Archive for March, 2013

Somtimes our style of tactical pants changes for a reason

tactical pants Lately I have been carrying different gear with me at work and during classes.   Recently I was on a road trip and re discovered ankle and shoulder holsters and forgot what it was like to carry in those positions while driving 8hrs in a day.  There are plenty of reasons to consider ankle carry holsters but they are really meant for backups.   One thing I have noticed with various tactical pants is the cut of the pants near the ankles.  Not that I think people need bell bottom pants but this is something to seriously consider when you are carrying in this position.  Some styles of pants will not give you the movement you need and you will end up with your pants riding up on you.

When it comes to carrying handcuffs and batons, wallets and other paperwork, you are going to see huge differences in the types of pants out there.  Call me an old timer but I still don’t have Vertx tactical pants in my wardrobe although in 2013 I plan on getting some.   I have found I have learned to love the  Blackhawk lightweight tactical pants because they are holding up very well to all of the useage I have given them and the only negative I have so far are the lack of a left side wallet or ID pocket.   The pockets are a little too  deep for a wallet and I often feel like I lost it because it’s about 2-3 inches lower than it normally would be.   It’s not just about the material like 100% cotton ripstop or 65/35 poly cotton ripstop.

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Magpul Instructional DVDs

magpul dvdsWe have all watched the DVD market explode in the last decade, but some of the best firearm instruction videos have come to mainstream gun ownership and the quality of the skills being taught and production has dramatically improved.   This video collection from Magpul contains some of the best firearm instruction for the weekend warriors and concealed carry owners.  Chis Costa and Travis Haley both do an excellent job of communicating and the operator errors of students is documented and discussed throughout the series.   They didn’t edit out the bad parts to make people look good, they showed them how to fix the problem.

Some of the things taught in the series are advanced, but The Art of the Dynamic Handgun is an outstanding gift for anyone that has not taken a defensive course.   While we believe that anyone that has access to a firearm in a home or is carrying a firearm concealed, should immerse themselves in something like this.  There is an entire magpul DVD for concealed carry and it is well worth buying for yourself or others.    The shotgun is the number one home defense gun but there are advanced ways of operating one and for under $40 would it be worth it?

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Backpacks, range bags, and sleeping bags

Elite survival systems bagsYou really need to know what you need or what you are looking for before you start shopping for a range bag.   Too many people rush into buying backpacks and range bags and find out they needed something bigger or that they should have spent more money on something instead of buying small.  Pistol bags and range bags are often out grown as well as gun cases.   We should have hit the record button in the store this week and just posted the transcripts of some of the things our customers said about what they should have gotten from us in the last year.   Too many people start out with price restrictions and end up buying twice instead of once for rifle cases and range bags.   Scopes on pistols or added accessories like pistol magazines are nice to keep together, all  in once place.

Having a bugout bag means different things to different people and not everyone is going to put the same things in there.  Some tactical teams and swat teams are going to put things in something like  Elite Survival Systems bags that have food and medical supplies in them.  I think having medical supplies in a bugout bag are a good idea but small quantities of food or ammo is something you can easily stow away and just forget it’s there.   The Elite Survival Systems smokescreen concealment backpack, especially the navy blue one is very low profile and almost looks like it should say NIKE   on it since it’s very sporty or athletic looking.

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Don’t get confused but they are still making your Original Swat footwear

original swat bootsWe have had this happen a few times in the past but this year we have a few SKU changes with the Original Swat footwear company.  Some of the boots that we have carried in recent years  have been given a new product code and it will be a little confusing for some in the short term, but eventually it will  work itself out.  Boots like the 1271 were a big hit but the product code has changed to the 116101.   Boxes are still marked with the old product codes but are being sold as a different one.   This was for inventory management on their end and not ours.   Some of the composite safety toe boots are very popular because school security or bank security guards don’t want the high boots.

There are a few other new boots we are bringing in stock this year and it’s looking like it will be a shorter boot that wins out in 2013.   The 126101 and the 116101 have been a biggest selling 6 inch Original swat boots and recently surpassed the 1151 boots.  The 1151 coyote is a favorite of ours with our local township and municipalities.   There’s just something eye catching about that boot and even those the size zip boots outsell the lace up, the 1151 is very popular.   Make sure you take advantage of our winter beanie cap promo and check out our Broomall, Pennsylvania showroom that is stocked with the Original Swat footwear tactical boots.

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Using tools properly and not depending on them…

crimson trace laser gripsThere are many things you can attach to your firearm, whether it’s a handgun or a rifle, will help you get the job done.  Flashlights are a must for home defense but it’s  up to you to decide if you want to attach it directly to your firearm or keep it separately.   It’s not a good argument to shoot into the darkness, and I have to admit that I have heard of accidents where people shot family members or pets because they did not identify them.   One tactic that is often overlooked in many situations is that a home owner can simply turn on the lights in their home and wiring your home to be able to turn on major rooms from the second floor of your  home is something worth considering.  If you did have your electrical wiring done like this, you would simply flip a switch and get more candle power than any flashlight would give you.

Lasers are something that we see more often these days and it’s mostly for the smaller frame semi-autos.  I personally keep one of the Crimson Trace laser grips on my j-frame revolver because it gives me more confidence in hitting my target at close ranges, and in low light.   The small radius of a .380 or a snub nose revolver gives reason to attach a laser grip.   Laser grips and battery life have dramatically improved in the last decade and even the color has changed from red, to the widely  used green lasers that the military has already been adopting.  There are different flashlights that have laser and light combinations also worth considering.

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Getting your money’s worth from Smith Optics Elite

Smith Optics Elite EyewearThis is one of those products that people are somewhat afraid to buy online because they are afraid to drop $100 on sunglasses that they haven’t looked through.   We’ve tried out a lot of eyewear over the years and we think we have a pretty good idea about what is good and what is crap.   Everyone asks the same questions about them when they see them, “do they fog up”, well the real deal with them is yeah, they can, like anything that you can look through, but the standards are very high.   If you want to really avoid fogging you’re going to have to sink some money into the Smith Optics Elite outside the wire turbo fan goggles.  They have a very quiet running 2 speed fan for intense situations.

The best range glasses i ever had were are the Aegis Eyeshields, I’ve found the compact versions to fit my head better.  Some other options are  the Smith Optics Elite eyewear called the Aegis Echo which has a metal frame that is flat and very comfortable if you have a helmet or eye protection on.The thing I find likeable about these are the interchangeable lenses.   It’s nice to be able to go back to clear lenses if it’s not that sunny out because low light conditions and sunglasses makes identifying targets problematic and you don’t want that to happen.   The kits come in 2 sizes and you can always buy replacement lenses if you loose them or break them.

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Gun Cleaning supplies are breaking new ground

gun cleaning suppliesFind the best gun cleaning supplies for your firearms, M-pro7 gun cleaner and gun oil. Find out what kind of cleaning liquids you want to use, you may only need an Otis gun cleaning kits, but some of our bolt action shooters still want a cleaning rod.    We’ll leave it up to you to decide what works best, and please write a review under the gun cleaning supplies  for other customers if you’ve found the gun cleaning kit that you love.   Bore snakes can be had for pistols although a rifle bore snake will work, the pistol one is much shorter.   Otis gun cleaning kits can be used for everything from a 38 special snubby to a 50 caliber machine gun.

Gun Cleaning is never as fun as shooting, but it’s extremely important for those concerned about accuracy.  We spend an enormous amount of time on the firing line, but the elite shooters are all aware that a clean bore is important for accuracy, and using the right gun cleaning supplies is what will get the job done.   We stock various tools and cleaners due to the high demands those in the shooting sports demand.   We carry everything from gun scrubber, gun oils, Breakfree CLP, cleaning rods, boresnakes, cleaning brushes, and cleaned patches.    Rust remover, blue remover touch up pens for those minor scratches and dings.  For those looking for a more traditional type of cleaning kit, try our DAC Cleaning Kits.   The Otis gun cleaning kits are specific to military style rifles like the M16, 7.62 or 50 Calibers.

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Magazines, ranger plates and magazine grip extensions

chip mccormick magazines I never really bothered with magazine extensions on my CCW guns because I’ve mostly learned to stick with the standard capacity magazines instead of trying to turn the gun into something that it was never meant to be.  For instance the Sig 239 is a great CCW gun and although you can put a 10rd magazine in there, the profile of the gun is going to change and depending on the clothing that you are wearing,  you may have just created a snagging location or a hang up on your shirt.   Sometimes moving around a little with your CCW method will give you an idea of how your clothing may bunch up or scrunch up in certain areas around your gear.  The Material of various shirts makes a huge difference and even though it light flow straight down over your gun, high winds can cause embarrassing situations with even the smallest CCW gun.

I never witness there being a difference in 1911 reliability between 7rd and 8rd pistol magazines but I’ve always felt the magazine durability has improved enough to get 8rds out there.  I have noticed some gun magazines have increased their capacity but the Chip McCormick magazines that I use are the Power Mags and they have a slight magazines extension that helps with faster reloading.  All of my 1911s drop these mags without any snags which is something my Colt factory magazines do not.  Drop free magazines are important because that is one step that can slow down a reload of the firearm.

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Buying what you need and not what you don’t need for your firearms

allen gun casesThere are huge differences in the material and protection that you will get from various gun case manufacturers.  We have a showroom here in Pennsylvania where all you have to do is pick up one of the rifle cases and squeeze it and  you’ll feel better knowing your $2000 AR15 , Optics and flashlight is going to take a few clunks and still be protected.  We still get people walking in looking for items such as the Allen pistol rugs because they only need it for transporting and don’t want to drop $100 on a fancy range bag or spend $40 on a pack.  I’ve never gotten into the pistol scope thing but many people are using the Trijicon RMR optics on their guns.

If you want an easy fix for gun transport the gun socks are great for shotguns or rifles that don’t have optics on them.   I keep several of these around as well as other Allen gun cases for my Russian SKS rifles and my Remington 870.   The Russian SKS can take a few dinks to the stock because it’s already pretty roughed up an I’m not so concerned about scratches.  The Assault rifle bags are fairly inexpensive and for someone that wants to keep their magazines organized these are a great way to keep your stuff together.

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Leather look and Professional appearance at work

desantis holstersKydex holsters are very good for their intended purposes but you really can’t walk away from leather holsters.   Not only do leather holsters especially the Desantis holsters that we sell look so nice, but the product line is so big that just about any type of holster, IWB holsters, Paddle holsters and even the Desantis Scorpion holster which is Kydex and not something you would have thought a Leather holster company made.  We have seen many leather holsters in our lifetime but even if you think you can get a good once for less money, you won’t have the durability and proven quality that Desantis Products has.

Much of our Law Enforcement product line has expanded our leather goods and Desantis is number one on our list.  I have a ton of holsters in my closet but the ones I use the most when I’m going  out at night are the ones that look the best and the Desantis holsters that we sell are the best looking holsters with style and durability.   We’ve had several leather holsters in our store from Galco leather to Don Hume and although each product line has it’s good points and their weaknesses, the current majority of our Law Enforcement and Detectives our using the thumb break speed scabbards instead of the Blackhawk Serpa holsters just based on the professionalism and look of the holster.

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