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Review: Carlson Comps Mini Comp

By on July 11, 2011 in Guns, Reviews

I’ve been able to spend a little time recently with the Mini Comp from Carlson Comps. The Mini Comp isn’t for everyone but it does a very good job of serving a couple of specific niches.

One of my favorite things about checking out Carlson Comps muzzle devices is talking with the proprietor of Carlson Comps, Greg Carlson. He is a straight shooter that won’t yank your chain. He readily admits that the Mini Comp isn’t anything earth shattering. He designed it for just a few specific purposes: it adds little to the barrel’s overall length, it is ban compliant for this in ban states, and it does provide a little compensation for muzzle rise.

I mounted the Mini Comp on a 16″ BCM BFH lightweight mid-length upper and set about testing it against a standard A2 flash suppressor. The Mini Comp is similar to the A2 flash suppressor in that it has open slot shaped ports on top and a closed bottom. It is essentially a shorter, lighter version of the A2 and it performs much like one as well, at least in terms of compensation for muzzle rise. That means that it helps a bit, but it certainly isn’t doing as much as a dedicated compensator like the Carlson Comp.

Greg likens the Mini Comp’s performance to an AK slant brake and I found that comparison to be accurate. I could feel that it is doing something versus a bare barrel but it really doesn’t do a lot to control muzzle rise. The closed bottom port did prevent the muzzle blast from scattering dust and debris on he ground when the carbine was being shot from prone and in terms of noise coming from the muzzle the Mini Comp is no more intense than an A2.

The device did seem to suppress some flash though it is not classed as a flash suppressor by the BATFE which is key to one of the niches that this device serves. The Mini Comp is classed by the BATFE as a compensator, which makes it legal for those who live in “assault weapons ban” states.

The main purpose of this device is to minimize the addition of length to the barrel. Many flash suppressors are designed to be long enough to bring the length of a 14.5″ barrel up to 16″ when the device is pinned in place. The devices don’t necessarily need to be that long to perform but they are made longer so they can fulfill a specific role. Carlson Comps went the other direction with the Mini Comp. It is shorter and lighter for the purpose of being short and light. It is designed to keep short barrels short and it does that. It is about 1/2 the length of many muzzle devices and 2/3rds the length of the A2.

If you are living in a ban state and want a device that performs similarly to an A2 flash suppressor or you have a barrel that you want to keep as short as possible, the Mini Comp may be for you. Check it out on the Carlson Comps website.

Disclaimer: The Mini Comp was provided to me for review, free of charge, by Carlson Comps.

 

Review: Battle Arms Development CASS-3P

By on July 9, 2011 in Guns, Reviews, Tactical Gear

I first wrote about the CASS-3P AR-15 selector back in June and you can read more about the excellent pedigree of this selector in that post. Since that time, I have been working with a prototype CASS-3P that Battle Arms Development provided for me to review.

The CASS-3P will feel familiar to those of you who have have a BAD-ASS already. The levers are dimensionally identical to the excellent BAD-ASS levers. However, there are 2 notable differences that really make the CASS-3P stand out.

The first difference is the way that the levers mount. The BAD-ASS uses a slot style mounting system that takes the stress off the mounting screws but does nothing to retain the lever without the screw. The CASS-3P uses a horizontal dovetail mounting system. This not only takes the rotational stresses off the screw but will retain the lever to a certain extent even if the screw is lost or broken. I tested this by installing the strong side lever without a screw and cycling the lever from fire, to safe, to fire, and so on. I made it to 200 cycles before I was bored and the lever was still intact. It was sliding around on the core but it didn’t fall off.

The second difference is that the center core that the levers attach to is slightly longer. This is to allow some additional clearance for when you slide the levers onto the core. The happy coincidence is that this also makes the levers feel wider. They are dimensionally the same as the BAD-ASS levers but they are raised slightly higher off of the receiver. This makes them even easier to find with your fingers but also can add to the interference with your trigger finger so you will want to choose your weak side lever wisely. If you are used to shooting with an ambidextrous selector switch, you really won’t even notice the extra thickness.

Overall, this is probably the most battle worthy selector from Battle Arms Development yet. The dovetail mounted levers adds a degree of redundant lever retention that is really attractive for those who are looking to build a fighting carbine. The CASS-3P will be available on the Battle Arms Development website soon.

Review: White Sound Defense H.R.E.D.

By on July 8, 2011 in Guns, Reviews, Tactical Gear

The HRED from White Sound Defense is a direct replacement for the Glock extractor depressor assembly that is designed to provide more reliable extraction. This functionality has become especially relevant as Generation 4 and later Generation 3 Glocks have been experiencing reliability issues that seem to stem from inconsistent extraction.

The HRED (bottom) is a complete redesign of the standard extractor depressor assembly.

How It’s Different

The HRED differs in several ways from the Glock OEM extractor depressor. It isn’t different just for the sake of being different. Each difference represents a purposeful redesign to enhance reliability.

The HRED comes with White Sound Defense’s heavy duty extractor spring. This heavier spring provides more tension than the stock spring. It is ground flat on the ends to ensure that they do not bind or misalign. This spring is available separately for use with the factory extractor depressor unit.

The most obvious difference between the OEM parts and the HRED is that the OEM parts insert with the short end toward the rear of the Glock and the HRED inserts with the short toward the extractor. This is done to shift the mass of the unit so that the movement of the slide assists the plunger rather than working against it.

The entire HRED unit is made from stainless steel. It has a larger diameter than the stock part so that it resists movement and binding in the extractor depressor channel.

Every material, dimension, and function was scrutinized and tweaked for reliability during the creation of the HRED.

Does it Work?

I installed the HRED in my Glock 17 Generation 3 RTF2. This particular G17 was produced sometime in early to mid 2010 as far as I can tell. It has experienced no stoppages through just over 600 rounds but it did exhibit some very inconsistent extraction. It would kick one piece of brass way over my shoulder like it should and then the next would dribble out of the ejection port and flop onto my forearms. This seemed to happen with several different types of ammo. The weak extraction seemed to happen about 1 in 5 times.

After the installation of the HRED, I have seen consistent extraction. In fact, I haven’t had a piece of brass hit my forearms since the installation. I have just over 400 rounds on the G17 since I installed the HRED without any stoppages. Stoppages seems much less likely now that the G17 is ejecting consistently.

Does it work? It has worked for me so far. For what it’s worth, several users are reporting online that the HRED alone has cured the reliability issues that they were having with their Gen4 9mm Glocks.

Installation is simple using the included diagram and easy to follow instructions.

Conclusion

Is the HRED the cure for your Glock reliability woes? It might just be. It is certainly a well designed and well executed unit that could even help improve the reliability and durability of Glocks that aren’t having issues. I am impressed with the results that I have witnessed from the HRED. As with any new part, only time and testing in your particular firearm will tell the whole story.

You can read a far more technical and detailed description of how the HRED works at White Sound Defense’s website.

S.O. Tech Mission Go Bag Flap

By on July 7, 2011 in EDC, Survival, Tactical Gear

The S.O. Tech Mission Go Bag (MGB) is a well known bag that has proven itself to be capable of carrying everything from office essentials to vital fight sustaining gear. The owner of the MGB has a myriad of accessories available to them that can really enhance the function of the bag. One of the newest such accessories is the Mission Go Bag Flap (MGBF).

The MGBF is a flap that gives the MGB a more low profile look by covering the PALS webbing on the front of the bag. It acts as a flap much like any other messenger bag or briefcase might have. In addition to helping the bag blend in, it also adds a good sized vinyl map window and pen loop.

Image is property of S.O. Tech.

This is a really clever solution that lets the user and mission determine how to configure the bag. I would love to see more manufacturers offer flaps like this for their bags.

Check out the MGBF on S.O. Tech’s website.

Just for Fun: “Banana Clips”

By on July 7, 2011 in Other

The term “banana clip” is an erroneous name for the curved magazines that are used in many different types of magazine fed rifles. The term has been co-opted by anti-2nd Amendment groups in order to spread fear and misinformation. In the end, it only shows their ignorance since banana clips aren’t clips at all. They are magazines. Yes, there is a difference.

Before I ruin your mood, let me change gears. This post isn’t really about anti-2nd Amendment groups or semantics. It is about something a whole lot more fun than that. This post is about the Banana Clip banana hangers made by “Kmanator” who obviously has a great sense of humor. He is a regular on several online forums and an eBay seller. He makes plasma cut metal items like signs and the Banana Clip banana hanger.

The banana hangers are made to look like famous rifles like an AR-15 or AK-47. Their is a hook located on the magazine area of the rifle that is used to hang your bananas. Hanging bananas helps them ripen evenly without all the soft spots and bruises that occur when they sit on the counter. But really, do you care that hanging is better for bananas than laying them on the counter? No. This banana hanger is just for fun.

Check out the banana hangers and all the other cool stuff in Kmanator’s eBay auctions.

PS – If you want further proof that Kmanator has an awesome sense of humor, check out his zombie-ready AK Battle Axe stocks. Sure, its impractical, but you still want one.

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