“Keep weapons dry.  I lubed my weapons: M4 Carbine and M9 pistol with Sentry Solutions dry lube.  This stuff practically repels dust and sand.  I am very happy with it.  CLP and other oils merely attract dirt.  It is useless in the desert.”

We receive emails and comments from customers every week. Every once and awhile we try and share them with the visitors to our site.

Recently, we received an email with a link to the posting below. You can see the entire posting at the Carmel Gun Club by clicking here.

Advice from the War

We offer these comments as advice for people who are either entering the military or who are already in the military but want more inside information about what to do to prepare for ground combat. We are especially interested in hearing about what happens to military shooters who have trained with us once you deploy.

Gene in Iraq

Gene is one of our long-time shooters who is now a full time meat eater over in the Middle East. Here he is at the Basra airport

June 2005: On the Beretta pistol: "Pete, you're going to get me started talking guns.. LOL.. you're going to have to tell me to shut up.. LOL.  Anyway, the M9 is a fine weapon.  The horrors you might have heard about jamming, double feeds, etc.. were all attributed to cheap contractor produced after-market magazines.  These magazines were terrible for fit and finish.  It practically had krinkle/rough finish on the outside and INSIDE of the magazine body and the follower was plastic with rough mold marks.  I saw this issued crap magazine.. and even in OIF#1 I pulled out my own personal stash of genuine Beretta Factory magazines and used them.  Even now, on my second tour I have them with me.  The good news is that the military listened to these complaints, and the newer magazines are much better (Check-Mate Industries).. but still not as nice as factory Beretta mags.  Otherwise, the weapon itself is a Beretta M92-FS.  I have fired about 2500 rds through my personal 92FS, and had ZERO malfunctions.  The M9 is identical.  I've never had any malfunctions with my issued M9 either.. using my mags."June 2005, advice for what to bring: "

Here is just some of my advice for troops going to Iraq, lessons learned from my now second time being here.

Replace all cotton uniform t-shirts and underwear with "Underarmor" brand uniform t-shirts and underwear.  It makes a HUGE difference with you are in the extreme heat.  With or without body armor.. you perspire heavy.  This synthetic stretch nylon underwear wicks away moisture quick.  The boxer/briefs are similar to tight bicycle shorts, but a bit thinner.  When seated in a Hummvee and literally sweating your ass off, you are still somewhat comfortable.  This stuff is expensive, but worth it.  I place comfort in hell over cost.  At AAFES they sell this.. it is $20 for each t-shirt and $18 for each underwear.  I brought 12 sets of each here.  The size is marked correctly.  It will fit tight.. but that's how it works.. the stretched fabric allows the perspiration to evaporate quickly.

Do not bring blue jeans.  They merely soak up sweat, get dirty, and it takes forever to dry in the dryer.  Whenever possible, don't bring cotton clothes.

I purchased nylon cargo pants and nylon shirts for off-duty.  Royal Robbins Tactical 5.11 line of clothes are great and they just released their nylon line of clothes. "The North Face" and "Columbia" brand of high quality clothes are working out great in this extreme heat.

Keep weapons dry.  I lubed my weapons: M4 Carbine and M9 pistol with Sentry Solutions dry lube.  This stuff practically repels dust and sand.  I am very happy with it.  CLP and other oils merely attract dirt.  It is useless in the desert.

Ballistic eye protection are a must.  I'm on my second tour in Iraq with my original issued "Wiley-X SG-1" sunglasses that are more like goggles.  I threw away the plastic arms in the kit and kept the elastic band straps intead.  These were issued to us being the Army Special Operations Command.. but even Airborne and infantry units issue these as standard.  The lens are interchangeable between smoke and clear lens.  They are flexible and the frame will not break.  Only drawback is that it fogs up once in a while.  I used anti-fog cloth, and it's never a problem.  Ballistic eye protection is a must not only as shooters.. but from IED blast and shrapnel protection.  Countless soldiers were saved from blindness because of ballistic eye protection.  Alternative brand would be ESS brand ballistic goggles which look more like Motocross / Ski goggles. 

Earplugs.. always wear them on convoys.  IEDs explode all too frequently in Iraq.  Even near misses create shock waves which cause hearing loss.

Tactical gloves - synthetic type, not aviator-type.. I've worn out many aviator nomex gloves.  Synthetic faux leather gloves can get wet and dirty and you can clean them and they last longer.  I wear gloves all the time whenever I get in and out of Humvees because of sharp edges and metal gets HOT.. where ever you touch in the vehicle!  Even your rifle gets hot from the weather.

There are many pistol holsters out there. It is personal preference.. but I prefer ones that are not too low due to the "come take my pistol away" factor.  The only holster I know of with a retention system is Safariland brand.  It is secure and the material is hard plastic versus nylon cloth.  I brought my other Blackhawk brank nylon Airborne holster with quick release flap and thumb break strap.. but so far I am using my Safariland holster all the time.  For parachute operations, I will use my Blackhawk model.

Rifle slings:  There are so many JUNK brands out there!  Go try out slings for M16 Rifles or M4 Carbines.  Remember that you have to transition from strong handed firing and weak handed firing.  Most three-point slings will not allow you to transition back and forth.  I personally use "Slingsystems" brand sling.. but again it is personal preference based on tactical training and experience.

Computers:  CD drives and diskette drives will malfunction from the dust.. they will die.  The best way to store data are Memory Sticks.  512 MB and 1 GB are ideal.  Portable hard-drives will work good as well.  I have "Pelican" brand armored case w/ purge valve for my laptop computer.  Miniature Pelican cases are great to protect smaller delicate equipment.. such as small portable hard drives and PDAs.

Do not bring a rucksack with frame - the old ALICE Pack.  Purchase a good 3-day pack instead with no frame.  You ride in armored Humvees now.  The frame will be silly.  Even in OIF#1 I did not bring the ruck with frame.  I only brought one military canteen for NBC valve use.. but drinking water / bottled waters are available EVERYWHERE.  I merely pack water bottles in my pack and go.  CamelBak hydration system is great.. I must have three units issued to me.. but I never used mine.  I brought it for 'just in case' but water bottles are throw away items and you don't have to clean it like CamelBaks."
 
July 17th, 2005: "This is a brand new Colt M4 Carbine issued to me.  It is brand new, but it's already looking beat up from being in the desert and being thrashed around in the tight confines of Humvees and other types of trucks.

I wasn't sure if our unit was going to provide us accessories so I attached my personally-owned accessories to my M4.

1) KAC - Knights Armament Company RAS quad rail
2) Surefire M951 tactical light
3) GGG vertical grip w/ battery compartment
4) Aimpoint Comp M2 red-dot sight
5) ARMS #17 mount quick release throw lever with separate riser for the Aimpoint
6) ARMS flip-up back up sight
7) Slingsystems tactical sling

That's about $1,200 worth of accessories I am beating up here in Iraq, LOL.

The above combination is what I know works for me.  There are so many junk equipment out there.  So, consumers should see what works for them but not sacrifice on cheap equipment that fails or does not work well.

Much later, AFTER we got into the war-zone of Iraq, we got issued the KAC quad rail, Aimpoint M68 red-dot sight (same as Comp M2), and a funky ramp-type rear sight.  The vertical grip was KAC also, but it does not have a battery compartment.  Another cheesy item that they issued us was an elevated scope mount for the M68 with a turn-knob that protrudes out quite a bit.  You've probably seen photos of this type of standard Infantry accessories on M4 rifles in various newspapers.  This equipment was the original "SOPMOD" kit issued to Special Operations soldiers in the mid-to-late 1990s.  Now, most combat arms type of units have them.

In the recent few years, however, there have been better accessories that came out for the M4/AR15 types of rifles.  I politely said "no thanks" to our supply sergeant when he broke open all the goodies.  My Aimpoint is already zero'ed.  The rest of the soldiers will have to try to figure out their zero settings on their new M68s when we get to go to the range next time.

I used an EOTech red-dot sight last year in Iraq.  This year I am trying the Aimpoint.  Truthfully, I like the EOTech better.  The EOTech is a 'heads up display' flat glass unit with a tiny dot and ring around it, while the Aimpoint is a simple dot contained in a scope-type rugged body.  Both have night vision settings.  It only took me nine rounds to zero my EOTech.  It took me 24 rounds of three shot groups to zero that darned Aimpoint.  They are both the best red-dot sights around, but my personal preference is the EOTech.  Again, I suggest to consumers, it is personal preference.  Consumers should try using both before purchasing one for $400 - $450 each.  The prices on both units are very similar.

I store my Aimpoint batteries inside the GGG vertical grip which is rubber O-Ring sealed.  I wrapped each battery x3 with Saran Wrap to prevent them from rattling about.

As far as rail systems, I must laugh at most of manufacturers.  First Samco, for example has a plastic unit which fails to provide adequate ventilation for the barrel.  Besides, plastic rails will not guarantee zero.  This is junk.  KAC will not guarantee zero either, as it is not a true "free floating" unit, but it is stable enough to mount IR and laser designators available as military issue.  KAC guarantees true M1913 Picatinny rail, and it is quality machined.  Sure enough, from my experience every accessory mounts on and off smoothly.  A lot of other rails out there cannot guarantee that.  There are true free floaters with quad rails, yes, but they are for match shooters who keep their rifles neat and clean all the time and babied.  Soldiers must field strip our rifles all the time to keep them clean and maintained from pure abuse.  I'll take the KAC for now until a better system is found.  I think I will try the ARMS S.I.R. rail/forward hand guard product next when I get home.  I'll report on that much later."

For a similar "report" from a civilian contractor click here.