Tactical Firearms Indoor Range and Pro Shop

On a recent trip to Katy, TX we decided to find a local gun store to check out. Using our trusty smart phones we actually found a gun store that was open on Sundays. When we pulled into the driveway, we realized that this was much more than a gun store. The place is called Tactical Firearms and it is an indoor range and gun store. It is a big place, as it is in a building that was once used as a health club. When we first walked in we immediately noticed that it did not smell like a range or a gun store and it was very clean. There were also cool large screen TV's on the wall televising the action on the range. We were welcomed by a friendly staff member at the front counter. Behind him, every type of semi and full auto firearms that you can imagine hanging on racks on the wall. These firearms are available to rent and we were very tempted to do so. Even though we did not have any of our safety gear with us, they had everything we would need for a fun time on the range. A very fun time!

Speaking of the range, let's cover that first. It is completely indoors and it is very well ventilated. They have a triple HEPA filtration system that filters the air so you don't leave smelling like gun powder! Also, unlike a lot of indoor ranges, it is a very comfortable temperature. It is heated and cooled so it is comfortable in any season. They have 25 lanes divided into three bays. Regular shooters have 15 lanes at their disposal in the first bay, and then they have two specialty bays of 5 lanes each. The second bay is used for suppressed firearms. It is a super quiet bay since the firearms are suppressed and it has a special back stop/bullet trap made of crushed rubber so you don't hear the sound of the rounds impacting the back stop. There is also sound baffling material on the walls to further suppress the noise. The third and final bay is for VIPs that have Platinum and Diamond range memberships and it gives them a more private shooting session.

The range can handle anything from a pellet gun up to 50 BMG. They also allow shotguns as well! Each lane is individually lit and ventilated. Also, the target carriers are motorized and are automated as well so there is no wasted time when it comes to changing targets. Each bay is separated by bullet proof glass capable of stopping a .308 round. They allow up to four people per lane which is nice when working with clients or shooting with friends. The prices are reasonable as well. The cost is $20 for one person and then $10 for each additional person. The cost for rentals is $15 per hour for handguns, semi auto rifles and shotguns. Suppressors for these guns are $20 per gun. Full auto fun will cost $65 per hour per gun and they have a great selection of guns to choose from. If we hadn't been in a hurry to get back home we would have been going full auto for sure!

The range hosts several events and competitions each year. They host a Ladies' Night all day on Tuesdays and from 3-7 pm on Thursdays. The range fees are half price during these times for women only [of course]. They also provide free coaching for the ladies as well. Tactical Firearms has classrooms upstairs for holding classes and for holding CHL licensing. The classroom and the range portion of the class are all held at the same place which makes things really convenient.

Next, we moved onto the portion of the facility that we originally came to check out, the gun store. They have a unique lay out that is not at all cluttered or crowded like a lot of gun stores. They have a good selection of both firearms, accessories, and shooting supplies.  They also offer gunsmithing services as well. Their prices are comparable to what we usually find in the Austin area. We were continuously attended to by the courteous staff but they gave us our space whenever we gave them the typical "just looking" response!

They did have a great selection of Geigerrig hydration carriers and bladders. They are usually sold out online so we decided to get two 3L bladders [ Hydration Engines] for our existing carriers. What makes their bladders unique is that you actually "pressurize" them so that they squirt the water out versus you having to squeeze or suck on them like a straw. The guy helping us gave us a demo of the bladder by pressurizing it and then standing on it on one foot. He was every bit of 200+ pounds and the bladder did have water in it so we backed a good bit away "just in case"! The bladders also have a lifetime warranty. We will do a full review of the bladders in the near future.

We highly suggest that if you live in the Houston area or are planning a visit sometime soon that you check out Tactical Firearms. Make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to partake in the fun that they have to offer!

Tactical Firearms
Range Hours M-F 10-7 Sat-Sun 8-7
Store Hours M-F 10-7 Sat 8-7 Sun 11-7
Gunsmith Hours M-F 10-7 Sat 8-7 Sun 11-7
Address: 1200 S Mason Rd, Katy TX 77450
Phone 281-693-GUNS
Tactical Firearms

Truglo Brite Site TFO

The Springfield XDs comes with a red fiber optic front sight and standard white dot rear sights.  It also comes with replacement green and orange fiber optics.  As much as I love my XDs, I decided that I needed to replace the sights.  I wanted a product that would help improve the speed of my sight acquisition and that I would be able to see in the dark.

Happy Birthday to me!

I didn't even know where to start looking.  Gene told me about the Truglo Brite Site TFOs.  He said he thought that they had everything that I was looking for.  My birthday was coming up so it sounded like a perfect present, even if I picked it out myself.  Of course Gene didn't tell me he bought them.  I had to find out the hard way...when I opened my presents.  Whew that was tough!  I was very excited when I got my sights and I could not wait to have them installed.  My XDs was at Springfield at the time due to the recall and I had no idea when I would get it back.  I waited, somewhat patiently, for my XDs to be returned.  I am sure that Gene would not agree about being patient since I checked for a status update every couple of days.

Once my XDs finally came home I took it to Guns Plus in Georgetown, TX to have my sights installed.  It was inexpensive and they did a great job.  I tested the sights as soon as their employee handed my XDs to me. I immediately loved them.









The TFOs are a little larger than the stock sights, but they do not cause any problems with the use of any of my holsters.  Truglo offers a green/yellow combination, but I chose the green/green combination.  The green color is very eye catching and their size makes them quite a bit easier to see.  They do glow in the dark which is one of my favorite features.  Sorry, no picture of them in the dark.  You will have to trust me on that one.

My XDm 5.25 and XDs

Gene had recently changed out the front red fiber optic on my XDm 5.25 to the green one that came with it.  I use my XDm when I compete and I really can spot the green a lot faster that I could the red.  Well, as you can see from the picture the Truglo TFOs on my XDs are significantly larger and brighter than the front sight of my XDm.  I am very impressed with my new sights.

I highly recommend the Truglo Brite Site TFOs to anyone in the market for new sights.

Just a little testing...

SHOT Show Day 4

Day 4 of SHOT Show started out with a great surprise...we were able to meet Olympian Kim Rhode.  She is an absolute sweetheart!  She even let me wear her medals.  How cool is that? She was there supporting Truck Vault.  They make vehicle equipment storage solutions for trucks, cars and SUVs.  It is a fabulous way to store our most valuable items...our guns.

Next, we came across Prois. They make hunting and field apparel for women.  I know from personal experience that it is difficult to find shooting and outdoor clothing made for women.  There are very limited options.  I have had to resort to wearing men's pants more times than I would like to mention and I know that I am not the only one.  All of their clothes are tailored to fit women.  Prois makes everything from clothing to gear and accessories all for women.



Voodoo Tactical has a line called Lady Voodoo which I love.  They have rifle bags, range bags, pistol cases, and backpacks that come in purple and pink.  My AR15 is dressed up in pink, but I really do like all of their purple gear.  I think I should get one of each.




We had the privilege of speaking with Rob Pincus and Michael Janich.  In addition to many other accomplishments they have both instructed on the tv show Best Defense. We originally met Rob Pincus at the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting in Houston where we were able to attend some of his seminars and purchase his book Counter Ambush.  On day 4 of SHOT Rob had his AR that he is in the process of finishing.  I can easily say that it is the lightest AR that I have ever had the pleasure of holding.

Springfield announced their new XDs 4.0 this year.  I was very intrigued since I had made an XDs 3.3 my newest conceal carry handgun last year.  The are identical except for the barrel length.  We might just have to add a 4.0 to our collection.



Since you are reading this shooting blog I am confident that you already know who Jim and John Scoutten are but in case for some crazy reason that you don't they are both producers and hosts of the tv show Shooting USA.  It was a pleasure meeting them, being able to tell them how much we love their show, and talking with them about how we share our love of shooting together.

Another great find today was the new bolt action rifle made by Drake Associates.  They will be releasing it within the next couple of months.  It will be a lighter more compact rifle that is suitable for law enforcement as well as civilian use for both long range competition and hunting applications.  Some of you already know that we have a Remington 700 in an XLR Evolution chassis.  This rifle really interests us because we have been on the lookout for another long range rifle.

I am always extra excited to meet a female competitive shooter so I was psyched when we ran into Melissa Gilliland.  She is also certified firearms instructor, co-host of Trigger Time TV, and co-owner of Shadow 6 Consulting with her husband Jim.  Not only does she share her love of shooting with her husband as I do with mine, but she and I share the love of our Hello Kitty Punisher patch! Coincidence? I don't think so.  I got a real kick out of the fact that we both had one on us.  If you look really hard at our picture you can see them.

There are a few others we met but were not able to get a picture with such as Will Hayden, Kris Ford, and Stephanie Hayden Ford of Red Jacket.  We also saw Larry Vickers, Ted Nugent, Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell, Lena Miculek Afentul, and Jerry and Kay Miculek but we did not get the opportunity to meet them.  I was simply amazed at all of the fabulous people at the show.

Day 4 of SHOT Show was a very busy day and we were sad when it came to an end.  We saw a lot of great things, met a lot of awesome people, and of course enjoyed the time that we had together.

SHOT Show Day 3

Day three of SHOT Show was another amazing day.  We did our best to make a dent in what there was left to see.  Our favorite gun of the day was this 1911 from Cabot Guns.  The slide is made of damascus steel and the grips are made from mammoth tooth.  This is one beautiful handgun.

We were able to meet Brian Zins and William Bethards from Top Shot.  We are both huge fans of the show and were super excited to meet them and really enjoyed talking to them.  They are both former Marines and are competitive shooters.  Brian is a 12 time national pistol champion.  William has won national and state 3-gun championships.  He also won the Gold Lauchheimer trophy which is awarded each year to the top rifle and pistol shooter in the Marine Corps. 

As we made our way through the show we began to notice a theme...very large and very cool trucks.  They are completely decked out with huge tires, gadgets, and amazing paint jobs.  Now, if only we could pack a few guns from the show and drive one of them home.

At the end of the day, we were fortunate to run into actor Michael Rooker and competitive shooters Taran Butler and Julie Golob.  Taran Butler and Julie Golob are world champion shooters and I am sure you have seen at least a few movies or tv shows such as The Walking Dead with Michael Rooker.  All I can say is WOW!  I was really starstruck and Gene practically had to pick my jaw up off the floor. I was like a giddy little girl, but then it is appropriate since I am one. Not only are all the people we met extremely talented but they are super nice too. 

We topped off the day by going to dinner with friends at Hash House A Go Go.  We have never seen such large servings of food and it was fantastic.  Without a doubt we ate way too much but with all of the walking we did we earned it.

SHOT Show Days 1 and 2

The first two days of SHOT have flown by.  We spent most of our first day traveling and getting settled at our hotel, but we did manage to spend a few hours at the show.  After taking the "scenic" route to the show, we spent the few hours we had just mapping out the show since it is on different floors and in multiple rooms at the Sands Convention Center.

We met up with our friends, Vic and Julie, of Diversified Defense [Cedar Park, TX]. After a brief stop at the hotel for a fresh change of clothes and a quick bite of NY style pizza, we all headed to the Cosmopolitan Hotel for ITS Tactical's Meet and Greet. It was held at the hotels really cool bar [cool lights, good music and dancing girls] and the drinks were strong but EXPENSIVE! After that we headed back to the hotel for much needed rest. 

On day two we were able to catch up with some friends we know in the shooting industry and snag some cool gear and swag. We also made some great contacts that we will definitely be putting to use in the future. We picked Gene up a really cool Multi-cam jacket from Otte Gear that we will be doing a review on soon. It fits me really well too and I sure enjoyed wearing it during the walk back to the hotel. I think I am going to claim this one and make Gene get his own....again! haha  

We got to check out a Tavor at TangoDown and some amazing products by Crye Precision and Drifire.  I am really looking forward to getting a Drifire shirt in purple. A company after my own heart. Love!!  At the end of the day, we strolled through the Venetian on the way back to the hotel and enjoyed the fabulous view.  We had dinner with friends at KGB where I had my first Lamb Burger. Wow! It was awesome! I might have to have one more before we leave.

We are looking forward to another fun filled day today and wonder what new things we will get to see and share with you.

Vegas Baby, Yeah!

Well, here we are just a few days before we leave for SHOT Show and it doesn't feel like we have anything done! Christy starts her first day of vacation today but I am stuck working on Monday [long story]! At least we have this weekend together to try to get prepared for the trip. This trip to Vegas will be a combination of work and a whole lot of pleasure [not EVERYTHING that happens in Vegas will be posted here! lol] . We are looking forward to hanging out with friends, making some new ones and also making some new business contacts. Overall, this will be a great break for us since we have been working a lot of hours, and combined with creating this blog, we haven't had a whole lot of time together since the start of the Holidays. We will definitely blog about each day of the SHOT Show so everyone who didn't get to go can share in the experience with us! Of course, we will bring everyone back a t-shirt! Hahaha

The only drawback to this trip will be that I have to wear a finger brace on my trigger finger the entire time and I only have four weeks to go! I hope it doesn't get in the way of me playing the slots! Overall, the thing that I am most excited about is that I get to spend some quality time with my best friend, my wife!

Springfield XDs

I got one! I got one! I finally got an XDs.  I have been wanting one since the 9mm version was first announced in January of last year.  I love shooting my XD9, XDm 3.8, and XDm 5.25 Competition so it was only natural for me to want an XDs.  I love the design of the entire XD line such as the grip safety, how easily it is to break down and clean, and of course how well they all fit in my hand.

My new baby

The first time I actually shot an XDs 9mm was after an IDPA match last summer.  A friend of mine had just gotten her's and she let me give it a try.  There were some steel plates set up in one of the bays, but I didn't expect to hit them right off the bat because they were about 15 yards out.  I loaded the gun, racked the slide, secured my grip, exhaled, and...ping, ping, ping... I couldn't believe it.  My first time firing this little gun and I was actually knocking down those steel plates.  The recoil wasn't bad and the trigger was smooth.  It felt great in my hand too.  There was no pain like I have felt with other compact guns.  I got so excited I even jumped up and down like a little kid.  I may have looked silly, but I didn't care.  All I knew was that I finally found the perfect compact handgun for me.

I couldn't wait to get one of these little gems.  Well, less than a week later I made the plunge.  I am always excited to buy a new gun, but this one was special.  I couldn't wait to take my new XDs out to the range.  It sure wasn't long before I was there putting rounds down range and loving every minute of it.  I can say without a doubt that I absolutely love this gun.

That being said, I was heartbroken when I first heard the news of the recall.  I had my XDs less than two months.  I went onto Springfield's website that night and checked my serial number and sure enough it was part of the recall.  My heart sank.  I immediately registered my XDs for the recall, printed the shipping label from Springfield, and sent it in.  Knowing how many would need to be fixed, I figured the sooner I sent it in the better.

My XDs and XDm 3.8

After a long wait I finally got my baby back. I was a little worried about the trigger pull since I had heard that some people weren't happy about it.  I was a little anxious when I took it to the range the first time.  The trigger pull is a little heavier, but it really doesn't bother me.  After a few rounds, I didn't even notice it anymore.

I can honestly say that this is still my favorite handgun and I carry it every day.