All posts tagged discounts

Co-witness, flip up front, and rear sights

Magpul sightsIn this business there is always going to be a considerable amount of research to do unless you are buying based on experience.   It’s always a good idea to ask people that are using the equipment or call a manufacturer to get suggestions.   We sell a lot of sighting systems from Red dots, crosshair, donut and chevrons.   There are different ways to use lines and dots to gather information about range estimations and about different lighting situations.   Iron sights have been around a long time and there are, even with iron sights, different sight pictures for different reasons.  About 20yrs ago I started seeing more and more optics on AR15s and seeing “glass” on military weapons was just starting to become common.

After about a decade of optics being used, I started to see more and more people putting backup iron sights on their ARs and the optics started trending to zero magnification.    All those heavy barreled AR15s with ACOGS were nice, but that platform had it’s disadvantages at close ranges.   Magpul has been around for a little over a decade and the Magpul sights are being sold “with” a great many AR15 manufacturers.  Its seems their product line, and ingenuity, has been widely accepted.   Using red dots or Eotech sights gives you speed but anything with electronics built into it can fail, and having a flip up rear sight  isn’t going to add much weight or get in the way of your optic usage.   Front sights seem to be somewhat of annoyance to some people when using optics which is why, depending on you AR15 configuration, you can get one “without” the traditional front post sight.  Personally, I am not bothered by this and would rather have a fixed front sight rather than have to flip up two sights if an electronic optic goes down.

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AR15 Complete Upper Receiver Piston designs

adams arms uppers9We get phone calls from customers maybe 1 out of every 500 we sell that ask us things that we thought were obvious to them when they purchased an upper receiver from us, but it didn’t click with them.  The reason your LWRC upper receiver came with a buffer spring is because YOU NEED to replace the buffer spring when  you go from a direct impingement design to a short stroke upper receiver.   The same thing happened we sold the Smith & Wesson 5.45×39 upper receivers and the LWRC M6AK uppers.   All of the 5.45×39 uppers we have sold so far came with a new hammer spring because you need more energy to strike the primers on the 5.45×39 ammo that most people were shooting.

We have been a parts dealer for LWRC for a long time now and still very big fans of their product line especially after taking a tour of the manufacturing facility.   In the last 2yrs we have to say the Adams Arms company has done a very good job of getting a durable piston design that is different than LWRC but seems to be well received.    All of the Adams Arms Uppers we sell are complete upper receivers and their 5.45×39 uppers have been the most hunted upper receiver in the last year.  If you look at the cost of the 5.45×39 ammunition in comparison to the 5.56 in cost, there is a big difference and  you’ll get the money back  on the upper receiver you purchased in just a couple thousand rounds.

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Elite Survival Systems tactical gear and range and duty bags

Elite Survival BagsThe first thing we tell people when pushing this product line on our customers is that the majority of their gear is made in the US.   This is not that common of a thing in most gun shows.  I’ve been to enough gun shows to have a closet full of the less expensive tactical nylon gear, holsters, bags ect and there is a noticeable difference in the material.   When we compare even 5.11 tactical nylon gear from cell phone cases for Blackberries, I-phone case, we see the differences in the clasps and the stitching.   We have a lot of people looking for range bags and if you want something that stows all of your gear so you don’t forget it on your range trips.  Check out there medium range bag, it’s really an awesome bag.

With about a 4yr relationship with this company they are are stable for Police Duty bags and even Department of homeland security and CIA and FBI customers.   The bags we stock are everything from Elite Survival bags for storing firearms like the M4 Roller or the Double agent dual rifle case.  This is  a great gun case for 3 gun shooters.   The Messenger bag is being used by many in the State Police as well as Fire and EMS personnel do to  the waterproof compartment that the bag has built into it. Utility pouches, Flight bags and hydration systems all in use and were even featured with some at the US Open here in Haverford Township.

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Quick fixes when you have a new gun but need a holster

Galco holstersThe new shooters are usually the ones that come in and ask the most generic questions but we’ve trained our staff be polite, even when asked those silly NEWBY questions.   I am going to be writing up a sheet and put it on our wall with all of the basic questions that people ask and they’ll have to think it over and come back to us with all of the answers.   This week we put in our orders for the 2014 products we will want to bring in stock for our Tactical store.  Many of the leather products are what fits the bill for our customers but they are about 2x’s as much as some of the paddle holsters and the inexpensive Galco stow-n-go holsters.  Those usually run in the $30 range but there are some drawbacks to those designs.

First of all, it’s better to have a holster than no holster but Kydex has gained a lot of traction in the CCW world because if you can adjust to them, they are a very good option to eventually consider.   The only problem with the Galco holsters with the Stow-n-go style is “reholstering.”   Once you draw the gun from the holster, it’s not really a good idea to shove it back in.  There are some safety issues to think about when using some IWB holsters that are nylon or of a very soft material.   I have seen some accidents with Glock handguns where people have a shirt or string that gets caught in the holster area and they gun holster pushes the gun too hard and it sets off the trigger.  It’s much better to unclip the holster and then reholster, and then tuck it into your waste.

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Put some thought into high bright you want your sights to be

We’vemeprolight sights sold a lot of rifle and handgun sights and we could narrow it down to top sellers, but it really boils down to a shooters personal preference.   Several sighting systems are meant for long range shooting, close range engagements or for low light.  The statistics are that most shooters occur in low light and that’s why many of our Local Police Departments have the Meprolight sights already installed on their duty guns.  The most popular gun in our neck of the woods right now is the Glock 21 45acp handgun.  For most CCW purposes this gun is a bit of an overkill because it’s so heavy, but depending on the environment is that you are in, we leave it up to you to decide what works for you.  Some shooters are color blind while others are just looking for a quicker and easier to pick sighting system.

It looks like the old tritium night sights of the past are long gone and since we’ve had a very impressive year with sales on Meprolight sights we have to give them some generous words.   You may want to see which colors you pick up the best but there are multip meprolight sights that you can check out that can give you a 2 dot green picture and a yellow, orange or green front sight.   These light up handgun sights so well it is worth considering using them on an AR15 rifle if you choose to do so.  Some of the Trijicon ACOGS that we sell have the night sights built into the iron front sights that you can fall back on if need be.

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A common issue when ordering clothing online

Tru-Spec shirtsWe get probable 3-5 customers a day calling us on the phone and asking about the clothing we sell and how it will fit them.   We have various sizing charts but they are different for each brand that we sell.   I wear a large part of the clothing we sell, and I see big differences between the fit even if my sizes are all the same.   I always like the Woolrich Elite line but the fit of the shirts was a little off  for my body type with the shoulder lengths.    We tested out some of the 5.11 tactical shirts and the 5.11 t-shirts which many of our Police Officers know and wear but we are very picky about what we stock because we don’t sell clothing to just weekend warriors we sell clothing to people that  aren’t going to want to deal with discomfort if they don’t have to because they all know that body armor is almost always something they want to get off as soon they are back in the Office and no longer out on deployment.

In regards to the entire Tru-Spec product line, there are differences in the fit of the various uniform and 24/7 Series shirts.   Some people in this industry need to have their Tru-Spec shirts tucked in and have a tighter fit on the shoulder while others may have a more relaxed style like the 24/7 Polos, the tactical polos and the performance polos are very well received and I personally  have not had any shrinkage problems.    The Polyester cotton rip stop shirts are lightweight and ultra lightweight designs and you really may want to take a trip to our tactical store to really  understand how they will feel and fit you.   Everyone’s torso and arm lengths can vary and if you don’t know already, you’ll want to do a walk through before you buy  online and have to deal with returns or exchanges  with online purchases.

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Looking for a red dot sight? Why not consider the RMR sights

There are plenty of reason to consider this small compact red dot sight.   Yes it is an expensive optic but we’ve seen Police Departments in our area remove optics from Police Officers in training when they showed up with red dot sights that were made in China or were know to be inferior.  Their exact quotes were that any sight that was not made by Trijicon, Eotech or Aimpoint it must be put under review and may not be approved.   We’ve seen most  police officers stick with whatever they could find in the $400 price range and that usually means an Aimpoint Pro or an Eotech, but many forget to consider the Trijicon RMR sights.  There are many different optics to consider but the RMR has a very long battery life and is very lightweight.

Fiber optics have their limits, battery powered optics have their limits and you have to train to fight if your optics fail you.   The Trijicon RMR sights we sell are flying out the door, primarily the RM08 green triangle.   One of the things you have to consider is the brightness of a red dot and not always the size.   A small red dot with a very bright setting may actually block your view as badley as a larger MOA dot.   Sometimes if you want precision you have to consider going to a lower power setting and not always worry about your red dot size.

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The differences between hand held flashlights, weapon mounted and lasers and applications

crimson trace laser grips I got a good course in flashlight uses yesterday when a very well known Police instructor showed me how washouts and white outs occur when entering a room, there is such a thing now as too much power candle power.  Everyone is getting shocked when they see the output from some of these new Surefire and Streamlight flashlights and probable 350 Lumens is about what the average Surefire or Streamlight flashlight can put out.   I got a good review of some of the Pelican flashlights and it’s pretty obvious that the technology has greatly advanced.   Having high output is useful outdoors but indoors it can be liability.   Having a light that has adjustable output with a high and low is a good idea.   Also, there are big differences between having a search light vs a point light on your firearm.   Now go back to thinking about how much light you really need.

I have an LWRC M6A2 that I’ve had around for several years and recently had to make some changes due to my angled foregrip cracking.  I have been looking over the Crimson Trace Laser grips and thinking about putting a laser  on  it.   Using night vision in outdoor environments is a real possibility for me and I’ve learned to use lasers as pointing devices when working in team situations.   Its much easier to put a laser on a door in a building to identify the threat rather than to yell out which color and how many doors down the threat is sitting in.  Clearing rooms in a house after a domestic call or an alarm goes off is probable one of the most dangerous things police deal with and knowing how to use lights and lasers in those environment is very important.

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truspec softshell jackets

Truspec softshell jacketsWe rarely get tactical clothing in our store that can be used in more than a few seasons because the notion of wearing an article of clothing in the Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer isn’t going to be that common.   Other than socks and underwear, what don’t you change up?   Sure you can wear a t-shirt through most of the winter but you’d probable freeze to death if your car broke down and you had to go outside.  Their are some really nice Parka type items like the Woolrich Elite Parka but now that that has been discontinued, we’ve moved on to stock much of the Tru-Spec tactical apparel.  Their softshell promo with the discounts and sales have helped customers discover something new and useable.

We’ve noticed that a lot of our Law Enforcement like loose fitting clothing and others don’t mind tight fitting clothing and this usually applies to people that are in shape vs out of shape.    The Tru-Spec Softshell jackets are  not loose fitting, they are specifically designed to be type around your body but the multiple zipper pockets give you access to gear around your belt.  These work very well in 4 Season climates where you might get lots of rain on a cold but not freezing weather, or in Spring Weather where getting wet means getting sick.   These jackets would be considered rain gear even though they do have a very athletic and tactical look to them.

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Most versatile rain jacket?

Truspec softshell jacketsWe’ve sold a lot of outwear over the years and the Woolrich Elite Concealed Carry Chino and the SigTac jackets are going to be missed because they were all very well made items but somehow those companies just couldn’t compete in the tactical apparel world.   I’ve not seen a SigTac jacket in years but people still and ask us what happened to them.   There are a few links out there that direct people to us from gun forums but they are badly outdated.   The Woolrich Elite Series tactical barn coat that is another item that was well liked but fell off the production line very early.   5.11 tactical has some nice stuff but they have gotten expensive and plenty of people have fallen off the 5.11 wagon just based on price increase.

When it comes to concealed carry jackets, well, there aren’t too many companies that are going to mass product something like that because there are so many firearms that designing a jacket around that isn’t really cost effective.   If you want a very useful tactical jacket, the TruSpec softshell jackets are a very big hit and we have been selling them with the American Flag patch  which gives them a cool yet patriotic look.   These softshell jackets are going to be tight against your body but they have access points so  you can still get in to your gear or guns.   We’ve had several customers come in our store that said it’s the most versatile jacket they own because it’s something you can wear in the Fall or Winter or even a mild summer day that will help keep you dry.

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