(Ed. note: This review is a follow up to the Cyclops introduction posted last month by Aaron.)
Gary Grundy of Helios Systems was gracious enough to allow me to test and evaluate one of the Cyclops. For testing I used my Safariland duty rig and my tactical vest equipped with the Molle system. I selected five commonly used police flashlights: the Blackhawk 9-volt Falcata; the Streamlight Poly Stinger; the Surefire Z2; the Surefire 6Z; and the Blackhawk Gladius. All of these flashlights have a thumb activated on/off button for tactical use.
During the testing, I found the smaller Z2, 6Z and the Gladius are held more snugly by the Cyclops than the larger lights. However, the location of the front strap leaves only about 1.5 inches of the Z2 and 6Z, and about two inches of the Gladius, exposed at the top of the Cyclops to grab for withdrawal. With the “halo” headrest this made a secure grip even more difficult than open top style carriers. Withdrawing these two flashlights was not impossible but was awkward, as I was only able to get two fingers on the Z2 and not quite three fingers on the Gladius. I consider myself as having average-sized hands (usually a medium or large glove size) so someone with larger hands might have even more trouble with retrieving these two particular flashlights from the Cyclops.
Most of those who recognize the name Steyr immediately think of the Steyr AUG series rifles with their unique European minded design that sets them apart from most patrol rifles used in the United States. That design creates a very sleek profile that places the rifle’s magazine to the rear of the trigger assembly and generates a profile like no other.
What many people might not know is that Steyr (officially Steyr Mannlicher) is also the producer of high quality sniper rifles. The latest release is the Steyr SSG 08, available in .308 Winchester and 300 Win Mag. This rifle incorporates many of the latest trends in mission ready sniper rifles. For instance, the Austrian engineers have used light weight aircraft aluminum in the stock, as well as highly durable synthetic components to keep the rifle’s weight easily manageable.
If you are a part of the law enforcement marksman (sniper) community then any discussion on ammunition selection will almost exclusively focus on the .308 caliber, 168-grain Match King boat tail hollow point (BTHP) cartridge. The 2007 American Sniper Association Annual Report cited the .308 caliber, 168-grain Match King BTHP as being the “preferred ammunition” for police marksmen “based primarily on its accuracy and consistency”. The Federal Gold Medal cartridge has, for many, been the preferred police marksman cartridge. This cartridge produces consistent match grade quality with the convenience of being factory made.
Let me be up front and tell you the 
The 
by Michael T. Rayburn. I had previously read Advanced Patrol Tactics
by Rayburn and thought it was a good book, so I figured I would give his traffic stop book a read also.
Let me start by saying that Rayburn covers nearly any type of traffic stop you can imagine. This book of course covers low or unknown risk stops on cars but also has sections on motorcycles, busses, semi-trucks, vans, and RVs. While I have never done a high risk or felony stop on an RV, I now have some insight on how to do one safely.
by Jim Cirillo and was very impressed. Cirillo, a retired NYPD officer, was an exceptionally gifted shooter and police officer who won more armed confrontations than any other modern police officer I have read about. His insights and experiences are recounted in this book.
For those of you who do not know who Jim Cirillo is, let me give you the Reader’s Digest version of his professional career. Cirillo was a NYPD cop who was assigned to the highly effective Stakeout Squad in the 1970′s. The squad was made up of 40 of the best officers the NYPD had. Guys like Cirillo and his partner, Bill Allard, would stake out high-probability robbery targets and stop robberies when they happened. Cirillo was involved in 17 gunfights and won them all.
is a phenomenal book written by police training expert Massad Ayoob.
Ayoob wrote this book as an introduction to the defensive use of firearms. Ayoob discusses the legal implications and practical aspects of owning and using a firearm for self defense. Although this is not a book to teach you to be an expert with a firearm, In the Gravest Extreme is one of the best first steps anyone can take to learn to defend themselves.
