I didn’t have a hard time figuring out how to mount my Scalarworks LDM but this new instructional video is very well done and easy to follow if you need a hand. If you don’t have an LDM and are considering one, it gives you a really good look at how the thumb wheel and detent work. This clever set up is the secret to how easy it is to install/uninstall the LDM and how easy it is to achieve the same tension every time you install it which leads to solid repeat zero performance.
Archive | Guns
TangoDown KeyMod Accessories
We covered the TangoDown KeyMod Stubby Vertical Grip back when it was still an early prototype. I am happy to report that it is extremely close to entering production now along with KeyMod rail covers and a hand stop.
The new hand stop and rail covers have two things that should really set them apart. The first is that they use metal KeyMod hardware to mount. This is heavier than many of the all plastic rail covers but has proven to be stay in place better in my experience. The second is that these items will feature a similar texture to what Tango Down uses on their SCAR panels. This texture is very grippy without being too abrasive.
It looks like TangoDown is getting into KeyMod in a big way.
Plum AR from Echo Nine Three
You know Echo Nine Three for their work with AKs but few people realize that they also know their way around the AR-15. They have made AR-15 lowers for years. Their lowers are notable for their lack of over the top markings which I appreciate. Given all that background, it should come as no surprise that they are considering offering an AR-15, the Plum AR, that pays homage to their AK roots.
The Plum AR gets its name from the custom plum color Magpul furniture and accessories that mimic the purplish hues of the famous early Russian attempt at black polymer (so the legend goes) that is so well loved by AK shooters. All of the plum components are actually custom dyed to create the effect.
The features and specs are not set in stone. In fact, Echo Nine Three is soliciting advice on how the carbine should be configured on their Facebook page. As it stands now, it is build around a 14.5″ lightweight profile barrel with a 1 in 7″ twist and mid-length gas system. The muzzle device is permanently attached. The price can not be determined until the project is finalize but E93 is promising that the quality will be excellent and the price will be competitive.
Proctor Light Mount from Frank Proctor and Way of the Gun
It’s hard to imagine a more minimal, low-profile, offset light mount than the new PLM (Proctor Light Mount). This stainless steel mount is so low profile that the top of it’s rail interface sits flush with the top of the rail it is mounted on. You can actually fold your iron sights over the top of it.
It is designed specifically for use with the Streamlight Protac 1L but will also work with the Protac 2L and Surefire E-Series lights.
Check out the PLM at Way of the Gun.
ATF to Reclassify M855/SS109 as Armor Piercing
The ATF is exploring the reclassification of M855/SS109 ammunition as armor piercing. Exploring may not be the right word. They intend to do it but they are “considering” public comments on the matter before putting the new regulatory framework in place.
According to a PDF that is available at the ATF website…
Some ammunition that was previously exempted as “primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes,” specifically 5.56mm constituent projectiles of SS109 and M855 cartridges, will again be regulated as “armor piercing ammunition.” Except as provided by law, no person may manufacture or import such ammunition, and manufacturers or importers may not sell or deliver such ammunition. ATF will maintain the exemption for 30-06 M2AP cartridges.
There is no phrase on the face of this earth that raises my blood pressure like “sporting purposes”.
Start contacting your Representatives now. The House of Representatives website makes it easy. According to the previously mentioned PDF, the ATF will also be hearing pubic comments:
ATF will carefully consider all comments, as appropriate, received on or before March 16, 2015, and will give comments received after that date the same consideration if it is practical todo so, but assurance of consideration cannot be given except as to comments received on or before March 16, 2015. ATF will not acknowledge receipt of comments.Submit comments in any of three ways (but do not submit the same comments multipletimes or by more than one method):
- ATF website: APAComments@atf.gov Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
- Fax: (202) 648-9741.
- Mail: Denise Brown, Mailstop 6N-602, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Enforcement Programsand Services, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 99 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20226: ATTN: AP Ammo Comments
UPDATE: Let me be clear. This is not a “fight” that you can afford to watch from the sidelines. This is a case of a government agency creating and interpreting law in whatever way will meet their political ends without oversight. They are banning of one of the most common, easily available, and affordable types of ammunition for one of the most common and widely distributed types of firearms (the AR-15). This effects the ease at which you can practice your Second Amendment right and is therefore an infringement.
This logic of banning rifle ammo that can be used in “handgun” under the guise of police officer safety and lack of “sporting purpose” is erroneous. Nearly ALL rifle calibers will defeat the soft armor worn by police officers and the ATF knows that. Sporting purpose has no place in a discussion of the Second Amendment rights and the ATF knows that as well. This is purely a politically expedient and incremental step toward an obvious end game. If this logic is allowed to be extended, it can be used to ban a wide variety of ammunition and eventually even firearms.
Start writing and calling your Representatives and the ATF now.