All posts in Tactical Gear

New DVD from Dean Caputo

I just started getting through another Make Ready DVD this week after last weeks Dean Caputo AR15 Armorer’s bench DVD.   The first 75% of the AR15 was all stuff that I already new about and I was really starting to think about skipping over a few of the chapters and getting to something new, but I sat and thought to myself that I can’t say I watched it if I didn’t see the whole thing.   It’s kinda like all of the people that go to Mass on Sunday and walk out after Communion, but the Priest gets pissed and says that Mass isn’t over yet.   Well, Dean Caputo wasn’t talking about God, but he’s been talking about the AR15 and the 1911 and according to some people, those are holy things.

The 1911 is probable the most tinkered with firearm that I know of.   I always think of the 1911 as being the GI Mil-spec gun and a lot of the 1911’s I have seen from Kimber and some custom shops aren’ t really 1911s to me.  I’ve changed sights and triggers on my guns but I mostly stick to GI looks and Wilson combat magazines.   The magazines have always been the weak points on the 1911 followed probable by the throat.   I have no real interest in using HP ammunition on my 1911s because I feel like I’m compromising reliability.   Dean’s DVD’s are very good for basic information and he gets into basic history, but the best  thing about the DVD’s is his thorough and organized manor of explaining the parts and how to trouble shoot.  The trouble shooting was something I was not aware of.

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Blackhawk lightweight tactical pants

I attempted to deviate away from Woolrich Elite clothing this summer and it lasted about 5 minutes.   There really is  something to be said for “movement” when wearing tactical pants.   There aren’t any indestructible pants out there because there are always ways to move and tear them, but when  you feel them riding in your inner thighs when  you raise your legs, you’re going to be buying new pants sooner than later.   These pants cost more than Woolrich Elite but the fit was no where near the same.  The sizing was very good compared to regular clothing, but the fit was totally not the same.

The Style BH86TP02 pants came in and I was anxious to find something to replace my worn our Eotac and Woolrich Elite stuff.   The first thing that I noticed about these tactical pants was that they were heavier than Woolrich Elite lightweight pants.   The side cargo pockets seem to be very well stitched in and felt strong, but they did not feel lightweight. The one thing that really gets me is the darn hand pockets.  I hate this Blackhawk, 5.11 tactical pants cut that is slanted and not rounded off.

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Sale on Eotac apparel

We are running down the last of the Eotac apparel and most of our employees were acting like vultures grabbing their sizes before it was all sold off.   We only have a few of the odd sizes in the vest, shirts and jackets and most of the lightweight stuff is almost gone.   I think there is going to be a huge glut of tactical pants on the market because I noticed that with a bad economy and so many tactical clothing companies trying to get their foot in the door, I’m seeing $20-$30 8.11 and Blackhawk tactical pants all over the place.  Men and women are still going over to Iraq and Afghanistan so there is still a strong demand.

Now granted, there are some really bad designs and I recently tried out a few new styles of clothing, but after testing them all out, I ended up back with Woolrich Elite tactical pants.   It’ll be some what easier to sell clothing now that Eotac is gone because there won’t be so many people asking about the differences between the lightweight tactical pants and the regular clothing.   I am still waiting to find out what the situation is going to be with making clothing in China and cotton prices because we just got hit with a few more price increases and I doubt this will be the last of 2011.

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Drinking the cool aid with LWRC

I have been on hiatus form gun forums for several years due to the fact that they just wore me out.   I think they are great for researching information about products but you still need a really good bull shit meter to know if someone is lying to your or not.   As a dealer, i get stressed out reading about all of the new optics and accessories that are coming out because I know it’s only a matter of time before I get the phone call or email about what kind of adapter or mount someone is going to need for AR15 style X.    I love the industry but all of this accessorizing makes me want to break out a welding torch and just be done with it.   I’ve seen guys with what must have been about 24 or more screwed in components and to think about the odds of those screws coming loose or breaking bothers me.

I recently went back to a gun forum I use to frequent and it was all the same old anti-product bashing that goes on.  It’s almost tribal warfare with gun makers.   LWRC uppers are definitely my favorite upper receiver although I am very much aware of how expensive they are and that it’s debatable about how much of an improvement over reliability they are.   I have not had any parts breakage but I read all of the stuff i can from Pat Rogers and some of the uppers didn’t fair so well a few year ago in tests.   There have been product upgrades and I actually took a tour of the LWRCI facilities last year and had a parts upgrade done to my gun.  The real improvement I see if the gun just darn well runs cleaner and It doesn’t have lube running out of all of the a parts.

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Eyewear, protection and visibility

I will never forget to time of my life where i thought that people that wore sunglasses only wore them because they were just trying to be cool.   Then there was the time I went on a fishing trip on a bright sunny day and came home with the worst headache I have ever gotten in my life.   After that, I knew there was a reason to wear sunglasses and it was obvious to me that that’s why they are called sunglasses.  Gun safety glasses obviously protect you from flying debris and for those serving in the military, ballistics on the eyewear you have on really means something to you.

Sunglasses for law enforcement isn’t just about being cool or hiding your eyes from the public.  Ever since HIV and blood born diseases really affecting the Law Enforcement community wearing eyewear that protected you from the disgusting elements of society was important.  Smith Optics Elite are now in the tactical community with cool Lifestyle eyewear with various lense options.   The eyewear comes in clear, gray, ignitor and polarized gray. We see a lot of clear eyewear going to those running ambulance services and first responders.

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Women bitching on the tactical gear and accessories market

We have gotten lots and lots of feed back from Women that work in the Law Enforcement Community about how they are constantly forced to wear and buy men’s clothing and there are not  a lot of options.   We have been selling the Woolrich Elite women’s pants for several years in contrast to the 5.11 tactical pants and we still get lots of complaints about the fit of the clothing and how well they work for the various shapes and sizes of women. Tactical clothing that men wear rarely works with women and we hear it all day long at work.   Smaller sizes for men doesn’t mean hip sizes fit for a woman.

One product line we are proud to be selling is the Original Swat boots for Women.   There are 3 products in the Original swat boots line for women.  The Standard 1150 the Zip up 1152F and the most casual or street friendly 1151F.   The boots size variations are pretty broad and not just meant for petite women.   It’s amazing to see the product fit and variations that need to be made for women.   Just because it’s made for women doesn’t mean that it’s meant for dancing.   There are more women seeing combat situations and by the number of customers that we have had over recent months that call up before being deployed and are ordering tactical gear and accessories for combat, its a whole new world.

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The cost of everything is going up, but some things are worth it

We have been hit with various price increases over recent weeks related to shipping costs and clothing.  There have been some pretty big price increase on clothing due to production costs and cotton shortages.   We are guessing that there will be price increases on the clothing in 2011 more than once because even our manufacturers don’t know what the forecast is going to be.   We are still crossing our fingers hoping that Eotac has not gone away for good and something will eventually emerge from it.   We just got notice of a price increase coming from some of our footwear suppliers and its probable the same old gear.
Raising prices in an economic downturn tends to not work very well for us, but we have notice a trend away from certain product lines and increases in others.  Sometimes an economic slow down means you have to spent your money wisely because there isn’t any room for waste.   Original Swat boots are well made and even though we have not been selling them for very long, I’ll tell you that as of today, we have only gotten 2 complaints about production issues and the Company took care of both issues for us and the customers have been happy. we’ve sold over 1000  pairs of boots this year and that’s less than a percentage point in customer dissatisfaction.   If you are spending $50-$ 70 on a pair of boots and getting your money’s worth, it’s worth the money.

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This isn’t a paintball mask

I’ve recently had numerous people tell me that I should get into paintball gear and accessories, but recently I went to a shop that sold stuff like that and it took me 2 seconds to notice that the nylon holsters and Molle vests were almost identical to what real gun  holsters were.  Air soft and paintball guns have gotten so good that they literally will work with your Dad’s Glock 19 holster.   One thing that still strikes me is the shitty painball masks that almost always fog up on you.   I always hated that when playing paintball because it’s an automatic violation of the safety rules and removal from the game if you take your mask off.

Real safety gear means ballistic gear.   Bullet proof vests are really catching up to bullet penetration and survival rates of combat soldiers is up considerable.   One thing that still needs to catch up is eye wear, but the eye wear that Smith Optics Elite is making is something your Grandfather wishes he had in WWII.   Smith Elite optics look good and they also fit right.   The Smith Optics Elite goggles are designed to fit under a helmet and will give you a level of ballistic protection from debris.   They are rated for being able to stop a projectile that is in the 22 caliber category.   The Outside the wire turbo fan is the cadillac of the tactical eye wear.   The turbo fan is very quiet and will help keep your gear on and not have to take it off for a wipe down.

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Otis 5.56 buttstock cleaning kit

This is the cleaning kit you might want to consider throwing in your butt stock if you can fit one in there.   The tools that this gun cleaning kit comes with should get the job done after long firing sessions.  One thing to consider is that gun cleaning sometimes is over done and you can damage a firearm with too much scraping and cleaning.   I have never seen it happen, but I have read several articles in SWAT magazine that referred to people over cleaning AR15 guns.

Cleaning out the chamber is not as important as keep a DI AR15 lubricated, but I have never been one to leave a gun sit un cleaned for more than a week.   The Otis gun cleaning system are well thought out gun cleaning kits that have the brushes and attachments to cleaning various parts of a firearm.  The Otis 5.56 butt stock cleaning kit is even more practical because it fits inside the gun and doesn’t need to be hauled around in a range bag.   Having an Otis kit will probable reduce your need on packing gun cleaning supplies in another bag.

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Still not in love with the LCP

I got to the NRA convention a few weeks ago and the LCP was all over the place.  I saw  holster makers show up that they made gun  holsters for the little .380 pistol, Crimson trace laser grips had a big section devoted to concealed carry, and numerous other companies devote products to the Ruger LCP in .380.   The .380 is  a ballistically inferior caliber, but the durability of small pocket firearms has dramatically improved and people are wanted to carry less of a gun for more comfort.

Unfortunately for the rest of us that have seen the wrong side of society, carrying a firearm with a caliber that is not adequate for hunting just about anything, the .380 should really be viewed as a purse gun.  I have a stock pile of Galco holsters in my  house because they are the best and easiest way to get a good IWB or OWB holster for CCW.   I have an ankle holster for all of my j-frame revolvers and IWB are the best method for CCW.  I still have a hard time taking a .380 with me knowing that the gun won’t kill the worst in society.

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