Since the ability to start a fire is recognized as a key survival skill, it is common practice to keep more than one fire starting tool handy. Matches, lighters and ferro rods are common choices, but the Solo Scientific Tinder Hot Box Solar Fire Starter is an interesting addition to this list. In our testing, it was able to get a piece of char cloth smoldering in about the time it would take to pull...
At the 2016 SHOT Show, there were lots of nice scopes on hand from US Optics, Nightforce, Vortex and all the usual players. But, one excellent scope that was surprisingly overlooked by many was the Lucid L7. Lucid, a Riverton, Wyoming based company, has been around since 2009. They design their products in the US and manufacturing is done overseas to stay competitive. The new L7 is a true 1-6×24 scope with their impressive P7...
The Inova X1B-01-R7 is a handy little flashlight, which fits in the middle ground between keychain lights and standard size models. It is a dual mode light that is small enough to stick in your pocket and forget that its there. The main compromise is that the Inova X1 has a shorter battery life and lower output than some of it’s larger brothers. Comparing the X1’s stats to other lights is pretty straightforward, since Nite...
The evolution of mounting accessories on weapon systems could be charted as duct tape to rails then KeyMod and now MLOK. All the other options still exist, but MLOK is growing in popularity quite quickly. Now, Kinetic Development Group has come up with the latest advancement in this system with their Kinect QD mounts.
One of the more interesting things that I picked up this year at SHOT Show 2016 was a product sample from the Breakthrough Clean booth. The Breakthrough people were handing out trial sizes of their solvent, oil and grease to folks who stopped by to check out their product line. I had a chance to chat with a few guys from their company, who explained that they figured out that a jet engine cleaning solvent...
This year’s SHOT Show was one of the biggest tradeshows to ever hit Las Vegas. There were multiple vendors for everything imaginable and tons of prototypes and new products. But, for all of you who couldn’t make it this year, we’ve put together our “Best of the Show” list, so you can see some of the most interesting finds and attend in spirit. These top ten-ish are our picks due to their having a great...
The standard buttstock on AR carbines is simple and effective. However, one of the more common complaints shooters have is that their rifles would fit better if the stock was just a little longer, taller, etc. LUTH-AR’s MBA-3 Carbine Stock aims to offer a lightweight solution to this problem.
Optics have become standard fare on the modern AR. However, rifles get dropped, batteries die, screws come loose, glass breaks and reticles can sometimes refuse to point in the same direction as the barrel. Because of this, it is not uncommon to see rifles that have both some kind of glass and iron sights. For a rifle that might be used in an emergency situation, having a backup aiming system just makes sense.
There are many different options available for upgrading the stock safety on an AR15. Most of these are a variation on the original rotating lever design. Various companies offer a variety of different rotation angles and lever lengths, as well as styles and colors. However, Elftmann Tactical has come up with something a bit different, a push button style safety for the AR platform, the Elftmann Ambidextrous Speed Safety.
The search for the perfect rifle scope is akin to the search for the lost city of El Dorado. It is easy to get obsessed and spend significant time and treasure, thinking that perfection is just around the next bend. However, all optics are a matter of balancing trade-offs and features for a given price point. One scope that offers a surprising amount of features for the money in a body that’s build like a...