All posts tagged Tactical Gear

The modifications can really make it more fun

I think it’s most gun owners fantasy to walk  into a shop and be able to pick things up and try them on before they buy them and that’s one thing that really makes shopping on the internet an easy thing.  Being in the retail business and e-commerce business, we don’t like having to deal with exchanges and returns because it really burns up money.  People think that charging restocking fees is being a dick, but when you give out free shipping and then people tell you they got the wrong part and the same thing happens a dozen times a week, you gotta warn people to put some thought into their shopping.

The way to get around that issue is to got to your dream tactical shop and pick up your magpul gun accessories or stock accessories before you buy.  Just like gun accessories AR15 complete upper receivers are another thing people want to eyeball before buying.  Gun weight and balance is something that each of us has a different tolerance for and preferences.

 

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What people are saying about the differences in material

When we first got into the tactical clothing business Woolrich Elite Series was the first company to come out that was different than 5.11 tactical.   The 5.11 pants and shorts we were wearing were a poly cotton ripstop material and not cut very well.   I have some of the 5.11 covert carry jeans and they are just downright lame as far as design and fit.  The Woolrich Elite jeans were a good idea but the colors and fit were not very good.  To date the only concealed carry jean that we sold that got a good response were the Eotac 205 jeans and we are sadly not going to see those again.

The cotton canvas pants seem to be liked because of the comfort of the material but when people want lightweight pants, it’s either 100% cotton ripstop or it’s going to be a poly cotton blend.   We had an electrician come in here and say that the TruSpec tactical pants we sold were not approved for his job and only the 100% cotton ripstop pants were due to fire safety.  Both pants may look the same but they are not the same when it comes to moisture resistance and comfort although I find the TruSpec pants to be best fit for me for the poly cotton blend.

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Where to find a good place to shoot at?

Trying to find a good place to shoot long guns is hard, anyone living in an Urban environment is going to have trouble finding an out door range.  Many outdoor ranges near cities are very restrictive and even here in the Philadelphia region the ranges are just not any fun to be on because of the range rules.  I’m not saying you need to find a place to shoot full auto but a place that is safe to shoot at, has maintained target back stops and has a covered table means a lot to someone that likes to spend all afternoon there.

Range rules are important because violating them might make things very unsafe and good signs and nice people help too.   It took us a very long time to categorize the information but The Rally Point gun club listings because so many ranges have closed down or do not have websites that it’s hard to find information.  Some clubs don’t want to be on a map but that is kind of bad in the long run because most of the ranges will probable have little membership involvement and may eventually just die out.

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Get me a gun case that is ready to go

When many of us get an AR15 we usually buy it by itself, shoot it for awhile and then add on accessories.  Most people I talk to about this issue when I’m explaining the reasons why we stock the Elite Survival Systems gun bags are usually usually nodding their heads.   The reason they are looking at these bags is because they can’t use the gun bags from Uncle Mikes or Bulldog.   I have several M4 Carbines that I had to disassemble to get to the range because the assault rifle gun cases I had wouldn’t fit them because of the flashlights and optics.   It royally sucks when  you get a new gun add stuff to it and find out you need to spend money on another gun bag, but if you do, check out the Elite Survival Systems bags.

The gun cases we have in stock now are the Covert Carry Discreet cases.  Everybody and their dog starts out with the Assault Rifle cases and I have to admit there are some differences between them but the Elite Survival Systems gun cases are in the “good stuff” category.  I have been clearing out some of my older gun socks and gun bags and giving them away to try and keep my higher end guns in better order. The Covert Carry gun cases come in various sizes but they also are customized to carry either AK magazines, 9mm/40 Magazines, and AR15 magazines.   Having velcro straps to tie down your rifles optics, a protective closed cell foam padding between magazines and the firearm and also a compartment to attach the magazine pouch and any other pouches.

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Another Wilson Combat vs Chip McCormick debate

We have to be honest when customers call us  up and ask us a question about a product.  Many times we hear the question “which is better” and the truth of the matter is this is usually somewhat of a trap for us because as soon as we make a claim about something being better than something else, the customer will hold us accountable if we were wrong or if they disagree.  Not like it’s a big problem but if you call us up and ask us what shirt size or vest size, we’ll defer the question and tell you you’ll have to measure yourself.   When it comes to gun accessories, so much of that needs to be fitted to a persons body and much of it is cosmetic or preference.

The 1911 is still probable the in the Top 5 for gun accessories, gun holsters and gun magazine sales.  There are many out there that want us to tell them if their 1911 will run better with Chip McCormick magazines or with Wilson Combat or some other gun magazine.   The truth of the matter is the 1911 sold these days is not the 1911 sold 15yrs ago and there are so  many difference that its something  you’ll have to figure out on your own.   One thing we will tell you is the Chip McCormick magazines are price almost $8-$10 less than the Wilson Combat Magazines which might be a good thing for someone that wants to great magazine for less money.

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5.11 tactical bags and accessory pouches

It seems that everyone and their dog has making nylon gear but there is a very big difference  in the quality.   We’ve sold a ton of clothing over the years and it often amazes me about the customers that have pointed out product defects.   There have been stitching issues with just about every clothing manufacturer and sometimes missing buttons.  Nobody is perfect but there are definitely customer service issues and consistency differences.  5.11 tactical is King of the tactical accessories and clothing, but there are several smaller companies that do things better and have their own niche.

As an internet based business we don’t stock everything in our Pennsylvania location and we ship from multiple locations.   When it comes to stocking gun cases and rifle cases  we have chosen to stock the Elite Survival Systems product line because it just seems more interesting.  Don’t get me wrong the 5.11 gun cases we sell are very nice and to each his own when it comes to choosing a gun bag.   The 5.11 rush messenger bag is a very popular gun bag and it might just be the right size for what you need.

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You learned how to make your bed, now pack your bags right!

If you have not fried your brain on drugs, you should remember when your parents taught you how to make your bed and put the laundry away.   There are always stories about guns and gear being mismatched or people bringing the wrong thing to the range.   I for one have been a strong advocate for being range bags that are for individual firearms.  I like to leave sight in tools for an AR15 and leave unloaded magpul pmags in the outside of the bag just so I know I have brought the right ones.   It can royally suck when you bring a gun to the range and find out you have the wrong magazines or the wrong sight in tool.

When it comes to bringing handguns or other equipment a good range bag is the key to avoiding these types of things.  The range bags we seem to be moving the most right now are the Elite Survival bags which come in 3 different sizes.   I think most people are probable better off with the medium sized range bags because it’s better to start off with something a little bigger than what you think you might need.  Larger bags are for people that really know what they want but be careful you stow your gear consistently and don’t loose your stuff in the bag, it does happen.

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Wearing the right clothing in the summer

This is one of those times of year that I’m not sure if I should be wearing a jacket to work or if I should be wearing shorts.  Up in this part of the Country, you can go to work in the morning with a jacket on and freezing and then by mid afternoon, you’ll wish you had a short sleeve shirt on and a pair of shorts.   So far this year we have gone from a very mild Winter, Warm Spring to close the windows and turn the heat back on in just a few days.   The biggest switch over I have to do this year just like last year is figure out what tactical shorts to wear, unfortunately there are some signs I may not be able get more of my favorite.

If you’ve got advice on what type of tactical shorts to wear this summer, we’ll be listening,  with what we’ve seen go on in recent months, we’re hoping to hear at some point that there are clothing factories making lightweight tactical pants in the United States and not elsewhere.  This month we are running our Tru Spec tactical pants promo and testing the waters on color and styles, there are rumors there are more tactical pants coming from Atlanco later this year.  Tactical shorts are usually pretty close to the same price as the tactical pants and considering the fact that you only get a few months out of them you gotta get it right, probable going with Tru Spec.

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A recent stock failure and no time to mess around

I’ve had 2 stock failures in recent  years and one was my fault for not checking the carbine to make sure it was tight after thousands of rounds of use and the other was during a Carbine course where I showed a student how to clear a malfunction by slamming the butt stock on the ground.  There is a YouTube video of someone hurting their  hand with a CTR stock but there are obvious limites on how much banging around a gun or accessory can take.  When there is a fire and you have to break the glass to get to an axe, you don’t need to hit the glass hard that you break the axe handle and end up with a metal wedge.

I’ve had issues with firearms in the past, usually finicky handguns where I just got tired of the intermittent magazine failure that I just replaced all of the mags springs and recoil springs and was done with it.  If you are looking for gun accessories and not sure what you want, take a serious look at the Magpul accessories for the AR15 rifle and  you’ll probable find what you are looking for.   You can’t beat the MOE stocks and accessories but there are always unique things out there that the major firearm accessory companies don’t have.

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What is the job at hand and will your pants hold up?

There are so many different types of tactical pants on the market  and so many people will rant or rave about a certain brand.  Sometimes they just brag about how they got a great deal on the clothing and and they fit, others will talk about the features while others will talk about the comfort.   Not everyone is going to like the fit of a certain tactical pant because body types can vary.   I won’t get too much into discussing this but in the 8yrs we’ve been selling clothing, not everyone can be happy with the same product.   In recent years the discussion has been about gussetted crotches and if the pants will blow out on the range, well that still can happen with any pant.

The real issue is with lightweight clothing, the lighter the material the more likely it will be to blow out if it does not have a gussetted crotch.  Some of the Tru Spec tactical pants they we have tested out do not have this type of stitching but we’ve not heard of anyone blowing them out.  I would claim that these are fence jumping tactical pants, but the fit gives you pretty good movement.   I’ve seen some of the Eotac pants blow out but that was due to design it was really a manufacturing issue.   There are so many variables in getting a good clothing product on the market and if we use consistency, quality and price points, the Tru Spec pants are probable number 1.

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