All posts tagged Stocking dealers

Handgun 22 Caliber Conversions

Glock 21 Conversion kitSig Sauer 22 Conversion kitFirst off, wAdvantage Arms Conversion Kitse always monitor our sales with various products to try and make sure we can acquire products that are highly sought after and one that has been hard to stock are the Advantage Arms Caliber conversion kits.   Now that Generation 4 Glocks are on the market, we are running into a lot of holster fit problems and not all of the grips, accessories and parts for other Generations of Glocks fit the same caliber or Model numbers.   A Glock generation 4 isn’t going to fit some of the standard Fobus holsters and you’ll have to get the E2 Fobus holsters.   With these Advantage Arms 22 Caliber conversion kits, you gotta watch which kit you purchase because there are a lot of people with Generation 4 handguns buying the older Glock Conversion kits.

If you purchase these kits, the slide you get will be much lighter weight, but ammunition selection is critical to running the gun reliable.  For some reason people always leave ammunition selections out when testing a guns accuracy and reliability.   Glock Caliber conversion kits from Advantage Arms come with 1 pistol mag so trying to acquire magazines is a whole other race.   The reason to switch to one of these kits is to save money on your shooting hobbies or to improve you trigger control and disciplines.  There are other caliber conversion kits out there but they do not have a very good reputation.   There are kits for the Springfield XD, Sig Sauer and 1911 22LR conversion kits.

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Reflex sights, red dots and clarity and precision

Red Dot sightsTrijicon RMR mountsTrijicon RMR sightsSounds like a wordy subject line but so many people find out the hard way that certain levels of eyesight mean you can’t see so well with some of the modern optics.  Eye relief is a big one for those that don’t like some of the Trijicon ACOGS because you do have to put your eye pretty close to get a sight picture while optics like the TA11H-G give you a little more eye relief but its a much larger platform to mount.   The Aimpoint Micro T1 got some negative responses recently because according to our customer that the red dot sight looked broken Fiber Optic Rifle OpticsRMR SightRM08G sights in stockor flared, we informed them that this isn’t a defect in the optic, it actually has to do with how the operator’s eyes view the red dot.   Sometimes it pays to walk in a store and look through and optic before dropping $600 bucks on one.

Recently I learned a lot about the differences between the Aimpoint, Bushnell, Eotech and Trijicon RMR sights and have pretty good knowledge on helping customers narrow down what they really should consider.   Knowing the dot size you want to go with is a good way to narrow your product options and knowing what type of battery life you are asking for.   The Trijicon RMR sights have been constantly expanding and are used on handguns as much as Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 shotguns as well as secondary sights on AR15s.  Sure they are expensive but giving the clarity, battery life, and far more precise red dots than many other manufacturers, you may find it actually useable when the other product you were looking for is not compatible.

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Fast shots while hunting

rifle sightsLots of things have changed pertaining to firearm accessories, back in the stay, putting  a side saddle on your shotgun or putting a rifle stock shell holder was considering “accessorizing” but now some shotguns have been modified and altered that it sometimes difficult for me to tell if it’s a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 590.   I have been eyeballing some of the hiviz rifle and shotgun sights for awhile now because even though I feel proficient with my Marlin 35 Remington,   there have been times in the morning where my rifle sights (iron sights) were difficult to see.  I’ve avoided putting optics on my level actions because I wanted to get the most out of the firearm with out adding weight or having a gunsmith properly mount it.

Several customers in recent months have had negative things to say about some of the red dot optics that are on the market and they claim that all they see is fuzz and “flaring” when they look through them, the truth of the matter is this is a common problem with red dot optics and why larger dots, although can obscure things at distance, give better clarity of focal points.   Many of the Hiviz rifle sights will give you the illuminated targeting for a fraction of the cost of an optic and I’ve heard great things about people putting them on shotguns and level actions.   You can get a bead or a magnetic front sight from Meprolite for a Remington 870, AR15, lever actions and even AK.

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Staying in action when things go wrong at the range

Smith Optics Elite eyewearThere are always things to prepare for and after my experience on firing ranges, I’ve seen things in recent years that never happened to me or anyone before.   People with more experience than me probable see this stuff every year but for me it’s once  in a 25yr cycle.    I have  had stovepipes, failures to feed, broken Mini 14 extractors, gas keys coming loose and people just stare at their guns and don’t have the slightest clue how to narrow down what is failing. In a real gun fight, that means if you don’t have a secondary firearm, you are out of the fight and your best thing to do is turn around and run.   I have broken shell extractors, extra gun lubrication and sight adjustment tools and stock wrenches with me every time I go to the range.   I usually end up helping someone else out with their “bad experience” but hope I’m just passing on the information so someone else can solve a problem quicker.

Has anyone ever gone to the range and had to call it a day because their extractor broke, shell got stuck, or even worse, the gun closed on a loaded round and you couldn’t open the action?   What about when you get a chip in your eyewear or some form of rock or lead flies up at you?  Quikclot combat gauze is on me at all times for the really bad, but I learned my lesson about reloading and buying cheap surplus ammo and my Smith Optics Elite eyewear Aegis kit with different lenses for different lighting situations are also on me.   The Aegis Echo, Aegis Compact and the standard kit as well as the Asian fit all have different frames but  you’ll probable have to stop in our store to try them on so  you know you have the proper design.

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New Tru-Spec jackets from SHOT show

Tru-Spec jacketsWe were not fortunate enough to attend SHOT Show this year but we’ve been going through all of our top selling product brands and checking out what is coming out in 2014 in their Facebook pages.   Tru-Spec has been our chosen product line for outfitting our local Law Enforcement, primarily because they have really backed us and we have seen tremendous growth compared to many other tactical clothing and CCW product lines.  While many companies just didn’t get their foothold in the industry, Tru-Spec has increased their manufacturing and has really show some aggressive competition against the giants like 5.11 Tactical.

Tru-Spec’s combat shirts have been around for a long time but many are transitioning over to the new 1/4 Zip combat shirts and even though the new Winter Combat Shirt is just being launched, we have been selling them to County Tactical Teams for the last 8 weeks.   There are more Tru-Spec Jackets coming out, from the Tru-Spec Element jacket with a liner, which gives it more usefulness than just a heavy winter jacket, that in some parts of the Country might only be used for a few weeks or even days out of the year.   The new higher cut tactical softshell was designed so Law Enforcement would have easier access to duty gear on the belt line.   New hooded sweatshirts with built in holsters and more are in store for 2014.

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The Red Dot Market

Trijicon RMR sightsWe have been adding more and more products to our website in the last year, moving from 18,000 products to well over 31,000 products in 12 months.   When you are cater to the broad customer base that we do, it’s really easy to expand your product line, but the one thing we don’t want to do is expand it with 2nd rate products.   We have people driving up to 3hrs to stop in our store because some of the products we sell like Trijicon, Aimpoint and Eotech and Surefire can sometimes be pricey products to buy online when you haven’t been able to look through it and know for you sure that it’s the correct item for your AR15  or Glock firearm.  Some products like Eotech and Aimpoint have some moderately price optics that have a very good entry level that aren’t crap.

Our phone and email boxes are loaded with new products from various companies going to SHOT SHOW out in Las Vegas that are asking us to stop by their booth, but if we never heard of their Flashlights or Optics, we’re really not that interested in deviating from staples like Trijicon RMR sights , ACOGS,  Aimpoint red dots and Eotech sights.    We have a good selection of the Eotech 512 and 516  optics as well as the Aimpoint Patrol Optics inbound because the reputation of these optics that have been battle proven insurmountable.  Thee optics work well on Russian AK rifles, Remington 870 shotguns, Mossberg 500 and AR15 variants.

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Belt suggestions and the hazzards of ordering online

Wilderness beltsThere a warning signs when checking out on The Wilderness belts website about making sure you measure yourself before buying because their belts are made when orders are placed and they do not accept returns.   We on the other hand are stocking dealers and only stock even sizes from 30 waist to 48 waist so if someone needs to move a size up, it’s not that hard for us to just swap them out.  Having a store front where you can walk in and try something on and get it right the first time is a major plus.   These have velcro on them and there is no belt holes to adjust sizing and if it’s not attached properly to your waist size you will  not get full use of the belt.

I personally have worn these belts for over 10 years and have good luck with them.    One of the best things about investing your money in The Wilderness belts as when the velcro wears out you can just have it redone for a small fee and not buy a whole new belt.  This is something that has only happened to me one time in over 10years of use.   You can use these as rescue belts or as a CCW belt and it will give you very good support for large frame guns.   I went from a regular dress belt to a Wilderness belt and the difference in support for my Colt 1991A1 was tremendous.  I could barely feel the weight of the gun where I could feel the pull when I was wearing my dress belt.   Lots of people don’t use the right kind of belt for their guns and The Wilderness isn’t going to let you down.

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Quick fixes when you have a new gun but need a holster

Galco holstersThe new shooters are usually the ones that come in and ask the most generic questions but we’ve trained our staff be polite, even when asked those silly NEWBY questions.   I am going to be writing up a sheet and put it on our wall with all of the basic questions that people ask and they’ll have to think it over and come back to us with all of the answers.   This week we put in our orders for the 2014 products we will want to bring in stock for our Tactical store.  Many of the leather products are what fits the bill for our customers but they are about 2x’s as much as some of the paddle holsters and the inexpensive Galco stow-n-go holsters.  Those usually run in the $30 range but there are some drawbacks to those designs.

First of all, it’s better to have a holster than no holster but Kydex has gained a lot of traction in the CCW world because if you can adjust to them, they are a very good option to eventually consider.   The only problem with the Galco holsters with the Stow-n-go style is “reholstering.”   Once you draw the gun from the holster, it’s not really a good idea to shove it back in.  There are some safety issues to think about when using some IWB holsters that are nylon or of a very soft material.   I have seen some accidents with Glock handguns where people have a shirt or string that gets caught in the holster area and they gun holster pushes the gun too hard and it sets off the trigger.  It’s much better to unclip the holster and then reholster, and then tuck it into your waste.

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Glock magazine availability, what is going on?

glock magazinesWe’ve been trying to find out what all of the issues are with the availability of Glock Magazines.  We still find several local police departments are having issues getting ammunition and gun parts because so much of it has still been dried up.   Whav a few of the 45 GAP magazines in stock but frankly, that’s just because hardly anyone uses the Glock 38 and it’s really the 9mm and 40 cal and 45acp  that everyone uses.   Glocks are still the most popular gun for Police in our County although the Sig 229 has a strong presence.  The Glock 21 45acp magazines are probable the most sought after gun magazine in our area and I have yet to see a single magazine available through any of our distributors.    I find the Glock 21 to be too heavy of a gun let alone putting a light on it and having a giant bulky gun holster.   Many of the Upper Darby Police Officers in our county are putting lights on their guns but that is for duty, not for CCW.

I find the Glock 30 to be a good in between size gun but the Glock 36  seems to not be very well balanced.   If I knew I could get a hold of Glock magazines for a good price without all of the price gouging that went on after the Sandy Hook incident.   Now that this Country is being awakened to the fact there are serious social issues going on and people are joining the NRA or getting firearms for the first time but paying attention to the availability of parts is something you will want to think about.  Several People I know have found out the hard way when an extractor or firing pin failed on them and they couldn’t even acquire them for months.

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Check out the ever expanding Rogue Elite Tactical Product line

fobus holstersNew this fall we will be bringing on the Aimpoint and Fobus product lines into our 1500 sqft tactical store along with several items from Tru-Spec and Warwick Mills.   We have dealt with several distributors over the last 9yrs and it’s gotten to the point that instead of waiting for stock to arrive, and have to deal with fighting over inventory from other dealers, it was time to start stocking the stuff directly.   There are always changes and improvements to product lines and not getting stuck with a dud product or making sure you have the newest version of something is very important.  Just this year alone we saw some major improvements to our holster and tazer product lines and LED Technology for flashlights has improved by about 85%.  Sometimes holster companies don’t have the accessories up to date with the batons, flashlights, magazine pouches ect that people want.

There have been situations where we have asked customers to look into getting a customer kydex holster becaues there needs were beyond what many manufacturers could make.   Many of our Law Enforcement sometimes have an issue with a holster breaking and just need a quick fix for a range day and that is often where Fobus Holsters come in.   I have a Fobus holster for every Glock firearm, Sig Sauer 228, 229 and Sig 220 that I own.   There are some retention holsters that I may look into picking up since we are a direct dealer now.   The new E2 holster has more flexability when it comes to adjusting your retention which was a common complaint about some of the earlier paddle holsters.

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