Worthy of a good look over- Elite Surival systems products

There are a lot of nylon companies out there and there are huge differences in the thought, quality, and marketing of them.  Voodoo Tactical has some really cool stuff but some of their products are for full blown combat and have more molle on them than most Law Enforcement would use.   I have seen some neat magazine pouches for the AR15 that also have pistol mags on the face of them which one local Police Officer really liked because it saved him some room.  Not everyone does the same thing well and then cost is another factor.  If you want to put a $2500 carbine and have it protected in your car or travel around the world with it, you’re going to have to consider some other products.  Some Nylon is for SWAT guys while others are for fireman who just need a radio pouch, but there are lots of variations in radios.

If you look at the sheen of some of the nylon products you will see the difference, the first time I picked up a double mag pouch for my Magpul pmags i noticed the quality difference that Elite Surival Systems had.      I then checked out there Covert Operations bag and it was very cool to handle, most of the Elite Surival Systems gun cases we have in the store are the Covert Operations and Double Agent gun cases.  There are a large number of CIA guys using these gun systems due to the traveling and team work they have to do.  The internal molle compartments are also a cool feature for holding handcuffs, magazines, and flashlights like the streamlight strion or Polytac.

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Eotech sights, 512 vs 516 and what about magnifiers?

eotech sights I remember being to ranges when I was a kid and seeing the guys with the AR15s and the 3-9×40 scopes and thinking that was the pinnacle of coolness.   If you are target shooting, hunting or on a really tight budget, something like that might be good for you but for close quarters defensive applications, the need for magnification is very low.   Most Police Officers we deal with don’t even see the magnifiers on their guns because many of those guys are even on even tighter budgets.  They use what they know they need and Trijicon ACOGS are something rarely  used in the Law Enforcement community because they don’t need a rifle scope with 3.5X or 4X.  That actually can slow you down with your AR15  or M16 carbine.  The Eotech 512 with the AA Batteries is still the most popular but the XPS and EXPS optics have gained traction because they are lighter and smaller.

On some of my Daniel Defense M4 carbines I am running an Eotech 512 because I find the AA batteries to be more common, but if you bulk buy and stock the CR123 batteries they will work well for you.   Many of the guys running the Eotech sights with the CR123 batteries use those because the weapon mounted flashlights like the TLR1, TLR 3 laser combo use the same batteries so mixing up the battery types is somewhat of an issue.   Battery life can be betwee 600 hrs and 1300 hrs but for domestic purposes having access to batteries shouldn’t be an issue.  Keeping AA batteries or CR123 batteries around is something that should just be as important as having 5.56 ammunition.   If you want magnification you can run a Gen 3 magnifier later.

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New tactical clothing option without the sticker shock!

truspec simple tactical We’ve had lots of tactical pants, tactical shorts, and other items come in to our store and some of our employees wear all different types of tactical apparel.   We first found out about the Tru-Spec 24/7 series womens pants from an employee that was wearing them and told us they had a great reputation for quality and price points.   We’ve tried several other clothing companies products but many of them were either too expensive the fit just sucked, or the quality control was too spotty for us to even risk our reputation in carrying them.  I’ve heard lots of people mention how much 5.11 tactical products are being marketed but the prices have really shot up.   Not a lot of people are going to go along with the sticker shock, and we’ve seen people do this in the past.

There is something to be said about costs being a ceiling, there are products that come on the market and then when prices go up, people start shopping around for a better deal.  In an economy like this products like Truspecs simple tactical line will do well because not everyone in Law Enforcement needs zippers and pockets at every point.  Yes, they like to carry tactical knives or put an AR15 magazine in the pocket, but comfort, durability and price points are very important.  Once products get above $50 or so people will bail on you unless they have the money or the need for the product.

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Getting Glock magazines in all of this storm

Glock factory magazinesWe have factory Glock magazines, Beretta Magazines, Sig Sauer magazines,Kahr magazines and more listed here.  Chip McCormick magazines, Speed loaders for your j-frame for fast and easy reloading, range mags and spare magazines for your CCW and target shooting purposes.   We strongly recommend that any serious shooter or CCW holder have atleast 3 magazines for each firearm that they own, and we believe it’s a good idea to have a gun holster for every handgun you own.   Make sure you rotate your gun magazines when you are using them on the range and once you match up the right ammunition with the right magazines that you have, consider buying other gun magazines as range mags to keep your primary concealed carry firearm at it’s optimum reliability.   Serious should keep spare gun springs for their guns and we highly recommend Wolff gun springs

Butler Creek gun magazines work very well with the Ruger 10/22 which is one of our favorite 22lr rifles.  It’s been a toss up for us to recommend our vest 1911 magazines because most of our customers tell us Chip McCormick and Wilson Combat Magazines are the most reliable and friendly to the 1911 family.  Take a look at the 1911 mags being used in the State and National IDPA competitions and you’ll see for yourself. New Factory Glock magazines are less expensive than most gun mags, and Glock factory magazines are as rock solid and durable as the firearm.  We have large quantities of Glock 26 magazines, Glock 21 magazines, Glock 19 magazines all in stock.   Magpul Pmags have given new life and reliability to any AR15 Carbine, M4 or A2, direct impingement or piston driven.   Stock up on Kahr magazines we have some of the best prices and join our newsletter for discounts and promos. Maglula speedloaders will give you more range time and less loading time.

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Reviews on the Trijicon reflex and Mini ACOGS

Trijicon Reflex Sights I have always run Eotech sights on my LWRC AR15 carbines but the optics that have turned me on recently are the TA44 Mini ACOGS.  These 1.5×24 ACOGS have low magnification but the circle/dot reticle kind of reminds of the Eotech gun sight.  I have never been a huge fan of the Red dot because they seem to be too blurry for my eyes and I don’t like all of that haze.  For clearing houses I understand why people like them but the Trijicon Reflex sights like the RX30 are much clearer with their dot recticles than any red dot I’ve used.   There is now a very small 1.75 red dot called the Trijicon SRS sight which is a sealed reflex sight.  There is almost zero “tube effect” when looking through these and they take up very little space on your rail.  I still run a quad rail and have not jumped on the Magpul MOE yet but this is important to me.

There is so much to accessorize about the AR15 now but that is a good thing since all of us have different arm lengths and different tolerances of weight.  Several of the new Trijicon Reflex sights like the Trijicon SRS01 and SRS02 are ground breaking optics with their solar/battery powered red dots.   I would like to see something more along the lines of a solar/battery powered Eotech sight but maybe Trijicon will come out with a circle/dot solar powered optic like the TA44.   I would love to see something like that in maybe a 30mm optic.

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Sticking with Factory magazines for all of my handguns!

Glock 26 magazines in stockI started out with 1911s and they are probable the only magazines I would not buy factory magazines for.  As a matter of fact, I don’t  even know who I would say made factory magazines for the 1911?  Colt ?  Maybe but I don’t find Colt magazines to be as sturdy and Chip McCormick mags or Wilson Combat.  The strength of gun magazine springs and “you get what you pay for” really comes into play with this type of firearm.  I have a Beretta 92FS that I had a lot of fun with back in the 1990’s when the assault weapon ban was going on and this was just about the only firearm I could get magazines for at a reasonable price.  Back then some Glock magazines were going for $90 a magazine and after buying 3 or 4 of them you basically purchased a new firearm.

I have learned to maintain my firearms properly and magazine and spring replacement is as important as cleaning  your firearms, you just don’t have to do it as much.  I have heard stories of guys in the military that still had to clean out the magazines on their guns, something like the Glock 26 magazines in stock that are smaller and I’d probable say is a compact firearm, need to be cleaned probable every 5000rds or so because after that much usage, you really don’t know what else might have flown into your magazine.  There is a reason magpul makes dust covers for their guns  and in harsh environments I don’t think people realize that dirty magazines cause as much malfunctioning as dirty guns.

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Red dots, laser grips and how to improve your shooting skills!

crimson trace laser gripsI won’t talk to you like your an amateur and need to have trigger control explained to you but there are many people stopping into our store that have lasers on their guns but still don’t understand how to use them in a defensive manor.  All firearms and accessories are tools that you deploy that can improve your ability or impeed on it.   There are plenty of things you can attach to a firearm that  you think might make your more accurate but many of these devices can slow you down if you don’t train to use them.   We have several Navy Seals stopping in our store with their Glock 17 handguns and use Viridian laser light combos and they speak highly of using the green lasers.   One of the main things they talk about is identifying targets in low light.  For instance, 6 guys break into a house to clear it and lasers come in handy as pointing devices.  Instead of hand gestures or spoken words, a tap of a laser on a wall means “shoot here” or “move here”.

You do have to be very careful about attaching lasers, lights and laser light combos on your gun because I’m a big believer in having holsters for every handgun that you use defensively.   I have sold many of the Desantis Rail Dyers to guys that has the Crimson Trace Laser grips on their firearms because in the event they had to use their Glock 17, Beretta 92FS or Sig 226 late at night, being able to easily re-holster your gun gets easier if you use a holster device like this.   Lasers should be used as on/off tools just like white lights, they can give you away in some situations and make you a target, or they can be tremendous assets to help you win a fight.

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Car safes and gunvault safes with a tied down coard

gunvault safes Gunvault gun safes and pistol holders will help keep your firearms organized and in a safe manor.  Keep your kids and burglars away from your firearms and bolt them to hidden areas in your home.   Technology has caught up with gun safety and the Gunvault biometric is worth the peach of mind of knowing you can quickly access your firearms and you can restrict who has the access.   Pistol racks will keep your guns from banging around in a gun safe and for those that have put the investment in firearms, invest in a versatile rack to keep those dents and dings and help you show off your collection to friends.  The GunVault microvault gun safe is extremely popular for people wanted to hide firearms or jewelry in their homes or while traveling, this small concealable safe can be hidden while traveling on the road.   Hide money or other valuables in this compact safe.

Many people ask us about car safes and travel safes and gunvault has the smaller microvault is big enough for a full size firearm like the XD45 or a Beretta 92FS.   These type of Gunvault safes for sale all come with a key to open it the batteries go dead or you have a programming issue.   The Gunvault safe also comes with a metal cord that you can loop through the safe when it is closed and attach it to a secure area of your car or in your trunk.  This is a great selling point because considering how small the safes are they can be stolen if not secured.

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What tactical pants work for you?

blackkhawk tactical pantsI’ve been wearing Tru-Spec and Blackhawk pants for almost a year and my tastes have changed dramatically.   I started out with the Tru-Spec 24/7 Series pants but had a few issues with my wallet being kicked out of the ID pocket and it started to bother me so much I re-considered wearing the Blackhawk Tactical pants.  I normally carry pepper spray in the front pockets of my Woolrich Elite Series Tactical pants and my Eotac pants but only Blackhawk and 5.11 tactical had a pocket that was similar to the platform that I was use to.  I attempted to get into 5.11 tactical pants several times but have gotten so much negative flack and proved it myself with several wear tests that it’s hard for me to even have a 5.11 tactical product in my clothing rotation.

The Tru-Spec 24/7 Series pants may not work for you but the quality is defanitely there.  I would defanitely say that the Blackhawk tactical pants that I’ve been wearing for 4 months now have grown on me.  I wish the side cargo pockets were about 2 inches deeper and I wish they had an ID pocket in the seat area on the left side.  If Blackhawk Warrior Wear did that these might become my favorite tactical pants.   I will be making my switch to tactical shorts in a few weeks after an unseasonable cold Spring.   I’m not sure that here in Pennsylvania the Poly Cotton rip stop pants will be comfortable in 100F weather but I will definitely be posting  about various tactical pants and tactical shorts.

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Off duty and training clothing for women, and we’ve seen them try to do it!

I’ve been in this industry for the better part of a decade and there was not much out there other than 5.11 clothing 10yrs ago.   I knew several people that knew the potential of the market and wanted to get something new out there.  Now the tactical clothing is flooded but some of the same problems are there.   Quality control, and the lack of a decent line of products for women.  Today i had a female police officer come in looking for Ladies duty gear, last week it was ladies pants.  We never saw the Eotac product line go out there for women, but recently only Tru-Spec tactical pants have had a 98% approval from our female customers.  Many women get stuck wearing mens tactical pants but the crotch and waist fit can get very annoying.

Poly cotton ripstop tends to be the best option since it does not need to be ironed and is a low maintenance material.   The best tactical pants we’ve seen are the 24/7 Series Tru-Spec womens pants that we always stock in our store.   There are several departments stopping in with female co-workers that need pants for when they have to leave the office and go out in the field.  The womens EMS pants have a 90% approval raiting and we rarely hear criticism about fit.  There are big differences in the pocket patterns because fitting pepper sprays, mace, batons, flashlights and a firearm can vary from person to person.  You really have to kind of know what you are looking for and then fit into the tactical clothing.  Some medical supplies fit very easily into the EMS pants.

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