Author Archive | Matt

Battle Arms Development – Ambidextrous Safety Selector "HYBRID" Lever

I recently reviewed the BAD-ASS on Jerking the Trigger and I am very impressed with this selector. In fact, I was so impressed that I purchased the new “HYBRID” lever option. The “HYBRID” is one of 5 lever options that are available to users of the BAD-ASS.

The "HYBRID" lever is the perfect weak side lever.

The “HYBRID” lever does everything I hoped it that it would. It is the perfect combination of easy to manipulate and low-profile. The biggest issue with ambi selectors is that the lever can interfere with the trigger finger. This is more than a minor annoyance, it can actually prevent the selector from moving completely off of “Safe”. The “HYBRID” lever is designed to be slim at the end so it can slide under the shooter’s trigger finger while still being large enough on the leading edge to be easy to manipulate.

It works.

Check out the BAD-ASS on Battle Arms Development’s website.

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Just Announced: The Izula-II from ESEE Knives

 

ESEE Knives introduced a new version of their excellent Izula. The Izula-II will have essentially the same blade as the original Izula but it will feature a handle that is 1/2″ longer. It will come with removeable, full coverage canvas micarta scales. I have found the micarta scales on the original Izula to be a must-have.

Artist renderings of the Izula-II. The product version may vary slightly.

The Izula II should be on dealer shelves in 6-8 weeks. You can read more about the Izula-II on the ESEE Knives Forum at Bladeforums.

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Quality AR-15 Lower Parts Kits

Finding a lower parts kit (LPK) for your AR-15 is easy. Finding a quality lower parts kit for your AR-15 is more difficult.

Most people are content to use whatever LPK they can find for the least amount of cash. You will often hear people say, “Company X gets these parts from the same place as Company Y, so they must be good.” While that statement may be technically true, it usually doesn’t tell the whole story.

Just because Company X gets their parts from the same place as Company Y doesn’t mean that 1) the parts were made to the same specification or 2) that the parts have been through the same level of quality control. Higher end manufacturers tend to have parts made to their specifications and put these parts through more rigorous quality control procedures.

The lack of quality control often shows itself in 3 easy to notice ways: sloppy triggers, sloppy selectors, and premature parts breakage. Due to poorly finished parts or tolerance stacking issues, many LPKs will have triggers that feel gritty, mushy, or heavy. Selector levers can feel mushy and without positive stops for the same reasons. Premature parts breakage is obviously the most serious issue that you might face. I have seen broken trigger/hammer pins, broken springs, and broken bolt stops.

Most people know the reality of the situation even if they don’t want to admit it. There is no free lunch. Quality usually costs a bit more. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to cost a lot more.

Colt LPKs are excellent but they can be difficult to obtain and very expensive. They are worth every penny if you need the utmost in quality and durability. LMT stopped selling LPKs years ago. BCM LPKs only go into BCM lowers at this time. Until recently you basically had to choose from the best of the rest. Thankfully two companies have stepped in to fill the void.

Daniel Defense makes an decent and very reasonably priced parts kit. They are one of the few places that is supposedly making nearly everything in their parts kit in house. I believe that only the plastic parts and springs are made elsewhere. This allows them to control the quality of nearly every part in the kit.

The LPK from G&R is made from top quality components from several manufacturers.

G&R Tactical offers what may be the Cadillac of quality affordable LPKs. It is a group of parts that is assembled from various quality manufacturers and subject to Grant’s (the owner of G&R Tactical) quality control. As a dealer, he has access to several individual parts from manufacturers that private individuals may not have access. He uses his knowledge of the industry to assemble a top quality and ultra reliable parts kit for a reasonable price. He also offers several different configurations so you can tailor the LPK to your project’s needs.

Don’t settle for just any LPK. Quality parts don’t cost that much more and they are cheaper in the long run.

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MICOR Industries Flash Suppressors

The MICOR Industries Flash Suppressors are certainly unique. They are matched to a specific twist rate (1:9″, 1:8″, or 1:7″) which they claim increases velocity and enhances accuracy. I cannot speak to any of these claims since I haven’t tested this flash suppressor and they are not the most interesting thing about this particular flash suppressor to me. The most interesting thing about these flash suppressors to me is that they offer a titanium version.

The Ti version is machined from 6AL4V Ti which is a very strong alloy. It is sold by MICOR for its resistance to extreme conditions (which is true), but I am more interested in the fact that it is also very light weight. Flash suppressors are usually made from steel which makes them relatively heavy. Titanium would allow the flash suppressor to be both light weight and very strong. It might be just the thing for your lightweight AR-15 build.

Anything made from Ti gets automatic cool points in my book.

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