AIM Surplus recently introduced the long awaited extension rail from Branham Tactical. It adds 2″ inches of rail space to the two side rails and the bottom rail. This extension rail will give users more light mounting options and help out those user who like to run their support hand closer to the muzzle. This rail is a much needed upgrade for the excellent SCAR series of rifles.
Click to enlarge.
If you have been reading Jerking the Trigger recently you are already familiar with the Battle Arms Development – Ambidextrous Safety Selector (or BAD-ASS). I say the BAD-ASS is the finest AR safety selector that I have ever used due to the versatility bred by its user configurable levers, its ergonomic enhancements, and its impeccable quality.
Well, Battle Arms Development just made the most versatile selector switch ever developed for the AR family of weapons even more versatile with the introduction of the new end cap. This end cap can be used to make either side of the BAD-ASS lever free. Now, with this end cap you can easily convert the BAD-ASS from ambidextrous to left or right side only.
The end cap has a notch that serves as a condition indicator (safe or fire). It is available separately for purchase or as part of a complete BAD-ASS kit.
If ambidextrous selectors just aren’t your thing, but you still want the performance and precision that the BAD-ASS offers, the new end cap is for you.
Bushmaster ACR owners take note:
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This is a very serious situation. If you own an ACR that develops this malfunction you will be in violation of federal law. The BATFE shows little mercy in such cases. If you own an ACR, contact Bushmaster immediately.
When you think 10-8 Performance, you think 1911. While Hilton Yam, owner of 10-8 Performance, does make excellent 1911 accessories and custom 1911s, he also makes excellent sights for a variety of other handguns. The sights that we will be looking at in this article are made for the Glock family of handguns.
The 10-8 Performance Sights offer a very uncluttered sight picture even with a tritium vial insert in the front sight (mounted on a Glock 19 for reference). Click to enlarge.
The 10-8 Performance front sight is thin for a tritium front sight at only .125″ inches wide. It is serrated to reduce glare and the tritium element is unlined. The unlined tritium is what attracted me to these sights. They perform very much like all black target sights when light conditions allow and that makes them very shootable.
The 10-8 Performance front sight is relatively thin and serrated. It features an unlined tritium vial insert. Click to enlarge.
10-8 Performance also offers plain black and brass bead front sights.
The rear sight is well contoured. It has an strong, chunky appearance. It can be used fairly easily to rack the slide which is important for some one handed manipulations. It is serrated to reduce glare.
The rear sight features glare reducing serrations and a .140" rear "U" notch. Click to enlarge.
It features a true “U” notch. The bottom of the notch is round instead of square. This leaves the shooter free of hard corners that can distract from aligning the only hard corners that matter; the ones at the top of the front sight and the top of the rear sight.
When I purchased these sights, the only rear sight notch options were available were the .125″ and the .140″. I chose the .140″ rear sight and always wished it was a bit wider. The .140″ notch feels a little tight when you are trying to speed things up. 10-8 Performance recently started offering a rear sight with a .156″ notch. If I was buying these sights today, I would definitely buy the new .156″ notch rear sight.
The rear sight has a strong, chunky profile. Click to enlarge.
I shoot these sights better than any other I own in terms of accuracy. The combination of the tighter rear notch and the way that they appear like all black target sights during the day (the tritium vial insert is unlined and barely noticeable until dark). These sights are just very easy to shoot well. The downside is that sometimes I feel like I am searching for the front sight through the narrow rear notch which costs me some time.
That is not to say these sights are slow. They are not. They just are not as fast as some others that I use and 10-8 Performance has essentially rendered this small issue (if you can even call it that) irrelevant with the introduction of the .156″ notch rear sight. I suspect that the new wider rear sight shoots incredibly fast. The intro of the 1.56″ rear notch should be exciting news for the many fans of these sights.
The 10-8 Sights with the .215″ tall front sight shoot exactly the way I like which is about 1-2″ high at 25 yards. This is relatively intuitive after some range time and allows the shooter to see their shots over the sights. I find it to be easier to shoot longer distances this way. If you choose to, you can adjust your point of impact by purchasing a taller or shorter front sight. You can read details on the 10-8 Performance blog.
You can purchase these excellent sights directly from 10-8 Performance on their website.
I have mentioned the BattleComp on Jerking the Trigger before. It is a compensator for the AR family of weapons that may be nothing short of revolutionary. Much like many other advanced compensators on the market, this one tames muzzle rise and suppresses flash nearly as effectively as an A2 flash suppressor.
However, unlike other advanced compensators on the market, the BattleComp does not redirect any additional sound or blast to the back or sides. This means that it is effective in situations where other compensators would have been a detriment – like indoors, working as a team, or in improvised shooting positions. This is a compensator with seemingly no downside. This is an evolutionary step forward.
14.5″ barrels continue to gain popularity because of their handiness and lighter weight. They can also be used on non-NFA weapons simply by permanently attaching a muzzle device that brings the total length to 16″ (14.5″ barrel + 1.5″ muzzle device = 16″). The best way to attach this muzzle device is by pinning. This ensures the the device will be permanently attached and will meet the 16″ barrel length requirement.
Now the designers of the BattleComp have created a new version, the BattleComp 1.5, with users of 14.5″ barrels in mind. It is purpose built to be long enough to bring a 14.5″ barrel to the required 16″ length and it is pre-drilled for pinning. It is available in black oxide and matte stainless finishes and retails for $155.
The BattleComp 1.5 looks like just the thing to help tame the sharp recoil pulse of a 14.5″ carbine gas barrel or to make your 14.5″ mid-length gas barrel even more smooth.
You can read more and purchase a BattleComp 1.5 at the BattleComp website.
