Archive for February, 2013

Generation 3 Magpul Pmags hitting the market

magpul 30rd pmags for saleThis year was a year to remember and it looks like the famed Magpul Pmags are enemy number 1 of the anti-gun crowd.   It’s amazing to watch people demonize an object and put down the blame that 10rds vs. 30rds has any impact on gun crime.   We’re hearing from Law Enforcement customers that are annoyed the things that they need are becoming so hard to get.   Given that we here at Rogue Elite have the gift of foresight, get ready for the Magpul pmags that are going to end up back in stock on all of these gun auction sights. The panic buying is over and it’s time to replace your old AR15 magazines.

Standard Capacity magazines may be affected in certain States and shockingly in Colorado where Magpul is most likely going to have to relocate.  I got to hold the new Magpul 30rd magazines for sale at a convention in South Carolina a few weeks ago and got the whole low down on them.  I have no idea why the United States Government doesn’t have these as standard issue.  Now that any of the fit arguments are over Magpul as a company should be considered an asset to our Nation and not be getting kicked out of a State.

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Still seeing the 1911 being used in Law Enforcement

chip mccormick magazines Today we had a police officer mention firearm retention during arrests and why the Blackhawk Serpa holster was his preferred gun holster.   Another Officer mentioned that he still used a 1911 because he liked the idea that if someone was unfamiliar with this firearm that even if they got it in a struggle they might not be able to shoot it.   There are always different scenarios that you can run with, with each tactical or mechanical device and you use.  Training and gaining muscle memory is something that is hard to change and it’s very hard to jump back and forth with firearms and be proficient.   I suggest consistency is more important and will make you less prone to making errors.

There are reasons I love the 1911 and reasons I don’t use it as a primary sidearm but if I did carry it, I would probable have to put in more range time to remember to disengage the safety every time.  If you are looking for reliable and consistent 1911 magazines for under $30 the best one I use is the  8rd Chip McCormick magazines called the Power Mag.  I have never seen a reason to  not use 8rd magazines although I think the 1911 looses it’s balance with 10rd magazines.   The 10rd Power Mags are very popular for competition shooting so again, it’s also about training and adjusting to the firearm or device.

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Some changes to the Smith Optics Elite product line

Smith Optics EliteSmith Optics Elite is a our primary safety eyewear in our store and online.  We have a full line of their sunglasses as well as their goggles.  The Smith Optics Elite turbo fan is our number 1 swat team goggle and the new LoPro goggle is something that our military personnel use for night vision.   There are profile and fit differences between many of the eyewear products that Smith Optics has out and their product line is another one of those that people hate to buy  online because they want to know how it feels and fits and shelling out $100 for something like this is too much for people to handle so we know we have to stock them here in our Broomall PA showroom.

People can over rate eyewear but for people that actually work in the industry know that there are quality differences and accidents and mishaps occur as well as every day hostilities. Along with our newest products like the Boogie Regulator and the smith optics elite tactical sunglasses there is the Echo and the Compact Aegis eyeshields.  There is also an Asian Fit for the obvious customers.  There is also a dual ballistic lense for the tactical goggles as well as multicam.    This year Smith Optics Elite has introduced a new frame for the eyewear that has a camo look to it.

 

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More feedback from customers about the optics they are buying

Trijicon TA01NSN for saleWe’ve stepped into the Law Enforcement Supply market this year and have had many new products come in that we would never have expected to have.   The Easy Unlocking Tools have come in and some of our local police departments have asked us to keep them around.  Other things like police badges and patches are new to us but it’s interesting how happy people that they don’t have to buy these things online and pay for shipping.    There are lots of things that we have that Law Enforcement and Military personal wear out or use up and need a local pickup point.

Recently we had some good feed back from local competition shooters and from a security detail that had come back from over seas.   The Trijicon optics that they were using were the well know Trijicon TA01nsn for sale in our store and all of these optics were purchased in our store.   It’s cool to see items like this get purchased and come back to us several months or years later completely banged, beat up, and still working with lots of stories to tell.   The Trijicon optic is probable the best priced ACOG since the iron sights add lots of use to the gun without much of a price increase over the TA01 ACOG.

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The Wilderness belts hold up, end of story

I’m not going to go off and bash 5.11 products but they are a monster of a company and have so many products out there, that I can’t really say that they are the best, or that they are the worst, at what they do.    They sell watches, flashlights, and many EMS and military style shirts, pants and footwear that I think they are doing entirely too much and losing focus.  It’s a multi-million dollar company but there flashlights and watches don’t have a great reputation and I wouldn’t spend my money on those, the same goes for many of their belts.

The only product that we probable will never replace in our inventory are The Wilderness instructor belts.   They have been the best selling guns belt and The Wilderness belts that are a 5 stitch 1.5 inch are very common on firing lines.   We’ve tried several belts already that were similar but the paint chipped or they frayed sooner than they should.  You do have to be very careful about how you measure yourself for these belts, many people are spoiled with elastic waistband pants and don’t really know what there true sizing is.  You do need to measure  yourself and we have that on the product image display.

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Some feedback about Tru-Spec shirts compared to others

truspec shirtsWe’ve had the Tru-Spec product line in our store for a little over a year and  a half and when we bring new things in, we usually let customer tell us what they like and if it’s a good product.  Part of being a good seller of tactical clothing is listing to what your customers are asking for  or complaining about and giving them a good product or products to choose from.  This year we tested the waters and we sold  out certain products and brought in new ones based on feedback.   There still is a great unknown what is going on with the Woolrich Elite customer base we have had for almost 8yrs because it looks like they are not making the product anymore.  There shirts are still well made but you have to alter things based on what your customers ask for.

When it comes to durability and fit, I’d say that after about a year of use my Tru-Spec shirts started to fall apart but I sure got my monies worth.  The major selling point we have with the Tru-Spec shirts we have are they are close to $10-$15 less than their 5.11 tactical comparisons.  Since so many of our customers shop at our store based on their yearly clothing allowances, Tru-Spec products are even more popular.  As a dealer it’s nice to have stuff here that is less money and less dollar amounts of inventory.

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Blackhawk Serpa’s, Glocks and training…

If I think about the handguns I own, the last handgun I have picked up in recent years was a Glock 19.  From my experience with firearms, it’s mostly about preference because so many handguns are far more reliable than they were 20yrs ago.  Lubricants like Slip 2000 and M-Pro7 have gone a long ways form where CLP started from and that was enough to get a firearm to last several hundred if not thousands of rounds longer.  When people get into these debates about handguns and how many rounds they will shoot before jamming up, you really have to be realistic, nobody carries hundreds of rounds of handgun ammunition around with them even in combat.  It’s mostly officers that have sidearms and the  majority will have an M16 with them.

Glocks will run longer but there is also something to be said about a device being easy to use and user friendly.   Thumb breaks have been around for a long time but there is something to be said for Blackhawk Serpa holsters  since they seem to be a perfect match.   I have never had fit issues with the Serpa unlike what I have had with some of my older model Fobus holsters.    It is easy to train someone who has their basic firearm safety down, to use the Blackhawk Serpa retention holster.   We are a stocking dealer and have most of the Glock holsters for left hand and right handed gun owners.

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What does Tru-Spec have in store for us in 2013 regarding their tactical pants?

tactical pants We just watched a video about the new stuff coming from Tru-Spec and it was music to our ears to here that what they were primarily going to do is put a less expensive pant on the market.  Who has done something like that in the last 10yrs?  Not a single company that we can think of.  Years ago 5.11 pants were about $30-$40 and when Woolrich Elite Series hit the market they were the first tactical pant we sold that was almost $50 a pair.  You do get what you pay for but now that we see that so many tactical clothing companies have overdone their designs, there is something to be said for simplicity and quality.

We like the Tru-Spec tactical pants and especially the new Gunny boot cut pant, but were looking forward to the new pants that will be well received with our Law Enforcement departments that are always on a budget.   We have not seen these new Tactical Pants yet but I expect our sales rep will be out with them shortly.  The major selling point of the Tru-Spec product line is that it is the best priced tactical product line in comparison to Vertx and 5.11 tactical.  We’ve picked up a lot of customers in the EMS world from 5.11 just based on price points.

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Wilson Combat Magazines vs everyone else

I’ve mentioned many times in my blog posts that my first handgun was actually a Colt 1991A1 and I got a screaming hot deal on it.  $375 out the door for as far as I know an unfired firearm that was brand spanking new.   My first experiences with it were like many, it did not run out of the  box and I had to do some minor tweaks to my approach for carrying this firearm, what type of ammunition to use and what type of magazines.  I only had 1 magazine with it when I got it and it did not last more than a couple reloads before the magazine lips started to bend and the gun would close on an empty chamber, the problem was that I was using USGI magazines that are in all practicality, throw away magazines.

There are many new fancy 1911s out there Kimber is what I consider fancy as well as Les Bauer.  I have seen plenty of feeding problems for people that did not use Wilson Combat Magazines and eventually they figure it out and go to an online discussion forum and find out what works best. We recently noticed that some companies have upgraded their standard magazine capacities have learned the technology to do that, I have not found any truth that the Wilson Combat 8rd magazines were less reliable than the 7rd magazines.  I think an 8rd 45acp is the best option since 10+ rounds of 45acp tends to make the guns too heavy.

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Gun cleaning tools, how many do you need?

There are always arguments that can be made about hypothetical things, but one thing we do not believe is that gun cleaning should take you a long time.   We have had numerous discussions about gun cleaning supplies with our team of firearm instructors and one thing they commonly tell us is that gun cleaning can be over done.   The same people that are afraid to go to a firing line during a little drizzling rain and get a combat firearm wet are usually the same people that think they need to clean a gun until they get a perfectly clean white patch.   The truth is this, you can over due firearm cleaning and damage a gun if you don’t use your gun cleaning supplies correctly.

Cleaning rods can damage chambers and wear out barrels, but we’ve never heard of anyone doing this with a bore snake.  Sometimes cleaning rods are necessary, but the Hoppes Boresnakes that I personally  use always get used on  my AR15 rifles and my FAL rifles.   Firearms like the Mini 14 really don’t have any other options that I can think of that are better than a boresnake basically because the M1 Garand style of rifle is difficult to clean from the chamber and you can mess up your bolt carrier if you are ramming a rod through the rong way.   For pretty much $15-$20 you can get a caliber specific gun cleaning device for your firearm that don’t call for brushes and cleaning patches.

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