All posts in Tactical Gear

Camping, Hiking, Survival and Training with Camelbak Hydration Packs

Camelbak Hydration PacksIt’s funny working in this industry and selling products that you already own,  I haven’t used my Camelbak Hydration Pack for several years but dug it out of the closet to use it on a family hiking trip, I forgot how much these actually hold and it beats having to carry a water bottle everywhere you go.  Due to the way these are designed, the weight of the water you are carrying disperses over your back and you hardly notice it if you get the right size.  With a recent warm up here in Pennsylvania, we went right from Winter into Summer weather and got hit with a surge of people that needed Hydration for training coming up.   It seems the National Guard have something going on and everyone in the area found out where to go to get Camelbaks.

One thing we noticed that we are planning on doing in the coming weeks it to start bringing in the cleaning kits and Elixir tablets because A) People don’t know how to clean Camelback Hydration Packs and B) People always put the wrong products in them.  If you use anything with sugar in it you risk damaging the anti-microbial lining that runs along the inside of each pack.   There isn’t really much to maintaining these and thanks to the Youtube videos we attached to each product, just watch and learn.  Another common mistake in picking out the Camelbak packs is that people often buy too small of a pack, the CamelBak Stealth 70 oz/2L Mil Spec Antidote is probable the top seller and after that you can go up to a 3Liter  Camelbak ThermoBak 3L 100 oz Mil Spec Antidote Long if you think you need it.  Small means running out sooner and on those hot Cambing, Hiking or Training days, you’ll wish you had more

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Trijicon MRO Red Dots, which mount should you buy? Absolute, 1/3 or Low Mount or Bobro QD mount?

Trijicon MRO Red DotsTrijicon MRO 2 MOA Red DotTrying to find the right optics for hunting, target shooting or whatever else is already a chore, but it can all be messed up if you buy the wrong mount.  We don’t stock a lot of mounts in our retail store because there are so many options out there, price point, material, right heights, that it’s too much of a guessing game because there is a such a diversity of gun owners.  Sticking with just the New Trijicon MRO red dots, many people ask us which mount they should buy or which one is better.   It’s just like the question, which one is better, Aimpoint, Eotech or Meprolight M21, it’s whatever your eyes prefer.

I’ve never had a problem using a fixed iron front sight on my AR15 and using an optic, sure I lose some visibility, but like asking what you should do if a skinny guy was hiding behind a tree and you couldn’t see him, which optic is better. just move around the tree and  you’ll see him. With the Trijicon MRO Red Dots “If you feel the need” to have your iron sights pushed down to the lower 1/3 of your optic, just get a 1/3 Co-witness mount, your field of view will be higher with less obstruction of your field of view and then you’ll have to transition down to your irons if need be.  I can tell you that we sell about 80% more of the absolute co-witness mounts, whether it’s Bobro mounts or Trijicon Mounts.

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Given the Eotech L3 Lawsuit, what would you switch over to, Meprolight M21 Bullseye

Meprolight M21 Sights

Meprolight M21 Bulleye I’m in the category that loved my Eotech sights but given how old it was and that it was considered to have the flaw that L3 did not state when selling it, I felt justified in sending back my Eotech 512.   After looking through a lot of optics in recent weeks I’ve had a hard time jumping on the red dot sight bandwagon, even  though I have an understanding of their benefits, but my eyes prefer a larger field of view and I can see the tube effect issues that some people complain about with some of the Aimpoint red dots.   I know that I can adapt to any optics given the range time and training but I’ve been looking for an easy switch so I’ve been considering the Meprolight M21 optics.

There still seems to be a lot of confusion about whether or not Eotech has solved the problem but 11yrs ago I could tolerate the battery consumption but not anymore.   Trijicon now has it’s foot in the red dot market with the Trijicon MRO red dots but some of their reflex sights are still selling.   The Meprolight M21 Bullseye has a very similar housing to the Eotech sight and also similar field of view and reticle. it also works off of the same fiber optics that Trijicon and does not need batteries.   Since I’m running a Magnifier already and prefer to switch from zero magnification to magnification for My carbine training,  The Meprolight M21 Bullseye is hands down the easiest switch over.

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Firearm maintenance and upgrades with Wolff Gun Springs

Wolff GunspringsMuch of firearm reliability is about the person operating it properly, gun lubrication, ammunition and magazines.    I would normally say that ammunition is extremely important because the cheaper stuff tends to run dirty and the longer a firearm runs dirty the more likely it is to have it jam. Lubrication is a close second but not all firearms need the same lubrication, I.E. bolt actions and lever actions.  I first found out about Wolff gun springs after one of my 1911s starting to have issues feeding.  Some of the rounds weren’t chambering all the way and it was primarily because the recoil spring was long overdue to be replaced, all parts will eventually break and wear out and there is always a point that you should just take the spring out and toss because it’s only a matter of time before it causes a malfunction.

Sometimes it pays to ask questions whenever you’re on a firing range with the guy that shows up with 3 or 4 1911 pistols and has target sights on his gun and does a lot of reloading.   He told me about Wolff gunsprings and I’ve never looked elsewhere for replacement springs.   They have a very large inventory for rifle and pistol recoil springs, hammer springs and magazine springs, from my experience most gun magazines can be fixed and not tossed away unless the magazine feed lips are fatigued.    Rotating your magazines and keeping a rough round count and replacing the magazine springs when you think you are getting to that point of malfunctions is called “proper firearm maintenance”.

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Allen Endura Locking pistol cases, Allen Gun Cases are an inexpensive problem solver

Allen Gun CasesI have a lot of different type of gun cases, some of them are just for transporting firearms to the range, Allen Gun Socks, Allen Assault Rifle cases and Allen Endura Scope Rifle cases that I primarily use for transporting bolt action rifles with hunting optics.   Any gun case is better than no gun case because a simple slide across the trunk of your car can mean gashing your rifle stock or putting a crowbar through the 40mm scope objective lense.   While locking guns in gun cases doesn’t mean it’s going to reduce the chances of it getting stolen, it prevents people from accessing it unless you open it for them.   I’ve seen plenty of times where a kid or a family member walks over to a gun case, on a firing range and pulls out a rifle and finds out the gun is not pointing in the direction it’s suppose to.

Nylon cases can vary in price from $12 to a couple hundred and can offering varying degrees of padding for protection but there’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple.  I’m a big fan of having a case for each rifle I own just so I can tag it so I know my stuff is organized and I can transport any firearms I want to the range and not end up wrapping it in blankets like I see some people do.  There are some better things you can buy like the Allen 3 Gun Competition case since that seems to be an ever growing sport and many of our customers have trouble finding even just double rifle cases.   We just listed several new Allen Gun Cases to the list so check out what is new.

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Valken Tactical Zulu Gloves hard shell knuckle gloves are they for playing?

Valken Zulu GlovesThe is a lot of crossover between military and police applications with the various gear we sell, and there is also airsoft and paintball, you might even want to put hunting in that also.  It all depends on what you are using your gear or apparel for.  Years ago we sold a lot of Blackhawk Warrior Wear tactical pants to guys that were bow hunters because the polyester cotton ripstop material had a teflon coating that was very useful for those sitting on the ground while hunting.  Lot of things like knee pads, elbow pads, tactical pants, tactical vests have multi use so are many of the products from Valken Tactical.

The gloves you may like for security or airsoft might be the same thing, lots of operators in the real world are using baseball gloves because they want the dexterity but just basic protection.  One warning about using gloves with a carbine is making sure you have enough room in the trigger guard to safely operator it, trigger guards are easy to replace or change but you need to test your gear our before you get a surprise.   I’ve been using Valken Zulu gloves for over a year and I find no difference in quality or usefulness between playing airsoft or using it for Law Enforcement or Security.

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Range Trips and Carbine Course, think about Camelbak Hydration Packs

Camlebak Hydration PacksCamelbak ArmoBak MulticamThere seems to have been a major awareness taking place in our society about having a radio, water filtration and food storage. These were things that use to be taught in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, but I’m finding my generation was one of the last that actually went through these and membership to those organizations has dramatically declined.  Knowing how to pack for 3 days and have food and water or not “overpack” is a skill many do not have.   I often refer to Paul Howe talking about his time in Somalia where guys in Combat were taking helmets and plates off because it wore them down and they felt moving was more important than operating like a tank.

There are a great many things that have made life easier and performing in competition shooting events  isn’t just about how well you can point and shoot, it’s about your physical stamina.  I’ve heard of guys passing out on ranges because they were so out of shape that they passed out when they went prone.   Eating right and keeping hydrated is extremely important to prevent fatigue.   Camelbak Hydration packs aren’t complicated and are not that difficult to clean, the biggest warning I’d say it be careful what you put in them.  I usually use the Camelbak Elixir Lemon Lime but something like Tang or Gatorade are fine.  I usually water them down so it’s flavored water because the more sugary stuff you use the sooner you’re going to want to clean it up and the harder it’s going to be clean.  There are some really good Youtube videos from Camelbak that show you all of the functions of the pack.

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Agilite Hi Vest, pre-configured but still versatile

Agilite Hi VestI have been a fan of the Agilite Hi-Vest for a very long time, one of the only negatives about it is that it is made overseas and sometimes there are delays in getting inventory.   If you are looking for a good tactical vest, there are a lot of options out there but they can get expensive real fast once you add on the cost of the pouches.  Many people started out with Molle Vests but we don’t see much use for those since plate carriers have pretty much replaced them.  If you don’t want or need plates, you still have a molle vest.  For most deployments, you are going to want your gear high on your chest so its easy to retrieve withing your visible work space.

The best thing about the Agilite Hi-Vest is how comfortable it is to wear and you don’t feel your magazines, radio ect pushing into you.  There is a lanyard attachment if you choose to use it and we have found that a lot of United States Border Security like this vest because it’s more comfortable to wear.   You have much more mobility with all of your gear strategically placed.   One of the big features that several recent customers have told us the reason they wanted this vest was it had pouches big enough to stow a suppressor in.  That’s something I never thought about until now, and with so many purchasing suppressors, why not have a tactical vest you can stow an IFAK, Suppressor, Mags, paracord, batteriesIsraeli Agilite Hi Vest Storage and more.  There is also the Agilite Hi-Vest with the AMAP bag that you can always buy later but probable something you might want to get and take it off if you don’t feel you need it.  Check out the videos for the product.

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Wilson Combat Parts and Upgrades for 1911 and AR15

Wilson Combat I was never one to change much on handguns after I purchased them.  Whenever I was window shopping for something new, it was all about how it felt in My hand.  With all of the Hi visibility sights you can get on firearms these days, that is something to consider buying on your own, after the fact, but sometimes you can get lucky and a gun might be brand new with the factory putting High Definition sights on them.  All of My Sig Sauer pistols have Hogue grips on them because I find Sig Factory grips to just flat out suck, they don’t grip well and actually feel slippery.

When is it time to swat an internal part out?  Triggers are something you have to be very careful about doing because that is something that can make a reliable firearm dangerous if not done properly.   It’s not that uncommon for those in the competition world to have guns doubling because they are running lighter triggers.    I have made several modifications to my 1911 handguns and they all had Wilson Combat Parts put in them.  I have never found the 1911 to be hard to shoot but it when I was trying to increase my speed and accuracy I found that it was time to put and extended magazine release on it, Wilson Combat Trigger replacement and a drop in Wilson Combat beaver tail grip.  Even though my guns have these parts in them, it hasn’t compromised there ability to be CCW friendly.    You need to be careful how you balance competition shooting, accuracy modifications (lighter triggers) and safety.

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Original Swat Boots, Warranties, product diversity and price points

Original Swat BootsFootwear in this industry is probable one of the largest parts of the market, we could probable triple our footwear product line just based on what people are wearing, locally.  Bates, Danners, 5.11 Tactical Footwear, Under Armor, Rockies and on and on.   Some need an all leather boot, others are concerned about safety toe, and most are under the impression that means steel toe, well, in our industry, it’s to prevent bad guys from stomping on your feet, stretchers from falling on your toes, and many in corrections or airport security are going to want to composite safety toe boots so they don’t activate metal detectors.   We have found over the years that we can’t accommodate everyone with just one product line, but the majority of our customers are very happy with our footwear selection.

We’ve often found, recently, the some of the most stable and best quality control comes from the companies that own their own factories and aren’t constantly outsourcing to different 3rd world Countries for manufacturing, 5.11 Tactical is notorious for this.  Original Swat Boots are all made in the same factory and they ever have probable or need to increase production, they make their decision on their own so there are rarely long delays in getting backordered items.  It was only this year that a strike by the Port Authority in California caused shortages but that seems to have cleared up.   Check out  our website or stop in our store because we are a full line stocking Pennsylvania dealer for Original Swat Footwear.

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