Initial Thoughts on FIREClean

So I am sure many of you have seen the review that I did about Froglube last month, one thing that I did not post was that Froglube does not work very well on NiBx BCG's. I found this out on the last trip I took out to the range. I loaded the magazine up, charged the AR and sent the first round down range. While that first round went down range the excess froglube that was on the BCG sprayed out of the upper from any opening that it could, my face was covered in it. That was the last time I will use Froglube on a NiBx BCG.

In steps FIREClean, when I had contacted them about my giveaway they sent over a little extra for me to use and review. I had been hearing and seeing a lot of great things about it, and I had been curious to try it out. So when they sent the extra bottle to me I was more than excited to try it out.

I took my BCG out of my AR and cleaned off whatever was left over from the Froglube before and gave it a nice cleaning and lube using FIREClean.

I will say this, I am extremely impressed by how well it cleaned the grime on the BCG and even helped to lighten up some of the staining that I was seeing from use. Although the BCG wasn't super dirty I still took a before and after picture of the bolt, and you can see the difference between them.

The NiBx was slick before but now it slides out of my hand if I'm not gripping it tight enough. When installed in the upper it glides really smooth.

I am really looking forward to getting some range time and run a few hundred rounds down range and see how easy it is to clean the rifle up afterwards. Once I have done that I will post up another report on it along with before and after pictures.

90% of Households...

I am sick and tired of this push for "Universal Background Checks", every time I hear anything about it there is always mention that 90% or more of American households are in support of having universal background checks. Now hold on just a second, just a few days ago I asked on my Facebook page how many of the people following the page had been involved in these "polls" that come up with the 90% statistic, and I wasn't surprised to find out that 135 of the responses were no.

So where does this 90% of households support universal background checks come from? Well in my opinion it's a made up statistic that is being touted as "fact", because when you use the word "fact" the unenlightened tend to believe whatever follows that.

This morning I got up and checked thegunwire.com and saw that Mr. Gabby Giffords had released a video that he had made when he went in to purchase the .45 handgun, and subsequently saw the AR-15 that he was also going to purchase (which the store owner has now reversed). In this video he is trying to prove that background checks are too "easy" and that they should take longer than 5 minutes. However he is an ex-astronaut who has never been convicted of a felony, who doesn't use marijuana, and is a legal resident of the US. How long does he think a background should take? 10 days like California? He says in the video that the shelves are a little barren at the gun shop and the guys working there told him it was because of the rush on firearms, which of course he says "I don't understand why" either he is dense to what is actually happening, or he is a terrible liar, I am going with terrible liar.

Now how does making a law abiding citizen go through more stringent background checks, more red tape, and wait longer to purchase a firearm stop criminals and the mentally ill from acquiring a firearm? I mean a criminal is willing to break the law no matter what, so what is going to stop them from going out and acquiring a firearm illegally? If they are going to use it for a crime I am pretty sure they don't care about doing a background check.

These common sense gun laws like banning high capacity magazines, the assault rifle (weapons of war) ban, universal background checks, etc. are not common sense at all. Rather they are aimed to slowly dissolve the second amendment rights that we are guaranteed, effectively making it harder and harder to protect you and your family.  If the rush on guns and ammo says anything it is screaming that American's do not want gun control, yes there are some Elites out there who would have you believe that the majority of America is for gun control, and banning assault weapons and high capacity "clips", but American's are not for this.

We are still in for the fight of our lives against the legislation that is being proposed, this will not be a quick and easy fight on either side. We cannot let our guard down for one second, we must continue to pay attention, and keep letting our legislators know that we will not give another inch. If they are willing to ignore us and continue on with the push for more citizen, I mean gun control, make it clear that you you will do everything you can to vote them out the next time they are up for election.

Why I Carry

Ever since I applied and received my Concealed Carry License I have been asked why it is that I feel a need to carry a gun with me. Many times that question is followed with "There's not a whole lot of crime that happens where we are, so what makes you feel unsafe?".

My response for the longest time was "I carry because I can." and I would leave it at that. However there have been many times that I have reevaluated my reasons for carrying, and I can honestly say that I don't see a single reason not to.

The way that I see it we live in a fallen society that has lost sight of the value of a human life. Everyday we hear of how someone was attacked, wether the attacker(s) had used a gun or bare fists is besides the point. The fact is that someone wanted to either do grievous harm, or wanted something that the victim had. There are no "safe" places when you begin to realize and understand that evil exists in this world, and can at any time decide that it is your turn to be terrorized by it.

So I now answer the question "Why do you feel a need to carry a firearm?" with a question that I hope makes the person asking think long and hard, and that is "Why allow yourself to be a victim in a society that is plagued by random acts of violence?".

The fact is that we are the first responders to violence that could possibly directed at us at any moment. We can either choose to be a helpless victim when faced with the possibility of physical harm, or we can choose to take a stand and protect ourselves. I have heard it time and again from many different sources, the police cannot be there to protect you, they are only able to make it there to take a report or try and save someone's life who has already been injured. I for one want to have a fighting chance, and I want the ability to be able to protect my wife and son if anything were to ever happen. As it has been said many times before a gun levels the odds against you.

In closing I pose this question to all of you. Why do you carry a gun?

Deep Concealment Rig IWB Holster

As many of you know I recently lost my source to the awesome Kydex holsters I was having made, but I don't blame him for taking time away from making holsters because family comes first.

So I had to start searching around to see what other companies were still small, and had a short turnaround time since there were 2 new guns heading into my collection. When I put the feeler post out there that I was looking for a new holster maker you guys and gals offered up some great options and I appreciate it very much.

This holster was made by Rogers Custom Kydex Holsters, it is smaller operation but the turnaround time isn't obscenely long as it is with some of the other manufacturers out there. Also the communication is awesome every question that I had was promptly answered, this is always a major plus when working with a new company.

I decided to with the Deep Concealment Rig for my M&P Shield since I prefer to carry IWB the majority of the time, it is just easier to conceal in every season. When I had talked with RCKH and let him know what it was that I had been looking for in an IWB holster he highly suggested the DCR, and I am glad that he did.

The holster is very small but not so small that it feels inadequate to carry the Shield, it is in my opinion just the right size. There have been other IWB holsters that I have seen that were huge for such a small gun and I have never really understood why they were made that way.

The J-Hook placement and single screw attachment are perfect for me to adjust the holster to where it is the most comfortable for me to wear throughout the day. The J-Hook itself is tough and seems like it will hold up for a very long time, even with practice drawing and holstering.

The retention of the holster is perfect, the gun requires just enough pull to get it to release from the holster, not so much that it requires you to yank really hard but not so little that it "falls" out of the holster. Right now my holster is a little tight when I put the gun in it but I am sure that over time that will change a bit and it will require a little less force to go in.

The fit and finish show that there was plenty of care put into the making of the holster, there aren't any rough or sharp edges to be found. The overall attention to detail lead to a very well made holster, that is comfortable to carry and doesn't dig into your body.

Overall I am very happy with this holster so far, I will be doing a follow up review for it here in a month or so to report on how well the holster is holding up and if there are any issues that I run into. However at this point I can say that I would use Rogers Custom Kydex Holsters again when another gun makes it's way into my collection.

Remington 870 Magpul Stock

Recently I had the opportunity to pick up a Remington 870 Tactical from my not so local gun shop. When I was there I had looked at the 870 that already had the Magpul Stock and Forend, I liked the way that they both felt when holding the shotgun, however I didn't care too much for the price being $349 more than the tactical. So I skipped the 870 that was loaded with the magpul parts and stuck with the basic tactical 870.

Since I had liked the Magpul parts so much I began checking to see how much it would cost me to get them and install them myself, and after doing a little searching around I found that Amazon had the best deal on them (especially if you have Prime). To order both parts it is $135 shipped via 2 day shipping, which for the tactical 870 that I picked up would put it at a total of $485, which isn't too shabby for an extremely reliable shotgun and some awesome Magpul pieces on it.

Installing the stock:

The installation of the stock was extremely easy, I just removed the old factory stock and installed the Magpul stock. Adjusting the length of pull is simple, there is a screw on the left hand side of the stock that you remove and then pull the rubber butt plate back and out, there are 4 total "spacers" that take the L.O.P from 12.5" to 14.5". While the spacers don't blend into each other it doesn't bother me since they are only there for function.

First impressions:

I will say that my first impressions when removing the Magpul stock from the factory box were that it was solid and very well made. When compared to some other plastic/polymer stocks that I have seen at stores the Magpul is built like a tank, it has some weight to it but not so much that it is an inconvenience  or annoying. I am very pleased with the finish of the stock, and I feel that it is on par with every other Magpul item I have owned.

Range time with the stock:

Last week I had the opportunity to run out to the range a run around 50 or so shells through it with the new stock installed. Even though I need to add one more spacer to stock it still felt great, the butt pad that comes with it does a great job of absorbing the recoil. I ran a few slugs and a lot of bulk federal shells, and the amount of recoil that I felt with this Magpul stock was significantly less than what I had felt with the factory stock.

The cheek weld that I have using it with the standard front bead is perfect, but I am sure that if I toss on a rail and a red dot I will want to add one of the cheek riser setups that they offer. For now though the way that it is setup works just fine.

Shellback Tactical COBRA belts

Ok so for a long time I was using a belt that was very old and badly needed to be retired, but I always had a hard time bringing myself to spend the money on a quality belt. When I finally spent the money on one I went with OSOE's Cobra belt off of the recommendations of a few forums and reviews, I was happy with it when I got it and the quality was pretty good but not as good as some people had raved. Yea I may have gotten one that wasn't up to snuff but it just felt like it wasn't the quality I had been led to believe it would be. So I kept looking for the same style belt but from a different company, and like before I had a really hard time bringing myself to spend the money on one. Then recently AR15News.com posted that Shellback Tactical had Cobra belts in stock and there was a sale on them, so I placed my order for one.

Let me say that the shipping time from Shellback Tactical was phenomenal, from the time I placed the order to when it arrived in the mail it was a week and a half. That was more than impressive to me since many of the other sites had lead times of 3-4 weeks to make the belt and then ship it out, and if many of you are like me it's hard waiting to get new items that you ordered.

The first thing that I noticed when I removed the belt from the packaging was that the stitching was very clean, no loose fibers or ragged ends. The belt itself was much more rigid than the OSOE belt that I had and the overall construction of it just felt like it was better quality.

When wearing a holster on the belt it does great, it holds the loops of the holster tight enough to keep it from shifting yet allows me to change the position of the holster as needed without having to completely loosen the belt. When using an in waist band holster the belt keeps it in place and holds the J-Hook steady when drawing my M&P Shield.

The belt is stiff but not so overly stiff that it is uncomfortable, and honestly most of the time I don't even really notice it almost like it is just meant to be there. The original belt I ordered had impressed me so much that I sold my OSOE and ordered the SBT Cobra that comes without the D-ring.

Shellback Tactical's pricing is also extremely fair when compared to many of the other companies out there, and their shipping rates are very reasonable. Overall I am very happy with both of the belts that I own, and when it is time to replace one of them I plan on ordering another one from SBT.

Safe for now?

Today I have seen it announced on many different news sources that Harry Reid has turned down Dianne Feinstein's AWB bill, even though this is a "win" it is a small win. We are still facing multiple other bills that are written to limit our Second Amendment rights, while the Assault Weapons Ban was one of the biggest concerns that we as a community have had it was just a part of the major assault on our rights. Also as I said in a post the other day, right now they are bringing the most ridiculous and restrictive bills forward as a sort of "Shock and Awe" tactic to get the Second Amendment community up in arms and then bring forward another bill that is more of a "compromise" which will still bring more restrictions to our rights.

I have also been paying close attention to the bill that is currently waiting to be signed by the Governor of Colorado, and if there is one thing that all of the controversy there has shown me; is that many legislators believe that they know what is best for their constituents even when their constituents are telling them what they really want and know that they need. This is something that is very scary to me because it shows that there are legislators out there who are no longer afraid of the people and the power that the people have, that makes them very dangerous.

I am curious to see where this all goes from here, and what sort of compromise bill ends up being brought forward in the very near future.  As I say in every post, continue to make your voice heard and let the legislators know where you stand.

Liberal Compromise

This morning I was reading an article about how the Gun Control Measures are entering a critical period and how the next two weeks will decide wether or not much of the proposed legislation will pass. Now we all know that they brought forward the most ridiculous and most restrictive bills so there could be a compromise that would make the Republicans look like they only gave up some of our rights while the Anti-Gunners made large compromises to get the bill to pass. 

One of these outrageous bills is Schumer's (D-N.Y.) "Universal Background Check", which would effectively make any and all "transfers" of guns not done through an FFL illegal. Everything that I have been reading (which includes what I could understand from the bill itself) leads me to understand that even when I am out at the firing range with my family or friends the second that I hand one of them a gun that is mine it is a felony offense. The bill was written to be an outrageous and restrictive bill so they can find what Schumer calls the "sweet spot" of compromise to win Republican votes for his bill to expand background checks beyond licensed dealers to include sales between individuals, at gun shows and over the Internet.

There is no "sweet spot" compromise for the Second Amendment rights that we are guaranteed, and the logic that Anti-Gunners are using is that they have the right to add exemptions to it, or requirements to be able to exercise our God given right to keep and bear arms. There is a belief on their side that the Second Amendment is not "absolute" like the rest are, and it is this liberal logic that will end up destroying the entire bill of rights because they will always need another conquest to base their battle cry of protecting American citizens on.

We are standing in the middle of an ever growing assault on our rights as citizens and unless we make our voices heard we will potentially lose more of our rights because of compromise. We need to constantly contact our legislators because now is the time that the closed door and secret deals will begin to happen, and many of the legislators who are "on the fence" may tell you one thing and end up doing the other. We as a community of firearms enthusiasts need to make sure that the legislators understand, we will not settle for a compromise and if they do we will vote them out the next time they are up for election.

Smith and Wesson M&P Shield

This is by far one of my favorite concealed carry guns that I have ever owned, when I sold the first one I owned to pay for moulding to finish our flooring project I didn't realize exactly how much I would want another one in the future.

With the instant popularity that the Shield gained it was amazing that I was able to get my hands on one the first time and a miracle when I was able to get another one recently. The easy handling and feel of this pistol along with its slim design has made it an instant hot item, every shop that I had contacted told me that they had waiting lists that were over 30 people long and they were continually getting requests in for the Shield. Trying to get my hands on one at a gun show proved that you had to REALLY want one because you were guaranteed to see prices that were a mark up of $200+ over the MSRP, good ole supply and demand.

My persistence (and a good friend) paid off in my search for a Shield and once again I was a proud owner of a used M&P Shield that didn't require me to give up my first born along with my left arm.

The first thing that you notice when you pick up a Shield is that even though it is slim it feels extremely well built (kinda like a tank) while having a very comfortable balance in your hand. The controls are in a very familiar position and easy to manipulate, and even though the safety is on the very slim side I am still able to get a positive grip on it with my thumb and switch it on or off.

Takedown for field stripping is the same as any other M&P, no takedown pins or bushings to worry about.

The trigger is a large improvement over the original M&P, the gritty feeling that you would get from the older M&P and the spongy reset have been replaced by clean pull and a much more pronounced reset. It is a trigger that I felt very confident with right from the start, it's not too heavy and not too light rather for a CCW handgun it is right where I want it to be.

The only downside I feel though is the magazine capacity for the 9mm is 7 (flush magazine) and 8 (extended magazine), this is the one area that I feel you give up a little bit to have a much slimmer handgun over the majority of the other "Compact" handguns that are out there. However there are magazines available for purchase, they are a bit hard to find right now but when I do run across one I make sure to pick it up as long as I have the money to do so. Since the magazines are so small it really isn't an issue to be able to carry 2 or 3 with you as extras when carrying.

As I said at the beginning of this post, the M&P Shield has to be by far one of my favorite compact pistols that I have ever owned, I have never had an issue with concealing it because it is so slim and because it is so well balanced I have an easier time getting on target and staying on target with each subsequent shot. I highly suggest that if you are in the market for a Shield and you run across one that is at a fair price, pick it up, you won't be sorry. Plus if you decide that it's not for you there is a huge market out there and it would be very easy to sell.

Common Sense or Control?

As we begin to see more information coming out on these "common sense" gun bills, I can't help but think about the first AR that I ever built and how difficult it was to make sure that it was built just the right way.

Now when I say "just the right way", I am referring to the super restrictive laws that the state of California has put forth in an effort to deter law abiding citizens from building an AR-15. The first build I ever worked on was back in 2009, and the list of restricted manufacturers and lower models was pretty large, many of the big names were well out of my reach because they were on the "no no" list for residents to own.

Once I finally found a company that wasn't on the list I began to look at the options for the "bullet button" because God forbid that you be able to remove your magazine from your rifle to make it easier to load it up after firing off 10 rounds down range. However with the bullet button it did make it quite a bit more convenient than having to push the rear pin out and load the magazine from the top while it was permanently attached to the lower. There had been some BB's that were not allowed so you had to be careful as to which one you actually installed.

There were so many hoops to have to jump through that it made it difficult to do, yet not impossible if you really wanted to build one.

Now here we are 4 years later and as a nation we are staring down the proverbial barrel looking at laws that will be as restrictive and possibly worse than those of California. I am sure I speak for many who have left California when I say that this is completely unacceptable, the creation of laws that turn law abiding citizens into felons is complete backwards thinking. The only thing that the laws that are being proposed will do is effectively strip Law Abiding Citizens of their rights to be able to protect themselves from criminals (who could care less about any law that is created, and welcome more control of law abiding citizens).

Why is it that "common sense" laws continually strip the rights of law abiding citizens? Constantly we are told that these laws aren't about taking away our rights or our guns, yet when you actually look at the actions proposed they are doing just that. How is removing the ability of law abiding citizens to protect themselves "common sense"?

The answer is none of what is considered "common sense" holds any true logic other than the ability to effectively control those who obey the law. As I have said in previous posts make sure that your voice is heard, keeping writing emails and calling, let them know where you stand.

Where has the respect gone?

I am sure that many of you have heard that recently Dianne Feinstein let out a whopper of a statement, which in short insinuated that all veterans have PTSD (which of course she also eluded was a new phenomenon), and that they pretty much shouldn't be allowed to own firearms. Here we are just weeks later and now there are Veterans that are receiving letters telling them that they need to "justify" their ability to take care of their finances and their right to own/purchase firearms. http://www.wnd.com/2013/03/va-says-routine-is-to-threaten-vets-gun-rights/#s3akxJ1bRxTLJgEC.99

There has been plenty of talk of removing the ability to own a firearm from those who have been diagnosed with PTSD, and honestly I feel that it is all completely absurd. The fact that just one report from a Doctor could completely strip a Veteran of the rights that they fought for and were injured fighting for is a disgraceful move on this countries part.

I have been trying to wrap my head around the reasoning for removing the rights of veterans who have been diagnosed one way or another, and even just flat out saying that every veteran has PTSD. The only reasons that I can possibly come up with sound like conspiracy theories, but to think back just 10 years people would have said that trying to disarm veterans was a conspiracy theory, yet here we stand today and veterans are having to justify their rights that are guaranteed not only by the Bill of Rights but also by God.

I have seen some responses in support of removing these rights from veterans, and I can't help but think that those are the type of people that I always felt were giving me glaring looks of disdain while I was Active Duty and later working as a full time Air National Guard member.

I know that there are still plenty out there that are truly grateful for those who choose to serve this country. I myself have run across quite a few when I was still working with the Air National Guard in California, they always expressed their gratitude and me sure to shake my hand, and honestly I never really knew how to respond other than a smile, a firm handshake, and a "thank you for your support". It was never something that I expected to be recognized for, rather it was something I wanted to do because I felt called to do it.

As a veteran who didn't do it for the recognition but to fulfill the duty to this country that I felt called to do, I say that it is time to question why the rights of veterans are being infringed, why the benefits that they were told they would get are being whittled down to nearly nothing. Where has the respect for those who put themselves in harms way (some more than others), and the families of those who paid the ultimate price by laying their lives down? I don't care if you agree with the war or not, what needs to make a surge forward is the respect for the men and women who are serving or have served in the past.

Nothing more to give

With all of this crazy political grandstanding and the constant argument why American's shouldn't own AR-15's and "High Capacity" magazines, I have found myself getting wound up and sometimes angry at what we are seeing happen right before our very eyes. Nearly every day I read multiple articles declaring the AR-15 as this scary killing machine capable of committing these horrendous atrocities in our society, and how no civilian should have access to these weapons of war and high capacity killing machines. Now correct me if I am wrong but aren't all guns made to be lethal? I am pretty sure that they weren't just made to go out and shoot soda cans.

We have all of these Gun Control Advocates out there who have more political clout than they should have ever been given, and many of them say that they are for the Second Amendment but there is no need for everyday civilians to have access to weapons of war. So in their opinions they basically strip the Second Amendment down to the right to hunt, and possibly the right to own a handgun for self defense (although there are more extreme views that believe there shouldn't even be an allowance for handguns). There have been many articles that I have read where the anti-gun promoters and writers have called Gun Right Advocates ignorant, and there have been other times where I have seen a person call for the death of all NRA members (by a gun), yet nothing seems to happen to these people that have basically threatened the lives of others.

Yet every time someone writes an article that is Pro Second Amendment they are quickly berated or brushed off as being racist, extremist, or a loon. Take Mr Colion Noir for example, as soon as it was released that he would be working with the NRA the anti gun side quickly jumped onto the racist band wagon, trying to make it seem like the NRA was using a black man to get their point across. However that is anything but the truth, as a subscriber to his channel for well over a year now I can easily say that the views that he has put forth are his own.

There have been attempts to call those who believe that the Bill of Rights are inalienable rights "Absolutests", as if believing that the rights that are given to us are absolutely non-negotiable is a bad thing. We are constantly being asked to be bi-partisan and work with the Antigunners, to make some compromises so that "everyone" can be happy, but these "compromises" have always lead to more control and completely partisan on the Antigunners side.

Today I read an article on Monderno that was written by Dean from 2 Vets Arms, and it was about how there is no room for compromise when it comes to our gun rights. There have already been plenty of times in our history that gun owners have given a little only to lose a lot more. Yet where we are standing now is what I would consider to be a cliff, one that if we step off of there will be no coming back, there will be no "sunset" clauses that will allow a ban to lapse. No the Antigunners learned their lesson on that one last time, and this time they want to make it permanent.

We as gun owners have nothing left to give, there is no room to compromise on the rights that we have had bestowed upon us by God and the Bill of Rights, now is not the time to sit back and watch as history repeats itself like it has done so many times before, it is time that the line is drawn in the sand, no compromise is worth what we end up losing. I urge you to keep writing you legislators and make our voices heard, and if they go against what they have taken an oath to do vote them out the next time they are up for reelection.

Sig Sauer SP2022 Update and Sig Customer Service

So last week I took the SP2022 out along with 3 other firearms that I hadn't had the chance to take to the range yet, I had extremely high hopes for the SP2022 being that it is a Sig and Sig is known for putting out rock solid firearms. Well this trip proved to be quite different for the SP2022, but let me start off by saying that I field stripped and cleaned it just like I do with every other firearm that I buy, and I also treated and lubed it with Frog Lube.

When I first took the SP2022 out at the range I was very excited to shoot it because it reminds me very much of a polymer version of the Sig p226 that I owned when we first moved from CA to OK, I absolutely love the ergonomics and the balance of it so I knew it would be a joy to shoot. However my hopes for it were quickly dashed against the rocks and shattered, The first pull of the trigger everything worked as advertised and it was just as comfortable and controllable as I had hoped, the second pull of the trigger was mushy and wouldn't go all the way back so I tapped and racked the firearm and bang it fired again, however the next trigger pull was the same as the second. I though that maybe the mag was the problem so I dropped it out and cleared the weapon and put in the other mag that I have. Racked the slide back and bang first trigger pull did what it was supposed to, second trigger pull nothing.

I used the de-cocker to lower the hammer and started to check the firearm over to make sure that there weren't any hang ups or issues visible, that was when I realized that the slide wasn't going all the way back forward after the first shot. So I slapped the slide forward and put the target in my sights and pulled the trigger, it worked, but every single shot required that I slap the slide forward. I know that Sig's are notorious for stiff springs and wrote it off as that, but after firing well over 100 rounds through it I was still having the same issue and decided I needed to call Sig and see what they could do to help me figure out the issue.

It took a little over 15 minutes to get through to the customer service at Sig which I don't consider all that bad since I have had to wait a lot longer to talk with other companies before. The service agent on the line was more than helpful, we discussed the typical break in issues and lubrication issues of Sig and I was given the option to either take it back out to the range and see about running another 100 or so rounds through and see if it was just a break in issue, or I could send it back for the Armorer to take a look at it. With ammo as scarce and as expensive as it is right now I chose to send it back and have them fix it for me, there was absolutely no issue with doing this either Sig was more than willing to email me a prepaid shipping label to get it to them.

Overall minus the fact that the pistol was a flop directly out of the box I am still excited to get it back and get some more range time with it, the customer service at Sig Sauer was awesome and it definitely reassured me that when I receive the firearm back I can be sure that it will be working like it should or they will continue to do what's needed to make it right.

INFORCE APL (Initial Thoughts)

Last month my INFORCE APL arrived and I was extremely surprised at how light the package was, but then again with the APL only weighing in at 2.83 ounces that was to be expected. I had been reading some great reviews on these from some reviewers out there and decided that I wanted to give it a try, plus the lighter weight of the light was something that I wished my TLR-1 had.

When I first took the light out of the box I was surprised by how sturdy the body of the light was especially considering that it weighs so little. The mounting system on it is very nice, it literally makes installation a snap, no thumb screw to tighten it down just a nice firm lever.

The light is very bright (200 Lumens), yes I know there are many other lights out there that offer higher lumens but honestly if your using this for your home protection gun I see absolutely no issue with it as it will pretty well screw up your night vision if your on the receiving end. Standing in my backyard the light is more than substantial to completely light up my fence on the opposite side while also flooding the rest of the yard with light.

The two options for lighting are constant and momentary, to switch constant on all you have to do is click either switch down and remove your finger and the light will stay on until you want it off. Momentary is a pretty innovative idea in the fact that you keep your finger depressed on the switch to activate the light, and then once you remove your finger the light automatically shuts off, I have found that messing around with the INFORCE APL attached to my AR this is my favorite mode.

As far as actual sturdiness and use on a firearm I have not had the opportunity to make a run out to the range with it yet but once I do I will make sure to post a followup and range report. For around the house sturdiness I have dropped it a couple times and it doesn't show any scratches or dents, but I would definitely like to put it through a bit of a torture test in the future.

SOTA Arms Blackout Upper and Build

When I ordered my .300 Blackout upper from SOTA Arms I had originally planned to have them ship it completely built, at $379 without the BCG and charging handle I knew it was a pretty smoking deal especially with the parts being as rare as they are currently. Then after placing the order I thought more about what I wanted the upper to look like and the knurled hand guard, railed gas block, and standard A2 flash hider just weren't what I was looking for, so I contacted SOTA and asked if there was any way that they could ship the upper to me as a "parts" kit. Surprisingly I received an answer just a couple days later that it wouldn't be an issue to ship it as parts.

To my surprise when the upper got here the forward assist and dust cover were already installed which was a very cool bonus for me. The first thing I noticed was how nice the finish was on the upper receiver, and the SOTA emblem was a really cool touch. The barrel seems very well made and I am looking forward to seeing just how accurate it is. So far I am very impressed with SOTA and plan on using them again in the future when I am ready to do another build, their prices are extremely fair, and even though you will have to wait up to 8 weeks for the upper to ship the quality of parts that you get is very high. Granted their customer service is normally slow to respond but this is because they have a large number of orders that are being processed, built, and shipped daily.

I have all of the parts that are needed to complete the build in the picture below, having an Armorers wrench is essential even if you aren't building your own AR it will still give you the ability to tighten down any parts that may come loose over time. Also having a good torque wrench (not pictured) is something I highly recommended. Also you want to buy a good upper vise block kit like the Pro Mag Kit in the link, this will keep you from marring your upper or twisting and damaging it.

Line the barrel up with the receiver and thread the barrel nut on.

Tighten down the barrel nut making sure to line the hole in the receiver for the gas tube up with the hole or valley in the barrel nut that you are using.

Check to make sure that the gas tube fits through and lines up properly.

Attach the gas tube to the gas block with the roll pin (or set screw if thats what the gas block uses).

Install the gas block and if you have a free float hand guard thread the hand guard on per manufacturers instructions.

When installing your muzzle device make sure to follow the directions included with it, for compensators you want to make sure that it is "clocked" correctly.