Meditations on TactiCool

One of the things that I've noticed seems to bother a lot of folks, is the increasing use of the word "tactical" to describe everything. I tend to agree with those who have voiced their opinions before me, that "tactical" is an over-used marketing term these days. TactiCool is just tactical on stupidity pills and it is...rampant. At the BBOD we carry a few "TactiCool" accessories that are just that, cool looking, not useful in any sense of the word. We carry some of the cheap ProMag accessories which should immediately be synonymous with the word, JUNK. Other greats are the BSA "Stealth Tactical" Laser/Flashlight/RedDot combination monstrosity for your AR.

Their are plenty of gadgets, widgets, and doodads that you can hang from your gun to make it more "tactical". The trouble comes not from the thing-a-ma-jig but from the word, tactical. The Oxford English Dictionary, gives one definition of tactical as, " 2. a. Of or relating to arrangement, esp. the arrangement of procedure with a view to ends." And that folks is the trouble with tactical and tacticool. When you chose your firearm accessories are you considering them with a view towards the end goal?

Good tactical decisions are based not on what looks cool or seems to perform well, but on what helps you achieve your final goal with maximum efficiency. So, for instance, I use three dot sights on my carry gun, some will disagree with me for it, but I have trained with three dots for so long that they make the most tactical sense for me. In another case, I also have a set of Crimson Trace Lasergrips on my S&W J-Frame that I pocket carry. Why? Because I find from a tactical stand point that they make the most sense for me. I focus on the front sight and have the laser properly sighted in, per CT's intructions. This allows me to have a glowing red front sight, even in the dark, that is extremely hard to not focus on (if you don't understand what I am saying, see end of the post)*.

The reason I bring up my meditations on tactical and tacticool, is because of a couple of recent discussions with some of my customers. One gentleman wanted to purchase an AR15 and one of the aforementioned BSA scopes. He asked me honest opinion of the combination and I told him, I wouldn't rely on the BSA scopes, simply because their battery life was atrocious. He said, "but the red dot is more tactical, right?" My question then was to inquire as to the needs of his rifle, ultimately we got to the root of the issue. He just wanted the gun to shoot it at the range and to show off to his buddies. That's a fine reason to purchase an AR, in my book, if he so desires and that wicked (ugly) BSA scope, fills the job of looking VERY tactical/tacticool.

On the flipside, another gentleman came in and purchased a Springfield XD handgun to use in a home defense scenario, he queried me on flashlights and ended up purchasing a Steamlight TLR-2, which is in my opinion, one of the best purchases a person can make for a night stand bound gun. The ability to light up a target, identify, see your sights, and engage, with the element of surprise garnered by a bright light, can be an important tool. In this case, he made a sound tactical decision, and even decided to seek training from a local academy to improve on his shooting.

In short, remember the definition and origin of the word "tactical". It is a word derived from tactic, and is supposed to pertain to military or navy tactics (of which gunfighting is one), and furthermore, a tactical decision or device, is to aid you in reaching your final goal, whatever it may be.

-Rob

*CT Laser Grips should be properly zeroed at your choice distance (mine for instance is 7 yards), such that when you look down the sights, in succession you should see rear sight, front sight, and only a portion of the red dot, such that it is blocked by the front sight. This allows you essentially a super bright bullseye to focus on while squeezing the trigger. I've found that zeroing at 7 yards will allow you to accurately use this method out to 15 yards and as close as 3 yards, with hit derivation at 3 yards actually being more than at 15 (I.E. POA=POI at 7, POI at 15 is half inch low, POI at 3 yards is about 2 inches high). I personally feel that shooting out past 15 yards with a snub nosed J-Frame is an exercise in frustration, I do it, but only by force. At 25 yards the dot helps some, but not as much as at closer distances, in those cases, it is best to concentrate hard on the front sight and use a 6 o'clock hold on the target.