Binoculars, part of your every day range gear
Binoculars seem to be getting over looked today now that so many people are using rifle optics instead of iron sights. I guess I’m old enough to remember that the vast majority of friends that owned AR15 or M16 rifles had them without optics. If you go back to many of the 1970 and 1980s TV shows, none of the military or police that used them had optics on them. I’m sure that there was a basis for that in reality. Back in some of the old WWII movies, used see guys toting around with M1 Garands and an Army General with a pair of binoculars scouting the landscape for the enemy, well now that everyone has an ACOG rifle scope, every guy with an M4 can see very well several hundred yards out, still there is a place for having binoculars.
If you are doing taget shooting and still think you would rather have a spotting scope, well then go ahead and get a spotting scope. I can tell you that there have been plenty of times I’ve been to long range gun clubs where frustrated plinkers couldn’t see the holes on targets 200yds away with 60X spotting scopes that cost $700 or more. Well, the reality is on a hot summer afternoon, a mirage is going to obscure your visibility as much as a dark rainy day. Binoculars are being made lighter and lighter and if you get in a good position, you can still use them for seeing great distances even without using a stand. Some of us still like to carry around lever action guns for deer season but it’s sometimes a good idea to carry a pair of binoculars for identifying potential targets beyond what your eyesight allows.
I think more than half the guns I have picked up for my collection were police trade ins. CDNN investments is always one of the best places to find used handguns. If you are a Glock, Sig or Beretta gun lover. Check out their yearly catalog for used but hardly shot guns. I picked up a Glock 17 a few month ago and like many of the guns that are trade ins, this gun had mostly holster wear on the outside. One of my friends got one that was much more worn especially around the barrel. While something like barrel wear has to be analyzed closely, it rarely is much of a concern to me. Many of the used firearms you find in gun shops probable have less than 500rds through them and the reason they look beat up is because of the holsters that they were used with and the fact the owner didn’t clean them very well.
It seems that the M4 AR15 variant is hands down the most popular carbine in existance in the United States. There are plenty of AK and European military style rifles out there, but the accessorized M4 is king. When I first stepped into the high speed tactical carbine school, I was going there from previously owning only Kalashnikov variant rifles. The biggest promotion I heard from all of those owning an AR15 was how accurate they were. It is true that the M4 and AR15 family of rifles ARE the most accurate combat rifles, but that doesn’t make them the most effective. Ever since the Iraq invasion, the notion of just sending in a group of guys with M4 Carbines or M16s without a 7.62 DMR is not common. There was a lot of hype about the military digging up M14s and giving them this role, but now that several years have passed, the military has been working with newer models of 7.62 rifles to eventually fill that role.
Back when the 1994 assault weapons ban was into effect there were more headaches in the gun world due to the fact that factory handgun magazines were so expensive. People cut corners with other brands and had issues. When it comes to owning a handgun, especially an auto, I highly recommend having atleast 3 magazines. Not only can guns malfunction, but magazines do wear out and break at some points and its always good to have some extra comfort if one goes down. Most of the time it’s the floor plates that come loose and a loaded mag will just dump rounds on the ground. I’ve seen it happen with rifles and handguns. If you ever run a Carbine course, you’re defanitely going to want to have atleast 3 mags for your pistol, too.
It’s always up to the operator to determine which configuration works best for him, but with the reliance on battery operatored optics and high mounted optics, it’s really a good idea for a user to consider the what ifs. What do you do with your Eotech if the batteries die? What happens if the optics come loose ? Scope mounts can come loose and even break, I’ve seen this happen on M1A rifles, AK, FAL and AR15s on several ocassions. Sometimes its a good idea to train yourself to be able to hit a target without even a rear sight. There have been several times where I actually forgot to flip up my rear sights on my co-witness configuration and just used the sight picture from my Eotech optic and the front sight post. I never missed what I was aiming at and it was actually good practice for me.
If I am carrying a j-frame in a paddle holster, I’m usually carrying a speed loader and about 3 reloads. J-frames work very well for deep cover and my primary mindset it to shoot and move and not expect to put up a fight for very long when I’m starting out with 5 rounds. I can increase my firepower and comfort by carrying the same gun, but with an OWB holster that can easily be reloaded. I strongly recommend that everyone considers having a paddle holster for every handgun they own. They also come in handly when going to an outdoor range where you don’t have to worry about putting the gun down on the table after every cease fire.
Comfort is very important for those that are carrying 8-10hrs or more a day. I’ve carried various firearms over my life and sometimes it’s fine carrying something Monday-Friday, but if I’m still carrying it on Day 6, I can really feel it. I’ve found that driving in a car for long periods of time can really make IWB and paddle holsters feel annoying after a couple hours. I can use an ankle holster is some situations, but I’ve found that the most comfortable way to carry a full size auto for long periods of time is in a should rig. Leg holsters are probable a 2nd favorite, but that’s not going to work for concealed carry purposes. One thing to always be aware of is not sweeping body parts when pulling a firearm in the seated position while wearing a should rig.
I was trying to think about how to describe the situations that many in the 20-40 age range tend to deal with in the summer months that they don’t normally deal with when carrying. I’ve found it very difficult to carry a fiream to weddings because there is usually so much human contact from dancing to pats on the back and hugging. Many reading this might think it is not a concern at all, but you have to realize that not every social environment is going to be gun friendly and considering that there is usually heavy drinking, it is something to think about not bothering to carry.
There is another consideration in choosing a holster that you may not be that concerned about at first. Many in the CCW world may frown on having any kind of thumb break or locking system, but there are good reasons for thinking about this. I would have to say that many of the thumbreak holsters that I have used in the past were nylon and although they worked very well for their intended purposes, I would never recommend them for CCW. I am also going to state that I am not going to tell you which holster you should use because that is a personal choice and you should put some thought and research into selecting for yourself. I have trained with 1911 pistols and although they are my favorite 45acp pistol, I have missed the thumb safety too many times during self defense training that I do not consider it for CCW. I’m also aware that putting a thumbreak on the holster may compound the problem for such a firearm.
There have been many changes in the materials being used in modern sidearms. Many of the polymer firearms have a huge advantage over their previous counterparts primarily due to their corrosion resistance. Along with corrosion resistance, many of these firearms also depend on lubrication far less. Gun holsters have progessed as far as being made in materials that can handle sweat and dirt resistance. I’ve heard plenty of stories about people ruining the finish on various blued firearms just from one or two harsh weather environments and people not getting around to cleaning them in time. I’ve personally seen a few revolvers end up being horrible pitted after an operator sweat up a storm and never bothered to clean the sidearm.