (145,000 kg) to 520 pounds (240 kg). By 1773, the company had large debts, huge stocks of tea in its warehouses and no prospect of selling it because smugglers, such as Hancock, were importing tea from the Netherlands without paying import taxes. In response to this the British government passed the Tea Act, which allowed the East India Company to sell tea to the colonies directly and without "payment of any customs or duties whatsoever" in Britain, instead paying the much lower American duty. This tax break allowed the East India Company to sell tea for half the old price and cheaper than the price of tea in England, enabling them to undercut the prices offered by the colonial merchants and smugglers.
Many American colonists, particularly the wealthy smugglers, resented this favored treatment of a major company, which employed lobbyists and wielded great influence in Parliament. Protests resulted in both Philadelphia and New York, but it was those in Boston that made their mark in history. Still reeling from the Hutchinson letters, Bostonians suspected the removal of the Tea Tax was simply another attempt by the British parliament to squash American freedom. Samuel Adams, wealthy smugglers, and others who had profited from the smuggled tea called for agents and consignees of the East India Company tea to abandon their positions; consignees who hesitated were terrorized through attacks on their warehouses and even their homes. The first of many ships which arrived at the Boston harbor carrying the East India Company tea was Dartmouth arriving in late November 1773. A standoff ensued between the port authorities and the Sons of Liberty. Samuel Adams whipped up the growing crowd by demanding a series of protest meetings. Coming from both the city and outlying areas, thousands attended these meetings; every meeting larger than the one before. The crowds shouted defiance not only at the British Parliament, the East India Company, and Dartmouth but at Governor Thomas Hutchinson as well, who was still struggling to have the tea landed. On the night of December 16, the protest meeting, held at Boston's Old South Meeting House, was the largest yet seen. An estimated 8,000 people were said to have attended.

The owner of the Dartmouth and its captain agreed that the tea would be returned to England and similar promises were obtained from the owners of two more vessels en route, the Eleanor and the Beaver. However, Governor Hutchinson ordered the harbor to be blocked and he would not allow any tea-bearing vessels to leave until they had been unloaded. On Thursday, December 16, 1773, the evening before the tea was due to be landed, Captain Roach appealed to Governor Hutchinson to allow his ship to leave without unloading its tea. When Roach returned and reported Hutchinson's refusal to a massive protest meeting, Samuel Adams said to the assembly "This meeting can do nothing more to save the country". As though on cue, the Sons of Liberty thinly disguised as either Mohawk or Narragansett Indians and armed with small hatchets and clubs, headed toward Griffin's Wharf (in Boston Harbor), where lay Dartmouth and the newly-arrived Beaver and Eleanour. Swiftly and efficiently, casks of tea were brought up from the hold to the deck, reasonable proof that some of the "Indians" were, in fact, longshoremen. The casks were opened and the tea dumped overboard; the work, lasting well into the night, was quick, thorough, and efficient. By dawn, over 342 casks or 90,000 lbs (45 tons) of tea worth an estimated £10,000 (£953,000, or $1.87 million USD in 2007 currency) had been consigned to waters of Boston harbor. Nothing else had been damaged or stolen, except a single padlock accidentally broken and anonymously replaced not long thereafter.

This event became a catalyst, emboldening the revolutionaries and leading to further acts of rebellion. Although I do not personally foment revolt against an unpopular government (though I reserve my right as an American to do so), I can fully understand the situation that our forefathers found themselves in. And although I hope it never comes to this, I can certainly sympathize with Sam Adams when on that cold December night in 1773, he said, "This meeting can do nothing more to save the country", and took action.

Election Day

On January 21, 1981, in his first Inaugural Address, President Ronald Reagan said what I believe to be a prolific and powerful statement. He said, "Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem."

Unfortunately, this is also one of the most overlooked viewpoints in politics. Most politicians (before and since) see government as a tool for curing our countries woes and steering it in their own chosen direction.

Keep this in mind as you hit the polls today. Maybe Ron was right. Instead of being a solution, maybe government is the biggest impedance to America truly being free. I am not advocating that we have no government, it is necessary to our survival in the world. However, we should remember that it is OUR government, not the politicians. It belongs to the people. And whomever we elect today, we as Americans should remind them of this fact. ***Editors note, Good job America, you have really screwed us now. Although I think both candidates sucked, you have chosen the one who assures bigger government, a larger tax burden, a weaker stance against our enemies and a continuation of our entitlement society. Indeed, we will truly reap what we have sown.

Cool Tool For Gear Fools

Have you ever had this dilemma? You are getting ready to purchase a Molle vest, but you are not sure how much crap you can hang on it. Happens to me all the time. Well, my friends at the best gear store on the web ( www.opsgear.com) have solved that problem. They have an online tool that will let you choose a vest and then add virtual pouches to see what config works best. Here is what the Vestbuilder website says:

From OPSGEAR®, The Source Trusted by the Elite™, comes the Modular Vest Builder. This unique-in-the-world web application allows you to configure your vest layout, colors and accessories, quickly and easily. Choose from the highest quality MOLLE compatible packs and pouches on a variety of PALS webbing configured vests and harnesses. Remove the mystery by seeing your vest before you buy. Adding your configuration to your WWW.OPSGEAR.COM secure shopping cart is as easy as a click of a button.

How cool is that? I was concerned at first that the vest I has chosen might not be there, but their selection is quite large, including vests from:

5.11

Atlantco

Camelback

Condor

Leapers

Tac Force

It includes tactical vests, chest rigs and plate carriers. If the vest you choose has mounting areas on the back (my Ranger Rack does not) it displays the back as well.

Once you choose your vest in the correct color (yes, it has pics of every color your vest is offered in, for you fashion nuts who can't mix OD Green and ACU!) it takes you to a page with a scrolling selection of pouches on the right. The pouches are sortable by category (Ammo, Ordnance, Heavy or Light Utility) and by color (again, you can see how tacky a Multicam pouch looks on a black vest).

Clicking on a pic of a pouch will move it over to the large pic of your vest. You can then use the mouse to position it. This allows you to pull in multiple pouches and "try them out". For instance, not sure if you can fit a double mag pouch and an EMT pouch? Well, you can try both together to see if it fits. In addition, the pouches are layered in the order you click them. If you click a triple mag shingle, then a double grenade pouch, you can stack the grenade pouch on top of the mag pouch on your vest (as long as the lower pouch has Molle straps on it as well).

If you decide you don't want a pouch in the picture, simply drag it to the bottom of the page and leave it there. You can ignore it or access it later.

One word of caution, although Opsgear got the dimensions for the patches correct, this tool is no guarantee that the PALS webbing on your vest will match up exactly with the Molle straps on your pouch. Some tweaking or rearranging might be in order.

Vestbuilder is a great "Try Before You Buy" tool, and again, Opsgear is a great place to order gear from.

Vestbuilder can be accessed from the Opsgear website, or directly at http://www.vestbuilder.com/# .

The tool is Adobe Flash, so make sure it will run on your computer, then start building that vest!