"The Essentials"

If you’re just getting into the world of shooting and need some recommendations for accessories and gear, we’ve got you covered. With so much noise out there these days, we’ve narrowed down your search to the best brands and options at various price points. The goal is to buy quality gear that will serve you for years. 

At the end of the day, we're talking about accessories for firearms. You may depend on this gear to save your life and defend others someday. In our many years of shooting, we’ve found that you get what you pay for. From our experience, most people end up replacing or regret buying cheap gear after a few uses. Rather than wasting money on cheap gear that you can’t resell, we recommend buying quality gear that will serve you well and will last. Hence, Buy Once, Cry Once.

Check out how our "tears" rating system works here. 

    Back to blog

    Rifle Accessories

    We recommend that any rifle has a light, sling, and optic for home defense and general shooting. A quality optic, whether it's a red dot, or a scope, will help you quickly acquire targets and retain your zero. A sling is essentially a holster for your rifle, which allows you to retain your rifle when you need both hands for other tasks. Statistically speaking, most self-defense and home defense situations happen in low light/no light environments. It is critical to have a reliable light for the positive ID of any potential target.

    Rifle Lights

    Surefire Scout - This is an entry-level light and the cheapest option we will recommend. It offers a little more modularity but you’re not saving that much over going with Cloud Defensive. 1,000 Lumens.  

    Cloud Defensive REIN 3.0 - The beautiful thing about Cloud Defensive light is that it's an all-in-one package. The battery, charger, switch, and mount are all in the box. The switch has built-in cable management. The remote switch offers both momentary and constant functionality; the tail cap has a backup control on it also. Did we mention this thing puts out 100,000 Candela? 100,000! USA

    Weltool LH8 - Weltool is the new up-and-comer. The LH8 light head is getting great reviews and compares well to other top lights. Offers 1250 Lumens. 

    Optics (Red Dots or LPVO)

    Eotech EXPS3 - Versatile for awkward shooting positions (inside or around vehicles, in structures, etc.), quick sight picture. The Eotech will offer slightly quicker acquisition but not magnification (magnifier offered separately if desired). There are several variations; choose the color or reticle that fits your needs. 

    Eotech Magnifier - If desired :) Offers 3x magnification to your Eotech dot. Specialty mounts allow you to use the magnifier only when needed for long-range target acquisition. 

    Aimpoint T2 - Aimpoint is as solid as they come. This is a simple, reliable red dot that won't let you down. If you’re looking for simplicity, this is it. 

    Vortex Razor 1-6 - The Vortex Razor series is the only Vortex LVPO we recommend. Do not cheap out for a Strike Eagle. This thing has crystal clear glass and forgiving eye relief. 

    Steiner P4Xi - This is a great entry point for a LVPO option. It will only get you 4x magnification so be mindful of what your application is. Really clear glass and a solid option if you don't need a lot of distance. 

    Optic Mounts

    Unity FAST Mounts - Whether you have chosen the T2 red dot or the Eotech EXPS Unity FAST mounts have you covered. These mounts are extremely durable and user friendly. Make sure to check out the magnifier mount if you’re going with that option. They offer one for the Eotech and Aimpoint magnifier as well as others. 

    American Defense LVPO Mounts - This is the absolute lowest tier that we recommend here at BOCO. A solid mount that won't completely break the bank but they do not offer as much modularity and quality as other brands we recommend. The link below is for 30mm tubes. Choose the right optic height for your situation, i.e. night vision, etc.

    Reptilia - This is the “middle of the road” recommendation from us. Reptilia is known for solid mounts for both red dots and LVPOs. The only downside is that they currently only offer one height for the 30mm optic mount (1.54”). They do have several options for offset and twelve o’clock red dot mounts which is nice.

    Badger Ordnance Condition One Modular Mounts- This is our absolute favorite line of LVPO mounts. Quality, durability, weight, and modularity. Badger checks all the boxes. They have various options for offset red dot mounts as well as twelve o’clock red dot mounts. They also offer different heights depending on your preference. Yes, you might shed a tear or two but it's completely worth it.

    Slings & Sling Retention

    This is a two-point sling neighborhood; single-point slings keep it moving. 

    Ferro Concepts Slingster - Ferro Concepts make tons of great stuff, but their sling might be their best—your choice of either the padded or non-padded version. The Slingster pull tab allows for easy adjustment when you need it. USA

    Forward Controls Design CSF - FCD is known for high-quality products. This sling is simple yet functional and features a quick detach buckle on the buttstock end. Fabric pull tabs and military-grade webbing make this a great option that won't make you shed all your tears. No padded option is available. USA

    Blue Force Gear Vickers - Again, you can choose padded vs. not padded here. Very similar to the FCD sling without the quick detach point. USA

    Sling Retention

    NeoMag Sentry Strap - This one is relatively easy. The magnetic strap even keeps my padded sling tight for storage and easily accessible when I’m ready to deploy my sling. Wraps around your hand-guard. Do it.  

    Bubba Tab V2 - Slightly more manual as you have to undo the elastic strap when you want to deploy, this is also a solid option for a hand-guard sling retention device.

    Pistol Accessories

    Pistol Lights

    Streamlight TLR-1 HL - 1000 lumens; 20,000-candela peak beam intensity; runs 1.5 hours. Includes different keys for different mounting rails.

    Surefire X300T-A Turbo - The X300T-A Turbo Utilizes a Turbo Reflector which Delivers 66,000 Candela of Light Popular with law enforcement and military operators worldwide, SureFire's best-selling pistol-mounted light now comes in a Turbo model which delivers an incredible 66,000 candela of bright, focused white light. Run Time 1.5 hrs. 

    Streamlight TLR 7A - The TLR-7A includes customized ergonomic switches featuring a low or high position to match your shooting style. 500 Lumen, 5000 Candela, 1.5 hr run time. Cheapest BOCO Recommendation.

    Red Dots

    recommended but not mandatory

    Holosun 509T X2 - All the benefits of shake awake, easy battery change, solar power, and multi-reticle. Oh, and it's a closed emitter which is the biggest bonus. This might be the only thing we recommend that's made in China… just like the device you’re reading this on 😅

    Trijicon RMR -  Hard to go wrong here. Incredibly lightweight, the Ruggedized Miniature Reflex sight provides a simplified and open-sight picture, allowing the shooter to simply place the red dot on the target rather than focusing on aligning iron sights.

    Aimpoint Acro P2 - Very popular, might be hard to find, 50,000 hours of operation. It's aim-point, and it's excellent. It's up to you how many tears you want to shed. 

    Note, coming soon – check out our mounting plate options/slide-cutting section for more information regarding red dots on pistols. 

    Eye & Ear Protection

    Ear Pro

    Howard Leight Gel Cups - No matter which ear pro you choose. Get gel cups for them. They make wearing ear pro much more comfortable, especially for those long days on the range. 

    Walkers Razors - Walkers Razors make various styles with endless colors. With over 18,000 5 Star reviews, you can't go wrong with the Ultra Slim Low Profile muffs. Remember the gel cups! 

    Ops-Core Amps - These are incredibly comfortable and offer all the comms and customization you could ask for. Grab the tissues for these. If you can find them for 1k right now, that's a good deal.

    Eye Pro

    Oakley SI Ballistic M Frame 3.0 - Great lens clarity and color, also Ballistic rated. 

    Smith Optics Elite Aegis Arc Compact Eye-shield Field Kit - Ballistic-rated eyewear, flat temples means comfortable with ear pro. Comes with indoor and outdoor lenses.

    Range Accessories

    Range Bags

    Savior Bags - Savior bags offer a variety of pistol, rifle, and storage options to fit any of your needs. They even have “guitar cases” that store your rifles. You can rock on with these without shedding too many tears. 

    Cloud Defensive Ammo Bags -  These bags are great for range days or tactical classes and are customizable for different ammo types on the same range day.

    Medical

    CAT gen7 Tourniquet - Everyone needs a tourniquet, whether it is stand-alone or on your IFAK. It's okay to keep one in your car as well for emergencies. DO NOT BUY Tourniquets on eBay or Amazon. There are too many fakes and imitation materials. A tourniquet can save a life, so ensure it's from a quality dealer. 

    Blue Force Gear Micro Trauma -  Everyone needs medical. Everyone. This is a simple, effective IFAK. There are a couple of options, including the essentials, pro, and advanced. Advanced contains a decompression needle which we only recommend if you are a trained professional.