Finding a comfortable shirt that holds up to wear

I was never a big fan of tactical clothing up until about 2008 and I had lots of experience with 5.11 tactical gear and Woolrich Elite products.  5.11 tactical pants have a well known reputation as being the leading tactical pant that everything else is compared to.  Quality from t he behemoth of a company has absolutely waned and it is obvious that people were looking for something more.  While the tactical pants market is pretty much bottle up, the tactical shirt market is wide open.  I personally think there are more opportunities to make a better shirt than ever before.

Most tactical shirts feel like a uniform and are not very comfortable to wear.  The only tactical shirts that I really still like are the Woolrich Elite 44901 short sleeve tactical shirts.  These have a vented back and have a very loose feel.  They had a great shirt called the zip up instructor shirt but for some odd reason it was discontinued.   It was basically the same shirt as the 44901 but had a zip up shirt with false buttons which made it look like  a regular tactical shirt but great for hot weather or even for wearing over a shoulder rig.

Top

Avoid the liability of using a firearm in self defense

Make sure you carry a less leathal weapon and there’s a very good chance you can avoid the legal ramifications of using a firearm.  I’m in no way saying that you shouldn’t carry a gun to protect yourself, but for even more insurance carrying different levels of self defense is a very good idea.  Just look at what moden law enforcement officers carry.  Cops don’t like pulling guns on drugged up teenagers nor do they want to have to pull weapons on groups of people that are unarmed.  This always looks bad on TV even thought the good citizen feels that bodily harm is just around the corner.

I have had my fair share of bad experiences with criminals and I have to tell you that carrying pepper spray is a very good thing.  If a 13yr kid gets worked up and starts threatening you, you don’t want to be the gun on TV that shot a kid 20yrs younger than you and is half your body mass.  We carry much of the Sabre Defense Pepper Sprays and these are also the same products that we sell to law Enforcement Officials.   Reactions to pepper sprays can be different depending on the individual you are dealing with and not all pepper sprays are anywhere near the same.  We have had several requests for FOX sprays and are looking to carry that line as well.

Top

Gun bags and gun cases, a hard sell online?

We’ve had so many people tell us they are glad to see a place like ours in our area because so much of what we carry are things people want to hold in their hands before they buy.  We have chosen the Elite Survival Systems product line as our premier tactical nylon product line and with the majority of the products being made in the USA, it’s been an easy sell to anyone that has never heard of them.  When people tell us they are looking for range bag, they usually have a preference in the size of compartments they need and considering the wide range of firearms out there, some times they are very, very specifici.

When it comes to gun cases, we have heard the same thing over and over again, a guy gets an AR15, and the gun case fits the gun.   The same person puts accessories on his firearm and then it doesn’t fit and then they stop in and pick up the Elite Survival gun cases and gun bags like the Covert Operations Discreet case.   The Elite Tactical Messenger bag has also been a hit with the EMS community.  We have sold many of the Ultimate Sniper Drag Bags to military and civilians and they are some of the best thought out gun cases we have ever sold.

Top

You may want to change the way you clean you firearms

There are many tools that can make your gun cleaning experience more efficient and product as far as time goes, but that might cost you money.  One problem many seem to have with this is most gun shops just carry the basic gun cleaning supplies and trying to f ind a tactical shop that sells all of the accessories and cleaning tools for an AR15 is difficult.  The AR15 especially the direct impingement version is the dirtiest firearm I own and cleaning the chamber is difficult if you don’t have the correct brush.

Gun cleaning oils and strippers have improved over what simple Hoppes gun cleaning kits use to issue.   Cleaners like M-Pro7 are much safer gun cleaning supplies to use and all it takes is a little research to see how dirty and unsafe some of the other products are.  If you have to clean it in an open air environment it’s not good to have it on your hands either.   Break Free CLP is still the most versatile gun cleaning liquid but there are better and more effective lubricants.   Many of my friends actually use Mobil 1 as a gun oil.

Top

Tactical knives and utilities

There are many things you can do with a knife depending on the way it has been cut.   The funny thing about working trade shows and selling knives though is running into all of the people that were carrying knives but were not sharpened.   An un sharpened knife does mean it won’t cut through something which can usually depend on the weight of the blade and the strength of the person slicing, but it sure is a waste of energy.

We do carry a lot of rescue type tools and knives because so many in our customer base work for emergency management or paramedic departments or just responsible citizens.  The SOG knives that we sell have multi tool and standard blade sizes, but SOG Fusion tactical tomahawk is actually one of the best selling emergency tools.  The axe can shop or break through an object and is something we would highly recommend them for keeping in a cary.

Top

So many choices and so much good stuff!

Instead of getting a new AR15 upper receiver with a longer or shorter barrel, instead of buying a better quality bolt carrier group or doing some minor tweaking, just change the furniture.    Magpul industries is King of the AR15 accessorizing and the new MOE products really do give you something new to adjust to.   We have a blue rifle that we attach accessories to and let our customer hold them in their hands and try them out.   All gun grips should be customized by the shooter because just like footwear, our feet as well as our  hands come in different sizes, so why would we issue the same size rifle stocks or attachments to a Carbine.

A good operator knows that this is true and each of us has to be able to adjust our accessories to the job that we intend to do with our Carbine.  We have sold a lot of CMMG and Spikes Tactical uppers as well as many of the higher end AR15 uppers like LWRC and Noveske.   There isn’t really much of a difference between these guns as far as reliability, but there gas piston guns are much lower maintenance.  This year Spikes Tactical uppers have been so hard to acquire that many have actually chosen to save up their money and pick up piston driven uppers.  We’ve sold more LWRC M6 uppers this year than ever before.   Stay tuned for the new M6A5 coming out later this summer.

Top

What do you want in a weapon mounted flashlight?

What do you want as far as size and power from a flashlight?  I think most people would always want the smallest and lightest flashlight that had a reasonable burn rate and was rechargeable.   Rechargeable flashlights are of the future and anything that is mounted on a gun right will eventually not need battery replacement.  It’s one of those things that you know when you monitor the economy or any industry.   You have ideas and work towards them and if you have the right people you will be able to get to your goal much faster.  I believe that Eotech gun sights will eventually have small solar panels on them that will charge the rechargeable batteries when not in use or while in use.

The same thing is going to happen for flashlights but considering how powerful some flashlights are it might be awhile before they are practical.   I have been happy with just a Streamlight G2 LED flashlight on my M4 Carbines but for outdoor work I have been  using the ATN Flashlights like the javelin or the ATN tactical light with 600 lumins.  This thing is powerful and is something that you do to light up an area not just an individual target.  They work well by issuing it to a tactical team member who’s job is to use the white light.

Top

The modifications can really make it more fun

I think it’s most gun owners fantasy to walk  into a shop and be able to pick things up and try them on before they buy them and that’s one thing that really makes shopping on the internet an easy thing.  Being in the retail business and e-commerce business, we don’t like having to deal with exchanges and returns because it really burns up money.  People think that charging restocking fees is being a dick, but when you give out free shipping and then people tell you they got the wrong part and the same thing happens a dozen times a week, you gotta warn people to put some thought into their shopping.

The way to get around that issue is to got to your dream tactical shop and pick up your magpul gun accessories or stock accessories before you buy.  Just like gun accessories AR15 complete upper receivers are another thing people want to eyeball before buying.  Gun weight and balance is something that each of us has a different tolerance for and preferences.

 

Top

What’s the deal with the Elite Tactical Magazines vs Wilson Combat 47D mags?

I first found out about the Wilson Combat Magazines after having not so good experiences with the Colt magazine that my  1911 came with.  At the time I knew nothing about the  throating on the barrel or the way 1911 firearms fed bullets and the limitations of ammo selections.  The 1911’s of today are not the 1911 of the 1940’s.  Those guns got the job done, but the effectiveness of the firearm’s caliber was more important than whether or not it took hollow point ammunition will run in the gun.   What is available today in not the round nosed 45acp lead rounds that were issued in World War II.

Sometimes we shop because we want the best and others we are frugal and just want the product that gets the job done and doesn’t kill our pocket book.   We’ve had extensive periods of range use with Wilson Combat Magazines and that’s why we’re going to say they are our best magazine, but you can get the well used and proven Chip McCormick magazines for about 10 dollars less.   I have personally not used those but there seems to be a  lot of complaints about some magazines not being flush fitting or not dropping free for various firearms.  There are so many variations in 1911 productions now that sometimes you might have to do some research about parts and accessories operator in the way that you want them to.

Top

Those pocket guns everyone is carrying

Everyone and their dog seems to be carrying a .380 pistol and the new surge seems to be for the Diamond back .380.   We’ve sold several of the Elite Survival holsters fore this gun and many have been using laser grips from Crimson Trace.   I personally don’t like carrying anything smaller than a 9mm due to the ballistics, but I have seem some improvements with them.  There definitely should be concerns about how much of this ammo you can shoot through smaller guns before you find out is too much wear.  Some defensive ammunition can push the limits on firearms and this should be noted when purchasing one.   The Rohrbaugh R9 gun is something that comes to mind.

When you are looking for a gun to carry every day, sometimes its really more about comfort and not caliber.  Most of the guns I’ve put Crimson Trace Laser Grips on were large frame guns that I  used in my home.   It was for added  confidence for less trained shooters.   I find lasers to be a better tool than flashlights in homes because flashlights don’t need to be used if you are in your own home and all you have to do is turn the lights on.    A small .380 pistol is a good CCW gun and for low light situations and for added intimidation for your mouse gun, the Crimson trace laser grip selection might work for you.

Top
1 … 73 74 75 76 77 … 194 Page 75 of 194