Moving away from battery reliant optics?

I remember when Eotech sights and red dots were showing up on gun ranges about 15yrs ago and how high tech they were.  They were because you were basically getting an F16 gun sight on a Carbine and it was so easy to see targets and engage them quickly.   I have good eye sight for my age but there have been many times I have taken friends and family members as well as students to the range and people had trouble looking through optics.  The best thing about low magnification optics is that is less of a problem for them.  Aimpoint is still probable the king of the red dots but Trijicon has the SRS red dot out now and we have a few of them inbound.

Having AA batteries around for your firearm optic is easy and it’s a very common battery to find.  There have been design changes to Eotech sights because it was common for the gun sight to have issues with the battery contacts when the batteries were put in forward in relation to the firearm.  I assume it had something to do with barrel harmonics but I have witnessed this first hand.  The smaller CR123 batter is being used more than the AA batteries and you’ll get a shorter smaller optic.  There are always trade offs with firearm optics and even trijicon is moving towards battery powered optics.

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TruSpec Soft Shell promo kicking off October 1st

We are several days into our TruSpec Soft Shell promo and we have much anticipation.  After we saw so much turmoil in the tactical clothing industry in recent years, we jumped onboard with the TruSpec product line because the company has such a diverse Military, Fire, EMS and now concealed carry product line, it gave us a new angle of our already growing customer base.   There are many products that I personally won’t use like the TruSpec 3 in 1 parkas because these are meant for Law Enforcement because they have the obvious badge holders on the face of the jacket.   The TruSpec windbreaker is also a Law Enforcement product but there are some really cool new things we are bringing into the store.

The coolest looking thing we got in this month are the TruSpec soft shell tactical jackets.  We have sold many other tactical looking jackets from Sigtac, Woolrich Elite and others but the TruSpec jackets are a very nice addition to our showroom.   The TruSpec soft shell jacket is available in Black, Olive, Coyote and the new Multi Cam patter.  The Multi-cam jackets are probable going to be the biggest sellers since the military has adopted the multi-cam pattern.  Even our Smith Optics Elite product line has eyewear that is in multi cam.

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Gun Cleaning Supplies without all the smell and mess

I’ve tried to clean my firearms and use gloves to avoid contact with all of the chemicals but it was too much of a pain in the ass to get done.   Some of the gun cleaning parts as well as the take down pins on something like an AR15 are too hard to do with rubber gloves.    I’ve avoided using Hoppes bore cleaning chemicals for a long time because I’ve mostly learned that if you clean guns shortly after shooting them they are easier to clean.   I’ve used Break Free CLP on cleaning patches and it seems to get the job done on all of my rifles.  On my Winchester 30 caliber bolt action there was one time I had to use a bore cleaning to clean it.

The best thing to do these days is transition your gun cleaning materials to non-toxic chemicals.   The M-Pro7 gun cleaner is non-toxic and as I have rotated out many of my older gun cleaning supplies, and replaced them with M-Pro7 I have not had the smells and the light headed experiences nor the complaints from my family members about the smell.   Not only that but the carbon remove really works well and the 32oz sprayer makes getting into the chamber and covering the bolt carrier easier.  I have friends that actually just dunk the whole bolt carrier in a bucket and they’re done.

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Novekse uppers in full form

Recently we attended the Contagion 2012 here in Pennsylvania at the new New Holland Rifle and Pistol club.  This was I believe the 5th year of the Contagion event and the 5th one we were sponsors at.  The beauty of events like this is its basically a please touch gun show.  You can ask shooters about the guns and gear they are towing around and and watch it in action.  So many times we watch people show up for the first time and have gear fail on them.  98% of the times we saw operator induced malfunctions but some times we saw optics fail.   There are guys with NCStar optics going up against Trijicon and Aimpoint optics and there has been a difference in performance.  There is a difference between plinking and hard use optics.

There has to be something said about mounting optics properly and using loctite on your optics so they don’t come loose.  The other thing we noticed is the guys that shot the most accurately at medium and longer ranges were using higher end AR15s or fitted with Noveske uppers who were also sponsors for the event.  The way that bolt carrier improvements have occurred so many firearms have become more reliable and have less use for high amounts of lubrication.  We’ve seen direct impingement AR15s perform as well as the LWRC M6A2 guns that were fielded that day basically because the guns, all guns have gotten better.

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LED Flashlights for firearms

Flashlight technology has advanced more than most other items in the last few  years and LED technology really should make the average home owner, Concealed Carry holder and average citizen think about cleaning out the house and tossing  your older Mag-lite flashlights.   You can get far more out of a CR123 than you  use to get from several D batteries and the same flashlight that you use to take camping is the same one you can mount on your M4 Carbine.

LED technology has advanced so much in recent years that it truely is time to clear out your old flashlights and replace your home and traveling white lights. Fore handguns and Carbines we highly recommend Streamlight Flashlights for home or street defense.  The TLR-1 is one of biggest selling handgun tactical lights and is easy to mount and easy to use. If you are looking for a light and laser combo, the TLR-2 tac-light is what you’re looking for. The Streamlight Scorpion PolyTac is a good companion for traveling or for mounting on your M4 Carbine.

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If you can take a College coure online, you can take a firearms training course online

Recently I noticed there are a lot of firearms training DVDs coming out from some pretty big names in the industry.  While I agree there has been a bit of  a boom in celebrity firearms instructors, I think most of these guys are class act and the majority have some really good info for novice and expert levels of experience.  I remember talking to Fernando Coelho years ago about getting some credentials in the industry and he told me the first thing I should do is take a course with Pat Rogers or Larry Vickers.   Since I’m married with kids it’s been really hard to take a 3 or 4 day course out of State, but now that Panteao Productions is kicking out a DVD a month practically, I’m trying to swallow up the time to be able to watch all of them.

I think most people in my age group have the same issues, it’s money or time that they don’t have enough of but for $50 or less you can find some point during the day to watch these DVDs in stages or after the kids go to bed.  I have only been able to watch about a dozen of the Panteao DVDs from Make Ready with Travis Haley, Make Ready with Paul Howe and all of the new Pat Rogers training ones.  The Massad Ayoob DVD about Home defense is an excellent DVD to watch and give as a gift to someone that has no idea how the criminal mind works and how to prepare your home for threats.

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Military clothing vs CCW apparel

I hear people say all the time that a certain type of clothing is a “shoot me now” vest or a shoot me now jacket.   I don’t think that is really that big of a deal in many circumstances because there have been many types I’ve been to a mall in the winter and I have seen a skinny pot smoking kid in a military style camo jacket.   Most of those guys aren’t packing firearms and I doubt a bank robber or a terrorist is going to shoot them first because they are wearing military clothing.   I think looking healthy and having good muscle mass is more likely to get you shot first rather than have a fishing vest or a camoflauge jacket on.  TrusSpec makes some nice multicam products namely their new tactical pants.

There have been some really nice jackets and coats in the past and I have no idea why they stopped making them because some of them were really nice.  The SigTac jackets were a huge seller a few years ago, the Woolrich Elite Barn Coat and the Woolrich Elite Algerian Jackets were also very popular but some of them were discontinued.  The Eotac field jacket was basically and improved version of the Woolrich elite product line but that also faded out.  This year our two best selling outwear jackets are the Woolrich Elite Twill jacket and the Woolrich Elite Algerian jacket.   The Woolrich Elite Series Tactical algerian jacket is a military style jacket that has that look but it also has a lot of functionality that works well for carry a firearm.

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People that are still carrying the 1911 pistol and love it

If you love the way the 1911 feels in your hand you’re probable not going to find another firearm that feels the same way.  I’ve like the traditional 1911 style guns for almost 2 decades and tried out many variations of them, but they didn’t feel like a 1911 when the makers made them a double stack.  There is something about 1911 pistols that is just balanced very well.  Once you put more than about  8rds in a 1911 the gun gets heavy and for something that is so slim and contoured right, you can mess that up with 10rd protruding magazines.  That’s fine for competition shooting but I don’t think you’ll ever see law enforcment or special operations  units running those magazines even if they are reliable.

Most of the Special operations units we deal with actually use 7rd magazines although I have found that the 8rd magazine reliability issues is a myth.  All I run through my 1911 government models are Wilson combat magazines  with the 8rd wilson combat magazines that work so well.   I have been using gun grease on my Colt 1991A1 and my Springfield GI 1911 that had some minor customizations, but I have not seen a malfunction in that firearm in years.  I am still running mostly ball ammo through my guns which is the proven reliable ammunition.  Gun grease is something that I have been using more and more on my handguns because they seem to  hold up better for long term storage.

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Kimber Pepper Blaster 2 replaces Kimber Guardian Angel

 ASP Pepper sprays and other less lethal options are great backup devices for concealed carry.  When it comes to CCW,  tactical knives can be used for self defense or every day carry and utility purposes. Tactical clothing designs vary in many ways and the ability to carry spare gun magazines in pockets and vests can be done, but it’s all about preference. Speed Loaders for the j-frame pocket carry make a nice backup. For more aggressive tactical purposes Blackhawk tactical gloves, Vickers tactical gloves give you a broad spectrum of applications.

For more tactical clothing and tactical apparel options, Woolrich Elite Series tactical shirts, tactical pants and tactical vests, we have a large selection depending on your preference of tactical clothing, the Kimber Pepper Blaster works well in either tactical pants like the Blackhawk lightweight tactical pants, Eotac tactical pants, light weight and CCW vests, Woolrich Elite Discreet Carry Twill Jacket, The Woolrich Elite Parka, and a large selection of tactical flashlight, gun holsters and magazine holders.

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Fobus paddle holsters get the job done

We highly recommend these holsters for concealed carry or for defensive training classes. Concealment garments like the Eotac Style 102 vest along with a Fobus paddle holster are our most popular defensive training accessories for students taking defensive concealed carry courses. They are extremely comfortable for carrying full size and medium size semi-autos and are easy to detach from the belt. For Winter or open carry use, the Fobus paddle holster is a inexpensive and long lasting tactical holster. Get a good gun belt like the Wilderness 5-stitch Instructor belt and you won’t notice the difference between a Sig 239 and a Sig 226 on your body.

Fobus holsters are also very good for carrying in the winter when wearing a heavy coat is the norm. It’s always a good idea to have atleast a summer/winter configuration when carrying concealed and the Fobus holsters are something worth putting into your rotation. The quick and easy method of detaching the holster from the belt makes taking the gun holsters off and on that much less of an issue like belt loop holsters. Double and single stack magazine pouches are just as easy to take on and take off as the holsters are. There are also other concealed carry options like the Ankle Fobus holster which is one of our top 2 methods for white collar concealed carry.

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