All posts in Magazines

Magpul Pmags 10rd,20rd,30rd and 40rd

Magpul PMAGSThere has been an expansion of the Magpul Pmags in the last year which kind of got smothered while so much of the Country.   Magpul PMAGS are now available in Gen 2 and Gen 3  while the panic buying and hoarding went on, many customers were keeping them in their wrappers and not using them but we found out from many of our local customers that there was an issue with the Gen 3 PMAGS being out of spec.   After a little bit of research we found lots of info on AR15.com and other places like Youtube.com where people said they had issues with the mags not dropping free.  It was a minor fix but a major problem for someone finding out during a life fire test that it was an issue.

Most of our customers tell us they never use the “dust covers” and I guess Magpul put this in their marketing strategy because the Magpul MOE PMAGS are sold for a few bucks less than what they previous sold for.    We’ve checked out companies like Lancer for their magazines but most people are familiar with the Magpul PMAGS which aside from the recent issues with the Gen 3 PMAGS are a big improvement over the USGI magazines.  Whether you choose to use the PMAGS with windows is your personal preference but I would not be in the  habit of mixing window magazines with standard magazines.   The 20rd PMAGS seem to not sell as much as the 30rd but for some reason people forget how well balanced an AR15 is when you are only using them.  I highly suggest getting at least 2-20rd PMAGS in your rotation to see what I mean.

Top

Rotating your magazines, it’s more important than you think

Wilson Combat MagazinesWe have a lot of gun owners that stop in our store, usually it’s for a holster for their first purchase and they are looking for something, but don’t have any idea where to start form.  We highly recommend that people consider shooting IDPA when they are going to be CCW a firearm because it’s usually a very good way to get some street smarts and to understand that not every shooting experience is going to be on level ground with stationary targets.   If you are in the Delaware County look into Double Action Indoor range in Yeadon PA for their next shoot and you’ll learn as much there form the person competing in front of you as well as shooting the competition yourself.

In some circumstances it’s best to just got to an event and ask people why they chose the firearm they are using and what kind of holster and magazine setup they have.   One thing that has picked up for the people shooting 1911s are the Wilson Combat magazines called the Elite Tactical magazine.  These have number markings on the bottom of the magazines so you can use them in a rotation and wear the magazines in a consistent manor.   Some people don’t know that even though you may have gotten one or two magazines with your gun, it’s not a good idea to go to the range with small quantities of magazines and use them in self defense without risking finding out that you now have a malfunction because your magazine is cycling too slow.   We highly suggest having atleast 3 magazines for any gun you shoot frequently and rotate them.

Top

What’s up with Glock magazines?

Glock Factory magazinesWe just  noticed that some of our distributors have closeouts on many of the Glock Factory magazines which tells us something else is coming about.   We’ve had lots of people complain about the various Generations of Glock pistols being finicky with various gun holsters because there are slight differences with them but enough to cause holsters to not work, whether you have a Glock 19 or Glock 17.  There have been issues with some of the Fobus holsters and the Fobus E2 holsters are really the thing you need to get because there is some flexibility with their tension which accommodates different trigger guards.

Nobody buys after market magazines for Glocks unless you are using some funky watermelon killing 50rd magazine.   Reliability is going to be an issue unless you are using Glock Factory magazines and that’s really what we recommend.   Many guns are becoming more versatile with the back straps and with ambidextrous designs which makes outfitting a department that much easier.  If only someone would make an ambidextrous holster for Duty guns.  Glock really is king of the hill for Law Enforcement and I don’t see that going away anytime soon.  The Glock 21 seems to be really getting traction here in Pennsylvania among the Upper Darby Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police.

Top

I love my 1911s but chose not to carry

Every once in awhile I have broken out some of my first handguns just to make sure they were cleaned and lubricated, but now that I have switch to using more modern lubricants like Slip 2000,  I have a lot of confidence that the lube is going to stay on there and I don’t need to check on them as much as I did with BreakFree CLP.    I’ve learned that over cleaning does more damage than under cleaning and have learned to treat my combat handguns and rifles with that respect.    My Colt 1991A1 is still my favorite handgun even thought I chose to stop carrying in almost a decade ago.   Last night I broke it out and practiced trigger control by using a pencil with a good eraser so it could be used in a training exercise I from a World War II and Korean Vet.

Using a pencil I would load it through the barrel and fire it like a rocket by using the rubber eraser that reacted to the firing pin striking it.   This type of hammer/firing pin design works well with this but I removed all Chip McCormick Magazines from the room and tripple racked the slide to make sure it was clear and safe.   The Trigger on my 1911 could afford to drop a few pounds but I still love the way it feels in my hands.   The only down side to the 1911 in my book is the slider release safety.   I know several people that agree with me and since moved on to Sig Sauer handguns for CCW. Chip McCormick magazines

Top

Tactical gear for yourself or send your spouse for a gift certicate

Philadelphia Police SuppliesIn this industry, it is so technical that it’s very rare for someone  in the Law Enforcement community to send someone in to shop for them.  We get a lot of last minute buyers when someone finds out they got moved to a SWAT Team or recently got hired to be a  Police officer in the Delaware County, Chester County or Philadelphia Police Department.  Usually customers come in in waves, after Graduations at the Philadelphia Police Academy or the Delaware County Police Academy.   Recently we started getting customers from the Montgomery County Police Academy Training Center.   Each week we’ve been setting up 1 or 2 Police Departments for their Clothing Allowances and logistically speaking, the customers are glad we are here in Delaware County so they can walk in and walk out.  Shopping for tactical pants, shirts and body armor is something that people want to do in-store and not online.

Our 1500 sq ft Broomall, Police Depot and tactical store is in the heart of Delaware County in the Broomall Industrial Park.   We are a stocking dealer for many in the region and we are a good source for Philadelphia Police Supplies from tactical boots from the Original Swat Footwear company, Tru-Spec, 5.11 tactical, ATS Tactical,  Streamlight Flashlights like the Stinger and Strion, which are rechargeable flashlights that the vast majority of Upper Darby, Marple Township and even the State Police are using.  We stock many of the handcuff and Safariland products that new Police Officers will need for their duty gear.  CR123 batters are something we need to keep in store at all times because most local places that sell them are 50% more than what we charge.

Top

Glock magazine availability, what is going on?

glock magazinesWe’ve been trying to find out what all of the issues are with the availability of Glock Magazines.  We still find several local police departments are having issues getting ammunition and gun parts because so much of it has still been dried up.   Whav a few of the 45 GAP magazines in stock but frankly, that’s just because hardly anyone uses the Glock 38 and it’s really the 9mm and 40 cal and 45acp  that everyone uses.   Glocks are still the most popular gun for Police in our County although the Sig 229 has a strong presence.  The Glock 21 45acp magazines are probable the most sought after gun magazine in our area and I have yet to see a single magazine available through any of our distributors.    I find the Glock 21 to be too heavy of a gun let alone putting a light on it and having a giant bulky gun holster.   Many of the Upper Darby Police Officers in our county are putting lights on their guns but that is for duty, not for CCW.

I find the Glock 30 to be a good in between size gun but the Glock 36  seems to not be very well balanced.   If I knew I could get a hold of Glock magazines for a good price without all of the price gouging that went on after the Sandy Hook incident.   Now that this Country is being awakened to the fact there are serious social issues going on and people are joining the NRA or getting firearms for the first time but paying attention to the availability of parts is something you will want to think about.  Several People I know have found out the hard way when an extractor or firing pin failed on them and they couldn’t even acquire them for months.

Top

Importance of having magazines drop free from all of your guns

It’s Chip McCormick magazinesreally a good idea to test all of your magazines out and not leave them in their new packaging.    We recently had a recall on Magpul Generation 3 pmags after several Police Officers complained to us that they were not dropping free from their AR15 rifles.  I personally asked them to bring them back in and tested them out myself in my LWRC M6A1.   All of the mags I tested out hung on me and I went on AR15.com and found several people complaining about this on youtube.com and other places.   Obviously Magpul was pumping out magazines without doing a very good quality control.   I also found that several of the AK magazines I had for various guns I owned did not work in all of my AK rifles.  Didn’t know until I pulled them out of storage on a range day.

Even if you are stocking up on pistol magazines you really should take them out of the rapper and do a quick magazine drop test.   I own several 1911 pistols and various brands of 1911 magazines did not drop free but all of my Chip McCormick magazines did.   Many competition shooters want longer base plates on their pistol magazines because they can grab them and pull them out while moving through a course.  I’ve seen the look of shock on some first time IDPA shooters when had a gun on an angle or where using inferior “range mags” that weren’t there CCW mags.  Don’t buy the cheap stuff because there are sometimes unintended consequences to buying second rate magazines.

Top

1911 Range review on gun magazines

Wilson Combat MagazinesI have several 1911 handguns that I have run over the years and still prefer the GI M1911 styles with some slight changes like the sights.   I’m a big fan of the Trijicon HD or high definition sights because they are so much better than the traditional tritium sights.  Much brighter in the day time, too.  I’ve messed around with the Glock 30 and the Glock 21 but I find the Glock 21 to be entirely too big of a handgun for CCW and just something so well balanced as the 1911 just can’t be beat.  The Sig 220 is a close second but the trigger pull differences between a single action and a SA/DA is considerable if  you are looking for first hit accuracy.  I love my Sigs but they are not going to be as consistent with the first shot being so much hard to pull.

Wilson combat makes a lot of gun parts for the 1911 and  you can customize this gun in just about any way you want.   Hand sizes can vary so customization of a firearm is important but the one thing that I find constant is my Wilson Combat Magazines are always going to be running in all of my 1911 handguns.  I prefer the 8rd ETM magazines because they feel a little stronger and with the numbers being printed on the bottom of the magazines its easy to keep a track record of my magazine rotations when I am shooting IDPA or other competition events.  I’ve also noticed a much better knock down ration with 45acp ball ammo on steel plates and that’s really just what is so good about the 45acp.

Top

Glocks a Generation still going strong

Glock magazinesThere were some credible issues with the Glock Gen 4’s but it seems that the spring issues are over and people have for the most part accepted them.   We deal with various technical products that you gotta be 100% sure you know what you have and the  production and modifications before you buy a holster.  We see that most gun makers are putting out handguns with rails, and if you don’t pay attention to your holster selections you’re going to have returns, exchanges, or possible accidents if you are too lazy to do the research.  Safariland has a very good holster fit guide that walks you through the steps of chosing  your sidearm, we walk our customers through that to find out what the availability is for such an item like a Glock 21 or a Glock 38.    Glock conversion kits are the most wanted Glock item right now more so than just the pistol magazines.

I personally have only been a “Glock guy” until recently but I completely understand why so many Police Departments want them.   Once you deviate away from 9mm, 40 S&W and 45acp, you might find it difficult to find Glock magazines when  you need them because there is still somewhat of a shortage on getting them.   Next are the TLR-1 Flashlights that so many people are getting trained to use on which is something you really do need to train for.  Flashlights are an asset and a liability.   The Glock 21 is probable the most popular gun in  our area right now but we are still having issues acquiring gun magazines.  Glock magazines for sale are mostly the 9mm ones at the moment.  Keep an eye on our website for inventory availability.

Top

Ranger plates on gun magazines? Yep, that’s why base platers matter

Wilson Combat Magazines

Wilson Combat Magazines

I’ve been around the gun community for so long that there are certain things that just start to click, and then  you feel like you’ve arrived.   I didn’t understand why people were so particular about 1911 magazines and all of the various pads and plate lengths.   We’ve been selling AR15 parts and accessories for more than 7yrs and and I never felt the need for putting ranger plates on my pmags or GI magazines until I started shooting competition events.  Just those fractions of a second difference and primarily, the ability to securely grip or clear an empty magazine was improved if you had an extended base plate.  Sometimes magazines don’t drop free because of the shooting angles you are on and this seems to be very common with some 1911s.

I have stuck with Wilson mags for my Colt and Springfield Armory guns and haven’t looked back.   Some people like the 7rd magazines but I have never had an issue with any of my Wilson Combat magazines in 8rd, especially the ETM magazines.  The Black Elite Tactical magazines seem to be the hardest one for us to keep i n stock because our distributors don’t seem to get very many of them.   There are design improvements that are primarily geared to the competition shooter. The National IDPA event ususally gets a lot of Wilson Combat supporters and I was fortunate enough to attend some of those.   45acp is a great round for shooting steel and if you need a good magazine for your 1911, stick with the best.

Top
1 2 3 4 5 6 … 22 Page 4 of 22