All posts tagged Sig 220

Flashlights have gotten more powerful but the prices haven’t gone up!

streamlight TRL flashlightsThere’s good news for anyone that is looking for a good M4 Carbine light or handgun light but wanted something more powerful than the Streamlight TLR1 Flashlights.  Well, guess what?!   The new Streamlight flashlights that are coming out in 2013 are almost 80% brighter than the previous flashlights, same model and same price.  It’s very rare that something like this occurs in this industry, it’s almost like when Magpul came out with the Generation 3 Pmags that were actually a few bucks cheaper than the Generation 2 pmags.   We’ve been monitoring several of our distributors inventory to make sure we are only bringing in the new flashlight models.   Xenon bulbs are a thing of the past and LED is getting better all of the time.

I’ve been going back and forth between my quad rail LWRC M6A2 and trying to decide on a flashlight that didn’t rely on pressure switches.   I like the Streamlight TLR Flashlights but I thought that if  my Protac 2L flashlight was 180 lumens why would I put something like the TLR1S that was 160 lumens on my carbine.   I’ve always felt that 150 lumens was about the lowest I want on a firearm which is why the Surefire Scout 110 lumen flashlight didn’t cut it for me when I picked one up for testing.  I didn’t want to drop $500 on some of the Surefire products so Streamlight Flashlights and products were in play.

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Want speed and lightweight holder options?

Try the Don Hume Jit holsters that are just belt through and don’t add on very much weight.   These are quickly making grounds on my Fobus gun holsters because they don’t jab into my side like a paddle holster and they are as fast as a paddle holster.    The only draw back from what I can see is they may leave some marks on your gun and leave your gun exposed to get rubbed against, but what the heck, it’s a firearm not a piece of jewelry.   It really bothers me to this day that some people can be so concerned about the guns that they carry that they get upset about wear and tear that they are always tickering with them.

The guy that needs to break out his gun blue kit every time his gun is dinked is probable the guy that is damaging his chamber because he’s over cleaning his firearm.  I’m a big believer in having atleast a Don Hume Jit holster or a paddle holster of some sort, the Fobus gun holsters are always a great open carry or training holster but there are better things out there.   Blackhawk Serpa holsters have an edge for secondary firearms because you need a level of restraint.   Backup guns don’t need to be in your hands, but be close by.   Concealed carry holsters are not always the best for military or law enforcement.

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Somebody has been finding about the Jit holsters

After being in business for so many years, and working in this industry, I’ve seen enough trends in various things like firearms, holsters, ammunition and attitudes in general.   I remember when I only knew a  handful of people that CCW permits and now that number is probable 4-5 higher and it’s mostly people that I didn’t expect to get them.   I have several friends that did the College thing, the Grade School thing, and after they got tired of changing jobs, they started their own businesses.   Unfortunately, some of them found out real fast about the liabilities of having a business and dealing with the public.

There are always statistics attached to certain types of crimes and if you own a pizza sh0p, restaurant, UPS driver, or just travel around in Urban environments, you general area going to witness or know someone that was robbed or assaulted.   I do like the Don Hume holsters that attached are belt through holsters, they seem to be the simplest and smaller holster design.   The gun basically hangs in the holster unlike many other holders that contain it.   There is no clip or paddle protruding into your hip and they seem to be one of the most popular ones CCW holders are buying these days.

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Glocks 17 holsters and safety

I view the Glock pistol as an unsheathed knife.  When you pull a knife or a sword you better pay attention to where your blade is because it will cut you.   I am not big fan of manual safeties on handguns because the closer you are to a bad guy the less time you’ll have.  On an AR15 it’s whole other story.   I am also not a big fan of carrying firearms around with empty chambers.   People gotta realize that when bad things happen, you don’t have all the time in the world and giving yourself one more thing to do before you can defend yourself is a bad idea.   I recently did an audit of all of the friends and family members that I know that carry firearms and the vast majority of them have never been in a really hostile situation.

I, unfortunately have too much experience in those regards and I completely understand what “stress” is in combat or hostile situations.  I never got into the whole CCW thing just for being a cowboy.   I’ve seen evil and I know the dark side of what humanity can do and it’s not just about defending our lives, it’s also about defending the innocent.    I think there are some good designs out that may be at higher safety level than Glocks, but the Blackhawk holsters that I like the most for Glock firearms is the Serpa.   The Level II tactical holsters lock the gun in place, you hear it click and you don’t have to worry about thumb breaks or guns flying out of the holster because there is nothing to retain it.

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J-frames should never be underated

I recently did a ballistics test between a j-frame 38 Special and a Smith & Wesson Model 19 with a 4″ barrel.   I thought that I would get better ballistics out of the obviously longer barrel, but I was wrong.   It’s amazing what a chronograph will do to your belief in gun energy.   I’ve seen ballistics out of M4 Carbines that nobody would believe.   I’ve read lots of stuff online about how weak the M4 Carbine is and that 2800fps was what they normally shot at.  Well, I was clocking in ballistics that were 400 fps above that.   I’m aware of the amount of stress and wear you can put on a firearm if you shoot it that much, but let’s just walk about capabilities within a certain threshold.

There are so many .380 pistols showing  up out there that people are more content with small pocket pistols like never before.   I finally got to shoot a Ruger LCP .380 a few weeks ago, but wasn’t blown away.  I know why people like them, but a j-frame in a pocket or even in Galco holsters, like a paddle  holster are just fine for me.   The Rohrbaugh guns are the race cars of small compact semi-autos, but the j-frame will always have it’s grip in that mode of CCW.   Considering that all of these .380 pistols are usually 6 or 7 shots, going with a 5 shot and a speed loader isn’t much to loose sleep over.

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Thin guns for CCW might cut it

I’ve been trying to carry Glocks for the last year and had to buy a ton of new holsters because my thin build didn’t really hide them very well.   Glocks are thicker than most of my Sigs and carrying them in any other manor than IWB has been almost impossible if I want concealment.   I still love carrying them in Blackhawk Serpa holsters but these holsters are not CCW friendly in my humble opinion.  There are so many variables in trying to conceal a firearm and some modes are just not practical.   I’ve seen ankle holsters for Sig 229 and large Glock guns and I just find it unreasonable to carry that much weight on your ankle, not to mention how secure the thing is.

One favorite way to carry on an outside the waist holsters is with a 1911.  The 1911 is a much thinner frame and  even though the Government model is long, it is easy to tuck in and conceal.  You may have some issues with the cocked hammer snagging but that is something that can be dealt with.  Galco holsters made the Combat master which is a belt attached holster.  This holster is going to fit right up against you and not protrude.  If you add that with the thin framed 1911, you will have another OWB holster that can be concealed.  It does work with summer carry if you wear a large cut and dark t-shirt.

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Brass knuckle gun grips!!!

I got stories to tell you about the things my Grandfather use carry that are now all illegal to carry,  everything from night sticks to brass knuckles.   I wish I would have been able to get a hold of them before his Estate sold everything, but I don’t  think my parents would have let a 14yr old keep those.   I recently watched a Gabe Suarez video about the AK rifle and there was a short segment about fighting with the AK.   I have found the AK to have several sharp areas that can cut or hurt the operator if they don’t watch their movement.   The good thing about that is you also have a nice sharp a rough stick to beat a bad guy with if you ever happen to be in the nightmare situation where you run out of ammo.

When it comes to handguns, they always retain the weight that they have and can be used as a striking weapon, but pistol whipping is probable not a very good tactic to train with.   Hogue grips are on all of my primary CCW guns except one and I don’t think that will ever change.   Having an improved retention over you firearm is important because anyone trained to know how the body moves is going to be able to take the gun away from you if you aren’t paying attention to retaining it.  When I trained with my primary fighting pistol, for combat, when the gun runs dry it can be used as a tool to poke and smash.   If need be it has more weight than most hammers if that doesn’t give you a sense of what an empty gun is capable of doing.

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Yes it does make a difference

Hogue Pistol GripsI recentely mention the need for rifle operators to consider customizing their rifles to their liking.   Every rifle stock and pistol grip should be modified to fit the user, there is no such thing as one length or universal pistol grip.    I have modified many of my Carbines to a SAW type grip just because I expect to be the one shooting them, but as I have found out from bringing new shooters to the range, they aren’t comfortable for small hands.   The same goes for handguns.

We are starting to see more and more handgun manufacturers putting out handguns with changeable backstraps.   This is a good idea and will give a firearm some versatility, but if you really want to make a change to the feel of the gun, I’d highly recommend Hogue Pistol Grips.  The real difference that I ask people to think about is if they want finger grips or fingerless.   Glock came out with a finger groove grip on there more modern designs.   Some people complain about cramping with the finger grooves, but this is something that you can adjust to once you get use to it.    Hogue grips are in my opinion a must on all Sig Sauer firearms.   I love Sig Sauer, but there factory grips seem to be the most slippery and ever since I switched to Hogue,  it almost feels like the gun is holding my hand.

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Issues with carrying pocket CCW

I really hate to have to bring up some of these discussions because you don’t want to volunteer bad behavior stories to the anti-gun crowd, but I’m also not a fan of drunk drivers and people that talk on their cell phones while driving.  My first experience in witnessing stupid CCW holders was when I met a guy that got his first CCW gun and it was a desert eagle 44 magnum.    Do I really need to explain this one to you?   I don’t know any police departments that would allow a cop to carry something like that in a urban environment and I’d have to question the level of training someone had before they thought to deploy a gun in that caliber.   I think there would be more times that I would second guess taking a shot because I would be afraid the bullet was going to end up in the next city over.

When it comes to pocket carrying, there are now CCW pants that will help retain your firearm if you are laying down or need to lean back.   I’ve seen guns fall out of holsters and they can fall out of pockets.   I’ve lost pistol magazines because the mag holders didn’t work in horizontal positions.  Don Hume holsters have a front pocket holster that is added security and will help keep pocket lint out of many parts of a gun.   There is always a learning curve when it comes to CCW and you’ll find out real fast which clothing builds up lint faster.   Holsters can help keep a gun reliable and prevent you from having to strip the gun down all the time because it’s getting cluttered with things that should not  be in there.

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CCW vs Cop holsters

There is a reason that Cops want locking holster, statistics show that many police get shot by their own guns, and I’m sure there are unknown statistics on the number of times Cops have had guns fall out of holsters.   I recently read a review by an LAPD Officer that sheered an entire gun and holster off of his side while the paddle and belt kept part of it in place.   Anything that can happen will happen and probable already did happen.   I remember when Youtube first got popular there were several people bashing Fobus holsters on how easy it was to rip the guns off of people by tearing the holster.   Truth is, it can happen, but it doesn’t happen that often.   When it comes to CCW, most of the time you won’t be dealing with snagging firearms unless you go to retrieve them and they get caught on a shirt or a jacket.

Level I holsters are for, in my humble opinion, all about speed.    A nice IWB holster for concealed carry should keep the trigger protected and be as comfortable and easy to retrieve as the operator desires.  When it comes to level II Serpa holsters, I think this is a smart thing to consider for anyone in an open carry situation.   Yes the bad guy may know how to release  Blackhawk holsters, but your average bad guy probable doesn’t know how to clear a malfunction or do speed loads either.   If you are that concerned about the gun being taken from you, then don’t open carry.   I believe that the Serpa holster is the best way to carry a secondary firearm also.   The Blackhawk Level III holster is best left for law enforcement and people that are in high risk situations.

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