Noveske and Strider Knives are collaborating to produce a knife designed by John Noveske. This full tang knife will be ground from CPM S30V and has a 5.5″ clip point blade. It features removable, textured G-10 hand scales and a saw back. I expect that this knife will sell out quickly so, if you want one, you better be at Noveske.com on Monday, June 15th, 9:00am PST. MSRP is $475.
Times Have Changed: Why You Might Actually Want to Try a 7.5″ 5.56 AR-15 Build
I have been shooting AR-15s for years now and apart from the mild cool factor, I have never really considered owning an AR-15 chambered in 5.56x45mm with a 7.5″ barrel. In fact, you could say that I thought they were a bit silly. Times changes and so do opinions.
It is true that just about any other common AR-15 chambering is a better performer than 5.56/.223 in such short barrels. That includes 6.8SPC, 300BLK, and even the 9mm Luger (in some ways like noise and flash but not necessarily in terminal ballistics). If you want to build a super-short AR-15 and your budget allows, go ahead and take on a new caliber. If your budget doesn’t allow or you just don’t want to take on a new caliber, there are a five reasons that super short 5.56 chambered guns may finally be viable.
Here is how I talked myself into building one…
- Ammo – The proliferation of advanced projectiles like the Barnes TSX and some bonded bullets means that there is finally off-the-shelf ammunition that will expand at the more modest velocities produced by 7.5″ AR-15 barrels. There are new choices coming out all the time and projectile design continues to advance at an amazing rate.
- Muzzle devices – Previously, having a super short 5.56 chambered AR-15 meant throwing massive fireballs every time you pulled the trigger. That is no longer the case. Advanced flash suppressors like the AAC Blackout, White Sound Defense FOSSA 556, B.E. Meyers 249F, and others can all but eliminate the flash on these shorter barrels. This is especially true if the shooter chooses their ammo carefully. If you don’t care about flash, there are a now number of linear comps on the market that will direct some of the blast away from the shooter and some even suppress flash a bit like the Black River Tactical Covert Comp. You can even couple a blast shield with an effective flash suppressor like the Griffon Armament taper mount series or a YHM Phantom with a Simplistic Shooting Solutions Blast Shield to suppress flash AND direct concussion away from the shooter.
- Reliable barrels – There was a time when there weren’t very many 7.5″ barrel options that worked well without being grotesquely over-gassed. Noveske was pretty much the only quality option. Now, you can get high quality 7.5″ barrels from Ballistic Advantage and Aero Precision just to name two. Both use gas port specs that are on the small side and their barrels run well. You can also go with a piston set up from PWS or Adams Arms, both of which have solid reputations for reliable function. If you don’t want to build your own, Andro Corp Industries offers prebuilt 7.5″ uppers that use Ballistic Advantage barrels. I purchased mine from them and I have been very pleased so far.
- Law Tactical AR-15 Folding Stock Adapter – The moment that I finally laid hands on a Law Tactical AR-15 Folding Stock Adapter was the moment that I hoped I could make a 7.5″ AR-15 work. An AR-15 pistol equipped with a 7.5″ barrel and folding stock adapter will measure at right around 18″ long when folded. That means it can be carried in a normal backpack, tool box, messenger bag and all sorts of other places that even a 10.5″ barrel won’t fit without breaking it into its separate components. The Law Tactical Folding Stock Adapter helps turn these builds from interesting range toys to something like a concealable PDW with potentially interesting application for the private citizen.
- Advent of the AR Pistol – Finally, the advent of the AR-15 pistol has made it easier, less costly, and less risky than ever to try a 5.56 chambered AR-15 with a short barrel. You can test and tweak various ammo/muzzle device combinations before you plunk down your cash for a tax stamp… or just keep it as a pistol.
To recap, 5.56×45 is still less than ideal from a short barrel but thanks to several advancements, it may be more viable than ever.
Chase Tactical Father’s Day Sale
Father’s Day is just around the corner! Chase Tactical has kicked off their Father’s Day sale so you can save some coin on tactical gear for the dads in your life. Use Coupon Code DADROCKS for 10% OFF your entire order. Sale ends Sunday 6/15 at Midnight. Check out Chase Tactical.
Micro Visor Panel from Zulu Nylon Gear
I reviewed the Zulu Nylon Gear MOLLE Visor Panel a long, long time ago. It was a full size panel that really works best on vehicles with larger visors. Now Zulu Nylon Gear has released the Micro Visor Panel that is compact enough to fit just about any vehicle with a visor, large or small.
The Micro Visor Panel has everything that made the MOLLE Visor Panel great. That includes the very versatile Velcro/PALS/elastic grid on the front of the panel. This MOLLE compatible grid consists of normal PALS webbing in the center row, 1″ elastic loop webbing for the outer two rows, and loop Velcro in between the rows.
The back of the panel features large elastic loops and a single slip pocket which is perfect for maps or other documentation.
The Micro Visor Panel is fairly compact at 9″ x 6″ but don’t think of it is as being made just for small cars. Depending on how much stuff you want to organize, it may be all you need – even for larger vehicles. These visor panels have a lot of adjustment and it should fit in just about any size vehicle.
Check out the new Micro Visor Panel from Zulu Nylon Gear.
Triple 7 Gear Launches CORE Nano Wallet on Kickstarter
The CORE Nano Wallet from Triple 7 Gear has been officially launched on Kickstarter!
The CORE Nano Wallet does everything you want a wallet to do but with the addition of the EDC gear organization you expect from Triple 7 Gear. It has a clear window for storing ID and cash. There are credit card slots on the center panel that can hold 6-8 credit cards. The gear organization panel has a 3 elastic loops of varying size to hold pens, flashlights, multitools, knives, etc. There is also a slightly hidden, Velcro secured pocket that can be used to secure more sensitive items.
With careful selection of the items that you store in CORE Nano Wallet, you will be surprised at just how compact it can be. I have already found that several AAA battery lights fit well. Pens like the Inka, Fisher Bullet Pen, or Fisher Trekker all work well. The Exotac nanoSTRIKER fits perfectly in the smallest loop. Compact multitools or even some of the thinner Swiss Army Knives fit well too. You’ll find all kinds of gear that fits.
There are several interesting benefits for backers including one that includes a Micro SERE Kit from Vigilant Gear which happens to be a perfect fit for the CORE Nano Wallet’s secure pocket. Head over to the Kickstarter page to view a video that really dives into the details of the wallet and its intended use. You can also see the various backing rewards.