Bitten by a Colt, Now I have the Python fever. The iconic "COLT PYTHON" .357 Magnum



I'll try to keep this one fairly short, and try to let the pictures speak for themselves... ok, ok, I said I'll "try" to keep it short...

Someone once told me that every person should own three nice things at some point their lifetime

A nice automatic watch.

A nice fountain pen. 

and 

A nice classic pistol...

I don't know what it is about revolvers, but I just can't seem to get enough of them, going back for as long as I could buy firearms. I used to be restricted to what my wallet could afford, old junker S&W Model 19's and the odd rough and rusty Harrington Richardson Saturday night special. My first break in decent revolvers came with my Taurus Raging Bull 8 3/4 inch ported .44 Magnum, an excellent piece of steel, even if it did weigh 5 lbs and need a chest rig to tote it around, it was a well made, accurate shooting iron and I will miss it.

Well this revolver is in a bracket well above any of those previously mentioned... 

I guess it's about time I bought a gun or two that has some real appreciable value, and will continue to gain in value as it ages.

The Venerable COLT Python, the Rolls Royce of revolvers. 

For those of you who haven't yet caught Colt Python fever (Rick carries this gun in Walking Dead), it was introduced in the early 1950's on a gamble that the .357 Magnum cartridge would become popular, this is Colt's top tier revolver (The design is virtually unchanged since its introduction). Painstakingly hand fitted and hand polished, it was designed to be the best production revolver known to mankind. When properly tuned and timed, cocking the hammer feels like snapping a thin glass rod folded in a silk scarf, the cylinder locks up tighter than a bank vault and the trigger break is gin and tonic crisp. The finish on these guns was referred to as Colt Royal Blue, and is arguably one of the finest finishes ever given to a production firearm. From the gold medallions on the American walnut grips to the full underlug of the barrel this revolver screams Handmade in the USA! 

Sadly, the Python is a relic, an endangered species which is becoming harder and harder to catch in the wild, production of these revolvers has ceased (Forever, production stopped in early 2000) and the equipment, gunsmiths and technical skills that produced this gun have since been disbanded. Mine was built sometime in 1979 and is as solid and crispy crunchy as the day when it left the factory. 

This gun may be pretty but it's no safe queen. It was built to be fired, and I doubt I'll ever be able to wear it out from use. I think that may be its major attraction, it was built for function first and foremost, but no-one can deny that it has the form to follow.

Want one of your own? Well this one cost about as much as the car I drive to work. (kidding... it was about half that) No doubt that my wife will never let me forget this fact, and one does not "kid" about such matters (Wince!, sorry Honey).
Is it worth that much you ask? In truth I doubt it, but I ain't selling mine, and every day the market price for one of these goes up... check Gunbroker, prepare to be shocked (Then bid... if your significant other lets you)

I remember a couple years ago I saw a Colt Python, New In the Box, going for $850 at a local pawn shop... and at the time I thought that was a bit high... I kick myself every time I think about it.

Colt Python Fever, a passing fad? Only time will tell, but this one's been going strong for 60 something years, call me if your Pokemon collection, PT Cruiser, or Beanie Babies can claim the same stamina.

Dirty Harry carried a S&W Model 29, not the same, repeat, Not the same.

All seriousness aside, I'm not as obsessed as I sound. Take my above statements with a grain of salt, and remember that I kept tongue in cheek as I wrote this. I'm pleased as punch with this pistol, and it's nicer than I deserve, it's not for everyone, but if you want to dive into a fantastic; pass down to your grandkids, blast away at the range, and make your neighbors jealous pistol... look no further than the Colt Python.

They made them in 2.5" 3" 4" 6" and 8" inch versions in Nickel, Royal Blue or Stainless Steel. You pick which one suits your fancy. Or just like Pokemon... "Gotta catch em all!"

Hey, if nothing else I'd rather have this in my hand than a Rolex on my wrist during a potential mugging, but you may draw some strange looks at your next office board meeting... does one wear a black or grey suit with this accessory?

This is my BOOMSTICK!, Benelli M2 w/Tactical Barrel

I recently came across a very nice used Benelli M2 barrel for a couple hundred under the price of a new one. I have a 28 inch smooth bore skeet barrel which was original to the gun, it is less than ideal for home defense or hunting with slugs/buckshot because of its length and its lack of solid iron sights. When I saw the tactical barrel listed online I jumped at the offer. I went to the range a few days ago and the results are better than expected.

I used some old Wolf 2 3/4 rifled slugs that were swimming around in the bottom of my ammo drawer, and I had surprisingly good accuracy for offhand shooting with iron sights at 50 yards. If I can achieve this shot placement at 50 yds, home defense ranges should be no problem.

12 ga (Big Holes) VS. .223 (little holes)

I like these clear shells, they allow me to see what each shell has inside before I add it to my setup.

Now it's time for my soap-box...

I've heard the following disturbing/incorrect statements during the recent gun craze

"I want a pump shotgun because the sound alone is a enough to deter criminals..."
"Semi-auto shotguns are unreliable and often jam, pumps never malfunction"
"Why use a rifle for home defense? I can just fire from the hip with my shotgun"
"I'll just load it with rocksalt, to scare em'" (Rocksalt loads will kill just like birdshot at close range, don't be a dummy)

Be wary of anyone who tells you that a shotgun with slugs or buckshot is a point and shoot weapon for home defense. You can't just point it in a direction, squeeze the trigger and expect results. It also won't blow bad guys through walls or destroy everything in a 9 foot radius. With that being said it is a devastating weapon if used correctly (Those small holes on the target are .223 (AR-15) ). The combat shotgun puts a heap of power into each shot, and if "Wound Cavitation + Bullet Penetration = Cessation of Hostilities" then the shotgun can be a clear winner.

I'd like to take a moment to discuss my thoughts on Semi-auto (Shells are loaded into the chamber automatically by the internal mechanics of the shotgun, and one shot is fired every time the trigger is pulled until the shotgun is empty) vs. Pump (Shells are loaded into the chamber by the action of "pumping" the shotgun, and one shot is fired every time the user pulls the trigger then "pumps" the shotgun to eject the spent shell and insert a new one). There are advantages and disadvantages to each, I will highlight them and explain.

Semi-auto:

Pros:
- Fast/nearly instantaneous reloads, when you pull the trigger, before you can physically pull it again you already have another shell in the chamber.
- Lower recoil, some of the recoil is mitigated through the ejection of the old shell and the reloading of a new shell. This can have a very positive effect for smaller shooters. I can easily shoot several boxes of slugs from my semi-auto.... I usually limit myself to one box of slugs through a pump gun. With less perceived recoil, the shooter can usually make faster follow-up shots.
- Reliability, the higher end semi-autos are very reliable, you take away some of the problems of user error, ie. short stroking or forgetting to pump under stress.

Cons:
- Expensive, A well built reliable semi-auto will most likely cost you twice that of a reliable pump gun. With the price of a Benelli, I could have bought three reliable pump shotguns.
- Finicky, I say this only because there are numerous semi-auto shotguns that will not function reliably with all shell types, my Benelli M2 will eat anything I feed it, but this isn't the case with all semi-autos.

Pump

Pros:
-Reliability, most all pumps, from the pretty cheap bargain basement, to the high end tactical pumps, are reliable, they will digest any load that they are chambered for and if you do your part they will do theirs.
-Price and availability, almost anyone can afford a good pump shotgun, a nice Remington 870 Express Home Defense can be had for about $350 and a Mossberg  Maverick can be had for about $200. There are plenty of used guns on the market and I've bought several very nice home defense shotguns for less than $200.

Cons:
- Training, while having more training is not a bad thing, the pump shotgun does require more muscle memory and user interaction to operate. Sure everyone says that the sound of a pump shotgun being racked is a universal deterrent, but under stress if you fail to make sure the pump is fully forward, or short stroke the next shell into the chamber, you just lost precious seconds in a dangerous situation.
- Recoil, some home defense pump shotguns can be deceptively light weight, I won't be an armchair commando and tell you that after a box or two of heavy slugs my shoulder isn't sore (This can lead to an aversion to training with your shotgun). I'm no glutton for punishment and in the realm of home defense I want lighter recoil for a faster followup shot.

In my situation the win goes to a well built Semi-auto, I prefer Benelli, but Remington, Beretta, and Mossberg as well a quite a few others make a fine home defense semi-auto. I find nothing lacking with a good pump shotgun for home defense, and I have owned several in the past, but you need to make an informed decision. I do not rely on "the sound of a pump shotgun being racked" as a home defense measure, and neither should you! If the bad guy turns and runs from the sound that's a plus, but I won't base my shotgun choice on that factor by any means. I think this rumor was started by the pump shotgun industry to shore up sales lost to semi-autos. If you are confident that the sound alone will deter a home invasion, I suggest you save your money and purchase an audio track of the sound to play when you feel threatened, or better yet get a police siren to deter violent attacks.

Don't get duped, the shotgun is a powerful, awesome home defense weapon, but it won't work like in the movies, and it isn't a carpet bomb that needs no aim. It will punch some really big holes, but only if you get the shells on target...Train like you fight, so test your setup before you need to use it in a bad situation.

Battle Belt (AKA, SHTF Light Fighter Gear): VTAC Brokos Belt, Emdom-MM CM Belt, FAST mags, Maxpedition dump pouch, ITS Tactical IFAK, SERPA Holster, and Night OPS Gladius.

Its been a while since my last post, and I've saved up my pennies to purchase a "Battle Belt", it's a bit intense in its final form, so I'll try to explain my thinking behind it.

Basic Concept: I wanted a setup that contained most of what I would need to defend/conduct myself in a bad scenario, yet also sustain me should I become separated from the house or my gear in other parts of the house. Say for example, I wake up in the middle of the night to an active home invasion... or I wake up in the middle of the night to an active home invasion going on at my elderly neighbors house... (you can pick scenarios all day). I want to be geared up and on the move to stop the threat in a minimal amount of time (lets say under 1 min and 30 sec, preferably in about 30 to 45 sec. I can always just go in about 3-5 sec in my underwear with the pistol and flashlight in my night stand, but I don't fancy defending anything attired this way)

I have an old set of coveralls and some slip on steel toe boots that I can put on in the blink of an eye, and with the battle belt I can clip it on and be out of the bedroom almost as fast as if I had worn my bathrobe.

From my battle belt I can sustain my primary weapon (Rifle) and I have my secondary (Pistol) if I need to transition. I have avoided adding anything I don't immediately need, no water, matches, energy bars, portable hair dryers, fishing tackle... you get the point. No man vs. wild here, just enough defensive persuasion to hit first, hit hard, and hit fast.

Here is a rundown of what I'm running on the belt currently:

VTAC Brokos Belt -
Excellent construction, the padding is a mesh honeycomb material that won't soak up and hold water/sweat, and looks pretty resistant to abrasion, it isn't bulky and I don't feel like I have a pillow around my waist (it's hard to explain or photograph, trust me or just buy one and see). All the seams are sewn and tacked. I ordered a Medium and as you can see it fits my size 30 waist pretty good, (In ordering belts that fit over your pants/clothing, you need to measure first. To measure just put on your clothing, and wrap an over-sized belt around your waist and mark the length you need, take off the over-sized belt and measure it while it's laid out on the ground. My measurements came to 34-36 depending on my clothing. Yours will vary depending on how tight you like your belt, I usually want it tighter because I don't want to look like John Wayne and have my belt slide off my hips when/if I need to run) The sizing is important for the Brokos belt because the larger the size the more attachment space you have. When I was looking online at others who had bought this belt I saw them running 4 AR-15 mags, 8 pistol mags, canteen, etc... If you are small like me you will be surprised at the lack of space that you end up with, its important to remember, between a 30 and 40 waist, that's ten extra inches of belt space. I picked the Multi-cam camo pattern, you pick what suits you.

I like how everything is attached using the MOLLE system and the inner stiffener of this belt keeps it from rolling over. All my gear hooked right up, I threaded the inner belt out and over the MOLLE section where ever I wanted to use a belt attachment vice a MOLLE strap. All my gear clipped on without much hassle, the belt is sewn to tight tolerances but not so tight that you can't thread and attach your gear. Nothing leans out from the belt or feels loose. I'd plan on leaving the side with the pistol free of everything but a holster, I tried a couple different setups and I just don't like bashing my loaded pistol into things when I draw or holster; again, you may want a different setup.

Emdom-MM CM Belt (Inner belt for the Brokos) -
I really like this belt, it's also patterned in Multi-cam camo and I like the buckle attachment. It's stiff enough to be worn on its own or inside a battle belt. The construction is solid and the price is really good, it has features that make it a great duty belt if you want to go that route as well. Sizing is true so my medium ended up fitting perfect when used with the battle belt, but I don't have a lot of room to go any bigger, if I were a 32 waist I'd step up to the large belt if I was going to use it as the inner belt on a battle belt.

S-biner clip

Mechanix gloves

BLACKHAWK! SERPA Holster, Fullsize 1911 on a Belt slide Holster

Kimber Eclipse Target II

Maxpedition Rollypoly Dump Pouch -
Nice well made dump pouch, it folds up small so it's out of the way and it deploys quickly for use, it opens wide enough to take several AR-15 mags and it stays open for easy "dumping". I wish it was available in Multi-cam camo, but the Coyote color is OK (If you are a stickler for matching colors, it isn't the same shade as FDE (Flat Dark Earth)), it doesn't matter much to me but it would be nice to see Maxpedition get up to speed on the current color schemes.

ITS Tactical IFAK Pouch with ETA Kit and SOF Tourniquet

EMT Shears - These are a better option to cut off zip ties than a knife, just try to cut off Flexi-cuffs with a bowie knife. These shears are cheap ($7) and can cut most anything from sheet metal to seat belt material. they fit nicely behind my IFAK.

2 FAST Mag 5.56 Rifle mag holders - These are made from a rigid plastic with a thick rubber band to hold the mag tightly (although they will still retain a mag without the rubber band), they can be pricey when compared to cloth mag pouches, but I like the ability to quickly reinsert mags one handed. They also have the advantage of not getting soaking wet in the rain, a big factor here in Washington State.

2 Lancer 20 rd L5 mags - Good mags, and with the disappearance of the P-Mag (lets hope its just endangered, not extinct in the upcoming days) these are still available, I like the 20 rounders and they lighten my belt a smidge.  I can plus up with my 30 rd P-Mags if I feel like I need that option, but for home defense I hope I won't need that much ammo.

3 FAST Mag Pistol mag holders - These are constructed the same as the rifle mag holders, but they allow for a far greater range of mag options, I can use these to hold almost any type of double stack or single stack pistol mags. I'm using mine for my 1911 mags, and while they are slightly more bulky than the cloth mag pouches, they hold the smooth slim 1911 mags exceptionally well. I was worried when I first put them on and was practicing drawing and reloading, the mags seemed to stick and hold with more retention than I would have liked, but when I was at the range moving and shooting I didn't notice any issues. It just goes to show that your living room is not an adequate test facility.

3 Kimber, Kimpro TAC-MAGS

Night OPS Gladius Flashlight in a BLACKHAWK! Belt slide Holster


Sizing: I am a 30 waist, (5' 11'', and I wear a 30X32 pant) don't be fooled by other opinions on the internet, too many people are either fatter or skinnier than they want to admit, and everybody wears it differently. One thing I have found as a common theme as a skinnier guy is that rarely are clothes I purchase too small. If you are slight of frame only you can judge what is going to fit you.

Of all the clothing and gear I have bought I find it most often to be correctly sized to the manufacturers advertised sizing. Yet I constantly read reviews of gear that people claim is too small..... I guess manufacturers all just use incorrect measurements... rolls eyes.

Weight: All loaded up it weighs 10.5 lbs..... That's a lot for a duty belt... which is why I went with the battle belt setup, and even with all that weight its' still significantly less weight on my hips than a fully loaded hiking pack with a hip belt would exert.

Comfort: I wore the belt for an hour and a half at the range doing some reactive shooting and it wore really well, much better than a duty belt would with all that gear on it. Its not cumbersome and  It didn't ride up drawing the weapon, or pulling out the mags, I did experience some riding up when I was bending over and kneeling down to pick up my spent brass, but it wasn't affecting the function of the belt and I'd say the impact of it riding up a few inches was minimal. It was a fairly cool day with temps in the 50's so overheating wasn't a factor. Overall it was comfortable and functional; I don't test my gear by low crawling, jumping out of planes, combat rolling, or otherwise exerting myself. I also don't plan to test its function riding in a Humvee in the desert of Iraq or manning a door gun on an SH60 in a sandstorm. It worked perfectly for running, kneeling and shooting on the move, don't make your life harder than it needs to be, if you are Spetsnaz and only buy gear that is designed to endure a backflip while throwing a hatchet... the battle belt is not for you.

From everything I have read people have really mixed views on the battle belt setups, some people hang all their bug out gear off them, others load their entire setup with an armload of extra rifle mags, some people run them with a drop leg holster, or with suspenders. I don't think there is a right way or a wrong way to set up your belt. If it works for you, run it.

Remember, The best setup in the world won't do you an ounce of good if you don't have it with you, I have a chest rig and I can only imagine trying to sort that out and get it put on in time to respond to a threat in the middle of the night... in the dark.... under stress. Mall ninja and Tacticool Armchair Ranger talk aside, I don't realistically think you can expect to have time to get your gear on if it involves more than a few steps, keep it simple, keep it mobile, keep it real.

Note: I love this multi-cam camo pattern, it works well everywhere, its good in the front yard, the scrub brush in the open field, the deep woods, and well.... just about anywhere. It reminds me of a lighter version of the german flecktarn camo. The pants I have on are Vertx (designed by Arcteryx) and they are awesome, the fit and feel is top notch, and they aren't overly baggy like a lot of the BDU type pants you come across.

SUREFIRE KROMA Multi-LED Flashlight

This is the first high end flashlight that I purchased, and until I acquired my E1B Backup SUREFIRE about a month ago, I'd carried  the KROMA for the past four years. As the pictures will show it's a bit beat up, but everything still works as advertised and I've gotten more than my share of use from it.


This model is currently out of production at SUREFIRE, and I'm really interested in what light will be its successor. Just like any other SUREFIRE its' solidly built and extremely reliable.

I carried this light on the Ship during my time at sea in the Navy and it served me well as the boat officer on several night time small boat exercises, including one late night small boat deployment in search of a man overboard where the on board spot light was inoperable, and one trip where it provided light to trouble shoot an engine failure.

Features:

Selectable, dual-output white primary beam and dual-output secondary beams of blue and red

Electronically controlled LED light source has no filament to burn out or break, lasts for thousands of hours

Total Internal Reflection (TIR) lens produces tightly focused central beam

Rugged aerospace-grade aluminum body, Mil-Spec Type III hard anodized in black

O-ring sealed, weatherproof

Tempered Pyrex window

Heavy-duty pocket clip

Tailcap switch: press for momentary-on low beams, press further for momentary-on high white beam; twist for constant-on low or high beams

Switch lockout prevents accidental activation during transport or storage

Output/Runtimes: 

White high: 50 lumens / 1.5 hrs

White low: 1.4 lumens / 20 hrs

Blue high: 3.4 lumens / 8 hrs

Blue low: .48 lumens / 80 hrs

Red high: 6.3 lumens / 8 hrs

Red low: .52 lumens / 80 hrs

Solid white working light, while on low its' suitable for close in work

Red is great for night work and is the major reason that I chose the KROMA, it gives plenty of light on low red for close in work and on high its suitable for night time walking.

Blue is good for tracking blood spots while on a hunt after dark, but other than that I really haven't found a good use for the blue high or low setting.

A beam shot of the low white

A beam shot of the red.

A disassembled view. Another shout out for Battery Station CR123A batteries, a really great cost effective choice (See E1B Backup review)

All together a really great light, its been waterproof, shockproof, and well worth the pretty penny that it cost me. I'm sure that I'll get quite a few more years use out of it.

MAINSTAY 3600 and 1200 Calorie Emergency Food Ration (Energy Bars)

I've been looking for a simple solution to carrying food in my Bug Out Bag, I am in the process of building a Food Bug Out Bag to use in conjunction with my Bug Out Bag but I've run into some concerns.

I originally wanted to have everything in one bag; gear, food, essentials, and protection. But I've run into a problem, I created the bag to have enough supplies for me and my wife to survive for 76 hours in whatever situation you can imagine and I'm limiting the size of my bag to one large day pack. (See previous posts) I want to ensure that one person remains unencumbered so that we can take turns carrying the pack, scouting ahead, or engaging obstacles. I also want to ensure that the pack is small/light enough that mobility is not hindered if we need to move fast through rough terrain. This leaves me with a quite stuffed pack that has no extra room for 76 hours of meals.

Note: I am not advocating leaving the food behind in a Bug Out scenario, I am only stressing that it may be one of the less important items during a hasty departure. If you have time and space to pack food, by all means bring it along.

Here is my thought process behind having no meal type food in the pack; when and if I bug out, I may have only seconds to leave the house. If I have only seconds to depart, I wont have time to pack a suitcase or weigh decisions on what I want to bring, if I don't have time to decide, then when I grab my Bug Out Bag, it has be the one stop shop (and still be able to carry it) to cover most of the scenarios I can realistically plan for.

It must cover the following necessities for life (and in this order):
Safety -
   - Personal Safety, such as the need for a firearm. Like Clint Eastwood says in "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", "You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."   
Shelter -
    - If you don't have shelter in many situations, you will die. Shelter is a lot of things, from your shoes and coat, to a tarp and a warm fire. Exposed you won't last very long. (Some might say, water should be before shelter, to those people I say, tonight at midnight jump out of bed wearing only your underwear, run (not walk) out of your house all the way to your mailbox or the end of your street, no shoes, no clothes, and tell me which you would rather have next time you depart in a hurry, a gallon of water in a jug, or shoes and a coat.) I can get water most anywhere here in the pacific northwest, but if you have hypothermia and no shelter, all the fresh water in the world won't help you.
Water -
    - Water is specific to your region, get some as soon as you can, purify if you're able, and stay hydrated. Water is heavy and you need to weigh (pun intended) the pro's and con's of carrying 8lbs of water (1 Gallon) or 8lbs of gear.
Food -
    - You will need food eventually, but unless you have a medical condition, you can go for three days without food (many more if absolutely necessary). You will be hungry, but most of us can stand to loose a little weight. A big bag of food alone will not keep you safe or warm. 

So, If you carry food, it can be in a separate bag, grab it if you have time and space to carry it, but the first priority needs to be the immediate future.

This is why I have recently purchased some emergency rations for the BOB, they aren't anything that you would want to eat for regular meals, and even in a Bug Out situation I would want a supply of real food to sustain me. They fit in the pack, don't take up much room and give me an easy 7200 calories (2 Rations at 3600 cal each)

MAINSTAY 3600 and 1200 Calorie Emergency Food Ration (Energy Bars)

 Here is a close up of the 3600 and 1200 ration bar.

So I wanted to test these bars out. I'd like to know before I need them in an emergency if they taste like condensed sea-gull poop, or cause kidney failure.....

On test day I went to visit a gun show about 3 hours away, I awoke early in the morning (around 05:30AM) and ate only the energy bar until about 02:00PM (Lots of water), the day consisted of standing in the cold for hours and walking for a few hours once inside the show. The bar did its job, it was a pretty tasty lemon sugar cookie texture and I didn't have any adverse reactions from eating it. Its no cheeseburger, but it's not too hard to consume.

Make sure you have some water, I can't see myself eating a serving of this without at least a mouthful of water. It tastes good enough that my mouth watered while I ate it, but around 02:00PM I wouldn't have gone so far as to say that I would relish eating this for two or three days straight. In a bug out scenario hopefully you can use this to supplement what food you have brought along or scavenged along the way.

These bars are a good addition to a BOB, and they beat "air sandwiches" any day of the week, order some, keep them in your car and BOB. With a five year shelf life they are a solid stable ration if you ever need them.

Flashlight, SUREFIRE E1B Backup, The Torch of the Future

I recently picked up a new flashlight, I am addicted to flashlights and this one is no exception. I figure it's just one of many, but it's hardly a "flavor of the week".

The Surefire E1B Backup (Not to be confused with the new EB1 Backup) Flash light is exactly what it says, its a backup to a full sized tactical light. I was carrying a Surefire KROMA for a long time, and its just too big for EDC (Every Day Carry), then I switched to a Nightops Gladius, better size but no pocket clip and still a bit too big, it serves me better on my gun belt, or on my nightstand for when things go bump in the night. I don't relish baggy clothes so I've been shopping around for something small and powerful that I can carry every where.

The E1B Backup, fits my needs. I try to keep a flashlight handy all the time, and I prefer to have it clipped in my left pocket. (right side is for my pocket knife)

Here are the Specs taken from the Surefire website.

Dual-output, microprocessor-controlled, virtually indestructible LED

TIR lens produces tightly focused beam with enough secondary light to accommodate peripheral vision

Coated, impact-resistant Pyrex® window protects lens and LED and helps maximize light transmission

Compression-resistant O-ring seals for weatherproofing

Aerospace-grade aluminum body with Mil-Spec Type III hard anodizing in black

“Melted” styling and flutes instead of knurling help save clothing and resist snagging

Sturdy, two-way pocket clip lets you carry flashlight bezel up or down

Tailcap switch: click for constant-on at high setting; click on, then off and back on again within two seconds for low setting

Patented lockout feature prevents accidental activation

High: 110 lumens

Low: 5 lumens

Run Time: High Setting: 1.3 hrs.

Low Setting: 37 hrs.

Weight: 2.8 oz. (w/batt.)

Length: 4.0"

Bezel: 1.0" (diam.)

Batteries: 1 CR123

I like everything about this light, the bright setting is 110 lumens, more than bright enough to shine across the yard and into the trees at dusk, and bright enough to temporarily blind an assailant and work as a weapon light. The secondary setting at 10 lumens is perfect for getting to my car in a dark parking lot, or finding my dropped keys on the floor of a dark movie theater. 

At 37 Hrs of run time on the low setting and 1.3 Hrs on high, it's more than enough to change a car tire in the dark, finish a short hike after night has fallen, or light the area in any of the situations that I find myself in. 

Note: This light is not the same as the EB1, that light runs 200 lumens. This is not confirmed, but from inital reports the EB1 starts out at 200 lumens and slowly dims, ending at a much lower brightness at about 1 Hr. My light, the E1B, starts at 110 lumens and holds that brightness for about an hour. Both lights are worth the purchase, but are completely different in their presentation. Just make sure you research the newest tests before you spend your hard earned money. 

Good Bezel, works as a strike face and allows the light to do a nose stand without getting too hot. Should you set the light down on the bezel, you will be reminded to turn it off from the light leaking out. 

Really great spring steel pocket clip, I don't like to have my flash light "swimming" in my pocket, and I sure don't want to "fish" it out in an emergency. I carry mine bezel down. At the time of this post, I have been carrying this light for a solid 3 weeks, every day, everywhere, and I have yet to accidentally turn it on in my pocket, or have it fall out of my pocket. I do wish it had a lanyard clip, but I can figure that out in the future.

Disassembled, a pretty simple setup, with only one Surefire CR123A battery. Good tight lockup on each of the pieces and thick o-rings for water-resistance at each junction.

Low profile, keeps it from snagging on my hand when I get things out of my pocket, and it sits low enough in the pocket that it isn't overtly visible.

I use a lot of CR123A batteries and if you've ever bought these batteries from a convenience store you know that two in a pack can cost $5 to $14. That can add up fast, I find that I use about 1 CR123A battery a month, they last a long time in lights and I find them superior to any AA or AAA battery. (My EB1 Backup is still on its first battery and I've been using it on low about 3 to 5 min every day) I went hunting for the best deal on CR123A Lithium batteries and the best pricing I've found is from http://www.batterystation.com/cr123a.htm They have 32 batteries for $55, free shipping, and you get this free Otter box, waterproof case to store your batteries. The batteries are "Battery Station Brand" and from the tests I've seen they rank right in between Energizer and Duracell, they have a 10 year shelf life and I've had really great use from them. I'm not a paid rep for this website, they just offer a really exceptional product  at a great price. 

To sum it all up, I've tried a lot of lights, and you get what you pay for. Surefire makes a very reliable product, and every time I've tried a different brand, I've been left wanting. Surefire doesn't make the most advanced flashlight, or even the brightest, but I think they make some of the best in the reliable, no nonsense category  The price tag is high, but I don't like to be left in the dark... plus with the introduction of the EB1, you can get the E1B on sale for a while...

Oh, and did I mention I love Battery Station, they offer Military and LEO discounts as well, check it. 

Till next time, Stay Bright!