Archive for April, 2013

Thanks are settling down, but is the panic buying over?

Glock factory magazinesI guess it depends on whether or not you want to think about all of the things that could cause people to buy more firearms or ammunition, but now that the States that passed the new gun legislation  have pretty much done so, not many more are going to pile on.  Their are going to be Political and economic ramifications for passing some of these new gun laws and we’ll find out the results in 2yrs.   We recently heard that some companies like Remington are now restricting sales to gun shops that are price gouging on ammuntion and their are now boycotts of several big name companies for what they did in regards to AR15 sales on Magpul Pmag sales.  We see this type of panic and emotionalism after hurricanes or earthquakes and it’s widely accepting that the political opportunism that Obama has played is going to have blow back at some point.

We have noticed that there is somewhat of a slow down but much of this is because there isn’t anything to buy.  Ammunition is going to be hard to get for a long time but Glock Factory Magazines are starting to show up on our inventory and we recently got some Glock 21, Glock 26 and Glock 27 magazines in, in large quantities.   We  have not raised our prices about list price and we’re seeing positive response from our customers and developed a lot of loyalty.   The only thing that seems to be impossible to get right now are the Glock 22 coversion kits, although we do have small quantities of spare magazines in stock.

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Optics, batteries, tritium and fiber optics!

There are huge differences in the types and applications of various combat optics.   When many people think about red dot optics there are big differences in the way that they are setup.  Some come with mounts, quick detach ones or thumb screw.  The differences between Aimpoints, Bushnells and C-more red dots are considerable and it’s not just the quality of the optics.   I am very picky about clarity of reticles and it’s kind of funny that the more I use Trijicon optics, the less I like red dots and Eotechs.   The thing that always hits me are the costs of Eotech sights, but the TA26 or TA44 scopes are so clean and crisp compared to the Eotech or C-more optics.

When do you really want an ACOG?  Trijicon ACOGS are really a medium range optics, optics like the Trijicon TA31F-G for saleTrijicon TA31F-G for sale are just simple that.  Sure you can nail targets out past 600 yards with them, but if you want close range engagement you will probable want a different setup.  The RMR sights that are mounted at the top of an ACOG will cost more, but it really all depends on what you want to do with the sight.   Optics that take batteries are going to be around for a long time, as a matter of fact The TA02 is a new battery powered optic, but the new thing is going to be rechargeable and solar powered optics.

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If you don’t want a bigger range bag but need a bigger pistol case. Here’s an suggestion!

Elite survival pistol casesI don’t know why everyone  needs a certain type of bag because it’s up to the user to determine what works for them, but if you are a handgun enthuisiest consider checking out the entire pistol case product line of the Elite Survival Systems.  Their gun cases and pistol cases don’t feel like other brands and their is an obvious density differences.  Not that they are heavy, but seeing a Made in the USA on their stuff and knowing how expensive it is to manufacture in this Country, you know you are getting a quality product.  The 4 gun pistol pistol pack is much more than a pistol rug or a range bag, this is almost like an active shooter bag for handguns.   You have the adjust-ability with the nylon tie downs to fit any medium or large frame firearm and I’ve had Sig 226 and Beretta 92FS packed to the limit in this bag.

You can always put in other molle pouches  in this case but if you are taking more than 2 guns to the range and you want to keep your gear organized there aren’t any other cool products that I can think of that will keep your stuff together like this.   I have had issues with other bags where I didn’t have the room to keep the guns and that magazines together and these Elite Survival Pistol Cases give you maximum organizational platforms.   There are other smaller pistol cases you can use if you don’t need the gear or magazine storage and they really aren’t that expensive, usually under $30.  Stop in our Broomall, PA showroom if you can.

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Looks like Woolrich Inc is out of the tactical apparel market

Tru-Spec 24/7 series tactical clothingWe were the first dealer in Pennsylvania to carry the Woolrich Elite Series product line and I can’t think of much out there other than 5.11 tactical products, but Woolrich Elite Series products were very well received.  At the time the economy was better and people were willing to spend $50 for a pair of pants, but now things are really crazy and many of our customers are telling us they are dropping over $60 a pair of pants for 5.11 tactical stuff.   We’ve seen the ceiling be about $50 for pants and once we go over that for a product, we basically loose out to 5.11 tactical or some other company.  I have no idea what people are going to do if they liked Woolrich Elite Series products or the Eotac line because after checking out the Vertx, Tru-Spec and Blackhawk Product lines, they are all overy different.

There is a whole bunch of drama that went down with the guys that original came up with the idea for the Woolrich Elite line and in the end it lost out to the competition because it just couldn’t keep up with the times.   Our best best right now is to sell what our customers want and the Tru-Spec 24/7 Series tactical clothing has a great quality product for about 20%-40% less than their competitors.  There are the new Truely Tactical products coming out that are less than $40 and we expect that this is a great idea considering the economy and the market drive.  There are several companies making stuff now but nobody likes to buy online for new clothing and most walk to walk in a shop and try them on.

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Lock your guns up and the mental health issues

gunvault safesWe all know someone that we think should never own a firearm and then there are the people that own them, that even as a 2nd Ammendment supporter, you know they probable shouldn’t.  I personally know friends that have worked together to take firearms away from family members or because they had anger management issues or had too much of a criminal history to be truested to use own them.  Given what happened in CT a few months ago, there are plenty of people that were aware of how unstable that murderer was and that they should have made sure he didn’t have access to the firearms, which is personal a reason people should NOT consider biometric safes.

Biometric safes in my opinion are for people with arthritis and  have not the ability to move their fingers quickly.   Its your call on what kind of gunvault safes you want to consider  using but if somebody can get a hold of your finger  prints or they kill you, all they have to do is drag your dead hand over the the safe and they are in.  Where as if you had a combination or finger combination, they would have to keep typing or dialing it in until they got it right, and many of the gun safes that I have owned will lock  you out after about 3 or 4 failed attempts.  You need to be careful how much technology you are going to be using, because the more they over take the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.

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Duty holsters, can you deviate from Safariland?

safariland holstersThe short answer is YES but many people stick with the Safariland products because even though sinking $100 into a holster is expensive you get something that unless you break it in some wild adventure, it might last most of your 20yr career in Law Enforcement.   There are so many products listed in the Safariland catalog that many dealers of the Safariland product line don’t even list all of it.  Recently we actually had an issue with some of the technical info not being up to date and we had some incorrect holsters come in.  We didn’t  know that there was no difference between the M6 flashlight and the TLR-1S light.  Everyone and their dog is using the TLR lights now so we are stocking them for the local departments.

Blackhawk Serpa holsters are still very popular and a quick fix for anyone looking for a retention holsters but I don’t even have to ask why when a cop walks in our store on why he wants retention.   You gotta have retention and Safariland holsters like the ALS are the way to go because when you have to holster your weapon and cuff someone you don’t want them pulling your own firearm and using against you.  The Stats are there for cops being killed with their own weapons and  even for swat teams that are primarily using AR15 or M16, you need retention on your handguns to prevent them from flying out when you are moving around.

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Can’t make your mind up about red dots, Eotech’s or ACOGS? What do you want?

Trijicon TA01NSNI didn’t consider myself and expert on close quarters optics until I heard from enough customers that seemed to know far less than what we I did.  People seem to think about price ranges more than how versatile and optic is.  I have always felt that the best analogy about firearms and accessories is that they are more like golf clubs than tools.  You don’t use an iron to drive a ball down range and yo don’t use a wedge to putt a ball 3 yards.   Trying to do it all with one optic is really asking for too much, and even the military has realized that make a man a designated marksmen in necessary because even though there are guys that can hit targets at 100yds with iron sights, you gotta be realistic on what is practical.

I personally love my co witnessed Eotech sight with my Gen 2 magnifier, but if I had to go with something else, and for probable the same amount of money there is another option.   Probable the most versatile Trijicon ACOG is the Trijicon TA01NSN because the iron sights are not really a backup sight for you scope, they are more of a close quarters engagement.   People that are less trained seem to think that a whole lot of magnification is going to make hitting bad guys easier and unless this is in long range engagements, it is simply not true.

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Is there anything else besides Magpul Pmags?

lancer magazines It seems that there are other manufacturers that are putting out really good magazines and usually we find  this out from the guys that a running 3 gun matches.  Competition shooting is not only a competition between shooters, but also a place to test out gear, firearms and everything you can put in them.   We hear feedback from our customers about various scope mounts, iron sights and sometimes about various brands of ammunition.   Every once in awhile we hear people mention products from Larue Tactical and it’s on our “things to do” to get setup as a dealer for them.   There have very well price rifle scope mounts and lots of guns run aimpoints ect on them.

When it comes to reliability of firearm magazines, you pretty much have to stick with factory magazines but in the case of the AR15, factory magazines are probable what USGI mags are and they are inferior to the commercial market.  One name we’ve been hearing more and more lately are the Lancer magazines that are made in Allentown Pennsylvania.   These magazines have a unique look to them and instead of having windows like the magpul pmags, they are translucent and you can see what you have in your round count.   Not everyone cares about these but the Lancer 30rd magazines seem to be run by the 3 gun guys more so than Magpul Pmags.

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Glock Factory magazines vs after market?

I remember almost 20yrs ago a company called USA magazines, and after the first Assault Weapons ban, that was about the only manufacturer I knew that made 30rd magazines for the Mini 14, but I had really bad experiences with them.   The majority of the problem was with the followers and this seems to be a pretty common issue.   If you move machinery from one location to the other and have any minor changes in the equipment, that slightly out of spec magazine is going to jam up in your firearm and that is pretty much what the problem is with after market magazines.   I have not the time or the energy to test out after market magazines because I actually started using them and then learned to only buy Factory mags but now that there is another run on firearms and magazines, some people are tempted to buy what they can.

Should you bother putting your money into something that is not a factory item?  If you don’t have any other options a brand like Promag magazines Promag magazines has a pretty good reputation and some of our customers have told us that they use them in their AKs and or in the Walther PPK or Ruger LCP we can give you that.  There’s nothing wrong with having a bunch of magazines that are in your range rotation but for primary use, i would stick with magazines that have been tested or just stick with Factory magazines.  Many companies stand by their magazines and have warranties so also do some research into that before you buy.

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Kydex holsters options without going to a custom company?

Blackhawk Serpa holstersI’ve got a pile of gun  holsters in my closet and more than 80% of them never see the light of the day.  Some of the holsters we have have are made from Galco, Desantis, Elite Survival, Glock, and several more that I can’t name at the moment.   Today I  had a customer walk in the door and ask me if I Had a holsters for an H&K gun that I never heard of, and when I asked him if he wanted Kydex or leather?  IWB or OWB?  He started to seem annoyed, I told him it’s his job to tell what holster he wants and my job to find it for him.  Not to bash our customers, but we’ve got enough experience to know that we have to direct those questions back to the customer because we’ve had people blame us for suggesting certain options if they didn’t like it and try and see they won’t pay for the return shipping.

Another thing people don’t seem to realize is that if a gun holster says it will work for a gun, that they somehow need to try it on.   When I ask the customer if they want a retention, paddle holster i usually reference the diffferences between the Blackhawk Serpa holsters we sell and the Fobus gun holsters.   There is a 50% price difference between each product and you gotta know what you want and look for it instead of it finding you.  I think people carry the Serpa for the wrong reasons and it is primarly a secondary firearm holster or a Law Enforcement holster, not really a good civilian CCW holster because if you don’t need a reason for retention, don’t use it.

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