The supply lines are really starting to open up lately but prices can still tend to be a bit high. Austere Provisions Company just received a new shipment of excellent D&H AR-15 Magazines with Magpul Followers and they are selling them at normal prices.
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The word on the street is that the Beretta ARX-100 will be officially introduced at this year’s NRA Show. They are supposedly sitting in warehouses waiting to ship this month. This isn’t exactly a secret or insider information. I’m just glad it is finally happening and that the price has held steady from what Beretta was originally promising when it showed early versions of the rifle at SHOT Show 2011.
The ARX-100 is essentially the semi-auto civilian version of the Beretta ARX-160. It reminds most people of next generation rifles like the FN SCAR with one notable difference… The MSRP will be under $2000 ($1950).
The ARX-100 will feature a tool-free quick change barrel, ambidextrous controls and ejection port, pin free assembly, an adjustable length folding stock, and a lot more. Best of all, it takes AR mags. If this performs like everyone hopes it will, it has the potential to be a real giant killer.
I’ve been able to spend a couple of months with Elzetta’s newest light mount – the ZRX Lightweight Tactical Flashlight Mount. I was pretty skeptical of the mount at first since I am quite used to a competing polymer light mount of which I own several. However, after these 2 months, it is clear that the ZRX stands on its own. I think it might just be the new value leader when it comes to rail mounted light mounts.
The ZRX Lightweight Tactical Flashlight Mount is an offset light mount that can hold a variety of different tactical lights – not just those from Elzetta.
It is constructed in the USA from two main materials: glass filled polymer and hard anodized aluminum. These materials both quite common in the “tactical” world but it is the way that they are combined in this light mount that makes the ZRX great. The ZRX has a polymer body and rail grabber and 2 aluminum flashlight rings that are attached to the cross bolts.
When you tighten the cross bolts, the flashlight rings are drawn into the body of the ZRX and the rail grabber tightens on the rail. This design allows the ZRX to automatically adjust to flashlights that range from 0.94″ to 1.04″ (23.8 to 26.4 mm). That is very handy because many lights that claim to have a 1″ diameter can actually vary in size.
There were no real surprises with the ZRX. It functions like an offset flashlight mount should. It holds the light close to the rail but offset to one side or the other. I used it to place my ZFL-M60 at the 10-11 o’clock position which works well with the thumb over or thumb forward grip that I prefer.
I have found that there can be quite a bit of variation in the actual diameter of lights that are listed as having 1″ diameters so the way that the SRX automatically adjusts to the diameter of the light body is very clever and very useful. It also makes installing and removing the light very easy.
I really appreciate the light weight and lower profile of the ZRX compared to other polymer light mounts. The ZRX weighs only 1.1 ounces and it sits lower on the rail which keeps it clear of your sight picture when it is mounted on the top rail and lets it interfere a bit less with your grip if space is tight on your rail.
There is one fly in the ointment with this mount. Each ring on the mount adjusts independently which makes it pretty easy to mount the light crooked. This is especially true for lights that have a lot of variation in their diameter. I tried the Elzetta ZFL-M60, Surefire G2L, Surefire G2X, and a Streamlight Polytac and found that, while some were harder to mount straight than others, they could all be mounted straight with some care.
I really like this light mount. I like the light weight. I like the clever way it adjusts to lights of various diameters. I like the price. I like that I can trust Elzetta. This is a solid light mount at a competitive price. Just be careful to keep the light aligned with the bore when you are mounting it.
You can check out the ZRX Lightweight Tactical Flashlight Mount at Elzetta.com.
What happens when you leave an Trijicon Accupoint and an ACOG locked in a dark room together? Well, 9 months later you probably end up with something like the new Trijicon VCOG 1-6×24 Riflescope. This is getting pretty close to what shooters have been begging Trijicon to bring to market for years.
The ACOG lineage is easy to see. The body machined from a 7075-T6 aluminum forging is unmistakably ACOG-like. The BDC/ranging reticle options are unmistakably ACOG-like. It even uses a very ACOG-like dual thumb screw 1913 rail mount. In fact, it is the same mount that is used on Trijicon’s full size ACOGs so aftermarket return-to-zero mounts are already available.
The Accupoint lineage is less obvious and I really only mention it because this is a variable optic. Trijicon knows how to do variable power optics well with their experience from the Accupoint line and I expect that the new VCOG is no different.
There is no tritium or fiber optic illumination on the VCOG. It’s illumination system is powered by a single AA battery and has a battery life of 700 hours on position 4 of 6. The illumination rheostat is located on the side of the scope body and has an off position between each illumination setting.
There are 2 available reticles: a horseshoe with dot and a segmented circle with cross hair. Each reticle is available calibrated for a variety of different calibers including 300BLK, 55gr 5.56, 77gr 5.56, and 175gr 7.62. The reticles are located in the first focal plane which has multiple benefits on an optic like this. First, it ensures that the ranging and BDC functions of the reticle are useable throughout the entire magnification range. Second, it makes the reticle appear smaller at 1X creating a large, eye catching dot effect for shorter distances.
The VCOG 1-6×24 Riflescope features a built in riser so that the optic sits are the right height for use on AR-15 and AR-10 pattern rifles. It will be available with a dual thumb screw mount standard or an optional Bobro QD mount.
I really like the magnification adjustment on the VCOG 1-6×24 Riflescope. The entire eyepiece turns to adjust the magnification and it has a large fin to give you a bit more leverage. It looks like a “cat tail” will be completely unnecessary on this optic.
This looks like a tremendous optic on paper. MSRP will start at $2270. I will be interested to see street prices.
Check out the VCOG 1-6×24 Riflescope at Trijicon.com.
