Quick Look: Kaw Valley Precision Linear Comp

Since we here at SpartanTC Reviews have been checking out so many different compensators over the past couple months we figured we would get our hands on a couple more to try out. Recently we contacted Kaw Valley Precision about their Linear Compensator, it was one that a few of you had asked about it, and I had actually seen it a few times while browsing around the internet. KVP was awesomely quick to get back with us and help get our hands on one to test out.

(The new SpartanTC Reviews AR outfitted with the Kaw Valley Precision Linear Comp)

For those who do not know what a linear compensator is here is an answer taken directly from KVP's website.

What is a Linear Compensator? 

A linear compensator is a muzzle device designed to collect and direct all the muzzle gases forward, away from the shooter.  Unlike other types of muzzle devices, KVP linear comps actually lower the decibel the shooter experiences while shooting the rifle. This lowered perceived decibel is especially noticeable in shorter barreled rifles while shooting high power rounds. 

When you first pick up the KVP Linear Comp you can tell right away that it is a solid piece of work, and won't be damaged easily. The machining is really clean on it, and the finish is really well done and seems like it will stand up to quite a bit of abuse.

If you take a close look at the KVP Linear Comp you will notice that the only holes that it has are pointing forward. While this gives it a very different look I am really looking forward to taking it out to the range and seeing how much "quieter" it is over the other comps we have used.

We are hoping to get the new SpartanTC Reviews Test AR out to the range very soon and get some video, along with our initial thoughts on shooting with this comp. Make sure to stay to keep checking back as there are lots of reviews in the works!

Some of My Glock Modifications

As many of you have seen on the Facebook page there are a number of modifications that I have completed on my Glock 19. There are a number of reason for what I have done, but I wanted to do a quick run down on a couple of them to help people understand why I did what I did.

The very first thing that I did to the Glock was the "candle method" grip reduction. While this is not as drastic as other reductions it did help change the grip angle enough to make it more comfortable to me. 

The "candle method" is literally taking your Glock and holding it over a candle to heat the back strap up to the point that it is "moldable". Once it is heated up enough you press the back strap down on a solid surface, rolling it side to side to keep it even. What this does is flatten out the Glock "hump" which gives the Glock it's infamous grip angle.

One thing to be very careful with is to make sure you don't melt the polymer (see picture above), this was a mistake that I made but was able to "repair" the damage by stippling the frame. I ended up using a heat gun set on low and slowly heated the back of the grip up so I could form it to be comfortable for me.

The second modification I completed was stippling the grip. Since I had already melted bubbles into the back strap I knew I was going to have to sand it down and do a stippling job. So I sanded the burned area down along with all of the factory grip dots. 

One of the biggest reasons people stipple their grips is to add additional grip to their guns, for those times when you've been out long enough that your hands are really sweaty, or your gun gets dropped in the mud, etc. I did it because I like the way it feels in my hands and the extra grip is an added bonus.

Once I had the area smoothed out I took my wood burning tool with the small tip and went to work. I had started with doing the small dot pattern but wasn't happy with the way that it looked, so I started to angle the tip and came up with this pattern.

At first I thought it might have been too aggressive of a stipple but have come to really appreciate it. Even though it looks aggressive it does not rub your hands raw, but it does give a nice "stickiness" to the gun.

The third thing that I completed was removing the finger grooves from the grip. I did this because my fingers did not land right on the grip and it was uncomfortable. 

I accomplished this using a Dremel with a sand drum, slowly removing the grooves until everything was even and smoothed out. I was surprised at how much of a difference this made. I could have smoothed it out with sandpaper but had already decided I was going to do a 360* stipple so once the grooves were gone I started stippling. The picture below is after the stippling was all completed.

While there are many reasons on the Internet for doing the modifications that I completed on this gun, it really is up to the individual user on what they want to do. The slight grip reduction has made the gun much more comfortable for me to shoot, while removing the finger grooves was also another comfort modification. 

Stippling has a few advantages as I listed before, but it also gives a uniqueness to your individual firearm. 

There are a lot of great companies out there that are offering their modification services, and there are also a lot of bad companies who turn out terrible work. I personally am a do it yourselfer and truly enjoyed taking on the project. I feel that the personal touch I put into the gun makes it that much more fun to shoot.

In closing I will ask. What have you done as far as aesthetic modifications to your gun?

Strike Industries J-Comp

I recently had the opportunity to take the Strike Industries J-Comp out to the range and get some shooting in with it. I decided I would write down some of my initial thoughts on it before we head out to the range to do some more shooting with it.

 (Left to Right- 556 Tactical Stryker Comp, Strike Industries J-Comp, 556 Tactical StrykeHyde)

As you can see in the picture above the overall length of the SI J-Comp is slightly longer than the other two muzzle devices, however when it's installed it doesn't look awkward like some other comps I have used before.

One of the first things that you notice about it is the interesting design. It was designed after the Japanese Type 89 Assault Rifle muzzle device, so it is a unique comp to say the least.

The rear two ports are meant to reduce recoil and redirect the concussive force you get from a typical compensator, and the front ports are meant to reduce muzzle flash. This means that it should be the best of both worlds when it comes to reducing recoil while still aiding with hiding the flash. 

The reduction in the concussive force from my experience is not as good as some of the more expensive comps (such as the Lantac Dragon) but at the price point of $39.99 it does a decent job. It does create a dust signature to the sides of the muzzle when shooting prone but the amount of dust created isn't all that bad.

As far as reducing muzzle rise goes the J-Comp does a fair job, while I haven't tried shooting rapidly with it yet the comp does a pretty good job of controlling muzzle rise and allows you to get back on target quickly.

So far with the limited time I have spent with it I am not completely sold on it to the point that I would install it on all of my rifles. It is however well priced and a very well machined compensator, which does what it is advertised to do. Hopefully I will get the opportunity soon to take it out for some night shooting and we can see how well it hides the flash.

Make sure to check back for updates in the near future.

EPLowers Polymer Lower

A few weeks ago I had talked with Chris from www.EPLowers.com about the 80% polymer lowers that they are producing, he was really informative and helpful. He was awesome enough to engrave the SpartanTC81 logo into the lower, which made this already cool project even better in my eyes.

The reason that the EP Lowers can be finished using a Dremel and a drill, is that the firing control group pocket contains a white polymer. The idea behind it is to remove all of the white polymer from inside the pocket until you get to the solid black (or whichever color your lower is). Once you get to the solid color you will still have to remove some of the colored polymer to allow for the proper fit of the firing control group.

In the picture above you can see a good majority of the white polymer has been removed. Notice the black "bars" that are on the sides, these help you gauge where you are at while using the Dremel to remove the white polymer. They do disappear when you are close to the bottom and at that point it is important to take your time and watch for the final layer of white polymer to give way to the colored polymer below.

Above you can see that there are a lot of shavings from removing the white polymer. If you have access to a shop vac I highly suggest rigging it so that it will aide in the removal of the shavings while you are working.

As you get further down and the walls of the white polymer become thinner you can actually use a set of pliers to remove it.

Above you can see that the white polymer has given way to the black polymer below. You will also notice that the trigger hole will need to be milled/dremeled out to allow for the trigger to fit in. When you do this be careful not to remove too much or it will be possible for your springs to fall through the hole.

When drilling the holes for the trigger and hammer pins I highly suggest drilling straight through from one side to the other. The directions on EP Lowers site say to do them one side at a time, which I did and because I was doing it by hand the drill walked and ended up miss drilling the holes (this was my fault). I ended up with the left side holes sitting lower than the right side, and this lead to the hammer being off center, which lead to the trigger not releasing it. 

Also my selector hole was off, it still worked but was extremely stiff due to it being angled.

Even though I miss drilled the holes I was able to fill them with epoxy (double bubble extra strength epoxy) and drill from the right hand side. This straightened out the issues and will be strong enough to hold the pins and selector in place (however I chose to go with KNS anti walk pins just to make sure they won't move).

As for the quality of the lower, I cannot speak on the durability of it yet since I haven't had the opportunity to toss an upper on it and run it to the range; but it does have a solid feel. It has very little give compared to some of the other polymer lowers I have messed with before and the polymer has a nice feel to it. The "finish" of the polymer is clean and some people who have seen the pictures of the lower have actually mistaken it for a billet lower. 

Once I have a few hundred rounds on it at the range I will be writing a follow up post along with some videos of it performing at the range. I have no doubt that it will work just fine and will be a great range rifle.

Overall this was an awesome learning experience, it gave me a whole new appreciation for building a lower. If you like to tinker on your own firearms and are looking for a new project head on over to www.EPLowers.com and check out what they have to offer.

Lantac Dragon Compensator

Lantac USA recently announced the release of their Dragon Compensator for 5.56/.223 with plans to release a 30Cal version in the near future. They have done a great deal of hyping for the release of the 5.56 Dragon comp, so the question in my mind was "does it meet all of the hype?", and of course the only way to find out was to get my hands on one and take it out for some range time.

SPECIFICATION:

Caliber: 5.56X45mm / .223

Material: Super Hard Milspec Steel

Finish: Nitride QPQ

Dimensions: L: 2.570'', DIA: .870''

Weight: 3.2oz

Thread: 1/2-28 UNEF R/H

Serial Numbered for Quality Control

Made in the USA.

When you first catch sight of this compensator you immediately see a resemblance to the muzzle device of an AK-74, with the 4 top ports and the 3 sleek open ports on either side of it. It is one extremely nice looking compensator that just seems to scream that not only does it look good but it will perform just as nicely as it looks.

As soon as it was installed on the S&W M&P AR-15 the range began to call out to it, and once it was out on the range it answered that call.

Out of the handful of different compensators I have shot with over the past couple of years my biggest complaint was that each one of them when being used under the range cover rattled my brains and made my sinuses hurt. However this was not the case with the Lantac Dragon, instead of forcing the majority of the concussive force upwards in an effort to keep the muzzle down the majority of the concussive force was pushed foward and away from the shooter. This resulted in a much more pleasant shooting experience when under the range cover. 

Now even though the majority of the force is pushed out the sides and forward, it doesn't mean that the compensator was not effective at doing its job of keeping the muzzle from rising. Instead this was one of the flattest shooting compensators I have used, there was literally no muzzle rise after each shot; and to top it off the amount of felt recoil was also reduced. Pair the lack of muzzle rise with the reduced feel of recoil and you have the ability to quickly aquire your target.

At 100 yards using a Lucid Red Dot I was able to continually smack the 10" metal gong, and double taps were amazingly easy to control and still ring the gong. It brought a sense of controllability I have been looking for when it comes to using an AR and firing quickly.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the performance of the Dragon Compensator and cannot wait to get my hands on one for each of the AR builds that I am currently working on. 

If you have been looking for a great compensator to slap onto your AR, this is one that I highly suggest you look into.

You can preorder one through Harris Tactical using the following link.

http://www.harristacticalonline.com/Lantac-Dragon-556-Muzzle-Brake-LAN-DGN556B.htm

Iron Hammer Armory .300 Blackout Upper Review

A couple months back I started talking with Iron Hammer Armory about the AK's that they have been producing and also the line of AR's that they have been working on putting out. There have been a lot of conversations between Martin and myself and I have come to really appreciate the information that I get from him whenever I ask questions. So when I was asked if I would be up for testing and reviewing the IHA .300BLK complete upper I told them heck yes, I would love to get my hands on any AR upper to take out and test anytime I can.

When I picked up the upper from a friend's shop I was really impressed with the way that it looked, with the Stainless Steel Barrel coming out from under a black hand guard it has such a cool look to it. What I thought was really awesome was that the Hand Guard was from ODIN Works which is another company whose products I have heard great things about and had hoped at some point I would get to check out in person.

While I personally prefer a longer hand guard on my AR uppers the 9.5" that the IHA is outfitted with does give it a very clean look since it allows the SS barrel to really stand out. I took some time to field strip the upper and give it a good cleaning and applied FIREClean to it like I do with all of my other firearms (yes even when I do testing for companies I still give it a good clean before and after shooting), this gave me the chance to check out the workmanship that has gone into the building of this upper.

First thing that I noticed was that there was not a single blemish to be found inside and out, and the BCG was staked correctly and everything fit together really well. It was very noticeable that there was great pride taken in assembling the upper. The laser etching on the receiver and the charging handle is a very nice touch and adds some character to the overall build also.

The ODIN Works hand guard is very sleek and very comfortable to hold since it is smooth on the sides with one small section of rail on the bottom side at the front. The rail matches up perfectly with the receiver and gives it a nice continuous look. The overall construction of the ODIN Works hand guard is really good, while being lightweight it did not feel cheap or flimsy like it could break at any second. Just from the short amount of time that I have had with it I have decided I will be using one of their longer hand guards on one of my future builds.

When I was able to take the upper out to the range it was both too windy and too busy for me to be able to setup the cameras to capture any good videos of me firing it, there was also the issue of the wind blowing down the target stand that I was trying to use to zero it in. So finally I gave up and just aimed for the steel plate that we had setup down range. Even though the scope I was using was garbage I was able to figure out where to place the reticle to ring the steel, and once that was figured out I can tell you the steel just kept ringing. 

Every shot that I was sending down range was hitting it's intended spot, and even though I did not have a paper target to measure exactly how accurate this upper is, the side by side and stacked marks on the steel were enough for me to consider this an accurate barrel and with a properly sighted scope and a worked up hand load it should be hitting Sub MOA (I am not an expert marksman but I have shot both well made and crappy made barrels and this is well made). 

While the price for the upper is still up in the air until IHA is able to get the production of them moving I will say that it is a very nice upper with some very nice features, I am sure that the price will contend with many of the other companies that are building uppers, and even if it is a little higher the quality and craftsmanship that is put into it shows. Below you will find a graphic that has the breakdown of the parts used for this upper, all of the parts are nice quality parts that should give you a long happy service life from it.

I would like to thank Martin at Iron Hammer Armory for allowing me the opportunity to take this upper out to the range and check it out, this was the first time that I have been able to test a new product for a company before it's release and I am hoping that I will get the opportunity to do that more often.