Lightweight tactical short options

There are so many tactical pants clothing makers out right now and I believe I have been saying that for almost 4yrs.   Every time I think we are done seeing a new tactical clothing company, another one emerges.   For dealers it’s at a point where you really have to wonder how much more you can possible flood a market.   Selling clothing is very different than selling knives and gun holsters.   There are so many variations in body sizes that everytime you get stuck with an ugly color or an odd ball size you might get stuck with it for a very long time which is why so many gun shops don’t like selling clothing unless it’s sold in Small, Medium, Large ect.

One thing that won’t be disappearing anytime soon is the Woolrich Elite line of clothing.   Of all of the people that have stepped into the tactical clothing market, Woolrich has been around and making clothing since the Civil war.   Woolrich Elite tactical pants and lightweight tactical shorts are still big sellers, and it has an awful lot to do with durability and quality.  We here far less complaining about shrinkage with this product line compared to the 5.11 tactical clothing and if you spend $50 on a pair of pants, the Woolrich Elite product line is where you want to spend it.

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Price points and warranties on Original Swat Footwear

There are huge differences in the types of footwear that you can wear while working in the Law Enforcement Community and the wrong footwear means discomfort and unwanted stress.  Foot support is something you won’t get  out of sneakers even though most people are probable more comfortable wearing sneakers all day than boots or dress shoes.   There are always periods of break in and sometimes your foot might get a little sore when you first wear them.   The Original Swat 1232 air have a great reputation for support and comfort and is by far our lightest tactical boot.

The Original swat footwear company has a 1yr warranty on all of their boots and in over a year of selling the product we have had less than 3 returns on the product line.   With a warranty like that it’s less stress on a dealer on selling a product and much easy to support a product line.  There is so much competition in the tactical boots market that price points and warranties is a great combination.    The Original Swat 1150 are the Classic 9 inch boots and the 1152 is the side zip version.   If you want full ankle support and all leather size zip combo, try the Original Swat SEK9000.

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The .380 may be lighter and easy to carry but

Don’t forget that the .380 ballistics are something to be aware of if you are protecting your life.    There has been plenty of documented shootings by police and the military involving 9mm stopping power and the statistics are not very good, as a matter of fact, handguns are not very effective when it comes to stopping people in their tracks.  There are varying degrees of this, but the .380 guns that are ever so popular these days need to be looked at more than once.   Sure a gun is better than no gun in a hostile situation, but many firearms especially 9mm guns are smaller, lighter and more reliable than ever.

The Ruger LCP is hands down the most popular and sought after gun for our white collar CCW holders.  Kahr guns are still going strong though because once you actually take those calibers to the range, there is a drastic difference in penetration.   Kahr firearms are really tough and probable the #2 most popular CCW makers as of now, Kahr magazines aren’t too bad in pricing either.  The Kahr PM45 is an excellent CCW 45acp for anyone that wants something smaller than a Sig 220, XD 45 or 1911 firearm.   You do have to pay attention to your round counts with these firearms and replace your recoil springs when recommended.

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More blather about tactical knives

Here’s the scoop about which knife, tactical knife, folding knife or lightsaber.   It’s all about how much you want to spend.   Sure there are some knives that are better than others, but what good is it to spend a boat load of money on something that you are going to lose or break.   I have gone through cell phones and flashlights in the past because at first they were small and easy to carry, but then they were even easier to lose.   Not to mention that after working the Gatco Sharpener booth at the NRA Convention last Summer I noticed that no matter what knife people were carrying around with them, 80% of people didn’t even have a sharp knife.

The Gatco Sharpening System that we sell the most of are the 10003 and 10005 because they aren’t that pricey and they are easy to understand.   The 10005 sharpening system has a sharpening stone for doing serations and that’s a pretty big deal for tactical knives.   Being able to get in there and get the hard to sharpen parts of the blade is a big deal even for a small blade.  The serations should work like a saw and for small blades, the job of cutting through rope or re-enforced packaging tape ect should be easy if the blade is sharp, how much you spend on a knife can make it a better blade, but only if you sharpen it right.

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MPro-7 does what it claims

I guess I’m going to have to say that I am well on on board with the MPro-7 gun cleaning supplies.  I still haven’t personally used all of their products myself, but I will continue to post after trying them out.   I attend a great many gun shops and trade shows and have plenty of sample gun oils and lubricants from various manufacturers but that’s not something I would jump on board with because quality control with liquid products is something that I have learned to be aware of.   Even something like a bottle of Coca-Cola can change from lot to lot and don’t forget all of those variances with rifle ammunition and accuracy.

When it comes to gun cleaning supplies, the biggest criticism that I would have to make that is from my expereince, valid, is that CLP is not consistent unless you shake it properly, CLP will stay in my gun cleaning supplies box, but I have given up on depending on it for firearms that I consider might be a defensive firearm.   I’ve seen gun stocks melt and barrels glow red and for anyone taking serious training or wanting to replace something that the military has issued, it’s time to move on to the MPro-7 gun  oil.

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Magazine capacity and balance, don’t forget it

There was a transition away from the high capacity or should I say, Standard capacity firearms back in the late 1990’s after the AWB of 1994, but it was mostly because the cost of a gun magazine might have gone up 200% or more.   You could easily spend $1000 for a firearm and magazines depending on what it was.   Once thing that I will that will never change is balance and speed.   I think we have recently witnessed the pinnacle of the M4 Carbine accessorizing craze because now we are seeing more and more that people are wanting lighter carbines and 15 lbs AR15 variants is something that really doesn’t help you out in close quarters gun fights, speed does m ore than what optics you have in close up fighting.

When it comes to caliber and capacity, you really need to put some thought into how much weight you want in a firearm especially a handgun.   I’ve shot some double stack 45acp handguns that were so heavy that taking them in and out of  holster felt like I was wielding a ball and chain.  Throw in spare gun magazines and the bulk and weight can quickly become extreme.  The Springfield XD is a nice 45acp gun, but the balance of a 1911 or even the Sig 220 seem to handle better.   And lets not forget, the reason for a handgun is to fight your way back to a rifle, so why bother trying to carry all that handgun ammo.

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LWRC REPR Impressions

I am a FAL owner and I have gotten more out of my DSA STG58 than most people have gotten out of an M1A.   I have never felt like I needed to go out and get the M1A because I am in the minority that can get MOA out of my FAL and I really don’t feel as though I need to get it better than that.  From my experience with Semi-auto rifles, the more you push towards accuracy, the less reliable the gun is after all of the fine tuning.   The best way to get a 308 into gear is to turn it into a DMR.

LWRC is once again the leader in better designs and moving away from the direct impingement design is one thing, but getting an MOA gun with reliable magpul pmags and making it lighter than an M14 or FNFAL is a fantastic thing.   I was fortunate to be able to get to test a few of the new LWRC REPR rifles out and I did not feel like I was firing a 308 rifle.   The REPR feels like an AR15 and the lighter weight really means something for a gun in this caliber.  $3500 + optics is steap though, but hell, everyone has a second mortgage these days.

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Nylon holsters from Blackhawk

Nylon holsters are always a good starting point for people to understand what it’s like to carry a firearm.   I have several of the older Uncle Mike’s gun holsters that I picked up at gun shows and they are all holding up.   The only reason I don’t use them is because I don’t find them to lock onto my gun belts as well as they should, so I’ve moved on.   To this day that is still one of the major reason I pass or fail a gun holster.   The gun angle or how deep it sits is a personal preference, but clip on belt holsters better be secure or they get an F.

I’ve picked up several of the Kydex holsters from Galco and was not very happy with them for the same reason I did not like some of the Uncle Mike’s clip on holsters.  The Blackhawk holsters like the Hip holster are pretty much the same.  If it works for you then use it, but they aren’t going to be the most secure.   Some of the Elite Survival holsters are better thought out and made in the USA so give them a shout.

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Combat guns and plinking guns and just having fun

I remember all of those times I spent arguing with people on gunboards about which gun was better and which guns were pieces of junk.   I started out collecting many of the Soviet era military style rifles, namely the SKS rifles.   There are some fun accessories from Tapco that can make even an old relic like an SKS into a more modern looking rifle, but even if it’s not an AK, you can always customize the firearm to your liking.   I wouldn’t expect to use an SKS for house to house clearing, but if you got it for $200 and want to improve the fit to your liking, go right ahead.

One problem I have found with many of the semi-autos I owned was that the length of pull on the guns was very short.  This was not something I go too worked up about with the plinking firearms I owned, but for a primary weapon, the rifle stocks you use on them should fit you like a glove.   Customizing a firearm to fit you is an important step in learning how to effectively use a firearm.   I have learned that the hard way with various rifle scopes that ended up putting a ring around my eye because the stock was so short, I forgot to adjust my bean and got a good thunk.  There is nothing wrong with changing the butt pad on any gun you own to fit you.  Just be aware that when you are wearing a heavy coat or winter clothing that LOP might need to be shorter, so don’t modify your stocks too much, and think about an adjusteable stock for just that purpose.

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Trijicon TA26S vs the Eotech design

There have been several changes with the Eotech combat optics, but the biggest one is the position of the on and off buttons.   Now they are all being made on the left side because we now know that an M4 Carbines rail system can get pretty crammed up with sights and gear and the best place for the optics was not in the back, but on the side.   When Eotech started to realize that just a little bit of extra magnification was a big deal for a combat soldier, they released the Eotech Magnifiers for slightly over 3x.   This helped soldiers spot wires or identify weapons on and individual even if it only meant getting a better view from 75 or less yards.  And that’s what 3x optics does.

Trijicon is well know for their 3x and 4 power combat optics, and  you can’t beat the ACOG for it’s combat worthyness, but it still is not a close quarters combat optic.   The Trijicon ACOGS are highly visible and if you put Irons on them like the Trijicon TA01nsn, your going to have you head mounted high on the optic, the same goes for any dot sighting system like the TA31ecos-g.    Those are fancy combat optics, but try fighting out a window and you’ll be wishing for something smaller and compact.   The Trijicon TA26SG-10 is has a shorter housing and is lighter and gives you a lighter Carbine in the end.   The Trijicon TA26SR-10 is the same thing with a red reticle.

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