Eotac Field Jacket #1
The jacket may look heavier than it really is. I would suggest that you wear this in the Fall or Spring and use it as a surface layer and just add on base layer clothing is the temperatures get colder. We are discounting the Lizard patter jackets and the lizard patter Field Vest which also has similiar pocket designs. We have had virtually zero complaints about the fit of this jacket as long as the user reads our sizing guide and measure themselves properly. You will easily be able to carry fully loaded double stack magazines as well as flashlights and knives comfortable and not have to worry about printing. You will be able to carry small autos or j-frame guns in the outer pockets but I am not really a fan of carrying guns in coats, jackets or vests.
We have been selling a few brands of tactical clothing that from the pictures you see on our website, may look like they are the same thing. The reality is much of what you saw from Woolrich Elite over the years was marketed and designed by the people behind Eotac. While we let our customers debate over which products they prefer, the item we are selling now that we absolutely have an opinion about and aren’t afraid to say it is the new Eotac Field Jacket. This field jacket is designed for modern gear and is based off of the Algerian jacket that was issued in the 1950s. The fit and design of the pockets is superior to any simliar jacket and according to our customers this is the better jacket. The only complaint we have gotten on the jacket is that it doesn’t hang low over the belt line so you will have to take that into consideration when thinking about CCW options.
I first stepped into the world of tactical carbines after years of toting around an M16A2 for close to 10yrs. We basically had to clean and maintain our firearms daily when deployed and I often wondered what we might have been able to do during the day if we didn’t have such a high maintenance rifle. Looking back, I realized there wasn’t much else to do and this was something that we did to just occupy time. The M16A2 is not a very clean running firearm, but it can go for hundreds if not thousands of rounds without cleaning if it was lubed correctly from the beginning. In all of my years of service with the M16A2, and the years standing next to operators with AR15 rifles, I’d say 90% of malfunctions were bad magazines or improperly loaded, and bad ammo. The next was improper lubrication. It’s been a few years since I’ve been on the range during hunting season, but It was about 5yrs ago that I ran into an AR15 owner that said the key to running an AR15 reliable is to run it dry. Well, if you own an AR15 and you think this is true, I can’t help you.
I believe in having a holster for every handgun and a rifle case for every rifle. When people are putting $1000 Trijicon ACOGs on their rifles they are considered to be tough for combat, but sometimes things get slammed around in cars and unwanted dents and dings occur. SKB rifle cases are on the heavy side, but if you have a bigger sized vehicle, these are very easy to stow in and get out and it’s sturdy enough to not worry about damage if you have to bury it with other gear. You may even be able to keep most of the rifle magazines and accessories in the case as well as some othe range gear. Drag bags are another great rifle case, but they may be a bit of an overkill when it comes to using them for something as small as a Carbine.
SKB and Pelican make gun storage units that will protect your guns if they get knocked around. The foam pads can always be customized for specific guns and gear and I highly recommend doing so. I strongly believe in buying gun cases that are for specific firearms and especially so for rifles. You will be able to fit varying sizes of handguns in the pistol cases depeding on which way you place them, but rifles will get tricky and since most of them will have optics, you gotta be careful how much you pack them. There are even some rifle cases that can hold your magazines, pistol, and pistol magazines.
Here in Pennsylvania the laws for hunting with a crossbow have opened up new territory for hunters. Many people have stayed away from archery season for physical reasons. It takes more energy to bull a bow back and fire it, and hit what you are aiming at than simply bringing your Winchester Model 70 30/06 and taking a 100-600yd shot and then taking a sip from your coffee mug. I have to admit that I have found Archery to be fun if you have someone to help set you up, but it takes far more patience than some people have to be efficient. The only real drawback I have even seen to archery is that there are more bad shots in archery than I see with rifles and it’s not pretty to watch a wounded animal walk off and die and sometimes not be recovered. Pennsyvania has a deer problem. As a matter of fact, it has a huge problem. There are a declining number of people going out and hunting every year, but the number of car accidents has been inceasing.
Like many tactical shooting accessories, you have to put a lot of thought into which type of configuration you want on your Carbine before you spend the money or you will find out real fast you just spent $500 on some thing that you really didn’t need. The differences between using some of the fixed power Trijicon rifle scopes, Leupold CQT, and the Eotech 512 are considerable. Each can be used for many things with an advanced shooter, but they are intended for certain applications and within those boundaries, they work well. There was a shift away from the Trijicon ACOG for some military and law enforcement personel because once we invaded Iraq, and the house to house fighting went on for several years, the need for magnification was virtually unnecessary.
I have a few novice Carbine gun owners that have recently been thinking about taking training courses, but really didn’t have the ability to go away for 2-3 days straight. For many in the shooting community, we have wives or job commitments that make it difficult to get 18-30hrs away. Even though I consider myself to be an above average operator, with a few decades of experience under my belt, I have a fairly large collection of firearm instruction DVDs. I keep the bad instructional DVDs as references, but I only show certain ones to friends and family. Now that instructors can put out video at cheaper costs due to advances in video production technology, there are more and more videos coming out. I have some of Gabe Suarez’s videos, Clint Smith, Rob Pincus ect. and they all have their good points. Some are very basic, while others have good advanced lessons.
Gun magazines are designed for the caliber or manufacturer that they are meant to. Some rifle or pistol magazines can work in different firearms, for instance, the Beretta Storm 9mm can take Beretta 92 magazines and you may be able to find capacities for your guns that pistol magazines aren’t usually for. Putting anything more than a 10rd or 15rd magazine in a 9mm Pistol can be awkward, but put a 20rd mag that works in your Beretta 92 into a Beretta CX4 storm is an advancemnet.
I have had an above average level of firearm training, but I am very much aware that I’m no expert. I think anyone that claims to be an expert tends to have the wrong attitude and will eventually fall victim to complacency. There is a pretty well known youtube video of an “expert” showing students about firearms as he ends up putting a bullet into his foot in front of a class of school kids. One of the most important things I have learned about close and personal fighting with firearms is rifle and pistol sight differentiation. On a rifle you can shoot a bullseye at 300yds with your ACOG, but at 6ft, you might end up putting a bullet 3 inches over a bad guys forehead due to the barrel and optic offsets.
I was not a big fan of putting flashlights on rifles until I started working in the field and realized that having a light on a rifle was the most practical thing to have with a firearm after having bullets. It may sound funny to hear such a simple observation, but it’s true. How many times during the day do you think you’ll need to pull a firearm for defense in your home and how many times do you think you may need it at night? Most criminal activity occurs in low light and not having a light means not identifying your target.