Archive | March, 2019

I had really high hopes for the CAA MCK. CAA brought production to the USA. They lowered the price versus previous versions of the Roni while also adding meaningful features. The concept is interesting and still has potential… but does the MCK live up to its potential? Let’s find out.

What’s an MCK?

The MCK is the latest interation of CAA’s Roni concept. The MCK is not a firearm, it is an accessory for your handgun. It is basically a chassis in which you place a handgun to allow for use with a brace or shoulder stock (NFA) along with the ability to mount lights, optics, and other accessories. The process of locking your handgun into the MCK takes only moments.

The combination of a mounted optic and the additional stabilization opens up some interesting capabilities for your EDC handgun. It stretches the distance at which you can comfortably get hits with a handgun. It stabilizes the handgun to the point that follow up shots are much faster. On top of all that, it isn’t a firearm so you can leave it in your vehicle or backpack with less worry that it will be stolen.

Unfortunately, I won’t be taking that deep of a dive into the rest of the MCK features because I am not shooting mine until I can get some issues addressed.

Observations from Use

I purchased my MCK right at the end of 2018 to take advantage of CAA’s introductory pricing. I suppose that makes me an early adopter which is always a little risky.

My problems with the MCK started on the very first day, before I was even able to shoot it. The button that locks the stock in the closed (unfolded) position popped out of the stock after just locking and unlocking it a few times. It started out intermittent but became gradually worse to the point that it will not stay in at all by the next day.

I contacted CAA with this issue the next day and was told on the phone that “it’s a brand new product” which I am not sure makes it okay but I understand. I was also told that I should remove one of the coil springs behind the button and try bending the locking tabs on the button outward to improve the engagement between it and the stock. This didn’t work because the button is made from injection molded plastic which will not hold a bend.

I contacted CAA again to let them know that removing the spring and attempting to bend the plastic tab didn’t work. I was told that I would be sent a new button.

The fit between the brace body and the button is very poor on my example. I am not sure if that is because the button is undersized or if the channel that it rides in is oversized. Either way, I hoped a new button would fix my issues… but the new button never arrived.

I waited for than a month (January 8th to February 18th) before contacting CAA again. The person I have been communicating with stated that they would contact customer service and get back to me. It has been nearly a month and I don’t have a response or a button. I am not even sure if the button will fix the issue.

Now, I am starting to find that the Gen 3 Glock 19 that I was using with my MCK can become at least partially unlocked from the MCK while shooting. The G19 can’t move much because it is locked into the chassis from behind as well. However, the light rail is unlocking from the MCK’s internal spring loaded bar. I don’t really want to continue shooting it until that is sorted out but I have no confidence that it ever will be based on the last few months.

Wrap Up

At this point, I don’t really have any resolution and I may have a $200+ paperweight. I would like to see this work because I think the concept is really interesting and from the little shooting I was able to do with it, the performance is there. Hopefully, CAA can make this right.

UPDATE: I was contacted almost immediately after posting this review by LTC (Ret) Mike Hartman, CEO of CAA in the US. He was a pleasure to talk to, answered my questions, and is taking steps to make this right.

There have been some product improvements that address the brace button issue and he assures me that this was only an issue on the initial pre-order batch. The fact that I never received the improved replacement button was a mistake for which he took ownership. He also assured me that the unlocking spring bar is not an issue because it is the rear locking gate that keeps the Glock in place which I absolutely believe and that the spring bar is unnecessary to the integrity of the lockup.

You can read more about the CAA MCK at CAAGearUp.com.