Review | Military Times GearScout

Law Tactical Folding Stock

By: Stickman

23-05-2012

Law Tactical has designed a folding stock for the M4/ M16 family of weapons, which includes both 5.56 and .308 calibers. Additionally, the folding mechanism works with fixed (A1/A2), as well as the more typical adjustable carbine stocks in both mil spec and commercial sizes.

This product is NOT designed to allow operation of the weapon with the stock folded. If you think about the main action spring (buffer spring) and buffer, there is no way to rob the basic principles of how the weapon works through a simple stock redesign. With that out of the way, what the Law Tactical folding stock adapter DOES give you a much smaller overall package to transport. The stock deploys outward quickly, and locks solidly into position with ease and is held in place with spring pressure. This ensures you won’t be fumbling with gloves on, or from unusual positions. To fold the stock, there is a small latch which is depressed, and it is minute enough where I see no way to press it accidentally. Vehicle, concealed and low visibility ops, as well as transport on airframes are a few of the immediate thoughts which come to mind, but I’m sure as we get into the field usage of the Law Tactical equipped carbine we will have a better understand of its uses and applications.

Consider this a first look as we have no rounds range with this yet, and have only had it for one day. Once we get a chance to beat on it and shoot it a bunch, we’ll post up with the new info through the eyes of a few different LEO/ MIL, and let you know what we think.

http://www.lawtactical.com/

Seekins Precision Billet Upper

By: Stickman

14-05-2012

Review

The AR15 and M4 series of weapons are a lot like building blocks for adults. The modular nature of the weapon system makes it very easy to swap out parts, or assemble your own. In the same way most tuners don’t want their cars looking like the rest of the crowds rides, many AR15 builders are looking for something different, yet functional. Enter Seekins Precision, with some new takes on AR15 components. Seekins Precision is known to many people as an OEM source for other manufacturers, however, they also have their own line up of weapons and parts.

Below is the Seekins Precision Upper Receiver. You can tell right away that it stands out a bit from your issued M4 upper, with the Seekins having reinforced sides and unusual lines. The Seekins Precision upper is cut from billet aluminum, and the reinforcements are present to aid in structural rigidity. One might ask what an increase in rigidity brings, and the theoretical answer is a possible increase in accuracy. While it makes sense that an upper receiver with flex or increased vibrations could diminish accuracy, I’ve never been able to find a test in where an upper receiver has made a proven accuracy difference. What is easy to see, is that the clean lines of the Seekins Precision upper are very well machined. The edges are all free of nicks, there are no burrs on the threads, there are no tool or chatter marks, and the 1913 rail is smooth and even. This is more than I can say for many of the standard forged upper receivers I’ve seen.

You might be wondering what the entry fee is to something which makes your AR15 stand out a bit, and as with most items created in smaller numbers, the cost is indeed a bit higher. Figure a standard forged upper will run you $120-130, and the Seekins puts another $100 on top of that. Is it worth it? Only you can make that decision, but if you are looking for a billet upper, the quality on this makes it worth a good look.

Element Case Vapor Pro – Metrotactical protection for your iPhone.

By: Rob Curtis

09-05-2012

Product Announcement, Review

[UPDATE 5/16/12: Element tells us they have another run of the Vapor Pro Tactical lined up for this summer.]

Element Case’s Vapor Pro Tactical is a limited edition case for the iPhone4/s owner that appreciates nice things. I hate huge, clunky phone cases. The iPhone4 is a sleek mini tablet that goes in and out of my back pocket about a million times a day. I don’t want something bulking it up. I’ve been dressing my phone in a Magpul iPhone case because it’s pretty slim, offers enough protection, comes on and off easily and is inexpensive.

And, I was happy with it.

‘Till I saw the Vapor Comp.

Sure, a polymer case works. But, what about a metal case? Oh, metal, how I love your smooth and solid feel. For something that’s in and out of my hand so often (don’t say it) the Vapor Pro is a luxury to be appreciated. Add an understated camo pattern and the American made Vapor Pro becomes hard to deny. Element Case put together a limited edition series of Vapor Pro (and the less expensive Vapor Comp) with hydro-dipped desert, urban and arctic digi-camo patterns making them the hands-down, most high-fivingly exceptional father’s day gift imaginable for the tacti-geek.

Exclusive Review: Leupold Mark 6 1-6x20mm Riflescope

By: Rob Curtis

08-05-2012

Review

Ever since the Leupold Mark8 1.1-8x24mm CQBSS hit the battlefield, shooters have lusted after the versatility presented in that optic. Running one platform that can take you from room clearing to headshots at 600m+ is the siren call of the carbine. But CQBSS’s $4,000 price tag left plenty of us outside the store with our noses to the glass.

Then we saw the Leupold Mark 6 1-6 x 20 at SHOT Show this year. It’s slightly smaller and lighter than the CQBSS but provides 70 percent of its cousin’s capability at half the price. Its 1-6 magnification is optimal for close and intermediate distance engagements. This makes it ideal for combat carbines, both light and heavy. The zoom range, size and weight of the Mark 6 is going to have the growing number of 3-gun competition shooters salivating.

Leupold lent us the first unit off the production line for a review, a month ahead of anyone else. So, while other outlets are getting the first chance to put Round One downrange this week, we’re giving you a full-on field evaluation after weeks of testing.

SETUP:
GearScout contributor, heavy carbine SME and SOCOM veteran, John McPhee and I had the Mark 6 for three weeks and ran 2,750 rounds with it during several range sessions on the east and west coasts. The 2,590 rounds of 55gr and 77gr 5.56mm and 160 rounds of M118lr .308 gave us a good chance to see how the optic could run switching between my 16” Mega Arms/Daniel Defense 5.56mm carbine and John’s 16” .308 KAC SASS Carbine.

Initial thoughts on the Smith and Wesson M&P Shield

By: Stickman

30-04-2012

Initial Review, Review

With about 150 rounds through the Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm Shield, and a few days carrying in a new Praetor holster, we’ve had enough time to give our first impressions. The 9mm M&P Shield is similar to the rest of the M&P lineup, meaning it has a polymer frame, Melonite treated slide and barrel, and a striker fired action. The Shield comes standard with a non-ambi safety, which is small and well shielded which is nice as this compact pistol is likely to spent its life in a concealment holster tucked in close to the body. While we don’t feel a personal need for the safety, it’s nice to see it is positioned well enough on the frame to be difficult to accidentally engage. The pistol comes a both a 7-round and an 8-round magazine; the 8-round magazine is extended slightly to give the shooter a better handhold. The extended magazine is shown inserted into the weapon in the below images as it is the configuration we carried.

Click the picture to jump ahead to the shooting portion of our overview.

Samson Evolution Series 9-EX” Rail

By: Stickman

12-03-2012

Product Announcement, Review

Samson MFG has been manufacturing sights, rails and accessories for the AR15 family of weapons for years, but the Samson Evolution rail series seems to stand out from its siblings. Starting with the rail itself, the Evo 9-EX is a 9.2 ounce tube style rail made of 6010 Aluminum which extends past the front sight base (FSB) of a midlength gas system and secures itself via anti-rotation tabs and thermal bushings which lock on the stock barrel nut. Installation of the rail is easy, and the video shown below walks you through the entire process. The other option is to use it on a carbine gas system barrel like we did above, and drop on a folding front sight block to fill the space. The cut out rail section also allows for piston systems to be used, such as the Adams Arms piston kits.

With a MSRP of $185, this one piece free float tubular rail is priced in the middle of the pack while keeping its quality high. If you are looking for a tubular rail, check these out, or at least check out all the pictures and the install video by clicking the below picture and jumping to the rest of the article.

Benelli Light Attachment Mount (BLAM) From Corps Technology Group

By: Stickman

08-03-2012

Product Announcement, Review

The BLAM, Benelli Light Attachment, is a laser cut, black oxide coated steel fixture that serves as both a sling point and a light mount for the M1, and M4/ M1014. BLAM can be configured for left or right handed shooters, and uses a polymer 1913 section which can be replaced if needed.

A sling and a light are pretty straight forward equipment on most long guns, and its hard to take shotguns or rifles serious if they are lacking these basic provisions. What the BLAM does is to offer a light weight and low profile solution to these two items. For this review I mounted several different Surefire lights (X300, single and two cell Scouts), an Insight XTI Procyon, and a light from Inforce. Using my thumb to activate the light, I found the angled push switch of the Inforce light extremely simple and easy to use. The rocker switches of the Surefire lights worked well as they could be pressed directly in with the thumb, and the Scout lights worked nicely with their direct push button tailcaps. The rocker switch of the Insight XTI Procyon worked, but not as well as the others, though the light has worked well in other applications for me. I did not use a pressure switch with the BLAM as I don’t use pressure switches on my duty weapons, though I see no reason why they wouldn’t work if that is your preference.

Click the picture to jump to the rest of the review.

Echo Niner Camera Strap

By: Stickman

05-03-2012

Hasty Review, Off-Duty, Review

When a friend asked if I had an interest in one of the Echo Niner Camera Straps, I was all over it. The Echo Niner strap is to a camera what a sling is to a weapon, its an important piece that does more than just support gear, it makes the gear easier to work with. If you think your Sgt. is disgusted if your M4 hits the deck, think about how worked up someone will get when their $2k camera slams to the deck. A lot of people reading this may be using a basic point and shoot camera, and this sling isn’t for them. For the guys/ gals using a DSLR, this strap makes perfect sense, especially if they are also firearm shooters.

The Echo Niner strap is made of 1.25″ nylon webbing and uses a rubberized coating to prevent the sling from slipping around. The strap adjusts like a weapon sling, and can be tightened or loosened with a quick pull, which is nice for those times you need to use both hands and don’t need your camera flopping around hitting things. MilSpec 550 cord is used to secure the sling to the camera body through the usual fastening points, which also allows you to swap the sling back and forth between camera bodies, though at the price of $32 for tan and black ($35 for Sexycam/Multicam) it may be worth it just to pick up one for each camera body you are using. The Echo Niner camera strap might not have layers of padding, but for most cameras it is going to work quite well. In fact, its new home is on my Canon 7D, where you can see it below.

Click the picture to jump ahead for information from the manufacturer.

Triple Aught Design (TAD) Ranger Hoodie Long Term Review

By: Stickman

02-03-2012

Photo Recon, Review

This is a wrap up to our earlier review of the Triple Aught Design Ranger Hoodie. Our first look was back in October of 2011, and the TAD Ranger Hoodie has seen a lot of use, with quite a few people, and in all sorts of venues. The extended time with the Hoodie allowed us to really find the pros and cons. With a few hundred hours of use, lets get right into it.

The foundation of most clothing items is a triad of material, design, and construction. Click the below picture to jump into the rest of the review.

300BLK Ammo and Upper Receiver Group Testing Update

By: Stickman

01-03-2012

Hasty Review, Review

We mentioned awhile back that we would be doing a 2,000 test of the PNW ARMS 300 BLK 155 HPBT ammunition. I’ve received a few email asking if the review was completed, and how the ammunition did. Its a good new and good news answer, which is nice because you may have noticed there is no bad news with this. We have fired 500 rounds so far, and we have had no problems of any kind. Why the hold up on the rest of the ammo? Simple, we are getting ready to do a much more involved overview of the 300BLK, and along with ammunition, we are going to be showcasing 300BLK upper receivers from multiple manufacturers.

Our goal with the 300BLK upper receiver group (URG) reviews is to put 500 rounds through each, and give feedback based on multiple shooters. Our shooter pool consists of MIL, RET MIL, SWAT, Firearm Instructors, and working grunt LEO. While I don’t consider 500 rounds to be an extreme test by any stretch, I have found from teaching classes and decades of shooting experience that most weapon issues will develop within the first several hundred rounds.

We will start showing the weapons that will be used in the testing shortly, and will do a complete review at the end once we have rounds through them.

This image is sized @ 1200×800 and suitable for desktop wallpaper use if you are so inclined.

Law Tactical Folding Stock

Seekins Precision Billet Upper

Element Case Vapor Pro – Metrotactical protection for your iPhone.

Exclusive Review: Leupold Mark 6 1-6x20mm Riflescope

Initial thoughts on the Smith and Wesson M&P Shield

Samson Evolution Series 9-EX” Rail

Benelli Light Attachment Mount (BLAM) From Corps Technology Group

Echo Niner Camera Strap

Triple Aught Design (TAD) Ranger Hoodie Long Term Review

300BLK Ammo and Upper Receiver Group Testing Update

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