Archive for September, 2012

Binoculars in your range bag

I have a pretty good range bag that I keep all of  my sight in tools and magazine conversion kits in it.  All of my hearing protection and sometimes a few loaded magazines.   The one thing I have always kept in there were my binoculars.   I have taught so many people to shoot firearms and there have been times that I totally forgot to bring a rifle with magnification on it when I was teaching new shooters to shoot with a 22LR and iron sights.  It’s good to start people out on iron sights whether it’s with a 22 bolt action or an AR15 A2 style rifle.   If the shooter is old enough and can handle the nose and the recoil the AR15 is a good starting point.

When you try to see those groups at 100yds, sure you can hit a once inch square at those distances and accurately group them, but if your sights are off or you are trying to determine where your novice shooter is hitting, you don’t want to have to call cease fires and check paper.  There are many differences in the light gathering abilities of optics but Bushnell binoculars are reasonable priced and for most practical purposes, they get the job done and won’t cost you hundreds of dollars.  It’s always a good idea to keep your lense clean and this can have a big impact on your light gathering and clarity.

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What type of optic for a DMR 308?

There is about a 10yr record of the M14 and new 7.62 firearms showing up on the battle field because the longer shots needed to be more potent.  I’m well aware of all of the reasons why the military switched to the 5.56 round but that was due to the notion that most combat took placed under 200yrs.   Now that we know that you can’t always call in an airstrike in a fight and sometimes you can see your enemy clearly but you just can’t get through the wall he’s hiding behind and the 5.56 steel core penetrator is just  going to take too long to get through concrete.   From what we hear from the men coming back from Iraq, that was what the DMR’s job was.   To get through things that the 5.56 round couldn’t.

Now that optics are common on firearms, we have pretty much accepted that optics like Leupold, Trijicon and others are well deserving to be on a combat rifle.  One problem we see on non AR10 style weapons is finding good mounts, but LWRC uppers have pretty much taken the top tier of piston driven guns and the LWRC Repr is probable the most comfortable 7.62 gun i’ve fired.   I have to admit that many of the arguments against direct impingement guns are moot, but the ergonomics and quality of LWRC guns, parts and uppers is top notch.

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Every day or go to bag for the car, any suggestions? Yep!

We’ve had a lot of bags go through our store and 5.11 tactical seems to have a really good product and there Rush messenger bags and the Rush 72 bags are a big hit with the EMS and Paramedic community.   We did a  lot of thinking over the last couple years about what products we were going to be bringing in and one thing that we find more and more common in the Law Enforcement Community is buying products made in the USA.  Many customers are willing to pay more for an American Flag logo than for something made in China.  It makes sense if your job is to protect this national and uphold the Law of the Land and wear the gear and equipment that is made here.

That seems to be a bit harder these days although I have seen many tactical products showing up that are made in this Country.  The M4 Roller is the largest of the Elite Survival Bags that we stock and it was very well received by the SWAT and Paramedic departments.  This is a hard thing for people to know if they wants to buy if they aren’t holding it in their hands and going through all of the compartments.   This a really big bag and something you’ll want to pick up on location rather than buy it online.  If you are looking for a very comfortable grab and go or 24hr bag to leave in the car the Smokescreen concealment pack has a holster compartment for a firearm but also has a very low profile.  The navy version of the bag is pretty cool because it looks more like something that should say Nike on it.

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Yes, there is a difference between Gaclo, Don Hume and Desantis

When we got the Galco and Desantis holster catalogs we were pretty overwhelmed by how much stuff they had in there and it was really hard to figure out what we should start bringing in.  First, I can’t say that one is better than the other because each has certain products that are tried and tested and look at function well.  The Miami Classic shoulder holster is still very popular with Law Enforcment because it has that “look” that some professionals want.   Most major companies like Galco, Don Hume and Desantis have very consistent quality products and we never get complaints about fit unless it’s a novice gun owner that doesn’t  know they need a break in period.

There are many differences in hand sizing and not every ones fingers are going to reach.   There are tuckable Desantis Holsters that have caught on with many white color concealed carry holders.   Not all pocket holsters are the same and each holster may have an edge functioning with you with a certain type of firearm.  I’ve got Don Hume Jit holsters for many of my medium frame guns but it didn’t work quite so well with my Glock 19. It was something about the balance and the depth of the holster but for my Sig 239 and my Smith & Wesson 38 Special, it’s actually my favorite firearm holster for the majority of my guns.  You probable won’t know until you tried them though.

 

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Kimber Pepper Blaster our number 1 selling less lethal device

I think we can honestly say as a retailer of tactical gear and firearm accessories that when we are asked about the various pepper sprays that we carry, that we’ve gotten 100% positive feedback about the new Kimber Pepper Blaster II.  I guess Kimber might have gotten sued over the Kimber Guardian Angel name or something because they changed it for some reason.  The Pepper Blaster II has been out for over a  year and this redesigned version is a big improvement.  The original version which was called the Kimber Guardian Angel had more of a TV remote control feel to it.   The design was not as securely held in your hand especially if you have smaller fingers.

If you want to avoid dealing with law enforcement for brandishing firearms carrying a less lethal device as a backup or secondary might be a good idea.  Some of these flash mob incidents wouldn’t look so good on the news if you started a shootout with unarmed individuals especially minors but the kimber pepper blaster II is a good 2 shot weapon that can be used on a bad guy to deter them from any bad behavior.  The best selling point about these besides the firearm looking grip and design is that these last for about 4yrs.   Knowing your $40 purchase won’t go to waste or loose energy in a year is a good thing.

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Boogie Regulator reviews from customers

The most popular selling Smith Optics Elite eyewear we have now is the new Boogie regulator.  Lots of military personnel have been putting in orders with us for this eyewear and for $40 it really is the best bang for the buck.  We were shocked when we saw the price tag on these because not only are they half the price of regular goggles that are probable more practical to wear for a SWAT Team or a tactical team.  We’ve seen numerous images of Chris Costa and Travis Haley wearing the Smith Optics Elite eyewear and the product line has really taken a strong hold in the tactical and military community.

It always amazes me how certain products we sell crossover to other markets and this piece of ballistic eyewear is one of those products.  We get a lot of Bikers showing up at our doors for boots and footwear but the Smith Optics Elite Boogie regulator googles cross over to anyone on a bike.   The gray lense and ignitor lenses seem to be more popular than the clear but many of the Police that are on motorcycles have been buying them also.  The venting seems to work very well if  you are moving and the ambidextrous adjustments for opening and closing the ventilation are easy to use.

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You get what you pay for in optics, firearms and safety equipment

I got a hold of a few samples of other ballistic eyewear this week and it’s been over a year that I have been wearing the Smith Optics Elite division of eyewear.   I’ve worn safety glasses for almost  20yrs and couldn’t tell the difference between the ones I used for cutting the lawn and weed wacking vs the ones I wore when I was shooting a 22lr rifle at boy scout camp.   The one thing I have learned over the years is to make sure I put the glasses back in a case or have a clip on cover over my car visor so they don’t get scratched up.  Even ballistic eyewear can get scraped up and once that is done, it will no longer be of much use causing blind spots or annoyances.

The tactical lifestyle eyewear has a broaders customer base and is very popular with range officers.   The ballistic eyewear from Smith Optics Elite has grown in 2012 and the new Boogie regulator and the lo profile googles have caught on.   We still carry the smith Optics elite standard goggles and the Turbo fan goggles but due to so many variations in military helmets and such, you need a broader selection of goggles for those  operating out of helicopters, using night vision and those in standard issue kevlar helmets.   We are a full line dealer and have a large selection in our store for  you to check out so stop in sometime.

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Not announcing your firearm while trying to take cover

There have been many times that I have been at the range and was downrange changing targets and could look back and see the firearms on the table.  I remember hearing about all of those sniper and counter sniper stories about seeing the flash of a rifle scope and knowing exactly where your opponent was.  It really is that obvisous when you are on the opposite end of a rifle and the sun is behind  you but there are also may modern acccessories that don’t help you keep a low profile.   Trijicon sells the flash kill device for then end of an ACOG and they are very important is sunny places like Iraq.  As soon as you look out the window with your firearm you can announce your presence from hundreds of yards away if you do  not use a flash kill.

Many flashlights also give you away and having a red lense over the end of your light or anything other than the white reflective mirrors can help.  There are other things you can do by even using different color magpul pmags other than Black.   Black magazines can cover you in darkness but in certain urban environments foliage green or flat dark earth might be a better magazine to use.  Mixing up your rifle stock colors or even painting it to match it’s environment can help give you a better chance at using concealment.

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Taking down zombies the right way

Sometimes training can be fun and all of this Zombie Apocalypse stuff can be used for good use.  Firearms are dangerous but so are many sports especially contact sports.   Some gun ranges ban silhouette targets because they don’t like the idea of having people on a firearm line and training to shoot human targets.  Well, in all honesty a balanced person shouldn’t have problems shooting at human like targets because that is most likely what a CCW licensed person would be defending themselves against.   The same ranges that ban silhouette targets might allow you to shoot at monsters and zombies.

Many gun clubs have IDPA or various competitions but the zombie shoots have caught on because can and are practical training excersises.   The are big differences in some of the zombie targets that we sell, some are animals and others look like zombie hoards about to attack you.   The best ones are the ones with the zombie attacking you with a weapon.   Knowing how to take down a zombie with a shot to the head or knowing you have the skills to shoot a specific area of the target under stress is real training.  You always save money on on targets when you buy bulk.

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There is a method of concealment for each situation

When Summer rolls around here it sometimes gets difficult to carry the firearm that you carrid in the Winter.  Several of my Law Enforcement buddies have told me that they carry Sig 230’s most of the time and keep it simple.   I have friends that carry full size 1911s, they can conceal them very well but carry it near the spine is not a safe way to carry in my opinion and it’s hard to run and play baseball when  you carry a large frame firearm.  The Glock 26 is another firearm that many carry in the Summer because its a much shorter gun that can almost be carried in a pocket.

I never bash people for carrying in a fanny pack because I had to do it for a job and most people I talked to said I looked like a Pizza delivery guy and it fit the situation.  I noticed many women carrying at parks with something that could easily be Blackhawk gun cases or a Blackhawk Fanny pack.   The only bad thing about some of the tactical bags and the fanny packs is seeing the name on the bag which can be a dead giveaway to a profession, but from my experience the dumbest criminals tend to be the biggest threats.

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