Daniel Defense and what else there is !

Well that may not be great English but that’s what I felt like saying,  I spent all day yesterday reading and watching the Daniel Defense videos and trying to figure out what we’ll be doing this year as far as stocking gun parts, namely AR15 uppers.   It feels like it was only yesterday that we the Mapgul MOE was new, but it’s been more than a year since we started moving those out the door to wanting customers.   I am and will always be primarily an LWRC fan because there is just too much I like about the guns to want to move on to something else.  Considering the price ranges of a good AR15 these days, $2000 is about what you will spend and there is a lot of stuff to decide.

The trend right now is absolutely about lightening the weight of the firearm.   This is something that Daniel Defense Uppers absolutely are getting done very well.   I really have to laugh at the whole lightweight upper thing because when I first purchased an AR15 it was all about heavy barrels.  Everyone and there dog had a Bushmaster XM15E2 that had a heavy target barrel and the debate was about how these firearms held up to sustained firing

 

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More items on clearance at Rogue Elite

While we transition over to the new 2012 products, we’ll be liquidating a lot of clothing inventory, the Eotac pants we got in late last year has dwindled down to just a few color options and not too much in the size ranges from 30 waist to 38, it’s time for anyone that wore those clothes to transition back to Woolrich Elite pants or move on to Tru-Spec or Blackhawk.   Most of what we are hearing from people is that they are looking for pants under $40.   Just like $4 gas prices, many people don’t like the idea of spending more than $40 for a pair of pants and that’s partially why so many have not strayed away from 5.11 tactical pants.

I am noticing that Woolrich Elite has discontinued a style of womens pants with a virtually identical pant but with a new low rise.   Considering how many times we’ve seen people try and cut into the tactical pants market and fail we’ll be watching this product like a hawk.   We have had a really good response from Tru-Spec womens pants because the cut just seems to be very versatile.  We did a promo a few years ago and TruSpec 24/7 pants really won amongst women.  We are doing a major product liquidation of Blackhawk lightweight pants to make room for our new 2012 product lines.

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What holster should I use?

Is usually the question we get when people walk in the door for the first time and want us to give them advice for their first gun holster.  There are  more and more people carrying firearms in the Country that before and mostly that is because of the status of the economy. The best mode of carry would probable be inside the waistband because this is where you can get the most access as well easy easy concealment.  Being able to get your firearm out fast enough might be the difference between winning the fight and losing it.

When it comes to home protection I am a big fan of people putting the handguns away and using a shotgun or M4 carbine with a light as a weapon.   Each firearm can be used like a baseball bat, easier to handle  under stress and ballistically both firearms.  You can modify your firearms with Magpul Accessories and customize them to you or your family members.   Many people are transitioning towards the MOE because it does help  lighten your gun up compared to the traditional Quad rails that nobody seems to want to use anymore.

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Color variations as important as camo?

Well, yeah, and that’s one reason i’ve always had a problem with some of the Trijicon ACOGS because they are marketed as combat optics but they make you stand out like a sore thumb in certain environments.  The TA01 is probable what many people consider to be the standard ACOG but many like the idea of having illuminated reticles in day light and there is a major trade off.  If I am deployed in a combat zone,  I want the kill flash and TA01NSN because I don’t want some giant neon strand telling a sniper where my head might be.

If you look closely at what many of our troops are using in Iraq and Afghanistan you will notice that they area very much aware of this.  Many use a rag of some sort oer the optics to limit the visibility.  Its funny that even Trijicon AGOGS as advanced as they are still can still be a liability in combat for the same reason any scope can.   Counter sniping teaches that we can locate any sniper that is in a certain line of sight from us just by the reflection off of his optics.  Even night vision can pick up scope optics at long ranges.  There are always trade offs with firearms and gear.

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Big News about upcoming Promo from TruSpec

Rumor has it that Tru-Spec has something big in the works in the next couple months and those looking to find something in the tactical clothing market for a good price.  I think it’s smart for clothing companies to get smart and work with dealers to promote their products.   We’ve sold millions of dollars of gun accessories and tactical apparel in the last couple years and it’s rare for us to hear from a company about marketing to advertising promos that actually help us.   Things like pants, boots, gloves and shirts all wear or fade over time and need to be replaced.  Sometimes different changes in weather mean changing our clothings.

Everyone know what 5.11 pants are and everyone and their dog wore them at one point, but 80% of our customer base are disgrunted 5.11 clothing customers looking for something else.  5.11 has the EMS and Uniform business by the balls but keep any eye out on Tru-Spec.  TruSpec tactical pants have a very good fit and have a similar poly cotton ripstop design but does not shrink like the 5.11 stuff.  Now that Gunny has signed on to be the official Spokesperson for their product line I’d call that stability.   There tactical and EMS line is growing and expanding and we are looking forward to working with Tru-Spec in 2012

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Scope reticles can make you go crazy

I recently had a friend that is more of a hunter show up at our shop and picked up his first AR15 rifle.   I think it’s fairly common for people to use AR15 style rifles for hunting because there is nothing wrong with using a 10rd magazine and varmint or white tail hunting with one.   There are plenty of places in the Northeast where  you can take deer with a 75gr HPBT and get the job done, shot placement is what it’s all about.  Having a reticle that can give you a little bit of contrast in low light can increase your chances of getting a better shot.   If you don’t have a shot to make, no reticle is going to  help you.

Trijicon optics have very different purposes and even when you are dealing with just red dot optics, there are differences in quality and even just the size.  Too small might be hard to see but our selection of Trijicon Rifle Scopes from the RMR optic that can be mounted on a  handgun or rifle or even the top of an ACOG, to the Trijicon Accupoint rifle scopes.   Bow hunting is even seeing a large number of optics placed on them and this will have a positive impact in areas where there aren’t many places to hunt except for archery or bowhunting.  For a low tech thing like a crossbow, advanced optics gives you much better edge.

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Gas piston guns, are you going to get a good one for under $1000?

I have some very wise friends and when we first started to see the piston driven AR15s show up on the market “again” about 7yrs ago, it was mostly debates about the AR18, the LWRC piston driven firearms and the POF guns.   I think POF did a good job of staying in the market up until about 2yrs ago.   Now everyone and their dog is making one but I would still caution anyone from jumping in the fire and expecting theirs to be up to what LWRC is making.   The only argument you can make against LWRC guns is probable the H&K 416 variants.

Even with some of the earlier LWRC M6 rifles, there have been some changes, modifications and uprgrades.  I was fortunate enough to have been able to go to the LWRC factory and upgrade on of my LWRC AR15 upper receivers and get the new bolt carrier group without any altering of the firearm I have.  My LWRC M6A2 is a much older version compared to what is out now the barrel life is about 4x’s more.   There are still large variations in piston driven uppers and I got to shoot a Ruger 556 last year and was very impressed with the quality of the firearm, there may be more choices in 2012 and many of them look nice, but will there be modifications or changes to them and getting parts for yours might become harder and harder in 2-3yrs.

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New Product line coming to Rogue Elite

We are proud to announce they we have been expanding our product line and we have many more of the Warwick Mills Product line called Turtleskin to our inventory.  Warwick mills has made products for NASA and for Mars landing craft in the past and if you do some research the history is extensive.   Turtleskin products are not like any other products.  Their body armor is at a higher level than IIIA body armor.   There are slash resistant shirts as well and cell extraction products.  All these are products we will begin to bring in.

Turtleskin Police gloves are a new 2012 product and our first jump into supply the region with Law Enforcement “frisk gloves”.   The Turtleskin gloves called the Alpha and the Bravo gloves.   The first thing I did when I put them on was to try drawing my Glock 17 pistol and see how well I could do that.  Not that these gloves are designed as shooting gloves, but I just wanted to see how they felt.   I compared them with the Vickers tactical gloves that we have in stock and there is a big difference in feel.  You won’t be able to feel the tips of your fingers but why would you expect to.  The Alpha gloves felt thicker, but the Bravo gloves were very comfortable and my personal choice if I had to pick one.  Needless to say that there is always a compromise if you want puncture resistance.

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Too much to think about or lots to think about ?

After watching many Youtube videos about what is coming out in 2012 I was mostly bored out of my skull trying to understand why I would bother spending another $2000 for an AR15 that is slightly different than what I already own.   Sure there are improvements but spending $2000 on something that is 5% more of a gun than an AR15 that you already own doesn’t justify the cost.   I am a big proponent to upgrading what you have.   There was a really good article in Swat magazine years ago about improving what you already own and the small things you can do to improve your AR15.   Replace extractor springs, stake screws, lube your gun right and you’ve just improved your gun for less than $150.

If you are looking to make your Carbine a firearm that you can rely on, make sure you don’t over think the configuration and setup.   I understand why people spend $2000 on AR15 upper receivers that have folding front and rear sights, but if you have folding front sights keep in mind that you have one more step to getting your firearm up and running and that is something to seriously think about.   I am a firm believer that people need to adapt to weapons and gear and not always expect to adapt the firearm to them.  Fixed front sights have been around for a long time and I don’t think changing that another thing that needs to be folded or screwed on is worth the liability.

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Arguments about the Blackhawk Serpa Holsters are the same as the Glock vs 1911

I remember some of the biggest arguments against the 1911 were that they had a manual safety.   Then I started noticing that 90% of the Cops I know were putting their guns in Safariland or Blackhawk Serpa holsters.   What’s the difference?  There is no difference between having a safety on a firearm or a safety on a holster when it comes to deploying your weapon.   I don’t like the idea of having safeties on a concealed carry weapon because deployment in those situations means drawing a firearm from under clothing which in it’s self is another obstacle for you before you can get to the trigger.

I understand the flaws that are being debated and why many firearms instructors do not want those holsters in training classes, but some of the warnings are over reactive.   I have seen many news story of cops with Glocks shooting themselves and it wasn’t because they used Blackhawk Serpa holsters.   I use the Blackhawk drop down leg holster and am very happy with it.   I do not use them for concealed carry nor would I use a Safariland retention  holster.   The debate should not be about the equipment, but about the operator.  Some firearms and weapons should  not be in the hands of novice shooters because they may be more prone to hurt themselves like new shooters.

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