How bad gear choices can get you killed right here at home

Here at SOFREP, we do a lot of talking about gear, training, and general preparedness. Pulling from our military, professional, and hobbyist backgrounds with firearms, we do our best to relate our experiences to you in an approachable way, and often, those experiences suggest that training, not equipment, is what will save your life in […]

The danger inherent to appendix carrying a pistol

I appendix carry daily and have no intention of changing that anytime soon. Recently, a video has been making the rounds on social media of a man holstering his firearm into an appendix carry holster and discharging into his lower body as he bends over. The man appears to be standing in the back office […]

Appendix carry of a firearm and its relevance

Appendix carry of a firearm (hopefully a pistol) is the act of carrying the gun somewhere usually within the vicinity of  11-1 o’clock on the body. Generally speaking this is from a concealed inside the waistband position. The carry method has become increasingly popular over the last decade as the average shooter has come to […]

Watch: Pat McNamara on drawing your pistol

How many of us shooters struggle to get a consistent accurate shot draw under 2 seconds or even 2.5 seconds. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Watch as Pat McNamara slows his draw down each time so that you can see what a proper draw looks like. Pat McNamara puts in some good reps here […]

Raw Dog Tactical Holsters: As if there’s nothing there

The holster market is a busy one.  There are the name-brand giants with imported, Chinese made plastic for cheap, your friend down the road who does Kydex in his garage, and ultra-premium options that cost enough to mean you won’t be hitting the range anytime soon.  Somewhere out there is a Goldilocks brand.  If you’ve […]

A Woman’s Guide To Choosing Your First Firearm

When shopping for a firearm, there are many factors that come to play. As a woman, I have a few more things to consider. One of the points I like to emphasize is when purchasing a firearm, don’t let anyone tell you what they “think” fits you best. A lot of times when women go […]

G-Code Incog Shadow Eclipse

I’ve used quite a few holsters in my time. Many have worked and many have not. When G-Code released the Incog holster in collaboration with Haley Strategic a few years back I jumped on the early adopter bandwagon. I was at once impressed with the fit, finish and stability of the Incog. Years went by and I carried my Glock 17 with the […]

Davis Tactical Kydex holsters

If you need an affordable Kydex holster there are a lot of options out there. I needed something that wasn’t going to cost an arm and I could get relatively quickly on short notice. After perusing eBay, viewing the various makes and styles offered, I landed on a holster produced by Davis Tactical. I ordered […]

First look at the Sig 320 X-Five: Competition ready right out of the box

The Sig 320 X-Five is the flagship of the 320 X-Series. Sig calls it the “pinnacle for competition.” It is chambered in 9mm or .40 S&W and ready for a match right out of the box. The X-5 has been upgraded with every feature a boy could want: a five-inch match barrel, flat trigger, fully adjustable sights, detachable […]

Watch: Tactical Preacher’s Christmas Gift Guide 2017

“Preacher’s Holiday (Christmas) Gift Idea Guide 2017” offers a quick look at some Firearm/EDC/Outdoor themed gear that I carry on a daily basis. This “top ten” list is not so much a list of my favorite things, but a list of some categories of items you may find helpful in selecting the perfect gift for […]

A Marine’s recommendation for carrying pistols with reflex sights: Kore Gun Belts

I recently covered some product recommendations for carrying a pistol with mounted reflex sights.  The articles focused on holsters with and without using a mounted flashlight.  In this article, I am going to focus on my preferred gun belt brand for this setup. Early on when carrying a pistol with reflex sights, I found that […]

Safariland Model 7304 ALS/SLS Holster: Simple locking mechanism, perfect retention

Safariland has been around for a long time and their retention holsters are, in my opinion, among the best. The automatic locking system (ALS) is a simple locking mechanism which locks onto the ejection port of the weapon. The weapon is released by putting pressure on a lever with your thumb during your natural draw sequence. When re-holstering […]