Archive for July, 2013

Optics reacting to indoor and outdoor lighting

Trijicon reflex sights We recently did some tests between various red dot optics and even the Eotech 516 as well as the Trijicon Reflex sights.  I don’t quite put the new Trijicon SRS sight in the same category as RX30A-51 because they just don’t seem like the same animal.   There is some wash out with the Trijicon fiber optic cables when you go from outdoors to indoors so this is something you will have to train for.   We did some tests with the Trijicon SRS sight to see if there were any noticeable changes when going from the solar powered lighting environment to total darkness and we were impressed with this part of it.  I do have to say there are plenty of critical comments out there about the SRS sight and the Diod image that shows up in certain lighting conditions.  I’ve had some people say that you need a flash kill for this sight and in all honesty, from what I see, yes you do.

There are Eotech sights that are MOA red dots but there is definitely a clarity difference between the SRS sight and even Aimpoint sights.   The new addition to the Trijicon Reflex sights are the Trijicon SRS01 and the SRS02.  These are the same optic but different mounting systems.   I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want the bobro mount because they just make so much sense.  I am running an SRS sight on my LWRC M6A2 and it is a very fast sight not just because it’s zero magnification but the red dot is more like star light than a hazy.  The cost of the SRS sights are about $300-$400 more than the Aimpoint red dots but if you are competition shooters or you want to be the first in  your group to get it, you’ll be able to figure out the advantages of this optic.

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All safety eyewear is not the same, and you don’t want to make mistakes!

Smith Optics Elite eyewearThere are plenty of stories out about guys being deployed to Iraq or over sears and having eyewear on and then finding out later that the eyewear they were using did not have any ballistic safety rating.  Sure you can wear regular sunglasses on a firing line and you might think that’s all you need, and statistically you probable are fine, but in high risk line of work, things fly around during gun fights or in military engagements that aren’t always lead.   Go to a rifle range and put a 55gr bullet into the ground right in front of a paper target and check out the bumber of holes that will be on the paper from rocks or sticks that flew up from the bullet strike and blew through the paper target.  Sure the human body is not made of paper but that means cuts or scraps and if you get hit in the eyes, that can mean you have lost an eye.

We’ve tested lots of eyewear out over the years and ESS, Revision, Oakley all have their good points and are all good at protecting your eyes but Smith Optics Elite is a new product line that gives you another option.   Like much of the tactical industry, it’s about preference not  just quality and Smith Optics Elite Eyewear has an ever expanding product line, from tactical goggles, turbo fan goggles, the Boogie Regulator that are very low priced but very popular for training.   The Smith Optics Elite protective sunglasses are my favorite due to the durability and ease of maintaining the lenses.  This an a great factory warranty means getting your moneys worth.

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Does LWRC still make the best piston upper receiver?

LWRC upper receiversThe answer to that is yes, and a big yes, but there are a lot of nice less expensive gas piston guns out there, but LWRC is still the most proven design and there SBR’s a hands down the best.   We have dealt with several security and special forces groups that are using the 6.8SPC and now we hear LWRC is actually making a 6.8SPC gun because there were too  many issue with magazines and mag wells when people made their 5.56 guns into 6.8.   There are also some very big improvements to the 6.8SPC cartridge and it the ballistics of the cartridge.  I won’t get onboard with this yet, but I do think that if the military changed from the 7.62 Nato round to the 5.56 NATO they should seriously think about the advantages of the 6.8 SPC  now that bad guys have more body armor and bullet range and penetration can be increased.

There were many issues with POF guns when they first came out and there were issues with bolt carriers tilting and causing reliablity issues that I was the first amongst my group to try out the LWRC M6A1.   There have been some changes with the LWRC upper receivers over the years but they really do have a fantastic design that is at the pinnacle of what a gas piston gun is suppose to do.  The short barrel 8inch, 10.5 inch and 12 inch upper receivers are well known for being outstanding suppressed and their LWRC M6A2 is available in several variations and finishes.   There are a few other models that are available but due to the high demand  in production they have been very restriction on how many models they are producing.

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Are Eotech sights out dated?

eotech sightsWe have had a ton of people stop in our store and ask us if we sell Aimpoint but unfortunately the distributor that we use to deal with no longer is carrying them.  If we wanted to be a direct dealer for them, we’d probable not get product for another 6 months or more considering the craze that is going on in  the Country.   Aimpoints are probable the best price combat durable red dot optics but I am not a big fan of them.  My eyes tend to track the Eotech sights or a Circle dot reticle like the TA44 from Trijicon better than a red dot.   Lasers and Red dots seem to race around on targets and they also can obscure targets depending on the size of the dots.  Trijicon does  have a 1.75 MOA dot that is very nice but there are still some issues with that optic that I recently have found at fault.

After all of these optics are tested out, many of our customers still go back to the Eotech sights.  Primarily because they are zero magnification and you can keep both eyes  open when using Eotech sights which is very important if  there are close quarters engagements which statistically occurs for Law Enforcement.   I have been running the Eotech 512 for about 8yrs and only a battery contact came loose on it.  I do have the Gen 2 Magnifier on it but I could probable be better off if I was running the Eotech 516 or the EXPS2-0 which have the buttons on the left side which is what you have to think about if you are thinking about adding on the Magnifier later on.

 

 

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If you want an AR15, better talk to us soon!

AR15 Upper receivers in stock We have never seen the AR15 parts dry up like they have in the last 7 months but I’m sure we don’t need to explain why.  Last month we started to get word that some of the gun manufacturers were starting to take orders for upper receivers, so anyone doing a build party might be able to do one sometime in the Fall or if you are lucky, maybe sooner.   Some manufacturers like LWRC were only making complete guns and no parts unless you kissed somebodies ass and begged them for it.   Even the lower parts kits we sold from Spikes Tactical have been absolutely no where for almost a year, and there was already a run on those.   Windham and Bushmaster upper receivers have been at a total zero for over 8 months.   So what can you get now if nothing is in stock?

On our website we stock a lot of tactical gear and accessories and there is a email me when back in stock option for all of our items.   There are good number of Spikes tactical and Smith & Wesson AR15 Uppers Receivers in stock in the coming weeks.   There are several CMMG 9mm and 300 blackout coming in as well as a few 22 Caliber complete upper receivers.   Good luck trying to find 22LR ammunition though.  It seems like these all become available in waves based upon caliber so I’m sure it’s a production thing.  5.56 uppers are the ones people are the most concerned about, but considering the number of new gun owners and competition shooters that are out there, there is going to be high demand for AR15 firearms for a long time to come.  Gas piston uppers and direct impingement alike.

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Concealed Carry in Pennsyvania from Winter to Summer

Tru Spec shirtsThere are all 4 seasons up here in the Northeast and today it’s actually over 100F and in this part of the area you can tell it’s so hot that hardly anyone is outside.  Sitting by a pool is going to mean you’re going to be burning up and you’ll probable need to be in the pool to be comfortable.   This is a good time for me to break out the new products we brought in from Tru-Spec.   The Tru-Spec performance polos are just want you want for this type of weather but going from the Woolrich Elite and 5.11 product lines to this meant we had to see what fit or cut differences there were.  The Eotac tactical product lines had a performance polo also and it had more of a tactical or competition shooter look to it.   These Tru-Spec shirts are cut a little tighter around the sides but are very long, so depending on the body type these may not be great for concealed carry but if you are pocket carrying it’s a none issue.

These shirts are probable 50% lighter weight than the 24-7 Series standard polos.   If you want a more uniform or tactical looking shirt try the TruSpec shirts that we have listed for men and women.   Tru-Spec has a very broad product line and they have moved more from just being  a Law Enforcement or Tactical line.   They have concealed carry shirts now, polos, tactical shirts for men and ladies and most of their products are several dollars less expensive than their competition.   The new lightweight and ultra light shirts like the gunny shirt, gunny vests give more versatility to the tactical lines appeal.  Most of the shirts are a polyester or polyester cotton blend.

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Mounting optics is as important as the durability of the optic

Trijicon ACOGS for saleThere have been a great many times that I have picked up a rifle scope and I felt like I had a shoe off.   It’s happened in gun stores and it’s happened at friends homes.  It seems so many people are just incapable and unaware of the proper way to mount a rifle scope.   Anyone that shoots beyond 200yds is going to learn this trade real fast because any variations in the windage or even the way the scope rings are tightened down will affect your ability to hit targets at varying distances.  People don’t realize that even up close you can have accuracy problems and a customer in our store failed a training class to qualify with  his carbine because his sights were not setup correctly.   Shooting at 7yrs with a carbine vs. 50yds meant a 2 foot variation in his point of impact.

The best thing about being in this business is you really see the technological improvements.   If you pick up a Trijicon SRS sight or many of the Trijicon ACOGS for sale you have the option of the colt style mount or a quick detach mount.   You won’t have any issues with these optics from a mounting perspective.  The reticles for the ACOGS all have technical ballistic details that you will really want to use proficiently on a firing line.   Something like the chevron reticle on the TA31F-G is a favorite because it gives you clear view of your target at close range as well as the ability to quickly engage targets at medium ranges without obscuring  your targets like red dots and triangle optics do.

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Availability of Glock Factory magazines

glock factory magazinesOne of the things that I find shocking about this recent surge on firearms and accessories is the number of complaints about knock off products.  There are fake Trijicon optics out there that look like ACOGS but they aren’t and there are also Eotech imitators.   We get a lot of phone calls from customers that are asking us all the time if the Glock firearm magazines we sell are “Factory” magazines.   We are old enough to remember the 1994 assault weapons ban and the flood of after market magazines, but in this day and age, I don’t know why anyone would not stick with factory magazines for their Glocks.   Right now there is still a very big shortage on Glock magazines and we have yet to see very many of them.

At the moment the Glock 26 and Glock 27 magazines are readily available but there are still alot of backorders that need to be filled for other Glocks.   The Glock Factory Magazines for sale are the real thing and we do have an email me when “back-in-stock” option on our website that will notify you when they come in.   We have many local Police Departments that are looking for magazines for their Glock 21 and Glock 30 guns and if it’s been affecting them then  things really are tight.   There may be some of the Glock 22 magazine coming in soon so make sure you get on with the program.

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Changes in hunting optics and Trijicon Accupoint optics

Trijicon Accupoint ScopesI have done a lot of hunting and I can’t believe some of the guns I have in my collection have been there for over 25yrs.   I didn’t get into hunting as early as some of you probable did but small game and deer was where it all started.   The first time I went hunting I was using a Winchester Model 70 with a redfield scope that my uncle had on it.   I was warned that it does fog up and boy did it fog up on day 1.   Going from a warm cabin to a cold 5am mountain hike instantly caused the scope reticle to haze over.   I almost wished I had iron sights on that trip.  Since then I’ve actually switched to using a lever action rifle with iron sights because it was the most comfortable rifle I could have to hike with.   The my Marlin 35 Remington is my primary deer rifle.

If I want to get back into mounting a scope on my hunting rifles, I probable could do it with my Marlin 35 remington but I’d have to take it to my gunsmith.   Trijicon is famous for their military optics but the Trijicon Accupoint scopes are very popular in the hunting community.   The illuminated reticles really held out in not losing your sights on the target in low light, and in all honesty, that probable how all of my deer were taking.   There are varying colors of reticles from, Red, Green, Amber and yellow.   Green reticles have really become popular and there is a noticeable difference in certain hunting environments to have

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Otis gun cleaning kits, what’s the reason for a kit like this?

otis gun cleaning kitsI started out with a 22 Caliber Hoppes 3 piece gun rod and it did me well for many years.  That smell of Hoppes number 9 is something I will never forget but it’s been a long time since I have ever used that even though I believe I have a small amount of it somewhere.   There are plenty of reasons to think about updating your gun cleaning supplies because things really have been changing.    I was at a trade show years ago and finally got some first hand experience cleaning a bolt action rifle and an AR15 rifle.  As soon as I saw the  kit put back together I realized that this is exactly what someone being deployed out in the field or wanted to pack up in a backgpack would want.   It’s a much better kit than what you would get out a Russian AK.

Gun lubes have changed and improved but I don’t know how anyone can come up with a better field use gun cleaning system than this.   Boresnakes are very useful but not all guns can be cleaned very well with just a boresnake and sometimes you need something like the Otis gun cleaning kits because they have tools for scrapping carbon off or your gun or just giving you more caliber options.   Some of the cleaning kits are specific to firearm calibers and then others are for handguns, rifles, shotguns or variations of that.   They also come with cleaning lubricants.    I primarily use mine  on my AR15 if I am doing more than 1 day  on the range

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