Archive | Reviews

Review: Crimson Trace CMR-201 IR

By Jon L on January 21, 2013 in Guns, Reviews

Crimson Trace has been busy rewriting the rules when it comes to handgun grip mounted lasers. This innovative company has made a series of service worthy products in a category that until recently was thought of as “gamer gear” only by many in the shooting community. I’m pleased to announce that I found the CMR IR laser to be another excellent offering that earned a place in my armory.

Overview

The Crimson Trace CMR is a very compact and lightweight IR laser that was designed to be mounted on the integral light rail with which most of today’s serious handguns are equipped. This product was constructed to fill a very unique offensive, low light handgun niche and is very small and lightweight. While this may be something that your average end user does not require, it’s far from the only application for this laser. Keep in mind that it is IR only and as such requires the use of a night vision device (NVD) for viewing.

Observations From Use

I had no need to run an IR only laser on a handgun, but I found a home for this product on my “battle rifle,” a Larue 7.62 PredatAR. My rifle’s primary role is for up close to 5-600 yards during daylight hours and to be as light as possible. Because it is not primarily a night fighting gun, and is heavy enough after being properly accessorized, I had no desire to add an expensive and somewhat bulky laser/illumination system. However, after being exposed to the CMR I was very impressed by its capability and small size and decided to try it out as a secondary night fighting accessory.

I placed the laser in the 12 o’clock position right in front of my forward BUIS. You would never even know it’s there. I’ve had it on the rifle for about 6 months now with regular use and even though the product was designed for handgun use, it doesn’t seem worse for wear. I zeroed the laser for 100 yards utilizing my helmet mounted PVS-14 and with an auxiliary source of IR illumination can get 100% first shot hits on a steel 2/3 IPSC target in full darkness. This was as far as my time/range constraints allowed, but the laser is visible at much farther distances through the NVD.

Operation of the device is very simple: press either of the ambidextrous side levers and you have 5 minutes of laser. The IR dot blinks rapidly as a warning before automatic, battery saving shut down commences. It is powered by a 1/3N Lithium battery with a four hour lifespan. This battery should already be common to many Aimpoint users.

Despite my teeth rattling PWS FSC on a 16″ barreled 7.62 rifle, I observed no loss of zero during my live fire testing. One small point of contention with the product is that the windage/elevation adjustment screws were not labeled with directional arrows. The included written directions clearly explain which way is which, but when zeroing in the dark and having the CMR “upside down” on a top rifle rail it would have been nice (and saved some incorrect adjustments) to just follow the arrow. Also, one should note that zeroing an IR only device is a slow and sometimes frustrating process under the best of circumstances.

Laser dot shown at 100 yards

Wrap Up

I like this device so much I’m debating as to whether or not to spend on a separate IR illuminator to mount on the rifle and make it independently night capable on the cheap. While price should never be the driving force of a gear decision, the reasonable cost of this piece of gear when compared to other IR options is worth noting. While I would not consider this for a primary night fighting rifle, it makes an extremely appealing back up. Check it out for yourself at Crimson Trace!

Disclosure: This product was provided, free of charge, to me for review by Crimson Trace.

Review: Multitasker Series 2X

By Matt on January 14, 2013 in EDC, Reviews, Tactical Gear

The Multitasker Series 2X is the successor to the Multitasker Series 2 multi-tool that I have been using extensively for years. I never go to the range without it and I use it frequently for projects at home. I have become so accustomed to using it that I greeted even the small changes to the 2X with some apprehensiveness.

I have now been using the 2X for a couple of months. I wanted to see if the changes, while mostly fairly subtle, improved or reduced the functionality that I had come to like so much about the Multitasker Series 2.

Overview

The Series 2X has the same grippy G-10 handle slabs as the Series 2. These slabs felt like an evolutionary step for a tool meant to be used on greasy, oily, dirty firearms on the Series 2 and it still does now on the Series 2X. It remains one of the best features of the tool.

The Series 2 and Series 2X both possess similar quality of construction. I liked the chunky metal components and bronze washers of the Series 2 and those features are all present on the 2X.

The variety of tools is mostly unchanged save for a few tweaks. The lock up on the blade has been improved. Access to the file has been improved by adding a large notch. The pick, which I only used to fish out the cotter pin on BCGs, has been replaced with a 3/32” punch which is far more useful to me (and any other GLOCK shooter). The bolt scraper, castle nut wrench, box end wrench, and interchangeable tip screwdriver are still intact.

The two most noticeable changes can be found in the plier part of the tool. The original ball bearing pivot has been with a larger “hybrid” that feels nearly as smooth as the original. The jaws have been redesigned on the 2X to provide 2 different gripping surfaces. The teeth are finer near the tip of the jaws and much larger as you move back. The wire cutters are set more toward the center of the jaws.

The same (or a very similar) pouch and assortment of bits is included with the Series 2X. The pouch is made from a semi-rigid nylon material and is quite bulky. It can be attached to MOLLE compatible gear via a single column of webbing though the pouch’s footprint will cover more than just a single column.

The least evident change is the new metal treatment. The Series 2 had a Melonite coating that was extremely durable while the new Series 2X boasts an even more durable PVD finish. They look pretty similar and, so far, they both seem to hold up very well under use.

Observations from Use

I think that much of how you judge the new Series 2X will come down to how you feel about the new plier design. The pivots are close enough to be unnoticeable but the new jaws offer some improved function when trying to grip larger objects like bolts while the finer teeth are the tip of the jaws still work great for doing finer tasks like holding a roll pin vertical while you tap it into the lower receiver. I like the new tooth pattern on the 2X for its increased versatility.

However, there some things I wish were different about the new pliers. The combination of the new pivot and the larger jaws makes the Series 2X noticeably wider than the Series 2 when using the pliers. It is a large tool to begin with. This may be an issue for users with smaller hands, especially when the pliers are extended to grip a larger bolt. Additionally the new placement of the wire cutters, deep in the center of the thick plier jaws, makes them difficult to use. You can’t really see what you are cutting which may be a non-issue in some cases but it can be a little frustrating if you are trying to make a relatively precise cut.

I continue to love the interchangeable tip screwdriver. It is one of the biggest assets of the Multitasker line of tools. I love that it takes normal sized bits so that I can easily and inexpensively build a small kit of bits to carry with the tool to match the specific fasteners that I need. I refuse to consider any tool that sticks me with proprietary bits with a limited selection. I can go to the hardware store and come home with bits to drive just about any fastener with my Multitaskers.

I noticed that the lock up on the knife blade has improved on my Series 2X. It wasn’t bad on the Series 2, it is just better on the 2X. It locks up earlier which gives more room to for wear.

The 3/32” punch is a great addition. It sits on a threaded post that is compatible with the cleaning cable of the Otis cleaning kits. The punch is perfect for detail stripping a GLOCK, pushing a stubborn take-down pin, coaxing a popped primer out of the fire control group, or any other number of tasks. I rarely used the pick attachment that came on the Series 2.

The pouch is bulky (it has to be to carry what is a large tool by multi-tool standards) and because of that, I never use the MOLLE attachment strap. The size is a bit awkward in that is too wide for the single strap that it has and not quite wide enough for 2 straps. I just toss the whole thing in my bag or leave the pouch at home. Original SOE Gear makes a replacement pouch that is an improvement.

Wrap Up

The Multitasker Series 2X feels bigger and stronger than the Series 2 and that is really saying something. The pouch isn’t anything to write home about and users with small hands may have issues getting their hand around the new, larger grip, but overall I like the improvements. The punch is infinitely more useful to me than the pick. The new teeth on the pliers are more versatile and the other tweaks here and there generally make this a more useful tool to me than the original.

Check out MultitaskerTools.com or buy one at TacStrike.com or Brownells.com.

Review: Low-Pro Products Modular Vertical Grip and Picatinny Hand Stop

By Matt on January 11, 2013 in Guns, Reviews, Tactical Gear

We recently reviewed a couple light mounts from Low-Pro Products and found them to be excellent. In this review, we put the spotlight on the Low-Pro Products Modular Vertical Grip and Picatinny Hand Stop.

Overview

The Low-Pro Products Modular Vertical Grip is two, two, two vertical grips in one! It is a full size vertical that can convert to a “stubby” vertical grip by unscrewing a section of the grip. The rail grabber is tightened via a thumb nut and the grip’s water-tight storage compartment cap can be used as a wrench to tighten (or loosen) the thumb nut. The built in wrench is a very clever feature. The Low-Pro Products Modular Vertical Grip weighs 6.7 ounces in full-size configuration and 4.3 ounces in stubby configuration.

The Low-Pro Products Picatinny Hand Stop has a very straight forward design. It is a short tab that curls forward (toward the muzzle) slightly and has very well chamfered corners. It attaches to the rail via a single hex nut. The Low-Pro Products Picatinny Hand Stop weighs .75 ounces.

Both the Hand Stop and Vertical Grip are machined from aluminum and hard anodized for durability. The hand stop will be familiar to many as the same design that was offered by Danger Close Consulting previously (see our Low-Pro Products Light Mount Review for more info on the relationship between the two companies). The Vertical Grip is an all new design.

Observations from Use

The Low-Pro Product Picatinny Hand Stop works very well for those who want something to pull against with their support hand but do not need a vertical grip. It is compact, lightweight, and comfortable to use thanks to the heavily chamfered corners. It can be used while oriented in either direction but I find that the design obviously favors being placed with the “hook” facing forward. In the opposite orientation, the leading edge of the rail interface presents a somewhat sharp edge that isn’t as comfortable to pull against.

Hand stops are best suited to those who push their support hand further out on the handguard. I like using a hand stop when I can because they weigh less than vertical grips and they get in the way less when you are shooting off a rest or barrier.

The Low-Pro Modular Vertical Grip mounts easily and solidly due in part to the wrench that is integrated into the storage cap. I found the wrench to be extremely useful for turning the thumb nut a quarter turn past hand tight and then removing it later. The built in wrench isn’t a sexy feature but it is an extremely smart one. You may find that some rail covers prevent you from getting the wrench fully onto the thumb nut but the cutout in the wrench is deep enough to still provide good purchase in most cases.

The Modular Vertical Grip has a front and back though it looks like it could be oriented either way at first glance. The front edge of the rail interface is more rounded and fits the hand better than the back. This is an extremely comfortable vertical grip for me to use as a right handed shooter. I think it would be a better grip if both the front and rear were shaped like the front so that left handed users could reverse the grip to avoid contact with the thumb nut.

You can store 3 CR123 batteries in the Modular Vertical Grip when the full size section is installed and 1 when it is in stubby configuration. The full size section of the grip is covered with large o-rings that provide great grip and the storage compartments are sealed with large o-rings as well. The threads that seal the storage compartments and connect the grip sections together is massive and very smooth. This is one tough vertical grip.

It would be great if Low-Pro Products offered this grip without the full size grip section in a stubby only configuration. Many users will have no use for the full size grip but it is comfortable in both configurations. I find it to be very comfortable with a thumb forward or thumb break type grip in stubby configuration.

Wrap Up

Low-Pro Products continues to impress me with their quality and the smart features that they incorporate into their gear. In some ways, these aren’t too different from any other vertical grip or hand stop but, if you appreciate the little things, there is a lot to like about them. If you spend some time with these Low-Pro Products, it becomes pretty obvious that they bubbled out of the clever mind of a skilled machinist.

Check out the Low-Pro Products and AMS Machine website. Their products are currently available at Grey Group Training.

Review: SexyWeapon Hydro-Coating

By Matt on January 9, 2013 in Reviews, Tactical Gear

Several months ago, I was sent a set of A-TACS hydro-coated AR-15 furniture by SexyWeapon with instructions to use it for a while and then share my experiences with how well the coating held up. I installed everything on a new Dissipator style carbine that I built for a potential article since I knew I would be using it a lot. Now, just short of 1000 rounds later, I have a better idea of how these coatings will hold up with typical range use.

This is what the furniture looked like when it was brand new.

More on Hydro-Coating

Hydro-coating is called hydro-coating because a special film that contains the desired pattern is floated on top of water. The part that is being coated can them be passed through the film, transferring the film to the part. It sounds easy but…

We have all seen hydro-coating that is just poorly executed. You can usually spot it a mile away because the coating is flaking of in chunks and the coated surface is left shiny which indicates that there is likely no clear coat over the hydro-coating. If you want the coating to hold up well, it takes work, and work is something that not everyone is willing to do.

The bottom of the grip shows some wear all the way down to the black plastic.

SexyWeapon starts by choosing the best color of the furniture that they will be coating to work well with the pattern that they are applying. Ideally, they want to minimize how obvious it is when the coating does wear off because, like all coatings, it will wear off eventually. This means they start with black for dark patterns like their Reaper pattern and something like FDE for their more brown patterns like A-TACS AU. My sample parts are A-TACS AU coated over black furniture. Due to this, the wear shown is more dramatic than it typically would be but it was helpful to me in my review so that I could highlight the wear.

The next step is prepping the surface. SexyWeapon preps with a solid color coating that, like the color of the furniture itself, is chosen to compliment the hydro-coating. This base coat is important in that will play a large role in how the final hydro-coating appears. If you try to put A-TACS AU over a green background, the pattern will have a green tinge to it. The color pallets in modern camo patterns are chosen very carefully. SexyWeapon does their best to make sure their coatings are rendered as faithfully as possible and that starts with a proper base coat.

Wear can be seen along the high spots on the hand guards. Like any coating, the “corners” seem to wear first.

Once the furniture color is chosen and the surface is prepped with a solid color coating, SexyWeapon dips the part to minimize the presence of seams in the coating. The goal is to have as much uninterrupted camo as possible and for the seams to end up in places where they will most be unnoticed.

The final step is one of the keys to the durability and good looks of the SexyWeapon parts. They apply a clear coat using a technique that gives the part a non-glare matte finish. There is no shine whatsoever (at first – more on this later) and the parts are left with a fine, pebbled texture that is fairly grippy.

Observations from Use

My main goal in using this furniture was to see how the coating held up to typical and some non-typical use. I wanted to observe how the wear progressed through the various coatings in additional to how well the entire product holds up over time.

The leading edge of the stock shows wear from being rubbed by the charging handle. The oily finger print is courtesy of me. It is not in the coating.

I found the coating to have better wear resistance than spray paint and similar wear resistance to DuraCoat. That should give you some frame of reference for how durable the coating is. You will eventually start to wear it off, but it will be very localized and less noticeable thanks to the upfront diligence of SexyWeapon.

The wear seems to progress through stages over time. First, you will notice that some higher traffic areas wear smooth but they never really become as obnoxiously shiny as low quality coatings. It is more of a dull luster that you can feel more than you can see. Next, the coating starts to wear away so that the base coat shows through. This only happened on my sample furniture in places where there is fairly frequent contact with something hard like my wedding ring on the vertical grip or the charging handle on the leading edge of the stock. Finally, I did manage to wear through the base coating in the places that receive the most abuse like the bottom of the magazine where it contacts the ground when using it as a mono-pod.

Keep in mind that my carbine gets unpacked at the range, used, and then packed up again. If your typical usage involves something different, the wear patterns may be different. I suspect that bouncing around in the trunk of a cop car or being carried on long foot patrols will accelerate the wear considerably. Also, all of the parts that I tested were plastic and I am not sure if the durability would be the same on metal parts.

The wear is most dramatic on the bottom of the magazine where it contact the ground when being used as a mono-pod.

One thing that you may need to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to purchase coated parts is how the coatings will affect the fit of all the various parts. For instance, the coated Magpul MOE Hand Guards are marginally harder to install than not coated ones. Those three extra layers of coating (base, hydro-coating, clear coat) can make a noticeable difference. This is especially true if you know that the magazine well on your carbine is tight. If it is, you may find that magazines don’t drop free. In my case, the magazine that SexyWeapon provided for the test was double coated and it would not drop free (I was told about this before I ever received the parts). However, this should be a non-issue with in spec lowers and single coated magazines.

This magazine was double coated so a normal one is likely to show more wear from being inserted and removed from the magazine well.

Wrap Up

I found that the hydro-coated parts from SexyWeapon were of very good quality – better than what you typically see. SexyWeapon gets the details right and it shows in how well their coatings hold up to use.

Check out their ever growing lineup of coated parts SexyWeapon.com.

Disclosure: SexyWeapon provided these parts to me, free of charge, for review.

I installed an IWC QD Micro MOUNT-N-SLOT in the hand guard. The coating did not chip or crack when drilled.

The leading edge of the vertical grip is worn from constant contact with my wedding ring.

Review: Blue Force Gear SPLITminus

By Matt on January 4, 2013 in Reviews, Tactical Gear

It seems that people are often slow to accept lightweight gear because there is a perception that as weight decreases, durability decreases along with it. The Blue Force Gear MOLLEminus concept is challenging that preconceived notion. The chest rigs that they make, utilizing their MOLLEminus technology, the RACKminus and the new SPLITminus, show that it is possible to make gear that is lighter and stronger than most traditionally manufactured gear with modern materials and clever application of technology.

In this review, I’ll take a look at the newer of the two MOLLEminus chest rigs – the SPLITminus.

Overview

At its simplest, the SPLITminus is a MOLLE compatible, split-front chest rig. A MOLLE compatible, split-front chest rig is nothing revolutionary, but a MOLLE compatible, split-front chest rig that weighs only 250 grams is almost certainly revolutionary.

While some companies make their gear more durable by adding material, seams, and various reinforcements, the Blue Force Gear MOLLEminus concept makes gear stronger by removing material, stitches, and reducing the need for reinforcements. The main body of the SPLITminus consists of only 2 pieces of fabric – one for the left side of the split-front design and one for the right.

The body of the SPLITminus and the shoulder straps are made from a proprietary material called ULTRAcomp. It feels similar to materials you might know like Hypalon, but ULTRAcomp also has a thin layer of nylon fabric laminated to one side. This laminated layer allows BFG to produce ULTRAcomp in various colors and camo prints. This material is the key to the light weight but high durability of the MOLLEminus concept. Rather than sewing webbing to the chest rig to serve as the attachment grid, BFG laser cuts the ULTRAcomp with a series of slots and voids to create a matrix that will accept any MOLLE pouch.

The shoulder harness is in the “H” configuration. The shoulder straps are also cut from ULTRAcomp with a series of voids that allow the attachment of single column MOLLE pouches or routing of comm wires or hydration tubes. The ULTRAcomp is backed with mesh to allow the harness to breathe.

Observations from Use

As with any split-front chest rig, the SPLITminus is extremely easy to don and doff. You just pull it on and off like a vest. Some users also like to unbuckle the front of a split-front chest rig if they are going prone for extended periods.

You can’t help but be impressed with a chest rig that has a total of 12 columns and 3 rows of MOLLE real estate but only 10 bar tacks on the body of the chest rig. That is the extent of the sewing that is necessary in the construction of this rig. These stitches are all limited to where the body of the chest rig is attached to the split-front buckles or the shoulder harness. No stitches are needed to create the MOLLE grid. A similar, traditionally constructed chest rig would have at least 52 bar tacks and/or seams just to create the MOLLE fields and join the rig to its harness and buckles. That doesn’t even take into account for the fact that a similar rig would likely need other stitching to construct the backing for attaching the MOLLE fields. Amazing.

The ULTRAcomp material itself is ridiculously hard to tear and BFG is careful to use rounded cuts on all slots and voids to avoid creating a stress point. If you think of every stitch is a potential failure point, then the MOLLEminus chest rigs are potentially some of the most failure resistant gear ever made. The properties of the material coupled with the construction method should make this an extremely durable chest rig. Of course, only time (and lots of it) will be the true judge of this.

The ULTRAcomp material’s backing has a rubberized texture to it and I was concerned that it wouldn’t breathe well. However, I found that with all the voids and air space in the SPLITminus (even with pouches installed), it breathes at least as well, if not better, than a traditionally constructed chest rig.

The SPLITminus’ harness is very well executed. It is hard to appreciate until you have some weight on the rig. In fact, the SPLITminus is so lightweight that it feels strange when unloaded. The harness is comfortable and the ULTRAcomp over mesh construction allows it to breathe well and offer a lot of functionality (MOLLE compatible, tube and wire routing). It is not adjustable for width and does seem run a bit wider than some harness so those with narrow shoulders may want to try one before buying.

The comfortable harness and split-front design play a large part in how well the SPLITminus scales up or down. I tried the rig in various configurations that ranged from fairly slick to more of a heavier load-bearing type setup. I tried it first with just 2 Ten-Speed Double M4 Mag Pouches and a Ten-Speed Double Pistol Mag Pouch. This set up was nearly flat when empty and weighed only 386 grams (0.85 pounds). Then, I tried with 4 Helium Whisper Double M4 Mag Pouches and a Helium Whisper Trauma Kit NOW!. This set up allowed the SPLITminus to carry a total of 8 mags and a well-organized trauma kit and weighs only 672 grams (1.48 pounds). The SPLITminus felt fine with either set up.

I should say that the very flexible SPLITminus in combination with the very flexible MOLLE straps on the BFG pouches with the Helium Whisper backing can make attaching the pouches to the SPLITminus very tedious. It isn’t that it’s hard to do. It’s just that it seems to take forever. This is a worthwhile trade-off for the light weight of the entire system.

I can’t help but wonder what is next for BFG’s MOLLEminus concept. I would love to see something like a cummerbund for their LMAC or maybe even a somewhat universal cummerbund that could be fit to other plate carriers. Now that BFG has released the RACKminus and SPLITminus, I would love to see the MICROminus (I won’t even charge royalties for the name) – a compact chest rig with just 6 or 9 columns of MOLLE real estate and the ability to integrate into plate carriers like the RACKminus. These are just the obvious ideas. I can’t imagine all of the cool stuff that BFG will come up with.

Wrap Up

The SPLITminus isn’t just another split-front chest rig. I think it may be a crystal ball that lets us peer into the future. Lighter gear is only better if it is also durable enough to get the job done. Blue Force Gear has managed to make their gear lighter and theoretically more durable than traditionally constructed gear.

Check out BlueForceGear.com

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