All posts tagged Uncle Mikes

Something to think about when buying a rifle case

One thing people tend to forget about when they are packing up all of their guns and gear for a shooting match is how heavy everything gets when you load up all of the pockets.   I’d say that about 90% of assault rifle cases I own have stowed and empty rifle magazines and people forget there is a difference between 5 empty Pmags in a gun case and a rifle case with 150 rds of 5.56 ammo.   Especially if you have using 75gr ammunition.   I learned the lesson about ammo weight when I went to a gun show and tried to leave with a thousand rounds of 7.62×39 ammunition and 1000rds of .223.   It was impossible for me to carry it and I learned to appreciate the 5.56 ammunition.

When it comes to choosing a rifle case for a battle rifle, I think it’s really a good idea to consider a drag bag.   That gun is heavy enough and even the designer of the FAL knew that it would be more comfortable to carry that gun with a carry handle than over your shoulder at times.   When it comes to carry 15-20lbs or more, you really gotta carry on your back.    Gun cases may come with a strap, but a drag bag is meant to be thrown over both shoulders.   I have a really nice rifle/drag bag from Elite Survival Systems and use it for my DMR configured DSarms FAL STG 58.

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Nylon hip holsters are they durable?

The answer to this is yes, depending on what kind of environment you expect to be in.   They aren’t hard, but they will hold up better than leather in many situations.   I find the holsters to be difficult to put on and off because of the clip on belts but they are very secure and I actually find them to be very useful for secondary weapons holsters.   Many nylon hip holsters also use valuable space and usually have room for a pistol magazine just in front of where the pistol holster.  There are hip holsters with and without, but I’d recommend the tactical ones.

I find the nylon tactical holsters magazine holder may not be the best placement for you because if you are right handed and your holster is on your right side, you’ll have to reach across with your left hand which may be awkward, but it’s an easy place to keep a spare magazine just incase you ever need one without having to carry an extra pistol magazine holder.  Uncle Mike’s holsters are not expensive and they won’t make you look rich, but I see plenty of made in China nylon holsters that I can’t tell a darn difference between them and what Uncle Mike’s holsters.   What kind of gun fight would you get in if you are carrying a carbine and need to use a handgun and still need spare mags?  Answer, a really bad one, just try not to get in one.

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Anyone want to bash Uncle Mike’s think again

I probable own more Uncle Mike’s holster than any other holster manufacturer and I do admit that many of them are sitting in a box, but I am a firm believer that you should have at least one holster for every firearm you own even if they are not getting used that often.   For instance, I have taken many first time shooters to the range and for those that were taking one of my defensive shooting courses, I always keep a paddle holster for every medium to large size handgun for such a situation.   Uncle Mike’s kydex holsters are as well made as Fobus gun holsters and I have never had an issue with them not working.

If you want to spend $100 or more  on a fancy leather shoulder holster, go right ahead, but I have 3 Uncle Mike’s gun holsters for my Sig autos and a 1911 and Beretta 92FS gun.   I prefer to carry large guns in a  shoulder rig although I know that this tends to not be safe to wear during training events.  The only thing I would not have a very high opinion of are the clip on IWB holsters.   These have failed me during practice even with a good gun belt.  If you are as physically active as I am, you will find ways to dislodge the clip from the belt and it will come off of you.

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Take your gear camping and get back to me

I always enjoy watching the weekend warrior guys show up with their $4000 worth of M4 and accessories that are the first ones to panic and want to leave the range if it starts to drizzle.   The idea that your $4000 rifle will some how get ruined in the rain and the majority of firearms like it are expected to be combat reliable.   Well… what is combat reliability?  Combat reliability is a gun that will take a level of abuse in bad weather and dirty conditions without malfunctioning.  If you have a military issued rifle, the gun better darn well be combat reliable and a little bit of rain shouldn’t concern you.

Combat optics are are also given this description because they better take the abuse and still hold zero.  The gun should work if it gets dropped and the glass better not break.   I’ve retired a few rifle scopes because they would fog up and I learned the lesson of wiping all of my hunting rifles down with a light amount of CLP whenever I brought them back from a trip. Take your gun cases and your firearms out on a day when the weather isn’t that great and have some confidence.   A good nylon rifle case should protect your firearms from moisture and dirt and there’s nothing to cry about if you know your gear.

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Standard capacity magazines and balance

There are plenty of firearms out there that can handle magazines that have a higher capacity than the standard magazines, and in most cases, I really don’t understand why anyone would want anything protruding out of the bottom of a handgun.   I’d rather have an MP5 semi-auto than a Glock 17 with a 30rd magazine.    I’ve seen some of the full auto Glocks, but they are nothing more than an assassin or a nose maker for most purposes.   I’ve always liked 1911 handguns, and I’ve shot a few auto ordnance guns that were similar, but were double stack 45acp magazines, but the guns were just too heavy for me to wield one handed.

There is something to be said for handguns and how they are balanced out.   If the gun feels like  you are holding a bowling ball you’re not going to be very smooth in engaging multiple targets.   Just like someone who is using a 44 magnum Desert Eagle, you get a lot of bang, but what is your hit ratio? Can you carry something like that in gun holsters? I’ve done one too many tests with new shooters and 7.62×39 AK rifle and compared bullet hits with an M4.   Ever single time I’ve done a comparison people shot the better with the M4.   I’ve also done comparisons with extending magazines in 9mm and 45acp and there is a certain point, guns get too darn heavy.

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The FN 5.7 as a defensive weapon

I first saw the 5.7  in all it’s glory with what I would consider to be AP ammo.   I heard a few people mention that they thought that this gun should be illegal, but ballistically it couldn’t do anything that the much more common M855 or SS109 could do.   Yeah I know that a criminal might prefer a handgun to defeat a police officers armor, but the last Police Officer killed here in Pennsylvania was killed with an SKS with standard ammo and a 30rd magazine that actually jammed.   The SKS can take detachable magazines, but I have never seen them hold up as well as the AK family of guns with these mags.   The 5.7 has the ballistics of something close to the 22 magnum, and even though that is not a very powerful stopping round it is as effective as the person carrying it.

I don’t know of any reliable 22 magnum semi auto guns, I know a few pocket revolvers that were fun to shoot, but if you want a small and light semi auto with similar 22 magnum ballistics and has a much  higher capacity, there’s nothing wrong with packing the 5.7 FN.  I think there are better calibers for duty officers, but there are a number of gun holsters like the Blackhawk Serpa that can be had for this gun.  Unfortunately the piece of crap that killed our soldiers at Fort Hood used this firearm arm very effectively, but hopefully anyone reading this will know that every firearm used in the hands of a good and law abiding citizen is an asset to society.

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My new LWRCI an C-Products

With things being pretty shaky with our economy right now,  I have been doing a lot of thought about what I am planning to use at training sessions in the coming year.   I have watched the prices of 5.45×39 for almost 2yrs now and seen very limited movement.    Almost 10yrs ago I did a range test at a 500yd gun club where I tested a Romanian SARI and a Romanian SARII side by side.   I engaged targets at 100yds and tested groups sizes.  I’m very much aware of what the AK was designed to do and expecting better than 4inch groups from a 7.62×39 gun is a  lot with military ammo.   I know you can do better with handloads, but that’s another story.   As I  proceed out to 300yds, I had more and more  hold over with the SARI rifle.   The SARII gun was nailing targets and I don’t think I was holding more than 12 inches over the targets.   Even though I thought the gun was a little clunky, it was as flat shooting as an M4 Carbine.

My LWRCI upper was something I have wished for, for several years.    I know I will  be the first amongst my friends to test this gun out, but it seems to be a better thought out idea over the Smith & Wesson 5.45×39 upper.    The Smith & Wesson is a direct impingement gun and even though they will fit in the same gun cases as my LWRCI, I don’t thing they are the same.   Say what you will about the AR design, but this LWRCI upper is a combat gun and not a plinking gun.   I wouldn’t expect a gun like the S&W to hold up to much abuse unless there was a domestic manufacturer of 5.45×39 ammo.

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Tactical clothing and gun holsters

I recently took a swing by several big gun shops and picked up a few products from tactical clothing companies that I was unfamiliar with.   I do think that many of the top tactical clothing companies are much better than the stuff that was being made years ago.   Clothing manufacturing has gotten better in many regards.   I have several BDU pants from Army Navy stores, but I just can’t stand wearing them anymore.   The hand pockets are too small and the BDU pockets are too flimsy.    If I want BDU pants,  The Eotac Style 201 Pants are the way to go.   If I want to wear denim jeans, I’m going to go with one of the tactical jeans from 5.11, Woolrich Elite or Eotac.

One thing I didn’t like about the 5.11 jeans was that the hand pockets were not any larger than my regular jeans which completely eliminates the possibility of pocket carry.   I had a j-frame 38 Special in the pocket and the handle was showing.   I find this to be a real short coming even though the internal pockets that can stow guns or magazines.   I find these pants to be concealed carry friendly to some degree, but they really were missing some features.   I don’t like the fact that there isn’t spot in the right side at about 3 o’clock that would be gun holsters for most right handed individuals.   Even though I think some of the 205 jeans are a little over designed with the rear pockets, I think pocket carry is really important for CCW wearers and the 5.11 jeans isn’t for that.  The 5.11 jeans can hold your wallet or money, but that’s about it.

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5.11 tactical jeans review pt 1

I finally did my rounds and checked out a few local 5.11 dealers to see what they had in stock.    Something I always find annoying about stopping in these places is how much of a mess the clothing usually is.   I always have to dig around for my sizes and rarely do any of these gun shops or police and security stores keep there crap together.   The other thing that I find annoying is that so many of them clear out certain styles of clothing during the year like there is a non-season for polos and jeans.   Some of these tactical clothing manufacturers are running huge shortages and various products are out of stock for 6-9 months at a time.   I actually noticed many of the gun shops in my neck of the woods stopped selling 5.11 tactical pants because it was too much of a headache for them to deal with.

It was time to restock my tactical pants inventory and I’m not prone to sticking to only one manufacturer.   I have worn 5.11 tactical pants, Eotac, Woolrich Elite and even SigTac.   Each tactical clothing company and tactical gear manufacturer has it’s pros and cons,  but I’d give Eotac and Woolrich Elite the edge on quality control.     I am comparing the Eotac 205 concealed carry jeans to the 5.11 jeans and there is no comparison.   I feel a difference in the movement of each jean, but I really don’t think I feel restricted in any way.   They are both well made, but there are huge differences in the designs.   The Eotac jeans are very similar to the Woolrich Elite Discreet MKII pants, but they are definitely not the same.   The 5.11 jeans are what I’d call more for deep concealment.   There are internal pockets that can hold a j-frame revolver or a small semi-auto and a few spare magazines.   I find the pockets to be a  little too deep and don’t really like the fact the guns are practically inside the pants.   I tried putting a Sig 239 in the pockets with spare magazines and it was extremely uncomfortable when sitting down, so I would have to say you need something smaller than that.

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Buying used guns that have hardly been used

I recently jumped into the world of Glock ownership.   It is a used Glock 19 which is a Generation 2.   I got it fora about $400 out the door and even though it has a little bit of holster wear.   The barrel looks like it has less than 500rds through it.   It’s funny how many times I’ve picked up a new firearm from a gun shop that had a few dents or dings on it but the internal parts were hardly worn.   I’m sure 90% of the lever action and bolt action firearms you see in the used section have the same history, but you should always inspect the internal workings before purchasing.   I’ve seen excessive wear on firearms due to lack of cleaning and lubrication and although the guns haven’t jammed, they had less than 1000rds through them and look really beat up.

There are great deals on used Sig Sauer pistols, Glock firearms and Beretta 92FS types.   These guns were standard issue for most of our LEOs in the last two decades and many are switching over to other types of autos.   Smith & Wesson and Springfield Armory have put out there own handguns that have taken a bite out of the Glock stronghold, but I won’t pick a winner  yet.   I prefer to have atleast a paddle holster for each handgun I own and gun holsters for concealed carry if I am expecting to carry it at some point.   The only handguns I don’t have holsters for are a Ruger Single Six and a Ruger MKII pistol.   These are primarily plinking guns and not going to be carried.

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