Quick Thoughts on the Adams Arms Piston Conversion Kit and Installation

So a week ago I installed the Adams Arms piston conversion kit on my AR-15 and I wanted to write down some thoughts on the installation and my experience with it.

First off the directions are very good, there have been plenty of times where I have received a kit and the instructions left me even more confused.This wasn't the case with the Adams Arms conversion kit, the DVD that was included was very clear on what I needed to do to install the kit. 

One of the biggest things that I had trouble with was installing the bushing into the upper, even after cleaning it and putting a decent amount of lubricant/grease it still took a big hammer and some hard hits to get it installed. The good thing about that is I will never have to worry about the bushing backing out over time. 

One of the other things to really watch for is your gas block, you need to make sure that it is straight and in the middle, otherwise you will have trouble getting the piston out of the gas block. This will also cause issues with the system when firing it, and would more than likely cause malfunction and failure of the system.

The one thing that I really liked about the Adams Arms gas block was the fact that it uses hex head bolts to tighten it down on the barrel. With the sheer amount of force bouncing it around it needs a great mounting system and they provided it.

Two of the weirdest things to me when doing the conversion were the bushing and then the removal of the gas rings and installation of the spring on the bolt. While it's easy to understand why there is no need for the gas rings once a piston system is installed, it is just odd to pull the rings off and install a spring on the tail end of the bolt.

Instead of using the supplied hand guards I opted to use the Magpul MOE set, and it matches up perfectly with the piston system. I am sure at some point I will change over to a free float rail system but for now the MOE set will do the job.

Overall the installation was rather easy, and took no longer than 30 minutes to complete. I am looking forward to running the piston system as hard as I can and seeing just how well it will do. I will continue to post periodic updates so make sure to subscribe to the blog to receive them.

Breakthrough Clean Initial Thoughts

Yesterday I received a sample of Breakthrough Clean so I could do a review on it and share my thoughts on it with everyone. 

This morning I used Breakthrough Clean on the piston setup from my Adams Arms upper, which last week had over 150 rounds of Tula .223 run through it and you could see just how dirty the outside of the gas block was (the AA logo was completely covered). I also used FIREClean on the bolt from the same gun. Both parts showed a good amount of grime covering them because as we all know Tula is dirty and it likes to get everything covered. I didn't scrub with brushes or use picks to clean anything today, this was just a quick run of the cleaner to see how well it does.

As you can see in the above picture the Breakthrough Clean did an awesome job of doing what it is advertised to do. It stripped away all of the dirty ammo grime off of the piston setup with ease, and you can see just how dirty the paper towel is that was used to wipe the grime off.  It is great that there is no chemical smell to the product, and the fact that it is in a spray bottle is awesome also since it makes it easy to apply to either a paper towel or directly to the part being cleaned evenly. 

It took very little effort to clean the piston, all it took was a quick spray down and then I wrapped the paper towel around it and wiped it off. Easy.

The picture above shows the paper towel that was used to clean the bolt from the same gun using just a couple drops of FIREClean. It too was very easy to use to clean the grime off of the bolt, it did take a little more finesse only because of the lugs on the bolt and cleaning between them. 

(The piston looked dried out after cleaning and the Bolt was slick)

Here is the point that I wanted to get to since I know there are some people reading this and shaking their heads saying "These are 2 completely different products! One is a degreaser and the other is a lube!" I hear you and I know what you are saying, however here is the reason why I did this. There are lots of items out there that can do multiple things and do them well, while other things focus on one aspect and excel at it; FIREClean both cleans and lubricates while Breakthrough Clean strips and cleans.

Yes Breakthrough Clean is a degreaser, and it does that job top notch; but as you can see in the picture above it does not lubricate the part that it is cleaning. This means that after you finish cleaning your gun and gun parts you will have to go back through and use a lubricant before putting your gun back together. Don't get me wrong Breakthrough Clean has it's place in my workbench now because it does such a great job of degreasing and cleaning dirty parts. However with my time being limited because I would rather spend time with my wife and kids, I don't always want to take the time to run a 2 step process for cleaning and lubricating my guns.

If you are looking for a degreaser that will strip away all of the dirt and grime I would highly suggest checking out Breakthrough Clean. As I said a few times above, it does an excellent job cleaning off gun parts that are dirty, and also does a great job of stripping off old lubricants that have been applied to your gun before.

I will be posting more on Breakthrough Clean in the future once I have some more time with it but like I said, it has it's place in my workbench because I have seen how well it works.

Windham Weaponry Booth SHOT Show 2014

While I did not get to talk with any of the reps from Windham Weaponry I did have the opportunity to check out a few of the items that they brought with for the show.

One of the first things I noticed when walking up to their booth were the wood furniture AR's, they stood out among everything because they were different. Every other AR I saw during the show essentially looked like the other, but these were different.

While they are only a prototype I hope that Windham will release them onto the market at some point because they are awesome.

The other rifle that caught my eye was their new AR-10 SRC (Sights Ready Carbine), while there are many AR-10's out on the market there aren't many in the lower price ranges that are decent quality. After checking out their AR-10 I thought it felt sturdy while still being light (7.5lbs without mag or optic), and although there are a number of pieces I would end up changing, it is just right at the MSRP of $1413.

I had some pictures with it, unfortunately they were lost when the computer did it's own thing. So here is the spec sheet from Windham Weaponry.

I am looking forward to getting some time with the SRC .308 once I have my hands on it, since my experience with the WW AR-15 was so good. This is one company that is building affordable AR's that are great quality, and I look forward to seeing what else they bring out in the future.

Gallow Tech Boot SHOT Show 2014

So over the past 10+ months I have talked with Brent from Gallow Tech a few times via email, and he did a great job of leaking the smallest amounts of information as possible. When I stopped by the booth I had a very vague idea as to what he was releasing.

When I stepped into his booth and saw the panels and mounts I was truly impressed with craftsmanship and quality. While a storage idea is nothing new, the way the Gallow Tech system makes it work and look is quite different than many of the other options I have seen out there.

The panels are powder coated tan, and are made of 16 gauge steel which feels extremely sturdy and and should stand up very well to long term use. When it comes to choosing a setup for your guns, mags, and other gear the options seem to be limitless. There are vertical and horizontal rifle options, handgun racks, and magazine shelves, as I said before the options seem to be limitless.





There will be much more to come on the Gallow Tech storage system after I pick out my setup and get it mounted on the wall. I will be doing a pre installation, during installation, and after installation video so you can all see how the system works all together. So make sure sign up for our email listing to stay up to date on all of the reviews we will be doing over the next few months.

Shot Show from a green horn

Let's start with media day at the range. We took a bus out to the Boulder city pistol and rifle club range from the sands convention center. Upon arrival I didn't think the range was all the big....boy was I wrong! We kept driving down the dirt road and more and more tents kept popping up. Eventually we unloaded from the bus and walked. After we got our media passes we entered about 1/2 between both ends. We decided to start on the far end with TacCon and got to shoot their 3MR trigger (There will be more on that from me in a later post). As much as I wanted to go to every tent, we just couldn't. Between the amount of people waiting in line and the sheer number of companies, we knew we had to hit the ones you guys wanted to see. We have lots of video from what we got at the range which you can find on our YouTube channel. After hours of walking and shooting the latest and greatest, we were beat.

        Eric from the YouTube channel     IraqVeteran8888

                   Gunny sighting!

           Shooting the new Glock 41

As for the main convention, all I could say is WOW. I had heard stories from friends and local companies about the pure size of the show. I wasn't necessarily skeptical but at the same time I didn't quite believe them when they said how massive it actually was. Walking into the front doors of the Sands convention center I was already in shock. The lobby itself was bigger than any convention I had been to back home. 

            1 of many lobby entrances

Once we made our way to the floor, well, let's just say my jaw stubbed my toe. The amount of guns and gear in that single (and utterly gargantuan) room was mind blowing. I didn't know which way to turn. Had I not known about the SHOTShow app I would have been in survival mode because I'd be lost in some part of the building. Even with that app and after I thought I knew where everything was; on our last day in the convention center we found a huge room I never even knew existed. I was like a kid in a candy store. After walking for miles on day one my whole lower body ached like no other. We skipped around on the first and second floor on that day. 

             Kat from Adams Arms

The remainder of our time at Shot show we prioritized and met up with as many companies as we could that we could potentially work with in the future; A lot of which I was unfamiliar with. Luckily Travis knew what was up and helped me out a ton. We talked to and interview SWORD international, Legion firearms, tuff products, AM-TAC, and Gallow Tech just to name a few that we talked with. By the end of everyday I was ready to just collapse. I never thought I would walk so much in such a short period of time. Overall I think we walked a good 30 miles during the entire trip. 

                 Colion Noir and Lane

    Tavis and I at the Tuff products booth

My favorite booths were all on the first floor and off in the side rooms on both floors. A majority of which were somewhat smaller companies that were genuine when you talked to them. We also got to meet many of our sponsors for our giveaways we have done. It was excellent to know the people who make the magic happen.

    Desert tech MDR (my favorite rifle  of the show) 

Stay tuned for more reviews and follow ups from Shot show. There is too much to cover in one review. 

-ShipLane 

    Glenn Fleming previously of Sons of     Guns. 

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CMC Triggers Booth SHOT Show 2014

So I have been in contact with CMC Triggers on and off for the past few months but have not had the opportunity to try out or see one of their triggers in person, until last week. I had been hearing nothing but great things about their triggers from a number of people who's opinion I respect, so I have been looking forward to getting my hands on one at some point.

When I met with CMC Triggers at their booth it was awesome to find out that it is a family run business, and everyone in the family is very heavily involved.

They had a Lantac lower with their trigger installed so I was able to get a feel for how the trigger works and feels, and now I am looking forward to getting one installed in my rifle and getting some time at the range with it.

If there is one thing I respect very highly it is when a company makes you feel like you have known them for a long time and take the time to make you feel welcome at their booth. CMC was awesome to hang out with after the show at dinner one night also.

Looking forward to working with them here in the near future also.

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Diamondhead Booth SHOT Show 2014

Before I left for SHOT there had been a few suggestions (both from the page and some friends) to check out the Diamondhead booth. Everyone wanted information on the new D-45 offset sights, and a few people asked about the new polymer sights that are being offered.

I had just happened to see the Diamondhead D-45 sights on one of the Adams Arms AR-15's while at their booth and I was intrigued by them, and I made sure that we stopped at Diamonhead after that.

The D-45 sights are a very unique build compared to some of the other offset sights I have owned before. Instead of being a solid mount, they are spring loaded and can handle being bumped because they will just move back and then go right back into position. I would really like to pick up a set to use on my rifle once I swap it over to a magnified scope.

(When stowed the sights sit as low as any other folding sight)

The other sights that I was interested in were the polymer sights that they are offering. Unlike some of the other polymer flip up sights I have seen on the market these are built solid and have one ver cool feature on them. You can "charge" the sights up with your flashlight which then gives you a very bright set of night sights, I was surprised at just how bright they were when the booth rep showed me.

Wether we are able to work a deal with getting a set of each sent to us for review or we have to pick some up to review, there will be something up about them at some point this year.

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Adams Arms Booth at SHOT Show 2014

One of the first booths that we stopped at was Adams Arms, where we had the opportunity to talk shop with Kat. She is extremely knowledgeable and she can shoot too, as has been proven by some of the Instagram videos I have seen.

We also had the opportunity to check out the Kryptek patterned rifles that they brought with them, drooled a bit over them, and were impressed at just how clean the pattern was done on the rifles.

This is one company that I am hoping to work with this year to get up some reviews and information about their products for you all to see.

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Post SHOT Show 2014 Thoughts

When I was told that SHOT Show was huge and I would literally not see everything before it was over I really didn't believe it. I am now a believer that there is literally no way to see every single booth and have time to talk to all of them, but really there is no need to because not all of the booths are offering the firearms or gear that I typically review.

Media day was a crazy place to be, but at the same time it was awesome because I was able to get some time behind some newer firearm such as the Glock 41, Glock 42, S.W.O.R.D. Intl SBR AR-15, and ADCOR AR-15. Having time to talk with the representatives from each company and sometimes the owners helps to give a lot of background information that may not always be readily available. 

If I were to narrow it down to 2 things that I was impressed the most with it would have to be the Glock 42 and the S.W.O.R.D Intl SBR (also 16" setup).

The Glock 42 was something that I went in wanting to hate it because I thought it was the most ridiculous thing that Glock would bring out a single stack .380 while everyone else has been pumping out single stack 9mm's. Yet when I finally got my hands on it and felt how well it is made, how balanced it is, and how easy it is to fire and be on steel I was impressed. After talking with a few of the other guys and gals who were out there at Media day I am pretty sure we all came to the conclusion that Glock may have decided to release the .380 before the 9mm version because if they had gone in the reverse order of that no one would buy the .380 version. Either way it was a pleasant surprise and something I am looking forward to getting more range time with and doing further reviews with.

The S.W.O.R.D. Intl SBR and 16" AR-15's were both very interesting rifles to shoot. They are both piston systems, with S.W.O.R.D.'s compensator installed on them along with a few other great upgrades. The result was an extremely smooth shooting rifle that pretty well eliminated muzzle flip and walk. Getting on target and staying on target was a dream, every shot was a hit.

On the SHOT Show floor(s) I was completely overwhelmed from the beginning. The second I stepped into the Sands Expo Center I realized just how large the show was, it took over an hour to figure out where a majority of the companies were at and how to navigate the city that is SHOT Show.

Plenty of time was spent talking with some of the newer companies, gawking and drooling over many of the new rifles that are being released this year. Such as the Sig Sauer P556XI, Rock River Arms LAR-47, and the Gallow Technologies Weapons Storage system. There were literally so many cool things to see that I quickly felt overwhelmed and realized that there needed to be a system to the madness and writing down the companies I wanted/needed to see was the best bet.

                                                        (Rock River Arms LAR-47)

                                                              (SAR Arms 9mm SBR)

I talked with a lot of companies, some who I have been working with over the past year and others that I just met this past week during SHOT Show. Everyone that I talked to was genuine and a great contributor to the industry. There were many items that were interesting and that peaked my interest, and there were other things that I could not figure out why they were there.

Overall I was completely overwhelmed from day 1 and did not get nearly as much done as I had hoped to, however once I got my bearings and gained some speed I was able to meet many companies that will be working with us throughout this year.

Just to name a few of the companies:
S.W.O.R.D. International
Offhand Gear
SAR Arms
ODIN Works
Primary Weapons Systems
and quite a few more.

I am really looking forward to bringing as much new information to everyone, and introducing many new items.

Make sure to stay tuned in the upcoming weeks as new items start to roll in and new initial thoughts posts go up.

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Some Initial Thoughts and Info: Hiperfire 24 and 24C

A few weeks back Hiperfire sent us their 24, 24E, and 24C triggers to use in our rifles and give some feedback and review them. Needless to say we were excited to get them and get some range time with them. This post will be talking about the 24 and 24C.

The 24:

The Hiperfire 24 is the entry level trigger that they offer at $185 on the website which is comparable to other aftermarket triggers that I have used before. However this is nothing like other aftermarket triggers I have used, instead of being a 2 stage trigger like a few of the others I have used in the past this is a single stage trigger. It also has more parts to it than the normal fire control group, but there is a reason for this.

The extra springs and bars that you see in the instructions above are what make the Hiperfire triggers unique. They help to create extra hammer power while keeping your trigger pull light and crisp. Essentially they have figured out a way to give you the reliability you need while offering up not only a lighter trigger pull but also an adjustable trigger pull weight. As you can see there are 3 different color spring sets on the right hand side of the instructions, each one offers a different pull weight depending on your preference.

Currently I am running the blue toggle springs and have really enjoyed the pull weight that they offer, it's not too light or too heavy. While doing dry fire you can hear just how solid the hammer hit is even though the trigger pull is as light as it is. So far there have been zero issues with the trigger out at the range, and it is just overall fun to use.

(In the picture above you can see how the trigger looks when installed)

(The hammer also has quite a different look to it)

The 24C:

This is the 3Gun/Competition trigger and my personal favorite. The 24C is the most expensive model that they currently offer at $235, which is cheaper than many of the other 3Gun triggers I have seen. It offers a Straight Trigger which can be used with or without the red shoe (which is adjustable and adds change to the leverage of your pull). The biggest difference between the 24C and other 3Gun triggers is that this is a single stage trigger, which offers quick trigger weight adjustment. All you have to do is switch out the toggle spring set and you have changed the weight, without losing the added hammer fall energy. 

One of the best parts about this trigger in my opinion is that there is little to no take up or reset, which makes it an extremely fast trigger. This has also helped me with longer distance accuracy because I am not having to guess the take-up, instead I know the trigger is already at that ledge and ready to drop the hammer when I am good and ready.

(Trigger is shown installed with the optional red shoe)

(Lane using the 24C for some 100 yard gong shooting)

The installation for the Hiperfire triggers can be tricky at first, especially if you misread the directions (make sure to put the toggle spindle in place before dropping the hammer in). The biggest issue I personally ran into was pushing the toggle springs and pivot into place the first time, but since then it has become easier to do. One of the other things that is important to watch for is the way you install the toggle shafts, they are directional and can cause the springs to sit incorrectly if not installed right. Other than those two things it is almost exactly the same as installing any other trigger.

While we have only had the triggers for a short time they have quickly become some of our favorites to use in our rifles, they work great and have an awesome feel. We are looking forward to spending more time with them at the range and giving a long term usage report on them.

Quick Look: Infidel Body Armor

Awhile back we did some on camera shooting of the EnGarde Body Armor  Level III and IV Plates, we were new to doing reviews at the time and learned a lot. Well now we have the opportunity to run another test on a body armor plate thanks to Infidel Body Armor, they sent us one of their 10x12 Plates to use for test and eval.

The last time we did a body armor test we set the plates against a back stop, while that did give us a good idea of what the trauma would be like behind the plate we really couldn't see just how much. This time we are planning on setting blocks of clay behind the plate so we can get a good idea of just how much force is transferred rearward. We will also be checking for spalling since this plate is made of 1/4" AR500 steel with an anti spalling material layered over it.

Just some quick facts about the Infidel Body Armor plates, they are as stated above made from 1/4" AR500 steel and lined with 1/4" of anti spalling material. They are curved so they fit comfortably against the body, and the angled cut makes it easy to shoulder your rifle without setting it on the plate. Each plate weighs a little under 9 pounds, and is rated as a Level III Stand Alone plate.

We are really looking forward to getting some testing time with this plate and are excited to relay the information back to you our viewers. Make sure to check back for the written review and the video soon.