Archive for April, 2014

Smith & Wesson gaining with Glock with Law Enforcement?

Smith and Wesson magazinesM&P MagazinesSmith and Wesson Compact magsWe always are noticing trends in this industry because it has a big impact on what we will actually bring in to our store and stock.  There are always the Fad guns and Fad accessories that once the cool factory goes away people move on to something else.   We noticed that trend more than a decade ago, go from heavy barrel AR15s to lightweight upper receivers and even now the lowers are getting lighter and lighter.   Smith & Wesson has always had a big foot in the Law Enforcement and gun community but Glock has clearly gotten a huge foot to stand on because it was a major improvement technologically and in reliability.

The Smith & Wesson M&P was the first gun I personally shot that had the interchangeable back straps and if you are doing a purchase for your entire department, certain guns like this will help you decide on what to buy because there are always going to be hand size differences and caliber tolerances and control are not going to be a problem if you have the proper grip.   We notice that a large number of people have been buying the Smith & Wesson magazines for the M&P 9mm and M&P 40 and the Smith and Wesson Shield has been one of the most asked about gun holster in our store.  It always is a good idea to take  your time and use other peoples experiences when shopping for a firearm but the M&P rifles and handguns are here to stay.

Top

Don’t short change yourself with a cheap rifle case

Gun CasesAssault Rifle Soft CasesIt always amazes me the number of people that drop $2000 on an AR15 and then show up with the typical $30-$40 assault rifle case they picked up a a gun show.   Recently, we have had a large number of customers that have been issued carbines for their Patrol vehicles and many of them have been hearing the stories about mounts break on flashlights, batteries draining because pressure switches on their Surefire flashlights were being activated because the gun case that someone was using didn’t adapt to their newest addition to their bolt action, AK or M4 carbine.   Even something like a Magpul Vertical Grip can change the way your rifle fits and if you pull the zipper too hard,  you’ll need another case because the zipper is going to blow out.

I’ve always felt that it’s a good idea to assign a gun case to specific rifles so you can keep your magazines together as well as any sight in tools or carbine parts or shooting range gear.  One thing that we often market are the American Made tactical nylon gun cases that Elite Survival Systems and several other companies have.  There are Pelican “hard” gun cases that cost a lot of money but you can’t beat that for sending rifles across Country if you have someone else transporting them.   Lots of Special Ops guys buy the padded gun cases like the “Double Agent” case and they tend to have the fancy stuff on their M4 Carbines.   Learn from

Top

Did you have your Star Wars and G.I. Joe stuff taken away from you and replaced with Magpul Accessories?

Scout MOE Mount M4 rail coversMagpul PRS AR15 StocksItMagpul Stocks and accessories AR15 trigger guard‘s often a line I use when we deal with the “I’m building a rifle” because it’s often the case.   Children from the 70’s and 80’s all remember all of the Action Figures and accessories and the TV Commercials that posted all of the cool new Desert Trooper accessories that he came “Dusty”.  Watching some of these guys shop for their AR15 accessories and having those Commercials play in my head I can always profile which of those Action Figures they were into.   You pick this stuff watching those with certain mechanical skills use different approaches to basically were tastes.   While we know we’re dealing with deadly weapons now, there is so much science and skill with being a proficient marksmen that there is nothing wrong with having fun with your firearms because it’s a National Heritage.

The AR15 is really the modern musket and there are entry level guns, usually A2 sights and fixed stocks which Magpul has lots of options for modifications.   The vast majority of our customers are very happy with Magpul Stocks and Accessories and although we move a considerable amount of Troy and Tango Down pistol grips and stocks,  the modifications you may choose for your M4 Carbine are going to be as vast and the shoe sizes of everyone that owns this style of rifle.    The Magpul CTR stocks are the first option when moving from a Fixed stock to a varying position but knowing how to get a good cheek weld and not thinking you’re going to have to put risers and over think the gun is the way to start from.  If its not working you can always figure it out, just take one thing at a time.

Top

Evaluation of various Tactical Clothing Companies 5.11, Vertx, Tru-Spec ect.

Multicam Combat ShirtMulticam Black PantsTruSpec jacketsTactical Softshell JacketsCCW VestsConcealed Carry Shirtstactical pants Tactical Vests12yrs ago everything was very different and 5.11 Tactical was pretty much the only brand you would see in a gun shop or tactical store but not so much anymore.   Just by looking at the number of “likes” 5.11 tactical has on Facebook is pretty telling as to how big and widely accepted they are but not everyone needs to tow the brand names like they are a Rock Band they need to follow.  There are so many material differences, fit differences, quality control and features each product has that sometimes it just comes down to tactical clothing preferences, season changes can also make you decide on a different brand because some tactical shorts just don’t up to what you desire.   I personally find Tru-Spec tactical pants and tactical shorts to be an easy option to go back and forth between Winter and Summer Clothing because the pockets are exactly the same.

In extreme temperatures like we had this past Winter in Pennsylvania, lightweight tactical pants like Blackhawk lightweight pants and anything 100% cotton ripstop or the 65/35 Polyester cotton ripstop were not warm enough and more people were switching over to the Woolrich Elite Series cotton canvas pant, the Tru-Spec cotton pants and the Vertx all cotton with 2% Lycra pants.   Everyone is different with their tolerances of what they can handle but sticking to only one Tactical Clothing company and not only sticking to one brand has helped Rogue Elite gain more customers.  Finding the right fit is something you can do when you know you can drive an hour to a store and check your sizing or ask questions and be shown all of the features.

Top

If it’s not a Blackhawk it’s probable a Safariland

Safariland Auto Locking HolsterSafariland holstersdrop leg holstersSafariland Duty HolstersThis is a sensitive debate because there is plenty of proof that a lack of training with any mechanical device, gun holster, Magpul Accessory ect, will lead to accidents or to mechanical failure.    Any operator that does not have the discipline to keep their finger off the trigger while racking the slide is eventually going to have an ND and pushing the Blackhawk Serpa on them in My personal opinion a really bad idea.  I’ve seen enough novice behavior on firing ranges to know that range time and muscle memory isn’t something that will always come quickly and there are other retention holsters for Law Enforcement or CCW that are entry level yet still excellent holster.

Now that so many guns are being made with accessory rails, making sure you get the correct holster fit is going to mean double checking all of your specifications.   Safariland has a very good holster fit guide on their website that will help narrow down all of the available Safariland Holsters so you will know if they even have a holster for you if you are looking for one for your M&P or Springfield XD and want a TLR1, TLR2 or Surefire X300 flashlight on it.   There are a lot of reason to go with a Sig Sauer, Beretta 92, Government 1911 or Glock firearm if you want a light on it because even though Safarilands product line is vast, they don’t make holsters for every firearm design out there.

Top

When choosing iron sights other than Magpul

Troy Night SightsFlip Up Rear Sights The products we get asked about the most when discussing various AR15 battle sights are almost always either Magpul Flip up sights or Troy Industries.  One thing you should notice when shopping for accessories is noticing what AR15 Carbines are being sold with certain packages, and the reason they do is because that’s how people usually like them.   There are plenty of upper receivers that we sell that come with the iron sights on them and Troy battle sights are one of them.   I have a couple LWRCI Carbines that have the LWRC Logo on the sights but they are all made by Troy Industries.   Recently I attended a low light suppressed shoot and got to test out various night sighting systems, Trijicon and Surefire products were all over the range, but there were trade offs with every product.

The night sights of the past are now becoming even more out dated because they were mostly meant for handguns.  Now many AR15 sighting systems have certain pattern Troy SightsFixed Sights sights built into the rear sight that can make identifying your sight picture.   It’s amazing how color and brightness can affect whether or not you can even get a shot off.   There are reasons why most military and Law Enforcement have moved towards green lasers and green reticles and it’s not a bad idea to pick up Troy fixed or fold down sights for their Carbines.   Front sight night sights are very common but that doesn’t always help out and sometimes some foresight into dropping the cash for a rear sight is a good way to go.

 

Top

Looking for gun accessories and knowing what not to buy?

There are a ton of accessories out there than you can attach to your firearms and there are quality issues that we constantly hear about.   The best we can do is warn you that it’s not really about whether or not a part is made out of plastic or not it’s really about use and proper mounting.  I’ve had screws sheer off mounts after about 2000rds of 7.62 NATO went through an FAL and it was suppose to be the best mount out there.  To this day I’m not sure if the screws may have been over torgued or  not but I didn’t have a screw driver that I could measure this with.   Loctite isn’t used enough in this industry and every thing that has a screw on it from flashlight mounts to optic mounts, pistol grips and foregrips should have it on them.

Now that accessories like B.A.D. levers are heavily used, its often asked of us if they are any good and the first warning we tell people is that “it’s one more screwed on device that can come off” so proper mounting is a preventative maintenance thing.    Whether  you are looking at a bi pod or magazine well grip, Mako, Command Arms,  Magpul gun accessoriesMagpul stocks and accessoriesMagpul Stocks, Troy firearm parts, Midwest, VLTOR or TacStar you gotta make sure you put it on right.   I have an LWRC M6A1 that has a Tapco SAW Grip on it and think nothing less of Tapco if the grip fits your hand right.

Top

Looking for an optic for your AR? We’ll point you in the right direction

Aimpoint Patrol Rifle OpticsAimpoint MagnifiersAimpoint Comp M4AImpoint Red DotsThere are always going to be price points and some optics are either an overkill as far as features or they are junk.  We’ve pruned a lot of our inventory in recent years to try and have standards on what kind of optics we should stock because we can personally direct customers to them knowing it’s a quality product.    If you have good eyesight you may notice parallax in certain optics but that is something you don’t really have to worry about in close ranges.  It makes a huge difference if you are trying precision shooting at longer ranges and there are scopes that have zero parallax or have a level of adjustment to compensate.   Just because you are choosing a red dot sight don’t think you can’t shoot targets at longer ranges because the Aimpoint Magnifiers will give you a much better range.

It’s always a good idea to know the direction you “may” go when modifying or accessorizing your rifle so you leave room to attach Magpul Accessories, Lasers, or Surefire flashlights because depending on the location of your optic,  rail sizes matter.  If it’s not an Eotech sight, it’s probable going to be an Aimpoint Red Dot and most likely the Patrol Rifle Optic that you might want to eyeball.   Spike’s Tactical has some really cool rail systems and if you want all that gear on your gun and not an Magpul MOE stock.   If you don’t want to deal with AA batteries or CR123 being in your go bag, then Aimpoint is the optic for you.

Top

Technical details and knowing what you really want

weapon mounted lightLED tactical lightsThere are so many variations on holsters and it’s a very complicated thing in this industry.  Your Police Chief might have standards for your duty gear and dropping $150 on a holster that rides too high or isn’t as secure your leg.   We can’t tell you want  you are going to find comfortable and guarantee it’s for you.  Sure we can give you options but the best references are from people that are using the tactical gear and we aren’t any different than you when trying to find something that works.   Safariland’s product listings are very meticulous and there are correct holsters and incorrect holsters with almost identical images and products specs.   If you are looking for a holster with a tactical light you should go through the holster fit guides and narrow it down yourself.

Most shootings occur in low light and whether you are CCW or you are a Law Enforcment Officers are on duty, having a TLR-1S or a Surefire X300 on your weapon or knowing how to hold your Strion or Polytac 2L during an engagement might mean not having to shoot.   There have been some high profile accidents on firing ranges and on the streets in recent years that could have been easily avoided if the proper training and lighting occurred.   Every time you  use a device on a firearm it’s another piece of tactical gear that can fail you so buying quality lights like Pelican, Streamlight and Surefire are the way to go.   If you are still using Xenon bulbs it’s a good time to retire it and get with the program and get a good LED light, the technology has dramatically improved and lights are far more durable than before.

Top

Smith Optics Elite Division ballistic eyewear, why the cost?

Smith Optics Elite EyewearThere are plenty of things in this industry that come with a heavy price tag but once you get into the technical details you’ll  know why the costs are there.  Our most expensive items besides firearm parts like AR15 upper receivers are the Trijicon Optics, most people think they are over priced compared to red dots, but if you logically compared Trijicon glass, the amount of detail in the reticles and why they are designed the way they are for various types of engagements you’ll see why you are getting far more than a zero magnification optic like an Eotech or an Aimpoint, if you don’t need it, then you don’t need it.   The same goes for ballistic eyewear and $180 turbo fan googles.

There are huge price leaps within the Smith Optics Elite Division ballistic eyewear and if you can’t figure out why the prices jump from $80 for ballistic googles to $180 let me explain it.   There is a ton of BS out there about anti-fog and after the Boston Bombing I got first hand info about what really went on when searching for the 2 terrorists and.  There were plenty of Police in full SWAT gear for long periods of times searching homes and tried to get details on Smith Optics Elite eyewear and many of the other major eyewear companies to hear feedback.  Apparently there were several incidences where Police Officers had to take off their eyewear when entering buildings because it didn’t cut it, the temperature changes affect the fogging and in many cases it just didn’t cut it.  If you look at the technical details on the Smith Turbo Fan goggles these have a battery operated fan on 2 settings that allow auto venting, for $100 more you get protection and even more possibility of products performing regular googles just didn’t cut it regardless of the brand,

Top
1 2 3 Page 2 of 3