Operator’s Choice #2: Weapon Light
July 27th, 2009 | Cordon & Review | Posted by Rob Curtis
We’ve all heard it; You can’t hit what you can’t see. Sounds catchy, but it’s not true. You can put a lucky round in a fleeting, backlit target before you can accurately identify it. How do you know it’s not a friendly? Better to flood a shadowy recess with a momentary blaze of light to look for bad guys. Superbright rail-mounted LEDs with remote switches allow rapid identification of a target without affecting your weapon grip or readiness.
What they said: “During close-quarters battle, most buildings will have limited visibility inside, even during the day. A white-light illuminator, combined with the proper training, allows the war fighter the ability to maneuver on the enemy and rapidly engage the threats accurately. The white light illuminator should be mounted on a weapon with a pressure pad or momentary type switch allowing the operator to activate the light only when necessary without changing his normal grip on the weapon.”
Operator Favorite: Surefire M600C Scout Light ($425)
The Scout Light is the lightest (3.5 oz) and most compact rail-mount light available in its brightness range. It’s a simple, single-brightness LED light that will light up a target at 150 meters while still providing good peripheral light. It runs on two CR123s for two hours, which is typically a few weeks downrange. Surefire’s modular system of heads and bodies means you can replace the KX2C LED head for an incandescent head if you need white light with the capability to use an IR filter.
Also mentioned: Surefire G2 ($40)
The inexpensive polymer-body light can be weapon-mounted with a separate rail mount and is compatible with many Surefire heads and switches.
Operator’s Choice #3: IR Pointer
July 26th, 2009 | Cordon & Review | Posted by Rob Curtis
U.S. troops do their best work at night, thanks to formidable low-light tech that lets you see our enemies before they can see you. Night-vision goggles by themselves are a PIA to use with optical sights. An IR pointer lets you ID and aim in through NVGs and engage targets in total darkness.
What they said: “Makes hitting the target at any range in complete black a possibility without compromising your position.”
Operator Favorite: Insight Technology ATPIAL $N/A (Go through your unit’s supply chain for this one)-
The Advanced Target Pointer, Illuminator, Aiming Light AN/PEQ-15 delivers a visible laser pointer along with an IR pointer and IR illuminator that makes a deadly combo when used with NVGs. We heard that the IR pointer can be defocused and used to light up and ID targets hundreds of meters away under NVGs. The visible laser is slaved to the IR to make it easier to sight in. It runs from a CR123 for 6+ hours and, best of all, it’s about half the size of the older AN/PEQ-2.
Operator’s Choice #4: Extended Rail
July 25th, 2009 | Cordon & Review | Posted by Rob Curtis
The 1913 Picatinny rail is the defacto mounting system since devices can be quickly and solidly attached or removed using cam levers or thumbscrews. Items are indexed using set spacing on the rail, and most items will retain a zero after remounting. Early handguards were short and rail-less, meaning you needed expensive custom mounts for front-mounted accessories. Later came a short bolt on rails that gave a common mounting system and more real estate, but the rails were clamped around the barrel and that affected accuracy.
Recent rail systems are longer and free floating, meaning they attach to the barrel nut instead of the barrel. This single point of contact means no matter how many gizmos you mount on your heater, the weight won’t cause any barrel deflection or point-of-impact shift when shooting with a supported handguard. New alloys mean the guards can extend the usable area of a handguard considerably without effecting weight, stability or heat transfer performance.
What they said: “A free-floating handguard improves accuracy by isolating the barrel from external pressure. It provides a solid mounting platform for other accessories, keeps the front end light and feels more like a rifle than a giant Lego brick.”
Operator Favorite: JP/VTAC Modular Handguard ($175)
Ditch the cheesegrater and use all that space on your extended handguard to actually hold your carbine instead of a foregrip. The tubular handguard with user-mounted rail sections mean you mount small sections of rail where you want your devices and leave the rest light and clean.
Also mentioned:
Daniel Defense RIS II ($400)- One of the few free-float rail systems that offers a removable bottom rail that allows the mounting of an M203.
LaRue Tactical ($250-$300)- LaRue is a traditional-style handguard with a pin-indexed barrel nut and rails that hug the barrel for a lower profile.
Operator’s Choice #5 Sling
July 24th, 2009 | Cordon & Review | Posted by Rob Curtis
Too many service members consider a sling an afterthought, not really part of the primary weapon. But our operators told us a good two- or one-point sling can have a profound effect on the effective use of your carbine. Modern military operations call for an adaptable sling that accommodates fast roping and climbing while allowing quick and effective weapon presentation. No way this is going to happen with a Vietnam-era three-point sling.
One-point slings are popular because they keep your primary at the ready and allow lightning-fast transitions to your pistol. Adjustable two-point slings give you the ability to present quickly while making it easy to sling a rifle across your back and snug it down for climbing or fast-roping.
What they said: “As everyone knows, if you are moving with a single-point sling and don’t have at least one hand on the carbine, eventually you will catch a hot barrel in the legs or groin — and try climbing a rope or wall and see what kind of circus that turns into. The three-point sling is the best-kept secret in spec ops, and the secret is that it sucks.”
Operator Favorite:
Both the VTAC Sling ($35-$41) and the Blue Force Gear VCAS ($45-$105) were popular in our survey. Both two-point slings come from operational experience gleaned while working behind the fence at Ft. Bragg. The major difference is the adjustment system. The VTAC has a loose tail that you pull to tighten and a stout, spring-loaded buckle tab you pull to loosen. The VTAC is designed to snug up during engagements to make a more stable shooting platform. The VCAS has no loose tail and uses a custom sliding buckle on a loop to gather or loosen the sling. Both slings offer a balance of adjustability and simplicity that have proven equally popular across SOCOM.
Operator’s Choice #6 Trigger
July 23rd, 2009 | Cordon & Review | Posted by Rob Curtis
When it comes right down to it, a shooters most intimate point of contact is the trigger. So it makes sense that some of our participants tossed the stock-heavy GI triggers and installed precision two-stage jobs that enhance the feel and accuracy of their weapon. Two-stage means you pull through the first stage up to the break point, then snap through to fire. Upgraded trigger groups provide a more consistent and predictable break, but some aftermarket triggers are too light — great on the range but dangerous in combat. Do your homework on this one.
What they said:
- “Geissele SSA trigger, the best there is. Non-adjustable, drop it [in] to enhance hit probability, especially in the mid-range under stress.”
- “Most factory triggers are not that good out of the box. No one makes a better, more reliable trigger group than Geissele. They hold their products to exacting standards.”
Operator Favorite: Geissele SSF ($250)
Hard to find and harder to pronounce (Guys-Lee), this is a drop-in, two-stage trigger with no adjustment. The pull is set at the factory and remains constant for the life of the trigger. The SSF is designed for combat and has been praised for its simplicity and durability. The SSA ($175) is the non-select fire version of the drop-in trigger .
Operators Choice #7 Back Up Iron Sights
July 22nd, 2009 | Cordon & Review | Posted by Rob Curtis
Although you can find photos of cracked, shot and crushed Aimpoints and EOTechs that refused to die, one day those iron sights are going to save your butt. There’s only one trait to consider here: Reliability. The rear sight will likely be folded obediently beneath your optic until you really need it. At that point you want it to flip up without extra button-pressing or knob-twisting. You also want it to be able to hold a zero and not pop up when it’s not needed. Same goes for the front, but some guys roll with a non-folding front sight so they can aim over the top of their optic for really close fights.
What they said: “If your primary sight uses batteries, eventually it will have an electrical problem. I hope that when it happens, it’s not when you’re fighting for your life. But if it is, BUIs and training will hopefully allow you to prevail.”
Operator Favorite: Troy Folding BattleSight set ($250)
Troy was widely chosen as the backup iron sights of choice. They stay closed until needed and flip up easily with no controls. Folding requires a hefty button press so they won’t fold until you want them to. Once they are open, it’s going to take a 1000 lb accident to shear the cross bolt holding the sight up.
Made from aluminum and stainless steel, they should last as long as your rifle. Mount them on a Picatinny rail, use a bullet tip to adjust in .5 MOA clicks and know they are there when you need them.
Operators Choice #8 Mags
July 21st, 2009 | Cordon & Review | Posted by Rob Curtis
Crappy magazines are one of the largest source of stoppages in combat rifles. Some guys swear by standard USGI mags and others won’t let anything but polymer in the mag well. The USGI mag is simple, but the alloy construction leaves the feed lips susceptible to damage from a drop or long-term wear. Once the lips bend out, it’s double-feed city. But they’re metal and they’ve been around forever. The other camp points to the reliability of the polymer mag, with feed lips that won’t bend out of shape and that keeps those rounds feeding smoothly.
What they said: “I shot over 40,000 rounds of carbine last year and the PMAG never once gave me an issue. I did absolutely nothing to maintain them.”
Operator Favorite: PMAG/MagLevel PMAG ($14.95/$17.95)
PMAGs were the only mags that our respondents brought up. At least three things distinguish the PMAG from the USGI mag: The polymer construction is tough. They’ve been dropped and driven over and still continue to feed smoothly. The unique self-leveling follower keeps things trucking upward inside the mag. The MagLevel version shows you how many rounds you or your battle buddy have left with a quick glance at the orange level indicator on the mag’s side.
This Frog May Keep You From Getting Fragged
April 3rd, 2009 | Photo Recon Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
The $75 215 Gear Frog Zero retention lanyard has been designed by a Navy Seal as a simple, fast and overbuilt device to keep operators from falling from helicopters. It uses a trick shackle, called ‘Frog’ by its Italian maker, that automatically snaps in by just jamming it straight into the anchor point. With 2 internal gates, the shackle is as secure as using two opposing carabineers but way faster.
I could have wasted twenty minutes trying to explain how the shackle works in writing. Instead, I asked Bryan Smith, one of our awesome graphic artists, to waste five hours of his time building the cool animation you see above. Hit the play button to watch the frog internals move. Pinching the two lower legs primes the frog. As soon as it makes contact with a bar, it snaps closed around it. Pinch the lower legs again and pull to release.
With the Frog shackle rated to hold more than 6000 lbs., the break strength comes down to the stitching on the nylon webbing. 215 Gear uses eight 42 stitch bar tacks at either end of the shock-corded 1 inch tubular webbing equaling a total holding strength of 4000 lbs.
A.R.I.E.S. Suppressor System Pushes R.O.E. Envelope
February 12th, 2009 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
The suppressor and carbon-fiber fetishists at Shooter Depot have reduced the size and complexity of their large and complex A.R.I.E.S. system. The new 5.5-inch, 2-component can is 1.25 inches shorter than the original 3-piece setup after integrating the inner module with a threaded end cap.
The Advanced Rifle Integral External Suppressor (A.R.I.E.S.) system’s claim to fame is that it has no effect on the bullet’s point of impact and actually helps tighten shot groups. The system uses a carbon-fiber fore-end tube that mounts the suppressor out in front of the muzzle instead of threading onto it. This places no weight on the end of the barrel.
More deets and a photo gallery after the break.
Read the rest of this entry »
Granite Tactial Gear Wins With CHIEF Patrol
February 6th, 2009 | Contracts Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
Knowing that nothing sells to the military like an impressive string of letters, the folks at Granite Gear came up with a new pack that is as sturdy as its acronym. The Composite Hybrid Interchangeable Ergonomic Framesheet (C.H.I.E.F.) uses a 3D-molded framesheet with three distinct zones of flexibility. That sounds good, but what counts is what happens when the designers load it with 100 pounds and toss it off a 35-foot railroad trestle onto the ground to test it out.
Nothing happened.
In order to win the patrol-pack portion of the SOCOM BALCS competition, the 5500-cube Chief Patrol was designed to weigh in under 7 pounds while carrying up to 90-plus pounds comfortably while in body armor. Some testing lead to the tweaking of the harness connection point, the addition of an ITW Nexis Snapdragon break-away sternum-strap connector and the direction of the zippers. The pack also sports removable shoulder-strap padding that gives soldiers better flexibility while wearing body armor. It also rides surprisingly low for a pack this large, allowing decent helmet clearance while standing or prone. It also has an internal radio pocket, a bottom-exiting hydration port arrangement, top-mounted haul loops and offers top or front access. Pricing isn’t fixed yet but should be under $500 when they are available in late fall, 2009.
More pics of the Chief Patrol and a peek at the new Bloc Solid Compression Bags after the break.