Commander from United States, AZ Public Profile

I am replacing a Red Dot sight on my AR 5.56 Pistol (with 10.5 " barrel) with this optic...not a long range set up, but at my age seeing targets even at 100yards is getting little more difficult. My objective is to have a simple but easily acquired reticle with 1x magnification at the low end for close quarters shooting but can crank up the power for shooting beyond 100 yards. I Haven't had a chance to get out and shoot with it yet, but my first impression out of the box is that the KISS reticle combined with the1-6x power of this scope should achieve my goal. I've done some messing around throwing it up on my shoulder and although the eye relief at 1x is a little more critical than the red dot if you have the scope set up properly and establish a consistent head position it is still as fast as a red dote at the 1x power and when I crank it up to 6x, I can get a much better line up on targets as far as 300 yards. I gave it 4 stars because I have not shot it yet, but hope to increase the rating after a few trips out.

Gun fits good, leather is appropriately thick and firm, but the finish has a waxy look with what looks like a few small lumpy looking contaminants in what ever they used to finish the leather. I have a few other more recent holsters from Bianchi that have a similar finish but without the lumps. I understand that Bianchi moved their production facilities down to Mexico...probably to keep there prices down and mission accomplished. I have had Bianchi holsters made in the US in the past that where on par with makers like Gelco, however their finish quality isn't as good now. That said, There prices are much more reasonable at approx. half of what a Gelco cost now. If your looking for an affordable and functional leather holster with acceptable finish for concealment this works...If you want a nicer finish for open carry and don't mind paying around twice as much...then go for a Gelco or a custom rig for even more. I carry this one concealed for the most part and it will work fine for me!

Got this for a S&W M&P 9 Compact. Followed a you tube video for install…Not to difficult but good idea to have a good set of punches. Polished up a few of the interface surfaces with a Dremel and some polishing rouge.

This trigger rocks…short smooth take up…clean crisp break and minimal over travel…reset is not super pronounced but can be felt and heard ok, (to tell the truth when I’m shooting a tactical run or competition with hearing protection and all I really don't notice reset sound or feel that much…more like my finger muscle memory knows where the reset is). I have the Apex in my Shield and it is just as good.

This trigger is or will be in all of my M&P’s.

Good pancake type holster at a good price from Optics Planet. I think this holster is being discontinued by Gelco…don’t know why, its a good conciliable holster with the right type of over-garment and as a bonus it converts to IWB or OWB.

I have a couple of these for Glocks and I like them. I use them as OWB mostly and added 1.75” plastic belt loops I ordered from Bladetec (which fit good). They work a little better for OWB for me than the softer loops provided by Gelco, But, others may like the loops as well. Due to the Safety lever on my S&W M&P 9MM I had to use a heat gun to modify the slide guard a bit but it wasn't a big deal and it worked well.

This holster has a good forward cant which helps conceal the butt of the pistol, and the wings help distribute the weight and suck the gun in tight to the body.

Using this sight for all my personal defense pistols now...S&W M&P 9's and Glocks. Haven't tried them for IDPA competition but plan to try them when I get a chance.

I have reached that age where my eye sight isn't as good as it used to be so I need a nice big colorful front sight for fast acquisition. This sight has more orange area than the round version which is easier for me to pick up fast. I like the XS big dot sight concept but they only come in white...(I find that bright orange is easier for me to pick up fast) and they are starting to drop the night tritium rear sights on some models which I prefer in some lighting situations where a longer shot may be required, (i.e. large auditorium, parking lot/ garage).

I use this front sight with Ameriglo "i Dot" square notch rear night sight. I don't like 3 dot systems, (too many dots competing for attention). I like the simplicity of this set up and the rear sight provides a good reference without overpowering the all important front sight. Again I like the XS open rear sight concept (easy to find front sight when not line up perfectly), but this set up will work fine especially if you are used to traditional sights.

Basically this is the biggest most visible colored front sight I have found, (and I have looked a lot). They are available formats of the popular guns out there, and they sell front and rear sight separately so that you can combine the best set up for you.

I have a Q.D. magpul rifle sling for the QD attachments on several of my rifles. I typically have it set up as a 2 point that is convertible to a single point with the QD attachments. I recently built up a Norinco MAK 90 (AK-47) into an R22 compliant tactical rifle. The folding butt-stock has a QD receiver, but the front, as with most AK style rifles, just has a metal sling loop on the barrel . Only options I found that provided a QD attachment on the front where mounting a QD receiver on the front hand guard or loop a cable with a QD on the AK front sling loop...all in the same price range as the GrovTec US GT Snap Hook option. I preferred having the sling attach at the point forward or the hand guard where the AK sling loop is on the barrel due to the fact that the standard hand guard on the AK does not have a lot of real-estate. That leaves out mounting a QD on the hand guard. The QD cable option is probably ok, but I opted for the GrovTec US GT Snap Hook because it is all metal and very durable. Also it slightly easier to put on and take off with the snap hook…yet I can convert from a 2 point sling to a single point by just moving the QD point to the rear. being durable and quick and easy to use makes this QD snap hook a 5 star performer… but I gave it 4 stares because it seems a little pricy for what it is.

This product is a great solution for any AR you want to have a short length of pull on like an SBR or AR pistol. Its clean and simple with storage in the base and the angle is much better suited to the shorter length of pull...your wrist is at a more neutral angle. I put this on a 9MM AR "pistol" and found it to be at a good angle for all methods of hold. Optics planet handled the order in good form...excellent customer service.

This Case is great for inconspicuous carry. Looks like a tennis racket case. I got the 30" to carry an AR 15 pistol with a 7.5 " barrel and it just fit. If you have a longer barrel you probably want to go with the 34" case. It has enough space for 2 rifles...or as I intend to use it... an AR pistol with a second upper for it in the other compartment. Only improvement I would like to see would be some dedicated pockets for AR mags on the inside somewhere. You can probably get one or two mags in the pockets on the front but not much more. I may try to rig some mag holders up on the padded separator or something like that.