We're doing our full coverage of SHOT Show 2012 over on GearExpert.com, and the videos are really starting to roll out now. We saw a TON of awesome new products this year from our favorite brands like Trijicon, Bushnell, Burris and Mission First Tactical.

In fact, we JUST posted a new video covering the cool new gear by Mission First Tactical. They have some great new gun grips, flashlight grips, quad rails and more. They really impressed us this year. Cool stuff.

But for me, the coolest thing about this year's SHOT Show was the emphasis on zombies. There was so much zombie gear that next year they should change the name to ZHOT Show.

Okay, probably not, but it was a really undead-focused show this year. Leupold had a cool zombie riflescope, there was some neat zombie ammo, and there was an AR15 with a chainsaw bayonet attached specifically for zombie slaying!

But there was an extra special zombie gun sight this year, and it comes to us from EOTech. Let's be clear: EOTech is awesome. Actually, REALLY awesome. They make some of the best red dot sights in the world, which is why we chose to make our OPMOD EOTech MPO-II and MPO-III with them.

This year EOTech brought out the XPS2-Z Zombie Stopper Holographic Weapon Sight. It's based on the EOTech XPS-2, which is one of the best red dot sights on the market today, but with a handful of modifications. The Zombie Stopper logo is etched into the side, and a biohazard symbol is on top, but what's really neat is the reticle. The reticle is shaped like a bio hazard symbol. It is totally sweet. You can actually see it in action in our SHOT Show Media Day Video. At about 1:28 into the video Steve holds up the sight so you can see the reticle.

If zombies are an issue, the Zombie Stopper by EOTech is the solution. And what a sweet solution it is.

I'll be talking a bit more about SHOT Show here on the TacticalStoreBlog in the near future, but our full coverage is over at GearExpert. Videos, pics and news are going up all the time, so head over there now for the latest!

Labels: eotech, Gearexpert, Shot Show

Posted by brian.coughlin at 10:39 AM Read Article 0 comments

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Full SHOT Show Coverage at GearExpert.com!

The Superbowl is coming for football fans, but firearms, hunting and shooting enthusiasts have their Superbowl right now with SHOT Show!

This annual expo is held in Las Vegas and finds all the top brands of firearm manufacturers, as well as those who develop anything related to shooting or hunting, coming out in force with their latest advancements to make a big splash.

Tactical-Store is part of OpticsPlanet Inc., and we've sent about 2 dozen members of our family out to SHOT Show this year to bring you all the latest from your favorite brands! You can read our coverage as it happens on our new blog GearExpert.com. Everyday we have LIVE updates from SHOT Show, and our team is conducting video interviews and getting hands on with products from EOTech, Streamlight, Trijicon and more!

I've already seen some of the new products on display, and they are truly outstanding. I wish I could be there in person, but I'm also happy to be receiving news and bringing it to all of you! Checkout GearExpert.com right now because we have exclusive video, pictures and info that you won't find anywhere else!

What are you waiting for? Get over there and read about SHOT Show now!

Labels: Gearexpert, Shot Show

Posted by brian.coughlin at 3:21 PM Read Article 0 comments

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Victorinox Wows at CES with Solid State Drives!

Victorinox is always impressing me. Most of their products on Tactical Store are Tactical Knives with multiple tools and lots of great features, but Victorinox Knives are about more than just blades.

They also have some amazing high tech tools to help you carry more than just multiple blades. Some of their products also have solid state jump drives to all you to bring all the digital data you need for a presentation or project in a small package. We have a handful of these multi-tools with flash drives, such as the Victorinox Swiss Army Presentation Master, which combines a laser pointer, scissors, ball point pen, blade, key ring, nail file and screwdriver with a flash drive. It's a fantastic way to keep a number of different tools close at hand while also carrying your valuable files.

But Victorinox hasn't stopped pushing their tech forward. At this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), they showcased their latest Swiss Army Knife, and this one really impressed. Fitting in the palm of your hand, the latest Victorinox Swiss Army Knife has a solid State Drive that can hold up to 1 Terabyte of information. That's a monstrous drive! The Presentation Master, in comparison, comes in 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB versions. Granted, they're far less expensive (the new 1 Terabyte drive will cost about $3000), but it's amazing to see how much data these new tiny drives can carry.

In addition to their capacity, Victorinox drives are tough as nails. Presenters at CES said they've run the drives through washing machines and dryers without destroying the info on the disk. They've even run them over with a car without ruining the drive! That's strength.

These new drives will come in two versions, one with multi-tools included, another without to allow you to take them on airplanes.

I don't know the exact date that these new flash drives will be released, although they should be available by August. We're always getting in New Victorinox products, so stop by Tactical Store often to see the coolest new tactical gear!

Labels: flash drive, swiss army knife, victorinox

Posted by brian.coughlin at 9:29 AM Read Article 0 comments

Friday, January 06, 2012

Response Post! The Iphone Can't withstand a .50 Caliber Shot!

I just wrote a few days ago about a guy who used his iPhone to get out of a jam. He'd gotten lost in the woods, so he called the sheriff, and when the helicopter circled overhead he used the flash on the camera to signal his location.

Well, today I came across a video on YouTube of a guy putting his iPhone through some excessive abuse. This smartphone may have a great flashlight, a decent built-in GPS Device and tons of other cool features, but is it tough? Since tough is subjective, instead let's ask if it's tactically tough?

If you check out our tactical flashlights you'll find a number of options that can stand up to incredible punishment. Maybe not the .50 caliber bullets the iPhone is shot with, but many of these flashlights double as a last-line of defense weapon, so they can be banged around quite a bit and still work perfectly.

For example, check out the Surefire E2DL LED Defender Flashlight. This super strong flashlight is made of aerospace-grade aluminum and has a crenelated strike bezel that was designed to be used as a defensive weapon.

I think the iPhone is a fantastic tool for a number of purposes, but the idea that it could be substituted for a quality tactical flashlight is wrong. Check out the video below. I don't know how well the Surefire E2DL would stand up to a .50 bullet, but I bet it would do better than the iPhone.

Labels: flashlights, surefire, videos

Posted by brian.coughlin at 9:30 AM Read Article 0 comments

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Iphone Flash Saves a Hiker, but a Quality Tactical Flashlight and GPS would 've been Better!

A hiker in Maryland on New Year's Eve almost had a bad end to the year, but was saved by his cell phone.

Along with his trusted dog, a man was hiking through Gambrill State Park on Saturday when he got lost. As he was pretty far from civilization, the man took out his iPhone and tried to use the map app to find where he was going but had trouble getting an accurate reading. These GPS phones are great for finding your way along a number of city streets, but away from cell phone towers they become less and less reliable.

A good GPS device, such as the Bushnell BackTrack Personal Locator, would have been a far better option for finding his way home. I like it for hiking and hunting because you can mark a location, such as your car or home, and it will guide you back with an easy to read arrow. The GPS on an iPhone (which I have and love, BTW) is not the best bet for nature walks.

Once the man had crossed the same stream for the fourth time it became apparent that he was lost, so he called 911 and told the sheriff he was lost. As it's cold out, and it's serious business when someone gets lost in the woods, the sheriff sent out a search helicopter right away.

The man wasn't prepared with a good flashlight, so it might have proved difficult to find him in the failing light, but the flash from his iPhone gave the flight crew the chance to see him, and he and his dog were safely back home in no time.

This situation shows why you should have a quality flashlight with you where ever you go. Sure, this particular hiker was okay because of his phone, but if you're using the map function a lot and making calls you might run out of battery power before help arrives. Plus, though the flash is pretty bright (probably around 10 lumens), you can find far stronger flashlights with better battery power at Tactical Store!

For example, take a look at the Pelican 1850 L4 LED Mini System. Not only is there a compact and easy to carry flashlight with a 50 hour run time, but it also comes with a pocket knife and a compass! This is a fantastic kit for going out on a hike, and it's brand new to our store, so be sure to take a look!

Another great flashlight option comes from Olight. The Olight <span class=

Olight Intimidator" SR51 Intimidator is seriously powerful. It has a maximum output of 900 lumens! It's nearly 100 times as powerful as the flash on an iPhone, and I'd call that a fairly bright light. With 900 lumens of light you don't need to worry about it being bright enough for almost any purpose! And it weighs a mere 14.1 oz. That's pretty lightweight for so much power! The 10 hour battery life will last for all your lighting needs on a hunting trip!

Don't go out into the woods unprepared. Make sure you have a top notch GPS and a super bright flashlight so that if any trouble occurs you can be sure you'll get where you're going safely and easily!

Labels: flashlights, olight, pelican

Posted by brian.coughlin at 11:32 AM Read Article 0 comments