All posts in Tactical Gear

Is the FAL a good DMR rifle?

I’ve always been a little stumped on why the FAL doesn’t show up on firing ranges as much as it should because I have had extensive experience with DSarms and they have been outstanding.   I did have a lesson learned about using loctite on screws with my FAL and after several thousand rounds later nothing came loose.    There are more accurate FALs and M1A rifles than mine, but 2 MOA means 10 inch groups at 500yds with Portugese surplus ammo and I’m not really sure why I would need to get any better than that for even hunting.   If I know my distance my FAL is still a darn good deer rifle if I could hunt with it here in New York State.   The return of the 7.62 caliber to active military service as a DMR role has given the AR10 and similar style rifles a new life.   I am looking at the LWRCI Repr although still dealing with some sticker shock.

The only draw back I feel I have with the FAL is the heavy trigger.   Maybe I could get it worked down a few pounds but with a good scope I have never missed my targets.   Unbeknownst to me, Larry Vickers is also a fan of the FAL and I recently read a nice read about his take on the FAL.   I haven’t had the need to always use Vickers gloves when shooting, but it’s actually something that I have been working more into my training when taking on a DMR role.     Loading 7.62 bullets into a magazine with gloves on is easier than doing it with smaller pistol caliber or 5.56 gloves so my desire to constantly take them off when loading magazines doesn’t kick in.   I prefer the mid length vickers gloves because they give added protection against burns on the wrist from hot barrels ect.

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.308 rifle cleaning on the move

The tactical world is loaded with tons of doodads and accessories that are very well thought out, but sometimes it takes as much time to learn how to use them as it probable took to create the device.    Experience is what we learn from and we get it an many ways.   If you have ever had to pack a backpack and go on a week or longer hike, you’ll know the importance of packing “only what you need to survive” which is a line I stole from Spaceballs the movie.   It’s funny that I have actually seen people go on camping trips with things that plug in and need electricity, and those are the people you’ll probable never see on a camping trip again.   My Boy Scout Troop usually had 2 or 3 campers a year, the new guys, do something like that and the City slicker attitudes usually mean a short stint in the Boy Scouts of America.

When it comes to carrying a firearm like a DMR or Sniper rifle, adding weight to something that is already heavy is not something you are going to want to do.   If you could remove 1 or 2 lbs of weight from a rifle, you can add on the weight of the ammo that replaces it.  I don’t know a single shooter that wouldn’t rather carry more ammo than carry more gun.  There are cleaning systems like boresnakes that are fast and easy, but for serious cleaning, you are going to like the Otis gun cleaning kits for the sniper or DMR.  This gun cleaning kit is meant for a .308 rifle, bolt action or semi-auto, it doesn’t matter.    I’m sure there are people that think they need a cleaning rod for bolt guns, maybe some guns need it, but how the heck do you carry a cleaning rod into the field?

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Fit, feel and durability go hand in hand

I have and still own many firearms, all of them have a place in my heart and are good for something.   It’s really too  bad I didn’t know that knowing what your good at doing is what life is all about, and not everyone does very much research into finding it.   When so many of us were part of the herd and teachers all taught us the same thing, in the same way, it was all about getting an A, B, C, D or an F.   Some people are good at math, others are not, some are into History and others are not.   There is no such thing as a do it all weapon, but there is something about being versatile and knowing what you are good at doing and then doing it well.   This becomes more important in life, especially once we are out of school.   Too many people think that just getting good grades in School means you are going to get a good job, getting good grades doesn’t even mean you’re intelligent.  Try looking at the PHD crowd  running the Country, what works in a classroom doesn’t always work in the real world.

 

 

I have only been familiar with Larry Vicker’s Signature gloves for about 4yrs, but only really 2 yrs of working with them.  I was one that was use to using the gloves I used for hunting which were the fingerless gloves.   These hunting gloves looked kinda like tactical gloves, but they did not last even 2 range sessions.   Loading AR15 magazines with anything that isn’t tough enough in the thumb area is going to wreck your gloves real fast.   The mid length gloves are more to my taste because I do like the extra wrist protection from flying brass and hot barrels.  Both gloves are what I would consider to be medium weight gloves and in honesty, I’m not familiar with that many other types of gloves, I’ve never gotten a complaint about them not holding up.   These can do most of the jobs that require you to need gloves.   If you want to do it all bring a couple types of gloves, if you want to do most of it with one, try these.

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What’s up with those cotton prices?

We got several warnings from some of the apparel companies we’ve been selling that prices are going to go up on all of the clothing that we are selling.  This is entirely up to the fact that cotton demand has exceeded production capabilities and there has been a shortage of cotton.   We knew something was wrong last year when one of our clothing manufacturers didn’t have any of it’s lightweight clothing available when Spring came and nothing showed up for Summer.   Now that we have a large number of deployed Military and private Contractors being deployed over seas in  hot climates, there is a large demand for lightweight tactical clothing.  Unfortunately we couldn’t name one company that makes all of the best lightweight clothing because each has it’s own good and bad points.   I’m still not happy that the Eotac Style 301 shorts stopped being made last year because I do not like the shorter inseam 302.

I have had some of the 5.11 tac lite pro shorts, but they are too tactical looking for most of my Summer adventures.   I think it was smart to make them a cotton polyester variant especially since Cotton prices have gone up, it’s probable going to be more common to see synthetic materials blend into clothing.   You sure can’t beat the 100% cotton ripstop tactical pants from Eotac though.   We get a lot of requests from guys in Iraq and Afghanistan that love the Style 203 pants because the pocket designs and the fit is superior to the similarly looking pants from 5.11 tactical pants.   I remember being at a trade show last year and some of the guys were joking about how hard it was to tell what clothing company made various pants because they all looked the same. The truth is, they don’t all feel the same.

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Paddle holsters and CCW

This is an area that can cause much debate in the CCW world because if you are concealing a firearm in a paddle holster you are almost always going to have to wear a vest or a long coat, not all environments can tolerate a jacket, and most jackets are either not going to be long enough or they will make you sweat, just in for concealing a firearm in this manor.  I really like the Blackhawk Serpa holsters, but they do extend a little further out on the body that something like a Don Hume Jit holster which is flat up against a belt.

Firearm retention in a holster is important for LEO and people carrying open carry, but not so much for CCW.  Yes you may get in a scuffle and have a firearm fly out of a  holster, but the Blackhawk holsters make get a little difficult to release if you are not in a good position, there are always methods and tactics that people should train with and trying a  holster out in an adverse position is something  you should try doing.  Try pulling the firearm laying on  your side, or in the seated position and you’ll know what I mean.   If you are sitting down, you’ll realize how odd it will feel and how high you’ll have to left your shoulder to clear it.

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Don’t expect a do it all gadget on your firearms

I saw a recent night fighting test where they basically showed how night sights become useless as soon as a flashlight gets turned on and the glowing dots won’t help you in low light conditions depending on your flashlight gun techniques.   The whole flashlight thing on handguns is a debate in itself because there are so many things to consider.   There are flashlight retention devices like the Section 8 Tactical ultimate retention device that have helped improve grip and freeing up your hand to open doors or do magazine changes, but it is true that it’s not as steady as a flashlight mounted on the firearm.

Night sights are nice, but who would get into a shoot out in their home without turning on a light or using a flashlight?   One thing to consider are Crimson Trace Laser grips for home defense because not only can you tell depth of a target in low light you can also get better cover and still know where your gun is pointed.   There are some really good defensive training DVD’s coming out an Massad Ayoob will be going over using laser grips in home situations.   I highly recommend using lasers on home firearms as well as flashlights, I think those are far more practical and advantageous than using night sights.

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Why should you consider a locking holster?

I’m sure that many of you that have taken CCW classes probable know that the faster you get your gun out the more likely you are to get the first hits in.   In some people’s minds putting safeties on firearms and putting guns in locking holsters will slow you down.   That is somewhat true for some firearms and some holsters, but the better the design on the firearm the less likely that is and for some gun  holsters, there is absolutely zero slow down.    I’m not a big fan of thumb break holsters because I’ve had bad experiences with them not snapping properly and I could never tell if they were tight or now.

One thing I have found that in any type of physical turmoil, guns and gear will fly off of you.   I’ve seen it one too many time at Carbine training classes where secondary weapons and magazines go flying.   The Blackhawk Serpa holsters are my favorite because the holster locking system actually can help a novice shooter get use to keeping their finger straight and off the trigger when drawing the firearm because that is where your trigger finger is when the gun is released from the holster.

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Is it time to upgrade your Eotech gun sight?

I finally got on the M4 Carbine bandwagon about 6 years ago after many years of shooting without being much of a black gun enthusiasts.   I jumped on the piston driven carbine wagon and I’m glad I did.   I’ve been getting lots of good feed back from my friends and LWRCI about the Carbines that I own, but I have also shot many DI guns from Daniel Defense that are 100% reliable under extreme conditions, well extreme AR15 conditions.   If you want fast you gotta go with an AR15 platform, there are other nice 556 guns, but the AR15 is really pretty darn close to perfection when it comes to versatility and comfort.   Reliability is something that Magpul Pmags and modern technology has done with drastic leaps.

The Eotech gun sights I used years ago are still working today, but I’ve gotten a little tired of trying to turn them off and on when I have a magnifier in the way.    The side mounted buttons on the newer Eotech make that a non-issue.   I am also having problems with the new magnifier not because of it’s weight or durability, but that it is not compatible with some rear flip up sights.   I have to mount my magnifier a few notches forward of where I want to  place it because it does not clear the rear sight if I move it back.   Time to do some tweaking on the fastest AR15 guns I own.

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No time for training? Order some DVDs

There is going to be a huge flood of firearm training DVD’s coming out this Spring, we just got word that Fernando Coelho has just launched Panteao Productions and will coming with an incredible list of firearm instructor training DVD’s.   Everything from IDPA shooting, Carbine training, handgun shooting skills, 1911 armorer, AR15 armorer and the list goes on and on.   Make Ready with Dave Harrington, Bob Vogel, Dean Caputo.   I have been invited to sit on or train with many firearm instructors, but haven’t been able to fit it into my schedule.   As a business owner, trying to get away and take a 3 day course is virtually impossible.

I’m sure I sound familiar because finding good training is hard, trying to find the time and the money is even harder.   We all can search the internet and find out who the best referred to teachers are, but now there are Top Tier trainers making DVD’s for under $40.   You can’t beat that! Can we also inform you if you didn’t already know that Bob Vogel has won the IDPA National Competition yet again?  I’m sure that Make  Ready DVD with Bob Vogel will be one of the top sellers.  Bill Jeans shotgun operator course is another area that will be filled because shotgun training is taught probable 1/10 of the time as handgun and carbine.

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Security and snagging while carrying a Carbine

Finding the right type of gun for you is a very important thing, your boss many tell you want caliber they want to stick to, but there are still so many options in which type of firearm you feel comfortable shooting.   Finding the ammunition that works in your firearm won’t be much of a problem from the majority of Glock and Sig Sauer pistols that so many Government agencies use, but when it comes to choosing holsters and gear.   That is something that you are going to have to figure out on your own.   I have seen many of my customers call up a few weeks after receiving their pants only to be informed that they need another pair because they ripped.    They didn’t rip because of product defects, they ripped because tactical pants have so many pockets that they easily snag and get torn.

Last month I sat in a Carbine course where the first day of shooting showed a lot of novice accessorizing and watching guys constantly move slings around trying to find that spot where they could take it off and on without catching on their secondary pistol was interesting.   Blackhawk holsters ruled the range that day, but I did see paddle holsters, leg holsters and belt through.   I am always a fan of quick detach gear because bad things can  happen in combat and releasing your holster, vest or Carbine could mean saving your life.

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