Archive | Tactical Handyman

Micro Visor Panel from Zulu Nylon Gear

I reviewed the Zulu Nylon Gear MOLLE Visor Panel a long, long time ago. It was a full size panel that really works best on vehicles with larger visors. Now Zulu Nylon Gear has released the Micro Visor Panel that is compact enough to fit just about any vehicle with a visor, large or small.

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The Micro Visor Panel has everything that made the MOLLE Visor Panel great. That includes the very versatile Velcro/PALS/elastic grid on the front of the panel. This MOLLE compatible grid consists of normal PALS webbing in the center row, 1″ elastic loop webbing for the outer two rows, and loop Velcro in between the rows.

The back of the panel features large elastic loops and a single slip pocket which is perfect for maps or other documentation.

The Micro Visor Panel is fairly compact at 9″ x 6″ but don’t think of it is as being made just for small cars. Depending on how much stuff you want to organize, it may be all you need – even for larger vehicles. These visor panels have a lot of adjustment and it should fit in just about any size vehicle.

Check out the new Micro Visor Panel from Zulu Nylon Gear.

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Tactical Handyman: Tactical Timezone Clock

I recently moved 3 timezones away from most of my family and my physical workplace. It is nice to be able to tell what time it is at a glance so I don’t rouse people from bed with a text message about my latest high score in Frogger. I started looking for a timezone clock and all the options that I found were decidedly untactical. Sure, I could just look at my tactical watch and do the tactical math but the Tactical Handyman isn’t about to let an opportunity to make something more tactical than it needs to be.

tactical freakin timezone clock

Materials:

  • Velcro Patch Panel or any other hook Velcro surface – I use the panels from OC Tactical.
  • Timezone or city marked nametapes – I generally go to MilitaryNames.com because they make it super easy to create any color combo I need, they ship fast, and the tapes are solid.
  • “Automotive” LCD Clocks – These are usually small, inexpensive clocks that are meant to be stuck on a car dashboard. They work well for this because they are very lightweight. You will need one for each timezone you plan to display.
  • Adhesive backed hook Velcro – The scratchy side. If you are not sure if you have the hook side, you can do the following simple test. Drag the Velcro across the surface of your cornea. If it hurts, you have the loop side. If it completely removes the cornea and renders you blind, you have the hook side.
  • Scissors – According to the Department of Homeland Security, scissors are a more convenient option than a gun for defending against active shooters in the workplace. They are also useful for cutting Velcro. Just make sure you never run with them.
  • An unquenchable desire to make things more complicated (and tactical) than they have to be – Trust me. This helps. Otherwise you would just buy a cheap timezone clock and be done with it.

Instructions:

If you can’t look at the above picture and figure out how to make this you’re probably also blind from dragging Velcro across your corneas. I’ll write instructions anyway but you can tell your friends you totally didn’t have to read them.

I am going to assume that you already have your nametapes in hand. I went with “LOCAL” for local time and “EST” for Eastern Standard Time – the timezone that most of my family and work interactions revolve around. I am also going to assume that your patch panel is already on the wall.

1. Decipher the poor English that you are likely to encounter in your clock’s instruction book so that you can learn how to set the time to correspond to the timezone you wish to display.

2. Cut a small piece of adhesive backed hook Velcro with the scissors for each clock that you plan to display. They only need be 1-2 square inches in size due to the light weight of the clocks.

Note: Make sure your mommy says it’s okay to use the scissors!

3. Peel the backing off the Velcro pieces. If you don’t, step 4 is more difficult.

4. Stick the Velcro to the back of the clocks.

Caution: Don’t cover the battery compartment with the Velcro. The fact that I even have to type this is an indictment of our schools.

5. Stick the clocks and nametapes to your patch panel and admire your handywork.

Note: It would probably be smart to pencil in a little time for the lady in your life. She is probably impressed with your work…

If you have any difficulties, feel free to call or email anyone but me to ask questions. Now go make your own!

Magpul Armorer’s Wrench and BEV Block

I know a lot of you have been waiting for these. Magpul officially released their Armorer’s Wrench and BEV Block today.

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Magpul Armorer’s Wrench

It is amazing to me how few top quality AR-15 armorer’s wrenches there are on the market. The majority of them are junk and I have seen several that didn’t make it through a single build. Magpul’s introduction of their Amorer’s Wrench is important because it is well designed, I expect that it will be very well made, and Magpul has the resources to distribute it widely (which is an issue with many of the better wrenches available now).

Here is what Magpul has to say about their wrench:

The Magpul Armorer’s Wrench: Requirement Driven, Purpose Built

The Magpul Armorer’s Wrench is an exceptional product in a number of ways; its design, construction, and intent are a level above what has traditionally been available in a dedicated AR15 assembly and maintenance tool. However, one of the most unique things about the Armorer’s Wrench is the product development process that brought it to market. The Armorer’s Wrench was actually a product requested for Magpul’s internal use and then developed into a commercial product.

At Magpul, our diverse and ever-expanding product line necessitates a tremendous amount of testing. Some of these tests include tolerance of environmental conditions, chemical and UV resistance, and controlled scientific strength testing among many others. As to be expected, one extremely crucial part of our product validation prior to bringing a new item to market is high-volume live fire testing. We are fortunate to have a wide selection of high-quality firearms and access to great industry partners and suppliers to maintain these firing schedules, and the world-class armorers at Magpul stay very busy repairing, refitting, reconfiguring, and maintaining our armory.

The Armorer’s Wrench was purpose designed and built to provide our armory with a tool that would stand up to the volume of use that other tools could not sustain, as well as providing optimized functionality for the tasks it had to perform. The cost and lost time of breaking tools at an unacceptable rate came led to our armorers asking the company to apply our proven design and manufacturing expertise to solving their problem, and the Magpul Armorer’s Wrench is the result. While the cost was slightly higher than some other armorer’s tools, the function and durability more than offset the cost difference. Once the wrench proved its worth in our shop, the Armorer’s Wrench transitioned to a production item with a singular goal made possible by its many functions: to provide the professional, institutional, or recreational armorer the finest commercially available AR15-pattern tool ever produced.

Details:

American-Made, solid steel construction with grip-enhancing phosphate finish engages both Mil-Spec and pin-style barrel nuts. Fits standard sized flash hiders. Installs and removes rifle receiver extensions and carbine castle nuts, with extended teeth for use with ASAP plates. Two hammer faces. Works with 1/2” torque wrench, relevant torque specifications included on Wrench for quick reference. Convenient Bottle Opener for refreshments after the build is complete (fits both Metric and SAE bottle caps.)

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BEV Block

The BEV Block is just a clever, clever tool. It just makes sense to secure the barrel at the lugs, rather than the upper, when doing certain common tasks like installing flash suppressors or torquing a barrel nut.

Details:

The BEV Block (Barrel Extension Vise) is an all-in-one, compact vise block tool for AR assembly operations of barrel nuts, flash hiders, etc. Mounts securely in a vise and provides support for both billet and forged upper and lower receivers. Engages barrel extension with solid steel lugs and full length support shank to prevent flexing. Steel hardness is optimized for durability yet won’t damage barrel extension, and Magpul Polymer for all other engagement surfaces to protect aluminum receiver. O-ring post uses bolt carrier for additional stability and included Pin keeps upper in proper position.

You can check out both the Armorer’s Wrench and BEV Block on Magpul’s website. Both tools are part of their Armorer’s Tool Series. Hopefully that means there are more tools to come.

Cap Plugs for Your SB47

Echo Nine Three recently posted this image which shows a 1″ cap plug being used to close the end of an SB47 AK Pistol Brace. If you shop around, it appears that there are a number of similar products designed to close the ends of metal tubing that would work as long as their diameter is 1″.

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Tactical Handyman: Dirt Cheap .22LR Snap Caps

Dry fire practice can be a great way to keep your skills sharp between range trips but some firearms just don’t tolerate it well. This is especially true for most older rimfire firearms which can allow the firing pin to peen the chamber if you pull the trigger on an empty chamber. There is often conflicting information available on how tolerant some rimfires are to dry fire which further complicates makes. That is why this Tactical Handyman chooses to use snap caps any time I dry fire a rimfire firearm.

The problem with store bought .22LR snap caps is that they cost way too much for what they are and they don’t really last that long. That is why the Tactical Handyman stopped buying them and started buying #4 drywall anchors.

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As you can see in the included image, #4 drywall anchors are a dead ringer for a .22LR cartridge. They are dirt cheap, each one lasts a few dry fire sessions, and they will even extract and eject from every rimfire in my inventory including the Ruger 10/22, S&W M&P 15-22, Ruger 22/45, and Advantage Arms Glock Conversions. Unfortunately, they may not always feed from a magazine.

Don’t buy .22LR snap caps! You can get a lifetime supply of #4 drywall anchors for next to nothing and they are handy to have on hand anyway. You might even have some lurking in your junk drawer now!

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