All posts in Shooting Supplies

Things to think about when looking for a bipod, weight and length need to be known

Grip PodHarris BipodsPlenty of people think they want a bipod but you’ll find out real fast if you got the wrong one when  you go hunting or go to the range and it’s too short or too long for your shooting position.   Harris Bipods are probable the best starting point because there are plenty of options but you will need to think about how you are going to attach it your rifle or carbine, whether you want one that cants or swivels, and also be aware that you are adding weight to your gun and it’s going to be heavier.  I started out with a few Harris bipods on my 22 Magnum rifle and ended up switching one off an SKS rifle because it was able to be folded up and had a better length than the one I started out with.   My DSA STG FAL came with a cool folding bipod but I found out later on that the way it attached to the barrel, actually affected the barrel harmonics and I could see that the gun would start to string bullets after a few rounds and dramatically deteriorate the groups.

There are plenty of bipods to look at in the $100 price range but it can jump way  up from their if you want features like canting and swiveling.   Once you get some experience at shooting prone, shooting behind barriers  good bipods will be another tool to help you get in a good firing position and reduce stress, especially if you have a heavy barrel rifle.   Many of  our Law Enforcement go with the GPS Grip Pod which can be available in a polymer or metal and there are considerable weight differences between each, this quick deployment is really meant for firing over a vehicle or behind a barricade but it does have the ability to just become a fore grip if you don’t need the legs deployed.

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Technical details and knowing what you really want

weapon mounted lightLED tactical lightsThere are so many variations on holsters and it’s a very complicated thing in this industry.  Your Police Chief might have standards for your duty gear and dropping $150 on a holster that rides too high or isn’t as secure your leg.   We can’t tell you want  you are going to find comfortable and guarantee it’s for you.  Sure we can give you options but the best references are from people that are using the tactical gear and we aren’t any different than you when trying to find something that works.   Safariland’s product listings are very meticulous and there are correct holsters and incorrect holsters with almost identical images and products specs.   If you are looking for a holster with a tactical light you should go through the holster fit guides and narrow it down yourself.

Most shootings occur in low light and whether you are CCW or you are a Law Enforcment Officers are on duty, having a TLR-1S or a Surefire X300 on your weapon or knowing how to hold your Strion or Polytac 2L during an engagement might mean not having to shoot.   There have been some high profile accidents on firing ranges and on the streets in recent years that could have been easily avoided if the proper training and lighting occurred.   Every time you  use a device on a firearm it’s another piece of tactical gear that can fail you so buying quality lights like Pelican, Streamlight and Surefire are the way to go.   If you are still using Xenon bulbs it’s a good time to retire it and get with the program and get a good LED light, the technology has dramatically improved and lights are far more durable than before.

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Smith Optics Elite Division ballistic eyewear, why the cost?

Smith Optics Elite EyewearThere are plenty of things in this industry that come with a heavy price tag but once you get into the technical details you’ll  know why the costs are there.  Our most expensive items besides firearm parts like AR15 upper receivers are the Trijicon Optics, most people think they are over priced compared to red dots, but if you logically compared Trijicon glass, the amount of detail in the reticles and why they are designed the way they are for various types of engagements you’ll see why you are getting far more than a zero magnification optic like an Eotech or an Aimpoint, if you don’t need it, then you don’t need it.   The same goes for ballistic eyewear and $180 turbo fan googles.

There are huge price leaps within the Smith Optics Elite Division ballistic eyewear and if you can’t figure out why the prices jump from $80 for ballistic googles to $180 let me explain it.   There is a ton of BS out there about anti-fog and after the Boston Bombing I got first hand info about what really went on when searching for the 2 terrorists and.  There were plenty of Police in full SWAT gear for long periods of times searching homes and tried to get details on Smith Optics Elite eyewear and many of the other major eyewear companies to hear feedback.  Apparently there were several incidences where Police Officers had to take off their eyewear when entering buildings because it didn’t cut it, the temperature changes affect the fogging and in many cases it just didn’t cut it.  If you look at the technical details on the Smith Turbo Fan goggles these have a battery operated fan on 2 settings that allow auto venting, for $100 more you get protection and even more possibility of products performing regular googles just didn’t cut it regardless of the brand,

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Bail out bags, low profile vs tactical value

511 tactical bagsThere are always going to be trade offs in this industry, there are so many backpacks and range gear that is very close to another, but that one extra feature is what is going to make it work for you.  For many of our Local Law Enforcement, the active shooting bag can mean a very broad selection of bags, from Maxpedition to 5.11 Tactical, to Condor or Elite Survival Systems.   We often heard the term “they have that bag”  is we always ask for the manufacturer before we can narrow down what it is we are looking.    The best stuff is always going to cost you but there are certain items like the 5.11 Bail out bags that are very popular but very tactical looking.  active shooter bagsactive shooter bag reviewsBail Out Bags Everyone will have different things to put it in from, Wise Emergency Food, Snickers Bars, Bottles of water to medical gear, pistol magazines and 5.56 ammo.

The Bail out bags from 5.11 Tactical are available in Black and Tan are are $59.99. this is an over the shoulder “go bag” that starts out very lightweight.  Many of the 5.11 Tactical bags that we sell have a very well received track record of not being too pricey and readily available.   If you are looking for low profile less tactical looking bags, The Elite Survival Systems Crossroads Discreet Escape bag.   This will be more like a camera bag with an over the shoulder strap,  internal magazine storage as opposed to outer magazine pouches and an adjustable internal compartments.

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Dress Code when you’re packing

Gun beltsJust about everything in this industry revolves around the color black, whether it’s a Glock or an AR15, Flat Dark Earth gun accessories are second, but it’s gaining ground.   When it comes to clothing, Khaki is far  more popular than black because black colors make things look far more Law Enforcement or tactical ninja and it’s an image that doesn’t always fit the “casual” look.  Dealing with Uniform codes, each department has their standards that is usually at the discretion of the Police Chief, nylon gear tends to be for K9 Units or for Bikers, and plain leather or basketweave for the rest.  Sometimes the belt keeper button snaps are gold, silver, or high polish.

For your average CCW holder, the dress code rules are at your discretion but concealment is an art and not something you should cut too many corners.  Buying another gun is the conclusion some are going to have to come to because when we start showing various gun belts that we sell from The Wilderness belts to Desantis, Galco leather, Elite Survival Systems nylon Cobra Belt to a Safariland duty belts are pretty pricey and usually an overkill for CCW but Desantis leather has a very good reputation for being good looking, flexible and durable.   There were some issues with the Blackhawk plain belts “cracking” but they have a good Warranty so if that occurred when you purchased the belt, make sure you send it in.

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Want a comfortable holster? Get a pocket gun

pocket holsters“I want a comfortable holster” is the top question being asked of us in March 2014,  we never mind getting asked questions like this because we know right off the bat that this person doesn’t have the slightest clue as to what they are looking for.   In the last 2 months we’ve had 3 people walk out the door regretting buying a particular firearm at a gun show because “they got a good price” on it, but found out nobody has a holster for it.   Ask all of the people with the Smith & Wesson shield how many holster options they had in the last year.  People normally choose a firearm because it fits withing their criteria of what they can carry but often the only holster options are not going to be idea.   Sure you can get a paddle holster for just about everything but what are you going to have to wear to conceal a paddle holster in 90F temperatures?

In most parts of the United States you are going to have climate changes and holster options can vary depending on  your wardrobe.  There are plenty of firearm you can put in your pocket if you wear the right kind of clothing but we choose to stock the Elite Survival Systems pocket holsters because so many people don’t use a pocket holster at first and end up finding out the hard way about how much lint there is floating around.  Now that Glock is making the Glock 42 .380 pistol, it’s hard to not consider some sort of pocket gun in your CCW routine.    The reason to use a pocket holster is to keep it lint free as well as reduce printing and also make sure you do proper testing with your clothing because not all pants pockets will grab onto the pocket holsters out friction designs and it won’t separate from the gun when being drawn, clothing materials can matter.

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Staying in action when things go wrong at the range

Smith Optics Elite eyewearThere are always things to prepare for and after my experience on firing ranges, I’ve seen things in recent years that never happened to me or anyone before.   People with more experience than me probable see this stuff every year but for me it’s once  in a 25yr cycle.    I have  had stovepipes, failures to feed, broken Mini 14 extractors, gas keys coming loose and people just stare at their guns and don’t have the slightest clue how to narrow down what is failing. In a real gun fight, that means if you don’t have a secondary firearm, you are out of the fight and your best thing to do is turn around and run.   I have broken shell extractors, extra gun lubrication and sight adjustment tools and stock wrenches with me every time I go to the range.   I usually end up helping someone else out with their “bad experience” but hope I’m just passing on the information so someone else can solve a problem quicker.

Has anyone ever gone to the range and had to call it a day because their extractor broke, shell got stuck, or even worse, the gun closed on a loaded round and you couldn’t open the action?   What about when you get a chip in your eyewear or some form of rock or lead flies up at you?  Quikclot combat gauze is on me at all times for the really bad, but I learned my lesson about reloading and buying cheap surplus ammo and my Smith Optics Elite eyewear Aegis kit with different lenses for different lighting situations are also on me.   The Aegis Echo, Aegis Compact and the standard kit as well as the Asian fit all have different frames but  you’ll probable have to stop in our store to try them on so  you know you have the proper design.

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Changing parts instead of changing firearms to adapt to your personel preferences

Wilson Combat Parts9There are always going to be people with different hand sizes and different length of pull with rifles and handguns.   One of the smartest things gun makers have done is selling firearms with different back straps so customers can figure out which will work for them by just changing the issued back straps.    Smith & Wesson and Glock have all done this with the M&P and Gen 4 Glocks.    Certain issued firearms like  the Beretta 92FS and 1911 all have complaints from some people just because they don’t feel right or are too big.   Well, for all of the people I know that own 1911 handguns, from Les Bauer to Colt M1911A1’s, not a single person I know has the same grips or sights on theirs.

I have taken that step of customizing my 1911s to adapt to my tastes, but still keeping somewhat of a GI look to them.    Hogue finger groove grips and Wilson Combat Parts are a good way to get the gun the way you want it to be.  Learn the mechanics of the firearm and Wilson Combat parts like different weight recoil springs (depending on the 45acp bullets you want to shoot).   The Wilson extended slide release was a big deal to be as well as the extended base pads on my Wilson Combat Magazines.   There were changes I could make to my gun griping that made me more accurate with this platform.

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Using Flashlights on weapons and for search, how many lumens do you really need?

Streamlight FlashlightsI remember upgrading from the XENON bulbs to LED Upgrades on several of my flashlights a few years ago.   I was using Streamlight Scorpions and Surefire G2 flashlights that I believe were around 80 lumens each and I was impressed back then at how bright they were.   The only piss off I had with them was how the bulbs didn’t really last that long and I didn’t really like the lack of reliability, regardless of how bright they were.   The Streamlight Scorpions were upgraded to about 130 Lumens with the Upgrade kit, and the first thing I did was mount them on my AR15 rifle.   I was very happy having a weapon mounted light on my guns when I was up in the woods of Pennsylvania but I also choose to put a flip on red lense because I learned in Boy Scounts that bright lights can ruin your vision at night.

The old Army Flashlights had multiple lense on them for variations on lense width always came with a red or blue lense.   I don’t know why people forget this when they buy high lumen Streamlight Flashlights and thing 300 Lumens of light is going to win a fight when having low light abilities and being fast on your feet is a much better strategy.    Streamlight is a very good company to choose from and their price points and warranties are going to make our customers feel like they spent their money wisely.   Remember that the light you have on your firearm is not the light that you should always use for searching for something.  Having two flashlights on  your person is really the way to go.

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Forget about lasers and flashlights, now may be the time to put new sights on your gun

Trijicon Night SightsThe Trijicon High Definition nights sights have been our fastest selling night sights and we didn’t even know how hot they were until we started listing them  on our website.   Several Special Forces groups stopped in our store and told  us that those were their chosen night sights on all of their Glock handguns.   I was kind of shocked to hear this because so many old guys, or people with bad eyesight are the ones that usually ask us for the hi viz sights and I first started seeing them on shotguns and lever actions.   There have been major changes  in optic colors in recent years from red, to the green sights, and major tests on how the human eye picks up green illumination, especially over longer distances with Green than with Red.

The beauty of these nights sights is they aren’t those old green tritium sights, they are tritium with an even high definition sight for day time use.   These Trijicon Night sights are probable just as marketable in the regular sight market as they are for night time.   I have been checking out the GL101Y and GL101O sights for sometime and when my Sig 228 night sights burn out, I will definitely be looking into updating with the Sg101Y or SG101O sights.   These will absorb light from any available light so if you move from indoors to outdoors they will still hold a certain amount of illumination that will be brighter than the Tritium.   I expect to see more of these showing up on new Glocks considering how popular they are.

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