Suburban's Domain

TangoDown Stubby QD Vertical Foregrip

2009-12-18T14:38:00.000-05:00

TDI/CAA K-Grip and TangoDown Shorty Grip

The TangoDown Shorty VFG is interesting in that it’s not round, or symmetrical. Some thought was put into making it ergonomic. The length of the grip is just long enough to get my whole hand around, but it’s not really designed for you to put your thumb around the back of the grip. The stubby grips are really for people who put their weak-hand thumb pointing forward on the weak-hand side of the carbine.

Bottom View Of Grip Showing Teardrop Shape

Weak-Hand Thumb Forward VFG Grip

The o-ring-sealed compartment in the grip is just large enough to hold 2 CR123 lithium batteries, while still being sealed watertight by the o-ring.

The quick-detach mechanism is made by American Defense Manufacturing. To remove the grip, you push in the release button and flip the lever out ninety degrees. You can then pivot the grip off the rail without sliding it off the end of the rail.

I think the QD lever is worth the small increase in price over the standard TangoDown VFGs. I can remove the grip to get the carbine into a rifle case, if necessary, or just to shed weight. I can also swap it over to other firearms quickly, without tools or removing rail covers. It’s also compatible with a wider variety of non-spec rails than the standard VFGs.

I like the QD lever of the Larue products a little better than the ADM lever, but the ADM lever is quicker and easier to adjust. The Larue locking mechanism is more positive. It’s possible to only partially press the button of the ADM lever, which won’t allow you to move the lever. However, adjusting the Larue lever required a wrench and some trial-and-error. The ADM is quick and easy to adjust by turning the screwhead opposite the lever. The ADM clamping system is less likely to mar your rails than the steel tab of the Larue locking lever that actually holds the mount or VFG to the rail. The big tab on the bottom of the steel Larue lever bears directly on the rail.

Larue QD Lever Mechanism Compared To ADM QD

ADM QD Clamp Adjustment Screw

Standard Larue Locking Lever, Showing Adjustment Mechanism

I’m not going to get into testing durability. TangoDown grips have been around for a while, and have taken some serious abuse by military and civilian users.

Midwest Industries T12 Handguard

2009-12-18T14:18:00.003-05:00

Before - Pretty Basic M4, Aimpoint is a very new addition

After, along with some other upgrades

Instruction Sheet

Midwest Industries (MI) is now making one-piece float tubes, in addition to their two-piece, no-gunsmithing, float tubes. The one-piece tubes use an aluminum barrel nut rather than the steel G.I.-type barrel nut, which saves some weight. The handguard itself requires less material than a two-piece float tube, saving a little more weight. The one-piece tubes are also cheaper than the two-piece tubes, at about $155 vs.$228 for the 12" versions.

I was afraid that if I bought one of those $300+ handguards then I’d be afraid to really use it. That, and I’m too cheap to drop that kind of cash, when I can get almost the same thing for about half the price. I went with the rifle-length handguard on a 16” barrel because the rail I had bolted to the bottom of the plastic M4 handguard was proving to be too short. I was pleasantly surprised with the MI Low-Profile rear sight, so I gave MI a shot with the railed float tube.

I’m liking the rifle-length handguard on the carbine upper. I think I have more muzzle control with the vertical grip mounted farther out from the receiver (like Kyle Lamb says). The extra length gives more freedom in bracing the rifle against hard cover without the barrel touching anything. It gives a longer sight radius too, obviously. It was worth the extra 2 and half ounces (15.4oz., rather than 12.9oz.), over the 10” handguard, I think. Weight of the 12” Daniel Defense Lite tube (currently $332 at Bravo Company), by the way, is listed at 14oz. The 12” Lightweight YHM tube (currently $139.95 at Bravo Company) weighs 14.75oz. Price of the MI T12 at Bravo Company is currently $155, to give you a little bit of a comparison.

The handguard comes with the required Allen wrench for installation, a small vial of threadlocker, and a decent instruction sheet. It doesn’t come with a spanner wrench for the locknut. I might have bought a spanner wrench, but there wasn’t any available when I bought the handguard, so I just put the blade of a screwdriver in the slot of the locknut and tapped it with a hammer. With the help of the threadlocker, the locknut is holding tight, and somewhat to my surprise, the screwdriver didn’t leave a mark on the ring.

Installation on an already assembled upper will require removing any muzzle device present, the gas tube, the front sight tower or gasblock, and finally the delta ring assembly or barrel nut.

Tools required:
1/16” pin punch for the gas tube roll pin
3/32” pin punch for the front sight tower pins (if present)
Hammer – claw hammer at minimum, those front sight tower pins can be tough to start moving
Grease – for removing and reinstalling front sight tower or gas block, and rust preventive on the barrel and steel parts covered by the tube
Degreaser – for cleaning MI barrel nut, lock nut, and anti-rotation screw before applying threadlocker
½” wrench, or large crescent wrench for muzzle device (if present)
Some sort of barrel nut wrench
Vise
Upper receiver block
Torque wrench for reassembly (31 foot-pounds minimum, up to 80 foot-pounds is desirable to break-in the threads of the barrel nut, per the TM)
MI lock nut spanner, or hammer and flat blade screwdriver

I removed the sling swivel from the front sight tower, and shaved it into a low-profile gas block which required more tools – drill and 1/8” drill bit, Dremel rotary tool, cut-off wheel, stone grinding bit, files, and black BBQ spray paint. I don't trust the set-screw type gas blocks, and didn’t want to spend $50+ for a clamp-on gas block.

Don’t forget to order another crush washer for the muzzle device if you want/need to use one. They aren’t reusable (yeah, I tried; not enough friction to hold the flash hider on). I think the peel washers are reusable, but I don’t like them, so I’m really not sure.

Anti-Rotation Pin Screws Into The Tube, Locking It In Place In Relation To The Barrel Nut

The handguard has an anti-rotation screw, very similar to the ones used with YHM tubes, except that it has a socket head rather than a slotted head. The barrel nut also is very similar to the YHM nut.

The only issue that I’ve had with fitting things to the handguard was with the Vltor Scout Light mount. The scout mount fit, but the rails on the handguard seem to be oversized, and the mount would not clamp the flashlight solidly in place without a little shim that I cut from a soda can. The scout mount worked fine on the rail of a flattop upper, so it’s not the Vltor mount that’s the problem.

The Yankee Hill front sight, MI sling mount, Larue QD scope mount, and Tangodown Quick-Detach Vertical Foregrip all fit fine.

The only real complaint I have about the MI handguard, is the finish. MI advertises that all their stuff is hard anodized, but I’m finding that it scratches really easily. I was finding scratches before I even really used the rifle. Not a big deal, but it might be if you really want a pretty “safe queen.” The matte black coating on the Larue Beverage Entry Tool has held up to opening many “adult beverages,” so if you want a tube with a tough finish, you might want to give a Larue tube a try.

The MI handguard seems to be working out well. Next time I want a free-float railed handguard, I’ll definitely be considering getting another MI T-Series.

Yankee Hill QDS Folding Front Sight

2009-12-12T09:36:00.002-05:00

Why the M4-type ears, instead of the HK-type wings that wrap around the front sight? The same reason Chuck Taylor warned about the rings around HK front sights, and why Noveske was psyched when Troy released their M4-type front sight. The front sight is not necessarily centered in the ring, or semicircular wings, and in a snap-shot scenario, you might try to center the ring or wings in the rear sight, rather than the front sight itself. This would result in a bullet going somewhere you hadn’t intended.

When I first started fiddling with the sight, I was a little concerned. The button was stiff, and the sight was harder to deploy than I would have liked. After playing with the switch-sightblade (yeah, I know, sorry) for a little while, it loosened up, and it’s now quite acceptable.

You push the button on the side, it flips up, and locks in place. I'm a little afraid that a hard knock might do some damage, since it locks when unfolded, even though it doesn't need to lock since it's spring loaded. Maybe I'll take it apart and fix it so that it doesn't lock open someday.

I unscrewed the A2 front sight that came with the sight, and installed the Trijicon front sight with tritium insert that I had in the standard A-frame front sight base (that I hacked off). I got the carbine sighted in pretty quickly. The front sight isn’t hanging far above the wings, and I didn’t have to make any significant adjustments to the rear sight.

The sight comes with the required Allen wrench for mounting the sight, and it clamped onto my Midwest Industries handguard with no issues.

Although I would prefer a sight that doesn't lock when deployed, it does lock when folded, which I did want, and I wasn't thrilled with the wings or locking designs of many of the competing flip-up front sights. I took a bit of a gamble on the Yankee Hill sight, and it paid off. Next time I need a clamp-on front sight, I think I’ll be buying another one of these.

Midway Coupon Codes for December

2009-12-05T23:56:00.002-05:00

Looks like there's currently two valid coupon codes for $10 off orders over $50. Codes are 1050119 and 50129. Dunno when they expire though.

Update, 12/5/09

2009-12-05T22:21:00.010-05:00

GunBlast has a review of American Tactical Imports (ATI) T-14 .410 AR-15 Shotgun Upper, which I mentioned back in July. It looks like Mr. Quinn was using the 13-round magazine, so they must be available somewhere in the U.S.

Also from GunBlast, a review of the Taurus TCP .380 pocket pistol, which I mentioned back in July. I kind of forgot about that pistol. I still don't think I've ever seen one in person. Unlike some other similar pistols, the Taurus locks open after the last round, and the pistol reviewed had a trigger pull that measured around 4 pounds (compared to the usual trigger pull of around 8 pounds). This one might be interesting.

I gave up trying to fix the M&P, and had the shop send it back to S&W for warranty work.

Got another Millet DMS-1 Scope from Midway to replace the dented one. As soon as I can get my hands on a American Defense Manufacturing Recon-X scope mount, I'll get to testing the scope and mount. I made sort of an interesting observation while fiddling with it, that with the power ring set to 1x, the scope actually seems to make things look smaller. True 1x seems to be somewhere between the 1x and 1.5x markings on the power ring.

I still have a couple or few reviews to post. Should have them put up by next weekend.

Midwest Industries Picatinny HD Front Sling Swivel

2009-12-04T12:36:00.003-05:00

MI Part: MCTAR-08HD

I went with the heavy-duty MI quick-detach sling mount over the others after reading the Military Morons review which stated that the heavy-duty model had stops that keep the sling from twisting. The mount itself has stops that limit the sling swivel from making more than a quarter turn. I like this feature a lot, and I wish all QD sling sockets had this feature.

The mount is a fairly simple device. There are two pieces held together with an Allen-head socket screw. It works on my MI railed tube, obviously, which has rails that are a little oversized, but it also fits true 1913 Picatinny spec rails.

The only thing I feel the need to warn you about is that the screw will probably scratch the finish on the rail you mount it to. The screw threads left marks on my handguard. It’s not a big deal to me. The handguard wasn’t expensive, and the marks are covered with either accessories or ladder rail covers. If you were trying to sell an expensive firearm with integral rails, it might become an issue though.

Vltor Scout Light Mount

2009-12-03T12:34:00.003-05:00

I had been using a Streamlight TLR-1 light on the carbine, but I’m seeing a lot of shooters using Surefire Nitrolon flashlights, usually with some kind of LED upgrade. I tried it out, and I can see several advantages in this method. Some of the LED upgrade bulbs are really bright, and the push-button switches are simpler than the switch on the TLR-1.

A lot of said shooters are using the Viking Tactics light mount. I didn’t think that was what I wanted, as it requires a tool to remove it from the rail, and I wanted something that I could ditch quickly if the flashlight should fail, or if I just didn’t need it. The Vltor mount has a nut that can be unscrewed with only bare hands.

That nut that secures the mount, by the way, is secured to the stud, so that it can’t be completely unscrewed and lost. I wish this was done more often.

The problem with the mount is that it doesn’t work well with rails that aren’t to Picatinny spec. The Midwest Industries rails are a little larger than true Pic-spec, and the mount wouldn’t hold the flashlight securely. The instruction sheet that came with the mount says something about using a set-screw to hold the flashlight in position if the mount in used with non-spec rails, but there was no set-screw included, and there’s no threaded hole for one in the mount. My sort of half-assed solution was to cut a shim from an aluminum can to get the mount to work on my Midwest Industries handguard. I’ve got a couple spare shims stored in the rubber plug of the MIAD pistol grip.

Tripped 100,000 Visitors! Cool!

2009-11-29T16:22:00.002-05:00

I just noticed that the Visitor Counter is reading over 100,000. That's not too bad, over the course of a year plus a couple weeks, considering that I didn't actively promote the site.

Palmetto State Armory Sale

2009-11-29T15:50:00.004-05:00

10% off all in-stock magazines, accessories, and parts at the Palmetto State Armory website. Plus, you can use coupon code "stocking" to get a "huge discount" on Magpul PMags.

I'd like to put in an order, but I've already bought a lot of stuff in the last few weeks. I'll be posting review shortly. Photos are uploading as I type this.

Cleaning Mags That Don't Disassemble

2009-11-26T22:08:00.002-05:00

A question just came up on forum, asking how to clean magazines that can't be disassembled. This would apply to many of the "high-capacity" Ruger 10/22 magazines, and some others.

What you can do is clean them in the sink with dishsoap. The dishsoap won't hurt the polymers, or any glue that might be holding the magazine together.

Swish the magazine around in the soapy water, and squirt the water into the magazine with a large syringe if you have one. Brush the follower and whatever you can get at to remove powder fouling. When you're finished, pour in some rubbing alcohol and shake it around to displace the water so that nothing rusts up on you.

It doesn't sound like much, but it actually helps quite a bit.

Promag/Archangel 10/22 Target Stock

2009-11-22T13:13:00.002-05:00

I only have a little bit of information on this one from Guns Magazine. I can't find any information on it elsewhere, and it's not available for sale yet. The butt is adjustable for length of pull in eight steps, and is made of polymer. It's cool looking, and I expect the price to be quite reasonable, which is typical of ProMag products.

Thureon Defense 9mm Carbine

2009-11-22T12:44:00.002-05:00

Thureon Defense is marketing an AR-15 type carbine in 9mm. Although it might be a bit ugly, the retail price for the carbine is less than what I paid for a RRA 9mm upper, 9mm buffer and magazine block.

It's nice to see a company release a product with a reasonable price. I've come across some interesting products, but haven't posted on them due to ridiculous prices.

Updates 11/22/09

2009-11-22T07:14:00.004-05:00

The Magpul UBR stock I ordered from Streichers sale on August 15th should be coming in tomorrow.

I got a Millet DMS 1-4x scope from Midway, but it was dented, and I had to send it back. Hopefully they'll have more American Defense Recon-X scope mounts in stock by the time the scope gets back to them.

The M&P 9 Pro is still pelting me with brass about 80% of the time, no matter what I do to it. I don't know what more to do with it besides send it back to S&W and hope for the best. It seems to be an extractor related problem, and the extractor is neither a user-servicable item, nor a readily available spare part.

Oh, and the pocket knife ban saga continues, apparently. There was a short article about it in Guns Magazine or American Handgunner this month, so I guess we're not out of the woods yet.

I did a small update to the Ares 22RCU posting. Estimated price, and a better picture.

Springfield Armory Store - 30% Off Sale

2009-11-21T17:39:00.003-05:00

It looks like the guys at Springfield have lost their minds. Everything in the online store is 30% off with owner's manuals and military training manuals available for free. This would be a good time to stock up on XD, 1911, and M1A mags, and pick up those specialized M1A/M14 tools.

New U.S. Cavalry Coupon Code

2009-11-21T11:41:00.002-05:00

Coupon Code: MNCOOL15
Save 15% when you spend $99

Again, I don't see an expiration date.

The coupon codes from the last catalog may still work for a little while longer.

Updates 11/14/09

2009-11-14T21:49:00.006-05:00

I updated the AR-15 Magazines article with information on 9mm AR mags.

Lengthening the ejector for the M&P 9 Pro didn't change much. I was able to stretch it out 0.025", through heat and hammering. Chopping down the ejector, and working the extractor some seemed to have done the trick, but I wasn't able to test it too much. It got dark on me too quick today, and I didn't get a chance to do any more live-fire testing.

A while back, I reported that the Border Patrol wanted assisted-opening pocket knives to be classified as automatic knives (a.k.a. switchblades), and regulated as such (Article - Sigh. Pocket Knife Ban In The Works?). This legislation could have affected many one-hand-opening knives. This ban attempt has failed, either through common sense or the efforts of "Knife Guys" to get this killed.

I've noted in the Civilian ACR/Masada Coming Soon? thread that the Wikipedia ACR Article states that the suggested retail price for the semi-automatic ACR is anticipated to start around $1200. I wonder how long it will take for street prices to come down to the retail price. I would expect the first few thousand to sell for over $2000 easily judging by Gunbroker auction bids on the SCAR rifles when they first came out.

Oh, and I finally updated the Articles and Reviews list pages.

American Handgunner and Guns Free Online

2009-11-14T20:41:00.003-05:00

I just want to post a quick note that American Handgunner and Guns Magazine have made digital copies of their magazines free on the internet. I'm not exactly sure why they're doing it, but it's there for you to take advantage of.

I'll continue my subscriptions because I don't want to take a laptop into my, er, reading room. You know. The room with the plumbing. ;)

Free Shipping From G&R Tactical

2009-11-10T02:02:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note that G&R Tactical is currently offering free shipping on orders over $100.

ARES 22RCU - Ruger Mk.II/Mk.II Carbine Conversion

2009-11-10T01:43:00.005-05:00

I was browsing the American Rifleman website, when I discovered this article on the ARES 22RCU.

Ares Defense Systems has created a carbine conversion kit for Ruger Mk.I, Mk.II, Mk.II, and 22/45 pistols, which they call the 22RCU. It is full-on politically incorrect with a vented railed handguard and collapsible wire stock. The conversion kit isn't available yet, but Ares says that it is "coming soon."

You may be familiar with Ares if you've heard about their Shrike Belt-fed upper for the AR-15/M-16 or their AR-15 piston conversion kit.

EDIT: GunPundit found it at SHOT Show '09. You can find his blog post about it, with a better picture here. The retail price he was told would be $299.

Updates, 11/1/09

2009-11-01T13:10:00.004-05:00

Added some AR-15 and .223/5.56mm ammo links to the Links Page.

Picture of Magpul PMag added to AR-15 Magazine Article.

I'll have updated the Pet Loads Article, and Hogdon TiteGroup Powder Review, by the time you read this.

The 1911 has been getting some range time, and is doing well. I'll post more details later.

The M&P 9 Pro has a new ejector coming soon from Brownells. Will have it out at the range next weekend, and hopefully will not get beaned with brass the whole time. It's been sitting in the GunVault (another review I'll have to write someday) for months now. Every time I went to put in an order from Midway, they were backordered on the ejectors.

Stuff for reloading .223 ammo inbound from Midway, though they sold out of the shellplates before I could place the order, so I still won't be able to do much. Planning on upgrading the Hornady press with the EZ-Ject parts, so maybe I'll order the shellplate direct from Hornady then.

I need to get around to updating the Articles and Reviews pages. It's been a few months. Oops!

DSG Arms PMag Sale

2009-10-31T13:49:00.002-04:00

DSG Arms is selling a variety of 10-packs of PMags for $99.95. That's a hard deal to beat for really good AR-15 mags.

Civilian ACR/Magpul Masada Coming Soon?

2009-10-24T22:20:00.007-04:00

Bushmaster has posted an update on the ACR (Advanced Combat Rifle, a.k.a. Magpul Masada). They are predicting a launch in the first half of 2010. Bushmaster is supposed to be marketing the carbine to civilians, with Remington going for the military contracts.

Pray that the November 2010 elections go better than the 2008 elections!

EDIT 11/14/09: The Wikipedia ACR Article states that the suggested retail price for the semi-automatic ACR is anticipated to start around $1200. I wonder how long it will take for street prices to come down to the retail price. I would expect the first few thousand to sell for over $2000 easily judging by Gunbroker auction bids on the SCAR rifles when they first came out.

Ruger 10/22 Tuning and Mods

2009-10-20T02:00:00.011-04:00

EDIT: Crap. Steve at The Firearm Blog posted a link to this article before I had time to add pictures and clean it up. :(

Probably one of the easiest and most common modifications to the 10/22 is what most call the “auto bolt release.”

The 10/22, as it comes from Ruger, has a unique bolt release. To lock the bolt open, you hold the bolt back, and push up on this lever-type thing in front of the trigger guard. To release the bolt, you pull back the bolt, and then push up on the bolt release again. Releasing the bolt this way is kind of clumsy, at least for those with only two hands. ;)

Auto Bolt Release Mod

The Ruger 10/22 bolt release can be modified so that the bolt releases with just a little tug on the bolt handle. All you need to do is to cut the canine-tooth-like spur from the big hole in the bolt release. This is not very hard to do with a carbide milling bit (Dremel bit #9901) in a Demel tool. I found that I needed to cut the hole almost to the top edge of the bolt release.

That’s really all there is to it. No need to buy an aftermarket part, unless you have to have an extended bolt catch lever.

The next thing to do is to reduce the trigger pull weight. With most 10/22 rifles, the trigger pull weight actually exceeds the weight of the rifle by a couple pounds. This also is a pretty easy fix. Buy a Volquartsen or Power Custom hammer, and replace the factory hammer. This will very likely reduce the trigger pull from something like eight pounds down to about three and half pounds.

The makes it a lot easier to break the shot while the sights are still on your target.

Trigger Group Disassembly/Reassembly Instructions* c/o David Lake of Composite Gunsmithing (which seems to have gone out of business).

JB Weld Mod*
Reduce the "take up" in the trigger pull. You can do the same thing with a set-screw, but it's almost not worth the trouble.

Trigger Group Polishing

Glass Bedding the Stock
Makes a huge improvement in accuracy when the action is really secure in the stock and the barrel is floated properly.

Extractor Tuning
Neither of my 10/22s ran very well before tuning the extractors. They run much better now.

More Trigger Tips*
Mainspring strut comes rough, stone that sucker smooth.
Check to see if extractor is hitting the notch in the barrel.

Ruger Rotary Magazine Tuning
Mag Tuning
Magazine Sticking
I’ve found that they work better for me if I turn the nut 9 flats. That’s not counting the half a flat it takes to start feeling tension on the spring. Like he says, don’t crank down on the screw, or it will bind up the rotor, just turn it ‘til it’s snug. These suckers are finicky, you'll have to work at it a little.

My Tack-Driver 10/22. Okay, so this one's got a KID trigger (and barrel too), but the trigger group I tuned went into my plinker/beater 10/22. The scope mount is a Power Custom extended model. Stock is a Bell & Carlson, which I glass-bedded with a Volquartsen pillar, and DIY spacers cut from some old handlebars.

The Tack-Driver and the beater together. I need to take an updated pic of the beater, which now sports a standard Power Custom Weaver-style scope mount and one of my Tasco PDP2 Red Dot sights. It looks nicer with a clear anodized aluminum Tactical Innovations magazine, too.

People don't expect the nice target trigger on a plinker/beater gun. Mag dumps are fun and easy.

EDIT: Here's the new-and-improved beater.

* - Any and all trigger tuning, and any gunsmithing for that matter, is to be done at your own risk. Firearms with modified actions can be dangerous. In fact, while working on one of the 10/22s, I had a couple rounds go off with the bolt part-way open, which could very well have sent me to the emergency room, or worse.

Brownells $5 Shipping Coupon Code

2009-10-07T00:51:00.002-04:00

$5 shipping on orders over $50 from Brownells.

Coupon Code - E1X

Coupon Exires 10/31/09

CDNN Glock Mag Sale and Free Shipping

2009-09-27T02:25:00.005-04:00

CDNN Investments is running a sale on Glock mags. Most of the normal, "hi-cap," mags are going for $19.99, which a price I really haven't seen since at least October. The 33 round, 9mm mags, are $33.33.

Free shipping on orders over $200 if you use the coupon code "fs200." $5 shipping for any internet order this weekend, plus a little "Swiss Army" type knife, Colt keychain screwdriver, and tinted mirrored shooting glasses for free.

I'd avoid all the Target Sports stuff and all the optics (cheap Asian junk), but there are some other good deals on the site if you look around.

I should be pretty well stocked up on Glock mags for the rest of my life now, plus some to give away to family, as needed.

10/20 EDIT: Okay, the free shipping offer is over, but they are now offering $7.99 shipping for all internet orders, along with 2 free gifts (cheap pair of safety glasses and 16-Function "Swiss-style" knife. The Glock mag prices have not changed, still $19.99, and $33.33 for the 33-round mags. Hmm, maybe I should order some more 33-round magazines for when Lone Wolf gets more Glock mag AR-15 lowers in.

Natchez has the 33 round magazines a little cheaper, but the regular mags are a couple dollars more. No more 3 for $15 each.