Conceald Carry pants tend not to be….

We get the same phone calls every week and lately it’s been a great training tool for some of our new employees.  Many customers call out of curiosity but sometimes we have to display a lot of restraint about telling people which clothing they should be wearing and what size.   It is a hard thing to order clothing online because there are sizing variations between product lines as well as inconsistencies.   Sometimes people are just plain lazy and don’t want to research a product or ask their wives about sizing and we end up dealing with cranky people want us to exchange products because something didn’t fit right.

Along with sizing issues we get asked all the time about guns printing on shirts, pants and vests.   The only realy concealed carry pant that is out there  that are not tactical pants  is the Woolrich Elite Chino.   The Youtube video by Brian Miller gives you ideas on gun placements and how to prevent printing.  There are lots of variables and research and trial and error is something you will not be able to avoid if you want to reduce your chances on getting a wrong size.   We’ve been told by many of our customers that wore Woolrich Elite pants in the past, moved on to Eotac, and now are lost in the Wilderness and back to looking for something new.   We are now selling Tru-Spec, Blackhawk and 5.11 tactical pants, but the Woolrich Elite Chino is  our opinion is really the only real concealed carry pant.

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Accessories to rifle scopes for hunting or military applications

Anyone that has been at a firing range and done long range shooting is probable aware of the issue of scope glare.   For those that want to understand the sniper/counter sniper training, one of the first things you are going to learn is how to conceal your weapon in and environment.  The achilles heal of a sniper can sometimes be the optics that he needs to bring with him.  Scope glare is what ends a snipers life and in most situations, there is always the potential that a rifle scope will give off some level of glare.   Trijicon was aware of this when they were deploying the ACOGS in the MiddleEast and the flash kill is a must for those doing street work.  For police work or certain environments the high visibility of the Trijicon Fiber Optics cable can also have it’s unwanted attention, and some actually cover there so they are only partially exposed.

I have scope covers on all of my optics because I’ve put guns away in gun safes and had things fall on them where if they did not have covers,  I might be out several hundred if not thousands of dollars.   Trijicon Rifle Scopes are for military or hunting applications.   The Trijicon Accupoint gives you a unique reticle that is highly visible, but most of this is about preference. Trijicon reticles can vary dramatically depending on what the optics intended mission is.   There are traditional long range shooting optics with Mil-dots and are also heavily used for designated marksmen as well as sniper roles

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One thing I learned about SHOT Show 2012

Is that Magpul Industries is the leading AR15 accessories company by far and that will not change anytime soon.  I was watching some of the YouTube recaps of SHOT SHOW 2012, and the guns that I see coming out look like the same old overly designed  handguns and carbines that I will stay away from until they’ve had at least 5 years of service.  Just look at the pattern of recalls and redesigns on the Springfield XD and M&P guns and also the Glock Gen 4’s.   I don’t know why anyone would be the first to jump on a new design until it has been proven on the streets or in military service.

 
I am a big fan of the LWRC gas piston design and even though I love the LWRC REPR, it is a very expensive invenstment, Magpul accessories are even showing up on LWRC guns like the lighweight uppers and that is a great match.   Magpul accessories are the premier AR15 stock accessories. Sig Sauer has a couple new M4 variants and even a new gas piston 308 for about $2000.   Great idea but even my LWRC M6A1 has been through several production changes and the M6A1 I have now is not the M6A1 that are being made.   If you have the money to spend and want to have your first production that’s  your choice, but buyer beware because nothing seems to perfect off of the first run.

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The trend is towards pocket guns and it ain’t gonna stop anytime soon

The real issue that we are seeing with guns and accessories is not everyone has been able to keep up with the guns that are being made today.  If I were a holster maker I would be cautious about making holsters for everything out there because there are some firearms that are simply not going to catch on. When it comes to carrying in the pocket, the responsible thing to do is to use a pocket holster.  I had some issues with one maker because the hammer on my 537 Smith & Wesson was getting caught and I had to cut out part of the holster to avoid snags.

On your journey towards finding the right gun and holster that works for you, take your time before you end up with a box full of holsters you didn’t really want sitting in your closet.   When  you are looking for clothing that are not like the usual tactical pants that you see marketed for concealed carry but really aren’t, take a good look at the Woolrich Elite chinos.  People always ask us if their gun is going to print if they were something like this, but the answer to that is to use a piece of cardboard to prevent printing.   There are a lot of very nice .380 pistols and I would have to say that they do seem to be easier to shoot than the 38 special snubbies, but with proper training, you can get what you want out of both and be very discreet.

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New Products from Rogue Elite

Along with an ever growing inventory at our new retail operation in Pennsylvania, Rogue Elite has been looking for niche market products to accommodate our already established customer base.  New products like Turtleskin “frisk gloves” have been something we didn’t normally venture into but now that our Law Enforcement customer base has grown so much products like that are in demand.  Just likes shirts, pants and boots, things wear out and need to be replaced every so often.   Original Swat footwear costs are under $100 for the vast majority of their product line and a big sales pitch in this economy.

When it comes to new business and attract attention, we’d like to say a big Hello to the competing online tactical gear companies that have been trying to redirect links to their businesses via this blog and also for taking product reviews and other information off of our website.  I guess its an honor to know that you like to compete in the market with for keywords like tactical pants and others by attacking blogs from competing businesses. Thanks for the attention but we have say this, our business operation is a much nicer one in comparison to your MO operation, tell your SEO department to knock it the fuck off or there will be ramifications. Those are not the business practices that will give your company longevity.

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Lots of people wondering what happened to the LWRC M6AK

We sold off the last of the M6AK rifles a few months ago but people are still calling and asking about them.  I remember being in the LWRC facility a few years ago and it was just at the beginning of the product run.  I was told second hand that the M6AK rifle was made of left over parts from the other M6 rifles and it was a one off product thing.   I have seen a lot of the Smith & Wesson 5.45×39 uppers go out the door with very few complaints, but I never thought it was a great idea to make a gun in 5.45×39 that was a direct impingement gun.  Just too damn dirty if you ask me.

The LWRC guns were all sold out and gone about a year and half after production and that was it.  As far as AR15 complete upper receivers,   The Adams 5.45×39 seems to be the next hot seller.   You will have to replace the spring in your lower so expect to designate a lower for this caliber.  It’s not a good idea to be lazy and not replace the hammer spring on your firearm. The great thing about AR15 uppers is how interchangeable they are but once you get into caliber variations, you probable want to just get another gun.

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We are a stocking Desantis holster dealer

Desantis holsters are probable the best known leather holsters for Law Enforcement in our neck of the woods and it was only a matter of time before we had to start stocking them.  Given all of the variations you have with firearms these days and the recent surge in small autos for pocket carrry, then through in all of the guns with lasers, and you’ve got a very complicated and ever changing situation for a holster maker.   As soons as somebody changes the sights or puts the sights on the gun, you better pay attention to the holsters you are using.

I have to admit that I have modified firearms without checking to see if there were holster issues, but I was lucky enough to not have the problem.  The Desantis holsters that I prefer to use for concealed carry are the Desantis Speed Scabbards.   I don’t like the idea of having to have retention of any sort other than a holster when I’m carrying under a shirt or a garment and the Speed Scabbard fits the bill.  I’ve been using the Don Hume Jit holster which is kind of the same thought but doesn’t seem to be as up against the body as the Scabbard.  Every firearm will be different and much of this is about preference.

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Uppers and Lowers and endless modifications, what’s the answer?

The simple answer is get more guns.   The real problem I see with many people that tinker too much with firearms is that they can really mess stuff up.  I remember seeing this with guys that overly modified their 1911s and put springs in the guns that they should not have and they ended up with an accurate POS.   I don’t know how many times i’ve say behind a guy on the firing line that continuously informed me that his firearm was reliable but I’d watch them clear malfunctions all day and they would just blame the ammunition.

In my opinion, that is like watching a guy put tires on a car that are  not the same size and saying the only reason he crashed the car was because when he made the wide turn the tires that were not uniform made him loose control.   Well, stop messing around so much with your AR15 lower receivers and your AR15 upper receivers and make sure that once you get something that is reliable, stop screwing around with triggers and springs.   You are better off with multiple firearms that do different things than trying to push a firearm to do everything.  There is a trade off between reliability and accuracy and rarely does a firearm do both for very long.

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1911 magazines the work and aren’t too pricey

I own several firearms but the ones I like tend to be the ones I actually shoot the least.  I love all of my 1911s but retired most of them from use because of one thing, I do not like manual safeties on firearms.  I find it kind of ironic that retention holsters are now so popular and basically put a manual safety on your gun, but the mindset is a little different.   Considering the number of Special Ops that have gone back to the 45acp says something but I am still  not a huge fan of the 1911 for concealed carry.   I think there is a difference between pulling a firearm from a duty holster and carrying a firearm that is concealment and then disengaging a manual safety.

The more steps and object you put in front of a process the more your margins of error are going to go up.  If you train you can always improve your ability to effectively deploy a firearm, but that’s not what I would spend time on and just carry a different firearm.   Chip McCormick magazines are about $10 less expensive than Wilson Combat Magazines and have more of a GI feel to them.  I personally prefer to use 8rd magazines and do not have issues with them.  I also prefer flush fitting magazines but I realize that not everyone just CCW the guns and might want a larger base pad for competition shooting.

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22LR caliber conversions for handguns and rifles

I’ve dabbled with caliber conversion kits only  once and that was a very long time ago.  For some reason I have never been a big fan of the 22LR semi-auto.   I really have a low tolerance for firearms that do not function reliable and the whole “it’s cheap to shoot” thing doesn’t work for me if I have to clear malfunction every 50rds or so.  In my opinion there are safety issues if a gun constantly jams.  I don’t like having 22LR bullets laying around that have light strikes on them and I’ve had several bad experiences with both handgun and rifles not working well.   Sure there are variations in bullet manufacturers and some types of ammo will function better than others, but what a pain in the ass.

I guess ever since ammunition shot up in price a few years ago and the threats of a Political chance and a bad economy drop up the costs, many people have been spending $140-$300 on 22 caliber conversion kits for AR15 and Handguns.   We sell a lot of Glock caliber conversion kits from Advantage Arms sell like hot cakes.   There can be plenty of good quality training with these caliber conversion kits but I do suggest people do research and pay attention to gun cleaning and the types of ammunition.   If you have had good experiences with caliber conversion kits, please let us know and give us some feedback.

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