I recently purchased some jackets for range work. Typically I go to the range with some Dickies work pants and a button down T shirt, but what if I want to practice drills on the multipurpose range? I wanted something athletic and durable, so I began my search.
I purchased True Spec Xtreme combat shirt and uniform shirt from Amazon.com. One of the tricks to ordering anything tactical on a budget is… order it in TAN. That’s right. No one wants tan anymore, they want tactical camo or digtial this, etc. I am fine with being uncool and saving a ton of money. Example: The multi-cam version of the combat shirt clocks in at 82.08 vs the tan or khaki version of the same shirt at 66.90.
The shirts feature rip stop material and, in the case of the combat shirt, a sweat wicking performance layer. The rip stop material is a little stiff, but it works for what it is. One of the selling points on these items I really wanted were the toughened elbows and insert-able elbow pads. Having a tough elbow with padding means I can push myself a little faster going prone without fear of injury. This will be perfect for a tactical rifle competition. The elbow pads were around 15 dollars and are sold separately.
These shirts also sport a document holder, which I did use recently at my first high power match, but I did not leave it attached to the garment. The holder can be switched to either sleeve, and it would be a useful place to store ballistic data for quick reference.
The combat shirt will be perfect for summer tactical matches, and the jacket will be well suited to a cool day at the range if I add a warm base layer underneath. I can’t comment on long term durability as of yet, but they feel well made and well stitched.
Wrapping Up:
Having good clothes for range work isn’t the most important thing on the list of gear when learning to shoot, but they make a nice upgrade to normal wear when you want to do some more serious range work. The True Spec Xtreme series is probably a bit overkill, but overkill never hurt anyone. Buying them on clearance in a non-tacticool color saved me about $40 dollars between the pair, and rit dye can turn the set black or dark earth if need be. I am glad I picked them up.
