Flashlights and optics and batteries
Ever since the gun community went from the A2 style AR15s to the M4 Configurations, the AR15 became the most modified and accessorized firearm in existance. I sometimes have to stair at some of these AR15 designs to tell if it is even a 5.56 gun anymore. The AR15s these days are the old style Direct Impingement guns and also various style pistol driven guns. There are plenty of lower grade stock accessories that look cool and tactical, but they won’t hold up to bad weather and rough play. The old “you get what you paid for” is still true today.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to picking a configurations. Leave yourself open to as many options as possible, and keep it as basic as possible. The onle thing I would also suggest to people is leave a flashlight on or next to where you keep your gun. It’s always good to have a white light available. If you are putting a lot of accessories on your gun, you may want to think about batter storage. Section8 Tactical has had the M4 Tac-Pac on the market for people that don’t want a lot of accessories with compartements and I have to be honest, I’ve seen guys dump batteries and cleaning accessories from bumping guns around. There are some top tier firearm stock options like the VLTOR Rifle Stocks. These rifle stocks can hold 2 AA batteries or 1 CR123 Battery in the back compartment. The storage units can hold 3 AA batteries on each side or 4 CR123 Batteries.
We’ve all seen skyrocketing ammo prices and a run on various styles of weapons. There was a run on guns and ammo as the economy started to tank and also a shift in the Political climate. Back in 2006 there was a hint that the now Democratic controlled Congress might get cocky and try putting another 1994 assault weapons ban in place and gun owners became concerned, then there was the Obama administration win in 2008. For those old enough to remember the political climate in the 1990s, we’ve seen this shift before.
This weekend there is another Gun Show in my area that is one of my favorite places to go. I hear a lot of gun shops complaining about how the internet is taking away a lot of their business because people just go online and buy stuff and have it shipped to their homes. The reality is that this is true, but sometimes you still want to feel something in your hands and a gun shop or a gun show is the best place to pick something up and hold it in your hands. If you bring cash with you, you are more likely to get a better deal on ammo prices or gun accessories. One hint I would suggest is to go on the last day for the best deals.
I’m not aware of any indoor shooting ranges that are longer than 50yds, but I assume there are some out there. I’ve probable been to and shot at over a hundred different firing ranges in the Country and some were very impressive. I’d have to admit that at 90% of the ones I was in, there was either a bullet in the table or a bullet in the ceiling far too close to the tables. This tells you that there is always going to be a certain percentage of risk when dealing with the public. I’ve seen about as much negligence on firing ranges that I see on a daily basis on the roads with people driving, so theres the reality of being with gun owners.
Which gun is best for CCW? Which caliber is better than X? 9mm Vs. 45acp, which has more stopping power? I’ve been shooting guns for decades and carrying for close to 30yrs. I remember the early days when I was carrying a full size 1911 because I expected the worst and wanted the biggest possible gun I owned to be on me 24/7. As the years went by I got more involved in reloading bullets for handguns and then I started to notice the differences from caliber to caliber. I was amazed at the number of guns that are being used nowadays that all shoot the same bullet, but at different velocities.
Finding a gun club that fits our style of shooting can be difficult in some States, but for other States there are so many gun clubs around, but trying to find out where they are and who to contact is difficult. We have been compiling as much info about 
The Beretta 92FS is one of the longest serving sidearms in the United States Military for a reason. As much as a love the 1911, I have to agree that an average shooter will be more proficient with the M9 than with the M1911. Carrying the Beretta 92FS in an IWB holster is possible but I doubt it would be very comfortable for 24/7, but try putting one in a Fobus paddle holster and wear a good gun belt like The Wilderness instructor belts and you won’t notice the weight. I would highly recommend picking up atleast 1 double mag holder for your sidearm. These are great Winter carry guns and carry holsters, but will require a longer cut coat or jacket for concealment.
For most of the United States, we are moving towards warm weather. It’s time for us to think about our summer CCW and for those of us that were tactical apparel for work, time to switch to lightweight tactical pants. The military learned this the hard way in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. Wearing the wrong type of clothing in certain environments can mean freezing to death or unneccessary sweating. We don’t recommend wearing shorts in the winter for obvious reasons, but sometimes we still need to wear pants even though it’s pretty darn hot out.
Ammo availability seems to be slowly coming back. The last gun show I went to actually had .380 ammo which was telling. Russian ammo has slowly been dropping back to pre-Obama administration prices, too. We’ve been seeing a lot of people switch to the 5.45×39 uppers from Smith & Wesson and I got to see a few of them last weekend. The caliber is so close to the American 5.56 round that you gotta read the barrels to know what the calibers are. Later next month I hope to be at a show in the Dallas Fort Worth area to see more 
Sometimes people think that a holster is only a term that applies to a firearm. The more you carry tactical gear like knives, flashlights ect. the more you’ll realize that you may want a holster that works for those, too. Another thing to think about is what kind of magazine holsters to use. I’ve seen lots of gun mags fly out of mag holders because they were not appropriate for the task. Some magazine holsters are nice for IDPA or competition shooting, but sit on a reclining chair on a hot summer day and you’ll notice your mags are on the chair and not in the mag. I’ve seen this happen to friends that were sitting in the seat next to me on the long car ride home, they lean back in the chair and the mags are falling out.