Blind Horse Knives is holding a virtual knife show on Saturday, July 20th (tomorrow) starting at 9AM. They will post a video on their Facebook Page that shows you the details of all the available knives. If you see one that you want, you call 740-219-1141 to place your order. I think this is a pretty cool concept.
While you are thinking about how nice it would be to own a new knife, don’t forget to enter our BHK-T1 Giveaway!
Impact Weapons Components (IWC) has specialized in direct connect weapon components for years now. It should come as no surprise that they are jumping into the KeyMod mix in a big way. In this post, I’ll highlight two of IWC’s current KeyMod offerings and debut two brand new offerings that are the result of the productive Impact Weapons Components/Haley Strategic Partners collaboration.
The Weapon Control MOUNT-N-SLOT KeyMod and KeyMod QD RL Sling Mount have been around for a few months now. These are exactly the types of solid, well executed mounts that you have come to expect from IWC.
The Weapon Control MOUNT-N-SLOT KeyMod is narrower than IWC’s previous hand stops. I would prefer it was a bit wider but it works just the way it is – in fact, the narrower form factor may be more practical, my preferences aside. I like to mount these on the bottom of the handguard and use them to pull the carbine back into the shoulder pocket. Alternately, they can be used as a true hand stop to keep your hand from slipping up onto the barrel or on a side rail as an index point for the web of your hand.
The KeyMod QD RL Sling Mount is just about as low profile as possible. It requires a certain amount of thickness in order to accept the QD sling swivel. It is just thick enough to accept the swivel but no more. The KeyMod QD RL Sling Mount is rotation limited. You can mount this just about anywhere along the length of the handguard but I prefer to mount my slings as close to the receiver as possible.
The Thorntail KeyMod MIL620 Light Mount is going to be very attractive to night vision users. It gives you the ability to mount many of the most popular IR illuminators on the market, namely the Surefire M620V and M952V. It also works with many other white light options including the new Surefire M620 Ultra and any of the Surefire M9XX Millennium Series lights. It tucks the light in close to the rail like all other Thorntail mounts.
The Thorntail Offset KeyMod Light Mount is an absolute gem of a mount. It may be the last KeyMod light mount you ever need to buy since it is modular enough to work with a ton of lights including:
It achieves this wide spread compatibility with its unique mounting surface that includes a short 1913 rail section for use with rail mounted lights, grooved mounting slots for Surefire Scout lights, and the ability to accept IWC’s hand held light mounting rings. This modularity not only allows you to mount different types of lights but also allows you to adapt it to new lights and technology as they are released.
The light is placed tight to the rail and can be switched to the left or right side of the rail depending on the user’s preference. The Thorntail Offset KeyMod Light Mount also features a unique 3 hole mounting interface that allows the user to move the mounting locations to the position that is most advantageous. This means that you can actually cantilever the light forward, past the end of your rail. That is very slick.
I am certainly not surprised that Impact Weapons Components is making waves in the KeyMod space. This is right up their alley. Check out all the KeyMod goodness at Haley Strategic Partners or at Impact Weapons Components. Use the coupon code “triggerjerk” to receive 5% off your order at Impact Weapons Components.
We first told you about the new plate rack coming from TacStrike several days ago. It has been named the Century Plate Rack and it is now available. I also have a much better picture of the beast.
The Century Plate Rack weighs just over 600 pounds and is designed to be semi-permanently installed. Once in place, it can basically sit there for a century with minimal maintenance. It is constructed from AR500 steel and has a unique angled bottom plate that sends low rounds to the ground in order to help diagnose trigger control problems. This thing will outlast you!
Check out the Century Plate Rack at TacStrike.
There are two interesting new titles in the Make Ready series of instructional videos from Panteao Productions. The first tackles a topic that many of you have expressed interest in – training with a .22LR. It is hosted by Michael Bane and Tom Yost and promised to cover a variety of topics that will help you get the most out of your rimfire training.
The second new video takes place at ISA and deals with “tactical” driving which I have always thought is under appreciated training for the prepared citizen (kind of like first aid courses but I digress). If you pay attention, you’ll catch a short cameo of John from UW Gear during the shooting portion of the trailer.
Check out Panteao Productions.
The FUSION from Unity Tactical is a modular mounting system that gives the user the ability to mount a number of critical items on the same mount. It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure book for your carbine. There are so many different options, you’ll want to try them all.
The FUSION consists of several components.
All the components are machined from 6061-T6 aluminum and hard anodized. The come packaged with every screw (and usually extras) and hex wrench that you will need to that particular component. The HUB comes with a very large tube of blue thread locking compound which is a very nice touch. The FUSION is available in either black or flat dark earth.
Testing the FUSION is like a marathon. It seems like the configurations are endless. I tried to test as many as I could over a number of range visits.
Installation and configuration of the FUSION is easy. The HUB slides onto the rail and secures with a cross bolt. It must be slid onto the rail so users with a fixed front sight base (FSB) will need to remove the FSB or slide it on all the way from the rear of the receiver. I should note that the cross bolt was extremely tight on my sample. It was so tight that it screeched and squeaked like a dying rabbit when you brute forced it into place. Thankfully it loosened a bit over time.
Each individual component bolts easily to the HUB with the provided screws. I recommend using thread locker just because you should always use thread locker on a gun. I didn’t use thread locker because I have to return all this stuff but I had no issue with screws loosening in my limited testing. All of the screws holes on the HUB are recessed to prevent the screws from interfering with installation.
There were several configurations that I really, really liked and they all have one thing in common: the BUIS. The BUIS in this set is excellent. It is very compact and, cleverly, it can be turned into a fixed sight with the installation of an included set screw. It is just a really nice little sight. The HUB with just the BUIS and a Surefire Scout in the offset position in an amazingly compact and capable configuration.
The Extension Rail gives you some interesting possible configurations. You can mount rail mounted pistol lights or something like INFORCE WML to it but I think it really shines when you direct connect a Surefire Scout light or handheld light in the 1″ Light Ring Mount. The Extension Rail lets you push the light out well forward of the end of your rail where the effects of barrel shadowing are minimized. The lights are still tucked in fairly close thanks to the direct connect capability.
The Offset Rail is pretty straight forward in its use. If you already have a very long rail (12″ or longer), the Offset Rail is likely what you want if you plan on mounting an INFORCE WML or other pistol mounted light. The Offset Rail with the BUIS and an X300 or WML was one of my favorite set ups. The light falls right under thumb and is very easy to active. I should note that in order to make room for both the BUIS and the pistol light, you will need to mount the BUIS in the rear most position and the Offset Rail in the forward most position so it is sticks out slightly past the end of the HUB.
The Wing Mount is one of the most versatile pieces in the kit. It place the rail and object connected to it at 90 degrees to the top rail in a slightly lower position than the Offset Rail. It can be used to direct connect a Surefire Scout, the 1″ Light Ring Mount, or pistol lights. In fact, the INFORCE APL is magic on the Wing Mount due to its unique switch. When mounted 90 degrees to the top rail like this, you can now push down to activate the light and it is held a bit higher and tighter to the handguard than it would be on a side rail. If you don’t like having your light up in your field of view, the Wing Mount can lower it a bit versus the Offset Rail.
The 1″ Light Ring Mount is great. It allows you to attach a handheld light directly to your HUB or some of the other components. It is flexible enough to handle even lights with a slightly larger than 1″ diameter like the Surefire G2L. If you have a handheld light like the Surefire Fury or Streamlight PolyTac line that you want to put in the 10-11 o’clock position, the FUSION HUB with this Light Ring Mount and the BUIS is a great setup.
The Forward Rail bolts to the bottom front of the HUB and basically gives you a rail extension at the same height as your handguard’s top rail. This is a great place to mount a Surefire X300, INFORCE WML, or other pistol light. It also allows you to direct connect a Surefire Scout light which gives you some very cool functionality. The Scout Lights mount very low because of the direct connect feature so they stay well out of your line of sight. There is enough room to reach up there and hit the tailcap switch with your thumb but this setup works best with a tape switch.
There are many, many possible configurations that I couldn’t test. For instance, an IR laser can be mounted directly to the HUB and still leave room for an offset light on one of the side positions. If I was set up for night vision, I would be taking a very hard look at this capability because it tucks everything very, very close together.
There does seem to be some misunderstanding about the FUSION out there that I should at least attempt to clear up. The FUSION is not a rail replacement. You could do a lot of what the FUSION does with a few mounts and a typical 4 rail handguard. The FUSION is a mount replacement. It consolidates mounts and other items that would typically be connected to the muzzle end of a handguard. By consolidating mounts, you save weight, gain space, reduce bulk, and add durability due to less potential failure points. It also happens to be a great mounting solution for the current crop of slick sided, narrow tube rails that are so popular right now.
I find the future of this system just as interesting as the FUSION itself. The HUB is really just a means to an end. I can see that the logical conclusion of a system like this might be integration directly into a dedicated handguard rail, forgoing the need for the HUB. I suspect that we will also start to see additional accessories and new configurations as the system matures.
The FUSION is successful at what it sets out to do. You can use it to reduce to the number of mounts necessary to attach just about everything you normally attach to your handguards. The options and configurations are seemingly endless. Those options and configurations will only expand further as users get their hands on the system and adapt it to new technology and current TTPs. The beauty of the FUSION is just how adaptable it really is.
Check out the FUSION at Unity Tactical.
Note: The photos may show the FUSION with other iron sights visible. I am not advocating having multiple sets of back up iron sights. I just didn’t want to remove sights that were already zeroed for testing.
