In searching for a good alternative I came across the “striplula” which is manufactured by the Israeli company “Maglula”. I have to say this has been a good investment. The loader works in all kinds of weather with the minimum of effort. Not even the side of the ammocase is used

You can load the ammo while still attached on the strips or you can load cartridge by cartridge in the striplula and load them in the magazine in an instance. There is even a tool attached to unload mags very quick and easy.

Here are a couple of video’s that show the “striplula” in action.

I ordered the striplula from www.israeli-weapons.com and payed 29$ shipping incl.

The Benchmade 7 Rescue Hook is developed by the Benchmade Knife Company,  recognized as a world class U.S. manufacturer of superior military and law enforcement tactical and training knives. It is an essential part of the modern combat gear equipment; a multifunctional, lightweight, high quality, unobtrusive tool.
The Benchmade 7 ‘Rescue Hook’ is part of the Benchmade-Hook family. Other versions are the Benchmade 5,6 , 8 and the new 30100-BLK “Houdini-Pro”
 The 5 and 6 are small sized (pocket size) where the 8 is a larger Benchmade Rescue Hook.

The Benchmade ‘Rescue Hook’ is designed with a curved cutting head (or hook)  that is designed to effectively cut various materials while offering protection from skin injury. It easily cuts trough clothing, webbings, shoe’s, combats, belts, etc. With very few force it cuts through the toughest clothing.

In these pictures we see the Benchmade 7 cutting trough combat boots and uniform clothing

The Benchmade family is constructed out of laser cut 440C Stainless Steel , and hardened to 58 to 60 HRC with a black oxide coating. The handle is covered in a black PVC coating to improve grip
(also available in other PVC coating colours) 

440C Stainless steel is a type of modern steel and famous for its high corrosion resistance, wear resistance, strength and hardness qualities among all the stainless alloys, capable of attaining the highest hardness
(60 HRC)

The choice for the Benchmade 7 is logical, it is not too small which makes it possible to use with protective gloves, easy to handle and not too big to put away. The overall length is 4.3 Inch (= 10.92 cm), the blade opening is 0.5 Inch(= 1.27 cm) and the finger opening is 1.06 Inch  (= 2.7 cm). The Benchmade 7 weighs 1.6 oz (=56.7 gram).

The 7 is supplied with a nylon sheath that is molle compatible and capable of being mounted in several different configurations on your belt, tactical vest, etc. The sheath is available in black, sand and OD green.

Other than the reasons to use the Benchmade rather than a folding knife or emergency scissors  is that it can be rapidly deployed and used immediately with only one hand.

This one handed deployment allows  to utilize this tool while holding a firearm, operating a radio or using a flashlight. Another advantage is that it provides a safe alternative to remove flex cuffs, where a fixed or folding blade knife could cut the detainee or be taken andused against you.

Keep in mind that although the 7 is an excellent rescue tool, it cannot replace a traditional tactical knife.

The hooked cutting edge of the 7 cannot effectively be used to cut through certain materials such as larger diameter ropes, packing materials, etc.

Benchmade offers a Lifetime Warranty and LifeSharp Service on All Knives and Tools. This service allows you to send the tool back to Benchmade for resharpening at any time for a set fee of $5.00 (USA)

This is my first post welcoming you to my blog. Hope you enjoy your stay ande hope to see ya back in the future.

V