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Zombies aside, there are trends emerging in the firearms industry, and they have the potential to determine what tools you will be issued in the near future.
The first and foremost reason people use any form of mounted optics is they provide a fast, accurate sight. Second, be they red dot or truly telescopic, sights have shrunk in size, making them better suited for duty.
While the U.S. military has largely transitioned en masse to using optics on issued M4 carbines and other weapons, many American law enforcement agencies continue to use patrol rifles and carbines with iron sights and no optics. So the question is valid: Do you really need combat optics on your patrol rifle?
Officer Matt Gregory shows his Glock 22 RTF for duty and home defense with the rough-textured grip option. He says, "The grip on this gun is unbelievable. I worried with the Generation 3 Glock because my hands stay clammy a lot of the time. I don't worry about losing my grip anymore."
Scott Smith reviews 5.11 Tactical Light for Life, Tru-Spec 24-7 3-in-1 Jacket, Trijicon RMR Sight, and S.O. Tech Go Bag.
Every once in a while I run across a weapon that just seems perfect for its intended purpose. The new Rock River Arms Elite Comp seems as though it was designed from the ground up as a patrol carbine, with each of its features created to meet the needs of that mission.
When it comes to gear and gadgets for duty applications, many of us are drawn to the coolest, most expensive items. That's true of weapons and it's true of weapon accessories such as optics. But do we really have to have the priciest gear to achieve our mission? Maybe. Maybe not.
So successful was the 7.62 x 51mm rifle designed for the military that DPMS officials decided to build a 5.56 x 45mm version of the gun. Called, appropriately enough, the Mini SASS, this new rifle has many of the same features that made its big brother so popular.
The Trijicon RedDot Sight is designed to be mounted on several of the company's ACOGs, but is also designed to be mounted on a handgun. I know there will be numerous guffaws at the idea of a red-dot sight on a duty handgun. But naysayers were also quick to dismiss the use of red-dot sights on duty ARs a decade ago. Now they're not a novelty but the norm.
The year's new long-gun optics.
In days gone by, “rifle optics” referred to one thing: a telescopic sight with varying degrees of magnification. But today, rifle optics include a new class of aiming devices called combat optics, generally red dot sights.
I would be willing to bet cash money that if you were to ask any veteran American law enforcement officer who is over the age of 35 to tell you what a “Military & Police” is, he or she would answer “Smith & Wesson’s most popular revolver.”
Designed to accommodate the new 6.8 SPC cartridge, this weapon’s shooting accuracy and velocity make it ideal for tactical applications.
Believe it or not, many cops are walking around with the decaying remnants of America's nuclear arsenal strapped to their hips.