Category Archives: Gear

Gear, Weapons

Must Have Upgrades to your AR

27 Comments

Everyone is now getting into the AR Platform.  Either in the .308 size, which we can call the Heavy, and the AR-15’s classic .223/5.56mm size, which we will just call it an “AR”.    We’ve seen people from all walks of life coming in and buying their first AR type rifle.  They’ll come in and look at all the variety and it can be bewildering.  Really when you ask the guy at a well stocked gun counter to look at an AR, that’s like saying you want to look at a “Truck”.  It really doesn’t help the guy – or you – out at all.  Tell him what kind of an AR you want.  “Varminting”.  “Tactical”.  “Basic”.  Give the guy something to work with.   He wants to help you get what you want.  It can be frustrating and a huge waste of time if he hands you a dozen different AR’s and you say no to everything because your wasting his time letting him show you Tactical configurations when you are wanting a Varminting type rifle.  I’ve heard at another gun store the clerk getting fed up and saying “Why don’t you come back when you know what you want?”  That’s a failure from both parties if that happens.  You are the customer, you have the money, you have the control here… so try to guide that clerk and help him.  Most Gun Counters are staffed with guys that either don’t know any more than you do about guns and are just Helpful Sales Staff, or they are dedicated Gunnies that don’t have those Sales Skills.   Very few Gun Stores are staffed with Guys that know how to help a customer and know their way around Firearms.

So you get that cool AR that you want.  What do you need with it?  We can start at the front or back, where do you want to go first?  Front?  Okay…  At the Muzzle, most AR’s are coming with a standard Flash Hider.  This is a device that defuses the muzzle flash and reduces the light that is emitted when you shoot at night.  This is a good thing on a military gun.  Not all that helpful on most AR’s though.  But it looks “MilSpec”.  Many milspec looking flash hiders will help reduce muzzle climb a bit, but mostly they just make the gun louder and “Look Cool”.  There are a lot of different options out there, but I like to go with a Compensator or Muzzle Brake type device.  This is going to redirect the muzzle blast in such a way as to pull the rifle forward for the net result that you feel less recoil.  This is going help you keep your sights on target.   On a tactical gun, where you are buzzing off multiple shots, it helps you keep all those rounds in the kill zone.  On a Varminter, it lets you keep your target in your scope so you can see your hit, even at long range or if your scope is at high magnification.   Either style gun you go with, this is a good thing.

For this, I suggest a BATTLECOMP unit.  They are compact, light, simple, and is designed by a NASA Engineer.  You know those guys… they used Rocket Powered Sky Cranes to lower a Robot down to the surface of Mars.  What more pedigree do you need when it comes to expertise in Vectored Thrust?

Moving back into the action, the heart of the rifle is BCG.  The Bolt Carrier Group.  Really it isn’t so much who’s BCG you use, but how you treat it.  The very best thing you can use for your BCG, is SLIPSTREAM.  Here is a very long thread about Slipstream with lots of people’s impressions after using it.  You can order it from Amazon.com, and if you throw in a couple UPRISING books, then you’ll even get that Free Shipping.  There you go.  What makes Slipstream an Essential addition to the gun is that it makes that BCG so slick, that it increases reliability in all conditions.  Especially in extreme conditions such as with heat and dirt.   You can use it just like a regular oil, and use it generously.  The more you use it, eventually the less you’ll need as the nano particles will embed and become permanent.

Under the BCG is the trigger mechanism, again, Slipstream, but under that is the pistol grip.  Most AR’s are coming with the standard A2 Pistol Grip.  This grip is one of the very worst ever conceived by man. Or in this case, conceived by a very effeminate she-man with tiny girly hands that drinks while holding a pinky up.  This grip should not be on any AR of any type, no matter what.  Ever.  The grip is a more personal thing here.  I can’t tell you specifically which one to get.  But get one.   Magpul has two out, the MOE and the MIAD.  And now there is a rubber coated MOE version as well, so I guess three.  Get the MIAD if you are going to bother.  You can set it up to fit you best.  There is also the ERGO grip, which I like.  And the Hogue grip, which is also a very good grip.  Other companies out there are making grips, and there are some good ones.  Tapco, Mako, US Palm, Tango Down, etc… pic one and get rid of that crappy A2 grip.

Up on top of the gun, you need sights.  Depending on your configuration, you may need a set of Iron Sights for the front and rear.  If that’s the case, the set to get is from Diamondhead.  If you are going to run just irons on a gun that doesn’t come with them, these really are the only option.  But a set of Diamondheads even as a back up is absolutely the way to go.  Don’t think that if you are going to use Irons as a backup to your Optic, that you can cheap out on them.  If you are in a situation where you really need your Back Up Sights – you probably are going to want some accuracy with them as this is probably a very critical situation.  Don’t cheap out here and get the cheap Magpul flip ups… Popular and Good are too different things.  Don’t make me mention Lady Gaga.  Yes, I just said that the Magpul flip up sights are the Lady Gaga of rifle sights.  We don’t like plastic sights on our Glocks, why would we actually want them on our Rifles?  MapPuls are good because they are cheap and light, and that’s it.  They are place holders until you get your Diamondheads.   The Diamonheads are excellent because they actually let you be more precise with your Sight Alignment.  This means better accuracy.  Tighter groups.  And I think they even help you get that sight picture a little faster than standard Peep Sights.

Red Dot or Magnified Optic?  For a simple low cost Red Dot, there is only one option worth spending your money on.  Lucid HD7.  You can pick them up for 200 bucks, and it’s money very well spent.  If you can’t afford the Lucid, don’t buy something cheaper to hold you over… just save your money and run Iron Sights for awhile.  That will get you your Lucid quicker.  If you want something higher end, there are the optics from EOTech and Aimpoint.  Which ever one you like the best is fine.  The Military uses both for a reason.  Tough and Reliable.  Going up from that, there is Trijicon.  They have the SRS which I am quite fond of.  Up from this, we can look at the magnified optics, and again, Trijicon is the Cat’s Meow.  Higher end than that, and you have Elcan, which we at Crusader Weaponry put on our Broadsword rifle for Demo purposes.
Then there are the 1-4 variables.  Burris makes a few good ones.  They make some half decent fixed 3 or 5 power units, but I really like their 1-4’s… but the one to get is Trijicon if you can splurge for it. Really, which optic to pick really comes down to what kind of shooting your are doing, your eyes, and your style.  This is a more personal option here.

The stock.  There is nothing wrong with the standard A2 or M4 style stocks.  But the Magpul MOE and CTR stocks are becoming very common now days.  And adjustable stock can be a good thing, but too many guys are stroking their buffer tubes like a 14 year old boy with a playboy.  Don’t do that.  Set it to a length that fits you and leave it the hell alone until you have a reason to adjust it.  It’s not a toy.  It’s a freaking Rifle Stock.  If you are spending time playing with your stock, you are wasting time that could be better spent, I don’t know… reloading magazines or sharpening your Becker BK9 Combat Bowie knife.
Some stocks have storage compartments.  These should only be for 1 thing.  Batteries for your Optic.  Don’t keep anything else in there.  Everything else can be kept in your pack or vest or LBE, glove box, wherever.  But not on your gun.  I’m not even sure I like storage at all on my AR’s anymore.
My choice for a stock?  Just a basic Magpul MOE stock is good.  It looks sharp, it’s light, and it’s simple.

What do you guys think are Essentials for an AR.

Gear

An interesting Stock

7 Comments

You gotta be careful with all the aftermarket crap out there. A Safe bet is MagPul, their stuff is always pretty dang good. One company that I think is really Hit or Miss, is Mako. These are the cats bringing in stuff from FAB Defense… Israeli made stuff. None of it’s bad, it’s just that I don’t really care for a lot of it, but they do make some stuff that I really like. Such as some of their Vertical Foregrips. I also like the fact that they put a Rubber pad on their stocks. Not they AR weapons need a rubber recoil pad, but that it keeps the gun from slipping on the shoulder, or when your just trying to stand it up against something. Non-Slip has it’s advantages. Well, the other day we got in some of these new GL-MAG stocks. I put a couple of them on some Combo AR’s I put together and several of us tried it out. The concept is simple… The stock holds a spare mag. It comes with a nice little 10 round mag, but I’d rather keep a 20 rounder in there of a more reliable make… but there it is. A second mag well to keep some emergency rounds at hand.

Gotta love Double Tapper. Great guy. I like how he demonstrates the mag changes. But notice how the 10 round mag about disappears in that grip funnel on his mag well? This is a case where the 20 rounder would be ideal.
It seems to be a good solid M4 stock alternative and retails for about 110 bucks. I like it. It’s more functional that the Magpul stocks, that’s for sure.

Gear, Uncategorized

Nice Purse.

22 Comments

Wife and I stopped at SMITH’s the other night. I noticed a guy wearing a “Tactical Bag”. Didn’t think much of it. I watched this guy walk around, purse over his shoulder. He’d talk on his phone, put it back in. Take out a widget, do something with it, then put it back in his purse, while pushing a shopping cart just like all the other women in the store.
This biker dude walks up to the ManPurse Packer and I just happened to be within earshot, as I was selecting bacon and the Purse Man was checking out the Sausages.
“Nice Purse.” The Biker said.
“It’s not a purse!” The Purse Guy said, indignantly. “It’s a Maximum Expedition Tactical Load bearing Assault Recon Bag!”
“Yeah? Well whatever the hell you call it, it’s still a fucking brown purse, bitch.” Then he walked away.
I was trying not to laugh as the Purse Guy just stood there stammering like his whole world was crushed. I picked up the bacon I wanted and walked past him heading out of the damage zone. He looked at me and saw that I was still trying not to laugh.
“It’s not a purse.” He said, defiantly.
I kept walking but said over my shoulder, “None of my business, pal. Whatever makes you feel butch.”
I saw the guy yesterday. He didn’t have the big with him.

Gear

Packing my Glock 22

7 Comments

Last couple days I have been packing my Glock 22.  This is the $200 dollar Rescue Glock that I saved and rebuilt.  I have to say that it’s becoming one of my favorite handguns.  The chop-job I gave it, cutting it down to G23 size was a big help.  The stippling job also helped.  It fits remarkably well in my hand. 
But I think what makes it carry so well though… is the holster.
Jason from Consealment Solutions put a rig together for me that I just love.
I was going to write up a review here… but it wouldn’t to it justice.  I’m going to have to show you.  Video Review is coming.

Gear

Nexus 7 Update

3 Comments

So the Droid developers just pushed an OS update for the Nexus 7 Tablet. From 4.1.1 to the shiny new 4.1.2. All that I’ve seen different is that I can go “Landscape” at the desktop screen. They have said that it contains some minor bug fixes as well. But the download was over 31 Megs worth. That seems to be a rather substantial download to go Landscape and fix a few bugs.
But something did happen there under the hood.  This new Jelly Bean seems to be a bit quicker than before and it seems to be a bit better on the battery.  It has taken what was a good little Tablet, and made it better.

Now that I’ve been using the Nexus 7 for awhile now, what are my impressions?  Well, it could use a few key features for the next version.  A Memory Card Slot would be slick.  User Replaceable batteries is another.  Or the option of getting an Extended battery would be great too.  I like the size, but I’d happily have it twice as thick if it had more battery run time.  As it is, the battery life is great.  I can go 2 or 3 days with normal use or all day if I’m pounding it.

It can do a lot of things.  Email, WordPress, Tapatalk, all your normal Droid features.  Mainly it’s a Communication Appliance for me.  But what makes it especially handy for me is that I can connect it to a Blue Tooth Keyboard and then use if for actual writing.  Like what I’m doing with it right now.  When done, it goes into the Tank Bag and the Nexus rides in a Pelican Case, in the Tank Bag as well.  Not a full sized backpack like my Laptop has to ride in.  I really like that bit.  Being a Motorcyclist, size is everything to me.  And this little 7″ unit is about perfect.  It’s big enough to read magazines on it just fine, while not being obnoxious like some other tablets I’ve seen.  It has a very good Wireless system and gets a better Wireless system than several tablets that I’ve seen.

I’ve found the Nexus to be very useful and I like it.  It’s not a Laptop Replacement, but it handles many of my computing needs.

Gear, Military, Weapons

Trunk Monkeys

7 Comments

I’m concerned about Trunk Monkeys right now.  The term comes from the funny videos on YouTube, just go there and look it up.  It’s amusing.  But what’s not so funny is the job of Rear Security and the guys that have to pull this slot.  They are called “Trunk Monkeys”.  This is not an easy job to pull if you get tasked for it.  Reason being, you get told to be the Trunk Monkey, you jump into the back on an SUV and it’s pretty much up to you to make the best of it.

Trunk Monkey in Nepal.
Detail in Israel.

You can see these Trunk Monkeys are in the back with gear, tools, an unsecured spare tire…  No safety, no protection.  These Trunk Monkeys are hanging it out on the line more than anyone else in the detail.

Looking Cool is a Priority in the US Secret Service. Note how everyone is looking at the photographer who is about 2 second from getting lit up.

This is one of the most famous Trunk Monkey photos out there, as this one is US Secret Service.  I’m not giving anything away as this one has been out there for years now.

Now, of the Trunk Monkey is lucky, he’ll at least have a seat or something.  But again, very little protection for the Agent in the back.

This is how you make the best of the situation… With a really big freaking gun.

This guy has a seat and a weapon mount to help him do his job better.  Maybe a seatbelt, and some upgraded body armor…. but again, the protection is minimum his movement in the vehicle is minimum. The fronts of the vehicles are protected with bullet resistant glass.  The backs?  Not so much, and especially not if the rear window is opened.

I’d like to see an armor plate on that weapon mount.  Something to help deflect some incoming fire..  I’d like to see a swiveling seat on a slider so the Trunk Monkey and can move side to side to better engage and avoid threats.

Gear

AGV K4 Explorer

1 Comment

I’ve gone through a few helmets in the last couple years.  Some of the changes were necessary due to impacts, others because of fit issues.  I have a very “Oval” shaped head.  It’s more Lycan than Human.  So most helmets just don’t fit right.

HJC:   These lids are starters, nothing I’d go back to.  It fit fine at first, then after it started breaking in it got loose.  It was loud, poorly vented, and heavy.   But it was cheap.

Scorpion:  Very Good fit and finish.  I like it.  Mine was the EXO-400, one of Scorps lower cost lids, but it was great helmet all the way around and I’d not hesitate to get another one.  But the 400 was shaped more oval and the higher end Scorps are more round, so they wouldn’t quite fit me.  Which is too bad, because I really like them.

Bell:  Great venting.  Light.  Killer looks.  I really liked this helmet save for two things.  Loud as hell and it was crushing my awesome roman nose.  Mine was the Vortex Siege helmet.  If you are in a hot location, and have a normal shaped head, this is an awesome lid.  Just wear your Ear Buds, Ear Plugs, or if you are completely deaf you’ll be fine.  See, the lid as some exhaust vents  right behind your ears.  So what happens is as you get moving, drag behind the helmet creates a vacuum and it pulls air through the intakes and out the exhaust ports, creating the sound of a hurricane inside your head.  But it moved a lot of air and kept me cool through the hottest part of a High Utah Summer.  The constant nose smashing however drove me nuts and I had to get something different.

AGV:  Valentino Rossi can’t be wrong.  The Gear Geeks at Revzilla turned me on to AGV for the head shape, so I checked out the K4 selection.  This is an upgrade over the classic K3 lid, so it’s more aerodynamic in shape, quieter, lighter, better fit… This bucket has everything I wanted.  The graphics I picked are the “Explorer” pattern with an old school compass… which spoke to me.  It reminds me of why I ride.  It’s not for the sheer speed (That I do enjoy) but for the freedom to get out and Experience The Ride.  Adventure Riders have a slogan, “Ride The World”.  And that’s what I want to do.  Get out there and see it… be there… take it in.  It’s a beautiful thing.

My next helmet?  Well, my next lid is going to be a Dual Sport type helmet, sporting that long sun visor, which I have found would be a good thing.  Smoked shield.  Longer shape.  I’m thinking the Icon Variant helmet.  Icon is known for crazy graphics, but the one I like is called “Battlescar” which is basically no finish, just the fiber from construction, some sealant, and a clear rubberized coating over that.  It looks badass.  It’s not just about the looks though, it’s one of the few Dual Sport helmets that has a visor that doesn’t create lift when you are at speed (80 MPH for example) so I can ride it on my Sport Tourer or my Enduro.

Gear

AR-15, Ergo Grip

10 Comments

On my Facebook page, I have a picture of me hold my AR-15 rifle.  Here it is:

The most common question that I’ve been getting isn’t about the gun, the sights, the sling or stock… or the “Man, looks like you lost some weight!”  No, the question has been hitting me up the most is about the pistol grip.    Yes, it’s a simple hardened rubber grip from Ergo Grip.   Nothing fancy.  No storage in the hollow cavity.  Just a simple grip.

“But why?”

Because I like it.  I don’t need my pistol grip to be a Modular System.  I don’t need it to do anything.  I just want a good feeling pistol grip to hold on to when I’m shooting my rifle.  Because that’s what it’s for. No, it’s not MagPul and I know MP now has a new Rubber Coated MOE grip… and its fine.  I just like the Ergo better.  And it’s 10 bucks less.

This also comes as a change of ideology with me.  I used to be a big fan of “On Gun Storage” for things like spare batteries and maybe a small bottle of gun oil.  (Not that I need it since I use Slipstream) or maybe even a spare firing pin or whatever.  I’m not anymore.  Most guys like me, Gear Whores, will wear more than enough pouches and bags and even pouches for bags… that we can carry more than enough stuff so we don’t have to put it in our gun so we don’t lose it.  I’m at the point now where I don’t want anything on my gun that I don’t absolutely have to have.  If the batteries are not connected to anything vital, I don’t want them in my gun.  That goes for other spare parts.  I can keep that stuff in a pouch and leave my gun lighter and easier to use.  Especially if I’m rocking a Single Point Sling.  I don’t need the extra weight cutting into my neck.

Back to the grip.  The main reason I’m not using a standard A1 style pistol grip is that they are too small for my hands.  When I grab the grip, my finger goes all the way around the trigger and I can touch the receiver.  I need more space at the backstrap to put my finger tip on the trigger where I want it.  The Ergo grip does just that and feels good in the hand.  I can shoot more comfortably with it in different positions, because it feels like I have better control of the weapon.  This is what it’s all about.