I picked up one more needed item for my growing Bundesgrenzschutz camo uniforms....... a sumpftarn camo field cap, better known in German as a Feldmütze. I found this hat on eBay for a true discount price, with free shipping. I was the only one to bid on it! It arrived today, and I have already upgraded it with the proper tri-color cockade.
The hat is a replica, sewn from original Bundesgrenzschutz field jacket material. The original camo hats are nearly impossible to find, so this is the next best thing. From what I understand, these replica hats that were sewn from the original fabric, we made back in the 1980's, after the BGS discontinued the use of sumpftarn camo uniforms. This hat is unlined, unlike the originals that were lined in a cotton fabric, and it arrived without a front cockade. I pulled out one of my "donor schiffchen hats" and removed the cockade from the front. The BGS and Bundeswehr used the same cockades, so the match was perfect. (For those of you who are interested, I picked up 200 of these BW Schiffchen hats awhile back.... here's the link to the blog page on that part of the story: http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2011/02/bundeswehr-schiffchen-west-german-army.html ).
I pulled the cockade off the garrison cap and sewed it onto the BGS Feldmütze using my trusty, vintage, Wards sewing machine........... It turned out pretty darn good! Here are a few shots of the cockade before I stitched it on.
The fabric that the BGS Feldmütze is sewn from is a waterproofed cotton fabric. After a little detective work and BGS uniform inspections, I have determined that the fabric is the same as the waterproof fabric that was used on the shoulder yoke panels on the BGS field jackets. An exact match! Here are a few comparison photos. You can see the jacket yoke in the first photo, and then the back of the yoke fabric in the next...... the last one shows the hat and jacket fabric backs, side-by-side.
And now on to the photo album of the finished hat:
To finish things up, let's take a look at a few archival photos of some BGS troopers wearing these Feldmütze. The first photo is circa 1968, and the next photos are from 1964-65;
In my search for the missing items for my US Navy digital camo uniform, or Navy Work Uniform (NWU), I had to start prowling eBay. I located a new, never issued, NWU hat at a fantastic price. The hat arrived today and it is already on the rack with the rest of the uniform.
These new US Navy hats mirror the USMC hats, only they are sewn from the very cool, US Navy digital camo fabric. A very sharp looking hat, and VERY heavy duty and well made! The hat fabric is double layered all the way around, including the top, and the front brim is stiffened with a very heavy piece of what I believe to be heavy plastic. The hats are quite shallow and and are designed to ride higher on the head, so if you are used to a baseball cap that you can really pull down to your ears, this hat will take a little getting used to!
The fabric has the USN emblem imbedded in the pattern, to show that it is "official issue". With this hat, the emblem can be seen on the side, just under the vent grommets...... very cool!
Aside from this new blue digital camo being just plain cool, I think it would make a pretty good urban, tactical camo for our corner of the world here in the rainy and gray Pacific Northwest. It seems like it would blend in much better that the current "SWAT" black tactical uniforms that we see so often with Police Tactical Units. I'll have to do a little observational experiments of my own to see if that may be the case.
For those of you who may have missed my first blog posting on the Navy Working Uniform, and the pants and shirts I picked up, here is a link to the entry:
http://sharky-fourbees.blogspot.com/2012/04/us-navy-digital-camo-navy-work-uniform.html
Here is a two part video that was produced and published by the US Navy to inform and educate the sailors of the fleets on how to properly wear this new Working Uniform. I hope you find it as enjoyable and useful as I did:
Here is the photo album on this new addition to my modern Navy Working Uniform...........
And to finish things up, here are a few of photos of some USN sailors wearing their new NWU's :
Here is the next update in the continuing Remington 870 Tactical Shotgun Project.
After quite a bit of research and consideration, I decided to go with a single point bungee sling for the new tactical shotgun set-up. I struggled quite a bit with the correct color to use for my tactical gear. I finally decided to stick with Coyote Brown for the sling and upcoming tactical vest and chest rig. Coyote brown is a fantastic "bridge color" that fits in well with all of the camo and solid BDU uniforms, from desert tan, to the new multicam and everything in between. After checking out the photos, I'm sure you'll agree!
I found a sling that looked like it had all of the options that I was looking for. It also appeared to be very well made, with heavy webbing and metal clips and adjusters. The sling is made by Rothco and they run about $20. After looking it over and hooking it up to the the shotgun, I can say that $20 is a bargain for this sling!
It came with two attachment options. The first is an HK clip that will clip nicely to the single point adapter between the shotgun receiver and stock, and the other is a strap that can be connected to the quick release mount on the stock. Changing between the two is easy, as they are both mounted to the male end of a snap buckle.
The only modification I think I will make to the set up is to fold and sew the bitter end of the quick release strap so that it can't accidentally pull through the adjuster (not really a modification, actually more like a finishing touch). This isn't a flaw with the sling, as you need this strap to be flat if you want to thread and attach it to a quick release.
I haven't had a chance to try out the new sling set up in the field yet, but it feels great on my "dry run" practice draws here at the house! I think I will use the quick release option as my "everyday" set up and have the HK clip as a back up. The shotgun seems to hang better from the quick detach swivel set up and it keeps the sling clear of the grip and trigger.
Here is the album of photos:
