All posts in Tactical Gear

Breaking down doors may mean it’s time to wear gloves

My favorite part of these competitions is see who packed there gear the best.   I remember all of the arguing about which gun was better and which calibers were better in a firefight, but in reality, the guy that can supress his enemy will eventually be able to overcome them.  There’s always the 6’5″ 220lb guy that shows up with a battle rifle and is able to pull off the task, but he’s rarely in the top scorers in the close quarters fights.  Nobody want to get hit with any caliber bullet and putting more bullets in a target is better than the mythological one shot stopper rounds.

Last weekend we attended a Zombie shoot here in New York State where competitors from around the Country showed up for this fun event.   I enjoy going to these events because not only do we get a more diverse crowd of people there, it’s basically a live fire gun show and I got to use my tactical gloves on the firing line.   You can witness just about any type of optic for long range shooting or close quarters combat and get to watch the competitors challenge there skills and weaponry. At some of the faster paced or group competitions, another issue arose. Every other guy had an issue with hot brass flying down his shirt or burned his hand on hot brass or a hot firearm.  Now we’re getting to another realty of why it’s a good idea to pack the right gear and inlude a good pair of tactical gloves.

 

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Public Service Announcement- Eotac black pants are in!

The tacticl clothing market has become pretty competitive, especially after seeing some really good stuff coming from 5.11 tactical, Blackhawk and Proper.   After being at SHOT Show and several tactical operations and security expos, we’ve seen more than our fair share of companies trying to hold there own.   I recently read a critical review of someone who claimed there Woolrich Elite pants were not holding up and 5.11 tactical was better.  Well, I got news for you, Woolrich Elite has been in the clothing company for a long time, and if they were not making quality clothing the company wouldn’t be around for over 100yrs.  Many of our customers have different styles of tactical pants for different applications and I’d have to say that I’ve owned and have tried on some really nice stuff from 5.11 tactical and Blackhawk.

Elite Operator Tactical has been in the industry for the shortest time period, but they have a really good group of people designing there products, with lots of experience with working with other clothing companies.    The reality is this, even if you make a sturdy product, the designs of the pants, pockets and materials are going to change.  The Eotac Style 201 pants are very useful if you are toting a Carbine, but due to the size of the cargo pockets, they aren’t good for holding smaller items.   The long awaited inventory of Eotac pants that have been sold out for 6-12 months.   Eotac pants come with a Warranty on the durability of the product so you money is well invested in the line.

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Watch out for some of those hunting gloves

Now is the time  of year when most of us that go hunting will walk into our favorite sporting goods store and see an entire section devoted to us.   After having the fortunate experience of seeing some of the new A-Tacs camoflauge from Eotac at the New Jersey Police and Security Expo, I wasn’t impressed with most of the camflauge I saw at Cabelas and Dick’s Sporting Goods.   The hard thing about chosing camo is that up here in the Northeast, we have serious changes in patterns and colors from year to year.  There are times when the Fall leaves don’t change and you still have to keep your green camo on.   Other times you need your light brown and possible white mixture to fit in with a snowy background.

Every year I am in the hunting section trying to see if anything new an appealing is out, I see the same fingerless gloves that I wore almost 20yrs ago.   These are sold as hunting gloves but they aren’t tactical gloves.   I have personally seen people jam firearms because frayed strings and materian got jammed up in an AR15 magazine from the thumb area of the glove.   Fingerless gloves are very practical for hunting because they give you some level of warmth, but do not interfere with your feel of a firearm.   Are they hunting gloves or tactical gloves? Much of the padding on the thumb areas are meant for gripping a firearm, but if you use it to load bullets into a magazine, you have to make sure that you aren’t potentially wearing on the actual woven fabric and not pressing on the the padding.   I ruined a pair of fingerless gloves that I had after 5yrs of hunting with them,  by just using them for 2 range sessions with semi-auto handguns and rifles.

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Some range observations about tactical gloves

I always had issues with using gloves with firearms which stems from my young adult hunting experiences.   The gloves you thought you needed for a hunting trip wouldn’t fit in the trigger guard.  Not only was this a safety issue, it was uncomfortableto hold the firearm because you actually had to squeeze harder just to get through the fluffy texture of the gloves.  The tactical gloves have different applications.  Some are full length which goes up the forearm, mid-lengths are a little shorter, and then there are shorter gloves that basically just cover the hand.   The thing you have to think about is these slight differences are about as relevant as wearing long pants, lightweight pants, and wearing shorts.

The only real difference that I find relevant to what type of tactical gloves to wear are fingerless or full coverage gloves.   Actually, there is one more thing to consider.   Many of the guys that work in tactical operations want the trigger finger glove cut off and this is something else to think about when selecting your gloves.  The Vickers tactical gloves have various cut off points for trigger fingers and will not split or tear beyond that point.   The A106 Duty gloves are only available in black, but the A107 are much a little heavier and give you more wrist coverage.  These will elimnate the need for changing out the trigger guard on your AR15 or M4 variant.

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Don Hume paddle holsters

I have a pile of Fobus gun holsters that have served me well and I don’t ever question the money that I have spent on holsters for the firearms that I now own.  I guess I’ve gotten smarter in regards to which configurations of holsters to have around.   I rarely carry using paddle holters due to the fact that I am usually not carrying openly and when I’m carrying openly I’m usually working with an M4 Carbine.   I have had bad experiences with some belt clip on holsters but I blame 90% of the failures on the gun belts I used, but I still have had them come loose on me.

For anyone that owns a medium to large frame sidearm, a paddle holster is something you should consider having available for your firearm.   Fobus seems to be the most commonly seen paddle holster at my ranges, but since I am a fan of Don Hume holsters especially for concealed carry I decided to pick up a paddle holster from them.   The first thing I noticed when I was wearing it was that it looked nice and felt like the $50 I spent on it unlike the $20 on the fobus.   The only thing I still to this day do not like are the thumbreak release on the top.   If  you practice enough it is something you can learn to get use to, but they really aren’t for me.   If I am going to take a step from Fobus gun holsters, I prefer the Blackhawk Serpa holsters.

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Cleaning revolvers is easier with a boresnake

I remember the first firearm I ever cleaned was a Marlin bolt action 22LR rifle.  To clean the gun, all you had to do was pull the bolt out the back by depressing a button and pulling it back.   You could look down the chamber and see all of the fouling and know how dirty it was.   Using Hoppes cleaning solvent on a wet patch would produce a dark black gun patch on the other end when pushed through with a cleaning rod.   After you did that a few times, I’d run a cleaning brush a few times and then run a dry patch until it ran clean.

Revolvers and some semi-auto guns like the M1 Garand or the M14 and Mini 14 can be tricky and need to be cleaned from the muzzle if you are using a cleaning rod, well a few decades ago a new innovative way of cleaning these firearms was invented.   The Hoppes boresnakes are the simplist way to speed up the process and to put dangerous wear on your barrel by using a cleaning rod.   The Hoppes Boresnake is caliber specific so you may want to pick up a few for various calibers.  There are also rifle and pistol versions.

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Choose youre cleaning system

Otis Cleaning Systemsquickly clean the receiver, chamber, neck and bore. The brass obstruction removers are used to knock out bore obstructions and stuck cases. With the components from the brass scraper tool set the bolt, bolt carrier, locking lugs, and upper and lower receivers can be thoroughly cleaned. The lens cleaner, lens tissues and mohair lens brush will assist you in making sure your optics are clean and clear. Don’t let the poor accuracy of unclean optics prevent you from achieving the results you deserve. The comprehensive instruction booklet and mini CD-Rom with video instructions will help give you flawless performance in mission critical situations.

 

This Law Enforcement .223 Cal./5.56MM cleaning system offers you the tools to clean and maintain every aspect of your rifle. This weapons maintenance system provides you the necessary tools to completely break down and clean some of the most critical parts of your firearm. One of the best, Otis gun cleaning kits. The Memory-Flex� cleaning rods, solid brass slotted tips, 100% cotton cleaning patches, bore brushes, and the all-in-one cleaner, lubricant, and preservative allow you to

 

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Choosing your footwear is a important as your selection in firearms

Maybe that is a stretch for some people, but I don’t think it’s really that hard to figure out.   Everyday we get in our car to get from point A to Point B because it’s the vehicle we need, but in climates where we have to deal with major seasonal changes, it’s time to put on different tires or drive the 4×4.   The traction on the tires you use says a lot about the type of footwear to use.   You don’t want big over sized tires that can slow your car down, nor do you want to wear shoes or tactical boots that are too heavy.

All of the Original Swat boots have outstanding traction, but you have to think about comfort.   Just as I would suggest you not expect to go into a hostile situation with a Glock 19 and that’s all you need, you may want an M4 or M16A3 in tactical footwear.  Sneakers will always give you speed, but in many of my converstations with SWAT Teams, they always want boots and gloves on due to the high probabilities of dealing with broken glass and hazardous material.  You may want to consider owning atleast 3 types of footwer from original swat.

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My Ranch gun and configuration

If you learn how to match your ammo to the barrel twist and do some serious slow fire testing you should be able to get MOA with a 3 shot group from one of these guns.   I use the Weaver Grand Slam on another Mini 14 if I think I might have to deal with prairie dogs.   If I am going specifically to hunt these animals, I’ll take a 22-250 and plan to setup for an afternoon with a packed lunch.   I’m a big believer in having a good a pair of binoculars with me just for getting a better field of view.

 

Even though I own more  than a few combat worth AR 15 rifles,  I still got back to my trusty Ruger Mini 14 for the job it was intended to be used for.  As I was discussin previously when it came to what types of footwear to use throughout the year, It would be nice if we could take a light version of what many of us carry when we know we don’t need the standard setup.   The great thing about the Mini 14 Ranch guns is that they are light and short, and they are also already setup for optics.   I have a few of these  guns with different Weaver rifles scopes, but I think the most applicable would be a fixed power 28-30mm optic.

 

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Dressed down look without losing your traction

We sell a lot of tactical clothing to Military and Law Enforcement, but we have a large customer base that are CCW holders or outdoorsmen that just like haveing clothing that gives them an edge over traditional store stuff.   There has been a new nitch in the concealed carry market for white collar office concealmeant which has shown up in the gun holster arena.   There has also been a huge trend towards very small and reliable 9mm and even an extremely popular trend towards .380 caliber guns.   Our line of Eotac Style 204 pants are very pocket gun friendly and due to the wide pocket designs are easy to retrieve stowed gear and weapons.

When it comes to shoes, depending on the dress code you have with your co-workers, you should be able to keep an office look, but still keep your traction without having to wear a pair of boots.   Try training for a defensive course with dress shoes and, well, I don’t think you’ll want to drive defensive movement in something like that.   Original Swat boots has an option worth considering, the Classic 6″ M.T. 1151 will give you superior traction compared to standard dress shoes.  These are a step down from what most people consider to be a boot, the SEK9000 is probable on the other end of street work.

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