Lynx Concealment Ambi appendix IWB: initial thoughts

I contacted Lynx Concealment about this prototype holster because not only is it ambidextrous, but with the malice clips you can wear it on a plate carrier or anything else with MOLLE webbing. 

Right off the bat I can see and feel real quality built in to this holster system. From the double soft loops to the rivets. It is incredibly solid. 

Even with the undercut I did on my trigger guard, it has no effect on the retention (which is firm but easy to draw) 

Above is side for the left handed shooters. 

Of course the ride height is adjustable.

Be on the lookout for another review. I will be wearing everyday to give my long term thoughts and also I will also be running it on my carrier next range trip. 

-ShipLane

Post Range: B.E. Meyers 249F Flash Hider

What an awesome opportunity we were given to test the B.E.Meyers 249F flash hider. First off let me say that the people over at B.E. Meyers have been more than awesome to work with. 

The quality of the 249F is top notch, out of the many muzzle devices I have shot with over the past few years this one has to be at the top. The flash hider is manufactured to the highest standards, and when you first get it into your hands you can tell that right away. Every small detail of the flash hider seems to have been given special attention to make sure that this flash hider functions perfectly.

During the first trip to the range it quickly became known as the "tuning fork" because after every shot that's exactly what you hear, a distinct "ring". During the day there is absolutely no flash emitted during shooting, and the dust signature is rather small also.

When we headed out to the range to do some night shooting with a few different muzzle devices I was excited to see just how well the 249F would do. I had seen a few of the B.E. Meyers promo videos and was impressed, but I still was wanting to see it with my own eyes.

We first shot an A2 Flash Hider to have an idea of what most AR's on the market would look like when shot at night. Although the video doesn't capture exactly what the eyes see it does give a decent idea that the A2 does give a flash signature, small as it may be it is still visible when it's dark.

After shooting with the A2 we swapped it out for the B.E. Meyers 249F. The first shot created absolutely no flash both in person and on video, second shot followed closely to the first and a very small spark was seen. The only thing that was kind of a giveaway as to the firing position was the tuning fork "ring". However when we moved the camera to the 25 yard mark it was very hard to tell where that ring was coming from, so there is no concern in my mind that it would give away where you are at.

Overall I was very impressed with the performance of the 249F both during the day and at night. It has moved up to the top of the list on upgrades for the SpartanTC Reviews test AR. 

Make sure to check back for the comparison video and write up on all of the muzzle devices we recently used during night shooting.

Upcoming Test and Review Range Trip

This Saturday Lane and myself will be heading out to do some night shooting. While I would have liked to use a few of the very popular flash hiders I was unable to get my hands on more than what we have already been sent or had. So this weekend we will be testing 3 different flash hiders and the J-Comp from Strike Industires. 

We will be using the standard A2 flash hider since it is what is most commonly found on factory AR's. It will be compared to the 556 Tactical StrykeHyde and the B.E. Meyers 249F, I will try my best to do side by side videos of all three so it will be easy to compare the difference between them.

(Left to Right- Stryker Comp, J-Comp, and StrykeHyde)

         (B.E. Meyers 249F Flash Hider)

As far as the Strike Industries J-Comp goes I am mainly wanting to see if the way the chambers are setup will actually help in reducing the typical compensator fire ball. While I don't believe we will see any major reduction in flash, there is always room to be surprised by a new product. 

Make sure to check back next week for the video and post range thoughts!

Vortex SPARC: Worth the money?

The Vortex SPARC has been compared to various high dollar red dots such as the Aimpoint T1, and while I'd like to say that I have been able to do side-by-side comparisons... let's be real. Like most of you I have a budget to stick to, and at just under $200 the SPARC is pretty affordable.

The SPARC has served as my primary optic for a little over a year, and overall I am very happy with it.  I set mine up to co-witness with my Magpul MBUS sights using the tallest of the 3 included mounts.  

The 1 MOA capped turrets have solid noticeable adjustments making it easy to sight in. Zeroed at 50 yards the SPARC has proven to be very accurate and fast on my rifle. Making quick and accurate 5-75 yard shots are easily done. Anything passed that and I want a bit more magnification. Which brings up the fact that the SPARC does come with a 2x magnifier. Unfortunately, it tends to fisheye at the edges enough that I don't bother to use it. Another drawback to the magnifier in my opinion is that you can't quickly switch between 1x to 2x, because it threads onto the SPARC.

One thing that has impressed me is the fact that I haven't had to re-zero it at all. That is in part due to a very solid design in regards to the optic, but also the mount. I have used many budget friendly optics in the past, and it never fails when I get out of the truck at the end of the dirt road they always had a point of aim shift. The SPARC has retained it's adjustment and functionality even after being slammed down while transitioning between firearms.

The dot on mid-low power is fairly crisp and visible even in the sun. On high power however it tends to bleed going from 2 MOA to about 3-4 MOA. Next to the brightness setting buttons there is also a night vision setting. I don't personally have any use for it, but it's there if you do.  Another plus for the SPARC are the lenses, which are very clear. I've used it in temps down to 20 degrees and didn't have any issue with the lenses fogging up.     

My only real complaint with the SPARC is that it turns on too easily.  This seems to be a common complaint from what I've read.  While it is nice to be able to turn it on quickly, I have had it get bumped on in my gun case a few times.  Fortunately it doesn't turn off as easily.  Turning it off requires you to hold the power button for about 2 seconds.  The other minor issue is the lense cover which doesn't fit well.

So is it worth the money?  In my opinion yes.  It is a durable and accurate optic with a lifetime warranty for under $200.  In that price range I would argue that it can't be beat by another similar optic.  Is it an Aimpoint T1, probably not, but they use the same mounts.

Do you have any red dots in this price range you like?

PK

Ares Armor EDC mag pouch

I bought the Ares Armor EDC mag pouch a few months ago and I must say, it has come in handy.  It is an outside the waistband (OWB), very slim line mag pouch small enough for everyday carry under a shirt. 

At 3 1/8" wide, it is the smallest mag pouch I have come across.

When they form the outer Kydex, they use a dummy round so a full mag will seat and retain properly. The quality is excellent and will last for a long time.

 The only down side I found is the belt loops. The Kydex loops ride slightly higher than the back of the pouch, which for me causes a little discomfort if I'm not wearing an undershirt. I would like to see them lower the loop flush or just below the top of the pouch. 

-ShipLane 

Everyday Carry Kinves

If there is one thing that I never leave home without it is a knife. I cannot carry to work since I work on a military installation and well we all know its a big no no to carry there. However I always have a knife on me, and it is usually one of these two that I own. 

The first blade is the Triumph from CRKT, this is one that I picked up when they were clearing them out on Woot.com, don't quite remember what I paid for it but I do know it was cheap and it looked nice so I bought it. 

When I first received the Triumph the handle was so rough that it literally wore a hole in the pocket I carried it in. Over time it has worn down and quickly became one of my favorite blades to carry because the blade is quick to deploy and extremely sharp.

The other knife that I carry often was another Woot.com purchase. This one is a Kershaw, not sure what the model is but it has a nice quick assisted blade. One of the things that I like most about this one is that I can carry it with the clip holding the knife upside down, so when I remove the knife it is already positioned in my hand for quick deployment.

So the question is, what do you carry daily?

Vortex SPARC Deal

I just ordered one of these yesterday, and am looking forward to getting some time at the range with it.

If you are looking for an awesome deal on one head over to www.JoeBobOutfitters.com and use coupon code "SPARC".

As always any order over $99 ships for free.

Post Range: EXTAR EXP

This past weekend we had the opportunity to take the EXTAR EXP out to the range, and we ran a little over 200 rounds through it. I will admit at first I was a little leery about the claims that you could fire it one handed and not have a lot of kick. For as light as the gun is (2.98 pounds w/o magazine) it just seems like it would have a great amount of recoil. 

After the first shot I was honestly blown away at how well this extremely light gun handled the recoil. Instead of kicking the muzzle up and making it feel unmanageable, the muzzle break forces the recoil down. Shooting one handed is surprisingly easy, and at 25 yards it was pretty easy to hit an 8" steel plate using the ghost ring sights. 

When holding it like you would a Glock or any other semi auto handgun it is extremely easy to keep complete control of the gun. The recoil is light, which actually makes it enjoyable to shoot and I found it really easy to just blow through the 40 round PMag. Everyone else who had the chance to shoot it just had a smile on their face when they were done.

The muzzle break has a very loud report to it, but it's not like some of the other compensators out there that make your sinuses hurt. One of the other side effects is that it throws a huge fireball with nearly every shot you take, which looks awesome out on the range but would play havoc on your eyes if you shot it at night.

The Handguard does get hot (really hot) when you do rapid fire, and using gloves is probably a good idea. The bar above the Handguard goes into the gas block so it also gets hot, so you have to make sure you don't grab it with bare hands (I made that mistake).

Out of all the rounds we put through the gun there was only one issue that we ran into, which was a double feed. After it was cleared the gun continued to run like a champ. We used American Eagle XM193 and XM855, TulAmmo, Armscor, Geco, and Monarch during our shooting, and the EXP ate it all. 

The one issue that I do have with it though is that there is not a brass deflector on the upper. After 100 rounds or so you start to see where the brass had been beating up the side while it's being ejected. While this isn't a big deal since it is polymer and will be easy to "polish" out, having a brass deflector would probably extend how long the upper looks nice. However I just consider them marks that show it's been put to good use.

One other thing that I would like to see is a sling adapter for it, which I have been told should be released sometime in the near future. 

Even though I had my doubts when I first picked it up, I started to really enjoy shooting it. I look forward to running hundreds if not a few thousand rounds through it and see just how well this gun holds up. 

Make sure to check back for updates as we get more time on the range with the gun.

Tragedies and Gun Grabbers

Over the past year I am pretty sure that we have all learned that the Gun Grabbers will never let the chance to push gun control blow by them. This means that every single time we have some sort of shooting (except of course all the shootings in Chicago and other cities with similar gun control) they will instantly make a move to push new laws. 

More often than not the media pushes the anti gunner agenda without even having the facts of what weapons were used, or even how many people were injured or killed. Instead they use what very little factual information and play to the feelings of the people, the cover on the newspaper below is a prime example of this. Thanks to MrColionNoir for posting it up earlier today.

They use phrases like "Same Gun Different Slay" and "Maniac used 'Newtown' weapon" because these are key words that will play off the emotions of the general public who tend to believe everything they read.

However when facts are released the media and gun grabbing legislators are slow (if ever) to apologize for misleading the sheeple, I mean people. 

For example this news flash has been making its way around Facebook and other social media sites. 

Here we are presented with the facts that this "maniac" did not use an AR-15, he in fact snuck a shotgun (Thanks Shotgun Joe for the suggestion) that was in pieces and assembled it after gaining access to the base. He also used the handguns that he obtained from the security officers he shot.

This is not an issue of the gun being evil, it is again an issue of mental health. This man had sought help from the VA for mental health issues, and like many other veterans fell between the cracks and red tape that is plaguing the VA. 

In no way should this man have had a firearm in D.C. in the first place since it is a gun free zone, and bases are also gun free zones. Which apparently did not matter to him, he was bent on killing. 

This tragedy will be the front for the newest push on gun control, and they will have new evidence that we the people shouldn't own firearms because it will make a safer society. It's not a gun problem, it is a problem with evil, mental health, and criminals being criminal.

Get ready to push the flood of gun control back again, let your legislators know where you stand. Let them know that we need to look at the key issues and problems instead of constantly blaming the gun. 

The Contents of the Pelican Case Revealed!

Here is what was inside of the Pelican case that we had posted Saturday night. We are looking forward to seeing how accurate this rifle is, and cannot wait to get some range videos up!

ODIN Works KMod Handguard Update

I finally received my gas block yesterday, so I was able to install the ODIN Works KMod Handguard last night.

Let me start by saying out of the many different Handguards I have installed each of them has had their own quirks. Anything from having to tighten the barrel nut down "just a little more" (and then some more), to having to install the gas block after the Handguard is installed. Each company likes to do their own thing, so you have to figure it out when you get to that point. 

The ODIN Works KMod has to have been one of the easier Handguards I have installed. Instead of having to mess with making sure you have the barrel nut lined up so your gas tube will go through you simply install the outer nut and put a solid piece through that looks like a gas tube.

You have to tap the piece in so you can get a wrench on the inner barrel nut, and it will require you to tap it a bit to remove it once the nut is tightened down. This piece does an awesome job of keeping your gas tube holes lined up though.

Once the barrel but is tightened up and the gas tube piece has been removed you just install your gas block and gas tube. 

The Handguard slides right over the outer nut and mates up beautifully with the upper receiver.

There are 6 screws that attach the Handguard to the outer nut, and once installed they hold it tightly in place. 

The 15.5" Handguard comes right up to the bottom of the flash hider, giving it a sleek almost uninterrupted look from the rear of the upper receiver to the front of the Handguard. 

I am looking forward to getting plenty of range time with this Handguard, and I am  planning on making use of the KMod mounting options. This will be an ongoing series about the Handguard and how well it holds up. 

ODIN Works XMR

Today ODIN Works released their XMR (Extended Mag Release), and I have been anxiously awaiting the go ahead to post this quick look and review for it. 

The XMR replaces the standard mag release and adds a really cool looking paddle in its place. The paddle has grooves that grip your finger when you push down.

The fit and finish of the XMR are great, there aren't any rough edges to find and the coating is even throughout. It also gives the gun a little more character in my opinion.

As far as function goes, it works great. I've never had a problem with my finger being too short and not being able to reach the mag release; but having the extra leverage that the XMR offers is great. 

So far that time I have had with it I am overall happy with the XMR as an addition to my rifle.

Head over to www.ODINWorks.com to pick one up!

Update of the Infidel Body Armor Findings

As stated in the last post we took another Infidel Body Armor for testing today, mainly to test and make sure that what we saw last week was not a fluke or mistake. The results that we found today not only surprised us but confirmed a doubt that I had after watching the video I posted last week a few more times in slow motion.

When I sat down and watched the video a few more times I was really taking notice as to where the rounds were hitting. I knew that the first 4 rounds were XM855 and the last 4 were XM193. With that information I went shot by shot and mapped out where the rounds had hit on the plate. Had we not used the plate carrier, it would have been instantly obvious which rounds went through. The XM855 hit in the lower section of the plate, but I had thought they hit higher, instead the XM193 rounds hit where I thought the XM855 had.

So I was wrong in my reporting of which rounds actually penetrated the plate, for that I apologize. However the plate was still defeated at 25 yards using XM193. The reasoning behind this round defeating that plate is that the XM193 is moving well over 3000FPS. When it comes to steel, it is the velocity of the bullet that will defeat steel, not the weight of the bullet. I believe had the steel been thicker the chances of stopping this round would go up, but at 1/4" thick it just is not enough to stop such a quick bullet.

                                                                       XM193 Hole

XM855 Impact Point

Quick Look: EXTAR EXP

Recently the opportunity to get our hands on an EXTAR EXP presented itself, and this AR pistol peaked our interest enough to want to check it out.

The first thing you notice about the gun is that unlike other AR pistols there's not a pistol buffer tube attached. This makes for a much shorter pistol overall, and I like the fact that the pistol buffer has been eliminated since I've never been a fan of it.

The EXP is able to cycle thanks to a spring system that sits above the modified BCG. So instead of needing a buffer, tube, and spring you only need the spring at the top to allow the pistol to properly function. The picture below should help that make a bit more sense.

I like how light it is, and the fact that it is very easy to take down for cleaning. Even though it is polymer it seems well made, and possibly even sturdy enough to take a good amount of abuse if used as a truck gun.

The Mission First Tactical pistol grip is a nice addition to it, and from what I have been told makes it comfortable to shoot one handed or even shoot using a normal handgun hold. Two things of which I am planning on testing out when we take it out to the range.

Also it has the winter style trigger guard allowing the use of larger gloves when it is cold outside. 

The compensator is extremely aggressive to force the gasses upwards to keep the pistol from having ridiculous muzzle flip. It looks to me like we will see some really cool fire shots in slow motion video, which of course is always fun.

Having not taken this pistol out to the range yet I still have my reservations about it. While I do not expect this to be a go to home defense gun, or a take it out in the field gun. Instead this is a let's go out to the range and have some fun AR pistol.

What's in the Pelican Case?

Picked up a gun for testing today, I am really excited about getting this one out to the range. 

Anyone want to take any guesses as to what it is?