All posts in Hunting Gear

Even if you don’t want to wear a Serpa Holsters

If you were not aware of this, let me fill you in, the Blackhawk gun holsters are one of our biggest selling holsters, but a less known fact is that their magazine holders are the best thing you can use for CCW or duty use.   There is a time and place for Nylon gun holsters and magazine holders but they are not very practical for concealed carry purposes or for use in competition use.   I’ve had a few magazine holders that were either extremely uncomfortable, they rattled too much when I moved or they just didn’t hold the magazine at all.   I’ve never lost a magazine before but I’ve had them fall out of magazine holders that did not have any kind of retention.

Magazine retention is something you’ll have to decide on for yourself, but I am not a fan of carrying spare magazines in pockets or in nylon holsters if I am carry a firearm.  The Blackhawk gun holsters that I use are  normally in use while training on a Carbine course, but the blackhawk single stack and double stack magazines are always in use.   You can hang upside down with a loaded magazine and you won’t loose the gun mag,  and if you need the mag there is nothing to clear before pulling it.   There are a few color options as well as the Carbon Fiber magazine holders for you to look over.

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Gun cleaning brushes don’t last forever

I have several gun cleaning kits laying around my gun cleaning room and some of them are close to 20yrs old.   I still use various elements of them since not all of the kits are still intact.   Most of the non-one piece cleaning rods I have used in the past have become broken or bent and have been tossed, but I have some of the Hoppes gun cleaning solvent and a few cleaning brushes that have moved in with my gun cleaning kits.   The bore snakes that I have, have pretty much replaced the gun cleaning brushes but there have been a few times recently that I have gone back to using tradition cleaning kits.   I have been testing out many of the Otis gun cleaning kits to basically get use to the product line.

Otis gun cleaning kits aren’t going to clean your guns in some magical new way.   They really are just another mode of gun cleaning supplies, different type of cleaning and lubrication, different way of using a metal cord instead of a cleaning rod, but other than that, it’s just a compact way of keeping your gun cleaning kit something that can go in a range bag. The larger multi-caliber cleaning kits make a ton of sense if you own a lot of firearms, but if you don’t they will be a major over kill.   Gun cleaning patches are something we know we should throw away at certain point, but I see many using gun cleaning brushes for far longer than they should.   If you are noticing that you can’t get a barrel clean, try replacing the gun cleaning brushes you have.   Getting lead out or cleaning a gun that has not been cleaned all that well in the past is harder if you don’t have the right tools.

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Something to pack in a range bag, but nothing too expensive

There are a lot of really nice gun bags out there made by Tuff Products, Blackhawk gear, Elite Survival and even Uncle Mike’s.   At first it might seem expensive to drop $100 or more on a range bag but considering how organized your shooting or range gear will become you’ll eventually get your money bag when you realize that you almost never forget to bring something to range with you.  In the age of the M4 Carbine and close up gun fighting optics, sometimes we might forget that you really can’t see the targets at 100yds-300yds with an Eotech or red dot gun sight.   Sometimes I would bring a hunting rifle with me that had a 3-9×40 scope on it and basically use it as a spotting scope.

Now that I have a 3x Eotech magnifier on my M4 Carbine, I haven’t had some of the issues I previously had, but if I am taking a new shooting to the range and starting them off with iron sights, sometimes its nice to be able to call the shots as they are fired.  You need a good pair of Bushnell Binoculars to be able to see that.   I have optics that cost less than $50 that fit nicely in my range bag and get the job done.   The less expensive binoculars tend to not work very well on cloudy days or low light, but they’ll be a good asset to have in your range bag at all times.

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Reasons to spend dough on gun cases and gun bags

Well, there’s many reasons, and it’s not all  about keeping your shit together.  There are plenty of nice assault rifle style bags, but you gotta watch what  you order online because you might find out that little M4 Carbine you have in your gun safe won’t fit in a gun case that is designed for that barrel length.  Your tactical flashlight, laser, optics and the list goes on can cause it to not fit in there.  I’ve had to carry some of my Carbines in a Elite Survival bag that was really designed for a sniper rifle because my smaller AK type gun cases wouldn’t fit them.   I took my flashlight on my LWRC M6A2 last week and tossed it in a case not realizing that the flashlight was floating around and could have damaged something.

Protecting your stuff can vary, if you want to drop it out of a helicopter, get and SKB gun case, but there are some fine gun cases like the Blackhawk gun cases that are really drag bags.   These gun cases can carry pistol, pistol ammo, lots of AR15 gun magazines and more.   It might be a good idea to research gun bags or better  yet, stop in a gun shop that carries them so you know exactly what you are looking for.   Having a gun bag that fits your needs may take some research because some gun bags an be pricey and ordering them online from just a  picture can be a headache.

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Otis 5.56mm grip cleaning kit

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a thorough check of my gun cleaning supplies, and today I decided it was time to do a brush check  to see if I need anymore gun cleaning brushes.  Some of the gun cleaning brushes I have seem to have really taken a beating and especially with my rifles, I thought it was a good idea to replace them because I didn’t know if they were really doing the job anymore.  I was  happy to find out that I completely forgot that I have an Otis 5.56 grip cleaning kit that was unused from over a year ago.

I met with a rep that worked for Otis at a few conventions and he hooked me up with a few of the Otis gun cleaning kits.  The Otis 5.56 grip cleaning kit is meant to fit exactly where you think it goes, the pistol grip on  your AR15.    These gun cleaning supplies are meant for AR15.  When I was cleaning my AR15 rifles, I was thinking that I should be using a chamber brush, unfortunately the Otis pistol grip cleaning kit doesn’t come with one.  I find that somewhat disappointing because I would think that any AR15 cleaning kit would come with one of these.  The chamber area is one of the hardest parts to get to on an AR15 and on a direct impingement carbine, this is where the most dirt can collect that usually causes jams.  The kit is nice for being a compact kit, but I’d still add a a chamber brush to it.

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Timberline Tactical Knives

I had the fortunate experience to work the Gatco Sharpener booth at the NRA Convention last Spring and it was a very insightful experience.   When I first showed up most of the knives looked the same to me, but after about 2 days of handling them, I was able to distinguish between all of the knives and how they were different.   There are numerous sharpeners from Gatco that are options in sharpening your knife, but some of them are pocket sizes and others are kits.   The Military Carbide sharpener is probable the most straight forward, but since not all knives are straight edge or plain edge.   You may have a hard time getting to partially serated knives.  That’s where the the sharpening kits come in.

We ran a giveaway at the Gatco sharpener booth where we gave away an SOC knife with every kit that was purchased.  Probable the biggest seller for those that purchased the Timberline knives, was the Edgemate Professional Knife Sharpening system.  There is a stone that can be used to get to the serations and it only took a few strokes to notice the difference.  Once you get the hang of using the sharpening system, you can sharpen knifes even faster.   One thing we didn’t see at the show was any blood flow, but I was informed that almost every year somebody cuts themselves there.   Safe handling of knives is something you’ll be practicing whenever you use a sharpening system.

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Inseams really matter on tactical shorts

Now that summer is in full swing here in the Northeast, everyone that wasn’t prepared to deal with the weather is calling for the lightweight clothing. We recently had a couple guys that worked in the LEO field and they were talking about jumping over fences and which clothing was holding up to that.   He we go again, another person pissed off that we don’t have the Eotac 302 shorts in stock.   The Eotac shorts were in stock about a year and a half ago and were the first sign something was wrong with the company when they never arrive right before the summer last year.   The funny thing is guys that had them almost 2yrs ago are still wearing them.

The 5.11 tactical shorts that I have tended to feel like brown boxes that were cut around my waist and that silly back pocket strap makes me feel  like I’m in a marching band, but people seem to buy them.   The only decent option left out there seems to be the Woolrich Elite tactical shorts.   The style 4905 are probable the most versatile but some guys don’t like the length on them and really want 7 1/2 inseams.   The only issue we’ve had about the Woolrich Elite shorts is that they do seem to wear out in the crotch area faster than the Eotac shorts.   Mostly because of the way the stiching was done.

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Cleaning guns, the right way

The is a right way to do things and a wrong way to do things, there are also many ways to do get the same job done, but efficiency really matters to most of us.   I do admit that I like cleaning some of my firearms, some guns are really annoying to assemble and re-assemble.   The Ruger MKII is probable the most annoying handgun I ever owned, but my tolerances for complicated things has increased and I probable should have never sold it.   The real problem with guns like that is when you haven’t shot them in awhile and the learned knowledge floats out your brain.  I’ve read several issues of SWAT magazine where excessive gun cleaning can cause damage and after watching a recent DVD from Dean Caputo on the AR15 I thought I’d bring this up.

 

 

Boresnakes are definitely the fastest and easiest to use, but it won’t do a very good job on a really dirty chamber or in the bolt carrier of an AR15.  You will still gun cleaning supplies other than just CLP Break Free and a bore snake.   The Otis gun cleaning kits that are specifically designed for the M16 or AR15 is probable  the most complete gun cleaning kit for an AR15, but they gotta be used the right way.  One of the biggest screw ups I see with the cleaning tools are the chamber brushes.   The chamber brush is only meant to be pushed down so far and the fast majority of the ones I have come across look like someone tried to jam it down the barrel.  Watch what you are doing so you don’t damage the gun doing something you aren’t suppose to be doing.

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Something to think about when buying a rifle case

One thing people tend to forget about when they are packing up all of their guns and gear for a shooting match is how heavy everything gets when you load up all of the pockets.   I’d say that about 90% of assault rifle cases I own have stowed and empty rifle magazines and people forget there is a difference between 5 empty Pmags in a gun case and a rifle case with 150 rds of 5.56 ammo.   Especially if you have using 75gr ammunition.   I learned the lesson about ammo weight when I went to a gun show and tried to leave with a thousand rounds of 7.62×39 ammunition and 1000rds of .223.   It was impossible for me to carry it and I learned to appreciate the 5.56 ammunition.

When it comes to choosing a rifle case for a battle rifle, I think it’s really a good idea to consider a drag bag.   That gun is heavy enough and even the designer of the FAL knew that it would be more comfortable to carry that gun with a carry handle than over your shoulder at times.   When it comes to carry 15-20lbs or more, you really gotta carry on your back.    Gun cases may come with a strap, but a drag bag is meant to be thrown over both shoulders.   I have a really nice rifle/drag bag from Elite Survival Systems and use it for my DMR configured DSarms FAL STG 58.

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Otis 5.56 buttstock cleaning kit

This is the cleaning kit you might want to consider throwing in your butt stock if you can fit one in there.   The tools that this gun cleaning kit comes with should get the job done after long firing sessions.  One thing to consider is that gun cleaning sometimes is over done and you can damage a firearm with too much scraping and cleaning.   I have never seen it happen, but I have read several articles in SWAT magazine that referred to people over cleaning AR15 guns.

Cleaning out the chamber is not as important as keep a DI AR15 lubricated, but I have never been one to leave a gun sit un cleaned for more than a week.   The Otis gun cleaning system are well thought out gun cleaning kits that have the brushes and attachments to cleaning various parts of a firearm.  The Otis 5.56 butt stock cleaning kit is even more practical because it fits inside the gun and doesn’t need to be hauled around in a range bag.   Having an Otis kit will probable reduce your need on packing gun cleaning supplies in another bag.

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