Galco holsters, I thought I had the wrong holster

I’ve been on a holster binge lately and I’ve been  picking up whatever I can for the revolving CCW guns that I carry.   I have been trying to modernize my rotation with a few Springfield XD variants an a Glock 19 and a Glock 26.   I went back to leather holsters after shying away from them for a few years.  I had a bad experience with an Alessi Talon holster that was holding so much sweat that it ruined a Tauras T-85 38 special.   I skipped a monthly cleaning and found out the holster actually had a gew in it and the barrel was pitted.

I think the best CCW is really the IWB but I know not all body types handle it very well, last night I got an order in the mail and decided to try out the Galco holsters that were IWB.    The Galco Tuck-N-Go holster looked like a good thing for me to test out, but I actually thought I had the wrong holster after having so much trouble getting the gun into it.   The slide was actually racking when I put the holster in so I had to stop, after doing some research online, I’m over reacting a little bit and going to see if I can break it in a little more.  I’m not too happy with the fact I can’t really re holster the gun properly because it seems to cave in on itself.   I’ll give it test in a few days.

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Why should you consider a locking holster?

I’m sure that many of you that have taken CCW classes probable know that the faster you get your gun out the more likely you are to get the first hits in.   In some people’s minds putting safeties on firearms and putting guns in locking holsters will slow you down.   That is somewhat true for some firearms and some holsters, but the better the design on the firearm the less likely that is and for some gun  holsters, there is absolutely zero slow down.    I’m not a big fan of thumb break holsters because I’ve had bad experiences with them not snapping properly and I could never tell if they were tight or now.

One thing I have found that in any type of physical turmoil, guns and gear will fly off of you.   I’ve seen it one too many time at Carbine training classes where secondary weapons and magazines go flying.   The Blackhawk Serpa holsters are my favorite because the holster locking system actually can help a novice shooter get use to keeping their finger straight and off the trigger when drawing the firearm because that is where your trigger finger is when the gun is released from the holster.

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Is it time to upgrade your Eotech gun sight?

I finally got on the M4 Carbine bandwagon about 6 years ago after many years of shooting without being much of a black gun enthusiasts.   I jumped on the piston driven carbine wagon and I’m glad I did.   I’ve been getting lots of good feed back from my friends and LWRCI about the Carbines that I own, but I have also shot many DI guns from Daniel Defense that are 100% reliable under extreme conditions, well extreme AR15 conditions.   If you want fast you gotta go with an AR15 platform, there are other nice 556 guns, but the AR15 is really pretty darn close to perfection when it comes to versatility and comfort.   Reliability is something that Magpul Pmags and modern technology has done with drastic leaps.

The Eotech gun sights I used years ago are still working today, but I’ve gotten a little tired of trying to turn them off and on when I have a magnifier in the way.    The side mounted buttons on the newer Eotech make that a non-issue.   I am also having problems with the new magnifier not because of it’s weight or durability, but that it is not compatible with some rear flip up sights.   I have to mount my magnifier a few notches forward of where I want to  place it because it does not clear the rear sight if I move it back.   Time to do some tweaking on the fastest AR15 guns I own.

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No time for training? Order some DVDs

There is going to be a huge flood of firearm training DVD’s coming out this Spring, we just got word that Fernando Coelho has just launched Panteao Productions and will coming with an incredible list of firearm instructor training DVD’s.   Everything from IDPA shooting, Carbine training, handgun shooting skills, 1911 armorer, AR15 armorer and the list goes on and on.   Make Ready with Dave Harrington, Bob Vogel, Dean Caputo.   I have been invited to sit on or train with many firearm instructors, but haven’t been able to fit it into my schedule.   As a business owner, trying to get away and take a 3 day course is virtually impossible.

I’m sure I sound familiar because finding good training is hard, trying to find the time and the money is even harder.   We all can search the internet and find out who the best referred to teachers are, but now there are Top Tier trainers making DVD’s for under $40.   You can’t beat that! Can we also inform you if you didn’t already know that Bob Vogel has won the IDPA National Competition yet again?  I’m sure that Make  Ready DVD with Bob Vogel will be one of the top sellers.  Bill Jeans shotgun operator course is another area that will be filled because shotgun training is taught probable 1/10 of the time as handgun and carbine.

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How to hang an M4 on you like a Christmas Tree

In continuing a previous discussion on choosing holsters for secondary weapons, having quick detach gear is important, but it can’t be too easy to remove.   Blackhawk gear is pretty darn good and I have never see a holster failure.   I did see a Fobus holster break at one point and I’ve seen a few leather holsters that should have been tossed away because they were becoming too soft and re-holstering firearms was causing a lot of fumbling.  There is nothing wrong with taking a Carbine class and testing  your gear out, even if you don’t think  you have the best, find out how it works on the range and you’ll be more confident.

 

I’m a big believer in teaching people to use their hands to know where all of their gear is on a vest or on a firearm without looking.   I admit that I have done this myself, and it is one of the first things I teach students whenever they put on a tactical vest, tactical pants or any other tactical apparel.   Make sure you remember where you put it and be consistent in where it is.   It’s real easy to forget where you put those spare batteries, your spare ammunition or your hearing protection if you are constantly moving things around.   I have 2 M4 Tac Pac gun parts holders that carry several spare parts for my AR15 as well as a few AA batteries and CR123 batteries.   It’s been awhile since I lost anything in my tactical vests.

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Security and snagging while carrying a Carbine

Finding the right type of gun for you is a very important thing, your boss many tell you want caliber they want to stick to, but there are still so many options in which type of firearm you feel comfortable shooting.   Finding the ammunition that works in your firearm won’t be much of a problem from the majority of Glock and Sig Sauer pistols that so many Government agencies use, but when it comes to choosing holsters and gear.   That is something that you are going to have to figure out on your own.   I have seen many of my customers call up a few weeks after receiving their pants only to be informed that they need another pair because they ripped.    They didn’t rip because of product defects, they ripped because tactical pants have so many pockets that they easily snag and get torn.

Last month I sat in a Carbine course where the first day of shooting showed a lot of novice accessorizing and watching guys constantly move slings around trying to find that spot where they could take it off and on without catching on their secondary pistol was interesting.   Blackhawk holsters ruled the range that day, but I did see paddle holsters, leg holsters and belt through.   I am always a fan of quick detach gear because bad things can  happen in combat and releasing your holster, vest or Carbine could mean saving your life.

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Long range shooting with an AR platform rifle

I don’t know all of the facts and figures, but given just what I see every day on the New York and Ohio firing ranges around here, I would say that the AR15 is the most popular rifle in America.   Now that caliber changes are as easy as swapping out your AR15 upper receiver and possible only a minor change in your lower receiver like a hammer spring, you can go from a .223 varmint rifle to a 6.8 SPC rifle, or down to a CQB rifle at almost the pop of two pins.   I was never a big fan of upping the caliber on a AR15 rifle, but I am a big fan of the 75gr HPBT for close up fighting.   The 75gr bullet seems to yaw better and slower velocities and give more thump just from my experiences.

When it comes to taking your AR15 rifle to a longer range, there are records being broken every week with the AR15 platform.  People use to laugh when they would hear of some one shooting an AR15 at 1000yds,  but it is done and can give a .308 a run for it’s money.   The real thing to consider when it comes to caliber changes on AR15 upper receivers  is how powerful is the round vs just accuracy competitions.   I have a friend that came back from service over in the Middle East and he gave first hand accounts of how bad 9mm ammo was in combat and that at least 3rds of M855 was necessary to take down a threat with an M4.   Consider the ammunition you are using and not just how far out you can shoot, you may want to trade accuracy for energy.

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Pocket guns and getting dressed up for CCW

Many of you that are married may not have the option of dressing  yourself, but I have often been told that I can not wear a certain type of pant or shirt when I was going out because it clashed with what my wife was wearing.   CCW clothing options are very limited even though there are plenty of tactical clothing companies offering concealed carry or covert carry clothing.   I did a few trips to local gun shops and picked up Proper, Tru-Spec, Woolrich Elite, 5.11 tactical and a few other clothing options and the sizing variations was a nightmare.   I was buying 36/34  pants to 38/32 pants depending on the manufacturer and that was what I had to do to just get the fit right.

When it comes to shirt options, that’s a much hard sell.   I haven’t been able to buy anything other than 5.11, Blackhawk and Woolrich Elite shirts and a couple Eotac shirts, but there was not a lot of versatility.  If I wanted to do out of uniform Law Enforcement duty then the tactical clothing companies worked, but if I had to pass the Wife’s going out for dinner options, I did not have a lot to wear that didn’t get flak from her.  I highly recommend the Woolrich Elite Oxford shirts and the Woolrich Elite CCW shirts.

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The reality of gunfights is you rarely need magnification

I took a Carbine course at a western, PA gun club over the weekend and I did it just because I like to take them to observe the students progress from novice shooters to the next advancement.    Many of the Carbine classes I have taken were what I considered to be somewhat below my level of shooting, but since I often get asked to sit in on instructors, I get more than a few  opportunities.   Having the right attitude is something I look for because being in the business world, it is something that I often see lacking, I’ve seen students remove themselves for classes because gear went down and they were so ashamed of the malfunctions that they walked off.   It makes me think these individuals really lacked will power and i wouldn’t want to be in a crisis situation with them.

There is such a thing as a more durable firearm, but there are many things that I have seen people do to less expensive firearms to toughen them up.   Replacing extractors and working parts can give you a good leap forward.   The Trijicon rifle scopes that use to see on the range don’t seem to have the authority that they  use to.   They are still one of the best accurate shooting combat optics, but now that we are 10yrs into close quarters gun fighting in the Eastern part of the world, close quarters combat rarely needs more than iron sights, a red dot or an Eotech.  Taking a step back from the 4x optics is something that should be considered.

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New Crimes and home invasions

There has been a recent out burst of home invasions close to where I live.   Home invasions have always been something that occurs, but recently there has  been a new twist in the way it is being done.   Several older folks were the targets of invasions because they were easy targets.  Now a recent rash of daylight invasions where the  bad guys broke into the house while people were in it, ran up to the master bedrooms grabbed jewelry and valuables quickly and ran right out the same door they came in.   Most of the incidences occurred within less than 1 minute.   You might be in  your basement and hear a break in and by the time you call the police and come up stairs the person is already tossing something out a window to his counterpart or already out the door.

 

Crime is something that is always evolving, you will find the dunce novice criminal, but there are people that are good at what they do.   Smash and grabs have also become more common because criminal just want the fast easy money and don’t want a confrontation.   Think about making sure your Gunvault gun safes are properly mounted and out of sight even if it’s hidden in the obvious places.  Even bolting down a computer or monitor is something that can slow a bad guy down and help give the Cops a chance to catch them.

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