ARCHIVE - ISSUE NINE - OCTOBER 2014 COVER - FEATURED PICTORIAL - TRAINING - LIFESTYLE - REVIEWS ARCHIVE - ISSUE NINE - OCTOBER 2014
NORB (No Ordinary Range Bag) by OffHand Gear ReviewOne of my favorite pieces of gear has to be the No Ordinary Range Bag, NORB, made by OffHand Gear. Its looks are quite deceiving. At a casual glance it could pass for a messenger bag but it holds all my range essentials & then some.
The rear inside pocket is padded & split. It holds two handguns of just about any size. The design is great and I have never had to worry about my firearms sliding out or being unsecure. The main pocket has ample room for hearing and eye protection, as well as ammunition, cleaning kit, notebook, tools or whatever you take to the range. At 14”x12”x3” you will be surprised at what all you can fit inside. The outer pockets include two mag pouches, a zippered mesh pouch which is great for keys & other small item & an elastic top mesh pouch which is great for a cell phone. It is easy to take everything you need & have it organized for a great range session. Another thing I love about the NORB is it’s a great option for off body conceal carry. The bag can easily pass for a crossbody or messenger style bag. Your firearm is easily accessed by a zippered top. This is great if you draw left-handed, as I do, and it’s a feature you don’t see often in a conceal carry bag. In place of range gear it holds my tablet and an assortment of off range “mom” essentials. The ripstop fabric is easy to clean and has been very durable. I've been very pleased with it and how easy it transitions from off-range to on-range. As a working wife and mom it can be hard to stay organized & my NORB helps me do it. - Amy Lloyd Austin Sure Shots - we practice every week at Red's Indoor Range.
Come shoot like a girl! Check out Austin Sure Shots and San Antonio Sure Shots for details. |
The Well Armed Woman IWB
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Springco M4/CAR-15 Enhanced Power Buffer Spring and M16/AR Platform Enhanced Power Extractor Spring Review
Having just built my AR-15 rifle during the Sure Shots Rifle Build project last year, I have been awash in a sea of seemingly never-ending upgrade opportunities. From tactical flashlight attachments to costly electronic sights, decked out rail guards to zombie-green colored grips, it seems that all the upgrades new rifle owners gravitate towards are the flashy ones. When offered the opportunity to test and evaluate a buffer spring set from Sprinco, I was thrilled! It would give me a chance to focus on upgrading the internal components of my rifle rather than just the flashy external ones. After all, performance always trumps aesthetics, no matter how cool they may be. I immediately sent a detailed description of both my XDm 9mm pistol and my custom-built AR-15 to our Sprinco contact, Jack Purcell, for recommendations on products that may benefit me. He told me that while the XDm series is currently under development, he had just the set-up I needed for my AR-15. A couple of weeks later, I ventured out to the San Antonio Gun Show to meet up with Sprinco and get my new gear. After describing to him my detailed set-up, including barrel length, caliber, gas type, buffer system and various other detailed specs for my rifle along with the type of ammunition I currently shoot, he was able to recommend a buffer spring and bolt carrier extractor spring combination to suit my needs. Into the bag he threw my two new springs, installation instructions, a sample of some Machine Gunners Lube. I thanked him and went on my way, excited to install and try out the goods. |
The two components of my new set-up are the M4/CAR-15 Enhanced Power Buffer Spring and M16/AR Platform Enhanced Power Extractor Spring. Both of these springs are constructed from Chrome Silicon, the same material used in springs for high-stress applications such as NASCAR, Formula One, and Moto GP motor valve springs that enables them to withstand extreme heat and high cyclic rates. The spring is heat treated, stress relieved, shot peened, and moly-plated. In addition, the bolt carrier extractor spring is cryogenically processed in order to increase the strength and wear life. An AR-15 buffer spring’s main function is to push the bolt carrier forward to pick up another round after one has been fired. Standard buffer springs are made of stainless steel and typically last between 5,000-8,000 shots. The Chrome-Silicon Enhanced Power Buffer Spring claims a life cycle in excess of 1,500,000 shots! This means that it will likely never need to be replaced throughout the life span of the carbine, eliminating the need for future maintenance. The bolt carrier extractor spring assists the extractor in removing spent cases. Sprinco claims that their bolt carrier extractor springs may last round counts in excess of 200,000, again, eliminating the need for replacement throughout the lifespan of the carbine. Having an upgraded bolt carrier extractor spring is a stealthy upgrade, since you likely won’t ever notice it. That’s because it will always work exactly as it is supposed to, and will probably never wear out and need replacement. Upgrading to a higher quality spring system has other major advantages in addition to extending life span and preventing future maintenance. These advantages include reduced cycle rate and bolt bounce, faster sight recovery, increased platform stability, fewer malfunctions (especially double-feeds and failure-to-extract malfunctions), improved cyclic operation for hundreds of thousands of rounds, and greater resistance to heat induced performance degradation.
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I could hardly wait until I got a chance to try out my new setup. Prior to the test fire, I engaged Alan in an exhaustive email conversation regarding how to install, what I should be on the
look-out for, and what other products could further benefit my setup. He took my barrage of questions (“What’s the difference between the white and blue springs?” “What is a buffer weight?”
“How should I evaluate my ejection trajectory?”) with much appreciated patience, and never hesitated to offer further assistance in both the installation and evaluation of my new gear. The
buffer spring was incredibly easy to install, and the entire installation took me less than 5 minutes. Installing the tiny bolt carrier extractor spring was a bit more involved. After trying
unsuccessfully to do it at home, I took it to a gunsmith friend who was able to walk me through the install in about 5 minutes. Considering I’ll never have to replace it again, it was well worth
the extra effort. As soon as I got my new bolt carrier extractor spring installed, I was ready for the fun part, the T&E! Luckily, I had six other Sure Shots to share the fun with me.
My rifle functioned like a dream. Smooth and flawless. Not one of the Sure Shots who tested my AR-15 that day had ever fired one before, yet everyone’s feedback was the same: “That was
awesome!” Although I still have some more work to do before my setup is perfect, the spring upgrades were a great start to that goal. Not only did the upgrades significantly enhance my
rifle’s performance, but I had fun and learned plenty in the process!
Valuable internal upgrades to a rifle are not readily visible and thus may be overlooked in favor of fancy, “tacti-cool” external gadgets. That’s a shame, since a tricked-out rifle that is not
functional is essentially worthless. The experts at Sprinco USA and Tactical Springs, LLC helped me find the perfect upgrades for my particular set-up, ensuring I’m not stuck using my rifle as
a (really cool looking) club when the going gets rough! My enhanced set-up will no doubt see me through countless spent rounds and plenty of 2-gun, 3-gun, and carbine matches in the near
future.
When describing the lifetime durability of their products, Sprinco says, “After installing/using our springs, if you forget about us, we have done our job”. While that is a great motto, I certainly
won’t forget the friendly and helpful staff at Sprinco USA and Tactical Springs, LLC anytime soon. After all, I want to be the first one on board when the new XDm setup comes out!
- Becca Spinks
Special thanks to BSG Security Services and Nardis Gun Club for contributing to this project!
look-out for, and what other products could further benefit my setup. He took my barrage of questions (“What’s the difference between the white and blue springs?” “What is a buffer weight?”
“How should I evaluate my ejection trajectory?”) with much appreciated patience, and never hesitated to offer further assistance in both the installation and evaluation of my new gear. The
buffer spring was incredibly easy to install, and the entire installation took me less than 5 minutes. Installing the tiny bolt carrier extractor spring was a bit more involved. After trying
unsuccessfully to do it at home, I took it to a gunsmith friend who was able to walk me through the install in about 5 minutes. Considering I’ll never have to replace it again, it was well worth
the extra effort. As soon as I got my new bolt carrier extractor spring installed, I was ready for the fun part, the T&E! Luckily, I had six other Sure Shots to share the fun with me.
My rifle functioned like a dream. Smooth and flawless. Not one of the Sure Shots who tested my AR-15 that day had ever fired one before, yet everyone’s feedback was the same: “That was
awesome!” Although I still have some more work to do before my setup is perfect, the spring upgrades were a great start to that goal. Not only did the upgrades significantly enhance my
rifle’s performance, but I had fun and learned plenty in the process!
Valuable internal upgrades to a rifle are not readily visible and thus may be overlooked in favor of fancy, “tacti-cool” external gadgets. That’s a shame, since a tricked-out rifle that is not
functional is essentially worthless. The experts at Sprinco USA and Tactical Springs, LLC helped me find the perfect upgrades for my particular set-up, ensuring I’m not stuck using my rifle as
a (really cool looking) club when the going gets rough! My enhanced set-up will no doubt see me through countless spent rounds and plenty of 2-gun, 3-gun, and carbine matches in the near
future.
When describing the lifetime durability of their products, Sprinco says, “After installing/using our springs, if you forget about us, we have done our job”. While that is a great motto, I certainly
won’t forget the friendly and helpful staff at Sprinco USA and Tactical Springs, LLC anytime soon. After all, I want to be the first one on board when the new XDm setup comes out!
- Becca Spinks
Special thanks to BSG Security Services and Nardis Gun Club for contributing to this project!