Often times, the items that are actually going to make your shooting life better are small ticket pieces. And because of that, they don’t always get the attention they deserve with a full up review. Well this week, we are stepping up to correct that. With the first edition of new equipment roundup.
First off, new 24 round 9mm magazines from Glock. These are factory additions to the line up, with that factory Glock durability built in. For many years you could get a 33 round 9mm magazine, or a 22 round 40 S&W magazine as factory extended options. Given the popularity of 9mm as a cartridge, Glock finally decided to make an option closer in length to the 22 round 40 S&W model. This is a great magazine to have if you want truly high capacity, but the 33 round job is a little much. The only thing wrong in this picture, overall length, if you are a competitive shooter. Most sport shooting organizations limit magazine length to 140mm, and this model is closer to 160mm. Still, a great back up magazine to keep in the truck in case things go well and truly pear shaped. I got my test model from Gun Mag Warehouse, at a price of $33.99.
Next up, two new charging handles from Geisselle. Geisselle has strayed far from the original trigger they built, into all kinds of parts. They made some serious waves earlier this year by winning the contract for the new USASOC upper, building everything in house except the Daniel Defense barrel. With that upper, they announced the Airborne Charging Handle, to go with the Super Charging Handle. The models are similar, with the Airborne model being slightly smaller. Why? For warfighter use. There is much cross over from competition to tactical, but not everything does so. One of the problems of an extended charging handle and armor rears its ugly head over time. Extended charging handles have a nasty habit of riding against your kit on the sometimes night long walk to the target, and pulling the bolt out of battery. It doesn’t take much movement to do so. Running into a room full of Wahabi’s holding AK’s and having your gun go click is a sub optimal outcome. So for the tactical side of the house, the Airborne model has smaller wings. We could safely call the Airborne the tactical model, and the Super the competition model. Both are fully ambidextrous and work like gangbusters. At an MSRP of $89, this is a bargain in aftermarket charging handles. Pick one of these up, and you won’t regret it.
Third on the list, new C4 folding sights from Ultradyne. We haven’t seen any huge advances in folding AR sights in some time, and Ultradyne set out to fix that. The rear sight features 200-600 meter adjustments, in a spring free package. The profile is extremely thin and locks up solid. The front sight though, that is where the magic is. The front is spring free, depending entirely on machined tolerances to hold it in place. Like my formerly preferred option, it is a circular H&K style. That is where the similarities end though. The Ultradyne model features a round front sight post that is hollow, allowing you to see the target while you shoot. This is a purely concentric sight picture, similar to what Olympic target shooters use. And it does work. I don’t shoot irons often, and my test group was 1.5 inches at 100 meters. The coolest part? Toolless adjustment. The entire body of the front sight compresses, allowing you to spin the front sight post up or down with just your fingers. Anyone that has used the tip of a bullet to move the sight 1/8th turn at a time knows the benefit here. These sights aren’t cheap, but they are pretty awesome. MSRP is $129 for the front, $154 for the rear.
Last but certainly not least, this week we also got to try out Champions new line of VisiColor Peel and Stick Adhesives. These targets are perfect for adding some fun to your range session, no stapler or spray glue needed. Bullet holes appear in bright colors, with different colors designating different scoring zones. Available in sizes ranging from silhouette to small bullseye, there is an option for every occasion. Prices range from $5.95 to $14.95 per pack.
Best part about the front sight design is that no matter how high or low you adjust the front sight, the tip always stays concentric with the protective wings. I have noticed a tendency for people shooting fast to use the wings to line up the sights…sometimes that puts them off by a bit…but not with these sights!
Thanks, I ordered the Champion stick on silhouette targets that I can paste on the foam boards I buy at the Dollar Tree for $1.00 5 targets for 17.86 no shipping on eBay. Then I can practice before going down the the Sheriffs Office and qualify for HR-218. They are smaller than the standard Combat Silhouette which I like in order to tighten my groups. Good info thanks. By the way those foam boards at the Dollar Tree for $1.00 are paper covered and make great backings for targets best deal on the street. They sell them in the arts and crafts section. My Daughter had bought some for school project and I saw right away a better use for them.
Thanks Clay for that interesting video on the new products. The one product that caught my attention was the open front sight.
that set up is pretty cool, and certainly worth investigating.