All posts in Hunting Gear

Your rifle barrel length doesn’t tell us anything

Elite Survival Systems gun casesWe deal with a higher class clientele than most gun shops deal with.  The higher quality optics like Aimpoint, Trijicon and Eotech with the bring in a different crowd and we specifically target “Made in the USA” products.   It’s hard to get away from imported products, but if you actually monitor the manufacturing process, a great many of the products that say “Made in China” may only have been assembled there even those American Made parts are in  it.  We’ve found that people are willing to spend a bucks more because walking around in a Police Department with Made in China back packs or gun cases is somewhat disturbing.

The AR15 is the most common firearm in the Country right now and everyone from 18yrs old to 75yrs old are getting their first firearm.     When it comes to shopping for gun cases, it’s hard to justify putting a $1200 or $3500 firearm in a gun case that costs $35 and expect it to protect in transport.  Our chosen tactical nylon product line and gun cases are the Elite Survival Systems gun cases.   One needs to measure the entire overall length of the firearm when it is collapsed to be able to shop for a gun case.   Flash suppressors and buttstock extensions can add several inches to the factory OAL and it’ll be easier if you know this before you shop/

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Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic

Aimpoint Patrol Rifle OpticWe sold a boat load of Eotech sights last year and probable because I, personally, am a big fan of that zero magnification optic.   The MOA circle and the 65MOA circle really gets picked up by my eyes and I never feel inhibited when engaging multiple targets.   I’ve done quite a few optic tests at my gun range and really learned a lot in this last year pertaining to the Trijicon, Eotech and Aimpoint optics.   Being that I am a firearm instructor it’s actually more fun for me to bring new shooters or less experienced shooters to the range and see how they learn.   I’ve done tests with AK variants and AR15’s and time and time again ended up with shooters choosing an M4 Carbine over the AK.   Usually a 50yd iron sight test and differences in hit counts between each.

I won’t let this turn into an AR15 vs AK debate, but I find it hard to argue that a less trained operator will be better with an AK than an AR15.   Recently we started stocking the Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic has a staple optic for those looking for a red dot optic under $400 that comes with a mount.  Mounts can complicated decisions on optics especially when people see that it might start at a $140-$400 decision, just for a mount.   Aimpoint has had the red dot market for a long time because their optics have been field tested for a long time with military coming back from War and buying the same optic for their personal firearms.   The Aimpoint Patrol Rifle optic has several night vision settings as well as other variable power settings.  I highly recommend looking into getting a magnifier because you will increase your ability to identify targets as well as engage more accurately at 300yds + if need be.

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Epsilon shooting mat shooting experiences

Elite Survival Epsilon shooting matThere are a lot of things you can do to get down and prone at a firing range and protect you from the ground beneath you but in the real world, you might want something like this to avoid rocks, thorns, and broken glass from cutting you.   Another reality about shooting on the ground is you are going to end up with a cut elbow if you are shooting off the ground for a long period of time.   For thing you will notice about the Epsilon shooting mat is the quality of the nylon, and the second thing you are going to notice when opening it up and laying on the ground is that it’s not going to roll up or curl on you when like most mats.   I have moved away from using bipods on firearms because the best ones are expensive and a good shooting  mat and backpack can give you a very sturdy platform for placing consistent shots when out on in the field.

I like to pack my gear up and leave important items like binoculars, appropriate magazines (loaded) and various molle pouches attached to my platform.   The Elite Survival Epsilon shooting mat is $159.95 and is available in black or tan.   We usually keep some of these around our showroom so we can display it for our customers which usually sells the product.   This is a much larger shooting mat and folds up in a solid construction and can also be attached to  a backpack or drag bag.    For anyone in the 6ft and above height category,  you will get very good coverage for both your arms and your legs and you won’t be going home with dirty knees. This mat, when opened up is almost 6ft long and 3.5ft wide opened.  A very good accessory for anyone and wants a more comfortable day at the range.

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Things to think about when choosing a primary firearm

Trijicon Night SightsEverything needs to becoming modular, whether it’s your tactical vest or M4 Carbine, your Smith & Wesson M&P or a Glock Gen4.   Adjustable stocks, MOE handguards, interchangeable molle vests that you can customize for rifle magazine, pistol magazines or for medical pouches.   There are all kinds of things that you can choose from that will fulfill your needs.   We see a lot of people come in our store, whether it’s Law Enforcement or Private Security that have backup guns or firearms that they have added lasers, grips, or sights to and are looking for a new holster.  If you see a cool new gun in a gun shop and you are thinking about using it as a primary, have the forethought to know if you are going to be able to find a holster to carry it in the manor that you want to.

We have a lot of quick fixes to find a holster for you but there are always pros and cons of each holster design, whether it’s nylon, leather or kydex.   One of the items we have strongly suggested for people looking to improve there shooting proficiency are the high definition Trijicon Night Sights  (or Trijicon HD Sights).   These have a very bright illumination during the day and considerable brighter than the previous Tritium night sights that existed.   Trijicon has these sights available for guns like 1911s, Glocks, Beretta, Colt, FNH, H&K, Ruger, Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory XDs and Walther.

 

 

 

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Elite Survival Systems tactical gear and range and duty bags

Elite Survival BagsThe first thing we tell people when pushing this product line on our customers is that the majority of their gear is made in the US.   This is not that common of a thing in most gun shows.  I’ve been to enough gun shows to have a closet full of the less expensive tactical nylon gear, holsters, bags ect and there is a noticeable difference in the material.   When we compare even 5.11 tactical nylon gear from cell phone cases for Blackberries, I-phone case, we see the differences in the clasps and the stitching.   We have a lot of people looking for range bags and if you want something that stows all of your gear so you don’t forget it on your range trips.  Check out there medium range bag, it’s really an awesome bag.

With about a 4yr relationship with this company they are are stable for Police Duty bags and even Department of homeland security and CIA and FBI customers.   The bags we stock are everything from Elite Survival bags for storing firearms like the M4 Roller or the Double agent dual rifle case.  This is  a great gun case for 3 gun shooters.   The Messenger bag is being used by many in the State Police as well as Fire and EMS personnel do to  the waterproof compartment that the bag has built into it. Utility pouches, Flight bags and hydration systems all in use and were even featured with some at the US Open here in Haverford Township.

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Been there, done that was tactical clothing

tactical clothing This is a niche market but it appeals to a very hardcore group of people.  Much of it is preference driven whether it’s Condor tactical vests, molle gear or Vertx product line.   The costs of jackets could be from $89.99 to over $400 depending on what features and quality you want.   We all remember what it was like to shop in an Army Navy store and buy surplus military gear, especially those of us that remember the fall of the Eastern Communist Countries and all of the stuff that was sold off in military depots.   Some of that was cool to have, but the smell had to be washed out and most of it was in the BDU category and not a lot of features like some of the newer tactical clothing companies like 5.11 Tactical or Tru-Spec make.

We’ve seen various companies take adventures in making certain tactical pants but the quality was never there.  Only hardcore clothing companies have been able to cut into the tactical clothing market and that is only about a  half dozen companies that still make user friendly and quality shirts, pants, shorts, vests and jackets.   Tru-Spec makes some new jackets that are knock offs of the old M65 jacket but once you put it on and feel the brand new quality, you’ll know why it was time to update or clean out  your old jackets especially if you  are concealed carry holder.  It seems Woolrich Elite Series Tactical has been sold off so that’s another Fail for the tactical clothing world but you never know when someone has a new design that catches everyone’s attention.

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5.11 bags #1 for ems in our neck of the woods

5.11 bagsI still don’t know how to say who makes the best backpacks in this industry because every week we have another person asking if we carry a certain brand of bags.  From Maxpedition to US Patriot and Elite Survival and Voodoo Tactical.   We’ve checkout our Voodoo Tactical and Condor stuff for several years but we mostly stock the stuff that moves the quickest.  The 5.11 tactical product line has been out there for a very long time in the Tactical and Emergency Management world and lately the term “bugout bag” gets thrown around a lot but not everyone uses the same bags for the smae thing.   The Rush Messenger bag and the Bailout bag are used for these terms as well as “active shooter bags.

We have been stocking most of the higher end tactical nylon gear, namely anything made in the USA, but not everything we carry online is stocked here.  The most commonly asked about questions when it comes to tactical bags are the 5.11 bags like the Rush 12, Rush24 and Rush 72 Bags.  Many of our local customers are Paramedics and they use the Rush 24 and the Rush 72 bags in black or tan.   These bags have been through a few changes but we continue to stock the Multicam bags for all of these various sizes.  The 5.11 MOAB is also a very commonly sold, Online or In store pick up item.

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Tactical Nylon Gear response from customers

We enbulldog gun casesdlessly have customers walk in our doors and ask us simple questions that always need follow  up questions.   Tactical gear is so specific to the job that is being done that we really need to know what you want before we can give you an answer.   Questions like ” I need comfortable holster” are so general and preference driven that we can’t really answer that.  Some of the more comfortable holsters are usually the leather/Kydex hybrid holsters but some people just find that too cumbersome to put  on that they give it a pass.  I’ve used the Galco Kingtuk holsters for a Sig 228 for over a year and it has not broken while several other kydex holsters I’ve used have broken on me.

Nylon gear can be broken down into two categories when it comes to marketing, MADE in the USA and NOT MADE in the US.    People look at some nylon gear and thing it’s too expensive so they go for the Bulldog gun cases or sometimes Uncle Mikes.   All of these brands have their pros and cons but it sometimes just boils down to your personal preferences and your budget.  I’ve used gun socks and the economy gun cases as well as some of their pistol rugs and I basically feel like a spent a few bucks at a grocery store instead of feeling like I walked  out of a jewelry store.  Cell phone cases, wallet id badges and range bags be very different and it’s up to you if you want a bug out bag or a pistol or rifle oriented product.

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Elite Survival Tactical Messenger Bag

Elite Survival bagsRecently I decided it was time to get a lap top for my work because using a  phone still isn’t going to be the same as working off a lap top.   I still have to do trade shows and setup various conventions for customers and even though you can run credit cards off of your phone, it still is a pain in the butt to type and the number of typos I have seen makes taking customer orders a pain in the neck.   Recently we’ve been running various tactical training videos from Panteo Productions and using the DVD player hooked up to a computer monitor or TV very useful.  My biggest problem was how do I carry a lap top around with me without worrying about getting it wet.   One of my friends reminded me that the Special Forces Operators are carrying lap tops around with them in Afghanistan and there are bags out there that are waterproof.

It reminded me to check back to the Elite Survival Systems product line and I forgot about the Elite Tactical Messenger bags.   We have sold many of these to deployed soldiers and the Elite Survival bags we were selling do have an option for this.   The Elite Tactical Messenger bag was slightly more than $100 and the waterproof compartment will keep your electronics dry.   I also have molle locations to store magazine pouches or pockets to hold chargers.  I will be working on picking up several types of Solar chargers to test out and they should all fit into this large bag.   Apparently there is a a Blackhawk bag that is similar to this one but I will post reviews the more I get to use it.

 

 

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It is time to upgrade your gun cleaning supplies

Not everyone owns the same type of rifles as I do but whether you are a gun owner that owns lever action rifles or bolt action rifles, or you have a couple AR15 rifles, gun cleaning has changed for the better and you might want to consider disposing some of the products you have in your house just for your own health.  Gun cleaning lube like Slip 2000 and the new M-Pro7 are much more effective than CLP and they do not have any of the toxicity that CLP had.   I find it difficult to clean firearms with gloves on so I usually just avoid getting too much contact with solvents and then just wash my hands.  Well, after 20yrs of being around Hoppes #9 I think it’s time to move on and use something less dangerous for the next 20yrs.

I have boresnakes and single piece gun rods to clean most of my bolt action and semi-autos, but now that I have been using Slip 2000 I have used up all of my Break free CLP and moved on.   If you are interested in getting new gun cleaning supplies look into the Slip 2000 product line and you’ll have access to the Slip 2000 gun lube and for semi-autos the Extreme Weapons Lube is a primary on all of my AK rifles and my SKS rifles as well as my Bushmaster, LWRC and Spikes Tactical AR15 rifles.   I have not tried out all of the copper removers from SLIP 2000 or M-Pro7 but I have sent out a few tests to local police departments that have never even  heard of Slip 2000 but when I referenced that our Navy Seals are using it, they started to listen.

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