Archive for February, 2012

Color variations as important as camo?

Well, yeah, and that’s one reason i’ve always had a problem with some of the Trijicon ACOGS because they are marketed as combat optics but they make you stand out like a sore thumb in certain environments.  The TA01 is probable what many people consider to be the standard ACOG but many like the idea of having illuminated reticles in day light and there is a major trade off.  If I am deployed in a combat zone,  I want the kill flash and TA01NSN because I don’t want some giant neon strand telling a sniper where my head might be.

If you look closely at what many of our troops are using in Iraq and Afghanistan you will notice that they area very much aware of this.  Many use a rag of some sort oer the optics to limit the visibility.  Its funny that even Trijicon AGOGS as advanced as they are still can still be a liability in combat for the same reason any scope can.   Counter sniping teaches that we can locate any sniper that is in a certain line of sight from us just by the reflection off of his optics.  Even night vision can pick up scope optics at long ranges.  There are always trade offs with firearms and gear.

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Big News about upcoming Promo from TruSpec

Rumor has it that Tru-Spec has something big in the works in the next couple months and those looking to find something in the tactical clothing market for a good price.  I think it’s smart for clothing companies to get smart and work with dealers to promote their products.   We’ve sold millions of dollars of gun accessories and tactical apparel in the last couple years and it’s rare for us to hear from a company about marketing to advertising promos that actually help us.   Things like pants, boots, gloves and shirts all wear or fade over time and need to be replaced.  Sometimes different changes in weather mean changing our clothings.

Everyone know what 5.11 pants are and everyone and their dog wore them at one point, but 80% of our customer base are disgrunted 5.11 clothing customers looking for something else.  5.11 has the EMS and Uniform business by the balls but keep any eye out on Tru-Spec.  TruSpec tactical pants have a very good fit and have a similar poly cotton ripstop design but does not shrink like the 5.11 stuff.  Now that Gunny has signed on to be the official Spokesperson for their product line I’d call that stability.   There tactical and EMS line is growing and expanding and we are looking forward to working with Tru-Spec in 2012

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Scope reticles can make you go crazy

I recently had a friend that is more of a hunter show up at our shop and picked up his first AR15 rifle.   I think it’s fairly common for people to use AR15 style rifles for hunting because there is nothing wrong with using a 10rd magazine and varmint or white tail hunting with one.   There are plenty of places in the Northeast where  you can take deer with a 75gr HPBT and get the job done, shot placement is what it’s all about.  Having a reticle that can give you a little bit of contrast in low light can increase your chances of getting a better shot.   If you don’t have a shot to make, no reticle is going to  help you.

Trijicon optics have very different purposes and even when you are dealing with just red dot optics, there are differences in quality and even just the size.  Too small might be hard to see but our selection of Trijicon Rifle Scopes from the RMR optic that can be mounted on a  handgun or rifle or even the top of an ACOG, to the Trijicon Accupoint rifle scopes.   Bow hunting is even seeing a large number of optics placed on them and this will have a positive impact in areas where there aren’t many places to hunt except for archery or bowhunting.  For a low tech thing like a crossbow, advanced optics gives you much better edge.

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Gas piston guns, are you going to get a good one for under $1000?

I have some very wise friends and when we first started to see the piston driven AR15s show up on the market “again” about 7yrs ago, it was mostly debates about the AR18, the LWRC piston driven firearms and the POF guns.   I think POF did a good job of staying in the market up until about 2yrs ago.   Now everyone and their dog is making one but I would still caution anyone from jumping in the fire and expecting theirs to be up to what LWRC is making.   The only argument you can make against LWRC guns is probable the H&K 416 variants.

Even with some of the earlier LWRC M6 rifles, there have been some changes, modifications and uprgrades.  I was fortunate enough to have been able to go to the LWRC factory and upgrade on of my LWRC AR15 upper receivers and get the new bolt carrier group without any altering of the firearm I have.  My LWRC M6A2 is a much older version compared to what is out now the barrel life is about 4x’s more.   There are still large variations in piston driven uppers and I got to shoot a Ruger 556 last year and was very impressed with the quality of the firearm, there may be more choices in 2012 and many of them look nice, but will there be modifications or changes to them and getting parts for yours might become harder and harder in 2-3yrs.

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New Product line coming to Rogue Elite

We are proud to announce they we have been expanding our product line and we have many more of the Warwick Mills Product line called Turtleskin to our inventory.  Warwick mills has made products for NASA and for Mars landing craft in the past and if you do some research the history is extensive.   Turtleskin products are not like any other products.  Their body armor is at a higher level than IIIA body armor.   There are slash resistant shirts as well and cell extraction products.  All these are products we will begin to bring in.

Turtleskin Police gloves are a new 2012 product and our first jump into supply the region with Law Enforcement “frisk gloves”.   The Turtleskin gloves called the Alpha and the Bravo gloves.   The first thing I did when I put them on was to try drawing my Glock 17 pistol and see how well I could do that.  Not that these gloves are designed as shooting gloves, but I just wanted to see how they felt.   I compared them with the Vickers tactical gloves that we have in stock and there is a big difference in feel.  You won’t be able to feel the tips of your fingers but why would you expect to.  The Alpha gloves felt thicker, but the Bravo gloves were very comfortable and my personal choice if I had to pick one.  Needless to say that there is always a compromise if you want puncture resistance.

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Too much to think about or lots to think about ?

After watching many Youtube videos about what is coming out in 2012 I was mostly bored out of my skull trying to understand why I would bother spending another $2000 for an AR15 that is slightly different than what I already own.   Sure there are improvements but spending $2000 on something that is 5% more of a gun than an AR15 that you already own doesn’t justify the cost.   I am a big proponent to upgrading what you have.   There was a really good article in Swat magazine years ago about improving what you already own and the small things you can do to improve your AR15.   Replace extractor springs, stake screws, lube your gun right and you’ve just improved your gun for less than $150.

If you are looking to make your Carbine a firearm that you can rely on, make sure you don’t over think the configuration and setup.   I understand why people spend $2000 on AR15 upper receivers that have folding front and rear sights, but if you have folding front sights keep in mind that you have one more step to getting your firearm up and running and that is something to seriously think about.   I am a firm believer that people need to adapt to weapons and gear and not always expect to adapt the firearm to them.  Fixed front sights have been around for a long time and I don’t think changing that another thing that needs to be folded or screwed on is worth the liability.

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Arguments about the Blackhawk Serpa Holsters are the same as the Glock vs 1911

I remember some of the biggest arguments against the 1911 were that they had a manual safety.   Then I started noticing that 90% of the Cops I know were putting their guns in Safariland or Blackhawk Serpa holsters.   What’s the difference?  There is no difference between having a safety on a firearm or a safety on a holster when it comes to deploying your weapon.   I don’t like the idea of having safeties on a concealed carry weapon because deployment in those situations means drawing a firearm from under clothing which in it’s self is another obstacle for you before you can get to the trigger.

I understand the flaws that are being debated and why many firearms instructors do not want those holsters in training classes, but some of the warnings are over reactive.   I have seen many news story of cops with Glocks shooting themselves and it wasn’t because they used Blackhawk Serpa holsters.   I use the Blackhawk drop down leg holster and am very happy with it.   I do not use them for concealed carry nor would I use a Safariland retention  holster.   The debate should not be about the equipment, but about the operator.  Some firearms and weapons should  not be in the hands of novice shooters because they may be more prone to hurt themselves like new shooters.

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Conceald Carry pants tend not to be….

We get the same phone calls every week and lately it’s been a great training tool for some of our new employees.  Many customers call out of curiosity but sometimes we have to display a lot of restraint about telling people which clothing they should be wearing and what size.   It is a hard thing to order clothing online because there are sizing variations between product lines as well as inconsistencies.   Sometimes people are just plain lazy and don’t want to research a product or ask their wives about sizing and we end up dealing with cranky people want us to exchange products because something didn’t fit right.

Along with sizing issues we get asked all the time about guns printing on shirts, pants and vests.   The only realy concealed carry pant that is out there  that are not tactical pants  is the Woolrich Elite Chino.   The Youtube video by Brian Miller gives you ideas on gun placements and how to prevent printing.  There are lots of variables and research and trial and error is something you will not be able to avoid if you want to reduce your chances on getting a wrong size.   We’ve been told by many of our customers that wore Woolrich Elite pants in the past, moved on to Eotac, and now are lost in the Wilderness and back to looking for something new.   We are now selling Tru-Spec, Blackhawk and 5.11 tactical pants, but the Woolrich Elite Chino is  our opinion is really the only real concealed carry pant.

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Accessories to rifle scopes for hunting or military applications

Anyone that has been at a firing range and done long range shooting is probable aware of the issue of scope glare.   For those that want to understand the sniper/counter sniper training, one of the first things you are going to learn is how to conceal your weapon in and environment.  The achilles heal of a sniper can sometimes be the optics that he needs to bring with him.  Scope glare is what ends a snipers life and in most situations, there is always the potential that a rifle scope will give off some level of glare.   Trijicon was aware of this when they were deploying the ACOGS in the MiddleEast and the flash kill is a must for those doing street work.  For police work or certain environments the high visibility of the Trijicon Fiber Optics cable can also have it’s unwanted attention, and some actually cover there so they are only partially exposed.

I have scope covers on all of my optics because I’ve put guns away in gun safes and had things fall on them where if they did not have covers,  I might be out several hundred if not thousands of dollars.   Trijicon Rifle Scopes are for military or hunting applications.   The Trijicon Accupoint gives you a unique reticle that is highly visible, but most of this is about preference. Trijicon reticles can vary dramatically depending on what the optics intended mission is.   There are traditional long range shooting optics with Mil-dots and are also heavily used for designated marksmen as well as sniper roles

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One thing I learned about SHOT Show 2012

Is that Magpul Industries is the leading AR15 accessories company by far and that will not change anytime soon.  I was watching some of the YouTube recaps of SHOT SHOW 2012, and the guns that I see coming out look like the same old overly designed  handguns and carbines that I will stay away from until they’ve had at least 5 years of service.  Just look at the pattern of recalls and redesigns on the Springfield XD and M&P guns and also the Glock Gen 4’s.   I don’t know why anyone would be the first to jump on a new design until it has been proven on the streets or in military service.

 
I am a big fan of the LWRC gas piston design and even though I love the LWRC REPR, it is a very expensive invenstment, Magpul accessories are even showing up on LWRC guns like the lighweight uppers and that is a great match.   Magpul accessories are the premier AR15 stock accessories. Sig Sauer has a couple new M4 variants and even a new gas piston 308 for about $2000.   Great idea but even my LWRC M6A1 has been through several production changes and the M6A1 I have now is not the M6A1 that are being made.   If you have the money to spend and want to have your first production that’s  your choice, but buyer beware because nothing seems to perfect off of the first run.

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