Rogue Elite

Reasons for wearing gloves are as numerous as reasons people wear a shirt, pants, vests or jacket.   We have jeans and sneakers for one situation and a suit and tie for others.    A citizen carrying a gun won’t want to look like a Cop and everyone knows that Police wear uniforms most of the time.   Gloves can be used to keep hands warm in the Fall, and other gloves are heavier for Winter weather.   Tactical gloves can mean fingerless gloves, but fingerless gloves might be hunting gloves.

Well here’s one more stick in the fire.   What kind of glove do you need to be able to load bullets in a magazine and still be able to pick up a quarter, open doors and not get your finger caught in the trigger guard on your AR15? How many of your regular hunting gloves or winter gloves will hold up?  Larry Vickers Gloves are known in the firearm industry and the new Duty gloves are not as long as the Vickers Mid-length gloves, but they have the same durability and feel.    I think it takes some time to get use to wearing gloves while operating a firearm, but for $30 these are a great option to have in your range bag or tactical vest.

We’ve been able to watch the tactical clothing market grow over the last decade and we’ve seen big companies go from owning the business to dealing with real competition.   Due to the nature of the War on Terror, there is demand for clothing that is not BDU looking but has lots of uses for military and combat purposes.   Tactical Pants aren’t just about what they can hold.   Everyone has a different idea of what they need for their job, but putting tons of gear in your pockets can be done with a pair of pants that just has big pockets.

Eotac has several pants styles that may look like 5.11 knock offs or something that you thought you saw coming from Woolrich Elite a few years ago, but the reality is you will feel the difference in manueverability and flexability when you’re wearing them.   We had a few customers say they preferred a competitors pants since they had more room in them for sitting and kneeling, but the reality is Eotac Pants were stitched and designed so the pants move with the body and they were designed for operators that are getting off the ground and working from standing, kneeling and squatting.  Think about all of the firing positions an operator with a Carbine can get in, now try doing that with Levi’s jeans, 5.11 pants, Woolrich Elite and then try it with the Eotac Pants and get back to us.

There is much debate about which scope mounts are the most durable.   Some scope mounts are stronger than other just based on the quality of the metal, but the reality is that all scew on mounts can come loose over time.   One of the secrets that experienced shooters need to pass on is the use of loctite.   If you are going to be using a scope for serious shooting or putting an accessory in a firearm, you should seriously consider using loctite.

Adding the extra security may mean that your scope won’t come loose after a few thousand rounds.  I’ve seen guys with battle rifles with $1000 optics on them and after a few thousand rounds, the mounts came loose.  None of these individuals were using loctite.   Over torquing screws is something to be concerned about because screwing a mount in as tight as you possible can does not mean more security, it actually means more stress.   Loctite doesn’t add stress to your gun mount it just helps keep the grip on your screws so they don’t rotate after long firing periods.

I’ve seen so many people on firing lines with spotting scopes complain about the optics they have and what they should have gotten or what they wish they knew before getting a scope.   Sometimes people have this idea that having an optics magnify 45x will make things easier to see at great distances and any experienced observer know that isn’t true.  Magnification can become void due to heat and mirage and even zero magnification can cause you to have trouble hitting an object at certain distances.
Expecting to see 22 Caliber holds at 600yds is a hard feat.  One thing you may want to consider if you are expecting to use a spotting scope for long ranges is a different type of target other than paper.  Shoot N C targets can help improve your visibility and avoid any frustrations in trying to pin point your point of impact on paper.  They aren’t re-useable so you’ll have to expect to spend more money on them, but they work.  Spottings scopes are as good as the money you pay for them, but make sure you know what you can realistically do with them before you select one.

Do you own a rifle that could use a nice scratch up the barrel?  Well, I thought so, so why do people not think about buying a rifle case for every gun they own?   One thing I’ve found is it’s really a good idea to buy atleast, one soft case for each semi-auto you own and then put a tag or label on it so you know that gun will fit in it.   How many times have you gone to the range and had to figure out which rifle goes where?

Some rifles like lever action and shotguns may only need a gun sock for transportation and even a less than $10 sock can help protect against scratches.   Rifles with optics are another can of worms.  Not only do you need to worry about how long the barrel is and if it will fit in the case, but you have to consider that optics will widen the dimensions of the space you need and zipping up a gun case too tight is either going to cut your fingers or eventually break.   Make sure you put some thought into why you are buying a gun cases for your guns and make sure the gun is going to fit properly.

In my many years of being on the firing line, one of the top tier rifle optics I see at the long distance ranges are Nikon Rifle scopes.  Nikon has had a tried and tested line of optics that can be used for long distance accuracy, clarity and adjustability.  Nikon rifle optics are reliable tools that I have first hand witnessed tack drive whenever the operator was up to it.   Rifle scopes need to be clear and reliable when shooting long distances.   The ability to hold zero becomes obvious when shooting beyond 100yds because those flingers at 100yds will be misses at 600yds if you don’t have a good scope.

Another thing to think about whenever looking for a good optic is clarity.  Some people seem to think that high magnification is  better for long distances, but it’s not true.   There is something to be said for too high of magnification and even on dark rainy days, you may notice the difference between a cheap scopes ability to see in low light in comparison to higher end scopes.   A good 3-9×40 scope can be better than a cheap 6.5-20×40 in low light.

Everyone has there taste and styles in firearms and even some have their preferences in the type of ammunition and bullet weights.   Some operators prefer to dress in black and prefer to look as tactical as possible while others just can’t figure out why they would need a tactical vest in the first place.   Some tactical vests are about as comfortable as strapping on a parachute and not always modernized.

The Eotac Style 101 Tactical vest is probable the most versatile and sensible vests you will get your hands on.   The pockets are designed for modern weapons and gear and that is something you will want to research before you spent $75-$200 for the other styles out there.   Some of the tactical vests made by Sig Tac and 5.11 weren’t designed for Magpuls and that is only something you’ll find out whenever you’re getting serious about the gear you have.   If you are training or using modern Magpul magazines with the magpul, you’ll basically make any older style vest useless if you can’t close the magazine pocket.   The Eotac vest has extended velcro designs that will allow you to easily adapt the flap to standard 30rd AR magazines or Magpuls.

Everyone know that Glocks are tough.   I shoot just about all of the popular semi-autos out there and I still have to admit that Glocks are one of the least likely to break.   I’ve seen slide stops break, barrels blow out and slides crack, but none of them were Glocks.   Sometimes it’s a good idea to have a few extra Glock Parts in your safe just incase you ever need them, but since Glocks don’t use very many parts, it’s not much to store.

Things like recoil springs and firing pins are pretty much a MUST for serious shooters because sometimes it’s not always the guns fault that something wears out or breaks.  Sometimes bad ammo can wear out a firing pin faster than normal and recoil springs are going to wear out at some point.   The 2nd recommendation I would have would be to store magazine springs and followers.   Those will wear out, not as often, but as often as recoil springs.   If you’re a plinker and occassion shooter, these won’t be necessary, but if you put a couple thousand rounds through your Glock every year, something is going to wear down at some point so it’s best to have the spare parts around when it happens.

Binoculars are a very versatile tool.    The reality is this, a good pair of binoculars is just an extension of  your eyes.   What do you use your eyes for?   Binoculars can be  used for eveything you use your eyse for.  Nikon Binoculars come in fixed power from 7×32 – 10-22×50.   When you are looking for a good pair of binoculars, keep in mind that some of the best views are with the medium and larger sizes and they can get heavy real fast.   If you are looking for  high magnification you may want to think about spotting scopes instead since they are normally used with tripods.

Nikon Binoculars are reasonable priced optics.    When you figure out what you are using these optics for think about how you might carry them, whether its in a jacket or in a range bag.   Something as little as 7X magnification can help you ID targets or objects that are just out of your visible sight and this is an extremely useful tool to have.   We see a lot of Nikon optics on firing ranges and very few complaints.

Most of remember what it was like to get a telescope or pair of binoculars as a kid.   Back then we pretty much just wanted to see how far we could look and that was about it.   Magnification doesn’t always mean you will be able to see more.   For  instance, many cheaper brand binoculars may magnify up to 20X, but try holding them and read a sign with magnification that high and you’ll more likely see your heartbeat pumping before you read your first word.

Another problem with high magnification is the higher the magnification the less light your binoculars will let in.   Sometimes people bypass the  higher end fixed power binoculars like Zeiss binoculars for the cheaper high magnificaiton, but if you ever get a chance to compare the glass side by side you’ll be amazed.  Good quality glass will allow in more light and clarity and you will actually see more, get a better field of view and not strain your eyes in lower light.