Archive for February, 2012

The trend is towards pocket guns and it ain’t gonna stop anytime soon

The real issue that we are seeing with guns and accessories is not everyone has been able to keep up with the guns that are being made today.  If I were a holster maker I would be cautious about making holsters for everything out there because there are some firearms that are simply not going to catch on. When it comes to carrying in the pocket, the responsible thing to do is to use a pocket holster.  I had some issues with one maker because the hammer on my 537 Smith & Wesson was getting caught and I had to cut out part of the holster to avoid snags.

On your journey towards finding the right gun and holster that works for you, take your time before you end up with a box full of holsters you didn’t really want sitting in your closet.   When  you are looking for clothing that are not like the usual tactical pants that you see marketed for concealed carry but really aren’t, take a good look at the Woolrich Elite chinos.  People always ask us if their gun is going to print if they were something like this, but the answer to that is to use a piece of cardboard to prevent printing.   There are a lot of very nice .380 pistols and I would have to say that they do seem to be easier to shoot than the 38 special snubbies, but with proper training, you can get what you want out of both and be very discreet.

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New Products from Rogue Elite

Along with an ever growing inventory at our new retail operation in Pennsylvania, Rogue Elite has been looking for niche market products to accommodate our already established customer base.  New products like Turtleskin “frisk gloves” have been something we didn’t normally venture into but now that our Law Enforcement customer base has grown so much products like that are in demand.  Just likes shirts, pants and boots, things wear out and need to be replaced every so often.   Original Swat footwear costs are under $100 for the vast majority of their product line and a big sales pitch in this economy.

When it comes to new business and attract attention, we’d like to say a big Hello to the competing online tactical gear companies that have been trying to redirect links to their businesses via this blog and also for taking product reviews and other information off of our website.  I guess its an honor to know that you like to compete in the market with for keywords like tactical pants and others by attacking blogs from competing businesses. Thanks for the attention but we have say this, our business operation is a much nicer one in comparison to your MO operation, tell your SEO department to knock it the fuck off or there will be ramifications. Those are not the business practices that will give your company longevity.

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Lots of people wondering what happened to the LWRC M6AK

We sold off the last of the M6AK rifles a few months ago but people are still calling and asking about them.  I remember being in the LWRC facility a few years ago and it was just at the beginning of the product run.  I was told second hand that the M6AK rifle was made of left over parts from the other M6 rifles and it was a one off product thing.   I have seen a lot of the Smith & Wesson 5.45×39 uppers go out the door with very few complaints, but I never thought it was a great idea to make a gun in 5.45×39 that was a direct impingement gun.  Just too damn dirty if you ask me.

The LWRC guns were all sold out and gone about a year and half after production and that was it.  As far as AR15 complete upper receivers,   The Adams 5.45×39 seems to be the next hot seller.   You will have to replace the spring in your lower so expect to designate a lower for this caliber.  It’s not a good idea to be lazy and not replace the hammer spring on your firearm. The great thing about AR15 uppers is how interchangeable they are but once you get into caliber variations, you probable want to just get another gun.

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We are a stocking Desantis holster dealer

Desantis holsters are probable the best known leather holsters for Law Enforcement in our neck of the woods and it was only a matter of time before we had to start stocking them.  Given all of the variations you have with firearms these days and the recent surge in small autos for pocket carrry, then through in all of the guns with lasers, and you’ve got a very complicated and ever changing situation for a holster maker.   As soons as somebody changes the sights or puts the sights on the gun, you better pay attention to the holsters you are using.

I have to admit that I have modified firearms without checking to see if there were holster issues, but I was lucky enough to not have the problem.  The Desantis holsters that I prefer to use for concealed carry are the Desantis Speed Scabbards.   I don’t like the idea of having to have retention of any sort other than a holster when I’m carrying under a shirt or a garment and the Speed Scabbard fits the bill.  I’ve been using the Don Hume Jit holster which is kind of the same thought but doesn’t seem to be as up against the body as the Scabbard.  Every firearm will be different and much of this is about preference.

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Uppers and Lowers and endless modifications, what’s the answer?

The simple answer is get more guns.   The real problem I see with many people that tinker too much with firearms is that they can really mess stuff up.  I remember seeing this with guys that overly modified their 1911s and put springs in the guns that they should not have and they ended up with an accurate POS.   I don’t know how many times i’ve say behind a guy on the firing line that continuously informed me that his firearm was reliable but I’d watch them clear malfunctions all day and they would just blame the ammunition.

In my opinion, that is like watching a guy put tires on a car that are  not the same size and saying the only reason he crashed the car was because when he made the wide turn the tires that were not uniform made him loose control.   Well, stop messing around so much with your AR15 lower receivers and your AR15 upper receivers and make sure that once you get something that is reliable, stop screwing around with triggers and springs.   You are better off with multiple firearms that do different things than trying to push a firearm to do everything.  There is a trade off between reliability and accuracy and rarely does a firearm do both for very long.

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1911 magazines the work and aren’t too pricey

I own several firearms but the ones I like tend to be the ones I actually shoot the least.  I love all of my 1911s but retired most of them from use because of one thing, I do not like manual safeties on firearms.  I find it kind of ironic that retention holsters are now so popular and basically put a manual safety on your gun, but the mindset is a little different.   Considering the number of Special Ops that have gone back to the 45acp says something but I am still  not a huge fan of the 1911 for concealed carry.   I think there is a difference between pulling a firearm from a duty holster and carrying a firearm that is concealment and then disengaging a manual safety.

The more steps and object you put in front of a process the more your margins of error are going to go up.  If you train you can always improve your ability to effectively deploy a firearm, but that’s not what I would spend time on and just carry a different firearm.   Chip McCormick magazines are about $10 less expensive than Wilson Combat Magazines and have more of a GI feel to them.  I personally prefer to use 8rd magazines and do not have issues with them.  I also prefer flush fitting magazines but I realize that not everyone just CCW the guns and might want a larger base pad for competition shooting.

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22LR caliber conversions for handguns and rifles

I’ve dabbled with caliber conversion kits only  once and that was a very long time ago.  For some reason I have never been a big fan of the 22LR semi-auto.   I really have a low tolerance for firearms that do not function reliable and the whole “it’s cheap to shoot” thing doesn’t work for me if I have to clear malfunction every 50rds or so.  In my opinion there are safety issues if a gun constantly jams.  I don’t like having 22LR bullets laying around that have light strikes on them and I’ve had several bad experiences with both handgun and rifles not working well.   Sure there are variations in bullet manufacturers and some types of ammo will function better than others, but what a pain in the ass.

I guess ever since ammunition shot up in price a few years ago and the threats of a Political chance and a bad economy drop up the costs, many people have been spending $140-$300 on 22 caliber conversion kits for AR15 and Handguns.   We sell a lot of Glock caliber conversion kits from Advantage Arms sell like hot cakes.   There can be plenty of good quality training with these caliber conversion kits but I do suggest people do research and pay attention to gun cleaning and the types of ammunition.   If you have had good experiences with caliber conversion kits, please let us know and give us some feedback.

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Stop screwing around with those inferior gun magazines

I just pulled out one of my gun cases and noticed that I had a couple 30rd magazines still in it.   I never stow loaded magazines in gun cases, but there have been times that I have gone to gun ranges and realized I had a bunch of Mini 14 magazines and not the GI AR15 magazines I thought they were.   I still have a few GI magazines laying around but I never bring them to the range.   It’s funny that I view my AR15s in a different light now that I have been using PMAGS.   Almost a decade ago I use to spend a lot my weekends at a gun range about an hour from me, and use to watch the guys with the AR15’s in amazement because of how much money they had tied up in the firearms.

I finally broke down and picked up a Bushmaster XM15E2 and took it to the range.   I must have had close to 6 malfunctions with it the first month I shot the thing and almost retired the gun.   I heard about Magpul Pmags after a friend sent me the link to a Youtube video.  I picked up one magazine because I didn’t want to end up getting screwed if they weren’t good, well, needless to say I ended up picking up more magazines a few more AR15s.  Magpul industries really has their stuff in order when it means creating combat reliable magazines and accessories.

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Sometimes it’s not about self-defense and fighting

Sometimes it all about having fun and taking friends and family to the range and showing off your toys.   The AR15 is hands down the number one centerfire rifle that I teach family members to shoot on because the ergonomics and recoil are easy for even an older child to shoot.  Stock adjustability makes the gun an easy fit for the young and old, short and tall.    Sure there are plenty of customizations you can do but if you have an AR15, you already know this.  Some of the AR15s absolutely are better than others and sometimes in different ways.

I have several Bushmaster firearms that I still have fun shooting with but they stay home if I am doing serious training.  I have often looked at picking up some of the Spikes Tactical Uppers if I need to replace the Bushmasters just because the reputation of Spikes Tactical guns is so good.   The real reason people like the Spikes Tactical stuff is because the company seems to have their stuff in order and even their lower parts kits are a great thing to pick up.   The Mid Length and MOE uppers seem to be the most popular versions right now.

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Body types and preferences in fit and eyesight

There are a wide range of body types that we deal with when sell tactical clothing and sometimes certain cuts just don’t work out.   Recently we had a huge sale on Woolrich Elite half-zip sweatshirts and we had people tell us they fit them except for the length was too long.   Other people have said they were too tight around the waste.   The truth of the matter is that this is something you really can’t get around.   There are no perfect fitting pants or shirts for everyone.   The tactical market has gotten so big that everyone is going to have to just try things on and find out what works for them.

When it comes to rifles and carbines, gun accessories are going to be customized to your hand size and your arm length.   Magpul gun accessories give you cheek weld options and ever optic including Trijicon Rifle Scopes for sale in our store may need to be adjusted to the shooter.  Everyones face and cheek weld is going to be different and you won’t be a proficient operator unless you know how to adapt your gun to what you find comfortable.   Sometimes you just have to get use to it, but there are always stock extensions or shorting option available.

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