{"id":192,"date":"2013-05-04T01:19:37","date_gmt":"2013-05-04T01:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/words.deviating.net\/?p=192"},"modified":"2013-05-04T01:47:43","modified_gmt":"2013-05-04T01:47:43","slug":"friends-dont-let-friends-be-tacticool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/?p=192","title":{"rendered":"Friends Don’t Let Friends Be Tacticool"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ugh. \u00a0I am generally a very open-minded person, but some things just make me cringe a little bit inside. \u00a0Lately, something that I’ve been noticing a lot more of has been the increasing creep of “tacticool<\/a>” aesthetic into mainstream gun ownership. \u00a0There was a time when\u00a0devotees\u00a0of this wholly ridiculous sub-culture were such a minority among gun owners that they were openly chided. \u00a0Outfitting one’s rifle with a 37mm flare launcher styled to look like an M203 system or wearing a field-grade gear vest at the gun range used to elicit jokes about Mall Ninjas<\/a> and the Delta Force catalog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Something else that used to be consistent was that the world of “tacticool” gear was the exclusive domain of aftermarket parts suppliers. <\/em>Firearms would come from the factory in a rational stock configuration, and then some particularly dedicated (and I would often say particularly silly) individuals would spend money on accessories and modifications that they felt looked badass when in fact they just appeared silly.<\/p>\n

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\"living<\/a><\/h6>\n
Your typical “tacticool” guy… he has likely spent more on accessories than his original rifle cost, and yet virtually none of this would be considered “field ready” and capable of rough handling if said rifle were issued to someone in the armed forces. \u00a0The actual effectiveness of this weapons system is\u00a0immaterial\u00a0to a tacticool user, however. \u00a0It just has to “look badass”<\/h6>\n

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\"OLYMPUS<\/a><\/h6>\n
Often not content with merely making their personal firearms laden with accessories and backup gear, a true tacticool individual will ensure that their automobile, bike, or even work desk are outfitted with the most\u00a0aggressive-looking gear items, in the event that “the shit hits the fan” one day.<\/h6>\n

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Until recently, if someone wanted to add any of these rather\u00a0unnecessary\u00a0accessories to their guns, they would either perform the modifications themselves (thanks to the ever-growing number of aftermarket parts manufacturers who have adopted the\u00a0picatinny rail standard) or enlist the help of a willing gunsmith. \u00a0This niece market has allowed for some gun shops to make a tidy sum by catering to the desires of some citizens who wish to own guns that look like something out of a Hollywood movie but who do not actually want to spend a lot of money or go through Title-II paperwork.<\/p>\n

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\"SONS<\/a><\/h6>\n
The Red Jacket Firearms company, featured on the Discovery Channel show Sons of Guns<\/em>, was a standout in the “tacticool” realm. \u00a0Here we see then-owner, Will Hayden, holding a gun that appears to only fire 9mm pistol ammo, in spite of the fact that it is based around a rifle receiver, features a high-magnification optic, and sports a suppressor (which may just be decorative). \u00a0Chances are high that this handgun\/carbine hybrid is not capable of select-fire and is most likely not a Title-II NFA firearm.<\/h6>\n

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This was the standard for a long time. \u00a0If you wanted a tacticool gun, you were creating it (or modifying it) yourself. \u00a0Mainstream firearm manufacturers (whose chief clientele are usually the police and the military) would never risk their reputation by creating hardware like this at the factory and putting their trade mark upon it. \u00a0Sadly, that trend may be changing.<\/p>\n

Consider Mossberg & Sons. \u00a0This Swedish company has been making what are arguably the world’s finest shotguns for nearly a century. \u00a0They also produce rifles, however this is a small piece of their overall business when compared with their shotgun division. \u00a0Police officers and the US military have been relying on their products for ages now.<\/p>\n

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\"mossberg-inset-2\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
A SWAT police officer with a Mossberg 590 \u00a0series shotgun<\/h6>\n

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\"rk7i35\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
US Marines training with Mossberg 590A1 shotguns<\/h6>\n

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Mossberg shotguns come in a variety of models. \u00a0They can be categorized into roughly three groups:<\/p>\n