I was 3 years old when The Last Starfighter found its way into theaters. I didn’t see it until later but it become one of my favorite childhood movies. This Death Blossom Patch from DSTEIN DZIGNS had me scrambling to see if Netflix had the movie in their streaming library (they don’t)!
If you like 80’s sci-fi, this patch is for you. If you like detailed patches, this patch is for you. If you just like patches… you know.
Ruger has announced their latest AR-15 style rifle – the AR-556. The new carbine will feature direct impingement gas system (DI) instead of a gas piston and appears to be aimed squarely at the budget end of the AR-15 market. Many of the decisions were obviously made to hit a price point and that is okay. I suspect they will sell a ton of them with a street price likely to be well below $700.
I suspected that this day would come and, when it did, I hoped that Ruger would use a mid-length gas system given that their piston carbines use something like a mid-length system. However, the AR-556 uses carbine length gas.
The 16″ hammer forged, medium contour contour barrel is not chrome lined. The lack of chrome-lining is often sold as a “feature” since it makes the barrel “more accurate” but it is usually just a way to cut cost. Chrome lined barrels can be very accurate. The 1 in 8″ twist should stabilize just about projectile you can find on the shelf.
The front sight base has been machined instead of forged. There is a QD sling swivel socket integrated into the bottom and it is proper “F” height. It looks like a fairly nice unit and the barrel is .750″ beneath it so it should be easily replaceable.
The upper looks fairly standard and does have M4 feed ramps. It also has a brass deflector and forward assist which are not found on some competing budget rifles. It has an interesting (and a little strange) delta ring assembly that threads into place to retain the hand guards rather than being spring-loaded like a standard delta ring. Unfortunately, this means that the barrel nut is not standard and will have to be replaced in order to nearly every free-float hand guard on the market.
The grip and rear back up sight appear to be Ruger’s own design and the rifles will ship with a Magpul PMAG.
Midwest Industries (MI) just released a sneak peak at their upcoming M-LOK Hand Guard for the IWI Tavor. The images show a pre-production version of the hand guard so there may be some changes to the production model. It is basically very similar to their other Tavor hand guards with the exception of the M-LOK spec slots.
MI doesn’t usually keep you waiting for long after they release images of the pre-production product so these will likely be available soon.
I am a fan of 500 Denier Cordura. In my experience, it is more than durable enough for my needs and it saves weight. UW Gear has been considering adding a 500D option to their line up for a long time now and I am glad to see them finally giving everyone a peek behind the curtain.
If they have enough interest to add the 500D option, the new rigs that result from the addition should be considerably lighter in weight. In addition to the weight savings that come from the lighter material, UW Gear has slimmed the harness where it meets the body of the rig for additional lightening.
If you are would like to see UW Gear add 500 Denier Cordura Nylon to their line as an option, let them know!
If you are looking for a Raven Concealment Phantom Light Bearing Holster in Arc’teryx’s Wolf color, Deliberate Dynamics is the only place to get one.
