Down Range Gear

Customers might want to know about dealer O P Tactical’s recent stocking order and delivery of several Down Range Gear items:

The QASM Vertical Connector, allowing ITW Nexus’ QASM buckle to attain a perpendicular orientation to PALS webbing was stocked in coyote brown and ranger green, both paired with tan hardware. The QASM Vertical Connector is sold in pairs, in stock and available now at O P Tactical.

http://www.optactical.com/dorageqaveco.html

The QASM Vertical Connector’s Webbing Component was also ordered. This piece allows a customer who already has a QASM buckle to purchase the looped webbing piece as a standalone item. Sold in pairs with the color options coyote brown and ranger green, these are in stock and available now from O P Tactical.

http://www.optactical.com/dorageqaveco1.html

The PALS Belt Platform Lite has been out of stock and backordered for months. The PALS Belt Platform Lite is a redesign with substantial improvements, riding flatter, shorter, narrower while retaining all functions and features of the original. The PALS Belt Platform allows conventional PALS (MOLLE) compatible pouches and accessory items to be properly attached and securely worn on a belt. Quantities delivered in this batch were smaller than requested, which, when combined with high demand and compounded by an impending prince increase, means that there will be a particularly short window of opportunity to obtain this piece of gear while supplies last and in it’s current price. O P Tactical is stocking these now in coyote brown and black.

Something about the QASM Vertical Connector resonated with a lot of people and sparked an unprecedented level of interest.

Blog stats are off the charts. Requests and inquiries are coming in from all over. Apparently a lot of  you like this thing. Message received.

To that end, retailer Combat Ready USA has picked up the QASM Vertical Connector and will be receiving an initial stocking order in a few days. They are taking pre-orders now.

http://www.combatreadyusastore.com/itwnexusqasmquickattachsurfacemount.aspx

The QASM Vertical Connector will be sold in pairs with a set of buckles mounted onto the “soft gate” webbing components.

Color options as follows.

Tan buckles will be combined with webbing in coyote brown and ranger green.

Black buckles will be combined with webbing in black.

The ITW Nexus QASM (Quick Attach Surface Mount) is a game changing piece of hardware. These modular buckles are designed for use on PALS webbing and stay flat when attached. Slotted on both ends to accept 1″ webbing, they connect securely and are easily detached or repositioned.

Until now, vertical side release buckle attachment (perpendicular to horizontal PALS/MOLLE webbing) has been best achieved with ITW’s two piece Surface Mount buckle.

Now users can take advantage of the versatile QASM buckle to facilitate vertical attachment of any PALS (MOLLE) equipped armor system with any compatible (contingent on buckle orientation and size) chest rig or similar load carriage system without having to rely on proprietary armor with a matching rig.

The simplest solutions often work best and Down Range Gear’s QASM Vertical Connector is no exception. It combines a QASM buckle with a layered piece of 1″ webbing with loops sewn at both ends, matching the length of the buckle.

The QASM can be slotted into one end creating a hinged “gate” which can then be positioned onto a column of PALS webbing. Once in place, the open end is slotted into the bottom, securely closing the “gate.”

Due to the end to end length of the buckle and the corresponding measurement of the webbing “soft gate” there is 1 1/4″ of space underneath the buckle. PALS webbing is 1″ and specified columns are 1 1/2″ wide which means the QASM Vertical Connector will have some up and down, side to side movement. However, the close tolerances of the webbing “soft gate” and the tight loops at the ends mean that the buckle will not dislodge unless deliberately removed.

While the QASM Vertical Connector shares the same function as ITW’s Surface Mount buckle, each specialized system works differently. The QASM Vertical Connector’s soft gate webbing component is more forgiving than the Surface Mount’s plastic back plate and allows the same buckle to be repositioned for multiple uses.

The QASM Vertical Connector opens the way for Down Range Gear’s Chest Rig/ Armor Interface Kit to essentially use the same dependable, versatile family of buckles for both vertical and horizontal attachment of a chest rig (such as the Down Range Gear Raider) to an armor system.

Already have a QASM buckle and want to retrofit it to hang vertically? Contact Down Range Gear directly and inquire about the QASM Vertical Connector’s soft gate webbing component.

downrangegear@gmail.com

Background.

There are now many thousand NOD Retention Lanyards currently fielded by select units in the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force. At this point it’s safe to say that the NOD Retention Lanyard is a field proven, cost effective night vision accessory item that meets a serious need.

The parts, materials and workmanship that go into fabrication, combined with a smart design make the NOD Retention Lanyard highly dependable and sturdy enough to handle the rigors of a field environment. Quality webbing and robust stitching combined with telling attention to detail means the sewn parts are over built and will not come apart. The ITW Nexus GhillieTex (IR signature reduced) components are some of the most robust military grade plastic hardware available. In short, we’ve built a pretty good product the best way we know how that many thousand customers have confidence in.

The Problem.

That said, we live in the real world and the NRL regularly goes outside the wire in the most demanding environments. Having been there, we know better than to think in terms of absolutes. Never say something will never happen. If it can happen, it will happen. Nothing is indestructible outside the wire.

It goes without saying that Down Range Gear will repair or replace any unserviceable NOD Retention Lanyard we’re made aware of. This is an implicit contract we enter into with our customers. You trust us to deliver the best and we work hard to keep that faith. If you break it to the point where it no longer works, we’ll fix it or replace it. You don’t have to explain how it happened or why. We’ve been there.

For instance, when the ITW Nexus GhillieTex Side Release Buckle Body (female end buckle) anchored on the helmet as part of the NRL strikes an immovable object, like say a rock, and impacts with the sort of velocity that may be achieved by pitching said helmet off of a Marine 7 ton MTVR, and that buckle is literally caught between a rock and a kevlar shell (proverbial hard place,) said buckle is not going to survive the impact. We know because this event actually occurred.

And yes, of course it was replaced. Fortunately that customer was able to contact Down Range Gear and a replacement was dispatched immediately. The customer was happy and we had a good story to tell. But not all our end users are going to have an internet connection and post office close at hand.

What happens when the NRL is damaged in a time and place where you can’t send it in or contact us for a replacement? Back to 550 dummy cords? In the spirit of adapting, improvising and overcoming, it’s a time proven option that works, but is less than ideal. For this reason, Down Range Gear assembled the NOD Retention Lanyard Field Repair Kit.

Solution: NOD Retention Lanyard Field Repair Kit

The NOD Retention Lanyard Field Repair Kit is a packaged bundle of critical replacement parts to back up the NOD Retention Lanyard. They will be sold with select versions of the NOD Retention Lanyard and as a standalone kit. Contents will include:

ITW Nexus 3/4″ GTSR Latch drilled to accept the NRL shock cord component.

ITW Nexus 3/4″ GTSR Body slotted for and easy, tool free installation.

ITW Nexus GTSR Cord Lock.

1/8″ Shock Cord segment.

Replacement cable tie.

We’ve covered all the bases, all color matched to the customer’s request.

This modest investment will extend the useful life of the NOD Retention Lanyard and give users peace of mind that comes with knowing that when the unexpected occurs we’ve provided a workable field solution.

Combat is demanding on your equipment and will stress your gear to the breaking point. In the real world, gear breaks. Claims to the contrary are hype. If it can happen, it will happen. A customer should have a reasonable trust and expectation that the designer and manufacturer have done everything in their power to deliver the best they can with a good design and solid workmanship. This is what separates lesser gear from the real deal and you should expect nothing less from people who have time outside the wire.

And for the record, as of this writing, with the many thousand NRLs currently fielded, we have had exactly 1 (one) returned for a cracked buckle. That buckle and the helmet it was attached to took a dive off a Marine 7 ton truck. Go figure.