All posts by Soda_Pop

Trijicon MRO Red Dots, which mount should you buy? Absolute, 1/3 or Low Mount or Bobro QD mount?

Trijicon MRO Red DotsTrijicon MRO 2 MOA Red DotTrying to find the right optics for hunting, target shooting or whatever else is already a chore, but it can all be messed up if you buy the wrong mount.  We don’t stock a lot of mounts in our retail store because there are so many options out there, price point, material, right heights, that it’s too much of a guessing game because there is a such a diversity of gun owners.  Sticking with just the New Trijicon MRO red dots, many people ask us which mount they should buy or which one is better.   It’s just like the question, which one is better, Aimpoint, Eotech or Meprolight M21, it’s whatever your eyes prefer.

I’ve never had a problem using a fixed iron front sight on my AR15 and using an optic, sure I lose some visibility, but like asking what you should do if a skinny guy was hiding behind a tree and you couldn’t see him, which optic is better. just move around the tree and  you’ll see him. With the Trijicon MRO Red Dots “If you feel the need” to have your iron sights pushed down to the lower 1/3 of your optic, just get a 1/3 Co-witness mount, your field of view will be higher with less obstruction of your field of view and then you’ll have to transition down to your irons if need be.  I can tell you that we sell about 80% more of the absolute co-witness mounts, whether it’s Bobro mounts or Trijicon Mounts.

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Vortex Magnifiers, not the same as Eotech or Aimpoint, but still outstanding

Vortex MagnifiersWe have been a Vortex direct dealer for almost 10 months now and one thing we are often finding is that many people still believe that running a red dot means you are stuck with what you got and have to get a new optic if you want any type of magnification.    People look at the cost of the Eotech or Aimpoint magnifiers and don’t understand what you are paying for, and in my opinion, you’re probable just paying for a better mount, but not necessarily a better optic.   The magnifier is really another optic and you have to realize that when shelling out the money, but magnification isn’t just for taking those longer shots, it’s also about target identification.

Even if you are not using any of the Vortex Red Dots on your Carbine,  I would still highly recommend getting the Vortex Magnifier product code VMX-3T for $199.99 which if mounted properly, using loctite, can be a very solid platform.  The Vortex magnifier will incrase the clarity of your red dot optic (green dot if you have a Vortex Strike Fire II) which can really make things easier to hit see and hit.  This flip to side optic can be left in the open position for CQB and flipped over whenever you need it.   Another major selling point of Vortex is there outstanding lifetime warranty.

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Vortex Strike StrikeFire II and Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optics they both sell

Vortex Strikefire II There is a lot of changes taking place in the red dot market and between Trijicon MRO, Vortex StrikeFire, Aimpoint Patrol Rifle and Burris Fastfire III, there are a lot of great products coming out that have slight differences in durability, features and preferences.  I’m more of a fan of smaller red dots because I find it really annoying to shoot at 300yd-600yd targets and have my red dot obscure the object.  There are things you can do to hit targets at long distance like power down your red dot sight to the lowest setting so you can actually see through the dot and see your target but if speed is important it’s hard to move a faint dot around quickly especially on two feet.

Vortex has a few very hot sellers with us, namely the Vortex Strikefire II and the Vortex Sparc.  The Strikefire II is very close to the Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optics in size but we have seen so many tests to show that there is hardly a difference in durability and yest a $224 price difference.   The night vision settings, battery life and waterproof depth differences are all I could really argue about but not everyone is concerned about that.  The biggest difference is the Vortex Strikefire II 4 MOA Red dot and the Aimpoint 2 MOA dot.  Since we’ve seen a growing trend towards green reticles and green lasers, Vortex does have the option to change the dot from red to green if that matters to you, but you really can’t go wrong with either of these.

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Given the Eotech L3 Lawsuit, what would you switch over to, Meprolight M21 Bullseye

Meprolight M21 Sights

Meprolight M21 Bulleye I’m in the category that loved my Eotech sights but given how old it was and that it was considered to have the flaw that L3 did not state when selling it, I felt justified in sending back my Eotech 512.   After looking through a lot of optics in recent weeks I’ve had a hard time jumping on the red dot sight bandwagon, even  though I have an understanding of their benefits, but my eyes prefer a larger field of view and I can see the tube effect issues that some people complain about with some of the Aimpoint red dots.   I know that I can adapt to any optics given the range time and training but I’ve been looking for an easy switch so I’ve been considering the Meprolight M21 optics.

There still seems to be a lot of confusion about whether or not Eotech has solved the problem but 11yrs ago I could tolerate the battery consumption but not anymore.   Trijicon now has it’s foot in the red dot market with the Trijicon MRO red dots but some of their reflex sights are still selling.   The Meprolight M21 Bullseye has a very similar housing to the Eotech sight and also similar field of view and reticle. it also works off of the same fiber optics that Trijicon and does not need batteries.   Since I’m running a Magnifier already and prefer to switch from zero magnification to magnification for My carbine training,  The Meprolight M21 Bullseye is hands down the easiest switch over.

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First of many new products in 2016, Timberland Pro Valor boots

Timberland Pro Valor BootsOne of the things we first learned in this industry is that people don’t like to buy clothing online, whether it’s boots, pants, shirts or jackets.   We deal directly with several manufacturers and there is always much debate about what kind of cut or mold something should be made in.  The length of the arms, should it be loose fit or tight.   There are also so many preferences, body types,  and climates that there is no design for everyone.  Until someone can design self molding or adjustable clothing materials not everyone is going to be happy.

When shopping for footwear, the types of socks you are wearing when you try the boots on matters.  The type of work or environment you are working in is also something to factor in.  Out of all of the different styles of boots we sell from 5.11 Tactical, Under Armour, Original Swat and now Timberland Pro Valor boots,  everyone of these companies has their own way of doing things.   The accommodate our customer base, having more brands and styles is important.  The Timberland product line crosses over from contractor, construction workers, electricians, auto-mechanics and also the Law Enforcement and Military footwear style called the Timberland Pro Valor.  Expect to see completely new and different product lines in early January and stop in and check out all of the new Waterproof 5 inch, 6 inch and 8″ side zip Timberland Pro Valor boots.

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Cheek weld, proficiency, customization and Magpul Carbine Stocks

Magpul Carbine StocksThere are a lot of change going on in the firearm industry, when we look at what Police departments are doing with purchases of body armor and firearms, ambidextrous, interchangeable back straps, trigger pull differences and multi-caliber options.   With all of the recent ballistics improvements, caliber options and even SBR options, the AR15 is hands down the most popular firearm and is the equivalent of what the musket was for a patriot in 1776.  Magpul accessories are pretty much a stable for us and it’s hard for us to consider stocking other AR accessories, with their constant innovations they pretty much cover options for everyone.

Cheek weld is something that is often over looked until optics come into play.  With all of the different optic mounts out there from Larue to Bobro Engineering, it can get really confusing and in my opinion, over complicated.  The Magpul Carbine Stocks like the CTR stocks are what we normally push on people when they don’t know what they want.  Putting on risers is something you can do later once you learn your gear and understand what changes you might need to make to become more proficient.   Batter compartments and QD sling attachments are also something to consider especially if you are doing hard training and understand that flashlights and optics do die out at some point and keeping your Plan B options right on your stock is something to consider.

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Tru-Spec Outwear, Softshell Jackets, Parkas and Polar Fleece

TruSpec OuterwearI’ve been in the tactical clothing industry for over 10yrs and at first it just wasn’t my thing because I didn’t really fit into that tactical ninja look.   I’ve been amazed to see how the image of product and what it is used for can change just by wearing a different color.   We sell a lot of the coyote color Softshell jackts and even the 24/7 Tactical pants to plumbers, landscapers and hunters.  The differences in image for the M65 Jackets from Woodland Camo, Black and Brown all give a different look even though the pocket designs and usefulness are the same.

There are several people making softshell jackets but the one thing we always found Tru-Spec to compete in is there  quality control and price point.   We see a lot of over priced products in this market but one stable factor in all of the Tru-Spec outerwear product line is the fact that Tru-Spec owns there own factories and if they need something made they get inventory back to dealers faster than the majority of the others we have dealt with

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Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optics still worth the money?

Aimpoint Patrol Rifle OpticsOne thing is for sure is that Aimpoint has seen some serious competition this year and there are plenty of products in the same durability and battery life that Aimpoint has boasted about.  We’ve been seeing major changes to the red dot market, but we still see the sales and demand for the Aimpoint PRO.   One major selling point in comparison to all of the others out there is that the Aimpoint Pro has been around for so long that you aren’t going to have to worry about recalls.   We’ve seen lots of recalls in this industry from firearms, to optics and gun magazines.   The durability of the glass and the mount is a proven design and still worth that $400 price range.

Lots of people have problems properly mounting optics and the way this optic is designed it’s virtually impossible to over torque it and all you do is put in your rifle and tight it down.   We will continue to stock the Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optics because they still haven’t lost value like some of the higher priced Aimpoint products and is still a staple for Law Enforcement, military and even hunters.  With most hunting up here in the North East especially deer hunting being under 100yds red dot optics are excellent options for deer and turkey.

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Firearm maintenance and upgrades with Wolff Gun Springs

Wolff GunspringsMuch of firearm reliability is about the person operating it properly, gun lubrication, ammunition and magazines.    I would normally say that ammunition is extremely important because the cheaper stuff tends to run dirty and the longer a firearm runs dirty the more likely it is to have it jam. Lubrication is a close second but not all firearms need the same lubrication, I.E. bolt actions and lever actions.  I first found out about Wolff gun springs after one of my 1911s starting to have issues feeding.  Some of the rounds weren’t chambering all the way and it was primarily because the recoil spring was long overdue to be replaced, all parts will eventually break and wear out and there is always a point that you should just take the spring out and toss because it’s only a matter of time before it causes a malfunction.

Sometimes it pays to ask questions whenever you’re on a firing range with the guy that shows up with 3 or 4 1911 pistols and has target sights on his gun and does a lot of reloading.   He told me about Wolff gunsprings and I’ve never looked elsewhere for replacement springs.   They have a very large inventory for rifle and pistol recoil springs, hammer springs and magazine springs, from my experience most gun magazines can be fixed and not tossed away unless the magazine feed lips are fatigued.    Rotating your magazines and keeping a rough round count and replacing the magazine springs when you think you are getting to that point of malfunctions is called “proper firearm maintenance”.

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Magpul MBUS Flip up sights, know your gun and research what to buy

Magpul MBUS Flip Up Sights                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             There are plenty of other options out there to choose from for flip up front and rear sights for your AR15, but probable 95% of our flip up sight sales are all the Magpul ones.  I think many gun manufacturers know that after spending money on a firearm, then choosing and optic, not many people feel the need to spend $200 on a front and rear sight combo which makes the Magpul MBUS sights such a staple in this industry.  For under a $90 you can get a set from Magpul and I rarely hear of anyone complain about them.  With the many variations of AR15 designs out there, there are some pitfalls that people run into when picking out rear and front sight though.

When you are choosing a rear sight, you need to be aware that if you are intending on putting on an optic like a magnifier, you have to make sure it’s going to clear, many times people end up having to get another lower profile rear sight, I know I had that issue.  For front sights, if you have a gas block, make sure you get the Magpul MBUS flip up sights like the Pro sight or you’ll find out real fast that you won’t be able to zero your rifle properly and if you didn’t figure that out soon enough, you’ll end up melting your front sight off if you heat up your gun on a firing range.   Know your carbine and what all the variables are and don’t just think you need any front and rear sight.  We never like to run out of these in our Showroom because they always move so fast.

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