equipment | the things worth believing in

October 18, 2012

AR buffers and what they mean to you

Posted by tgace under weapons | Tags: carbine, equipment, weapons |
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Another interesting topic for the AR-phile is that of buffer weight. The buffer is a counterweight that works with the buffer spring to absorb the recoiling bolt assembly and then push it back into battery. It can be seen in this video in the area of the guns stock:

The buffer comes in different weight classifications and lengths. The buffer for a carbine is shorter than that of a full sized rifle. Buffers typically come in CARBINE/H/H2 and RIFLE sizes from lightest to heaviest.

Why should I care about buffer weights? Well… hotter loads and shorter barrels with shorter gas tubes result in greater operating pressures. This means that the bolt assembly is cycled faster. Sometimes it can cycle so fast that the bolt out-speeds the spring in the magazine that is trying to push the next bullet up into the chamber. This can be a big problem in automatic fire. The result is mis-feeds (or no feed at all) and more wear and tear on the guns parts.

A heaver buffer slows the system down and increases “lock time”, which is the amount of time between when the round is fired and when the bolt begins to move rearward. This aids in extraction of the spent case and the heavier counterweight can reduce felt recoil. The following vid is for comparison:

One has to be careful that he/she doesn’t go too heavy though, because then the bolt carrier may not move back far enough to strip the next round from the magazine. It may also not lock back on empty or cause other timing issues.

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May 30, 2012

DIY Glock Stipple Job

Posted by tgace under equipment, weapons | Tags: equipment, weapons |
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While the Glock Company likes to use the word “Perfection” when it refers to its product, the one criticism many make about their pistols is the fact that the grips can get a bit slick/slippery with sweaty (or God forbid bloody) hands.

A small cottage industry has sprung up selling tapes and coatings to address this issue. Another option is a DIY Stippling Job you can do yourself if you have the nerve. All you need is a soldering iron (got mine from Radio Shack for $8) and a marker.

Use the marker to draw out the areas you want to add texture to and then start stippling with the iron. There are different textures you can create with different soldering iron tips. I used a simple point tip to make a “cats tongue” type texture.

All you need is some patience and a steady hand.

Granted, it’s not the perfect “look” you would get with a commercial job, but it works and it’s cheap. Besides, there’s something “mean and functional” to the DIY look anyways.

May 28, 2012

re-purposed go bag

Posted by tgace under equipment | Tags: equipment, gear |
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I recently acquired a 5.11 Tactical Active Shooter Bail Out Bag at a Tactical Officers Conference (gotta LOVE conference SWAG and this was a good one). 5.11′s description of the bag is:

Designed for the Active Shooter Response Teams, the 5.11 Bail Out Bag features tough 1050D nylon body fabric construction that delivers extreme versatility. While staying close to the body, the Bail Out Bag provides users with easy access to all its compartments while still being compact enough to deploy from a vehicle. The Front Mag pockets hold up to 6 AR magazines with the side utility pocket designed with web platforms. You can rest assured that the 5.11 Bail Out Bag will have all the room you need for easy deployment.

While I’m not in a job position where I would be deploying an active shooter bag, I recently packed it as a range bag for a day of training:

I managed to pack the following stuff into this bag:

7- Ar magazines. The exterior pockets are designed to hold 2 mags apiece, but you can manage 3 in a pinch.
Shot Timer
Bottles of Oil and Solvent
Ear Muffs (inside)
2 Cleaning kit bags
Zip Lock bag w/bore snake and 2 cleaning cloths
staple gun
100 rnds .40 S&W
150 rnds .223
A second pair of muffs and gloves clipped to the shoulder strap

So far, so good. It looks like this bag has found a new purpose.

May 17, 2012

EDC-Every Day Carry

Posted by tgace under equipment | Tags: equipment, gear |
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Everyday Carry, or EDC, refers to the small items or gadgets worn, carried, or made easily available. Its the stuff you habitually have on or about you on a daily basis.

It’s becoming popular in the various trade and gun-porn rags to photograph your accouterments…I wasn’t really going to do a blog post on it, but just the other day I saw all my “stuff” on deck awaiting application and decided to take a photo of it.

The only things missing that I generally have on me at all times are my wallet, watch and the Surefire G2 that rides in my fleece/shell/jacket pocket.

And yes that is a Fobus holster..refer to the following post before educating me about it.

http://tgace.com/2010/01/25/on-pistols-and-holsters/

May 15, 2012

TacStrike Steel Target

Posted by tgace under equipment, evaluations, weapons | Tags: carbine, equipment, firearms, gear, training, weapon training |
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A few months ago I decided to upgrade my range toys with a stationary steel target. What I wanted was something I could leave out permanently..at least over the summer/fall..instead of having to hump a plate steel gong downrange every-time I go out shooting.

After a little research I went with a 12″ x 12″ 3/4″ thick AR450 plate from TacStrike. It was in my budget range and was advertised as a “leave it out” target…exactly what I was looking for.

It took a few weeks to get it, but Rob at TacStrike was upfront with his production timeline and kept in contact with me via e-mail to assure me my item was on the way. On arrival my target looked like this:

This bad boy is HEAVY and is designed to be driven into the ground. I wanted to have the target closer to COM height so I drilled some holes in the angle iron stake and bolted it to a piece of 4″ X 4″ fence post:

Last Friday I finally had an opportunity to take it out to the range. I drove a steel fence post spike into the ground at an angle and mounted the post. I then had at it from about 75 yards:

Firing 55 gr Hornady FMJBT over 26.3 gr of W748, this target simply DESTROYED the projectiles, and because of the target angle (a little steeper than I really wanted…but Oh Well) all of the debris went right to the foot of the post:

If there’s any “wish” about this target I would make, it’s that I wish it would “ring” a bit louder. The rounds are so completely pulverized that many of them just make a flat “THWACK!!!” when they hit. But I believe that’s simply a fact of physics vs anything to do with the target.

All in all I’m very happy with this item. I only wish I had more ammo to burn. If you are looking for some steel give the folks over at TacStrike a look.

April 28, 2012

pinned ya!

Posted by tgace under equipment, weapons | Tags: carbine, equipment, firearms, gear, weapons |
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As anyone familiar with the AR platform knows, the rifle is composed of two units known as the upper and lower receivers. These components are held together by two pins known as the pivot pin, which is the pin closest to the muzzle, and the takedown pin, which is the one nearest the buttstock . These pins are held open and closed by sets of pins and springs and are designed so as to easily and quickly separate the receivers for cleaning and maintenance.

On my AR I noticed that the takedown pin was not “snapping” closed. When pushed out, the detent pin was positively securing the pin in the open position but not doing so in the closed position. I started to find that it was working out during long strings of fire. Not good.

I tried drilling the detent on the pin in a little deeper (and marred it a bit in the process) to see if it would help…no dice.

Now this could be for a few reasons. Maybe my lower receiver was out of spec and the detent/spring opening wasn’t drilled in the right spot. Or perhaps the takedown pin was manufactured out of spec.

My options were; buy a new lower, but that seemed foolish as it works fine otherwise, get a replacement pin and gamble that it was the pin’s fault, maybe put in an Accu-wedge and see if the added pressure between receivers would be enough to hold the pin in place or maybe try out one of the various locking pins on the market.

I went with the KNS Precision Push Button Takedown Pin. Made of steel with a black oxide finish, the pin is designed so that when the button is pushed the small “keeper pins” on the end can retract for insertion. When the button is released, the small keeper pins hold the pin in place.

Cons:

I did my research and a number of users complain that this pin has a couple of drawbacks. One..it’s not “captive”, which means that the pin has to be entirely removed. The original pin was retained by the detent pin/spring and couldn’t be entirely removed from the receiver and possibly lost.

Another complaint was that it was a two hand process to remove the pin. To get it out you have to press on both sides of the pin at the same time. One finger has to push the button to release the keeper pins while the other has to press on the opposite side simultaneously to push the pin out. I did it smoothly the first time. Sure..it’s not as easy as the original, but I din’t think it was a big hassle.

So…problem solved. I think it was the ideal solution for my issue and it looks kind of cool.

December 31, 2011

first aid gear

Posted by tgace under equipment | Tags: equipment, gear |
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I’m in the process of setting up a new vest/plate carrier and part of it includes assembling a “blow out” or first aid kit. One of the first components I have received is an “Israeli Bandage”.

Developed by a former IDF combat medic named Bernard Nar-Natan, and brought to the market in 1998, these bandages are a leap from the old fabric bandages the Army issued to soldiers back when I went through basic training.

December 21, 2011

on my holiday wish list…

Posted by tgace under equipment, weapons | Tags: equipment, gear, weapon training |
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I may very well be getting one of these after the holiday’s when I get one of my checks from work.

The folks over at TacStrike make some nice steel target systems. I’ve been itching to put up some permanent targets instead of hauling them in and out every time I go shooting.

Maybe you will catch some video of me shooting one up of these soon.

November 29, 2011

Product Evaluation: Hornady 75 gr. BTHP Match from Ammo.net

Posted by tgace under equipment, evaluations, weapons | Tags: Ammunition, equipment, firearms |
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Not too long ago I received an offer from Mr. Jacobs of Ammo.net to evaluate a couple boxes of Hornady 75 gr. BTHP Match .223.

Ammo.net is an online ammunition supplier that offers a wide range of calibers and brands. What sets Ammo.net apart is that they let you decide what “pro-freedom” organization you would like a percentage of your order to be donated to. These organizations range from Blue Star Families to the NRA to Soldiers Angels. If you are in the market for some ammo give them a look.

The Round:

Hornady 75gr Match uses Hornady’s 75 grain BTHP “T1” bullet without a cannelure, a short cut extruded powder, traditional brass case with a head stamp of “Hornady 223.Rem” and a small rifle primer. The cases are boxer primed with no apparent crimp or sealing (nice for reloaders).

The case neck is crimped, which puts a faint crease in the bullet. In my opinion a crimp is a necessity in a magazine fed, auto-loading rifle like the M4, where striking the feed lips could possibly force the bullet deeper into the case or knock it out of center.

The Range:

For my range evaluation I used the only .223 I own, a M4 carbine with a 16″ BCM mid-length barrel. The optic I used was an un-magnified EO Tech 512.

50 yards:

As I use a 50 yard zero, the first test I did was at that distance, the results were:

The smallest group was 1/2″ and the largest came in at 1-1/16″.

I’m confident that if I had more skill and/or a magnified optic I could easily have made them one hole groups. Even from the sandbag, that 1 MOA dot was a bit tough to be sure I was getting back to my exact POA. Perhaps my 40-something year old eyes are not what they used to be either.

100 Yards:

After confirming my zero at 50 yards I moved the target back to 100 and fired two 10 round groups.

PS- The target is that tiny white dot just over the center top of the chronograph.

Both groups were 3″ at the widest. At 100 yards I expected to shoot 1.5″ to 2″ high and the center of my groups were right in that neighborhood.

Again…remember that results here are how this ammo shot for me, at my skill level and through an un-magnified red-dot sight. That being said, 3-4″ at 100 yards is a head shot, so I was more than pleased with the ammunition’s performance.

Velocity:

Using a Shooting Chrony Inc. Beta Master Chronograph I measured the velocity of over 30 rounds and came to an average.

From my 16″, 1-7 twist barrel with the chronograph approximately 3′ from the muzzle I measured a top end velocity of 2576 fps, a low end measurement of 2465 fps and an average velocity of 2509 fps.

Conclusion:

In my experience, the Hornady 75 gr BTHP Match ammo appears to be a reliable, accurate round that I felt comfortable would hit whatever I was aiming at provided that I did my job from the trigger side. If you are looking for a heavier 223 round for hunting/defense it would be worth your while to take a look.

November 18, 2011

feeling bound up?

Posted by tgace under equipment, law enforcement, military, work | Tags: equipment, gear, law enforcement, military, work |
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Not like that!

Something you discover working plainclothes is that not wearing a full uniform and duty-belt presents you with a new way of looking at things. You go from wearing a rig designed to hang stuff for easy access to trying to find ways to get enough stuff on your pants belt that you can conceal without dropping trou. Most undercover options are paddle holsters or belt slides.

I wear a Safariland paddle:

For everyday work carry it serves me fine. It’s fast, secure, quick to don and doff and it rides close enough to my body to be concealable.

However, a problem arises when I have to put on a vest/plate carrier for warrant service or raids:

With a vest on, the pistol rides too high. At the best this means that you have to get your thumb between the vest and the grip to complete your draw. At the worst your vest can drop over the top of your grip:

That’s bad juju right there.

The typical solution is to get a thigh holster to wear when you execute raids. Those are fine and many guys take that route. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the thigh holster. They are notorious for sliding around your leg and winding up over your hamstring instead of where it’s supposed to be. Running with one is a @#$%* and I find that the weight just feels “unnatural” in that location.

I prefer a higher ride on my thigh holster. I like more of a “low ride belt holster”.

For my solution I purchased a Safariland Tactical Leg Shroud (Model # 6004). This is a “slick” shroud with no holster on it and only one leg strap.

The pictures below show it with my former patrol holster, a Safariland SLS, bolted to it:

The shroud was designed to carry a Taser holster, but it’s ideal for use as a “high thigh ride” or a “low belt ride” option.

Because it was designed to ride lower on the leg, you will have to work on the original a bit to get it to ride where you need it.

The only alteration I did was cut down the leg/drop strap a bit. This is accomplished by removing 3 bolts, trimming the strap to size, punching 3 new holes (use the old piece as a template) and re-bolting the strap to the shroud and the holster you choose. Any Safariland holster with the “T” shaped bolt attachments on it should attach to the shroud without a problem.

The one thigh strap on this shroud works ideally in this application where the normal thigh holster with its two straps (to secure the weight on a longer drop strap) would prevent you from hanging the rig high enough. I have seen some people take a hack saw to their commercial thigh rigs to reshape the shroud and remove the top leg strap. I find this solution much less labor intensive and

I found this one on ebay for under $50.