Rogue Elite

We’ve all  heard about how the 1911 isn’t as reliable as a Glock, but firearm reliability has increased for just about every semi-auto that is in production these days.    Guns that were made 50-80yrs ago are manufactured better, magazines have become more reliable and ammunition is far more reliable now than it was even 30yrs ago.    When using a semi-auto, we have to think about the purpose for it and what we think we need in a certain situation.   I love the people that think they are going to fight off 50 bad guys with there Glock, but the reality is that if you think you are going into that bad of a situation, bring a rifle.

I consider myself a 1911 enthusiast, but I’d take an M4 over any handgun, any day.   A 5 shot snub nose is good enough for most white colar environments, but if you think you can carry a full size auto, 7 or 8 shots of 45acp is plenty.   1911s are not out dated, but they are also not modern weapons and are being beat out by some of the firearms coming out now, so is the DI M16 by the way.   If you own or know anyone that owns a 1911, you absolutely will increase the reliability of the gun by using Wilson Combat magazines.

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.

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.

There seems to be a big transition in the Law Enforcement community to leg holsters.   Its kind of funny how the old western look disappeared for a few decades but now it’s back again.  If we all road around on horses we’d probable agree that carrying a sidearm on a leg holster is appropriate and its not just for the cool Han Solo look.

Blackhawk Holsters are one of my favorite options, Primarily the Serpa holsters.  The Omega is a less expensive and more versatile when it comes to using different guns, but if you already have a favorite, you’ll want to stick with a holster that works for just that gun.   Whenever you are carrying a Carbine, and you are carrying a sidearm, carrying it in any position other than a leg holster can be a liability, especially when a sling is being used.   I’ve seen many novice operators show up on a training day and end up tangling their slings with a paddle holster or OWB holster.   The Blackhawk Tactical holsters will lock your gun in place and be below the waiste to give you more manueverability.

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.

When training for a class or tactical situation, dealing with an unloaded magazine or an unloaded gun in the situation is expected, all guns go empty at some point.   Most of us have the ability to plan ahead and carry extra magazines, but there may be a point where loading a magazine up will be necessary.   Maglula from Butler Creek makes a great speed loader that will help speed up the process of getting rounds from a box right into your 30rd rifle in a few seconds.   They will easily cut your loading time by 75% when used properly.

If you have a revolver, you know that bad guys may be walking around with semi-autos with 15-20 rounds and that you’ve got to make every round count if your carrying a 5 or 6 shot revolver.   You may only need 5 or 6 shots to win  a fight, but it is a fact that reloading a revolver can be done quicker than loading a magazine, so carrying a caliber specific HKS Speed loader or moon clips is always a great idea.

Woolrich Elite products are some of the most durable tactical apparel pants out there.   Their  tactical pants are long lasting and don’t shrink like some of the 5.11 stuff that so many people have complained about.  5.11 products are interesting, but the tactical pants they have been making are apparently taking a major downturn in the quality control arena.  Woolrich has been in the clothing business for over 100 years and one thing you have to acknowledge is they know how to make clothing.
Woolrich Elite tactical shorts style 4905 have pockets similiar to the 4429 and 4904 styles but a slightly smaller cargo pocket.   These have a longer inseam than some shorts, 9″ but are very comfortable especially when carrying lots of gear in the pockets.   Some of the lightweight shorts don’t seem to support carrying much weight and are really only good for wearing and not hauling.

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.

Weaver rifle scopes have been around since the 1930s.   I still hear people highly recommend using them on carbines or small semi-autos like the Mini 14.    Weaver makes several types of rifle optics and some of them are applicable for long range shooting.   Long range optics don’t have to be high magnification, but clear and accurate.   With the proper scope rings, and the right kind of ammunition, your Weaver rifle scope will be capable of short and long range shooting.

The Weaver Tac-3-15×50 is a serious optic.   Mil-Dots are used for range estimation and are still being used and taught in military sniper training.    An optic like this will help you estimate an object hundreds of yards away and depending on the operator, reaching out and touching your target with be easy with the 3-15x magnification and the wide 50mm objective lense.

Rifle and pistol magazazines  have evolved as much as firearms have evolved in the last 100yrs.   They basically look the same, but they are stronger, more reliable and better thought out.   One of the  biggest advancements in firearm evolution were Glock Firearms.   The biggest evolution in rifle magazines are Magpul P-Mags.    There have been other similiar rifle  magazines made out of plastic, but the Magpul P-Mags are King.

Direct Impingement firearms have a questionable existance in the military industry since the design is more than 60yrs old, but the Magpul P-Mags have possible extended the life of them since the reliability of the magazines has also increased the reliability of the firearm.   Magpul P-Mags can take a beating and still run strong.   Check out some of the tests people have done with them on youtube.com