Gear & Accessories

Each month, GUNS&TACTICS will showcase current and innovative AR parts in a series we call,"AR UPGRADES". New parts are coming to market so fast these days, it's hard to keep up. So we've decided to show upgrade options for your AR15/AR10. Everything from wild to mild, boring to bling, cool to downright dumb, if it’s new, G&T will take a look at it.

I recently had the opportunity to install the AM-TAC Precision K.R.S. V2 keymod handguard with QIK System in the 15" variety. The company claims their handguard is "suitable for any environment and any mission." We put it to the test to see if it could hold up under heavy use.

Almost all of us in the tactical field drool over the latest gear and accessories for everything from weapons to clothing, and many of us are self-proclaimed pack-junkies quick to snatch up the latest in rucksack and tactical bag options (although whether or not we actually have anything to put in that bag yet can sometimes be irrelevant.) While we typically pay careful consideration to the pockets, load capacity, weatherproofing and any number of features that a pack may boast, we inevitably end up slapping on 100 MPH tape, bungees, paracord, zip-ties and even rubber bands to get our load-out right where we want it. One challenge that is often difficult to overcome, however, is a lack of anchor points. D-rings and webbing occasionally fit the need of securing gear that can’t be thrown in a bag or need to be readily accessible, but there just never seems to be enough of them to go around.

It started on a lunch break in the middle of a hot day of training last summer as several of us took our armor off and the familiar smell of “plate carrier funk” started emanating from our sweat-soaked shirts. That day, though, I’d left the shirt I usually wear under my armor behind to test a new kind of shirt after a recommendation from a friend who swore up and down that it was “stink proof.”

Any domestic first responder, whether it be Fire, EMS, or Police, has more than likely heard of LAPolicegear.com. I’ve utilized them for years and find, for the most part, that their prices are highly competitive, their selections are good, and their in-stock inventory rivals other national chains/distributors.

The first handgun I ever bought was a Gen 1 Glock 17. I purchased it used in the late 90s. It was in good...

Like most of you, I enjoy kick-ass action movies. It is not uncommon to see classic James Bond or modern day Jason Bourne creeping up on some unsuspecting bad guy then eliminating him with a quick triple tap, where only the gentle “pfftt, pfftt, pfftt” is heard from their sound suppressed pistol. Or maybe they need to engage a target at distance with some high-speed, low-drag break-down rifle they piece together out of an unassuming backpack.

The brand name FERFRANS evokes images of professional-grade short barreled CQB/CQC rifles used by military units in various countries around the world. Created in 1990 by brothers Ferdinand and Francis Sy, the FERFRANS flagship is the Special Operations Assault Rifle (SOAR) which is configured in a multitude of barrel lengths and in a Direct Impingement as well as Piston configuration.

Bulletsafe is a manufacturer of affordable body armor and is the same company behind the ballistic panel inserts for backpacks that I have written about before. Prior to the backpack panel insert, however, their first product was level 3A soft body armor. Recently Bulletsafe offered us the opportunity to test it.

Florida based Special Ops Tactical (SOT) maybe a newer company in that they were formed just a few years ago, but they are certainly not new to the industry. SOT is the brainchild of Garrett Potter and Clint Hanson, who gained their experience working previously for Spike’s Tactical.