HammerHead Rifle Tool – Review

Posted on February 26th, 2013 by ar15news

A while back I was sent a tool to review.  This tool was the HammerHead Rifle Tool.  While reviewing tools is not nearly as fun as reviewing guns or accessories this was actually something I got to use quite a bit.  I’m always tearing down rifles and putting them back together in different configurations for different photos etc. and the HammerHead Rifle Tool came in handy time after time.

I think its safe to say that the HammerHead Rifle Tool was designed around its very unique Castle Nut Wrench.  This tool features an opening that slides over a bare buffer tube and engages all 4 notches of the castle nut at the same time which really allows you to tighten the Castle Nut.  This is one of my favorite features of this tool.  The fit is very precise which helps you to have confidence that when you do give it a good torque its not going to slip off the Castle Nut as I’ve had happen so many times in the past and sometimes really mess up the threads on the tube.  Lots of my Castle Nuts look as though they’ve been chewed on by a dog with steel teeth.

The tool also features two very smartly designed Flash Hider wrenches.  The angle and position of the cuts made it so getting stubborn old Flash Hiders off and installing new ones a breeze.  Included are wrenches for .750″ and .825″ size FH’s.  The handle doesn’t have as many cutouts at the edge to hurt your hand but I would love to see them do some type of rubber backstrap for a bit of added comfort.  Just my $.02 though and not anything that would deter me from purchasing one.

The HHRT is made of 3/16 thick head treated 1095 steel and is definitely built well.  There is a Titanium version available as well.  There are so many other little features included with this tool.  These include a 1/4, 1/2 and 3/8 torque drive sockets, 5/8 A2 style stock extension tube wrench and a receiver take down / pivot pin punch (or glass breaker in a pinch, LoL)  I honestly didn’t get a ton of use out of these but had I needed them, they would have been there and that is what matters.  One of the only things I feel like is missing is a barrel nut wrench.  I am always swapping out barrels or building a new upper and need a barrel nut wrench quite often.  However, there are things that the HammerHead Rifle Tool does better than any other tool I’ve used such as the Castle Nut and Flash Hider wrenches which is why it will always have a place in my range bag and armorers kit.  

These are available for purchase at HammerHeadRifleTool.com for just $41.50 which to me seems like an awesome price.  Also, don’t forget to stop by the HammerHead Rifle Tool Facebook page and give them a “LIKE”. 

Tactical Dynamics Chameleon Sling – REVIEW

Posted on February 18th, 2013 by ar15news

I’m starting to get caught up on some reviews and the Chameleon Sling by Tactical Dynamics Firearms Training was one that I was excited to tell you guys about.  I recently had a chance to use this sling for a month or so and see what its all about.  The Chameleon Sling name fits it right as it is very adaptable to not only the equipment you are using but also to the users preference as well.  The Chameleon Sling is designed as a Vest-Integrated sling but can be modified to be used without a Vest, Chest Rig or Plate Carrier.  By mounting your sling to your Plate Carrier, etc. it removes the pull on your neck reducing neck strain and skin irritation. 

There are three main modes the Chameleon Sling can be mounted, two Vest-Integrated and one Non-Vest-Integrated Single Point mode.  The first mode and the one that separates this sling from all the others is the Chameleon mode.  This is where you use just the bungee section of the sling and attach it to your vest/plate carrier using the supplied snaps as shown attached to my Banshee Rifle Plate Carrier in the picture below.  By mounting one in the front and one in the back your weapon is slung high and tight to your side instead of right in the front where it can get in the way while moving, etc.  Depending on how you prefer to set this up it can create very easy transitions to your secondary weapon by dropping the rifle to the opposite side leaving clear access to the secondary. 

The Second Vest-Integrated mode is the Patrol mode.  This entails again using just the bungee section of the sling and attaching the sling higher up on the shoulders leaving the rifle to hang in the center of the chest.  Depending on how tall you are and how long your arms are you can just change which loop you connect the sling to.  I personally am a bit taller and have pretty long arms so it works better for me to have the rifle slung a bit lower.  

The last mode is the standard Single-Point Bungee mode.  This is an easy setup just by attaching the supplied adjustable strap to the bungee section of the sling.  This gives you the ability to use the Chameleon sling even without the use of a Chest Rig or Plate Carrier.

The ease of use of this sling was very surprising.  Normally an item that is very configurable can be overly complex but this wasn’t the case with the Chameleon Sling.  I was very impressed with the quality of the construction and materials used for the Chameleon Sling.  All of the components are very high quality and built to last.  I personally only had one small issue at all during my use with the Chameleon Sling and was one that has been remedied on all future units.  Periodically during use I noticed that while attaching it or shouldering it would get the webbing to ride up on the carabiner and get caught on the pivot pin for the gate and the sharp edges in the same area.  I did let them know about this and they have already begun using heat shrink tubing around this area which will keep this from happening at all.  This will also dress it up a bit.  At the time of my review the Chameleon Sling only came with Mash Hooks as an attachment option. 

Also, I prefer to use QD’s so I attached a small QD to the Mash Hook which you can see in the pics above and it worked great.  They now offer a total of 3 attachment options, Mash Hook, Snap Shackle or QD Swivel.  With all of the features this sling offers you might be thinking “Its got to be expensive” but its not.  The Chameleon Sling comes standard with the Mash Hooks for just $45.  If you would like Snap Shackles or QD Swivels the price is just $50 and $55 respectively.   Overall, I think this is a fantastic sling especially for those of you who wear a Chest Rig or Plate Carrier daily or if you’re looking for a sling that can adapt to its environment like a Chameleon.  

You can purchase your Chameleon Sling at TacDynamics.com

Be sure to check out the Chameleon Shooting Products Facebook page for your chance to win one of these awesome slings when they reach 500 fans.   

$50 Well Spent!! 556 Tactical Stryker Comp – Review

Posted on September 4th, 2012 by ar15news

Every so often I get to do a review or two on a new piece of gear but I rarely get to do a review on a compensator.  I think that some of that comes from the lack of new compensators on the market and also partly the fact that some companies will say how awesome their compensator is when it really isn’t, it just looks cool.  Your standard AR-15 will come with a basic Birdcage Flash Hider which does just that, it reduces flash.  It doesn’t however do much to reduce muzzle climb or recoil which is why manufacturers started to produce muzzle devices that will “compensate” for those issues.  While the AR-15 isn’t known for having a ton of recoil, even the slightest recoil or muzzle climb can throw you off target and dramatically slow down your follow up shots.  I recently had the chance to review the really awesome looking 556 Tactical Stryker Comp, but I quickly realized it isn’t just a pretty face.  I will give you my findings and some pictures below.   Continue reading “$50 Well Spent!! 556 Tactical Stryker Comp – Review” »

NEW!! Gem State Armory – AR Armorers Wrench – Review

Posted on August 8th, 2012 by ar15news

I’ve built quite a few rifles lately for myself or friends and have found myself wondering why every Armorers Wrench I’ve tried had been junk so I started looking around for the king of all armorers wrenches.  With the popularity of building AR’s instead of buying an off the shelf model there are more and more manufacturers jumping in on the Armorer Tool market.  Some are junk, some are okay but very few are really high quality products that have had some thought put into their construction and design.  There were tons of junk but I finally saw a post on Facebook for the Gem State Armory – AR Armorers Wrench and realized my search had ended. 

I decided to talk to Jeff, the owner of Gem State Armory, regarding their AR Armorers Wrench.  He was super stoked to get the word about his new wrench out to you guys and a few weeks later one showed up in the mail.  The first thing I did was get out a few other tools I had and compare them all and as always you can immediately tell a difference between the turds and the diamond.   Continue reading “NEW!! Gem State Armory – AR Armorers Wrench – Review” »

Gerber Military DMF Auto Folder / PRO Purchase Program Review

Posted on July 12th, 2012 by ar15news

A while back…well actually a long while back, like almost a year ago long, I was asked by Gerber Military to do a review on their DMF (Dual Multi Function) Automatic folder.  It came as a pleasant surprise to me as I was planning on purchasing a new knife and had been looking at that exact knife online already.  I filled out some required paperwork and about a week later I had a DMF Auto in my hands.  I’ve had quite a lot of time using this knife so below I’ll give you my first hand experience with the Gerber Military DMF Auto, the new Downrange Sharpener and then give you some information on the Gerber Professional Purchase Program.     Continue reading “Gerber Military DMF Auto Folder / PRO Purchase Program Review” »