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Archive for the ‘Black Rifle’ Category

Ares Armor Reacts (In Crayon) To Recent ATF Ruling Letter on 80% Lowers

Wednesday, January 7th, 2015

Ares Armor has been at odds with the BATFE for some time over the sale and manufacture of “80%” lower receivers for AR-style weapons. Most recently, they have contacted the The Honorable B. Todd Jones, Director Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to request clarification of ATF Ruling 2015-1 regarding the use of gunsmithing services or machine shop support in the transformation of “80%” lower receivers into finished firearms. Considering the additional issues raised by this most recent ATF Ruling, Ares Armor’s letter requesting clarification was certainly warranted. Particularly considering the ruling may contain tidbits that exonerate Ares Armor from any alleged wrongdoing (by the same BATFE that issued the ruling) in selling “80% complete” lower receivers. What really makes this one over the top, is the attached set of crayon drawings.

This is NOT a receiver

This is but one example from the graphic. Read the rest here. If you have any interest at all in this ongoing issue, we suggest you visit for the full request for clarification letter.

Leitner Wise Redesigns The Dust Cover

Sunday, December 28th, 2014

While many will debate the need for a dust cover, I find it a necessity for a fighting rifle. Over the years I’ve asked several friends in the AR business why no one has done anything with the dust cover. The answer has basically been that it’s a commodity part and there’s no upside to changing it. Although rare, I’ve seen a few ideas come out over the years and this time, Leitner Wise has taken a stab at it.

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Manufactured from a single billet of aluminum, this dust cover is machined with inset edges so that it will fully seal the ejection port.

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I won’t steal anymore of their thunder. Head on over the Leitner Wise to find out the rest of the story.

www.leitner-wise.com/blogs/news/18472291-why-mess-with-the-dust-cover

Who Needs a SIG Brace When There’s No Stock Needed? (I Kid, I Kid)

Saturday, December 27th, 2014

This video by TTAG’s a Nick Leghorn is the only thing left of the Halix “No Stock Needed” which offered a chin stop to absorb the recoil of an AR-pistol. When we initially mentioned it in 2012 it was quite the spectacle. Somewhere between then and now, the NSN and its maker Halix were cast upon the trash heap of bad ideas.

Later, something much better came along. The SIG SAUER stabilizing Brace or SB15 was designed to allow the disabled to enjoy an AR Pistol and its associated recoil as much as any other Red Blooded American. I for one applaud SIG’s efforts on behalf of disabled gun owners.

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I only mentioned the NSN, the most unfortunate of inventions, because another trainwreck has transpired in the form of an ATF Firearms Technology Industry Services Branch (FTISB) issued determination letter from November on the popular SB-15 stabilizing brace from SIG SAUER. Despite the fact that earlier this year the ATF issued a determination letter that stated that misusing an SB15 fitted to an AR Pistol by shouldering it akin to a rifle did not make the rifle an SBR, plenty of people have been sending in letters of their own regarding their particular pistol builds. Now, how silly is that? As a kid, I learned that if mom gave you the answer you wanted, don’t go asking dad the same question.

The question was asked again, for the umpteenth time. Of course, what do you think happened? This time, a determination letter came back that stated:

“if this device, un-modified or modified; is assembled to a pistol and used as a shoulder stock, thus designing or redesigning or making or remaking of a weapon design to be fired from the shoulder; this assembly would constitute the making of a “rifle” as defined in 18 U.S.C. Section 921(a)(7).”

Feel free to visit Prince Law for more info and a copy of the entire letter.

Although it’s most disconcerting that the ATF can arbitrarily change its opinion, an AR Pistol fitted with an SB15 has been the only option for those who cannot own SBRs. Unfortunately, some folks ignore the “Yes” and keep asking until they get a “No.” Now, that option has become a bit more restrictive and disabled gun owners may lose their ability to enjoy AR pistols.

It’s Not Too Late To Tell Santa

Wednesday, December 24th, 2014

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Thanks Jeremy S!

Grey Ghost Precision Launches Website

Monday, December 15th, 2014

Grey Ghost Precision, home of the Specter series of rifles has launched an independent website. GGP is an offshoot of Grey Ghost Gear which offers nylon gear and armor systems. Manufactured exclusively for GGP by Mega Arms, the Specter series of rifles include light and heavy models.

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www.greyghostprecision.com

KAC’s Improved 45 Degree 200-600m Offset Rear Sight

Tuesday, December 9th, 2014

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During a recent range trip to West Texas’s Spartan Tactical along with Leupold and Knight’s Armament, I got a chance to see a few new items demonstrated by KAC’s Jack Luba and Kevin Boland.

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You may have already read about the new bipod, so this time I’ll mention the Improved 45 Degree 200-600m Offset Rear Sight mounted to the SR-25 above.

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Notice it is called an “Improved” model. That’s because while the actual sight itself remains unchanged, they’ve improved the base. The two main changes are that it’s now ambidextrous, and attaches with 1/8 hex rather than the screw, previously used.

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Make sure you stop by Knight’s booth at SHOT Show to get a first hand look at this sight.

www.knightarmco.com

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014

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Range Day With Grey Ghost Precision

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014

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I spent Veterans Day this year at Range 37 near Ft Bragg with Grey Ghost Precision checking out their new Specter series of rifles. Manufactured exclusively for GGP by Mega Arms, the Specter is offered in Heavy (7.62 NATO) and Light (5.56mm) models. Both were a joy to shoot. My main concern was reliability and overall shooting experience. The day was not the best opportunity for me to look at accuracy and hopefully, this will be happening soon.

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For years shooters have been asking Mega Arms to build complete rifles based on their popular MATEN 7.62 Upper and Lower sets. Mega heard what they are asking for but decided to team up with Grey Ghost. These are the only guns built completely by Mega Arms and this new relationship is a natural fit considering the two firms’ close proximity to one another and privately held status.
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Truth be told, I spent most of my time with the Heavy since it was something new. The initial rifle I shot performed flawlessly with the first magazine but then I started to notice failure to fire on the second round out of the magazine. After it happened three times, Jason Curns, Firearms Manager at Mega Arms took a look at it and replaced the firing pin. After that, it ran like a sewing machine the rest of the day. This was the only malfunction I noted over the several hours our group spent at the range.

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Gemtech also brought in two suppressors that they will be offering with GGP as well as their Blast Jackets which help dampen the side blast of comps.

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Here, you can see the Gemtech suppressor mounted to a Specter Heavy.

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I also fired the Light carbine on a pop up range. After a morning with the Heavy it was a lot of fun to shoot and was equipped with the new Mega Slide Lock charging handle.

Although, I’ve talked about the specs for the rifles before, I’ll go over them again.

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The proprietary receivers are built from 7075-T651 billet aluminum and are True Black Type III hardcoat anodized to military specifications, with a surface hardness of 60 Rockwell. The forends are 14″ extended Mega MKM KeyMod handguards, which are hand fitted to the upper receiver using Mega Arms’ custom lockup system; M-LOK forends will be available in the future. The barrels are medium weight 16″ 416 stainless steel with 11 degree target crowns. They are fitted with Gemtech Jake Brakes and are treated with black nitride inside and out for superior corrosion resistance. One thing to note is that the Heavy’s upper does not incorporate a Forward Assist. This is a holdover from the MATEN. According to Mega, most .308 BCGs don’t have serrations so the BCG wouldn’t do much good.

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The lower receivers feature ambidextrous bolt releases and BAD-CASS selectors. The triggers are single stage, with a 4.5 lbs pull. They also come equipped with properly staked mil-spec six position receiver extensions, Magpul ACS stocks, and Magpul MOE+ pistol grips. The Specter Light comes with enhanced takedown and pivot pins directly from the factory.

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As I stated up front, I used this experience as a familiarity shoot and came away very pleased. Numerous people fired the weapons in both Light and Heavy configurations. Several times we had to wait for weapons to cool down due to the amount of rounds fired. I only noted the firing pin issue during the entire range session. In addition to our range, the rifles were used the day prior by every competitor during one of the stages of the Green Beret Foundation fundraiser shoot. There were no malfunctions noted during that event and no one complained about the weapon’s accuracy during the competition. While the range was not optimized for an accuracy evaluation, I hope to get the opportunity soon.

www.greyghostgear.com