Getting a better grip on things

pistol gripsI must admit that I have my preferences when it comes to handguns and rifles, but I realize because I like something more than another, it doesn’t mean that they are functionally better.    I’m aware of dust tests on firearm where one beats out another, but for non-military endurance levels, most of what I normally handle is in the top tier.    Firearm maintenance is another area that people don’t like to venture into, because some people seem to think that just because it’s got a good reputation for being reliable means it’s always going to work for them.   Tools break, operators can abuse, and climate and enviroment can have an impact on your weapons, but when it comes to proficiency with the firearm, customization is something I strongly encourage.

I took a family member to the range to get them to try out 9 handguns.   Everything from 38 Special, 9mm, 40 S&W, 45acp and 357 Magnum.     Some of the 9mms I used were the same guns, but with different sights and different grips.    Novice shooters tend to not notice the slight differences in the guns and just think that because it has different pistol grips, it’s a different gun.    I had Factory grips on a Sig 226 and Hogue grips on another, and yet another one had the Hogue Grips with the finger grooves.   It turned out that this new shooter preferred the finger grooves on the Sig 226, but didn’t realize she was shooting basically the same firearm the whole time.   One had night sights which she didn’t care for because they didn’t work too well during the day.   I wonder which one she would have picked if we were shooting in low light?

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Soft gun cases are the way to go

I still think having a couple SKB gun cases that were configured for your favorite Carbine and handgun is cool, but I don’t have the money to spend to do that for all of the firearms I own.  The other issue is storing all of the bulk in your home.  For that $3000 rifle with the $1600 optic on it, then go ahead and get  a hard case, but I think after lifting your guns in and out of a vehicle, you’ll be more than happy with using a soft gun case.   Being able to fold up 5 or 6 assault rifle type cases and put it in a closet sure beats having to figure out how the heck to fit 1 hard case in any of my closets.   A soft gun case should be labeled in my opinion so you know which magazines or gear to store in it.   Staying organized and not getting confused and showing up at a range with the wrong magazines is something that is avoidable.

I admit I have gained  much of my experience through making mistakes, but showing up with an AK rifle after an hour of driving and pulling Mini 14 magazines out of one of the gun cases, was a learning experience.  Uncle Mikes assault rifle cases are what I mostly have and for the money I spent and how little wear the cases show, I really could not have justified spending money on anything more expensive.   I have looked into getting a Tac Force transport gun case for long road trips just because I think they stack a little more consistantly, this can be an issue if you are loading up more in a vehicle than just a daily range trip.

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Breaking down doors may mean it’s time to wear gloves

My favorite part of these competitions is see who packed there gear the best.   I remember all of the arguing about which gun was better and which calibers were better in a firefight, but in reality, the guy that can supress his enemy will eventually be able to overcome them.  There’s always the 6’5″ 220lb guy that shows up with a battle rifle and is able to pull off the task, but he’s rarely in the top scorers in the close quarters fights.  Nobody want to get hit with any caliber bullet and putting more bullets in a target is better than the mythological one shot stopper rounds.

Last weekend we attended a Zombie shoot here in New York State where competitors from around the Country showed up for this fun event.   I enjoy going to these events because not only do we get a more diverse crowd of people there, it’s basically a live fire gun show and I got to use my tactical gloves on the firing line.   You can witness just about any type of optic for long range shooting or close quarters combat and get to watch the competitors challenge there skills and weaponry. At some of the faster paced or group competitions, another issue arose. Every other guy had an issue with hot brass flying down his shirt or burned his hand on hot brass or a hot firearm.  Now we’re getting to another realty of why it’s a good idea to pack the right gear and inlude a good pair of tactical gloves.

 

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Positive feedback on the Eotac Mechanic Shirt

If you go through this site and read all of the reviews we have written, there is an obvious bias we have towards the clothing that we sell.   If we had a 25,000 square foot showroom we would consider carrying more brands because we are well aware of the fact that there are some really good products being made, but we’ve narrowed it down to what we like to deal with.   We get the obvious product exchanges from customers because of fit or sizing issues, but we almost never get a return because the product was unwareable.   I have had bad experiences with one item from one company and had to retire the shorts to the good will store because having a pair of shorts ride up on you means you are one step away from lewd conduct if it was in a public place.

The above paragraph may sound funny, but it was true.   I got tired of having to stand up and adjust myself because my undies were showing.   I have never had a problem like that with any of the Woolrich Elite or Eotac shorts.   I prefer the ID pockets on the Eotac shorts by far because of all of the toll booths travelling a I do, it sure makes it nice to bea able to reach and pull your wallet out without having to take my seat belt off.   The Eotac 409 Mechanic shirt is bothe concealed carry friendly and a good tactical shirts and is really marketable towards the undercover and investigations units.   I don’t think carrying a firearm while working as a mechanic is very comfortable or practical, but we recently got a very good response from one of customers on the fit and comfort of this shirt.

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Public Service Announcement- Eotac black pants are in!

The tacticl clothing market has become pretty competitive, especially after seeing some really good stuff coming from 5.11 tactical, Blackhawk and Proper.   After being at SHOT Show and several tactical operations and security expos, we’ve seen more than our fair share of companies trying to hold there own.   I recently read a critical review of someone who claimed there Woolrich Elite pants were not holding up and 5.11 tactical was better.  Well, I got news for you, Woolrich Elite has been in the clothing company for a long time, and if they were not making quality clothing the company wouldn’t be around for over 100yrs.  Many of our customers have different styles of tactical pants for different applications and I’d have to say that I’ve owned and have tried on some really nice stuff from 5.11 tactical and Blackhawk.

Elite Operator Tactical has been in the industry for the shortest time period, but they have a really good group of people designing there products, with lots of experience with working with other clothing companies.    The reality is this, even if you make a sturdy product, the designs of the pants, pockets and materials are going to change.  The Eotac Style 201 pants are very useful if you are toting a Carbine, but due to the size of the cargo pockets, they aren’t good for holding smaller items.   The long awaited inventory of Eotac pants that have been sold out for 6-12 months.   Eotac pants come with a Warranty on the durability of the product so you money is well invested in the line.

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Watch out for some of those hunting gloves

Now is the time  of year when most of us that go hunting will walk into our favorite sporting goods store and see an entire section devoted to us.   After having the fortunate experience of seeing some of the new A-Tacs camoflauge from Eotac at the New Jersey Police and Security Expo, I wasn’t impressed with most of the camflauge I saw at Cabelas and Dick’s Sporting Goods.   The hard thing about chosing camo is that up here in the Northeast, we have serious changes in patterns and colors from year to year.  There are times when the Fall leaves don’t change and you still have to keep your green camo on.   Other times you need your light brown and possible white mixture to fit in with a snowy background.

Every year I am in the hunting section trying to see if anything new an appealing is out, I see the same fingerless gloves that I wore almost 20yrs ago.   These are sold as hunting gloves but they aren’t tactical gloves.   I have personally seen people jam firearms because frayed strings and materian got jammed up in an AR15 magazine from the thumb area of the glove.   Fingerless gloves are very practical for hunting because they give you some level of warmth, but do not interfere with your feel of a firearm.   Are they hunting gloves or tactical gloves? Much of the padding on the thumb areas are meant for gripping a firearm, but if you use it to load bullets into a magazine, you have to make sure that you aren’t potentially wearing on the actual woven fabric and not pressing on the the padding.   I ruined a pair of fingerless gloves that I had after 5yrs of hunting with them,  by just using them for 2 range sessions with semi-auto handguns and rifles.

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Some range observations about tactical gloves

I always had issues with using gloves with firearms which stems from my young adult hunting experiences.   The gloves you thought you needed for a hunting trip wouldn’t fit in the trigger guard.  Not only was this a safety issue, it was uncomfortableto hold the firearm because you actually had to squeeze harder just to get through the fluffy texture of the gloves.  The tactical gloves have different applications.  Some are full length which goes up the forearm, mid-lengths are a little shorter, and then there are shorter gloves that basically just cover the hand.   The thing you have to think about is these slight differences are about as relevant as wearing long pants, lightweight pants, and wearing shorts.

The only real difference that I find relevant to what type of tactical gloves to wear are fingerless or full coverage gloves.   Actually, there is one more thing to consider.   Many of the guys that work in tactical operations want the trigger finger glove cut off and this is something else to think about when selecting your gloves.  The Vickers tactical gloves have various cut off points for trigger fingers and will not split or tear beyond that point.   The A106 Duty gloves are only available in black, but the A107 are much a little heavier and give you more wrist coverage.  These will elimnate the need for changing out the trigger guard on your AR15 or M4 variant.

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Thorough cleaning of firearms

Otis gun cleaning kitThis past weekend I got to test out an Otis gun cleaning kit.     I was issued the LEO deluxe cleaning kit and was amazed at how much stuff this thing had in it.    I’ve been using bore snakes for several years now and I have been pretty happy with how much time they have relieved me of when it comes to cleaning.    I have a few rifles that I spend more time with when it comes to cleaning the barrels with and every once in awhile I still dig out my rifle cleaning rod to clean them.    I was listening to a discussion with a LEO that was the PD sharp shooter and he mentioned some issues with using bore snakes.    I was a little sketical when I first heard him talk about it because I was always very happy with my previous cleaning methods.

The Hoppes bore snake is much faster to  use than a cleaning rod, brush and patch system, but If you need to do some serious chamber cleaning, especially on an AR15, you’re still going to have to use something else.   The Otis gun cleaning systems best advantage is that it is small and compact and basically does everything that a cleaning kit should do and will fit in your pocket.    There are always advantages and disadvantages to various cleaning methods, but gun maintenance is important for those are deployed.   Bore snakes can be hard to repackage once they get lubed up and you’ll have to do your own research on how to pack one up and bring it with you.   The Otis gun cleaning kit is already organized and compact, and depending on the cleaning system you use, you may be able to clean pistols, rifles and shotguns with the Deluxe Law Enforcement cleaning system.   I say again, the real benefit of the Otis gun cleaning kit is it can be as thorough as a traditional kit, but far more compact and mobile.

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Don Hume paddle holsters

I have a pile of Fobus gun holsters that have served me well and I don’t ever question the money that I have spent on holsters for the firearms that I now own.  I guess I’ve gotten smarter in regards to which configurations of holsters to have around.   I rarely carry using paddle holters due to the fact that I am usually not carrying openly and when I’m carrying openly I’m usually working with an M4 Carbine.   I have had bad experiences with some belt clip on holsters but I blame 90% of the failures on the gun belts I used, but I still have had them come loose on me.

For anyone that owns a medium to large frame sidearm, a paddle holster is something you should consider having available for your firearm.   Fobus seems to be the most commonly seen paddle holster at my ranges, but since I am a fan of Don Hume holsters especially for concealed carry I decided to pick up a paddle holster from them.   The first thing I noticed when I was wearing it was that it looked nice and felt like the $50 I spent on it unlike the $20 on the fobus.   The only thing I still to this day do not like are the thumbreak release on the top.   If  you practice enough it is something you can learn to get use to, but they really aren’t for me.   If I am going to take a step from Fobus gun holsters, I prefer the Blackhawk Serpa holsters.

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Cleaning revolvers is easier with a boresnake

I remember the first firearm I ever cleaned was a Marlin bolt action 22LR rifle.  To clean the gun, all you had to do was pull the bolt out the back by depressing a button and pulling it back.   You could look down the chamber and see all of the fouling and know how dirty it was.   Using Hoppes cleaning solvent on a wet patch would produce a dark black gun patch on the other end when pushed through with a cleaning rod.   After you did that a few times, I’d run a cleaning brush a few times and then run a dry patch until it ran clean.

Revolvers and some semi-auto guns like the M1 Garand or the M14 and Mini 14 can be tricky and need to be cleaned from the muzzle if you are using a cleaning rod, well a few decades ago a new innovative way of cleaning these firearms was invented.   The Hoppes boresnakes are the simplist way to speed up the process and to put dangerous wear on your barrel by using a cleaning rod.   The Hoppes Boresnake is caliber specific so you may want to pick up a few for various calibers.  There are also rifle and pistol versions.

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