This is an interesting story from the always fascinating world of imported firearms. Century Arms International is suing M+M Inc. and it might just explain why CAI WASRs have been a little harder to find lately.
See the full story at The Barre Montpelier Times Argus.
Oh hey, I’m just drinking a frosty beverage from my giant BattleComp. Well, not really, but I wish I was! The folks at Battle Mug are working with BattleComp to bring this BattleComp version of the Battle Mug to market. I hope they are successful because I don’t want to live in a world without giant BattleComps to drink from.
This reminds me that I need to pick up a Battle Mug.
The BATFE issued a cease and desist letter to Ares Armor in regard to their “build parties.” These build parties empowered people to build their own firearms for personal use which is probably one of the ultimate expressions of 2nd Amendment freedom. Ares Armor is ceasing their build parties for the time being but they are currently working to reinstitute them in some other form.
Manticore Arms is known for offering muzzle devices that perform very well at very attractive prices. They first appeared on my radar when I was searching for a muzzle device for an AK with 24mm threads. At the time, Manticore Arms was one of the only outfits around that was making well thought out muzzle devices for 24mm thread and I still consider their offerings the best available.
In recent years, Manticore Arms has rolled out products for various other rifles including the AR-15. One of their most recent offerings is a flash suppressor that they call the Eclipse.
The Eclipse is a forked or pronged style flash suppressor with 3 thick prongs. It weighs 3.6 ounces, the standard 22MM in diameter, and is 2.25” long (long enough to be pinned on a 14.5” barrel to bring its legal length to 16”). The Eclipse fits 1/2×28 threading and is specifically sized for .223 or 5.56mm projectiles or smaller. It is machined from 8620 steel and finished with Manticore Arms’ typical attractive black oxide finish.
I tested the Eclipse flash suppressor with a mix of ammo that I had on hand which mostly consisted of Prvi Partisan 75gr .223 and Prvi Partisan 62gr .223. The Eclipse performed very well. There was no visible flash at the shooter’s position at any time. Observing the muzzle from the side would occasionally show a very faint, pencil thin, dull orange flash in front of the Eclipse that was barely visible and I mean BARELY visible. The performance of the Eclipse was on par or better than other pronged flash suppressors which is especially impressive given its price compared to most. It works very, very well.
I tested the Eclipse on two separate range trips. I wore electronic hearing protection on the first trip and ear plugs on the second trip. I did note some tuning fork-like ringing when I wore the electronic hearing protection (common to most pronged designs). It was duller and shorter in duration than other pronged flash suppressors that I have tried which is likely due to the thickness of the prongs. I didn’t note any ringing when wearing the ear plugs without the aid of electronic amplification.
The Eclipse is a solid performer at a great price. Check out the Eclipse Flash Suppressor at Manticore Arms.
I have always thought that the Mystery Ranch Load Sling had a lot of potential for use as a versatile, day pack (or even multi-day) if it was properly outfitted. Apparently, I am not the only one because FHF Gear recently showed off a personal project that turns the MR Load Sling into a day pack with a ton of functionality.
The Lightweight Mystery Ranch Load Sling Add-On Pack is a compact pack made to mount to the back panel of the Load Sling. At 13″ x 8.5″ x 4″ and roughly 1100 cu. in., it has just enough capacity to pack the essentials while leaving the load sling clear for packing out animals or carrying other oddly shaped payloads. The pack is made from Litelock material to keep weight to a minimum.
The addition of the Lightweight Mystery Ranch Load Sling Add-On Pack to the Load Sling creates a sort of mini-Crew Cab effect. I own a Crew Cab and find it to be very versatile but it can be overkill for some applications. The Crew Cab weighs in at almost 4 pounds without the NICE Frame while FHF’s compact creation weighs less than 2 pounds including the Load Sling (without the NICE Frame).
The intended purpose of this bag appears to be hunting, but I suspect that a pack like this is versatile enough to have application beyond just hunting. Cool ideas like this are why I always have my eyes on custom gear makers. Hopefully, FHF gear will add this pack to their regular line up.
Check out FHF Gear.
