Recent changes at TAB GEAR

Tburkes

Sergeant
Commercial Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 14, 2002
826
11
Bandera, Texas
I thought I would say a few words about what has been going on with TAB GEAR recently.

For the last nine years Rifles Only has been our distributor and you could also purchase all of our products through their store too.

That chapter of our life has come to an end and Rifles Only is no longer our distributor. They have decided that they want to continue on as a dealer and will carry a few of our products in the future.

I would like to say that TAB GEAR has absolutely nothing to do in any way shape or form, from designing or manufacturing, with the FTW line of nylon products that Rifles Only has recently begun designing, carrying, and promoting.

I am aware that there may be some questions or concerns from some people. Please know that I am only an email or phone call away. If anyone has any questions about anything, I am very easy to reach and have no problem what so ever in answering any questions anyone may have.

One thing that will never change is our dedication to building high quality gear that has a lifetime guarantee. Our lifetime guarantee means that the customer determines what the lifetime of the product is. We have always worked with our customers who have any concern with any of our products until they are happy.

We treat the “regular guy” who only wants to purchase a single rear bag with the same courtesy as we do with our largest dealer. We simply try to treat everyone how we would like to be treated.

It is very gratifying to receive a phone call from a customer who says he felt like he should call because he has had such a great customer service experience from us. Usually it’s April who is the “face” on the phone that people talk to and she’s great at what she does. I refer to her as my social butterfly who likes to go to matches, or product demos, to talk to our friends who use our products.

We also do not plan on changing anything on how we build our products. We still use all US made materials when we can find them, right down to the thread. We feel like that is just the right thing to do. I was recently given some pricing and samples for some overseas cloth materials that I could not tell the difference from US products even with a magnifying glass. I could buy the overseas products for less than half of what I pay for my US made materials, but we continue to purchase the US made materials. Price has never been the issue with us on our materials. Made in the USA, and high quality, is what we look for in our raw materials.

We now have our own website store up and running, tabgear.com, so please give us a visit if you would like to. As with anything new there may be some glitches that we need to get the bugs worked out of and we appreciate any feedback on things that need to be fixed, or ideas on how to make the site a better experience for our friends and customers.

We are also on Facebook as Tab Gear so please like us and check back often to take part in the many giveaways that we plan on promoting in the future and for Tab Gear information.

We have always felt that the dealers around the world who carry TAB GEAR products should have been promoted to help spread the word that they think enough of our products that they are putting their money on the line to carry our gear, we just did not have the website to do so.

Now that we have our website up we will have a page that lists all of our dealers in the USA, and a page the will list all of our dealers around the world, with links directly to each of these companies. Very few people know that we currently have approximately 19 dealers in the US, and 14 dealers outside the US in 8 different countries.

We are currently exploring several different avenues to help promote TAB GEAR in the future and will be announcing them here on Snipers Hide, as well as other venues, when we get the details worked out.

One change that we are so excited to announce is that MILE HIGH SHOOTING ACCESSORIES in Colorado will be a TAB GEAR distributor. They have been a TAB GEAR dealer for several years. Randy and Diann Pennington are some of the best people you could ever hope to meet and work with. Their customer service is without question. They think like we do in that they will do whatever it takes to make a customer happy. It wasn’t till recently that we learned that they are also a distributor and had been purchasing TAB GEAR products and passing them along to the dealers in their network at dealer pricing. Mile High was losing money on all TAB GEAR products that they sold to their dealers because of the shipping that they were having to pay for our products to be delivered to them. We asked them why they had never said anything to us about them selling to their dealers and they said that they were simply doing this because they believed in our products and wanted their dealers to have a complete selection of the products that Mile High offers. We are honored to be working with them and for them to be a distributor of TAB GEAR products. Mile High Shooting accessories, Welcome to Mile High Shooting Accessories will be carrying all TAB GEAR products in their store. If you have not had the opportunity to meet or do business with this company and their family, you are missing out.

We have recently purchased new equipment and are upgrading existing equipment to be able to keep up with the demand that we have been experiencing and they will be coming on line shortly as well. These actions will help alleviate any supply issues into the future.

We have had a lot on our plate recently and have not come out with as many new products as we would like to have come out with. That doesn’t mean we haven’t been working on any new stuff though and that will change in the near future. We are very excited about the projects we are developing and are working with some people who are quite well known in the shooting community to design and manufacture some new products we think you guys will like.

Thanks again to all of the friends we have made over the years, we look forward to what the future holds and developing more friendships throughout the world.

One last thing, everyone at TAB GEAR would like to thank all of you who have expressed your support to us during this time of change that we are going through. It has made these hard decisions easier to make, knowing that we have so many friends behind us. Thanks for your encouragement, our future is bright.

Tony Burkes
TAB GEAR LLC.
 
Hey Tburkes,

Just keep doing what you are doing! ........ making excellent products and continuing to innovate.
We all appreciate your super customer service as well as keeping everything U.S. produced when possible.

Good luck with everything.
 
I wanted to give a shout out to a few of Tony's products. The TAB SAC is an awesome product that I rely upon at matches. Its a great product to hold your ammo and empty brass while shedding weight and bulk in your pack. The TAB Rifle Cover is something that I use at matches and hunting.

However, one of my favorite products is your Rapid Adjustment sling. I've used many different slings from various manufacturers over the last 27 years of competing. The first time I saw you shoot a match with the Rapid Adjustment sling, I thought it was the best invention on a sling, for shooting tactical matches, that I've seen. The ability to tighten or losen a sling from various positions or uneven terrain, within a second or two, is paramount in my opinion.

I highly recommend your sling with the Rapid Adjustment configuration.

Best wishes in your business endeavors.

Francis K
 
Thanks for the update Tony as I was curious what was going on with the changes I was seeing. Glad to see you guys have added a web store and are making Mile High a distributor, both are definitely wise moves. I've been nothing but pleased with your products and the support you provide here on Sniper's Hide. It's about time to make another order for more TAB gear products so I'll have to test the web store out.
 
Outstanding products.
Strong supporters of our sport and more importantly all those that are serving or have served in our military.
Hard working, down to earth, God fearing family.
I am also honored to be able to call them friends.
 
The Burkes family. Owned and operated business. Some of the best people in the industry. Proud to use there gear and call them friends.


Tony, April and Co are outstanding people that make outstanding products.

Nothing but the best wishes for you and yours Tony, keep doing what you're doing and you'll keep getting what your getting!
 
I have 3 TAB slings, a cover for my MK13-SD, and an AI mag pouch. All of it is top quality stuff and I would buy any of it again right now. Actually, I need a few more mag pouches so expect a call from me tomorrow. Keep up the great work Tony.
 
Tony and the crew at TAB Gear have my full support. We've been selling their slings, bags, and various wares for the last several years. I've been using them for far longer.

We're with ya Tony!

Looking forward to all the new and exciting things to come from this move!
 
Hi Tony,

I went to one of our local precision rifle matches a few weeks ago - we have around 4 or 5 per year with 20 to 25 competitors. As I looked at the other competitors I counted 10 with at least one piece of TAB gear, some with a lot more. Your rear bag, RAS sling, shooting mat and SAC are as important to my shooting kit as my AW, S&B scope and Atlas bipod and have helped me place and win in these matches.

Your gear is well made and functional, I have always enjoyed using well thought out equipment and your products fit that description perfectly. I'm sure this new chapter will open doors and possibilities that will surprise and challenge you but I'm confident it will be a great success for you and the family.

Now - how about a decent LRF case please mate ?

Thanks Tony,

One of your happy customers in Australia.
 
Just wanted to write a quick note here as well. For the last 9 years Rifles Only had the pleasure of working and building TAB Gear. Lisa has been worked daily with TAB Gear from day one, which most of you know and have dealt with her on a regular basis. Lisa's late Mom originally designed the rear bag that we handed over to TAB with honors (as well as a couple of other product designs) as TAB has always done quality work and there is no doubt they will continue to do great work. TAB was and is still part of the Rifle Only family and we will support them in any way that we can. FTW was formed for the sole purpose of having our own brand name and to grow Rifles Only. Never once was it meant to go again TAB as there is plenty of room for everyone.
Jacob Bynum
Rifles Only
Rifles Only
[email protected]

The purpose of that drill was to teach you to acquire your sight picture right the fuck now!
 
Just wanted to add some information on how TAB GEAR got started and what is going on now.

I’m sorry this post has taken so long to make, we have been extremely busy lately and have had some very large orders that we have been working on as well as some other business opportunities that we have been negotiating and working through.

Many times over the years we have been asked what TAB means, how did you arrive at your logo, and how did we get started. TAB stands for Tony and April Burkes. The logo came about when a group of us were sitting around and I mentioned that we needed to come up with a logo. One of the guys that was there was an Army Ranger. He said, how about a play on words, there’s the Ranger tab that is put on a uniform, you could have the border like the Ranger tab and put your name in the middle. You’d have a TAB Tab. I thought that was a great idea and he gave me a gold embroidered Ranger tab, which I still have, and that’s how we came about our logo.

How we got started was way back in early 2005 and Frank Galli, owner of Snipers Hide, had shot in a 48 hour match in Oklahoma. That match included land navigation and rain. The only thing out at the time to protect the rifle was the padded scope cover and muzzle protector. This setup did not cover the action to keep Mother Nature out of it and Frank’s action became all gunked up with the red mud that was caused by the rain. If anyone has ever gotten that red mud on anything you know it’s almost impossible to get it all out.

Frank posted a picture of his rifle here on the Hide (I sure would like a copy of that picture to frame) and that’s what started me thinking because Frank said, “wouldn’t it be good if someone could make a cover to protect the whole rifle”.

I asked what he’d like to see in a cover and his suggestion was something with padding in the scope and muzzle area, as well as allowing some way to have the sling exposed and a carry handle on top.

At this point I had never sewn a stitch in my life. My first effort involved a roll of blue shop paper towels and a stapler to get a crude idea of what was in my mind. I had my wife, April, give me some pointers on sewing and about her small home sewing machine, bought some material, and started working on a second prototype. My next model was actually a tube that the barrel fit into and there was an area for the scope and the bottom was an opening that I had April show me how to install the elastic around the opening to close it up on the rifle.

I took pics of this and sent copies to Frank Galli, Lindy Sisk, and Jacob Bynum, and asked them what they thought of it. Jacob got back with me and said there was nothing like it and that he wanted to be the distributor of the cover and we proceeded to discuss what features would be needed on the cover.

At this time I was still using my wife’s little sewing machine until I almost burned it up trying to force multiple layers of 1000 Denier Cordura through it.

Frank told me I needed to look at this new material called MultiCam, I had never heard of this stuff but looked it up online and thought it was cool and that I would purchase five yards of it. We’ve been using MultiCam since day one and it’s still as popular as ever. We typically purchase it in quantities of 250 yards at a time now.

Back to the almost burned up home sewing machine. I figured out that I was in trouble one day when I asked April how to accomplish some sewing technique and she said “let me show you how to do that”. When she pushed down the pedal to operate the machine nothing happened and she said, “what’s going on with my machine”? I said, “here, I’ll show you what I’m trying to do”. I then proceeded to force material through the machine. It was at this point that she pointed out that I was about to destroy her little sewing machine and that I needed something bigger.

Money was pretty tight at that time so I searched high and low and found an old upholstery machine. The guy that I bought it from said that it was about 30 years old. This thing had a clutch motor on it. If any of you have ever sewn with a clutch motor you know how good we have it now that we have the servo motors of today. That machine would go from nothing to about 3000 stitches per minute with about .002 of an inch of travel on the foot pedal. I spent many hours cussing at that damn machine that would go from nothing to red line in less than a heart beat while my family laughed in sympathy from the other room every time they heard the machine take off like that and grumbling afterward. I got really good at sewing with one hand grabbing the wheel on right side of the machine to prevent a runaway from happening every single time I pressed down on the gas pedal.

Remember, I didn’t know squat about how to sew anything and had to self teach myself everything. I stayed up late reading sewing websites on the internet researching techniques and tips on how to sew things and make equipment. I also took a lot of different things apart to see how they were made. At the same time, I’m trying to figure out how to make a cover to fit a rifle. When I wasn’t working at my day job that paid the bills I was in our dinning room sewing. I spent the first four years of TAB GEAR sitting on a metal folding card table chair in a 10x10 dining room crammed full of a cutting board on the dinning table with samples and projects filling the little room up. I’ve estimated that for the first six years of TAB GEAR , including working at my day job, I spent minimum 100 hour weeks teaching myself how to sew and working out how to make patterns and just making product. Because we had no access to our dining room table for at least six years, our family would eat all our meals standing at the kitchen island. We find it hilarious that we still catch ourselves eating, standing at the kitchen counter or island out of habit instead of sitting at our dinning room table.

So, the first product we ever made was our rifle covers, based on Frank Galli’s original question here on the Hide, and suggestions from him and Jacob. It took me a long time to work out the patterns for the Gen I, II, and III covers, since I was still just learning how to sew. The second TAB GEAR product was our shooting mat. Someone asked, again on the Hide, if there was a lightweight shooting mat on the market that could be easily rolled up and stuffed into a pack. I said I could try to make one and began asking questions on line about what guys would like to see in such an item. After about a week of playing with prototypes I posted a picture of what I had come up with. I figured I’d at least sell one to the guy who asked the question originally and maybe some other guys would want one too. Holy Cow did they like it. It’s still one of our best selling products to this day.

Our third product, about six or seven years ago, was our SAS1 suppressor cover. I had seen some guys using a suppressor cover with Jet Suppressor logo embroidered on it and was at a match at RO when I saw a guy who had a can cover get approached by another competitor and ask how the Jet can cover was working out. The cover owner said it wasn’t a Jet cover, it was a cover he was testing out for Jason Baney, the guy who has been running the Smack The Smiley match for the last several years. Jason had come out with a suppressor cover and had approached Jet to T&E the cover for him. What they did was to simply copy his design and make it under the Jet name and never gave Jason a thing for his troubles. Several months after the match at RO, I was approached by a customer asking if I could build a suppressor cover. I told him I sure could, but didn’t have a clue at this point, when I remembered the conversation I had over heard at the match at RO, so I called Jason and asked him about his cover. He told me about the Jet deal that had gone down the tubes. I had never met Jason in person at this point, so I said, that sucks you were ripped off and I’ve heard you’re a great guy so why don’t you let me use your design and I’ll pay you a royalty on the SAS1 cover. I didn’t have to do that, I could have just told Jason thanks a lot for your time and made my own cover since precedent had been established by Jet’s actions. I felt like the right thing to do was to offer a royalty to the guy who started the whole suppressor cover thing, so that’s what I did. We began making the cover and I revised it a bit to include the internal ridge so there wasn’t a cord hanging out that you had to contend with.

Shortly after we started producing the SAS1 I sent one to a large firearms manufacturing company for some feedback from them for military sales. They replied back that it worked well but if it was installed backward then it would be shot off and TAB GEAR would look bad even though it wasn’t our fault. They wanted me to make a model that was “soldier proof” in that it wouldn’t need any directions, just install it and go. So, that is how the SAS2 came about with the bungee in each end of the cover. We paid Jason a royalty on the SAS1, and the SAS2, for a period of time and then I asked Jason how much would he want to buy him out on the royalties. He thought about it and came back with a figure and I thought about it and doubled the figure and we were both happy with the arrangement.

It was in this time frame we came out with our rear bag. I had begun making a bean bag for myself and others for quite a while and really didn’t think about making one to offer on the market since at that time it seemed like everyone was making one. Our first bag that we offered for sale did not have the strap on each side like you see now but did have the loop on a corner. Pretty soon we added the straps that you see now and the outer construction design hasn’t changed since then. We first were using a urethane rubber pellet for the filler and I thought it worked great because you could kind of compact the bag when you squeezed it. I had known Terry Cross, one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, and an outstanding gunsmith too, at some matches and had sent him one of our rifle covers to test out and give me feedback. I sent him a rear bag and asked him to test it out and give me some feedback on it too. He played around with it and called me one day to discuss his findings. He said, “I love the bag and how it is constructed, but I HATE the stuff you’re using as a filler” I had not heard anyone having any negative feedback on the filler up to this point but if Terry Cross has a concern I was all ears on how to fix it. He said that he could not maintain a solid hold on the target using my bag and just thought he was getting a cold until he had a couple of buddies try the bag with the same results. When he went back to his old bag he was rock solid again. I asked him what it was he was using for a filler in his bag he kicked around in the yard till he found where he had spilled some of the pellets and sent me a picture of them. I searched different companies until we found a supplier who made a plastic pellet similar in size and that is what we’ve been using ever since. For some reason, maybe it was the lack of sleep I was constantly operating under, I don’t remember being given a bean bag design with honors, whatever that means.

It was right at the five year mark when I found out why most small businesses fail. I had been working so many hours that I was just getting worn out. I think the main reason small businesses fail is not because the product isn’t any good or that they are not selling product. I think lots of them are like ours, you still have to work a day job to pay the bills, and work every other bit of time off to build your small business and the toll it takes can make people want to give up and go back to the security of a steady job with someone else worrying about the minute details. I missed out on a lot of activities with my family because my products were selling and it was just me making everything and the business needed my time non stop. There was a couple of times around this five year time frame where I had some serious discussions with myself about how easy it would be to sell the equipment and just go back to a regular job. Man, the temptation was very strong a couple of times to just give it up and relax. The thing was, is that I really liked sewing and designing products, and I was just too hard headed to quit on something that was moving in the right direction, no matter how tired I was. So I finally crossed the mental line and made the decision I was giving it all I had.

My regular day job consisted of a twelve hour shift working four days on and four days off, alternating between days and night, and about this time my dad, who a lot of you guys have met either at matches or at SHOT, was considering cutting back on his hours at the business he owned and he asked me if I’d be interested in taking it over. As I had no idea at all about the industrial gas business I had to learn that before I would be able to make a contribution. So, I began working at his place when I wasn’t working at my day job, and sewed when I could squeeze in the time. I worked a whole year at his place, with no pay, every day I wasn’t working at my twelve hour day job to learn the business. Meanwhile, my wife was working full time, running the household and taking care of our two teenage kids. When I wasn’t working at either one of these jobs I was sitting in front of a sewing machine, remember the minimum 100 hour weeks, and you can see that burn out was setting in before I flipped that mental switch. I quit the day job I had had for 18 years to go full time with my dad’s company in 2006.

I had attempted to hire contract sewers a few times over the years but it just never worked out. I would have people simply not put in the time to learn my products, or contract sewing companies would tell me my standards were too strict and would try to make me drop my quality requirements. I would never drop my quality with any of these people or companies and would just move on in my search for dependable workers. I talked my son, Hunter, into coming to work for me part time in 2007. He went to work for me at my dad’s company in 2009 and worked there and for TAB GEAR until mid 2012 when he quit the gas company to work full time at TAB GEAR. Now that I think about it, it was Hunter who was the actual first full time employee at TAB GEAR. It was the first part of 2012 when Hunter’s girlfriend, Elena, began working for us full time. She has made just about every regular CAD rifle sling, RAS rifle sling, Carbine sling and every biathlon sling among other TAB GAR products since she came on board with us. My dad sold his company at the end of 2012 and I quit that job and April quit her job in retail management to work full time at TAB GEAR too. My daughter Jillian had been working on and off part time for us since 2010 and came on full time about a year and a half ago. So, if I had been able to find contract sewers in the beginning I would not have had a place for my kids to come work with us. There’s nothing like being able to give your kids a hug every day and look around us and realize how great life is in the USA. We have all worked very hard to get TAB GEAR to where it is today. I know I can be hard to work for at times because my philosophy is when there’s work to do you work until it’s finished. We have 19 dealers in the US and 13 outside the US. In fact, since this thread has started, we have brought on a new distributor in Germany. So now we have a distributor in the US, Mile High Shooting Accessories, and a distributor in Germany as well.

Most of our products have been developed by input from people all over the world. Our original rifle sling was produced from a sling that a military group had cobbled together when they were overseas and brought with them when they went to RO for some additional training. When Jacob and Frank saw the sling and asked the guys about it they said we can have TAB GEAR develop this into a better idea and will outfit you guys with the result. They were happy about that and Jacob, Frank, and myself, went to work designing the TAB GEAR Rifle Sling. What you see today is what evolved from some soldiers making do in the field, to what we were able to produce with input from lots of different people. That’s how most of our products have been developed. Someone will have an idea about something, we’ll solicit input from people with different experience levels and different areas of the shooting community, whether it be regular guys who shoot matches a lot, to law enforcement officers, to military members of some of the worlds elite fighters as to what features they would like to see in the end product. I’ll work on a prototype and get it into the hands of people to field test. We’ll take the constructive criticism and refine the product back and forth till we feel like we have the bugs worked out and bring it to market. We have always solicited feedback from customers using our products on ways to make them better and more effective.

As in all things, life and relationships change. There was a time when we felt like we were part of the Rifles Only family and we are very grateful for the encouragement and support that Jacob and Lisa provided in the early years. However, we have not felt like we have been a part of the Rifles Only “family” for many years. It has been my immediate family I have been able to depend on and the many great friends out there that I consider family. They are the ones who have given me the support and encouragement that has kept me determined and driven to continue moving TAB GEAR forward the last several years.

After recent developments behind the scenes since my original post in this thread we believe that we will be better off to completely sever all ties and go it alone. So, not only will we not be using Rifles Only as our distributor in the future, we will not be continuing on with Rifles Only in a dealer capacity of any kind in the future either.

Also, we have just picked up a large quantity of our products and have it back in our possession. When going through and taking inventory of that large quantity we have found over $2,500.00 of that product was not rotated and sold as we transitioned into different materials. The older products were simply pushed to the back of the shelf when newer products were sent and not rotated to the front for sales before new products. Due to circumstances beyond our control they have become obsolete due to us having changed either webbing color, or webbing style years ago, or have simply sat on the back of a shelf for so long that the dust is so thick on it that we will have to wash it to sell it. These are all products that are 100% functional and we would still honor our lifetime guarantee that we have on all of our products. We
will make this offer to Hide members first who see the offer here at a discount of 60% off of retail on a first come first served basis until the product is gone. I will post a list of products here shortly and you will have to accept them here on this thread on an “as is” basis. I can assure you that the functionality and quality of them will be up to our standards, it is only the color, webbing style, or just dusty product, that is the reason for this sale. We will honor “I want “x” item” on this publicly viewed page based on time stamp that everyone can see. If there is a tie then I’ll put both names in a hat and draw the winner and post it here.

Once again we all would like to take a moment to thank everyone around the world who have expressed their 100% support for the changes we are going through. It is because of our friends and customers that this has all been worth it and we are so excited for what the future holds.

Stay tuned, there is lots of good stuff ahead.
 
As in all things, life and relationships change. There was a time when we felt like we were part of the Rifles Only family and we are very grateful for the encouragement and support that Jacob and Lisa provided in the early years. However, we have not felt like we have been a part of the Rifles Only “family” for many years. It has been my immediate family I have been able to depend on and the many great friends out there that I consider family. They are the ones who have given me the support and encouragement that has kept me determined and driven to continue moving TAB GEAR forward the last several years.

After recent developments behind the scenes since my original post in this thread we believe that we will be better off to completely sever all ties and go it alone. So, not only will we not be using Rifles Only as our distributor in the future, we will not be continuing on with Rifles Only in a dealer capacity of any kind in the future either.
This is a very smart move on your part Tony. I know how hard it can be to stay true to yourself while people refuse to remain loyal to you. At some point, the realization that it takes two to tango sets in... and you realize there was nothing YOU did wrong.

Coming up with a product that DIRECTLY competes with your friend, or even a close business partner, is not what friends or close business partners do. That's what people whom hold the almighty dollar above all else do. It's a dispicable act, and they should be condemned for it. If no one else is willing to say it how it is, I certainly am. I've dealt with people whom have done similar things before. "It's just business," right? No... actually it's life, and things like this are just shitty to do. Period. All for a little money. People are greedy these days, and it's disgusting to witness.

You and your family on the other hand, have demonstrated your values and moral center to myself and our customers so many times over the years... that I would consider your pedigree beyond reproach. If you make it, Primal Rights will buy it. That other company, their sling, and anything else they make, will never occupy space in our store. EVER.
 
I don't know the behind the scenes stuff but as a match shooter I want to thank you guys for supporting nearly every rifle match I've been too in the last several years by product and personal means.

Thank you guys.

Looking forward to see all the good things that come from TAB in the future.
 
Is this TAB gear? Should be. I'd take one.

girls-with-guns-24.jpg
 
Hey Tony,

Glad to see you're out in the Hill Country now! Now you've got a good excuse to come out and shoot with us, no six hour drive anymore.

You've come a long way sir, stay true to your standards, and the rest will follow. Looking forward to more cool TAB gear out there,

Mike
 
Everybody wants a piece of the action. Big contracts, new customers, high dollar prize tables. None of that helped. Its dog eat dog in the game these days instead of everybody supporting one another like it used to be.
I wonder why it's that way? ... because we allow it to be that way! People's moral compasses are just broken these days. I've witnessed what some people are willing to do for money, and I want no part of it. I'll go to my grave broke as hell, before I compromise on a core moral principle like this.

So you're saying Tony did it to someone else, so it's fine that RO does it to Tony? If true, it still does not make this situation right. Far from it. If what you say is true in that context, and I were there then... I'd have spoke up as I am now.

I don't like it. Not one bit. No matter who is doing it. I wouldn't even consider developing a product that competes with one of my allies. Morally, I'd rather suck start a shotgun than do something like that. If I had an idea for a design that competes with an ally, I'd go to my ally and have them build it! They can keep doing what they do as a core of their business, and I continue doing what I do as a core of mine. After all, that is what we are best at. My allies are all reasonable, so they'd take care of me on it. I'd have to do no work other than to help get it started, and would profit directly or indirectly from it. Then when they have an idea that speaks to my core business, they come to me with it! This is how strong relationships are built and maintained. I don't care what kind of contract, new customers, or prize tables are in front of me, I would not betray one of my allies without having been betrayed by one of them first. Certainly not for money.

Everyone is so goddamn busy empire-building that they forget the core moral principles that make men honorable. For what? Some money? Not worth it in my opinion. Not at any price. I look around and see this type of thing happening everywhere constantly... and people are so eager to excuse it. I just don't understand how that happened.
 
Okay everyone, here is the list of items we will be selling at 60% off of retail prices. You will be limited to 3 items per person please. The prices are low enough that I don't want one person buying up all of the items at one time. This is the first and probably only time, hopefully, that we will ever have a sale like this and I would like as many people as possible to be able to take part in it. I originally estimated that we had about $2500.00 in retail pricing on product. I made a mistake and the total is actually $5,289.00 in retail pricing.

Just so people know what they're getting into here are a couple of pictures showing what we are offering for sale.

The picture below are two of the shooting mats we are selling here. You see a lighter colored mat and a darker colored mat with lighter colored webbing and edge tape. We have gone to the darker colored material and have had webbing and edge tape dyed the same color as the mat so everything matches several years ago. You won't get to specify what color combination you want. You'll get what we grab out of the box when we are filling your order.



The sling on the right is the color webbing we are currently using. The sling on the left is the slightly brighter shade of webbing we were using in the past and is what is being offered on this sale.



Remember, this is a first come first served deal, you accept the product as is. Like I said, the quality is 100% TAB GEAR. It will be color or cleanliness that is driving this sale. You must post here on this thread, on the Bear Pit section, what you want. If there is a tie due to the time stamp that is publicly displayed for all to see I will put the names into a hat, draw the name and post it here, for the winner to see.

I anticipate that this sale will be over fairly quickly and it may take me some time to sort through all of the winners and post them here as I get time to do so. As I get you sorted out I will post the screen names next to the items and it will be up to you to contact me via PM to arrange payment and shipping. You will be responsible for all the shipping charges.

Enjoy

ALL OF THE BELTS ARE THE SAME GREEN AS THE SLING ON THE LEFT ABOVE.

BELTS WITH FASTEX BUCKLES ALL IN GREEN: Regular price $45.00 each, This sale $18.00 EACH
2, 36" size
2, 38" size
3, 40" size

ELITE BELTS WITH COBRA BUCKLE ALL IN GREEN: Regular price $70.00, This sale $28.00
1, 30" size
1, 32" size
1, 36" size
2, 38" size
3, 40" size

REGULAR SLING, NO BUCKLES, GREEN:
7, with HK Hooks, Regular price $60.00, This sale $24.00 EACH
5, with Flush Cup swivels, Regular price $65.00, This sale $26.00 EACH

5 REGULAR SLINGS WITH COBRA BUCKELS, NO SWIVELS, GREEN, Regular price $125.00, This sale $50.00 EACH

RIFLE COVERS, Regular Price $130.00, This sale $52.00 EACH
6 GEN I, GREEN
1 GEN I, GREEN 38" LENGTH
2 GEN I, BLACK
1 GEN III, BLACK

SHOOTING MATS,
10, GREEN, D-RINGS, Regular Price $65.00, This sale $26.00 EACH
4 , GREEN, D-RINGS, STAKE POUCH, Regular Price $95.00, This sale $38.00 EACH

CONVERSION KITS:
7, ELITE COBRA BUCKLE, GREEN, NO SWIVEL, Regular Price $51.00, This sale $21.00 EACH
3, ELITE COBRA BUCKLE, GREEN, HK HOOKS, Regular Price $51.00, This sale $21.00 EACH
4, ELITE COBRA BUCKLE, GREEN, HD SWIVEL, Regular price $51.00, This sale $21.00 EACH
 
I'll take:
1x GREEN, D-RINGS, STAKE POUCH, $38.00 EACH
1x ELITE BELTS WITH COBRA BUCKLE ALL IN GREEN: $28.00, 38" size
1x REGULAR SLING, NO BUCKLES, GREEN: $26 each with Flush cup Swivels
 
I'll take one of each of these.

ELITE BELTS WITH COBRA BUCKLE ALL IN GREEN: Regular price $70.00, This sale $28.003, 40" size
REGULAR SLINGS WITH COBRA BUCKELS, NO SWIVELS, GREEN, Regular price $125.00, This sale $50.00 EACH
ELITE COBRA BUCKLE, GREEN, HK HOOKS, Regular Price $51.00, This sale $21.00 EACH
 
I'll take the following (if available):

1- Sling, Flush Cup swivels, Regular price $65.00, This sale $26.00
1- SHOOTING MAT,GREEN, D-RINGS, Regular Price $65.00, This sale $26.00
1- SHOOTING MAT, GREEN, STAKE POUCH, Regular price $95.00 This sale $38.00

Thanks for this great opportunity
 
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regular sling with flush cup swivels no buckles

I'll take one of these as it appears that there is one left.

Thanks

nevermind...my count was off because I didnt realize dave300 was taking two of them
 
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