Original Swat Footwear have you heard of them before?

We have been stocking the Original Swat footwear products for almost 3yrs now and have put in 3yrs of running the Atlantic City Police and Security Expo for them.  It’s nice to get positive feedback from customers about a product year after year and this past year was the most successful.  When the customer base grows and they keep coming back, you know you’re doing something right.  These tactical boots keep getting lighter and lighter and it’s always fun to see someones face the first time they pick them up.   The Original Swat style 1232 are my favorite because the air cushion that it has really gives you more support.  I’ve got worn down feet and I can really tell when the sole of a boot or shoe is giving in.
After spending about $20 per month on replacing Doctor Scholls for my feet the costs of having sneakers that were light, but lost support really started to add up.   I picked up a different kind of gel insert that supposedly has a 2yr warranty, but we shall see,  the lightest tactical boots that we have right now are the Original Swat Chase low series.  These are available in Black and Tan.   If you compare this product line to most of what you see at Cabel’s or Dick’s Sporting goods, you’re probable dealing with atleast a 40% lighter boot.  That really means something to a Police Officer or  an Operator.

 

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If your gun costs more than $1000 you rifle case should cost more than $30

I have stockpiles of rifle case and holsters that I have acquired over the years but after witnessing several bad incidents with several friends I have been slowly acquiring better rifle cases than what I previously have used.   Uncle Mikes’ and Bulldog make some nice, inexpensive soft assault rifle cases but that can be a problem these days.  Sometimes you want something that doesn’t scream gun and some of my friends found out the hard way.  If you look like you’re transporting a firearm, you open yourself up to the paranoid society and also to theft.   In recent years there have been thefts of firearms from vendors that were bringing guns to and from gun shows and they stopped in at a restaurant and somebody did a smash and grab when they were chowing down.

Many AR15 style rifles have tactical optics on them that cost almost as much as the guns do.  Why not find a tactical gun case like the Elite Survival Cover Operations case that is low profile and can securely strap your optics and firearm down.  It also can carry magazines, rifle or pistol, or some other molle type system in a separately padded compartment.   Even for law enforcement being low profile with your firearms is a way to be professional and make sure the public doesn’t think you’re responding to a bank robbery in progress.   A decent tactical rifle case like this will most likely cost you in the $100 price range, these are made in the USA can be had with free shipping at Rogue Elite.

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Firearm deactivation or gun safes?

I grew up in a home where there was no firearm available but my Dad was always very smart about the way he conducted himself in the home.  I’ve actually witnessed my Father defend My Mother and family with his bare hands so I knew he wasn’t a wimp in anyway.   We had timers on lights and when we went away on vacation he knew not to announce it to the public.  Little things like that are just as good as having an alarm system on your home.  The differences between  those two are almost the differences between using cover or concealment in a defensive situation.

When it comes to storing a firearm in  your home that you want to be available for self defense, handguns are easy to put away in a quick access gun safe, but shotguns or rifles are another.  I personally would shy away from a rifle being used in the home because of the volume, but gunvault has the breechvault that you can use on a shotgun if your shotgun is your primary home defense gun.   The Breechvault can deactivate your gun while  you mount it in a closet or other area of the home that only you have a key to and if need be, it’s not tucked away in a gun safe with a dial combination lock that might take 10 seconds or more to open up.

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Be careful what you decide on for a pocket holster

They are not all the same even though they are probable all under $20.   We have several people coming in here and looking at the various pocket holsters and giving us some feedback.  I personally have a stockpile of Uncle Mike’s holsters that I picked up at gun shows and and ended up retiring them for something a little bit more sturdy.  Not that Uncle Mike’s products are crap, but they aren’t the best product for the buck.   I have carried Taurus revolvers in the past with clip on inside the waist band holster but the belt clips did not hold up when you bent over.  A good gun belt like The Wilderness or an Elite Survival Systems belt namely the Cobra Belt are great options to reduce this, but why not do something more secure.

The Uncle Mike’s holsters I have that were pocket holsters had a small piece of fabric that is suppose to cause some friction when the gun is drawn, but it’s not that good.  We have leather, nylon and kydex holsters here but the Desantis holsters that we sell a lot of are the Desantis Nemesis pocket holsters.  They have more friction material covering the outside of the  holsters, but they are closer to $20.   The Elite Survival Systems pocket holsters a huge seller because they are just as good and about $50 cheaper.   The Woolrich Elite Chino pants that we sell are probable a big hit in store, because the pocket holster shoppers are always looking for concealed carry pants that work for them.

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You need to know what you want and here’s the best place to find it

Rifle optics are probable one of the hardest things to ship for online because so much of the product is spelled out in words and sometimes you will know if you want something just by picking it up.  I’ve seen several combat optics from outside a glass display case but didn’t get a chance to look through them.  The way that glass technology has improved, so much about optics these days are etched in the glass.  I still  have one of my first optics I got off of my  Uncle that actually  has a wire hanging over the glass for crosshairs, it fogs up but still is accurate.

The differences in application for Eotech, Aimpoint and Trijicon are pretty fast and the optics really are not that all alike.  I remember the first time I saw  Trijicon ACOGs these looked all fancy but the TA01 that I shot through back then is no where near what Trijicon optics are now.   I have Trijicon night sights on several of my handguns but never really made use of them, I guess that’s a good thing, but now that they are making high visibility sights for shotguns that have dramatically changed as far as sighting systems.  The optics we’ve sold the most lately were the green reticle acogs and that was mostly because we had them in stock and people could stop in our showroom and hold them before buying.

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Feedback on Recon Sleeping bags from customers

I’ve learned that after 7yrs of being  in this business that when a new product comes out, the last thing you do is rave about it until you’ve sold enough of them to know there isn’t an issue with them. There have been many products over the years that looked great but then  you find out there is a recall notice in your mail box for them.  We’ve seen it with  gun holsters, firearms magazine springs, extractor springs and even footwear.  Stuff happens and one little ingredient in production can come forward as an issue 6 months later.  In the last  year we’ve stocked more products than we ever have before.

We have never sold sleeping bags before and from all of the camping i’ve done in my life, I don’t think i’ve ever used more than 3 bags.  We sold several of the Recon sleeping bags that Elite Survival Systems has been selling and we’re waiting for several places to get back to us about product reviews.  From my first hand experience I will have to say that just the size of these things and what they can be used for is impressive.  To have such a light sleeping bag that you can survive in means less weight on a hiking and camping trip and less stress on your feet.

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Have enough guns? How about more upper receivers for your AR15?

I don’t think you even need to worry changing calibers if you want something different than a 556 upper.   I’ve seen guys turn an M4 Carbine into a varmint rifle with a snap of two pins on a lower receiver.  The real thing to look out for is changes in calibers, namely to a 5.45×39 upper.   Many times I’ve seen guys skip the hammer spring change and end up with a light strike issue with Russian ammunition. We sold a ton of the Smith & Wesson 5.45×39 uppers a few years ago but for some reason they just don’t seem to be available.

 

The LWRC M6Ak was a one off novelty deal which died a quick death and no word if it’ll ever happen again.
Right  now the biggest selling upper receiver we have are the Adams 5.45×9 uppers.  I had a customer take apart his gun side by side to my AR15 complete upper receivers and compare the piston differences.  There is a difference and I still love my LWRC M6A2 but this gun was a next best thing and a best thing for a 5.45×39 upper.  You still can’t beat the cost of ammunition for these guns and the  caliber does have a better reputation than the 30 caliber AK.   I’ve known guys that took hits from the AK it has so much energy that it just zips through you and the Russians finally caught on that the 5.56 was a better combat caliber.

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Woolrich Elite goodies on clearance

last year we picked up a  ton of discontinued Woolrich Elite products but had a shockingly bad winter sales for outwear.   One of our favorite things about the Woolrich Elite product line is that the fabrics they use are very well made.   For a company that has been around for over 180yrs, they must have some secrets that have kept them in the business for so long.  These were originally marketed as a CCW sweatshirt, but they really don’t have any features that are concealed carry friendly other than the fact they are cut a little long.

We picked up a large quantity of these and since we had such a warm winter, they didn’t sell so good so we’re trying to make room and clear them out.  We have a large international and domestic customer base and these Woolrich Elite sweatshirts are being sold for 50% below what we use to sell them for.  Even though it’s hot as hell here in Pennsylvania, we know there are customers in Canada, Alaska and Afghanistan that might wants these.   Check out or clearance and sale section as well as the new Woolrich Elite Series tactical products like the Twill Jacket.

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Gun cleaning is simple so let’s not over complicated it

There’s nothing wrong with having lots of gun cleaning supplies if you need it and you can definitely mess up a firearm by using the wrong tools.  In all honesty, I have many gun cleaning brushes and tools that I have absolutely no idea how or what to use them for.  I picked up some of the Otis gun cleaning kits and at first found them a little frustrating to use because I could get the same grip on the wire as I could with a cleaning rod.  I realize there are compact advantages to using this system and for any military or long hunting trip they makes sense.

Some scraping tools are necessary for cleaning out the chamber of your AR15 because that gun is hands down the biggest pain in the ass to keep clean although sometimes people over clean them.   I like to have a atleast one Hoppes boresnakes for all of my rifles because when I get my rare range time in, it’s  not fun to have to spend more than about an hour to clean my guns and I’m of the type that needs to clean them after every time I take them out.   I have used break free clp for most of the time but for long term storage of firearms that aren’t going to get used for 6 months or more I am using the M-Pro7 gun oil because it seems to stay on better.

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Hard to find an upper you like?

We get a lot of window shoppers at our store and the one thing we pride ourselves on is that we are already very competitive with online sales that when people walk out of our store and look it up on Google or Yahoo, there is a really good chance they see our store listed there.  For many gun shops they tend to not make much money off of guns and ammunition that they really need to make money off of other things.  Some of those things like gun accessories, optics, holsters can be marked up 10-15% beyond what an online dealer might have but people are getting frugal with this economy.

Wilson combat magazines are one of those things that you don’t see in many stores but we are one of the best sources online for those.  When it comes to AR15 uppers the Noveske complete uppers are our recent hot sellers and the standard models are flying out the door.  There are many things like this that people want to hold in their hands before they lay their money down and gun grips, rifle stocks and gun accessories are not all that common in a fishing and hunting store.   Stop in our new Broomall PA location for the best source in tactical gear.

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