Thinking Man's Corner

If at all possible, always choose the LE SKU or model line, if the manufacturer makes it. Generally, LE specific items are of a higher quality, built with better parts, and put through more stringent quality control. Some manufacturers have different product lines for different end users, and some do not. In this article, we will address what to look for and why. If I highlight some manufacturer’s more than others, or leave your favorite out, it is simply because I have only so much space in the article, and the intent (as always) is to have you think through the problem and figure out what works for you.

Holosun makes some of the most popular, and well-made optics on the market today. They have skyrocketed in demand due to their features, performance, and price. I have personally been testing, and using their optics for the last three years. I like the solar fail safe, the multi reticle options, that they are available in green or red (some people see one color better than the other), and the price. I have had very few issues with Holosun optics, and personally know of many thousands in service with agencies. Holosun saw a need for a higher quality optic for law enforcement, and instituted a LE division. Those optics have a significantly higher quality control process. They also have excellent LE technical support, in the rare event there is a problem. Because of this, if you are an individual or institutional Law Enforcement end user, you need to make sure the SKU ends with “LEM.” If an individual officer purchases a commercial Holosun, uses it for duty, and has an issue – the warranty is voided. You have to have the LEM model for duty usage. Make sure you are buying the LEM model, and from an authorized Holosun LE dealer; for the best performance and reliability. As rugged and reliable as the standard Holosuns are, the LEM models are much more so. If the factory is telling officers to only use a specifically designated line of their products, you should listen.

SIG Sauer has an entire LE division, and line of products. Their LE SKU’s are built to an exacting standard. They are tested and the results are documented prior to leaving the factory. One of the largest law enforcement agencies in the US to issue Sig takes the LE SKU so seriously, that in order for individual agents to carry a personally owned Sig, it must have a LE SKU, AND come from an authorized Sig Law Enforcement Dealer (SLED).  That agency is also the largest institutional user of pistol mounted optics in US law enforcement, and they issue Sig Electro Optics (specifically the Romeo1 Pro and Romeo 2). Those optics carry an LE SKU. That may be a clue.

Smith & Wesson and Glock both have LE SKU’s. There is a lot more to those guns than a spare magazine. They come with better quality small parts, more attention in the assembly process, and more vetting prior to leaving the factory. They take their LE customers seriously, and know that LE products are going to suffer more abuse and exposure to a wider variety of situations than the average gun owner will face. They have a vested interest in making sure that their LE clientele has the best that they offer. Get the LE SKU.

Trijicon, Surefire, Aimpoint, and HK do not differentiate between end users. If you buy a product from them, you may be getting one from the same batch that is going to a Tier 1 counter terrorist unit. They use the same standards and testing for everything they make; the price and delivery times also reflect this. Does that make them better than other similar lines? Maybe, maybe not. Better for what? Yes, but what is the question we are trying to answer? Make no mistake: Trijicon, Surefire, Aimpoint, and HK are absolute quality and top of the line. They are made to exacting standards, top quality, and are some of the finest products of their kind. You are very well equipped if you choose any of their products.

Different end users have different requirements that are driven by mission profile and tempo. Just because something excels at an over the beach insertion, across dusty terrain, and ends up in close quarters combat in a fortified compound doesn’t mean it is well suited to law enforcement functions in the continental United States. Same as a Deputy Sheriff in a remote county in the western US has different gear requirements than a city Copper in a metro US city on the east coast, different from a State Trooper on the US-Mexican border. Can the same gear work for all of those profiles? Again, maybe, maybe not.

What am I rambling on about now? Have the need or desire for a pistol mounted optic? What if you can’t see red? In that case, your only option for a serious duty rated optic is Holosun. You can see red? Great, now you can choose from Aimpoint, Holosun, Sig, or Trijicon. Need a larger reticle, or something more than a dot? Aimpoint is now out of the mix. Have a need for a pressure switch on your pistol mounted light? The only truly usable option is a Surefire DG switch, so you will need an X300/400. Think a secondary clicky switch is a good idea to back up the tape switch? You’re going to need to spend the money on Surefire yet again. However, if you have given realistic thought to your probable situations, and decided you just want a clicky switch with no wiring to get caught up on anything, then you are absolutely fine with a Streamlight rifle light – and very well equipped at that.

Do you have a need for a suppressed long gun? What happens when the gun won’t work with the suppressor? If the gun and suppressor are made by the same company, you can send them both back for testing. If the SBR or suppressor are from different manufacturer’s, you are in for a nightmare trying to get either factory to accept them as a package for testing, and that is even if you get approval from the BATFE, because even LE agencies are required to get BATFE approval before they transfer an NFA item out of their inventory (even for repair – if it is going to somewhere other than the manufacturer that made it).

While this is not an advert for Sig, they do offer a very slick package. You can get your SBR, suppressor, optic, and light all from the same factory. When an agency is ordering their package, they can even have Sig mount the suppressor and function test it at the factory. Their LE division will document the functionality and accuracy, and will not let it leave their doors if there is an issue.

A Staccato with an Aimpoint Acro P2, and Surefire X300T with a DG switch, may be just the ticket for a JSOC ninja. But, the State Trooper on the border gets to go home tonight because his Sig P320 with Sig optic and Streamlight got him through a gunfight with the cartels. Somewhere else a metro area narc just used his Glock with Holosun to get out of an ambush. A Deputy Sheriff, just months on the job, is about to be baptized in fire, and come out the other end alive using his FN SBR with EoTech optic, Dead Air can, and Surefire light. And then there is the last of the red-hot gunfighters; he is still out there patrolling the swamps, alone, packing a battle scarred 1911 with no optic and a handheld laser products flashlight (upgraded with an LED bulb, because he is not a total dinosaur).

The gear does not make the man, and the pen is mightier than the sword – except when you only have a non-LE SKU pen in a gunfight. As master firearms instructor and legendary Marine/Street Cop/Clandestine Operator Pat Rogers said “the mission drives the gear.” When your life’s on the line, your choice of gear matters; and when you have the choice, you should choose a LE specific SKU.

In the end, you have your mind – and LE SKU’s, don’t ignore the power of either.