All posts in Tactical Gear

Surefire Vs. Streamlight

I guess that sounds like the beginning of a gun forum post but we get asked about this all the time.  There are many things that I prefer to not divulge to customers because so much of this is about preference and the job at hand.   If you are going to be using a flashlight for any length of time, and you have access to a charger, then you obviously want a flashlight that is rechargeable and has the appropriate battery packs.  Most of the Police around here are using the Streamlight Strion and Streamlight Stinger because they can charge them in their vehicles or the office and know where they are starting from, unlike batteries that have been in the flashlight that are already diminished.

If you have serious use of a flashlight, the differences between having a flashlight at 80% vs 100% is considerable.  If you are using streamlight flashlights for more than 8yrs, you’ll be able to relate to the improvements that have taken place with LED technology.   I originally had a Streamlight scorpion with a xenon bulb that only lasted a few battery changes before it need to be replaced.   I’ve had every ready Radio Shack flashlights that were tougher than that, but things have changed.   Surefire came in stock because of all of the requests for Carbine and Shotgun lights.  The Streamlight TLR-1 Flashlights are still king in this business, but Surefire has the hold on most AR15 and shotgun mounted lights.   We are actively monitoring requests for Veridian lights, but we’ve had very little experience.

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Great Deals for combat or paintball gloves

I’m amazed at how many operators and military persons do not use any kind of fancy tactical gloves.   What amazed me was the number of people that are using gloves that you get in a sports store.  The truth of the tactical glove market is nobody wants to wear something where they can barely feel there hands.  For products where a cop has to worry about needles sticking them with hepatitis C or HIV, they they need frisk gloves like the turtleskin Alpha or Bravo gloves.  Sure you can shoot firearm with frisk gloves on but nobody is going to like that.   Many snipers do not want gloves to cover their trigger fingers  and most of the time those areas of the gloves get cut off.

We don’t know the real story on why Eotac disappeared but one of the casualties to the Eotac and Woolrich Elite history were the Vickers tactical gloves.   The Vickers duty gloves were barely on the market, but now word has gotten out and people are using  them as paintball gloves as well as what their intended purpose was.  These gloves were very well received and once Eotac acquired these gloves and then went out of business they are starting to disappear.   We have a large selection of the duty gloves but the OD green colors are dry up quickly.  Who knows if anyone will make them in the future but your best bet is to get them while you can.

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Are lasers useful or just cool?

That’s an easy answer for anyone that has been on a range as long as I have.  My first experience with a firearm with a laser was with one of my friends and he mentioned that he had bad eyes and need it.   That was about all I needed to know about why somebody would put a laser on a firearm.  Look at the changes that have taken place on firearms and the way people put hi visibility sights on Glocks and rifles.   I’ve seen AKs glowing sights and watched how well someone could shoot with them.   Even though you may turn your gun into something that has pink and yellow sights, you will find the contrast will improve target acquisition.

Lasers are showing up on everthing and now that most handguns being issued to police and military have rails on them for flashlights, lasers are also put in the mix.  We are seeing lights like the Veridian flashlights and we’ve been moving plenty of Crimson Trace Laser grips for concealed carry pistols.   The LCP is hands down the most popular concealed carry gun, but I still have issues with the .380 caliber and what it does for the average crackhead.  Do some research on what type of holster you want and make sure it works with your laser properly, lasers are are good when you need them.

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If your gun costs more than $1000 you rifle case should cost more than $30

I have stockpiles of rifle case and holsters that I have acquired over the years but after witnessing several bad incidents with several friends I have been slowly acquiring better rifle cases than what I previously have used.   Uncle Mikes’ and Bulldog make some nice, inexpensive soft assault rifle cases but that can be a problem these days.  Sometimes you want something that doesn’t scream gun and some of my friends found out the hard way.  If you look like you’re transporting a firearm, you open yourself up to the paranoid society and also to theft.   In recent years there have been thefts of firearms from vendors that were bringing guns to and from gun shows and they stopped in at a restaurant and somebody did a smash and grab when they were chowing down.

Many AR15 style rifles have tactical optics on them that cost almost as much as the guns do.  Why not find a tactical gun case like the Elite Survival Cover Operations case that is low profile and can securely strap your optics and firearm down.  It also can carry magazines, rifle or pistol, or some other molle type system in a separately padded compartment.   Even for law enforcement being low profile with your firearms is a way to be professional and make sure the public doesn’t think you’re responding to a bank robbery in progress.   A decent tactical rifle case like this will most likely cost you in the $100 price range, these are made in the USA can be had with free shipping at Rogue Elite.

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Feedback on Recon Sleeping bags from customers

I’ve learned that after 7yrs of being  in this business that when a new product comes out, the last thing you do is rave about it until you’ve sold enough of them to know there isn’t an issue with them. There have been many products over the years that looked great but then  you find out there is a recall notice in your mail box for them.  We’ve seen it with  gun holsters, firearms magazine springs, extractor springs and even footwear.  Stuff happens and one little ingredient in production can come forward as an issue 6 months later.  In the last  year we’ve stocked more products than we ever have before.

We have never sold sleeping bags before and from all of the camping i’ve done in my life, I don’t think i’ve ever used more than 3 bags.  We sold several of the Recon sleeping bags that Elite Survival Systems has been selling and we’re waiting for several places to get back to us about product reviews.  From my first hand experience I will have to say that just the size of these things and what they can be used for is impressive.  To have such a light sleeping bag that you can survive in means less weight on a hiking and camping trip and less stress on your feet.

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Have enough guns? How about more upper receivers for your AR15?

I don’t think you even need to worry changing calibers if you want something different than a 556 upper.   I’ve seen guys turn an M4 Carbine into a varmint rifle with a snap of two pins on a lower receiver.  The real thing to look out for is changes in calibers, namely to a 5.45×39 upper.   Many times I’ve seen guys skip the hammer spring change and end up with a light strike issue with Russian ammunition. We sold a ton of the Smith & Wesson 5.45×39 uppers a few years ago but for some reason they just don’t seem to be available.

 

The LWRC M6Ak was a one off novelty deal which died a quick death and no word if it’ll ever happen again.
Right  now the biggest selling upper receiver we have are the Adams 5.45×9 uppers.  I had a customer take apart his gun side by side to my AR15 complete upper receivers and compare the piston differences.  There is a difference and I still love my LWRC M6A2 but this gun was a next best thing and a best thing for a 5.45×39 upper.  You still can’t beat the cost of ammunition for these guns and the  caliber does have a better reputation than the 30 caliber AK.   I’ve known guys that took hits from the AK it has so much energy that it just zips through you and the Russians finally caught on that the 5.56 was a better combat caliber.

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5.11 bags

Lots of people have been calling about the improved version of the 5.11 Rush 72 backpacks.   There apparently was an improvement to the design that you can view for yourself on Youtube.  Youtube really is a great source of information about products.  I’ve seen some really good reviews from people that just like doing it and great manufacturer rep info.

In the last few years I have purchased a few firearms and instead of looking up the assemble and disassemble specs, I just looked it up on Youtube.   You have to be careful what you see there because it’s not all true, but the 5.11 bags like the Rush 72 Backpacks seem to be getting a lot of noise.  We’ve sold many of them in recent days and I’ll wait for customer response about how much they like them.

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Another thing people find hard to shop for online

The thing that made us decide on moving our business from just being an e- commerce business was the demand for something local.  So many people think that Amazon and Ebay have done away with the brick and mortar stores, but this is actually not true.  We’re very much in the understanding that many people prefer to get something from a local business but most people go where they get something for the best price.  There is a battle brewing over internet sales taxes and while many companies have escaped sales tax, the chickens have come home to roost on this one.

We probable have about a 5% return or exchange rate on our clothing but we probable have a considerable percentage of people that never buy from us because they are afraid of getting their sizes wrong.  Recently we had guys order insight flashlights online and only found out after we shipped the product that we were less than 30 minutes from them.   After he realized the light was not what he wanted  he drove back and wanted the Streamlight flashlights instead.  Just being able to hold something in their hands, whether it’s a light or a pair of boots, being able to try it out first is a big deal.

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It’s not all about goggles and glasses

There are many options that are not as bulky as your typical tactical or ballistic goggles.   Some of the ballistic eyewear product lines aren’t that different from each other, other than what part of the Country the person making the purchases gives his or her approval for.   We have people walk in here all the time that are looking for cheap shooting glasses and we have some of those on the wall for $10.  When it comes to serious shooting, though, you want to keep your glasses in a case so they don’t get messed up sooner than they are suppose to.   All gear and accessories will wear out, but the Smith Optics Elite division has a warranty service that will repair your eyewear if you get it scratched or damaged except for the frame.

Right now the biggest rave amongst our eyewear are the boogie regulators.  Everytime we bring up these  Smith Optics Elite eyewear  we hear a wise crack about the boogie, but these fast on and off goggles are getting out amongst our local bike patrols and motorcycle cops.   I’ve tested them out myself and I’m still not sure if I like them more than my Aegis eye shields.  I very much like the newer Aegis eyeshields because the fit is a little tighter even without the head strap.

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Short sleeve ccw options, check out Woolrich Elite

When summer rolls around it’s usually time to put the full size auto away and switch over to your compacts and smaller frame guns.  The Hawaiian shirt thing doesn’t work for skinny guys and I’m sure we’ve all seen the movies where the undercover narcotics officers are wearing them.  The bad guys know you have a gun tucked in there and they probable won’t be surprised to see the muscular and fit guy with the shirt and sunglasses is a narcotics officer. After that, if you don’t wear an untucked t-shirt you’re probable going to end up having to pocket carry.

Everyone of the tactical clothing companies has it’s pros and cons and some of the fit and designs are really just personal tastes.   The one company we’ve been very impressed with when it comes to CCW shirts are the Woolrich Elite CCW Shirts especially the short sleeve ones for this time of year.   I personally have been very happy with my ability to pocket carry a j-frame, tuck a shirt in and still be able to pack a Streamlight tactical flashlight and my gerber pocket knife all in my ccw shirt.   I’ve seen a few of the Blackhawk and 5.11 attempts at making tactical shirts but they just didn’t work for me.

 

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