Archive for June, 2012

You may want to change the way you clean you firearms

There are many tools that can make your gun cleaning experience more efficient and product as far as time goes, but that might cost you money.  One problem many seem to have with this is most gun shops just carry the basic gun cleaning supplies and trying to f ind a tactical shop that sells all of the accessories and cleaning tools for an AR15 is difficult.  The AR15 especially the direct impingement version is the dirtiest firearm I own and cleaning the chamber is difficult if you don’t have the correct brush.

Gun cleaning oils and strippers have improved over what simple Hoppes gun cleaning kits use to issue.   Cleaners like M-Pro7 are much safer gun cleaning supplies to use and all it takes is a little research to see how dirty and unsafe some of the other products are.  If you have to clean it in an open air environment it’s not good to have it on your hands either.   Break Free CLP is still the most versatile gun cleaning liquid but there are better and more effective lubricants.   Many of my friends actually use Mobil 1 as a gun oil.

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Tactical knives and utilities

There are many things you can do with a knife depending on the way it has been cut.   The funny thing about working trade shows and selling knives though is running into all of the people that were carrying knives but were not sharpened.   An un sharpened knife does mean it won’t cut through something which can usually depend on the weight of the blade and the strength of the person slicing, but it sure is a waste of energy.

We do carry a lot of rescue type tools and knives because so many in our customer base work for emergency management or paramedic departments or just responsible citizens.  The SOG knives that we sell have multi tool and standard blade sizes, but SOG Fusion tactical tomahawk is actually one of the best selling emergency tools.  The axe can shop or break through an object and is something we would highly recommend them for keeping in a cary.

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So many choices and so much good stuff!

Instead of getting a new AR15 upper receiver with a longer or shorter barrel, instead of buying a better quality bolt carrier group or doing some minor tweaking, just change the furniture.    Magpul industries is King of the AR15 accessorizing and the new MOE products really do give you something new to adjust to.   We have a blue rifle that we attach accessories to and let our customer hold them in their hands and try them out.   All gun grips should be customized by the shooter because just like footwear, our feet as well as our  hands come in different sizes, so why would we issue the same size rifle stocks or attachments to a Carbine.

A good operator knows that this is true and each of us has to be able to adjust our accessories to the job that we intend to do with our Carbine.  We have sold a lot of CMMG and Spikes Tactical uppers as well as many of the higher end AR15 uppers like LWRC and Noveske.   There isn’t really much of a difference between these guns as far as reliability, but there gas piston guns are much lower maintenance.  This year Spikes Tactical uppers have been so hard to acquire that many have actually chosen to save up their money and pick up piston driven uppers.  We’ve sold more LWRC M6 uppers this year than ever before.   Stay tuned for the new M6A5 coming out later this summer.

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What do you want in a weapon mounted flashlight?

What do you want as far as size and power from a flashlight?  I think most people would always want the smallest and lightest flashlight that had a reasonable burn rate and was rechargeable.   Rechargeable flashlights are of the future and anything that is mounted on a gun right will eventually not need battery replacement.  It’s one of those things that you know when you monitor the economy or any industry.   You have ideas and work towards them and if you have the right people you will be able to get to your goal much faster.  I believe that Eotech gun sights will eventually have small solar panels on them that will charge the rechargeable batteries when not in use or while in use.

The same thing is going to happen for flashlights but considering how powerful some flashlights are it might be awhile before they are practical.   I have been happy with just a Streamlight G2 LED flashlight on my M4 Carbines but for outdoor work I have been  using the ATN Flashlights like the javelin or the ATN tactical light with 600 lumins.  This thing is powerful and is something that you do to light up an area not just an individual target.  They work well by issuing it to a tactical team member who’s job is to use the white light.

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The modifications can really make it more fun

I think it’s most gun owners fantasy to walk  into a shop and be able to pick things up and try them on before they buy them and that’s one thing that really makes shopping on the internet an easy thing.  Being in the retail business and e-commerce business, we don’t like having to deal with exchanges and returns because it really burns up money.  People think that charging restocking fees is being a dick, but when you give out free shipping and then people tell you they got the wrong part and the same thing happens a dozen times a week, you gotta warn people to put some thought into their shopping.

The way to get around that issue is to got to your dream tactical shop and pick up your magpul gun accessories or stock accessories before you buy.  Just like gun accessories AR15 complete upper receivers are another thing people want to eyeball before buying.  Gun weight and balance is something that each of us has a different tolerance for and preferences.

 

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What’s the deal with the Elite Tactical Magazines vs Wilson Combat 47D mags?

I first found out about the Wilson Combat Magazines after having not so good experiences with the Colt magazine that my  1911 came with.  At the time I knew nothing about the  throating on the barrel or the way 1911 firearms fed bullets and the limitations of ammo selections.  The 1911’s of today are not the 1911 of the 1940’s.  Those guns got the job done, but the effectiveness of the firearm’s caliber was more important than whether or not it took hollow point ammunition will run in the gun.   What is available today in not the round nosed 45acp lead rounds that were issued in World War II.

Sometimes we shop because we want the best and others we are frugal and just want the product that gets the job done and doesn’t kill our pocket book.   We’ve had extensive periods of range use with Wilson Combat Magazines and that’s why we’re going to say they are our best magazine, but you can get the well used and proven Chip McCormick magazines for about 10 dollars less.   I have personally not used those but there seems to be a  lot of complaints about some magazines not being flush fitting or not dropping free for various firearms.  There are so many variations in 1911 productions now that sometimes you might have to do some research about parts and accessories operator in the way that you want them to.

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Those pocket guns everyone is carrying

Everyone and their dog seems to be carrying a .380 pistol and the new surge seems to be for the Diamond back .380.   We’ve sold several of the Elite Survival holsters fore this gun and many have been using laser grips from Crimson Trace.   I personally don’t like carrying anything smaller than a 9mm due to the ballistics, but I have seem some improvements with them.  There definitely should be concerns about how much of this ammo you can shoot through smaller guns before you find out is too much wear.  Some defensive ammunition can push the limits on firearms and this should be noted when purchasing one.   The Rohrbaugh R9 gun is something that comes to mind.

When you are looking for a gun to carry every day, sometimes its really more about comfort and not caliber.  Most of the guns I’ve put Crimson Trace Laser Grips on were large frame guns that I  used in my home.   It was for added  confidence for less trained shooters.   I find lasers to be a better tool than flashlights in homes because flashlights don’t need to be used if you are in your own home and all you have to do is turn the lights on.    A small .380 pistol is a good CCW gun and for low light situations and for added intimidation for your mouse gun, the Crimson trace laser grip selection might work for you.

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Improve your proficiency, modify your firearms

Many people don’t realize until after they spend the day at the range that many of their shooting skills can depend on how well they can adapt to a firearm.  Some firearms can be very hard to get proficient with and that’s not your fault.  One of the biggest reasons the AR15 has become so widely accepted is because is much easier to adapt to.  Now that so many police departments and agencies have been allowed to modify their firearms, gun accessories have become more versatile every year.  The new Magpul MOE is a new generation and though process in developing and adapting your Carbine.

The biggest trend these days is a trend towards having a light carbine.  Realistically speaking the Magpul accessories for the AR15 rarely add much weight, it’s usually the quad rails or barrel selections that do this.  The MOE eliminates some of these problems but you will have to figure out what size rails you will want to attach.  Like all attachments to firearms, you really want to loctite everything down once you are sure your placements are correct.  It’s always good to get a stock adjustment tool fo easier adjustments and tweaking.

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Run on gun holsters as well as other firearm parts

There have been many products on our website that have been sold out for months and getting them back in here anytime soon isn’t going to happen. There are a few distributors we have had to stop dealing with and become direct dealers because the wait periods were so long.  Spikes Tactical and Don Hume gear and accessories have been so hard to get and this has to be the first time I have ever heard of there being a run on gun holsters.   Leather gun holsters tend to look really nice and have a very different appeal.  Many of them are extremely comfortable to wear especially the Kingtuk holsters.

We are a stocking Desantis gun holster dealer and they have many products that are similar to the Crossbreed and Galco holsters.  Our product lines tend to match up with whatever Galco holsters are the most popular.  From inside the waist holsters, tuckable gun holsters, shoulder holsters and ankle holsters. There are some really good reviews you can google or even watch on Youtube if you want to see product comparisons, recently we discovered that Galco holsters have a very unique appeal because you can tell the difference in style between Desantis holsters, Don Hume and Galco.

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Blackhawk lightweight tactical pants are a hit

Sometimes when new stuff comes out we just sit back and let our customers tell us if it’s a good product.  Now that several of our tactical pants competitors have fizzled out we’re looking for tactical clothing that is made our customers don’t complain about.   I will admit that these tactical pants have a different fit to them and when I move in them they do not seem as comfortable as the Tru Spec and Eotac pants that I am use to.  But to each his own when it comes to fit and comfort.  Material makes a big differences to me in certain climates and although I have worn 100% cotton ripstop pants for 7yrs. The Tru Spec and Blackhawk Poly Cotton blend do not really bother me at all.

Some people want to get away from the 5.11 tactical pants that they have been wearing and right now there is so much out there to keep against 5.11 tactical clothing.  I see a few companies have attempted to design their own tactical pants but those are really just cheap range pants or better yet, yardwork tactical apparel.  We’re still waiting to  find out about all of the manufacturing changes that are taking place and hoping we don’t have any distruptions in product lines again.  TruSpec seems to be very aggressive in getting their products on the market with month long tactical pants and tactical polo promotions.  Next fall we will be on board for some nice outer wear promos.

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