All posts tagged Tactical Gear

Time for CCW in the summer

Today I put in several orders for various concealed carry shirts from 5.11 tactical and Blackhawk Warrior wear.   I’m still not happy about most of the tactical apparel companies product lines because so many of them are still not making concealed carry friendly clothing.   A few of them have CCW style shirts that are OK, but only Woolrich Elite really has the shirt thing nailed down right.   Most of the concealed carry style pants that Woolrich had have been discontinued and the better versions made by Eotac are no longer in existence either.    I am waiting for the new Woolrich Chino pants which look very white color friendly.  I hope they made the pockets right because the wallet ID pockets on some of the earlier pants styles were pretty bad and I’m still getting mixed product variations from them.

I can but do not carry a Sig 239 in .357 Sig but I can fit them in most of the Eotac and Woolrich Elite pants that I own.   There are CCW pants made by a company CCW break away that seem to be interesting for guys that have to carry that way, but the new Woolrich Chino pants look like a better idea.   Hopefully they do not look too tactical with the pockets but I will know in a few weeks when they come in.   My newest summer carry gun is my Colt 1991A1 which is thin and not very heavy.  I have been carrying my spare Wilson combat magazines in a pocket now because I have the spare mags on a belt to cause more ride ups from the shirts when I bend over.   Double stack magazines are pretty thick and if you you are carrying them  on a belt, they will protrude.  I do not recommend carrying them IWB because too much IWB stuff can start to hurt after awhile and it does limit your movement or risk causing injury.

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Why pack a whole lot of handgun ammo?

It always amazes me that when people think they need a backup gun or sidearm on a training course it means packing as much ammo for the 9mm handgun as it does for the M4 Carbine.   All it takes is a short training day to find out that a big chunk of the gear you brought with you was un-necessary.   An M4 Carbine is already probable the lightest and most handy firearms you can carry with you during the day and with a gun good sling you should be able to let go of the gun and still retain the weapon.   I have several LWRCI M6A2 guns and I tend to shoot the 77gr MK262 bullets.   These bullets weight a little more than the standard M193 ammo, but in my opinion it’s a better up front round.

 

When I carry a back up gun and I’m already carry a an M4 Carbine,  I am back to the old dog, my Colt 1911.   The Colt 1911 with 2 spare Wilson Combat magazines is all I need to retreat from a position or hold off a threat until I get my LWCR M6A2 back up and running.   I have yet to have something like that occur, but I have trained for it.   I am very confident that 24rds of 45acp is plenty of back up ammo and if the fight needs more than that,  I’ll more confident just turning around and running the other way.   A couple grenades my help boost my confidence though.

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Time to get your gear in order and your gun cleaning supplies

There’s a certain point where a gun owners really can waste enormous amounts of time if they aren’t keeping there gun cleaning supplies in order.   There are lots of cleaning tools that will speed up your cleaning time and reduce the amount of money you’ll spend on cleaning pads and cleaning fluids.  I must have the same bottle of Break Free CLP gun cleaning and lubrication that I had 5yrs ago.   I hardly go through gun cleaning solvents because the tools that I am using now are so good at getting the debris and grud off the guns that solvents really only get used for cleaning the bore if I am using lead bullets.

Last year I got an Otis gun cleaning mat from my wife for a Christmas present and it’s really helped keep me from losing parts and messing up my living room rug. Otis gun cleaning kits are compact, versatile and easy to use on various firearms.   I’ve had a few issues with bore snakes and some of my semi-auto rifles and the Otis cleaning kits were great companions for people that want to clean a firearm on a firing range or on the road.   The tools that fit in some of the kits are great for the AR15 style firearms because some can be stowed in the grips or butt stocks.

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Outside the pants carry, how well can you conceal?

I’ve been on the mission of trying to find gun holsters that I can wear that are not IWB because I’ve had too many times where i got a bruise and it took weeks for it to go away.  If i got thrown around in a fight IWB is more likely to hurt you in my opinion, but for some situations it’s about the only way a thin guy can carry.   Now that I’ve grown  older and packed on a few extra pounds, I’ve been trying to see if I can get away with summer carry outside the pants.   Paddle holsters, especially the Blackhawk Serpa holsters protrude too far outside my body for me to conceal them with just a t-shirt.  I’ve been wearing an Eotac Style 103 for Spring Season, but once it warms up I can’t carry with my Blackhawk Serpa any longer.

I’m trying some of these Woolrich Elite CCW shirts, they are really, really impressive.   I think Woolrich got hurt pretty bad by the split up a few years ago, but the Woolrich Elite shirts i recently picked up have been really nice to wear to family and social events.  Since the 1911 is one of the thinnest built handguns I own, I have been trying one of these Galco holsters that is a locked in place by your belt and sits right up against your body.  I always prefer paddle holsters because they are easy to get on and off, but for CCW they just don’t cut it in the Summer.  My Colt 1911 is getting use to this configuration and I’ll report back as soon as I get the chance.

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Looking for feedback on shoulder holsters

I’ve always liked carrying a full size auto in a shoulder holster and sometimes it’s the most comfortable way to carry one.  I’ve done enough carrying on a leg holster to know that this is not a car friendly way of carrying.  There are times that I got seat belts snagged and the gun slammed against steering wheels and doors and it’s just not that friendly.   Out in the open on the field a leg holster is great, but people forget that you need extra clearance when moving through hallways and around things when you are carrying in this manor.  I had a fellow Cop friend that told me that he had a buddy tear a Blackhawk holster right off the mount by running after a bad guy and doesn’t use that style of holster anymore.   For driving in a car, ankle holsters can be very practical, but walking or running with them is not.

I have been trying to find vertical horizontal holsters, but they seem to not be available as much.  I ordered a Bulldog shoulder holster and even though the picture said it was a vertical the box said Horizontal and then I found out that Bulldog doesn’t make the vertical kind anymore.  I spoke to someone at Elite Survival systems and they told there was a lawsuit against several other companies about this type of shoulder holster.  Blackhawk holsters are one of my favorite even though I do not use them exclusively.   There is a Blackhawk Serpa holster that has a find locking system, but still don’t like this way of carrying.   If anyone can tell me where I can find a good vertical shoulder rig, I’m all ears.

 

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The importance of drop free magazines

You need to test your gear and accessories out to know for sure that they work on your firearms because there are so many variables in manufacturing that even the same company can slightly alter a mag well or magazine.   There use to be enormous problems with some AK magazines because not all Communist block countries made them the same.  I had a friend that picked up about 20 AK mags at a gun show and thought he’d stock up on them, only to find out that he had to take a file to most of them because they wouldn’t lock up in the rifles.

When it comes to handguns, the biggest problem that can occur once you get away from Factory magazines for a 1911 are that they don’t drop free.   1911 guns are not know for being very tight when it comes to tolerances and they are for the most part drop in guns.   Wilson Combat magazines are very sleek and are the number one magazine I see at IDPA competitions.   I have 5 1911 handguns all from different companies and Wilsons 7rd and  8 rd are all I ever use.  I think  the guns look better with flush fitting magazines, but reliability is the most important.

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Blackhawk holsters for CCW

I think the Blackhawk Serpa holster is an outstanding design for a duty holster, but it’s not a very good design for CCW.   I remember all of the bashing that use to go on about Glocks vs 1911 handguns for CCW and the arguments  usually came down to people being against manual safeties.   I think there is something to be said for not having a manual safety on a CCW gun and there is a difference between that and having one on a hunting rifle, but it does not make sense to argue that a 1911 is bad for CCW and then tote your Glock 19 around in a Level 2 holster.    You have to weigh and balance the advantages and disadvantages of a firearm and how you would want to deploy it.

 

The Blackhawk Serpa works well as a duty holster and under a vest or a jacket it can work, but I never liked the idea of having to clean a layer of clothing, find the gun release and draw the firearm.   I stopped carry a 1911 after having too many times of missing the thumb safety.   The more you layer your clothing, the more of a risk you are going to run into a problem.  Blackhawk holsters do come in an IWB design that are of a nylon design and better suited for CCW.   I have found there are some advantages of a simple nylon holster for a Kydex or leather.

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Tactical vests that are already thought out

I understand the need for a Molle vest and there is nothing more versatile than a vest designed for just about anything that can be attached to it, but sometimes you just need a tactical vest that isn’t going to  break the bank and isn’t going to make you have to wonder how many magazine pouches, what configuration ect you are going to need when the answer is pretty much what the basics are.  If you want a tactical vest, you either want a sidearm  holster on it or you don’t.   You most likely need magazines for an M4 or M16 variant and possible storage for pistol magazines.  The Woolrich Elite tactical vests are made of a cotton canvas material which makes them very comfortable to wear but won’t make you feel like you are wearing a parachute.

The 4 pockets out the outside of this vest can hold up to 2 30rd M16 magazines.  If you are using GI magazines it will fit easily, holding 2 for a total of 8 magazines of something like Pmags will work, but it will be tight.   Behind the 30rd magazine pockets are inner pockets that can hold single stack or double stack mags.  I use my Woolrich Elite vests for range bags as well as for tactical purposes.   It’s real easy and smart to keep your shooting glasses, ear plugs, tactical gloves and targets, batteries inside the vest.   That way when you need to go, just throw it on and you’re all set.   I have personally loaded my vest up and none of the stitching has torn.   I will say that a fully loaded vest will be a little uncomfortable if you need to be in the seated position.   The 30rd magazines will start to get in the way.  It would be nice to see another tactical vest from Woolrich that sat a little higher on the chest.

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Some improvements to the design

We’ve already know how well made the Woolrich Elite products have been for several years, but there have been some design issues that we have heard about from customers.   We still get a lot of complaints about the fit and design of the Woolrich Elite Algerian Jacket and all you have to do is read the product reviews under it on our website to find out.    We’re really glad that they made a few minor tweaks to the pants and shorts that they have been making in regards to the ID pocket.   The rear ID pocket on the pants is a major sore in my opinion because the previous velcro design made it very difficult to get your wallet out.

The style 44429 is probable the most popular style followed by the 44441.   I’ve had issues on the road where I had to get money out of my wallett to pay a toll and had to take my seat belt off to get my money out of my Woolrich Elite Pants.   Now that they  have removed the velcro and opened up the pants pockets a little more it does resolve the problem.   I also noticed the 44905 shorts have had this change and was pleasantly surprised.   The style 44905 shorts are my favorite shorts to wear in the summer because they have the deepest pockets and have lots of utility purposes.

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Nothing wrong with cheating

There have been moments in my training experience where I did have to speed up the process and get people in a position where they felt confident enough to have a firearm.   I’m not talking about skipping safety, I’m talking about skipping the 1000rd experience on a firing range.   I had a friend that was taking custody of a cousins baby while the baby’s mother went to drug rehab and the Father of the baby had recently gotten out of jail.   That individual broke into the home of my friend and tried to steal the baby back.   Sound crazy?  It’s actually true and although she had some level of firearm experience,  I didn’t expect to teach her how to disassemble and reassemble a Glock, but I did want her to know how to clear a malfunction.

She asked about putting a laser on a gun and I paused for a moment and asked her if she wanted one, she said yes, so I told her what to get.    She felt comfortable shooting a Sig 230 with a Crimson trace laser grip and that’s all I needed to know.  She put one box of ammo through it and had the right mindset to protect herself and I was done.   This wouldn’t have been ideal for many people, but while she planned on moving out of the area, she was unarmed and we all know what the police will tell you to do, buy a gun.

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