Category Archives: Weapon Modifications

Photo of the Day: Centurion Arms CMR 12-inch Rail

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Tim checks out Centurion Arms’ brand new, lightweight and narrow diameter CMR 12-inch tubular rail.

Centurion Arms has developed its latest hand guard system for the AR platform for 5.56mm and 7.62mm rifles. Boasting an extremely narrow diameter, it is approximately .120″ narrower in diameter (side to side) than a Troy Industries VTAC rail. The lightweight, custom barrel nut can be installed with a standard adjustable pin spanner wrench. Rather than attach sections of picatinny rail to the hand guard, Centurion Arms will be releasing mounts that will screw directly into the hand guard eliminating the need for an intermediate interface. The mount system is a hybrid design. It borrows the concept of the locking cross bolt system found in the H&K 416 and combines it with a clamp to the barrel nut. The tolerances are held tight and the hand guard is about a slip fit on the barrel nut prior to tightening. The mount mechanism is rock solid. As with all Centurion Arms hand guards, there are integral sling swivel attachment points at the front and rear at 9 and 3 o’clock. The entire rail is cleanly machined, extremely ergonomic, and attractive to boot. They should be hitting the market at any moment so look for it at your favorite dealer.

SOURCE: http://www.centurionarms.com

Edited to add weights:

CMR 12-inch with barrel nut and screws: 10.7 ounces

CMR 14-inch with barrel nut and screws: 11.6 ounces

Smith & Wesson M&P 45c Testing and Modifications

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S&W M&P .45c 36 Rounds Corbon DPX

After the recent purchase of 2 S&W M&P Shields in 9mm for back up and as student loaner guns, my descent into the world of the M&P began. Being a long time fan of the .45 ACP cartridge, there was only one choice, an M&P in .45. I decided on the M&P 45c SKU 109108. This is a 4in. barrel, 8 shot magazine M&P with ambidextrous thumb safety. The pistol is supplied with 2 eight round magazines, one flush fit and one with an extension. The pistol has the standard 3 dot sights and interchangeable backstraps of the M&P line. I’m currently using the small backstrap insert as that gives me the best fit to my hands. As Hilton Yam has noted before, the M&P with the thumb safety is very natural for a 1911 shooter who uses a high thumb grip to shoot. The pistol is available with or without the safety. Continue reading →

Review: Geissele Super Dynamic 3-Gun (S3G) trigger

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To most people, a “match trigger” in a AR15 platform belongs on a rifle with a 16 to 22 inch  precision barrel. During the course of my career I have shot the normal GI trigger that I was given. During sniper school the precision platform opened up to me, but the desire of a nicer trigger didn’t really bleed down to my other carbines until I shot a friend’s Geissele trigger a few years ago. I have since tried many “match” triggers of all types and from numerous companies, never really finding something I liked enough to warrant the additional funds.

I shoot a lot of 1911 like most of the other contributors on this site and personally use primarily a flat blade trigger. This preference of a flat trigger has bled down to my bolt guns as well. I learned that Geissele was producing a flat blade trigger and I had to try it, so I ordered 1 of every model ( Super Dynamic 3 gun, Super Dynamic Enhanced, and Super Dynamic Combat). Continue reading →

Photo of the Day: TangoDown iOCover

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A few years ago, Aimpoint introduced a smaller, lightweight version of their proven red dot sighting system. Called the T-1, it was designed to be just as durable and reliable as its bigger brothers, with just as impressive battery life to boot. The only thing missing was some bump protection. Former 10-8 Forum Member Joe Chen had the brilliant idea to develop a cover similar to the Aimpoint Factory Rubber Cover for the Comp M series sights. Originally a Kickstarter project, it grew legs and the bright minds at TangoDown were charged with production. Today, the iOCover is cheap insurance to protect your already tough T-1 from bumps and bruises.

SOURCE: http://www.tangodown.com

Heavy Training With A Weapon Mounted Light

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Cleaning handguns after heavy training can be tedious. Cleaning a weapon mounted light can be even worse.  The above pistol had nearly 3,000 rounds through it in a foolish stunt to see if we could make it break.  The gun got so hot at times that I had to rack the slide on my holster during reloads because I could not touch it with Oakley gloves on.  I do not advocate abusing a modern service weapon in the way we did above at any time.  But, sometimes during product development it is necessary. Continue reading →

Mossberg 930 SPX Review And Modifications

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The Mossberg 930 SPX Shotgun has several factory features which make it a formidable combat shotgun out of the box, but as with most weapons some modifications will better suit it to the user.

The 930 SPX is a semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun with 18 1/2 inch barrel, and is fitted with an LPA Fiber Optic front sight with Ghost Ring rear sight. The red fiber optic front sight is adjustable for elevation and shows up well in daylight and glows like a night sight when a mounted light is used. There are tritium front sights available for the LPA Sights. Having been in the situation of not being able to see a brass bead, trust me you want a visible front sight. The rear sight is adjustable for both windage and elevation and the click adjustments are well defined, and are clearly marked in white. The rear sight is mounted to the receiver on a Picatinny rail, which allows mounting a red dot sight if so desired. Both front and rear sights are protected by metal ears and are very rugged. The 930 SPX has a Choate extended magazine tube. Synthetic stocks with recoil pad and sling studs front and rear round out the package.

Continue reading →

Review- Sure Fire X300 Ultra Weapon Mounted Light

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Sure Fire X300 Ultra mounted on author’s duty Glock 35

I am a flashlight nerd.  I admit it.  I’d almost go to meetings like any other addiction if it was offered.  I am constantly on the hunt for the next biggest and brightest thing.  I’ve often stated that I am waiting around for the light to come out that has the same performance on the human body as to when the Germans looked into the Ark of the Covenant on Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Real old Testament stuff.

So when James Otto of Otto Firearms contacted me and stated he had the new Sure Fire X300 Ultra in stock finally, I broke out the plastic and one was on its way. Continue reading →

Glock Armorers Course – A Review

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Recently, I traveled down to Smyrna, Georgia this week to the home of all things Glock for their eight hour armorers course. I had originally taken the course in 1996.  It was an eight hour course then, and best I remember it cost $75.  It was eight hours of assembly and disassembly.  The course wasn’t much.   As simple as the guns are, I never re-certified.

Fast forward to last November.  I told my boss I wanted to go down to the factory and take the Instructor Workshop class, and he green lit me for it.  A very nice lady from Glock Training called me back and informed me that I had to be a current armorer to be eligible for the class.  So, I said what the heck, and added a day onto my trip. I drove down with a head full of questions, ranging from recoil spring weights to extraction issue questions to a whole lot of questions about the 17T (Simunitions pistol). Continue reading →

Record Keeping

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Keeping track of the round count, function issues and modifications is a must for a beauty like this one. It is just as important for every other gun you own as well.

I have been doing a lot of traveling these last few weeks teaching mostly Armorer courses at various agencies.  One thing that comes to mind immediately when I discuss their programs is how many of them are missing a significant portion of the job.  While being able to service and maintain the weapons is a primary function of the Armorer, maintaining accurate records of each item is even more important.

Continue reading →

Graygun’s HK artistry

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Bruce Gray’s Artistry in HK’s
By Darryl Bolke

Most of “my circle” of friends in the firearms world knows that I am an unrepentant fan of HK firearms. I have been a dedicated user of Heckler & Koch service pistols for over 25 years. While I love 1911 pistols and big bore revolvers with all my heart, I am most often found carrying an HK pistol of one variety or another. In the world of HK the names of the premier HK gunsmith’s is a short list………with one name-Bruce Gray. Others can work on them, but only one that I know of has been synonymous with high-end gunsmithing on them (especially with the P7 series) is Bruce Gray. I remember coveting a long slide P7M13 back in the late 80’s when they graced the HK catalogs. It has taken a lot of years, but finally in December I secured not one, but two Gray Guns, Inc. HK pistols.

Continue reading →

Optics on an AK? Enter the RS Regulate AK-300 Mounting System

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RS-Regulate AK300 base with AKM mount and AImpoint Comp M3

RS Regulate AK Optics Mount
By Darryl Bolke

The AK-47 platform has made some huge inroads in the last decade as a more mainstream primary rifle system for many American shooters. It is also becoming one of those systems that you need to learn to run even if it is not your normal issued rifle for either military or L/E shooters. While the AK system is usually a robust and reliable rifle (especially in true military issued form rather than “assembled” rifles), it is lacking in many areas for efficient use. One of the biggest shortcomings of most AK’s is that they are essentially equipped with a rough pistol sighting system. Continue reading →

Mid Sized Timberwolf Frames for Glock

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Deeper thumb grooves, larger mag releases, a flatter front strap and wider finger grooves are just a few of the improvements you will see on the Lone Wolf Distributors Timberwolf frames.

I carried a Glock pistol in one form or another for more than 21 years and have to say they always worked for me.  Coming from the PSD world, all I cared about was if it worked when I pressed the trigger and would the shots go where I pointed them.  After that I never gave a lot of thought to things like grip angle or texture unless they became a problem.  It wasn’t until I started using Gen 3 Glock pistols that I discovered how slippery my older guns had become.  The polymer had deteriorated with age to the point that guns simply were no longer useful.  This left me with an abundance of perfectly serviceable Glock upper assemblies and no hope lowers.  Luckily Lone Wolf Distributors  (LWD) solved this issue for us. Continue reading →

Colt CM901: The Hammer – Close In Work

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Does one “weapon” fit all?  Does one “weapon” fit most?  I am not exactly sure?  Actually I am leaning towards “no” but I am open to suggestions.  Then the Colt CM901 enters into the market and it is engineered to be able to shoot the intended 7.62 NATO chambering down to the 5.56 NATO round via the different uppers it can accommodate.  With a separately built and supplied sleeve the CM901 can accept complete upper receivers of different or the same calibers and can run them with little interruption.

Continue reading →

YOUR PATROL RIFLE (HOW TO SET IT UP)

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Patrol rifles are steadily becoming the mainstay of the modern police arsenal.  From time to time, the conversation of chosing a police patrol rifle comes up.  And some folks have some interesting thoughts on the modern police patrol rifle, and what should hang on it.  Folks have all kinds of ideas ranging from a full auto rifle chambered in a piston driven 6.8, to hanging on a 2-16 Nightforce scope, two lights, a PEQ, weather vane, Iphone attachment (let’s face it EVERYTHING revolves around ITunes these days), gerbil ball, bipod, monopod grip in case the bipod fails, a suppressor, one of those window hanger thingies to hold a Monster Absolute Zero,  and two Surefire 60 round magazines taped end to end for good measure. Continue reading →

Geissele Reaction Rod – Review

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The New GEISSELE Reaction Rod quickly and easily holds any AR type rifle chambered for the 5.56 x 45 cartridge.

I spend a lot of time behind my rifles, which means I spend a fair amount of time building, cleaning and maintaining my rifles.  Anything that I can find that has the potential to help make my life easier or that saves time, I am willing to give a try.  I read about the Geissele Reaction Rod and about how the AMU’s armorers were using something like it several months ago and had been waiting for it to be released ever since.  Santa was good to me and I have been working with this new tool for the past few weeks. Continue reading →