This is an interesting story from the always fascinating world of imported firearms. Century Arms International is suing M+M Inc. and it might just explain why CAI WASRs have been a little harder to find lately.
See the full story at The Barre Montpelier Times Argus.
The BATFE issued a cease and desist letter to Ares Armor in regard to their “build parties.” These build parties empowered people to build their own firearms for personal use which is probably one of the ultimate expressions of 2nd Amendment freedom. Ares Armor is ceasing their build parties for the time being but they are currently working to reinstitute them in some other form.
Manticore Arms is known for offering muzzle devices that perform very well at very attractive prices. They first appeared on my radar when I was searching for a muzzle device for an AK with 24mm threads. At the time, Manticore Arms was one of the only outfits around that was making well thought out muzzle devices for 24mm thread and I still consider their offerings the best available.
In recent years, Manticore Arms has rolled out products for various other rifles including the AR-15. One of their most recent offerings is a flash suppressor that they call the Eclipse.
The Eclipse is a forked or pronged style flash suppressor with 3 thick prongs. It weighs 3.6 ounces, the standard 22MM in diameter, and is 2.25” long (long enough to be pinned on a 14.5” barrel to bring its legal length to 16”). The Eclipse fits 1/2×28 threading and is specifically sized for .223 or 5.56mm projectiles or smaller. It is machined from 8620 steel and finished with Manticore Arms’ typical attractive black oxide finish.
I tested the Eclipse flash suppressor with a mix of ammo that I had on hand which mostly consisted of Prvi Partisan 75gr .223 and Prvi Partisan 62gr .223. The Eclipse performed very well. There was no visible flash at the shooter’s position at any time. Observing the muzzle from the side would occasionally show a very faint, pencil thin, dull orange flash in front of the Eclipse that was barely visible and I mean BARELY visible. The performance of the Eclipse was on par or better than other pronged flash suppressors which is especially impressive given its price compared to most. It works very, very well.
I tested the Eclipse on two separate range trips. I wore electronic hearing protection on the first trip and ear plugs on the second trip. I did note some tuning fork-like ringing when I wore the electronic hearing protection (common to most pronged designs). It was duller and shorter in duration than other pronged flash suppressors that I have tried which is likely due to the thickness of the prongs. I didn’t note any ringing when wearing the ear plugs without the aid of electronic amplification.
The Eclipse is a solid performer at a great price. Check out the Eclipse Flash Suppressor at Manticore Arms.
TangoDown has a great looking new website to show off. It has better organization and a more streamlined design than the previous website. Check it out at TangoDown.com.
It has been a while since I mentioned that Brownells was going to be producing their own M16 Bolt Carrier Group (BCG). It is now available.
The Brownells M16 BCG has everything you would expect to see in a quality bolt carrier group. The bolt is machined from Carpenter 158 steel, MP Inspected, HP tested (not listed in specs but bolts are marked), and shot peened. The extractor comes with a black o-ring already installed and a proper insert. The carrier is machined from 8620 steel. The bolt carrier key is staked (though initial reports have said that the staking could be more aggressive) and the interior is chrome lined.
Check out the new M16 Bolt Carrier Group at Brownells.com.
