PMCI - July 2016

pmcimagazine.com
MEET THE MAKER: PENTAGON
MANUFACTURERS
PROFILE - PENTAGON
At PMCI we always have our eyes peeled for brands emerging and
this time we report back on some great gear from PENTAGON that
we’ve had on test courtesy of Military1st in the UK!
Agood part of my working life revolves around
being down at the range. On average I try to
shoot each and every month, whatever the
weather. I’m also on the range in my spare
time, both at home and abroad, as well,
working on my training regime, and that can
be in terms of “skills and drills” or in relation
to practical shooting disciplines.
I am by no means a competition shooter but
I do enjoy the challenges of a well thought out course of fire,
and like many of you out there I’m lucky to have a good bunch
of friends to shoot with on a regular basis. None of us (yet!)
have reached the point of buying in specialist practical shooting
rigs, instead relying on what we use more regularly.
At the Northern Shooting Show in the UK earlier this year I
was lucky enough to be able to hang out with a whole bunch
of friends from within the shooting industry. We’d all been
watching the “Action Air” practical pistol competition going on
over the course of the two days, and as exciting as we found
it we came to the conclusion that for many shooters laying out
on a completely separate set of gear might be a bit of an ask,
even if you were loaded, and so we came up with the idea of
“Tactical Three Gun” just for fun!
This would mean that shooters could be involved in the
competition side of things using whatever guns and gear they
already owned, keeping the costs down; in time I’m sure some
would make the full jump to “practical” which could bring some
new blood into that side of things from a wider pool. I returned
home from the show and looked at what kit I normally use
and for what clothing I use at the range. I also looked at videos
online, especially the one that has done the rounds of Keanu
Reeves three gun training at Taran Tactical. He wears simple
jeans, a t-shirt, and a ballcap. That’s it, nothing fancy there. Kitwise
he has a pistol belt, holster, and pouches for his carbine
magazines and shotgun shells. Simple, to the point.
I already run a battle belt with a very similar setup so
that was a no-brainer. I usually wear a mixture of tactical and
outdoor performance brands when I head to the range as I find
those give a nice balance between comfort, protection from
the elements, and durability. The outdoor gear is also designed
with dynamic movement in mind, so I find what’s good for
climbing and mountaineering is also good shooting attire.
As it happened, with all this spinning round in my mind I’d
just been sent some new Pentagon gear to test, as Military1st,
at the time of writing, have just installed an in-depth range
from the manufacturer, adding to their already comprehensive
line-up of top-quality brands. Pentagon have been around in
the UK for a little while now, but up until this point it’s been a
bit hit and miss where you’ll find it; not so anymore!
PENTAGÕ NOS,
FIVE-ANGLED
So who are Pentagon
and where have they
come from?
Well to start the
ball rolling their name
is actually pretty clever
in itself. Pentagon
(pentagōnos) is a noun
of ancient Greek origin
meaning “five angled”.
In the Pentagon
logo the five angles
symbolise the human
form itself with the
head and four limbs,
along with the five
senses of sight, sound,
touch, smell, and taste.
Pretty neat, right?
In terms of making
gear though Pentagon
has been active in the field of
military clothing and accessories
since 1991 when the company
started in Germany as a modest
retail shop selling new and
used military surplus goods. In
1993 the business moved and
expanded with the opening of
a new wholesale warehouse in
Northern Greece.
In the late 90’s a new
generation of customers were
showing up searching for military
and law enforcement clothing
and gear with technologically
advanced fabrics, new and
improved pocket arrangements and contemporary fitting
styles. Most of these products demanded could only be found
in recognised outdoor sports brands and in colours that were
not appropriate for the military and law enforcement sector.
That is when Pentagon decided to fill this gap, and they
started by looking for manufacturers and partners that were
producing for leading outdoor companies so as to acquire a
thorough understanding of the technology of modern fabric
construction and material functionality.
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