Design, feel, and materials all are precisely what i had hoped with a few minor exceptions.... - Fortis Manufacturing Hammer 5.56mm Charging Handle

***Purpose / Usage: M4 carbine (tactical setup. CQB to Medium range)

PRO'S
-large front surface: provides greater efficacy with regard to "nose to charging handle" style shooting. This one's kind of a double edged sword. The hammer does present a large surface with distinct texturing making both charging the weapon and developing consistent muscle/touch memory for fast target acquisition and aids in the development of natural point of aim.

-Material & Finish: Craftsmanship and finish seem to both be first-rate! Charging the weapon is like BUTTER; (especially the paired with a NiB BCG) making one-handed charging from either left or right sides a breeze! Zero imperfections in the finish, on the edges, roll marks (logo on the side) etc.

PRO/CON
-Color: The "HAMMER" IS NOT BLACK!!!!!!!!! its not even remotely close to anything resembling black. That being said, I didn't want black, so I'm happy. The color is ALMOST the same as a standard mil spec castle nut in direct sunlight.
****Note: Aside from the color, the finish its self picks up light. It looks very dark under indirect warm light, and looks MUCH brighter under direct cool light. At its brightest, I can still live with it as it is still dark enough to pass on a tactical weapon system (just barely IMO)

CON:
-Sharp edges on face and finger surfaces. I did read other reviews that said the same thing. I thought "How bad can it be?" and "Don't these people wear gloves?". Well, its sharp enough to make "nose to charging handle" shooting a little sketchy (I had a very upset nose after about 10 draw drills). It did get a little better after some use (due simply to epithelial cell buildup I'm guessing).

CONCLUSION:
Overall, I'm very happy with the "Hammer" and will be keeping it. I do wish it was a bit darker (more true to black). I definitely wish it wasn't so dang sharp! Hopefully they will revise the design in the future as this is a consistent grip on reviews. I may end up putting this on my next DMR/SPR build w/ optics and run something a little less sharp for my CQB setup.