Review: Manticore Arms Nightbrake for AK style rifles

This is a review of the MantiCore Arms Nightbrake for AK (Kalashnikov) style rifles.  The one I got uses the 24mm threading which is commonly used with AK-74 pattern rifles, but they also make one with the traditional 14mm threads.
I have an Arsenal SGL-21, which shoots 7.62x39, but has the AK-74 style(which usually shoot 5.45x39) 24mm threads. So there are not very many options for muzzle devices.  The Nightbrake is nice because it will work on both 5.45 and 7.62 rifles.  The SGL-21 comes with a AK-74 style brake which works very well for muzzle rise control, but gives off a somewhat loud blast and when you shoot from prone it kicks up a LOT of dust, especially from urban/rollover prone.  I wanted to try a device which would lower the amount of muzzle blast but still give a reasonable amount of control of muzzle rise.

I ran the Nightbrake through two carbine courses. I found that with the Nightbrake, recoil drove the muzzle slightly up and to the right, which took some small amount of time to get back on target. The blast was somewhat less than the 74 brake.  When I shoot the 74 brake, it's relatively easy to keep the sights on target when shooting at a pace of 2 rounds per second.  With the Nightbrake, I found I had to really focus on a strong stance and pulling the gun into my shoulder firmly when shooting even moderately fast, or the sights would start wandering up and right.  I think the Nightbrake does accomplish its goal of trading off blast for muzzle control, but I have put the 74 brake back on.  To me, the tradeoff was not worth it, especially since I don't do any team tactics stuff with a carbine indoors, where reducing muzzle blast would be more important.

Using the 74 brake, the muzzle control is very good, and the blast isn't really objectionable when shooting outdoors. I will stick with it for now.
The AK BattleComp sounds promising, but as of this writing it is not available with 24mm threads, and even when it is, I'm not sure if it will work with a 7.62 rifle with 24mm threads.  Also, it's 200 bucks which is pretty steep.

Kytex mag pouches

Kytex shooting gear makes some really nice mag pouches. I have a few for Glock 17 mags, which I've had for about a year and have run through a number of classes. Compared to other mag pouches I've tried, they're inexpensive, they ship fast, and they can be clipped on without taking off your belt. They're still very secure despite the fact that they clip on.

What makes them really stand out is the fact that they're very compact, light, and thin, and made out of one single piece of kydex with no additional hardware like screws, etc, so you can fit more of them on a given area of belt line, and they hold very tight to the body for concealment with a loose shirt.

The only downside is that I would say that they are a little flimsier than some others just based on the fact that they're made entirely out of thin Kydex.  One of mine developed a small crack from when one of my mags got hooked on something and was pulled hard away from my body.  It was still usable and probably would have been okay with the application of some duct tape.  Brian, the owner of Kytex, offered to send me a replacement. I only had to send him a picture of my cracked one; I didn't have to ship it back.

Also, the retention may loosen up a little over time since the retention comes from the form of the Kydex and there aren't any screws or rivets.  If you are at all handy with a heat gun or blow dryer, that is easy to fix.

I probably would not use these in some kind of austere situation overseas where gear must be super durable because you don't know when you're going to get a resupply.  But for any normal use, they're great and backed by great customer service.
Kyle Defoor is a fan of the AR-15 mag pouches as seen on his blog here.

John Jardine 1911 Essentials class AAR

I attended the first 1911 Essentials class taught by gunsmith John Jardine at Reed's Indoor Range in Santa Clara.

The blurb on Reed's site states:

John Jardine is a master pistolsmith who has enjoyed a well-deserved reputation for simply outstanding work. Firearms produced by Jardine's Custom are heirloom quality pieces of work. Made to be functional and reliable yet with attention to beauty and the fit and finish that customers expect in a truly custom-made firearm.

Jardine's 1911 Essentials
A 6 hour course designed to teach you cleaning, maintainance, diagnosis, performance, enhancements, and more. This class is sure to save anyone owning a 1911 pistol both time, and money. $200.00

 The class covered detail stripping the 1911, cleaning and lubing it, checking the extractor tension and retensioning it, inspecting the pistol for common problems, and Jardine answered many questions, and took a look at students' 1911s and found various minor or major problems with most of the students' pistols, including several very expensive pistols from highly regarded makers.  He repeatedly stated his opinion that the firearms industry as a whole cuts corners in terms of quality because most guns don't get shot enough for problems with them to become apparent.  It was very clear that in his own work he considers it very important to take the time to do it right, even if it ends up costing more.  He also noted repeatedly that the standard 5" government size 1911 in .45 ACP tends to be the most reliable, and that shortening the length of the slide makes it much more difficult to keep the gun running reliably.

He noticed some problems with the improperly fitted extractor on my 1911 and demonstrated the problems it was having holding proper tension even after fiddling with it for a while, and how it was rotating(clocking) slightly.  I left it with him and picked it up the next day with a new extractor fitted and tensioned and with some other minor work he'd done after noticing problems during the extractor fitting process.  He charged a very reasonable rate for the work and it was obvious that he cared about the students and their learning and making sure they were satisfied with the class and the work. Note: he did not in any way solicit gunsmithing business from the students.  A few people, including me, approached him and asked about it.

The negative thing I would say about the class is that most students, including myself, had very little experience detail stripping and reassembling the 1911, so he had to come around to each person and help them out, which took a really long time.  It would have been better if he had some assistants to help everybody, or if maybe he showed a video clip on the projector of how to do each step, so that only people who were having serious problems would need help.

I would say the class is well worth your time and money if you're a 1911 aficionado.  The 1911 as a serious defensive use gun is best suited for those who are willing to take the time and effort to maintain it properly and check it regularly for problems.  See http://vickerstactical.com/faqs-with-larry-vickers/

On Pearce grip extensions

 

Pearce grip extensions are very popular for subcompact handguns like the Glock 26/27 or Springfield XD subcompact.  It's basically an extended piece of plastic that replaces your magazine's baseplate and gives your pinky a place to rest when gripping the gun.

I'm not a big fan.  There's nothing wrong with them, but it's a solution in search of a problem (which happens to cost at least around 6 bucks per mag).

Try this: grab your left wrist with your right hand.  Try using all five fingers gripping equally hard.  It will actually feel somewhat weak and your hand will feel like it's getting tired fast. Take your index finger out of the picture by relaxing it.  The grip will get much stronger.  Then take your pinky finger out of the picture by relaxing it a little.  It's still making contact but just not pulling hard compared to the other fingers.  The grip will get stronger(at least it does for me).   This is pretty common way of gripping when training wristlocks in martial arts.

Why does this work?  To be strong, your grip needs to have good alignment, with all fingers besides the thumb pulling in more or less the same direction.   Your index finger doesn't grip well with the others because it isn't aligned with the other three, so it's gripping on a different vector than they are.  If you look at your knuckles, your middle finger, ring finger, and pinky knuckles are on a line, that the index knuckle is not on. 

Your pinky finger is also not aligned with the middle and ring fingers relative to the thumb. 
If you touch your pinky fingertip to your thumb tip, or otherwise pull your thumb and pinky towards each other, your hand is sort of folded in half, which is not a strong, natural position.  If you touch your middle and ring fingertips to your thumb, it forms a natural O shape that is comfortable and strong.

I think that people who feel uncomfortable shooting a subcompact without grip extensions are trying to grip hard with their pinky, leading to discomfort when they can't get a firm grip with it.  If you just relax your pinky, which is preferable, then it doesn't really matter either way.

For the record I have an XD 9 subcompact that I have shot with or without Pearce grip extensions and it makes no difference to me.  Just my perspective, not saying I know anything about anything, or that what works for me is best for everyone.

When I took a handgun shooting course from Louis Awerbuck, he mentioned the same thing; he sees no need for grip extensions, and in fact they hinder people by tempting them to grip hard with the pinky.

Raven Concealment holster review

Raven Concealment is a maker of modular Kydex holsters.

They're fairly unique in terms of the different options; a holster can be converted between IWB and OWB, and use different types of clips and loops, e.g. to become tuckable.

I ordered a Phantom holster with IWB tuckable soft loops for my government sized Dan Wesson 1911.  It fits well and the retention is good.  When worn as an OWB, it's comfortable and is held very tight to the body, and conceals well for an OWB.  

When worn as IWB with the loops, it conceals well and the tuckable feature works fine.  I did find it to be a bit uncomfortable, with both the holster and the gun's grip poking me a little bit if I moved around.  I do think it might be possible to move it around until I find a position that's comfortable, and get used to it.  

For an OWB it's great, but for comfortable all day IWB, I think something leather, especially with a leather body shield like the Crossbreed SuperTuck or Comp-Tac MTAC would be better.

Safariland 6377 holster for Sig P220R

I really like the Safariland 6377 for Sig P220R.  Note that there are different models for the railed and non-railed versions of the P220.  It's a belt holster that has an active retention lock.  It's comparable to the Blackhawk Serpa, but it's (IMO) better because the release button is activated by the thumb rather than the trigger finger.   So there's arguably a smaller chance of having a negligent discharge, and I find after a little practice, drawing is very smooth and just as fast as an open top holster with no retention.

The lock seems very secure.  I tried pulling very hard on the grip of the gun but I couldn't get it to come out, or anything to break.  A notable feature is that the inside of the holster is suede lined to ease wear on the gun.

The holster sits comfortably on the belt and is fairly low profile as far as outside the waistband holsters go.  It
would conceal well with a jacket or vest, but not with anything less.  Note: the model 6378 is the same thing but as a paddle holster rather than a belt holster.   The paddle would make it stick out a little more, but may be more comfortable and presumably allows for easy on/off(I haven't actually seen it but generally paddle holsters have that option.

Thumbs up for a comfortable and secure range or open carry holster.