Archive for July, 2010

Magnification and tracking movement

binocularsRifle scopes and spotting scopes each have their intended purposes.   A good rifle scope and act as a spotting scope in some situations, but not everyone wants to have a 50mm objective lense on their rifles.  Sometimes when I’m going to be shooting an AR15 that is setup with iron sights, I use to  bring one of my rifles that had a 3-9×40 scope and just use that for spotting.    The more I’ve progressed as a shooter, the more I realized that it would be nice to be able to just setup a spotting scope on my target and after pulling the trigger on my AR, I could just roll over and see the holes on paper since the spotting optic was already sighted on it.

I thought the need for using binoculars when going target shooting was unnecessary, but after taking a long range shooting course, I realized that the guy with the binoculars, even if they did not have a lot of magnification, usually high more visibility, a better field of view, and could identify movement faster than the guy with the high magnification on his rifle scope.   The problem I still saw with some binoculars was that they were heavy and can easily reflect a lot of light.   There are tacticals that can  help you avoid portraying a lot of reflective light from your objective lenses, but the better option is to only use binoculars that get the job done, and not something that is an overkill.  I’d recommend using binoculars that are atleast 25-30 mm as a  minimum.

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It’s metal, it’s shiny and it’s cool

Tactical KnivesUtility knifes can be tactical, but my idea of a tactical knife is something with a good sharp edge that can be used defensively, can pry things open and also be used to cut a seat belt without sawing it.   Folding knifes are in their own category and I know some people frown on them, but you gotta use what you have and know in your mind what it is capable of withstanding and what it can be used for.

I think that sums up about 75% of what the tactical knives market and the remaining 25% have a different reason they own a knife.   I think a lot of America has lost the idea of how useful a knife is these days, probable because people have access to so many fancy tools that the idea of having to sit there an sharpen something that knife owners know is a tool, is something they don’t understand.  Nowadays, most highway emergency reponse and law enforcment are carrying knives that can slice a seat belt in half a second.

 

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Tactical knives for life saving purposes

tactical knivesAnyone that works for a fire company will tell you the stories about having to cut people out of cars.   This is literally what occurs when really bad car accidents occur.   Not only do you have to pull people out of twisted metal, but you may have to cut them out of their seat belt of they were fortunate enough to be wearing one.   Storing fix a flat in your car is very practical and useful for you and if you know someone who is in a bad situation that can use it.    There are times when I have done more good samaratin deed and handed someone a can of fix a flat and told them to just get on their way, but what about if you get in a car wreck, can you get yourself free of your own seat belt?  They make quick and easy to detach slings for rifles for such incidences, but seat belts can restrain  you in situations where you need to get out.

Any knife should be able to cut through a seatbelt if used properly, but some of the rescue tactical knives work much better.   Something you should consider for your car, not only for you, but what if you come across a car that was in an accident and the driver or passengers are trapped inside and something is burning?   What if you’re in the car and you can’t even find the belt release because the car is twisted up?   I’ve seen people walk away from some pretty bad wrecks unharmed, but I also know of people dying in fires because bystanders didn’t have anything to break the glass or get them out of the seat belt.   We have a few rescue knifes in stock for these types of purposes at Rogue Elite.net

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Range mags and carry mags

pistol magazinesThe Mini 14 was hands down the gun that was  hit the hardest by the AWB in the 1990’s.   Ruger is now making 20rd and 30rd magazines available to the public and those magazines were going for close to $100 at one point in the later 1990s’.    There is nothing wrong with having magazines for firearms that are not the best, sometimes it’s better to rotate through cheap magazines and practice malfunction drills or just toss them when they were out.   You don’t want to use  your carry mags all the time because if you are shooting through hundreds of rounds of ammo using the same mags that you use for your daily carry, you may find out at the wrong time that the springs need to be replaced.   I picked up a good supply of Mil-Spec 1911 7rd magazines that I rotate through my guns and save the Wilsons Combat Magazines for the serious shooting.   When the mil-spec mags start jamming too much, I just toss them.

I’m not so sure there is as much of an issue in the gun industry as there once was concerning factory mags vs. aftermarket.   Most gun manufacturers can legally get their products to the civillian market without major legal issues.   Back in the 1990’s trying to get “Standard Capacity” magazines meant paying 4-5 times what they should have cost.   I remember avoiding certain firearms just because I knew that the magazines would cost $50-$100 and that just didn’t seem like a good investment at the time.   I noticed sales of the Beretta 92FS were very common back then because they were one of the few firearms that has resonable priced pistol magazines.   Finding good deals on used Glock magazines was a whole other issue, but if you weren’t buying guns back then, you probable have a hard time understanding how complicated the situation was.

 

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Do we all wear the same size gloves?

rifle stocksAnd the answer is no, we do not, so why do people expect us to be able to shoulder the same size rifles or grip the same size handguns comfortable?  Even if you’re a guy, you’re not all built the same, and luckily the military has caught on to this.    If I had a nickel for every WWII vet I know that made a comment on how big the Garand was and how many of them had trouble shooting one, I’d be rich.   The M1 Garand is a very accurate and powerful rifle, but not everyone could hand them.   If you field a rifle of the same caliber today, and allowed people to adjust the stock for their comfort, recoil issues go away.

In the last few months I’ve had a lot of consultation with new gun owners about home defense weapons and assessing how they could be deployed and used within their homes.   Many of them always thought about handguns being used in their homes and never rifles but there are carbines with rifle stocks that use the same rounds as the pistols.  Everyone seems to think that a rifle is too much or too hard to manage, but now that pistol caliber Carbines are so prevailant.  Why not.    I prefer to mount lights on rifles rather than handguns, and I also know that most novice shooters will be safer and more proficient with a Carbine over a handgun.   At the very least, a rifle is easier to retain and become a baseball bat than a handgun.   Please keep in mind that bullet selection is extremely important when deciding on a Carbine or rifle in your home.   There are some very well thought out M4 rifle stocks, Beretta Storm, and shotgun stocks that are very good for home defense.

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Why Laser Sights?

Crimson Trace Laser GripsWhy Laser Sights? Immediate Decisive AdvantageThe answer is short-and-sweet: Lasergrips provide you with instant and overwhelming advantages you wouldn’t otherwise have. Laser sights simply help you shoot better, with greater speed and accuracy, which translates into increased confidence—even in tense and threatening scenarios, when hours and hours of vigilant training can disappear in a haze of panic and confusion.

 

Maybe it’s a conversation with a shooting buddy, or with your better half, or maybe with yourself. The topic used to center on whether laser sights such as Crimson Trace Lasergrips have a legitimate place in the world of guns and personal defense. (Which, of course, they do.) So today the specific question is more along the lines of: “How much more effective will a laser make me?”

 

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Eotac Style 202 Tactical Pants review

tactical pantsI’ve been wearing Eotac tactical pants for almost 2yrs now.   We got a hold of some of the early production that were slightly different in fit from what is being produced now.   There were originally a few complaints coming from customers that were almost always weight lifters or body buildings.   Some of the pants were getting  a little tight around the thighs so Eotac quickly changed the production.    Now that the pants have gone through several productions, we’ve gotten great response from our customers on the design of the pants.  Many of our customers are not happy about the 5.11 tactical pants that they have been wearing for  years and wanted something new,  a few of them were Woolrich Elite Series customers the wanted to try something new.

There have been times I’ve been at conventions where I’d have to admit that it was hard to tell what manufacturer people were wearing because so many of them looked almost identical, but once you look closely you can tell right away.   The reality is this, there are plenty of well made pants out there, but there are also just as many cheap  tactical pants that if they were worn several times a month, and washed more than a few times, they’ll shrink or fall apart.   Eotac not only puts itself in the category of higher quality, but it offers a Warranty for all of their products if there is a production issue.    The most unique thing I have found about wearing these pants over 5.11 and Woolrich Elite, is the pockets are bellowed.    If you need pockets for mag dumps or carry lots of gear, these pants will give you a little more room, but not balloon out like BDU pants do.

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Lasers on J-Frames

Crimson Trace laser gripsI’ve often noticed that some of the most experienced shooters I know that you would imagine could probable carry a Argentine FAL concealed actually all carry very small and lightweight firearms.   The J-Frame seems to be the number one, but I have been noticing that there are a few very reliable autos being made by Ruger and Kahr.  I understand the need for training, but there have been drawbacks to many of  the snub nose revolvers I have fired.  Number one, they tend to have terrible triggers and the sights are so small they are hard to use.   I’ve put plenty of lead downrange, but I have done tests with 5 shot revolvers and the difference between double action trigger pulls and single can be significant.   If you’ve only got 5 rounds, you have to make every round count.

After several attempts at buying another pocket auto, I had a convesation with the salesperson that said everyone he knows that is carrying a J-frame is now carrying it with  Crimson Trase Laser Grips.   I’ve seen a lot of pocket lint on firearms and I would have to say that it is something I would be concerned about if I was carrying an auto, I believe the revolver has an edge in this regard.  A laser grip will add on another $160-$200+ to your gun, but if you prefer to carry a revolver.  Adding on a laser will increase your effective range and possible give you and intimidation factor if you ever had to pull it.

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Understanding the mindset of using lasers

Crimson Trace Laser GripsThere has been much talk over the last 2 decades about lasers and flashlights being a liability to an operator more so than an asset.   In about 45 seconds of teaching closer quarters combat and inside the home self defense, a laser is an obvious outing of a users location.   I understand that if you are trying to sneak around  your house and take out a threat, a laser that is turned on will tell the threat you are near.   Flashlights run the same risks if they are used incorrectly, but try and tell a SWAT Team to enter a dark room and determine where a threat may be hiding and whether or not an innocent bystander is hiding in the dark.
The simple tactical solution…. know when to turn your laser on and off.   I could twist the scenario around even more.   If someone broke into your home at night, and you or your wife was hiding upstairs, pointing a laser on  your downstairs wall or floor will notify the threat that you are waiting for them and the gun is pointed in their direction, do you think  they will choose to come  upstairs?  Flashlights can temporarily blind a bad guy, but it will also tell him which direction to shoot.   If you are in your home and a break in occurs, turn all of the lights on in your house and you won’t need a flashlight.     Crimson Trace Laser grips need to be thought of in offensive and defensive tactics.   There are times in football that you go long, and other times you just gotta block and stay on the line of scrimage.

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Big Sale on Eotac Shirts for limited time

tactical shirtsWe’re running a huge sale on our concealed carry and Eotac shirts.   Even though we are in the midst  of one of the warmest summers, we’re discounting many of our long sleeve and heavier clothing for you to stock up on when Fall rolls around.   Eotac tactical shirts that are on sale are the Style 407, Style 408.   The shirts that fall under the CCW shirts are the Style 403,  Style 404 and Style 409.   Our most popular summer CCW shirt is hands down the Styles 403 and Style 404 because they are about as lightweight as a cotton t-shirt.   These shirts are excellent options in extremely warm weather and still allow concleament but easy access to gear near the belt line.

We are only discounting these shirts for a limited time so  if you are a 5.11 customer or other tactical apparel wearer, nows the time to test the waters with the new Eotac tactical apparel line.    Eotac clothing has been on the market for a little over a year and half and is designed by the same designers that originally created Woolrich Elite Series clothing.    The tactical shirts are all heavier weight and the most popular selling one is hands down the Style 401.  Tactical shirts become very practical when operators are needing to carry more of their office or training and communication tools with them.   The pockets are designed for the most common types of notepads and modern cell phone accessories.

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