All posts in Tactical Gear

Hearing Protection has advanced, so ask questions and we’ll give you options

Hearing Protection It’s been several years now that Surefire has been marketing the Sonic Defenders and they really seem to have caught on.  Everyone knows what it’s like to go to a firing range and come home with sore ears, the top of the baseball cap you wore dug into your head from the ear muffs you were wearing, the foam earplugs made you sweat and are now becoming q-tips and you happily have to toss them in the trash because it’s grossing you out.   Ear muffs tend to give you higher decibel reduction but are not always the most comfortable to wear.  Eyewear also throws you into discomfort and companies like Smith Optics have a line of eyeshields with metal frames that make wearing helmets or ear muffs more comfortable.

There are also a wide range of Peltor hearing protection and different price levels.  Sometimes different colors help keep you from losing your gear so always think about that if you have the option to not have to always use black, some of the green colors work well.   There are always more expensive options from Peltor which is pretty much what our Military is using that can cut out certain levels of noise but also have adjustability in what you want to hear so you can talk while gun fire get’s limited in sound.   I highly recommend the Earpro Sonic Defenders as an inexpensive option but make sure you get the correct size or packaging.

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New Turtleskin Delta Police Glove

We wTurtleskin Glovesere one of the first dealers here in Pennsylvania to carry Turtleskin gloves and when we got them in, we really didn’t know the market all that well but we knew we had to get something in.   Once we found out that Warwick Mills has a relationship with NASA on building Astronaut Suits, there really wasn’t much more we needed to know about them than that.   We do know more about what the frisk glove market is and how important these days that Police, Security and EMS have something like this on them, one word, heroin.  Bloodborne pathogens are common and having needle and slash protection is as necessary as having a bullet in the chamber of your duty weapon.

We have been selling the Alpha and Bravo Gloves for several years now and they have sold well, but the new Turtleskin Gloves that we just added to our inventory are the Turtleskin Delta Police Gloves which are very different.  You are never going to get all of the dexterity you want in a glove like this but there are variables.   With the Alpha and the Bravo, there is a stiffer feel to the palms of the hand that kind of feel like a thin layer of cardboard even though they are puncture resistant.   With the Delta Glove, this is an all leather police glove and you can definitely feel the difference.  I would have to say that I feel as though there is more dexterity with this glove and a more normal glove feel.  It’s a few bucks more than the Bravo and Alpha but if feel and dexterity and it’s not just about protection, you might want to go with the Delta instead.

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Smith Elite Boogie Regulators and Boogie Sport Googles

279Boogie Sport IgnitorThere are a lot of these items that can have multi-purposes and since Smith Optics is already well established in the Ski and RX eyewear market, it’s an easy add on to be in the Military and Law Enforcement market.   I have been wearing the Smith Optics Elite brand for over 4yrs and I am very happy with their Warranty and products.   Ballistic eyewear should be viewed in much the same way that body armor is.  Even though a company may put a rating of protection on their product it doesn’t mean that it is going to hold up to that.  You have to remember that quality control is a big part of putting a top of the line brand out there and if they cut corners, and you’re the person that finds out about it at the wrong time, you be spending the rest of  your life with that injury.

The ANSI Z87.1 rating is much higher than what other brands claim and I’ve heard enough war stories about people losing an eye when an IED went off 100yds away that this is something you just don’t skip.  Even in competition sports, fragmentation occurs and having full coverage is very important.   The Smith Elite Boogie Sport is something that I do pack away in my range bag when I know I’m going to be on the move, and it is a far superior design to the Boogie Regulator which from my point of view is on it’s way out the door.  The straps on the Boogie Sport are more comfortable and the venting is much better.   I’m a big fan of the ignitor lenses and often have to explain to people why the red tinted look is very good for range use.   It helps eliminate glare and also cuts through air on the hazy humid days.  For $60 there is little to worry about for sizing, just do some research on what lense color you want.

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Tru Glow Red Dots, BSA Red Dots, Airsoft Optics, anyone have any suggestions?

BSA Red DotsIt’s kind of interesting how the airsoft market has been playing out, we get lots of kids showing up looking for Magpul accessories with their Mom’s, and right after that a SWAT guy will walk in and ask for the same thing.   Their’s nothing wrong with teenagers learning rifle skills and learning how to be a soldier and have fun doing it.   If you look through many of the origins of the paramilitary organizations from Boy Scouts, Sea Scouts and the Civil Air Patrol, learning to use a rifle was important.    If a Country has youth that know the basics in their mid teens, they can move on to military training quickly isn’t that a National Security asset?  There is so much cross over real world training that many Law Enforcement Departments are finding that this is far beyond blue gun training, and something they should consider putting into their training for Police Officers.   Even some of the private security companies are using airsoft.

I hear “better” things about airsoft guns as far as durability goes but a lot of bad things about various optics being used.   I have a hard time going too cheap,for red optics, but we have heard plenty of good things about BSA Red Dots for Airsoft as well as some of the TruGlow Sights.  I find the TruGlo 4 reticle and the BSA Red Dots called the Panaramic multi purpose  to be interesting because they seem to have a very light feel to them and wide field of view.   In real world situations I think a solid tube or housing is important but these seem to cut it for many.    Aimpoint recently came out with a slightly less expensive optic but not that much less than the Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic, if you’re 16yrs old and you want to move from airsoft to an AR15 ask your Mom for an Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optics for Christmas and put it on your real gun when you’re older, but that’s just my opinion.     I’m also curious about the Vortex Red dots since they are a bout $200 and have a very good reputation on real firearms not airsoft.  I’m not much of a fan of the NCStar brand primarily because the whole Red Star thing. Any suggestions?

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Your driving sunglasses can be your Smith Optics Elite Ballistic Sunglasses

Smith Optics Elite SunglassesSome of the cool things about investing in a decent pair of ballistic sunglasses is that you don’t need to remember to bring your safety glasses with you.   I do own some of the non-ballistic Smith Optics sunglasses but if you pick out the correct fit with the Smith Optics Elite product line, you might get the best of both worlds.   We are a full line Smith Optics Elite dealer as well as a Smith Optics regular line and there are a lot of options you can consider.  The newer Pivlock design can also cross over to be your every day eyewear and with the interchangeable lenses and the clam shell kit they come with, you can change up the lenses depending on the driving trip you are taking.   We keep a lense spectrum display in our store so customers can see the benefits of having more than one lense color because there are dramatic visibility differences between the ignitor and polarized eyewear.

When you get into ballistic ratings, you are best to stick with major brands, there are a lot of suspect ballistic vest manufacturers with horror stories about ratings not being worth your life, but when you want to talk about eyewear, your best bet is to stick with companies that know what they are doing.  Smith Optics is a top tier eyewear company and there are big differences between fit and visibility and you are going to want to stop in our store and try them on to make sure it suits your comfort.  All of the Smith Optics Elite Sunglasses meet or exceed the Meets ANSI Z87.1 ballistic rating and if you are are a competition shooter you’ll know the importance of using safety glasses while shooting on a steel range.  If you tried out the Smith product line in the past and we’re happy, take a look at them again because the product line has dramatically grown.

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Inexpensive solution before you break or damage something, gun racks can make a difference

Versatile Gun RacksI hope everyone reading this owns a gun safe.   I understand that some people don’t have kids in the house and do leave firearms by the bedside or hidden in their home for self defense but there are plenty of reasons you really should be locking  your guns up.   What I do notice is that many of the larger rifle gun safes really aren’t very accurate when it comes to telling you how many firearms you can fit in it because optics, slings and stocks can bulk up space and make that 18 gun safe turn into a 12 or 14 gun safe real fast.   Some gun safes have shelves that you can use that will hold handguns in them and there are replacement inner panels that you can also use for mounting handguns.   One other consideration is to just put a flat shelf in and buy one of these Gun Racks which really do make a difference in keeping your stuff organized and not bouncing off of one another.   It also makes retrieving and putting guns away much easier.

Many of my associates  have progressed toward building hidden rooms with re-enforced doors and turning a room in their house into a closet/safe.   Many times you can easily build your own gun racks but for the cost of these Versatile gun racks and Vesatile Gun Shelves you have solve the problem real fast.  I have seen plenty of times where some of the gun safes with the cutouts for handguns will actually allow the firearm to fall through the shelving and possible hit one of your rifles that has an optic on it and a Colt 1911 falling 18 inches down onto a Zeiss Conquest Rifle Scope isn’t going to be pretty.   Just something to think about.

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New Leatherman Multitools inbound

Leatherman Multi-ToolsWe’ve been carrying various Leatherman Multi-tools and recently decided to expand upon it.   One of the most asked about mulitools this year has been the Leatherman Raptor.   We have a lot of construction workers and contractors stopping in our Tactical Store even though they aren’t Military or Law Enforcement, but we have very larger and growing number of First Responders that work for Medical Transport and Ambulances.  It’s rare that we have something really new to market in that industry and usually it’s a  lot of EMS pants and and Rush 12, Rush 24 and Rush 72 5.11 Tactical bags.   At first some of these tools can be pricey and others are really not that expensive at all, the Leatherman MUT is probable the most expensive tool we sell but if you have an AR15 or a M16 it can be quite handy.  The only thing I don’t like about the MUT is that it doesn’t have any kind of broken shell extractor, if it did, I’d say it was perfect.

There are always features with each device that make or break it for a inquiring customer, do you need a screw driver? Knife?  A file?  Leatherman Multi-Tools has a really good feature guide and it’ll take awhile for us to have that level of navigation, but we will be stocking a lot of these in our Store as well as selling them online.   The Leatherman Raptor is the most asked about tool and quite honestly it’s starting to look like its becoming part of a uniform in our area.   It is one of those things that you might want to hold in your hand before you buy but even if you are not working in the Medical or EMS industry, consider having something like this in your first aid kit, for around $60.

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Firearm Modifications, going to far or is it the right direction?

Wilson Combat PartsThere are always trade offs, pros and cons of every firearm and accessory that  you attach.   I like to compare firearms to golf clubs when people start asking me about which gun is better and various caliber debates.   Not everyone goes up to bat in a Major League Baseball Game with the same bat length and weight so why would you expect people to be proficient with the exact same firearm?   There is a reason the military is looking towards SBR’s and PS90 FN 5.7 firearms because the reality is that most people aren’t combat efficient with handguns.   There are several things to consider if you feel that your firearm isn’t up to what you are capable of doing with it.   First start at the length of pull and make sure the gun fits in your shoulder right, then find out what your trigger pull weight is.   There’s nothing wrong with knocking down the trigger weight of your gun but personally I would never go below 4.5 LBs for a defense weapon, competition shooting is another thing.

There are little things you can lean that can eventually help win a fight, speeding up reloading by keeping your magazines in the correct order,  add on a Wilson Combat Well so help in aiding on not having a hold up because you had to watch the magazine go into the handgun and you didn’t don’t want to have to keep your eyes off the threat.  The Wilson Combat Extended Slide stop,  not only help you release the slide easier,  extended thumb safety gives you a place to keep your thumb while firing.  At first it may seem like your hands are going to get cut but if you rest them in the correct nature, it’s a none issue.   Just think of the time you crossed your thumbs while shooting a revolver and when you switched to shooting a semi-auto, it’s a one time mistake and you knew not to put your hands there.   Hang out at a range and ask questions and it’s always a good idea to know a good gunsmith that can tell  you “from their experience” what was a gimmick and what is a good improvement.   Wilson Combat Parts are the first place I point people to if they are looking to modify their 1911 handguns.

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Turtleskin Gloves vs. a Baseball Glove

Turtleskin glovesSounds like it might be a joke blog post today, but it’s not.   After spending years reading and interactive on several firearm forums, there’s always somebody that comes up with information that is so basic, it’s extremely useful.   In our business there are all kinds of bells and whistles to put on a firearm or dress up in, but so many of the times, the guys that actually have to use the stuff end up stripping gear down the more they are in the field.   I’ve seen plenty of Special Ops guys that don’t wear helmets and limit armor because it restricts mobility and a slow moving person is a much easier target than a fast moving one.   It’s always a good idea to have gloves available to you even if it’s something lightweight and is basically for heat protection.  I have seen plenty of Operators using something as simple as a baseball glove in the field.   We are often asked about the dexterity of a glove but just like footwear, the customer has to try it on and see how it works for them, finger lengths between digits and hand sizes are as diverse as inseams are on pants so it’s yet another one of those things you have to slip over your hand to see how you can move and feel in them.

One thing to consider in this day and age is to make sure you have a cell phone that has a “glove mode” or that you have your text size large enough, and that you can type with them on.   Even our Turtleskin gloves like the Alpha Gloves and the Bravo Gloves have little circles on the index fingers and palm of the hand so that you can type with them.   Although cell phones aren’t as reliable as radios, knowing you can keep your gloves on and still call 911 or type on a computer without going back and forth between putting the gloves on and taking them off is not an easy task.   You are always going to trade safety for comfort in varying degrees and preference and customization can’t be ruled  out.   There are plenty of people that have taken $80 gloves and cut the trigger finger off just because they don’t need any protection for possible their most important finger.

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Adverse environments and having fun at the range with a good shooting mat, The Elite Survival Epsilon Shooting Mat

Elite Survival Epsilon Shooting MatMany people are use to going to their gun club or shooting range and being behind a table, many times they are also standing, but for those that want to get off the bench, there are several different formats and designs of shooting mats.   One of the first things you will know as soon as you deploy this shooting mat is how large it is.   If you are on a mat that is too small for  your body type, you’ll get scuffed or cut elbows and your feet will get wet.   Some shooting mat systems look great when laying on the ground, but many of them will curl up on you right after you deploy it and there are many built it modular features that you can adapt magazines, binoculars, or Security or Law Enforcement patches to.   I’ve personally used this product on concrete and in 3 feet of snow and it worked very well, the mat is thick enough that it deploys under you almost like a thin piece of plywood and is not only a great competition shooter mat, but very good for Law Enforcement for laying down on rooftops.

You can attach any type of molle pouches to this system and it is properly re-enforced for elbows and arm placements.   I remember shooting an M1 Garand on the ground without a shooting mat under me and even though at first it didn’t seem to hurt, I noticed latter on that I had several pieces of gravel dug into my elbows just from laying on the grass.   Getting into a good firing position is and firing from a stable platform is something you have to adjust to depending on your environment, but for long term deployments (hours) or for comfort, definitely check out the Elite Survival Epsilon Shooting Mat.   We always keep some of these on display in our store just because it’s one of those things you’ll want to see before you buy so stop in and check it out.

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