All posts in Tactical Gear

You get what you pay for with ballistic eyewear

Smith Optics Elite Protective SunglassesWe get people coming into our store with all kinds of budget ranges but we really do try and avoid the cheap stuff.   The cheap stuff is usually made in China and we can sometimes make good margins on the products but the returns and the unhappy customers are too common for these products.   There are gun accessories out there that are cheap, break and don’t hold up and there is a reason we stick with Troy and Magpul industries for firearm accessories.  Same goes for flashlights and tactical lights, the lenses and durability of the glass is something that really comes to play when you figure out your budget range.

I have tested out many brands of eyewear and the truth of the matter is much of it is about warranties and personal preferences.   My favorite of the Smith Optics Elite protective sunglasses are the Chamber tacticals.  These seem to fit  my face very well and i don’t feel my eyelashes rubbing against the lenses.   We have guys stop in here embarressed to tell us that their eye lashes are long, but that red eye scratch feeling is something that does happen too often.   There is also a prescription lense option for anyone that needs it but you will have to fill out and RX form and submit it directly to Smith Optics.

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Backpacks, range bags, and sleeping bags

Elite survival systems bagsYou really need to know what you need or what you are looking for before you start shopping for a range bag.   Too many people rush into buying backpacks and range bags and find out they needed something bigger or that they should have spent more money on something instead of buying small.  Pistol bags and range bags are often out grown as well as gun cases.   We should have hit the record button in the store this week and just posted the transcripts of some of the things our customers said about what they should have gotten from us in the last year.   Too many people start out with price restrictions and end up buying twice instead of once for rifle cases and range bags.   Scopes on pistols or added accessories like pistol magazines are nice to keep together, all  in once place.

Having a bugout bag means different things to different people and not everyone is going to put the same things in there.  Some tactical teams and swat teams are going to put things in something like  Elite Survival Systems bags that have food and medical supplies in them.  I think having medical supplies in a bugout bag are a good idea but small quantities of food or ammo is something you can easily stow away and just forget it’s there.   The Elite Survival Systems smokescreen concealment backpack, especially the navy blue one is very low profile and almost looks like it should say NIKE   on it since it’s very sporty or athletic looking.

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Getting your money’s worth from Smith Optics Elite

Smith Optics Elite EyewearThis is one of those products that people are somewhat afraid to buy online because they are afraid to drop $100 on sunglasses that they haven’t looked through.   We’ve tried out a lot of eyewear over the years and we think we have a pretty good idea about what is good and what is crap.   Everyone asks the same questions about them when they see them, “do they fog up”, well the real deal with them is yeah, they can, like anything that you can look through, but the standards are very high.   If you want to really avoid fogging you’re going to have to sink some money into the Smith Optics Elite outside the wire turbo fan goggles.  They have a very quiet running 2 speed fan for intense situations.

The best range glasses i ever had were are the Aegis Eyeshields, I’ve found the compact versions to fit my head better.  Some other options are  the Smith Optics Elite eyewear called the Aegis Echo which has a metal frame that is flat and very comfortable if you have a helmet or eye protection on.The thing I find likeable about these are the interchangeable lenses.   It’s nice to be able to go back to clear lenses if it’s not that sunny out because low light conditions and sunglasses makes identifying targets problematic and you don’t want that to happen.   The kits come in 2 sizes and you can always buy replacement lenses if you loose them or break them.

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Gun Cleaning supplies are breaking new ground

gun cleaning suppliesFind the best gun cleaning supplies for your firearms, M-pro7 gun cleaner and gun oil. Find out what kind of cleaning liquids you want to use, you may only need an Otis gun cleaning kits, but some of our bolt action shooters still want a cleaning rod.    We’ll leave it up to you to decide what works best, and please write a review under the gun cleaning supplies  for other customers if you’ve found the gun cleaning kit that you love.   Bore snakes can be had for pistols although a rifle bore snake will work, the pistol one is much shorter.   Otis gun cleaning kits can be used for everything from a 38 special snubby to a 50 caliber machine gun.

Gun Cleaning is never as fun as shooting, but it’s extremely important for those concerned about accuracy.  We spend an enormous amount of time on the firing line, but the elite shooters are all aware that a clean bore is important for accuracy, and using the right gun cleaning supplies is what will get the job done.   We stock various tools and cleaners due to the high demands those in the shooting sports demand.   We carry everything from gun scrubber, gun oils, Breakfree CLP, cleaning rods, boresnakes, cleaning brushes, and cleaned patches.    Rust remover, blue remover touch up pens for those minor scratches and dings.  For those looking for a more traditional type of cleaning kit, try our DAC Cleaning Kits.   The Otis gun cleaning kits are specific to military style rifles like the M16, 7.62 or 50 Calibers.

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5.11 Rush Messenger bag and Rush 72 bags

5.11 backpacksWe sell a ton of nylon gear, from molle gear to range bags and gun cases.  There are big differences between all of the gun cases that we sell and just because it’s called a gun case doesn’t  mean it’s going to have all of the protection you need when you are traveling or stowing it in a car.   I realize that not everyone has a $2000 AR15 with $1000 optics on it but I’m not going to drop my LWRC M6 with the TA31F-G in an Uncle Mike’s gun case, I’ll put it  in an Elite Survival Systems assault rifle case because the protection and design of that $80 case is worth it.   When it comes to back packs and emergency responders, there is one product line that seems to have taken the crown.

The 5.11 Rush 24 and Rush 72 bags are the most common bags we see with emergency responders.   I would have to say the multicam 5.11 backpacks are very nice and the layout of the molle locations are very nice, although I am very impressed with the Tru-Spec gunny backpacks that we have for sale right now.  Several of the gunny backpacks are with a local ambulance company and they are very eye catching.  The top handle makes them easy to pick up without having to sling them over your shoulder and they are easy to pack  up and stow away.

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Another Tru-Spec 3,2,1 Promotion starting March 1st

truspec pantsWe are already under way of another Tru-Spec promotion this year and it’s the same great deal we had last year.  After selling the Woolrich Elite Series and Eotac product lines, we have a customer base that are not sure what they should be wearing since those product lines are drying up. The polycotton ripstop pants are very simliar in feel to the well known 5.11 tactical pants.   Most of our customers all own something from 5.11 because 5.11 tactical has been king for so many years and their products seem to be far more available.   Much of the tactical clothing market, especially tactical pants is all about preference, price points and quality.

We have seen many of our Special Ops guys showing up wearing the Vertx product line but most of our LEO’s don’t want to spend $64 on a pair of pants.   Now is a very good time to try out the TruSpec pants with the 3,2,1 Promotion that is going on until the end of April.   Don’t sit  on  your hands about this promo because many of the dealers are going to sell out of the product line before the promo is over.  I know last year we were out of certain colors and sizes by the end of the first month.  You will get 15% off your first pair, 20% off a second and 25% percent off when you buy 3 or more pants which brings the price down to $29.95.

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Weapon mounted lights, handguns, shotguns and Carbines

streamlight flashlights I’m looking at all of the new lights that are coming out in 2013 and I can’t believe the changes that are taking place.  We had a customer that recently told us they picked up a 500 lumen Streamlight flashlight from another dealer and mounted it on their new M4 rifle.  At first I was thinking it would probable be a $500 flashlight and it turned out it was an $80 Streamlight flashlight.  I seriously don’t understand how the heck people can justify some of the flashlights that Surefire and some others have made and I think their is going to be a blood bath in the industry when these new and improved versions of lights hit the market.  I remember the Surefire G2 being a staple for AR15 rifles but not anymore.

I never had much interest in the Streamlight TLR-1S flashlight because I’m not a police officer and and don’t need to carry a large auto on daily patrols.   We have a clear out of the older models of Streamlight flashlights for sale in our Broomall, Pennsylvania showroom so stop in if you want to get some really good deals.  There are still customers that want to smaller Micro-stream AA battery flashlights because they are small and compact and are very EMT and Paramedic friendly.  There are a few guys that run car repair shops and also use various flashlights just so they can in and see the hard to reach stuff.

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Some new observations about tactical pants after a plane trip

Blackhawk tactical pantsThis year I had to do some business trips and I was in and out of cars, hotels, motels and airplanes for several days.   I had the new gunny boot cut tactical pants with me, Woolrich Elite Series Tactical Chinos, Tru-Spec 24/7 pants, and the Blackhawk lightweight tactical pants with me.  I figured this would  be a good time to force myself to try them out because normally I don’t like to switch up my gear.   I always had a flashlight with me and if I wasn’t wearing the Tru-Spec pants I had to find another way of keeping track of where it was so I knew it was always there when I needed it and knew that it didn’t fall off or get lost.

Well, after a long plane trip, I was won over by one of my lease worn tactical pants and that’s because I found the pocket placements to be very useful for what I was doing at the time.   The 65%/35% polycotton ripstop pants from Tru-Spec were very similar to the Blackhawk tactical pants that I was wearing on the plane trip but the leg pockets with the sidezip were very useful while being in the seated position.  I used these pockets for tickets for my flights and it was much easier to access than my hand pockets.  I never really thought about this until I was sitting there drinking a beer and was about to check what time my next flight was.

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Tactical vests for range use and for low profile LEO’s

Woolrich Elite tactical vestsWe have seen the tactical clothing market explode in the last 10yrs and have seen companies come and go.   Some of the companies we sold products for were really original and well made but they just didn’t get their foot in the door and gain traction.  Some of the products were, even though well made, not easy to sell online because people wanted to hold it in their hands or try it on to make sure it fit them.  Some of the sizing issues aren’t just about chest sizing it’s also arm lengths and waist tolerances.  I have been using the Woolrich Elite 44903  tactical vest for almost 8yrs and it has very good durability and very comfortable compared to some molle vests.

The 44903 vest is a cotton canvas tactical vest and has so many  pockets that only a well organized individual won’t have problems losing his gear in it.  You will have a place for a radio, water bottles and the Woolrich Elite Series tactical vest has plenty of room to hold 4-8 magpul pmags depending on how  you stack them.  The new Gen 3 pmags are a little thinner so you will easily be able to stack on 8 magazines and even more depending on how crafty you are with your pocket usage.  The rear pocket, I find is good for elbow pads and gloves.

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Some changes to the Smith Optics Elite product line

Smith Optics EliteSmith Optics Elite is a our primary safety eyewear in our store and online.  We have a full line of their sunglasses as well as their goggles.  The Smith Optics Elite turbo fan is our number 1 swat team goggle and the new LoPro goggle is something that our military personnel use for night vision.   There are profile and fit differences between many of the eyewear products that Smith Optics has out and their product line is another one of those that people hate to buy  online because they want to know how it feels and fits and shelling out $100 for something like this is too much for people to handle so we know we have to stock them here in our Broomall PA showroom.

People can over rate eyewear but for people that actually work in the industry know that there are quality differences and accidents and mishaps occur as well as every day hostilities. Along with our newest products like the Boogie Regulator and the smith optics elite tactical sunglasses there is the Echo and the Compact Aegis eyeshields.  There is also an Asian Fit for the obvious customers.  There is also a dual ballistic lense for the tactical goggles as well as multicam.    This year Smith Optics Elite has introduced a new frame for the eyewear that has a camo look to it.

 

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