So you want to call us up and ask us the “what belt do I want” question!

The Wilderness BeltsLike all of the holster and apparel question, the next question all of the new gun carriers are the “do you have a good belt” which means they need a stiff belt so the holster doesn’t ruin it. I like many, learned by making mistakes or just not  having the information at hand to make the right decisions.  I still have a few belts in the house that are obvious early gun belts because they all have the holster crunch.   There are differences in gun belts,  you want a stiff belt but some belts can be too stiff and feel like you have a hula hoop around your waste.  Even the Blackhawk pistol belts that we sold were discontinued for a slightly less stiff design.   The Desantis gun belts are more money but had a better reputation.    We are waiting to get the new Blackhawk Pistol belts and get them to our customers for feedback.

The quick fixes for gun belts are the Elite Survival Cobra belts and the Wilderness belts.   The belts have different buckles or ways to latch but The Wilderness belts that we stock have been our primary for almost 9yrs now.  Lots of people are shocked to drive up to our Broomall, PA showroom and find a tactical store that actually stocks them.  I personally have used them for almost 15yrs and the support they give is excellent.   I first started out carrying a 1911 and that did a job on my previous gun belts but it was very easy to forget that you had a gun own you because the support was so good.

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The Versatility of the AR15, the shooters and the firearm

Adams UppersThere are a great many advancements the AR15 has gone through since it’s original inception in the 1950’s.  The gun is probable in about a Generation 5 if you want to look at it the way Glock handguns are updated, actually, it’s probable been more so.   It was always a very easy platform to shoot from but now that competition shooting has asked those that engineer and design these guns to do more with it.   There are so many rail systems, trigger systems, barrel lengths and weights, that there is so much to choose from, that I really think that the majority of operators over think there applications.   The quad rail was a cool thing when it was being sold on AR15’s 10yrs ago, but many found out real fast that all it did was add weight to the rifle and most people didn’t put more than a grip, optic, co-witness iron sights, and usually a flashlight.

Now that the Magpul MOE stocks have taken a strong hold in the industry, people are not wasting space and energy with the M4 Carbines.   There seems to be a new trend towards gas piston designs  like the Adams Uppers due to the improved designs of piston guns.  There were a few companies that test them out like the AR18, but it was always kind of considered to be an odd choose and it didn’t look like an AR15.  Now that things have changed, I have to stop and stare at a gun for a few seconds to see if it’s a piston gun or a direct impingement.  The Ruger 556 is a rock solid design, but Adams would be my next choose and then finally the LWRC guns.

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How brick and mortar stores are making a comeback

original swat bootsThere are a lot of things that we stock in our Retail showroom here in Pennsylvania that people have learned to not buy online.   We juggle between being competitive online with our pricing but actually stocking most of the items like tactical clothing, that people want to walk in and  hold it in their hands before buying.  When we look at some of our competition online, some dealers have 365 day returns and others have free returns and exchanges, but some people just don’t want to deal with the return authorizations ect or wait weeks for their tactical footwear or  pants to come back to them.   Some have  told us that they would pay more money just to make sure that something was what they wanted vs getting something they didn’t like.

We stock as much of the Original Swat tactical footwear line as possible because it’s a California based company and they don’t have a lot of online dealers so  people always want to know if we stock it, not just drop ship it.   I personally wear the Original swat boots and it’s not just because I sell them, I really do like them and considering how bad my feet are, I really can’t deviate from wearing them.  The prices are great and the warranty is outstanding.   There have been some major changes to the product line with them moving out of China to Cambodia, but we have a very high satisfactory rating with this product line.   The reviews from our customers about the waterproof boots, composite toe since they do not make a steel toe, and the comfort are superb.

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The differences between all of that tactical nylong companies

bulldog gun casesI will admit first off that we sell a ton of nylon gear, bags, molle and holsters from a great many manufacturers.   There are differences in quality and you do get what you pay for, but the truth of the matter is that nylon is not going to cost you what some of the leather or customer kydex holsters are going to so you are more than likely going to get a less expensive item.   We  have a large selection of belt clip  holsters because so many people come into our store and need a holster but they don’t really have any particular brand or style.   Some of the IWB holsters are ambidextrous and this pretty common in this industry.   We have Bulldog, Uncle Mike’s, Elite Survival Systems and even some of the Voodoo tactical products.  Some of the range bags from Bulldog are very simple and there products are reasonable priced.

Instead of using a rifle sock, I’m a big fan of the Bulldog Economy gun cases because they offer more protection and have handles and they are practically in the same price range is a rifle sock.   I usually transport my 22 Caliber rifles or my Remington 870 shotgun in my Bulldog gun cases because they are very long but not high value rifles so there is no need for me to drop $100 on a heavily padded rifle case because I have $2000 tied up with a carbine and it’s fancy Trijicon ACOG optics.  There are several range bags, gun cases, pocket holsters, shoulder holsters and even some tactical holsters that are definitely pick me ups.

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Lasers for communication and targeting, not just for plinking

crimson trace laser gripsThe whole laser and light debate seems to make people’s heads spin because so much of it is about scenarios or hypothetical situations.   You have to train to use those tools and they can all be a liability.  Just like hunting deer, you gotta watch how you move and worry about being downwind so you have a better change of getting your game, well being in the military or Law Enforcement, they are trained to use various tools like ballistic shields, flash bangs and breaching shotguns.   Home owners should really train to  use their firearms in situations that pertain to the dimensions of their houses.   If you measure out areas where you might potentially defend yourself, you are being more practical and build muscle memory and confidence.  If you don’t have that, you may want to switch firearms or put a laser grip or a laser light combo on your gun.

There are several products that we sell that each do things a little different so you might want to call or email us questions if you are not sure about various features.   The reviews we have gotten on the Crimson Trace Laser Grips make it our number one most sold, but if you got the money check out Viridian or even the Streamlight laser light combos.   Crimson Trace Laser grips can work well on revolvers for hunting (on private land) or for adding confidence to your CCW .380 or J-frame guns.   You can also use lasers to point to certain areas and also to identify where a threat might be hiding.  Don’t forget that even though you might have gotten in trouble in school for using a laser pointer, you can use them in the same way on your firearm, as long as you pay attention to the 4 safety rules.

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Leather holsters, best looking?

galco holstersYes, I admit it, there have been times I have picked out a holster just in the same way that women pick out shoes for a night  out on the town.  I have some really nice shoulder holsters that I have picked up from Galco that I use when I go up to the mountains or go to the mall and have a heavy winter coat on.  I really like carrying full size semi-autos but you really feel it when  you carry for very long or have to sit in a car.  We have a  lot of Police Officers tell us they hate getting in and  out of a car with some of their duty holsters because they ride up when they sit down.    Police officers no longer just carry handcuffs, a gun, and a baton.  They have radios, cells phones, tazers and more.   Finding a way to make it more comfortable to carry a firearm is something that Galco leather has done.

Probable the most popular gun holsters out there is the Miami classic shoulder holster.  This was probable Galco Holsters most famous image when the Miami Vice TV show was on the air.   I see plenty of Federal Agents carrying the Sig 229 DAK and the Glock 19 in this type of holster and recently we had several detectives and special agents still sporting this type of shoulder holster.   Most good shoulder holsters will be about $100 although you can get them much cheaper if you go with a nylon design.  There are big differences in the shoulder support of a holster and some of the reviews about these in the past have been repeated by many of my peers.   Some designs really cut into your neck and shoulders so you really have to put one on and make sure it works for you.

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2yrs into carrying the Tru-Spec product line

truspec tactical pantsThis is our second year of carrying the Tru-Spec tactical clothing line and we are very happy with what our customers are telling us.   The reviews on tactical clothing made by Tru-Spec are much better than what we are hearing  about 5.11.   We carry some of the 5.11 tactical apparel and gear like the backpacks and molle stuff, but we get a lot of complaints about shrinkage and lack of durability.  If you just compare the polo shirts that men or wome would wear in an Office environment,  The Woolrich Elite tactical polos in style 44435 would be the most durable but they are much heavier in weight.  I’ve had the same Tru-Spec 24.7 series tactical polo for a year and it has faded and the name tag has worn, but it’s still in tact.

The biggest winner that we discovered were the 24/7 series tactical pants, many of our customers told us they had a great product line and their womens Truspec tactical pants were very well received unlike some of the other clothing companies we dealing with.    I’ve heard some good things about the Blackhawk tactical clothing line for women also, but price points are something we are seriously thinking about.  We noticed several vendors in the area have stopped carrying the Vertx product lines because there were too many issues in trying to get product and the starting cost of the tactical pants were around $64.99.   The Tru-Spec Simple Tactical product line is a really smart thing, there are some variations in fit and sizing if you are already wearing the 24/7 series, but we have a good exchange policy so let us know if something doesn’t fit.

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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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