All posts in Tactical Gear

Nylon holsters from Blackhawk

Nylon holsters are always a good starting point for people to understand what it’s like to carry a firearm.   I have several of the older Uncle Mike’s gun holsters that I picked up at gun shows and they are all holding up.   The only reason I don’t use them is because I don’t find them to lock onto my gun belts as well as they should, so I’ve moved on.   To this day that is still one of the major reason I pass or fail a gun holster.   The gun angle or how deep it sits is a personal preference, but clip on belt holsters better be secure or they get an F.

I’ve picked up several of the Kydex holsters from Galco and was not very happy with them for the same reason I did not like some of the Uncle Mike’s clip on holsters.  The Blackhawk holsters like the Hip holster are pretty much the same.  If it works for you then use it, but they aren’t going to be the most secure.   Some of the Elite Survival holsters are better thought out and made in the USA so give them a shout.

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Trijicon TA26S vs the Eotech design

There have been several changes with the Eotech combat optics, but the biggest one is the position of the on and off buttons.   Now they are all being made on the left side because we now know that an M4 Carbines rail system can get pretty crammed up with sights and gear and the best place for the optics was not in the back, but on the side.   When Eotech started to realize that just a little bit of extra magnification was a big deal for a combat soldier, they released the Eotech Magnifiers for slightly over 3x.   This helped soldiers spot wires or identify weapons on and individual even if it only meant getting a better view from 75 or less yards.  And that’s what 3x optics does.

Trijicon is well know for their 3x and 4 power combat optics, and  you can’t beat the ACOG for it’s combat worthyness, but it still is not a close quarters combat optic.   The Trijicon ACOGS are highly visible and if you put Irons on them like the Trijicon TA01nsn, your going to have you head mounted high on the optic, the same goes for any dot sighting system like the TA31ecos-g.    Those are fancy combat optics, but try fighting out a window and you’ll be wishing for something smaller and compact.   The Trijicon TA26SG-10 is has a shorter housing and is lighter and gives you a lighter Carbine in the end.   The Trijicon TA26SR-10 is the same thing with a red reticle.

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Blackawk Serpa vs CCW gun holsters

I love all of my handguns for various reasons and I guess that’s because I’ve learned to appreciate each aspect of them and the genius of the designs.   Once you achieve a certain level of experience you become to know that so much of guns and gear is about the job at hand and personal preference.   When arguments break out in our showroom its not about leather vs. kydex, but it’s about the levels of retention, Safariland holsters and Blackhawk seem to go together, but many like one over the other.  Much internet traffic has been generated about the USMC adopting the Blackhawk Serpa and how the guns can get jammed up in the  holsters and not release.

The Blackhawk CQC holsters are a marketed as concealment holsters too but many will find a holster like this hard to conceal except in the winter months, Blackhawk holsters like the Serpa in many peoples opinion, especially the Military is a fine duty holster.   There will always be a need for IWB gun holsters and Don Hume holsters and Galco holsters are still our biggest concealed carry gun  holsters.   IWB is probable the most practical although pocket carry is becoming very popular.   Pocket carry is still very much a white collar CCW and not really the best option for self defense.   Practice and situational awareness come before modes of CCW, but IWB will always be a more reliable way of carrying a firearm.

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Ballistic Eyewear Options from Smith Optics

We’ve been moving quite a bit of the Smith Optics Elite ballistic eye wear but it still seems like many people are unaware that Smith Optics has a military and LEO division of ballistic eye wear.    The tactical eye wear is broken down into the Tactical  Lifestyle and the Tactical core.   There are some higher levels of ballistic protection than the standard levels but we’ll keep it simple.    The Outside the Wire goggles from Smith Optics Elite will give you ballistic goggles come in black, tan and foliage green.  The dual ballistic lense are available in gray and clear for those that want that level of protection.

The tactical lifestyle eye wear from Smith Optics Elite comes in 5 styles and 5 lenses,  all Smith Optics Elite eye wear is available for Rx lenses, but you will have to send that in directly to Smith Optics.  The Aegis Eyeshields are probable the best for the average shooter due to the wide protection with more visibility than the Smith Optics Turbo Fan goggles.  The tactical Life style eye wear comes in the Hudson Tactical sunglasses, Director tactical sunglasses, Hideout tactical sunglasses, Lockwood tactical sunglasses and Chamber tactical sunglasses.   The lense are available in Clear, gray, Ignitor, Polarized gray and Polarized brown.

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Do you own that gun that’s hard to find a holsters for?

In a recent conversation about some of the new pocket guns from Ruger like the LCP and the LC9, many people are calling us up asking us if we have ANY type of holster for their guns.   Gun holsters have just gotten far more complicated in recent  years and even the guys  in the military have to go through some research to buy a holster.   Guns are sold with rails, without rails, some handguns have lasers on them and others want to keep a light on them.    You literally could have 3 or 4 of the almost identical holsters with just slight variations depending on how it is configured.   There are always customer holsters for those with the money to fork out, but not everyone wants to spend $80 on a holster.

One reason to stick with a handgun for CCW that has been out for awhile is getting replacement parts, gun grips, gun holsters and even ammunition might be a good idea.   Blackhawk holsters are probable our biggest selling holster, but they don’t have the versatility as a nylon holster maker like Elite Survival does.   Elite Survival has Made in the USA on their products but might be a little bit above Uncle Mike’s gun holsters and Blackhawk nylon holsters   or even the Blackhawk Omega holsters.   If you are looking for IDPA or a duty holster, the USMC has now adopted the Blackhawk Serpa Holsters as their primary retention holster.   I believe it replaced the M12.

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Some talk about the USMC adopting the Blackhawk Serpa Holsters

I just got done reading several news articles, gun blogs and yapping on facebook about the USMC adopting the Blackhawk Serpa holsters.   Many of them were fact and experience driven but I still see a lot of over reacting.  There are several videos floating around of the holsters being jammed up from dirt or snow and guns being locked into place inside the holster and the release button not working.   Well, try doing that same thing with your AR15 and you’ll probable end up with a jammed firearm.    I think the argument is definitely there and there may be a slight modification to the gun release button, but I think the Blackhawk Serpa holster is a good holster.

Your cell phone and firearm can jam or even explode if  you don’t treat them right and anyone knows that getting dirt down your barrel and obstructing a bullet means a doomed barrel.   Every mechanical device whether  Blackhawk Serpa holsters or a Galco leather holster can malfunction.   Even Fobus holsters were the recipients of some pretty harsh internet durability and reliability video.   This argument can go all the way back to wood rifle stocks vs plastic ones.   I would expect that the military may ask for a slightly improved version of the holster, but I wouldn’t worry about the ones you have on  you right now.

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Ranger Floor Plates and the Original Magpuls

I first found out about Magpul Industries when I was using a Mini 14 and a no name brand tactical vest.   When Woolrich Elite first came on the line, I started using their 4903 vest and this was about as tactical as I had gotten at that point.   The Mini 14 is a great gun for varmint, plinking or home defense, but not something that can handle a real gun fight.   Engaging in a shootout of more than a couple hundred rounds is going to heat the gun up and real damage is going to take place.

There are lots of gun accessories that you put on firearms that will make them look tactical but it doesn’t mean the gun is something you are going to want to be deployed with to Iraq.   Magpul Pmags have gone through several changes over the years and they pretty much got things right.   One thing that is still an accessory to the magazines are the ranger floor plates.   These are an easy swap out, but this will give you more bulk and snagging.   I recommend only doing this for magazines that are going to be put in a vest, but keep your range mags the same.

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If you are looking for real CCW pants

I am now staring out the old Woolrich Elite CCW pants in style 4910 and the Eotac Style 204 pants and wondering why they disappeared and fell of the face of the earth when there is practically nothing else out there like them.   These were two of the biggest selling pocket carry CCW pants and since guns like the Ruger LCP have become so popular what kind of CCW pants do you where anymore?  I am very fond of the Tru-Spec 24/7 pants as far as comfort, but the pocket locations are a dead giveaway that you are carrying gear and probable a gun.

The Style 204 and 4910 pants were nice, but the back pockets were large enough to hold a 20oz bottle of water that it was also a giveaway that pants stored a lot of gear.   Not the Woolrich Elite Chinos, these pants look like they were bought out of a mens apparel store and you really have to take a close look at the hand pockets to see the tiny zipper that opens them up.   The zipper is very close to the Tru-Spec 24/7 pants but very much a CCW pant. They are not baggy like the 204 or 4910 pants so don’t expect them to be like that, but they will fit like normal pants do.

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USMC now adopting Blackhawk Serpas

Not only has there been a huge a huge order submitted to Trijicon for the ACOGs, the USMC has now officially adopted the Blackhawk Serpa holster as the official USMC gun holster.  Well, I have to say this,  I’ve been  one step ahead of the most powerful military in the world since I have personally already adopted the Blackhawk Serpa as the official gun holster for Rogue Elite employees.   When it comes to working, running and as the military knows, fighting a war, losing a firearm or having it fly around is a bad idea.  Velcro and gun straps are hard to re-engage under stress and the Blackhawk Serpa design isn’t.

Keeping  your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot is one of the basic firearm safety rules and the holster designers at Blackhawk knew this.  When you are drawing you gun from your Blackhawk Serpa holsters, if you are practicing your basic firearm safety rules, you will easily be able to release the firearm from it’s holster.   Locking it back into place means just dropping it into the holster.   There are also easy ways to modify the firearm on your leg, belt or vest and the Blackhawk Holster platform gives you a spot for  holster or for carrying more gun magazines.

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Magpul angled fore grip response

We attended the new Zombie Shoot at the New Holland Rifle and Pistol Club and we had fun watching all of the guys  show  up with the new accessories and gear.   I recognized a few faces from years ago when it first began at a few other gun clubs but gun accessories have changed since then.   One of my new favorite accessories is the Magpul Angled Fore grip.   This was a really good idea and considering the number of people that were using them, they have caught on.   I was never a fan of the protruding fore grips that got in the way when you were firing out a window or laying on the ground.

I have tried some of the folding fore grips but they didn’t hold up too well.  I had a friend take mine off to test out a bi-pod and we ended up finding out that the grip I was using was dangerously close to breaking.   Magpul pmags are still the king when it comes to AR15 gun magazines and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.  There are still debates about the orignal mag puls vs the floor plate for quick mag changes, but I personally don’t have that problem depending on which tactical vest I have been using.  The 30rd window pmags in black are the number 1 sellers from us even though I do see a good many 20rd magazines showing up at these events.

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