Before we jump into a discussion of M9 magazines, I’ll admit I’m a bit of a Beretta fan. Ironically, my love of the brand began with a Taurus—a PT92—that was used as a prop in the 1996 Baz Luhrman Romeo and Juliet film. Such a kickass take on the classic–the gas station gunfight alone was worth the price of admission.
The second gun I ever bought was a decommissioned 92FS from a police department. And over the years, I’ve owned several. The fanciest was a stainless 92 that I had rebuilt by Wilson Combat into a 92G — the greatest of all 92 variants. That remains one of my favorite guns of all time, but I gave it away to a friend who felt even more love for it than I did.
As far as handling goes, the Beretta 92FS is easy to control.
I regularly carried a 92 for years—right up until I bought a Sig P226.
The 92FS, or in this case a gun that’s stamped M9, is still a rock star. And it remains in my range rotation.
When I bought this gun, it came with a couple of weedy magazines. The 92FS is not a small gun, and the grip is absurdly large by contemporary standards (thanks to the screw-on grip plates). 13 round magazines in this gun feel oddly insulting to the M9’s legacy. Yet they exist. And I think there might be some lingering mag capacity laws out there that make the 10 round, and 13 round, and even 15 round magazines worth knowing about.
But I like the 20s. More on that in a moment.
I may have more time behind the trigger of an M9 than I do any other handgun.
Shooting the 92FS
Beretta builds a solid pistol. The reason I liked the Wilson upgrade—and the P226, too—is that the traditional safety lever functions as a decocker. As I’m not one for external, manual, slide, or frame-mounted safeties, this makes shooting both of these guns that much faster for me.
It shoots flat. This shot is of my 13-year-old shooting it.
And the 92FS flies. The balance of the frame’s weight with the skeletonized slide works well for me. I can hold it down very flat, even with +P 9mm. This is a gun that I can run fast, and a gun that I can run accurately.
This is the same gun in my hands. That brass is hardly ejected and I’m 100% back on target.
The balance of the M9 continues to impress me. I’ve been carrying the P226 for a while now, but sometimes I think I should put the old Beretta back in the daily rotation as my go-to full-sized pistol.
This is about all the muzzle rise I get, even one-handed.
But what about the M9 magazines?
As soon as I picked up this gun, I knew I’d need some new mags. The 15 round mag isn’t bad—but there’s so much more room in there. They even have to stamp the steel in on the sides to keep the capacity limited.
The equivalent of a dowel in a shotgun’s tubular magazine.
The 20 round mags are the sweet spot for me. The increase in capacity doesn’t change the balance, and I’ve yet to have a mag malfunction on me.
For me, the winner is the 20 round mag from Mec Gar. I really like the bumper, and I’ve used these in this gun for more than three years now with no hiccups. Mec-Gar makes solid mags (and often mags the mags that are sold with guns as “factory” mags).
The heavy bumper on the end of the Mec-Gar Plus 2 adds a touch more length to the M9’s grip.
If you want a solid flush-fit mag, Beretta makes good 18 Round mags. 18 seems to be the nice middle ground between the 13s and 15s but is still not 20.
15 rounds, 20, and 30. I love the increase in capacity with these.
Beretta also makes 20 round mags. These are not as compact as the Mec-Gar but are still good mags. The middle mag in the image above is a 20 round mag. It protrudes from the grip by more than an inch, so has a collar that extends down over the baseplate. This is a bit of insurance—the last thing you want is for the rounds to exit the wrong in of the magazine.
Bigger M9 magazines?
The 30 round Beretta factory mag is a serious upgrade to the M9’s capacity.
The really long dudes are Beretta 30 round mags. These are extendo-long. 30 rounds add a bit of weight to the bottom of a 92, but not so much that the gun isn’t manageable.
The 30-round M9 magazines are great for the range. Carrying them is awkward, of course, but this isn’t really a magazine built for EDC or even duty. But if you hate reloading on the range, this is the mag for you.
As you stack these mags with cartridges, the springs can get stiff.
As the fine print on the GMW pages note—these mags will fit more than the M9. Any of the Berettas—the 92FS, 92D, 92F, 92G, 92 Brigadier, 92 Elite/EliteIA/Elite II, 90-Two in 9mm, 92 Billenium, 92 Combat Combo, 92 Stock, 92 Vertec, 92 Type L (Inox, Carry), even the CX-4 Storm (with 92FS adapter). The same design has been in use now for many years, and will likely pull forward into new designs. It works well—why monkey with it?
Some followers help close up the body of the mag. Others leave a small gap where range garbage can get it.
You can’t really go wrong.
All of the M9 magazines that I’ve seen are steel. There are stainless bodies, but they’re very rare. Much more common is the powder-coated steel, or the blued bodies.
Sig P226 mags have the mag-catch much higher on the magazine body—but they’re still easy to confuse.
And don’t get confused with the multitude of other mags that are built off of similar designs. I have numerous unmarked mags for my Sig P226 that look almost identical. Many are even made by the same companies. The only visible difference is the mag-catch location, and I often have to check both in guns, just to remember which is which.
David Higginbotham is a writer and editor who specializes in everyday carry. David is a former backcountry guide in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Boundary Waters Canoe Area who was a college professor for 20 years. He ultimately left behind the academy for a more practical profession in the firearms industry and was (among other editorial positions) the Managing Editor for a nascent Mag Life blog. In that Higginbotham helped establish The Maglife’s tone and secure its early success. Though he went on to an even more practical firearms industry profession still, he continues to contribute articles and op-eds as time and life allow.
With the increase in firearms sales over the last year or so, it’s no surprise that tactical gear sales also increased, including plate carriers. So what does a SWAT plate carrier setup look like? Alex over at Iron Infidel dishes out some of his first-hand knowledge in regard to plates and plate carriers. He covers three plate carriers that he has used a lot.
Alex initially started out with the First Spear plate carrier, then went to the Crye JPC, and currently is using the featherweight UARM carrier. He’s quick to point out that all industry-leading plates and carriers are good and your choice boils down to your intended use and function needs.
Alex wants a carrier that is large enough to hold his necessary attachments (he covers those later) without being too cumbersome or intrusive to his movements. Obviously, your own needs will determine if you need one that’s bigger or lighter than what he currently uses.
With the UARM carrier, he actually received it as a sample a few months ago but has used it enough to give a good review. The only real aspect of the carrier that he didn’t try out was the heat signature reduction from the fabric. Regardless, he’s pretty happy with it.
The UARM featherweight carrier is made of laser-cut Cordura fabric with NIR that is designed to help reduce the heat signature of the wearer.
Let’s get into the specifics of the carrier, shall we?
The UARM uses laser-cut Cordura fabric, similar to what you’ll find on the First Spear Strandhogg. The UARM website states that it has NIR, the near-infrared fabric to help reduce the heat signature of the wearer. On the bottom front of the carrier, there is no molle. They set it up that way so you can personalize the carrier for your needs — one carrier, different plates, and pouches.
The carrier has rock-tube detachments at the shoulders and cummerbund points. This is handy for the initial fitting of the carrier and for getting it on and off more quickly so you don’t have to worry about resizing. Alex states that he likes it better than Velcro closures for the ease of getting it off and on, especially in a circumstance of injury or incapacitation.
The thickness of the shoulder straps on the carrier is important. If the straps are too thick, they can actually inhibit your ability to properly shoulder your rifle.
The shoulder straps are thinner than other brands he’s seen. This is important because if you have too much padding at the shoulder it can mess with the shouldering of the rifle, pushing it off the shoulder pocket and reducing your ability to minimize the recoil of the rifle.
Clearly, the most important part of the carrier is the plates.
Alex uses the HESCO L210 plates that are single curve polyurethane plates, designed to stop most rounds. He does say that they are not Level 3 or 4 plates only in that they didn’t go through special testing to show they would stop an M80 round. According to him, the plates will stop green tip and other penetrating rounds, up to six rounds of 5.56 or 7.62.
He does stress the importance of proper plate placement within the carrier, covering the vital organs in your chest. You want your plates to be fitted properly to cover the area between your nipples and extend from your collar bone to your belly button. You also want to make sure your back plate is level with your front plate to ensure you’re using them correctly.
Alex from Iron Infidel uses HSGI double stack TACO pouches on all his rigs, but on this plate carrier setup, he pairs it with a push-to-talk that attaches to the cummerbund where his radio is located.
To round things out, Alex quickly goes through the accessories he has on his plate carrier setup. He uses HSGI double stack TACO pouches (never has a carrier without them). His side support shoulder has a push to talk with the cord running to the cummerbund that has his radio and handcuff pouches. The back of the carrier has a grab handle and Hailey Strategic flat-pack, that a buddy would have to access for him.
To recap, all industry-leading carriers are good, and you have to find one that fits your needs and test it. Don’t forget to properly place your plates in the carrier to cover your vital organs both from the front and the back. Finally, get the chest rig that fits your function and can accommodate all your needs, because the cool one you find in a video might be all wrong for you.
Patti Miller is one of the most awesome females in the tactical/firearm (or any) industry. Imagine a tall, hawt, dangerous Laura Ingalls Wilder type with cool hair and a suppressed blaster and you’ll be getting the idea. What’s interesting is that in addition to being a willing brawler and intrepid adventuress, she’s also an Ent/Ogier level gardener and a truly badass baker.
A couple of years ago Travis wrote his Sig Sauer P365 review after firing about 1300 rounds through it. Since then, Sig has released the P365 XL which is larger than a standard Sig 365 with a larger grip allowing for higher capacity magazines. We have added a couple of articles here about the Sig P365 XL so you can beef up your knowledge of the two models. Travis’ review is first, followed by a few more articles about the P365 XL.
This time last year (2017) I was opening a press release from Sig and being blown away reading about the new gun they named the P365. Naturally, I felt compelled to write a full-blown Sig Sauer p365 review. It promised to be a hair smaller than a Glock 43 but offered ten rounds in a flushing fitting magazine and twelve with a pinky extension. The gun seemed too good to be true. It was a big draw at SHOT 2018 and as most people predicted this could be the ultimate carry gun. SIG was packing it full of features, and offering it at a very competitive price.
The Sig Sauer P365’s key to its success is the gun’s magazine. It’s the perfect dimensions to house 10 or 12 rounds in a compact package. Somehow they made the gun as thin and as small as most polymer frame single stacks with a semi-doublestack magazine.
Look at this cutie.
Editor’s note: 15 round extended mags for the Sig P365 are now a thing. They’re shipping now.
In May 2018 I was finally able to get my hands on one.
The Sig P365 was not without its controversy. Almost immediately following the release of the gun shipping was stopped. Problems were uncovered that involved the Sig Lite night sights breaking off, bad trigger springs, failure to go into battery, and light primer strikes. Issues are documented by popular Youtuber Military Arms Channel over two P365s, Harry’s Holsters did a 1,000 round review and recorded a dozen or more different problems. Sig saw this and made a wise decision to do something about it. Sig issued essentially what was a generation 2 pistol pretty early on.
P365 Gen 2 Reliability
Reliability is often the last category I cover, but with the problems known with this gun, most people would be curious as to how the Gen 2 holds up.
Mine falls in that Gen 2 timeline, and now that I’ve had it for some time I can say the kinks are ironed out, or at least with my gun they are. I didn’t do any crazy 1k tests in one day, but after the first few months of ownership, I started keeping track of the rounds I’ve fired through the gun. I have an approximate round count of 1,300 rounds give or take. Typically I shot Winchester White Box but mixed in some of Sig’s P365 ammo, Speer Gold Dots, SIG FMJ, Zinc Fmjs, Freedom Munitions, and some Tula made its way in there.
just Larping as an operator…
In terms of failures, I only experienced two failures-to-fire with Freedom Munitions American Steel Ammo. I attempted a restrike and one did fire, and the second did not. As of note, the second round would not shoot in an 80% Glock I also had at the range.
I’ve only had one failure to eject, and it occurred when firing a Dot Torture drill on the strong hand only portion. Ammo was SIG’s reduced recoil P365 load. Overall I’d say reliability is rock solid.
Striker Drag
One of the biggest complaints and potential problems with the gun is the MIM firing pin. MIM can be perfectly suitable for firearms parts, Ruger makes it work, but when it is bad it is bad. Some owners experienced broken firing pins and a small aftermarket of steel pins has even popped up.
Every Day, No Days Off
The design of the weapon seems to cause an excessive amount of primer drag. Most small striker guns have this, but the P365 seems to have a touch more than most. Does this cause excessive wear? It would seem to. According to Sig, it does not. My firing pin hasn’t had issues, but many firing pins have broken or become bent.
Ergonomics
The ergonomics of the pistol overall are excellent. The gun is comfortable to hold onto, and the 10 round magazine with slight pinky extension is absolute money. It’s as short as a grip can get and still allow me to hold onto it. Under the trigger guard is an excellent high undercut that helps maximize the grip.
The grip is also thin and comfortable in hand. The magazine release is large and easy to reach which I like. The problem here is dropping the magazine. I find my pinky and palm creating pressure and holding the magazine inside the gun when I hit the release. This is a classic big hand, small gun problem.
Mag Empty, but slide closed… damn these big thumbs
The gun doesn’t have a beavertail, so to say, but it does have a nice cliff that allows you to get your hand high on the grip without worrying about slide-bite. An issue I have with this gun and most Sigs is the placement of the slide lock.
It sits right where my thumbs go with a thumbs forward grip. This causes the slide lock to be held down, and this means the slide won’t lock back after the last round is fired (at least for me). It’s annoying but something I’ll live with.
On the Range
Shooting the gun is very nice. The recoil is standard mini 9mm, so it’s a little stout and has some flip to it. It’s plenty controllable and the grip is undoubtedly helpful here. Firing double taps and controlled pairs accurately is pretty easy to do with a little practice. The trigger is light and smooth. It had a clean break with minimal take-up. The reset is tactile, audible, and best of all short.
Boom, Bang, Pew,
The new X-RAY3 sights are fantastic. The sights are dual-purpose and work for both night and day shooting. The rear sight is blacked out with two hidden tritium vials. The front sight has a tritium vial but is surrounded by a big, bright green insert. In the dark, the sights glow incredibly bright and are easy to pick up and see.
Big, Green, and Beautiful
In the light, the big green dot is quick and easy to pick up and align with the blacked-out rear sights. It’s straightforward to get that big front sight on target and to follow that sight with some well-placed lead.
Blacked Out Rear Sights
The gun is more accurate than it has any right to be, and it’s not just minute of bad guy accurate. It’s plenty capable of reaching out beyond 20 yards and remaining not just accurate, but combat-capable. By combat-capable I mean drawing and placing rounds on target as fast as possible. At 25 yards you can still slow down and hit small targets with excellent precision. Small guns often have small sight radius, and SIG pushed back the rear sight as far as possible to help increase sight radius.
Carry and Comfort
The Sig P365 was a big hit, and plenty of companies produce holsters for it. I carry mine in a Clinger Holsters No Print Wonder V3. It disappears in an IWB rig and is a gun you can forget about when carrying. It’s small and light, I mean, look at the specs.
•Barrel Length – 3.1 inches
•Overall Length – 5.8 inches
•Weight – 17.8 ounces
•Height – 4.3 inches
•Width – 1 inch
It’s smaller and lighter than the Glock 43, at least unloaded. Four to six more rounds of 9mm pushes the loaded weight up there. Even so, it’s a very comfortable and easy to carry gun. No real complaints regarding pokes and prods while carrying. It’s a bit big for pocket carry, but I’m sure someone out there will make it work.
The P365 is an excellent carry gun
My Gripes
When it comes to complaints, I only have a few. The first is why the hell use a proprietary rail? Was a pic rail too big? I hate proprietary anything, and luckily Recover Tactical makes a rail adapter if you want to mount something to the gun. Sig does make a light and laser system for the rail and gun that is quite compact, too.
This Little Fella Has a Forever Home With Me
The P365
The P365 had some major teething issues admittedly, and SIG Sauer should have taken their time to fix these issues pre-launch, but at least they got it right… eventually. This is a great all-around carry gun, and the “Gen 2” models seem to be running a lot smoother than previous models. This little guy is an excellent compromise in size, capacity, features, and price. I predicted at SHOT Show 2018 that SIG would have jump-started the need for innovation in the concealed carry market and it seems they have.
I just enjoy this guy
Glock has responded with two new compact guns, Mossberg is tossing one out, too. The P365 continues to be a popular choice despite the initial issues, and it’s easy to see why. Will it hold the crown forever? Likely not, but we’ll see.
The SIG P365XL is a micro-compact pistol designed for concealed carry and self-defense. (Photo credit: SIG Sauer)
In the world of self-defense handguns some models stand out more than others, and the Sig P365 XL is among those that shine. This Sig P365 XL review by Ivan from Kit Badger is based on long-term, varied use, discussing how the gun has performed over time rather than only brand new out of the box.
Ivan’s SIG P365 XL review. (Photo Credit: Kit Badger)
In the video review shown below, Ivan first runs through the pistol’s general specifications before getting into a review of its performance.
The Sig P365 XL is a striker-fired pistol chambered in 9mm and offered with a capacity of 12 +1 or 10 +1, the latter to fit compliance requirements in certain states. There is also an extended magazine with a 15 +1 capacity available. If you’re really into extra rounds you could try the 20-round magazine offered by ProMag (they make a 50-round drum for the P365XL as well). Basically, this gun offers excellent capacity for a micro-pistol and does it while remaining highly concealable.
Ivan has run his P365 XL at competitions, during classes at locations such as Thunder Ranch, and while using NODs (Night Optical Device). He even fired it from 50 yards during one event.
If you’re thinking longer-range shots with a pistol aren’t worth doing, you’d be mistaken. It’s well worth it to become familiar with the drift and drop of your carry gun and that includes running it at distances out to 50 yards. Those distances won’t make up the bulk of your training but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying.
Ivan shot his P365 XL with a wide variety of ammunition and showed examples of average group sizes. This group includes a flyer which tends to be an unavoidable part of shooting groups. (Photo Credit: Kit Badger)
Overall, the P365 XL is a well-made gun capable of solid accuracy.
Its concealability is a big plus but if you’re a fan of mounting lasers and lights keep in mind that the P365 XL has a narrow frame and only fits lasers and lights specifically made for it (but they are available from companies such as Sig, Streamlight, and Surefire).
This gun is a nice option for shooters who would like the original P365 more if it was just a little bigger. The fact that it ships optics-ready is a nice feature from SIG Sauer because it saves you from milling slides or searching for optics plates that fit your gun.
The Sig P365 XL is a solid shooting pistol good for both those who carry concealed and those who want a compact gun for home defense. (Photo Credit: Kit Badger)
Check out the video for the full rundown on the Sig P365 XL from Ivan and to find out how the gun runs in a variety of situations.
Competition in the concealed carry market has gotten hot over the last couple of years. Smaller, more ergonomic frames are combining with higher capacity magazines at such a rate that I don’t know how they expect a poor freelance writer to keep up. Toss in the millions of new gun owners over the last eighteen months and we have an explosion of interest in these new offerings. Now if we can just get some supply… (yeah, I know they’re busting their humps on it.) So, it’s worth going back and looking at one of the better-concealed carry options out there right now, the Sig Sauer P365 XL.
For that, we head to the wilds of South Carolina (sort of) where firearms reviewer and noted prepper Sootch00 gives us the lowdown on what he calls “One of the best-concealed carry options on the market.” Sootch is a direct descendent (probably) of the famed Swamp Fox of South Carolina (Francis Marion, not Benjamin Martin), so his opinion counts. No word yet on how many redcoats he’s taken with the Sig. Hopefully more on that soon.
The Swamp Fox (Most Likely).
Just the Facts
Sootch starts us out with a kick-the-tires breakdown and comparison with the original P365, which is quite helpful for anyone who may not know the difference between the two. I won’t spoil it, since you’ll want to watch it for yourself, but he covers mag capacity, length (barrel and overall), width, and height differences.
The Sig P365 (L) and its Bigger Brother, the P365 XL.
One thing he talks about is the new mag design that both firearms are built around, which is good because capacity is a major selling point. He mentions that XL mags will work in the original model. Ergonomics are discussed in detail as well as some of the control features, including the new flat-faced trigger, on which it seems the jury is still out.
Another good feature in the review is a comparison with the Glock 43 X and the Glock 48. I’m told that a lot of people love Glocks, so I was glad to see Sootch go into that. It just provides a better look at the Sig and how it fits in the marketplace.
Unlike the regular P365, the XL is already cut for an optic, and it seems the Sig Romeo Zero will fit on it right out of the box, which makes total sense. One thing held over on the XL is a proprietary accessory rail that only fits Sig attachments. Sootch isn’t a big fan and, frankly, neither am I. I see that as a potential downside, but hey, maybe you love Sig accessories, so you do you Boo.
The P365 XL Comes Ready Cut for the Romeo Zero Optic. (Image source, Sig Sauer)
I should also mention that Sig has changed some of the internal components for the XL to avoid the early problems they had with the original P365. One of those is a beefed-up steel guide rod. So, it sounds like Sig has done the work to put out a quality product. There is a price difference, naturally, with the XL coming in about ninety bucks higher than the original. Both cost significantly more than the Glocks in the video.
The New Beefed Up Guide Rod on the XL (Top).
Sootch and his band of partisans seem to have put a bunch of lead downrange with both models of the P365, so he has helpful comments on performance, though we don’t see any targets. That doesn’t really bother me, though, because I have trusted Sootch for a long time and I’m confident that he would report any issues, which he did not.
The XL on the range.
It looks to me like the P365 XL is a serious contender on the concealed carry market. But check out the video see what you think.
There is no shortage of options when it comes to concealed carry pistols. Do you go with a single stack, double stack, or something a little in between? Chris Baker over at LuckyGunner seems to have some solid advice and a review for yet another option, the Sig P365 XL. Arriving last summer, it’s larger than a standard Sig 365 with a larger grip allowing for higher capacity magazines.
According to Chris, this is the most impressive new handgun he’s tried in a long time. Normally he’s a snub-nosed revolver kind of guy, but since near the start of the pandemic, he’s been carrying the new Sig. To him, it’s a concealable compact carry pistol that looks like a single stack but actually holds twelve rounds or fifteen in the extended mag.
The newer Sig P365 XL has a slim profile with a longer barrel at 3.7” and a slightly longer grip. It has the standard XSeries trigger and XRay3 day/night sights. If the night sights aren’t your deal, you can swap them out for a red dot pretty easily.
Available with the standard 12-round magazine. Or why not go for more firepower and go to the 15-round mag. More bullets are better, right?
For Chris, the ideal concealed carry has to:
1. Be easy to shoot. 2. Be easy to carry. 3. Meet his standards for the safety (The order of appeal for him are: 1. Hammer fired guns (single or double action safety); 2. Striker fire (like Glock); and then 3. Manual safety (Sig).
He explains that the manual safety isn’t good or bad, but on this particular model, it’s not very wide and seems too far back on the frame. But on the plus side, it is ambidextrous. Chris says it’s barely big enough to be useable, is sharp, and gets missed a lot in his speed drills. The safety eventually cut his thumb with the sharp edge during those same drills.
Overall, the appeal of the Sig P365 XL is that it is small and very shootable. It’s only slightly larger than the Glock 43 but smaller than the Glock 19. It is less bulky than either of those or a Walther PPSm2. The overall size and lack of bulk are a big deal for concealed carry.
Chris put more than 2,000 rounds through his 365XL with no issues, indicating to him that the earlier problems with the 365 were fixed in the Sig 365 XL.
Testing the Sig P365 XL
In his testing, Chris shot over 2,000 rounds without any issues. To drive home his point of it being a good everyday carry, he set out to do failure drills and bill drills comparing the SIG 365 XL with a Beretta PX4 carry and the Walther PPSm2. In his drills, he found that the Sig is right up with the Beretta (a pistol he has more trigger time with) and Walther (he says shoots better than other polymer single-stacks) with his timings.
One item of note he mentioned was that the Sig P365 XL has a serialized firing component meaning the slide isn’t the part that is serialized but instead serialized the firing mechanism inside. Meaning you can swap your firing components to a standard SIG 365 frame that is smaller, but then you’ll need the smaller 10-round mag to go with it.
The trigger is a nice slow uptake and a gradual break, as with other XSeries triggers. Also, the slide is cut to be compatible with the following optics: RomeoZero, RMSc, Holosun HS507K, and Swampfox Sentinel.
To round up, he says the Sig P365 XL is reliable, easy to conceal, comfortable to carry all the day, has loads of holster options, and doesn’t wear him out after long days shooting.
Read theSIG P365files [all our P365 related articles]
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is the world’s Okayest firearm’s instructor.
Strike Industries just announced a new charging handle for AR-15’s in .223/5.56 that should be especially beneficial for use with suppressors. How? Well, take a look. It’s designed to direct the gas flow to the left, right, or even both ways—you get to decide. But the thing is, you’re not going to get that obnoxious gas cloud in your face. And, since the user determines which way the gas flows, it’s good for left and right-handed shooters.
Adjust the handle to direct gas flow away from your face and firing hand.
It’s compatible with AR-15, M4, and M16 upper receivers, but not AR-10s. The company advises that the handles can be easily swapped with option sizes and styles that will be announced soon. The handle comes with two set screws and two hex tools for assembly and adjustments. Also, it’s available in five colorways, including FDE and Olive Drab—so most likely you’ll be able to find something that fits your platform.
The new handle has a black aluminum shaft, with polymer handles available in black, red, blue, FDE, and Olive Drab.
Here’s how SI describes the new charging handle:
The Strike Industries T-Bone Charging Handle for .223/5.56 AR-15’s feature a patented gas redirect system that allows you to configure the gas to exit only left, only right, or evenly to both sides. The shaft of the charging handle is machined from 7000 series aluminum which excels in applications requiring lightweight and high strength.
However, with comfort and control in mind, the T-Bone latchless handles are made from SI PolyFlex polymer. The handles can be easily swapped with optional (coming soon) different sizes and styles. The latchless feature of the T-Bone gives minimal wear and tear on your AR upper receiver compared to traditional charging handles on the market.
The Strike Industries T-Bone Charging Handle for .223/5.56 gives you a modular way to direct the gas and setup the feel and look for one of the most overlooked and essential part of your AR upper receiver.
T-Bone AR-15 Charging Handle Features:
•Configure gas to exit only left, only right, or evenly on both sides •Latchless modular SI PolyFlex polymer handles •SI patent pending ambidextrous charging handle •Handles can be easily swapped with option sizes and styles (coming soon) •Minimal wear on upper receiver compared to others on the market •Machined from 7000 series aluminum which excels in applications requiring lightweight and high strength
Specs
•Length: 172.04mm (6.77″) •Width: 62.06mm (2.44″) •Height: 14.95mm (0.59″) •Weight: 1.0 oz •Weight w/ pkg: 1.6 oz
What’s in the package?
Everything you’ll need to install and adjust the charging handle to suit your preferences.
Compatibility: It is compatible with AR-15/M4/M16 upper receivers. Not compatible with: AR-10 upper receivers.
Also:
•Strike does point out that aluminum material will wear out faster than steel, so keep that in mind. •Due to numerous factors that take place during the anodization process, the color lines from batch to batch of a certain product may vary.
Stephanie Kimmell is the firstborn daughter of Missouri’s Pecan King, worthy scion of a Vietnam veteran sailor turned mad engineer-orchardist-inventor-genius. With a BA in technical writing, she freelances as a writer and editor. A Zymurgist greatly interested in the decoction of fermented barley and hops, she is in many ways a modern amalgam of Esther Hobart Morris, Rebecca Boone, and Nellie Bly. She hunts, fishes, butchers, and cooks most anything. When not editing or writing, she makes soaps and salves, spins wool, and occasionally makes cheese from cows she milked herself. Kimmell is a driven epistemophilic who loves live music and all sorts of beer.
Global Ordnance (G.O.) has announced the arrival of “ADI World Class“, a new line of ammunition from Australian Munitions. G.O. is the exclusive US distributor of that brand and is directly offering the entire range of ADI World Class small arms cartridges to individual consumers. It is also available for wholesale and to their dealer network.
ADI World Class 3098 WIN Sierra Match King.
Below is how they describe the ammo and its availability.
ADI World Class Ammunition is a match grade ammunition available in .223REM, 300 AAC Blackout, .308WIN, and additionally 5.56x45mm F1 Ball Ammunition, with more calibers on the way in the future. Australian Munitions has a long history of supplying high-quality powders and ammunition throughout the world and its ammunition is now being offered directly from Global Ordnance.
Global Ordnance has been an exclusive distributor for Australian Munitions for over 3 years, including their Australian Outback line of ammunition, and is now bringing the same high-quality standards through the new line of match grade and ball offerings to the market.
ADI World Class Ammunition from Global Ordnance is available in 300 BLK, 308 WIN, and 223 REM.
Marc Morales, President and Owner of Global Ordnance, explains further.
“We are very excited about our partnership with ADI, especially given the recent ammunition shortages in the United States. Having another source of high-quality ammunition to offer to our customers helps us keep up with the demand and bring more options to the end-users.”
Connect on social @global_ordnance or follow them on Facebook, /global_ordnance/.
ADI ammo in 300BLK.
Brock Trautman is the senior news anchor for The Mag Life, the official publication of GunMag Warehouse. He’s also a cartoon, so…don’t get butt-hurt about anything he says. He’s not making subjective judgments on things, or reviewing anything – he’s just passing along the news.
You know how you sometimes just want to shoot a solid old-style large-caliber rifle, but you miss your modern stuff like red dots, muzzle brakes, and detachable mags? No? Well, maybe it’s just me. Anyhow, I love my Mausers and my Enfield and all, but I’ve kinda gotten spoiled. Anyway…I’ve been thinking about a Springfield M1A for a while, so I dialed up my old buddy Sootch to get his opinion on the M1A SOCOM 16.
The SOCOM 16 Chilling Out with its legendary grandpa, the M1.
We aren’t really buddies, but I watch his channel, so it’s like the same thing. Fortunately, he had a video on that very model. Who knew?
M1A SOCOM Features
So, we get a good breakdown of what seems to be a solid rifle. Right off the bat, it looks sharp. I know functionality is king, but I like a nice-looking firearm, and I’ve always looked covetously at the lines of the M14. The SOCOM 16 sports a polymer stock available in black, OD green, or flat dark earth. Tough choice right off the bat.
Sexy!
The rifle is 37 and a half inches in overall length and weighs 8.8 pounds empty. The 16-and-a-half-inch barrel features a 1/11 twist rate and comes with an integrated muzzle brake to help with the recoil of that short barrel coupled with the .308 Winchester chambering. But it’s loud, so remember that ear pro.
The integral muzzle brake helps with recoil from the short barrel.
The M1A is also available in 6.5 Creedmoor. Despite the weight, the rifle is well-balanced and the shorter barrel makes it handy and easy to point. The rifle features an aperture rear sight with a tritium-marked front post, which is a nice touch. The rear aperture is also expanded a little since the M1A SOCOM 16 is designed for closer work, though it’s certainly capable of reaching out for several hundred yards. The left side of the receiver is drilled and tapped for a side-mounted scope, but that will preclude the use of stripper clips.
Who needs stripper clips when you have a detachable box mag?
I don’t know about you, but with a detachable box mag, I don’t think stripper clips would be a thing for me. The mags rock in and have a release tab just like the M14. The rifle ships with a 10-round mag, but 20-rounders are available. The rifle will also take surplus mags.
Rock In mags with release tab.
As for some of that modern stuff I mentioned, there is a Picatinny rail mounted forward of the receiver that is just the thing for a red dot or a long eye relief scope.
The rail forward of the receiver lets you mount an LER scope or red dot.
Accuracy was reported as “excellent” with match ammo at 100 yards and a 2-7x LER scope. It was said to have shot smooth and flat “for a .308.” Sootch notes that he really likes the zero-magnification red dot on this rifle. I think that would be pretty sweet too.
Match ammo with a scope at 100 yards
The action is built around a strong rotating bolt cycled by the M14-style gas piston and long operating rod. The bolt is the same design as the M14, which was itself a direct copy of that greatest of warhorses, the M1 Garand. The trigger group has some heft to it, which Sootch shows us during the simple take-down process that is exactly like the M14. Seeing a pattern yet?
The safety is part of the trigger guard and easy to reach, just like…well, you get it.
Safety on (L) safety off (R).
The trigger on this particular rifle pulled consistently at just under six pounds and, according to Sootch, was “very crisp” with a quick reset. There is a bolt stop tab on the left side of the receiver.
Pulling out the “Beefy” trigger group
As noted earlier, the SOCOM 16 comes with a polymer stock and handguard and there’s some nice checkering on the lower handguard and the pistol grip. The butt pad is polymer and, say it with me…like the M14, features a hinged plate designed to go on top of the shoulder to increase stability. The hinged plate also reveals the access ports for your cleaning kit, should you choose to house it there. There’s no comb on the stock and Sootch uses an attachable cheek rest with the optics for better cheek weld and eye relief.
The compactness of the M1A SOCOM 16 makes it handy and easy to use.
Easy basic field strip.
Conclusion
All in all, the reviewer seems to really dig this particular rifle. No real negatives.
The SOCOM gets a BIG thumbs up.
Now, I get that a reviewer not saying anything bad doesn’t really mean anything. I’m pretty selective about my reviewers, and you probably are too. I like Sootch because I think he is honest, and I have seen him call things out when they need it. I also like that he doesn’t get too technical since I’m not a gear head and my eyes start glazing over with that stuff. So, that’s my $.02. You decide for yourself, but other folks seem to agree.
The words that kept popping up were “strong” and “beefy.” I always like that first one, and sometimes I like the second. For this kind of rifle, I definitely like it. Strong, beefy, accurate, handy, and sharp-looking, with the capability to add at least a few modern accessories and multiple configuration options. Not to mention a good track record based on a proven design. What’s not to like? But check it out for yourself and see what you think. I’m just some guy on the interwebs.
Bucky Lawson is your typical Appalachian-American gun enthusiast. He is a military historian specializing in World War II and has written a few things here and there, including some stuff for Breach Bang Clear. He likes dogs and enjoys a good cigar and an Old Fashioned with an extra orange slice.
Baen Books has released Mag Life contributor Mike Kupari‘s latest book: it’s theFamily Business novel. It’s a dystopian (perhaps post-apocalyptic) tale of a Federal “Recovery Agent” on the job in a very-much-changed United States of America.
As of this writing, it is rated 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Here’s an excerpt:
“He remembered, vividly, the day California was invaded. A combined Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force offensive had finally pushed the UEA out of Texas and back into Mexico. The damned Greys counterattacked by opening up a second front in the Continental United States. They were somehow able to jam NORAD’s radars effectively enough to conceal hundreds of hypersonic transport aircraft.
The planes dropped troops and weapons into Southern California before turning kamikaze and striking various targets throughout the region. Having secured a beachhead, the UEA was able to bring up more assets from Mexico and South America by sea, reinforcing their toehold in California and allowing them to break out of the Greater Los Angeles Perimeter.
They were able to take the entire LA-to-San Francisco corridor before being stopped, and they held that territory for two years. The number of American citizens caught behind enemy lines (and being used as human shields) prevented the US from responding with nuclear weapons.”
Kupari, a self-described revolverphile who preaches the Gospel of the FN, is an experienced (though wrong-handed) shooter who uses his experience as a former EOD Technician, PMC contractor, and general retro-gun-nerd-savant to provide verisimilitude to his writing.
“Jesse’s shop looked cluttered and chaotic, but he seemed to know right where everything was. The centerpiece of it was a CNC mill and a lathe. Electronics projects cluttered one workbench, while firearms projects took up another.
A faded Arizona flag hung on one wall, as did a prewar, fifty-star US flag. Next to them was a pair of posters. REMEMBER PHOENIX, one declared, while the other proclaimed KEEP WATCHING THE SKIES!
Below those, framed, was his certificate of his completing the Arizona Ranger training course and a photo of his swearing-in ceremony. Leading Nathan to his gun-bench, Jesse picked up a large pistol and proudly handed it to his friend.
“What’s this?” Nathan asked, examining the gun in his hand. It wasn’t anything he’d seen before, and he knew his way around a gun.
“Did you make this?”
“I did,” Jesse said, beaming. “That’s my third prototype. It’s ready for field testing.”
The gun was a hefty semiautomatic, but the magazine well was located in front of the trigger guard. Nathan locked back the slide, verifying that the weapon was unloaded, and looked at the markings.
“.45 Win Mag?”
Jesse grinned. “Yup! The problem with most magnum semi-autos is that they’re huge, right? It’s because they’re trying to cram a revolver-length, rimmed cartridge into a pistol grip. You end up with a grip like a two-by-four. I solved that by moving the magazine well out of the grip.”
“Like a Broomhandle Mauser,” Nathan said.
“Only in overall layout. This gun is striker-fired. It’s roller-delayed, recoil-operated, like the Kraut STG-88 assault rifle. Try the trigger!”
Nathan released the slide and squeezed the trigger. With only a little bit of take-up, it felt like a thin glass rod breaking.
“Damn.”
“Three and a half pounds’ pull weight on that, and it doesn’t feel mushy. I added a thumb safety because the trigger pull is so light, and to make it extra drop safe. I tossed my second prototype off the roof, onto the driveway, over and over again, trying to get it to discharge, and the safety held.
Anyway, the barrel is fixed, so it’s real accurate. For the next prototype, I’m working on a user-serviceable quick-change barrel system. You’ll be able to swap from the five-inch service barrel, like on this one, to a longer, heavier target barrel, and even a short snub barrel. I figure I can machine a scope mount into the heavy barrel, so it’ll be good for handgun hunters. I may be able to figure out a caliber conversion system, eventually, too.”
“This is really nice, Jesse,” Nathan said, aiming the pistol at an antelope head mounted on the wall.
“The magazine holds ten rounds. I’m working on a twenty-rounder, but I haven’t put it together yet. Even still, that’s four extra shots over a typical police revolver, it’s more powerful, and it reloads quicker.”
“I’m impressed, Jesse. Very nicely done. You gonna put these into production?”
“Eh, I really can’t. I’m a one-man outfit. I don’t have the capability to mass-produce a gun and making these as one-offs would make them too expensive. Once I get the design finalized, I’m going to try and sell the manufacturing rights.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Nathan flipped the gun around in his hand and offered it to Jesse butt-first. “You gonna pack this beast on your next Ranger call-up?”
The book is officially described thusly:
Decades ago, the Visitors descended on Earth. They claimed to bring peace and prosperity. Their real goal was the total subjugation of humankind. But humanity did not give up its only home without a fight. After a devastating war, the Visitors were driven back to Mars. Their millions of willing human collaborators were left behind. The task of hunting down these former alien collaborators and bringing them to justice falls to Federal Recovery Agents like Nathan Foster.
Now, Nathan Foster is tasked with bringing to justice Emmogene Anderson. As a teenager, Emmogene was experimented on by the Visitors and implanted with a device that allows her to control other people. With her is her obsessive ex-lover, who was also a former commando of the Visitors’ forces. It’s an easy enough job—but Emmogene has been implanted with something else, something much more important.
Nathan and Ben must decide what is right in a largely lawless world— and the fate of the planet hangs in the balance.
Says Kupari,
“I started writing in high school. I didn’t really get into it until college when I began writing fiction online. I never seriously considered trying to be a novelist, though, not until 2006. That was the year I met Larry Correia. He liked a story I was writing online and asked if he could jump in on it. That story ultimately became DEAD SIX.
I lived in Doha, Qatar for a year, while working security at a US installation there. Qatar ultimately became the inspiration for the fictional country of Zubara.
Later in life, I served as an explosive ordnance disposal technician in the US Air Force. I deployed to Afghanistan and applied that experience to my second book, Swords of Exodus.
My first solo novel, Her Brothers Keeper, wasn’t exactly inspired by real life. I am sad to admit that I’ve never captained a privateer rocket ship. I do, however, have a lifelong love of science fiction and space opera and am excited to continue sharing my take on different genres.”
Brock Trautman is the senior news anchor for The Mag Life, the official publication of GunMag Warehouse. He’s also a cartoon, so…don’t get butt-hurt about anything he says. He’s not making subjective judgments on things, or reviewing anything – he’s just passing along the news.
PROOF Research and MDT just announced a new precision rifle. It’s the new PROOF MDT ACC Competition Chassis Rifle and it incorporates parts and mechanisms from several companies including TriggerTech, Zermatt Arms, and Area 419. Whether used for competition or hunting, users will appreciate the sub 1/2 MOA accuracy guarantee. And, it’s available in six different chamberings.
Proof’s new Chassis Rifle is available chambered in 223 Rem, 6 ARC, 6 Dasher, 6 Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 308 Win.
Here’s how PROOF describes it:
Whether you’re new to the competition scene and want to jump in with both feet, a seasoned shooter who wants to take their game to the next level, or you just enjoy a superbly accurate rifle, the PROOF Competition Chassis rifle is for you. Rather than reinvent the wheel, we have partnered with companies whose products are already on the podium weekend after weekend to assemble the ultimate precision rifle.
It all starts with a solid foundation. The MDT ACC Chassis looks the part with custom PROOF Research colors and engraving. The adjustable length of pull and comb height are adaptable to any shooter and any unconventional shooting position. The ACC Chassis sports a full Arca rail down the entire length of the forend and M-Lok mounting points for weights and accessories.
Our competition contour steel barrel has been the choice barrel for some of the worlds top precision rifle competitors. Our competition contour barrel when coupled with the MDT buttstock weight works to balance the rifle and decrease felt recoil.
26″ PROOF Competition Contour Steel Barrel
The PROOF Competition Chassis features a Zermatt Arms TL3 action, Triggertech Pro Curved Diamond Trigger with an adjustable pull weight from 4 to 32 oz, an Area 419 Hellfire muzzle brake, and a MDT 12 round AICS-pattern steel magazine. A custom fit hard case is included to haul your rifle to your next match.
The Proof Competition Chassis Rifle is backed with an accuracy guarantee and is available in 223 Rem, 6 ARC, 6 Dasher, 6 Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 308 Win.
PROOF Competition Chassis Rifle Specs
•MDT ACC Chassis
•Zermatt Arms TL3 Action
•Adjustable Triggertech Pro Curved Diamond Trigger
•MDT 12 Round AICS Steel MAG
•26″ PROOF Competition Contour Steel Barrel
•Area 419 Hellfire Brake
•20 MOA rail
•Weight – 15lbs-14oz w/ mag
•Accuracy Guarantee
•MSRP: $5,699
Stephanie Kimmell is the firstborn daughter of Missouri’s Pecan King, worthy scion of a Vietnam veteran sailor turned mad engineer-orchardist-inventor-genius. With a BA in technical writing, she freelances as a writer and editor. A Zymurgist greatly interested in the decoction of fermented barley and hops, she is in many ways a modern amalgam of Esther Hobart Morris, Rebecca Boone, and Nellie Bly. She hunts, fishes, butchers, and cooks most anything. When not editing or writing, she makes soaps and salves, spins wool, and occasionally makes cheese from cows she milked herself. Kimmell is a driven epistemophilic who loves live music and all sorts of beer.
I’m not a huge Glock fan. I respect them as well-made firearms that are simple, reliable, and easy to use. What I really love about the Glock series of pistols is their inherent modularity. You can take a Glock and upgrade it to the moon and back. I recently got my hands on a Glock 43X and made some upgrades, including the Tyrant Designs magwell.
The TD Magwell adds a little extra length and width, but not much.
Magwells are pretty simple. They act like a funnel attached to the bottom of your grip, allowing for faster and more intuitive reloads. That’s the idea anyway. Like most things, especially in the gun world, sometimes they suck. Some magwells exist to funnel money from your pockets, not magazines, into your gun. Let’s find out if the Tyrant Designs magwell is worth the price of admission.
Breaking down the Tyrant Designs Magwell
My initial skepticism of the Tyrant Designs Magwell comes from the fact that it’s designed for a concealed carry firearm. Magwells often find a home on full-sized guns designed for competition, or maybe duty use. A magwell on a concealed carry pistol might be nothing more than a slick ornament with a pretty color.
The TD Magwell matches the Glock’s black frame perfectly.
Speaking of pretty colors, you can get your Tyrant Designs magwell in a wide variety of colors. Red, blue, grey, gold, aluminum, and black. I went with black. I’m not a big fan of bright colors on carry guns, and black matches the frame. Tyrant Designs mills these bad boys from aluminum and anodizes the finish onto the magwell.
It’s a fat-mouth lady looking for love.
Tyrant Designs claims the magwell will work with factory magazines with extensions, the Shield 15 magazines, and other aftermarket options. I can confirm they work with stock OEM magazines, magazines with Tyrant Designs extensions, and ETS Glock 43X/48 magazines without issue.
The Tyrant Designs Magwell adds just a little extra length to your pistol. At its longest point, the Tyrant Designs Magwell adds about a quarter-inch to the length of the grip. That extra quarter-inch does provide my big hands a nice little pinky rest, so I don’t necessarily hate the extra length. Weight-wise my scale reads it off as .40 of an ounce total.
Installing the Tyrant Designs Magwell
According to Tyrant Designs, their installation method is patented, and I could see why. It’s stupid simple and takes no time or effort. In the back, a screw fits into a soft grip plug. Loosen the screw from the plug with just a few rotations and then slide the plug into the hole and the magwell over the grip.
The install takes no time or effort.
Tighten the screw down, and you’re done. I expected more drama. Rarely do I find something advertised as easy to actually be easy. However, I’ve put it on, taken it off, put it on again, taken it off again, and it’s a non-issue. It pops on and off without any drama.
The TD Magwell acts as a minor pinky extension as well.
I tried my hardest to pry the Tyrant Designs Magwell off the bottom of my Glock 43X. I pried and pulled and fought with the damn thing to see if I could get it off the gun. It was yanked, pulled, pushed, and wiggled—and it never moved. The attachment system works well for being how simple it is.
Putting Work In
So is the Tyrant Designs Magwell worth a spit? Or does it just look cool? Well, to find out, I needed to get some reloads in. We grabbed a few different magazines, some 9mm ammo, and hit the ground running. A NeoMag was used for each reload and a shot timer for objective data.
OEM Mags, Mags with extensions, and ETS mags all work perfectly with the TD Magwell.
I started with the magwell off and warmed up a bit with slow but practiced reloads. After I felt good with the NeoMag, I popped the shot timer on and began chasing time. After five reloads, I popped the magwell on and did five more reloads.
The Tyrant Designs magwell works without issue with ETS Extended magazines.
Every five reloads, I swapped the configuration of the gun. As you warm up more and more, you are bound to get faster. If I did 20, no magwell reloads and then 20 magwell reloads, I could be faster with the magwell because I’ve already got twenty practice reloads in. Alternating having the magwell on and off allowed me to better gauge the speed of my reloads.
Averages Matter
After a few dozen reloads, I can comfortably declare that the Tyrant Designs magwell works and works well. When I averaged the times between reloads, it came down to a difference of almost three-quarters of a second in favor of the magwell. That seems like a Scott Bakula-style quantum leap, but the average is skewered.
The skewered average comes from a few fumbled reloads without the Tyrant Designs magwell. I’d slap the side of the Glock’s magazine well and goof up my reload. When the Tyrant Designs magwell was locked into place, I could goof it up, but the magwell funneled the magazine into the gun without causing me to slow down significantly.
Reloading is faster and more intuitive with an enlarged magwell.
If I wasn’t a goof, it wouldn’t matter, right? Well, everyone goofs up, and if something can help you reduce your human error, it might make the juice worth the squeeze. That’s why I like magazines that hold as many rounds as possible, it’s why I like red dots, and why I like compensators. These increase my ability to succeed.
What’s the best time I could accomplish outside of a somewhat skewed average? Well, I got those numbers too. Without the magwell, I had a hard time breaking the 2.5 second mark, with a 2.42 being my absolute fastest.
The Tyrant Designs magwell not only trims time off your reloads, but helps eliminate human error.
My overall fastest time with the Tyrant Designs magwell in place was 2.29 seconds, with the median in the 2.35-second range. Shaving off a little more than a tenth of a second is nice, but reducing human error is where I see the biggest benefit. I like that it can help compensate for my own faults and failures.
The Human Error
The Tyrant Designs magwell doesn’t suck, or even kind of suck. It’s a functional addition to your Glock 43X or Glock 48 pistol. If you want to speed up your reloads while reducing human error, then this simple addition can surely help. Popping it on takes no time at all, and while it adds a little length and weight, it won’t compromise concealment. (It also adds a nice edge to a pistol-whipping, just saying.)
Chest out a Tyrant Designs mag extension for a few extra rounds.
Does a magwell strike your fancy? Would you stick one on your concealed carry gun? If so, let us know below. Share your thoughts on the subject.
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is the world’s Okayest firearm’s instructor.
Not all optics are cut out for every application. Some work great for concealed carry, some for range guns, some for duty pistols. In this video, Hilton Yam of 10-8 Performance reviews and ranks his favorite pistol optics for duty use. As a law enforcement veteran and tactical trainer, Yam has seen through pistol optic windows a few times and created a list of his favorite and least favorite red dots.
Like many of us, Yam started out shooting a Trijicon RMR, the first serious pistol-mounted red dot on the market. It more or less defined what red dots would be moving forward. It became so popular that all these years later, the RMR mounting footprint is the most common platform on the market. Almost all red dots offer an RMR-style mounting interface. Starting with that, let’s see Yam’s list of pistol-mounted red dot optics.
Yam starts with his basic criteria for what makes a good duty pistol optic:
•Rugged and reliable
•Low profile enough, particularly on the deck, to allow use of commonly available optic-height sights
•A common footprint – do you need to modify the slide for an uncommon mounting footprint, or does the optic have cross-compatibility?
•Should fit into common duty holsters without modification – some agencies don’t allow for modification
•Good battery life, typically at least one year as the measurable standard
•How easy is the battery to load in? Does it require removing the optic to change or can it be done from the top of side?
Trijicon RMR
Considered the gold standard of optics in its day, the Trijicon RMR has been surpassed in some areas.
Rugged, reliable, low profile enough to use common sights, the Trijicon RMR is the common footprint—the one that started it all. It fits most duty holsters because they are made around the RMR pattern. Battery life is more than one year. One major strike against the RMR is the bottom-loading battery compartment that requires removing the optic for replacement.
Leupold Delta Point Pro
The Leupold Delta Point Pro pistol optic has a couple of strikes against it.
Strike one: It is so tall that it requires unique sights and is incompatible with any of the sights that work with all the rest of the optics on the list. Good position of the battery right on top and easy to replace and service. Strike two: Only one button to toggle all the settings, which can be confusing and easy to get wrong. Ruggedness and reliability are spotty, based on field reports.
Aimpoint ACRO
The Aimpoint ACRO is optically accurate and durable with a side-load battery, but the battery life is lousy.
On full settings, the battery lasts around three weeks on the normal setting, which is way below the year threshold. It also does not fit into the Safariland ALS holster, so that’s a deal killer.
Trijicon SRO
Due to the forward structure, the SRO doesn’t fit into any duty holster.
Trijicon itself admits the SRO is not meant to be a duty optic because it does not survive the 6-foot drop test, but the oversized window and top-load battery make it appealing.
These check all the boxes with ruggedness, reliability, and great battery life with solar power boost, the common RMR footprint for 507C and 508T, and low profile for common sight compatibility. To offset the questions of reliability, Yam shows us the two he has mounted on his EDC and range guns.
The Envelope, Please…
What were Yam’s final results? Which ones did he like the best and least for a duty pistol? Find out here…
David Workman is an avid gun guy, a contributing writer to several major gun publications, and the author of Absolute Authority. A logophile since way back, Workman is a quickdraw punslinger and NRA RSO and Certified Pistol Instructor. He helps train new shooters on basic handgun skills and CCW requirements and is a strong advocate for training as much as practicable. “Real-world shootouts don’t happen at a box range.”
