Rifle optics and gun cases
I believe in having a holster for every handgun and a rifle case for every rifle. When people are putting $1000 Trijicon ACOGs on their rifles they are considered to be tough for combat, but sometimes things get slammed around in cars and unwanted dents and dings occur. SKB rifle cases are on the heavy side, but if you have a bigger sized vehicle, these are very easy to stow in and get out and it’s sturdy enough to not worry about damage if you have to bury it with other gear. You may even be able to keep most of the rifle magazines and accessories in the case as well as some othe range gear. Drag bags are another great rifle case, but they may be a bit of an overkill when it comes to using them for something as small as a Carbine.
It is always good to think ahead of yourself when you are selecting a firearm. Sometimes people get into situations with their tactical gear that seemed pretty obvious, but somehow it was missed. I have never had a major problem with my rifle scopes, probable because I already owned so many rifle cases, but I have had problems with fitting my Carbines into soft rifle cases because of the flashlights or rifle optics I was using. If it was too much of a headache, I just took my hunting rifle cases and used those for the short term. Sometimes when you are accessorizing the heck out of your guns, the last thing you are thinking about is how to pack it all up and transport it without having to take everything off the rails. Many of the soft tactical rifle cases may be too tight at the top of the case and you are risking damaging a mount or breaking the zipper.
SKB and Pelican make gun storage units that will protect your guns if they get knocked around. The foam pads can always be customized for specific guns and gear and I highly recommend doing so. I strongly believe in buying gun cases that are for specific firearms and especially so for rifles. You will be able to fit varying sizes of handguns in the pistol cases depeding on which way you place them, but rifles will get tricky and since most of them will have optics, you gotta be careful how much you pack them. There are even some rifle cases that can hold your magazines, pistol, and pistol magazines.
Here in Pennsylvania the laws for hunting with a crossbow have opened up new territory for hunters. Many people have stayed away from archery season for physical reasons. It takes more energy to bull a bow back and fire it, and hit what you are aiming at than simply bringing your Winchester Model 70 30/06 and taking a 100-600yd shot and then taking a sip from your coffee mug. I have to admit that I have found Archery to be fun if you have someone to help set you up, but it takes far more patience than some people have to be efficient. The only real drawback I have even seen to archery is that there are more bad shots in archery than I see with rifles and it’s not pretty to watch a wounded animal walk off and die and sometimes not be recovered. Pennsyvania has a deer problem. As a matter of fact, it has a huge problem. There are a declining number of people going out and hunting every year, but the number of car accidents has been inceasing.
I’m so old that I can tell you about the day I was on a firing line and saw my first Trijicon ACOG. The first time I saw it I thought it was some kind of toy. The bright neon strand stood out that I just couldn’t understand why a combat optic was so visible. I guess I read too many sniper stories where optics gave away a snipers position due to sun glare, and it was always something I thought about even when hunting. I’ve spotted other hunters before just by see that split second flash from the tree line and I can completely understand how patience can be the key to winning a sniper battle.
I still run into friends that laugh at the whole concealed carry market and say that the pants and shirts all look tactical and not very concealed carry. There are arguments all over the internet about not wearing camoflauge while carrying a gun or wearing anything that makes you look like you’re packing. Well, I’ve spotted plenty of off duty cops that were wearing t-shirts and jeans, but the shaved heads and the polite manners basically gave away the fact they were LEOs, so how do you hide that?
I’ve been wearing Eotac tactical pants and shorts for almost 2 yrs now. I’ve seen only one real production change since I’ve been wearing them and that pretty much proves that Eotac got it right with their line of tactical pants. Some of the early production pants were a little tight in the thighs but I never noticed this problem since I’m not a body building (the only people that noticed). I really like the fit compared to the 5.11 tactical pants I use to wear primarily because they don’t ride up in the seat. I think that is the most common complaint I get from customers when they call and ask about various tactical pants that we sell.
Rifle scopes and spotting scopes each have their intended purposes. A good rifle scope and act as a spotting scope in some situations, but not everyone wants to have a 50mm objective lense on their rifles. Sometimes when I’m going to be shooting an AR15 that is setup with iron sights, I use to bring one of my rifles that had a 3-9×40 scope and just use that for spotting. The more I’ve progressed as a shooter, the more I realized that it would be nice to be able to just setup a spotting scope on my target and after pulling the trigger on my AR, I could just roll over and see the holes on paper since the spotting optic was already sighted on it.
Utility knifes can be tactical, but my idea of a tactical knife is something with a good sharp edge that can be used defensively, can pry things open and also be used to cut a seat belt without sawing it. Folding knifes are in their own category and I know some people frown on them, but you gotta use what you have and know in your mind what it is capable of withstanding and what it can be used for.
While many in the tactical community have been learning that magnification does not increase your effectiveness is close quarters combat, it can actually hinder you, some are finding out that using a rifle scope to monitor movement, whether it’s for hunting, military or law enforcement purposes is not really a good idea. Field of view is very important for tracking movement because a 50mm objective on a rifle scope stands out like a sore thumb, weighs a lot and might actually be set at too high of a magnification that you will most likely miss any potential threat. It’s really almost like watching the stars at night with only one eye open and trying to spot shooting stars.