Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article sponsored by  Wheeler,  Tipton,  Caldwell, and  Frankford Arsenal, I decided to give the Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler Lite a whirl since the weather here in Minnesota has turned to springtime and long periods out in the shop will not be a grueling as they could be in the winter. I have been excited to try out the Rotary Tumbler Lite for some time now and I had some .30 Carbine brass on hand that needed a shine. So that being said, let’s dive right into using the Frankford Arsenal Rotary Tumbler Lite!

Iron sights for pistols are probably one of the most prevalent frequent upgrades seen within the firearms market. Stock sights are often just fine for range work and even precise shooting in some cases, but aftermarket options like the ones from XS Sights can often offer the end-user more flexibility when it comes to effectiveness during all hours of the day. This is why night sights are often selected by concealed carriers as their standard iron sights. Night sights most commonly use tritium vials embedded within the front and rear sights (sometimes just the front) in order to give the shooter a standard notch and post sight picture during the day, and a three-dot sight picture in low light shooting conditions. XS Sights R3D (Radio Active Material 3-Dot) night sights have recently been introduced to two new platforms – the H&K VP9 OR  CZ P-10. Today we’ll be taking a look at both offerings to see what they can offer shooters who own either platform.

Composite rifle stocks offer shooters a lot of upgrades in terms of durability and longevity over traditional wood stocks. While a traditional wood stock can last years and can be durable in its own right, exposure to the elements as well as years of bumps and scrapes can take a nice wooden stock and slowly destroy it with repeated use. AG Composites has just announced a couple of recent upgrades they made to their popular Carbon K2 stock which makes it more user-friendly and also fits more in line with customer feedback that AG Composites has received since the release of the Carbon K2.

Just a few days after the big announcement of the new LaChassis TKD for the Ruger 10/22 Takedown platform, Grey Birch is now offering the LaChassis for the Tikka T1X. Basically, if you like the features from either the Foundation or LaChassis options but just want them on a Tikka T1X, the LaChassis T1X is the way to go and is available for sale now from Grey Birch Solutions for a price of $524.99. Along with this new announcement, Grey Birch has also announced the domain name change for their website to gbmfg.co.

XS Sights is proud to announce the extension of their sight offerings for the Heckler & Koch VP9 Optics Ready Pistol platform. The newest offering is the XS Standard-Height R3D and DXT2 Big Dot sights. This latest addition is preceded by XS’s previous release of their Suppressor/RMR height sights as well as their minimalist sights. This latest offering gives users more flexibility with their setup and allows for faster and more accurate target acquisition in both high-stress situations and when shooting on the move according to XS sights.

Dave Lauck, from D&L Sports, has been offering custom work on revolvers, including a snag-free combat rear sight, and matching front sight. Revolver work is just one of Mr. Lauck’s specialties, we’ve actually featured his custom-made precision rifles on TFB as well. Today, we’ll take a look at his custom revolver sights, but some of his photos will also show his capability with finish treatments as well.

In the past, I have written up reviews on both the single and double port P320 compensators from Parker Mountain Machine. Like many of you, I almost always have different gun projects in the works and I wanted to test out some different products for my smaller P320s. One of the more recent things that caught my eye was the P320 Micro compensator for compact and subcompact slide lengths. I have enjoyed shooting with the full-size compensators but the micro made me wonder how much performance can come from a small comp like that. I’ve had this set up installed the last few weeks and after around 850 rounds, I have enough time under my belt to tell you my thoughts. Let’s take a closer look at the PMM P320 Micro compensator.

After 2 years of testing and over 10,000 rounds on a single buffer, Rifle Dynamics has released their KP9 Short Stroke Recoil Buffer. It’s designed to reduce split times in competition without the benefit of having a tuned gas system.

You guys will remember Grey Birch Solutions for their high-quality Canadian-made Foundation Chassis series. The Foundation was a modular chassis system that allowed you to completely customize your 10/22 rifle down to the type of stock, grip, and forend attachments that you wanted (if any). Now Grey Birch is proud to introduce their new LaChassis TKD 10/22 Takedown chassis. Also, for a limited time, Grey Birch is offering a 5% off code for the new chassis until their first run is sold out.

The Taurus G3XL is one of the latest offerings in the market of double-stack 9mm concealed carry pistols.  While the pistol isn’t as slim as the Glock 48 or as refined as the SIG P365XL, it’s extremely affordable and still reliable enough for concealed carry on a budget. Taurus made the correct decision to step away from its own proprietary sights and the G3X and the G3XL now offer Glock sight compatibility. This allows you much wider access to a variety of OEM and aftermarket options for sight augmentation including dovetail mounts for red dot optics, night sights for low light shooting, and sometimes even just more aesthetic-looking sights. Tyrant Designs sent me out a pair of their new Two-Piece Glock aluminum sights so I thought it might be fun to replace the factory Taurus G3XL sights with the Tyrant Designs Glock sights to see how well the two products could be melded together and to see if Taurus’ claims of Glock sight compatibility measured up.

Remember that .22LR X95 conversion that Dylan made? Well, that is not the extent of his DIY skills. He made his own Modernized Sten 2.0. If you recall, I posted about a modernized Sten over three years ago. Funny enough, Dylan says that build inspired him to make one with his own twist.

Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article sponsored by  Wheeler,  Tipton,  Caldwell, and  Frankford Arsenal, I decided to take a closer look at the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Series Precision Scale. Recently I have been preparing to work with a few of Frankford Arsenal’s products in order to reload some ammunition for one of my rifles. I have always owned their more budget-minded DS-750 digital scale that I covered in a previous Closer Look segment but this Platinum Series Precision Scale is a whole different animal. That being said, let’s dive right into it and see what makes this scale tick!

A mandatory safety recall was issued on April 19th, 2022 by Apex Tactical Specialties regarding a limited amount of their Apex Action Enhancement Kits for slim frame Glock pistols like the Glock 43, Glock 43X, and the Glock 48. The issue with these flawed trigger kits is that some of the trigger bars (which are manufactured by Apex and not Glock) are out of spec and can cause a failure to reset the trigger after firing. Apex is asking that customers who have purchased an Apex Action Enhancement Kit for their Glock pistol between October 2021 and March 2022 immediately cease using their trigger kit and visit ApexTactical.com to arrange for an immediate replacement at no cost to the customer. Full details and relevant links regarding the Glock Apex Enhancement Kit recall are posted below.

Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article sponsored by  Wheeler,  Tipton,  Caldwell, and  Frankford Arsenal, I decided to jump back into the topic of Wheeler’s AR Receiver Lapping Tool that I covered in last week’s Closer Look portion of Armorer’s Bench. In that segment, I took a closer look at the product and talked about what it is and its purpose. I intentionally left out exactly how the process works but I am sure you folks could put it together. Just in case though I am happy to elaborate in this article. Let’s dive right back into the Wheeler AR Receiver Lapping Tool!

Midwest Industries has just announced their Extended Sight Systems for Henry lever action X Models, which brings the rear sight back onto the receiver, rather than Henry’s factory location on top of the barrel. Midwest Industries’ Extended Sight Systems include an aluminum handguard rail with M-LOK slots and a 16-inch top Picatinny rail, a front and rear sight, a 5-slot Picatinny rail section, and a sling swivel. Without having a Henry X Model lever action, I estimate that the Extended Sight System provides an extra six inches to the overall sight radius. The full press release can be read below.

Looking for something a bit more flashy for your next range toy? ZEV Technologies is excited to offer their latest series of rifle barrels with the new ZEV Core Elite Bronze match barrels. These new barrels will mostly feature mid-length gas systems and twist rates specifically designed for the caliber that you pick. Each of these new barrels is apparently capable of consistent sub-MOA accuracy with high-quality factory ammunition according to ZEV Tech.

Flat Dark Earth is indisputably one of the most popular finishes for both handguns and rifles. With popular pistols like the FN509 and many Glock pistols coming in factory configurations featuring the subdued earth tone color, it’s only natural that a lot of people piecing together their own P80 in that very same color might want a high-quality CNC machined trigger to populate the grip module. Tyrant Designs’ new FDE ITTS Trigger has just been announced and is now shipping and available with two options for hardware color.

Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article sponsored by  Wheeler,  Tipton,  Caldwell, and  Frankford Arsenal, I decided to take a look at the  Wheeler AR Receiver Lapping Tool. I have little experience lapping receivers beyond a handful of bolt action rifles let alone AR15 receivers so this was mostly a first impressions sort of thing and it has been a hot second since we have done much in relation to AR-related stuff. A lot of that has to do with me planning out future “assembly/reassembly” articles since we took apart a Smith & Wesson Sport II last year. If you are curious about those aforementioned articles you can find Part One:  The Lower, Part Two:  The BCG, and Part Three:  The Upper at their respective links. That all being said, let’s dive right into this closer look at the Wheeler AR Receiver Lapping Tool!

Technology can be extremely helpful when it comes to firearms customization if you’re going for a certain set of looks or features for your new gun. That is why WOOX is excited to unveil their new WOOX Custom Shop as well as the WOOX Garage to help those looking for a custom rifle or are in need of live help from an experienced WOOX consultant to answer questions about their purchases. These new services are available now on the wooxstore.com website.

Emissary Development has introduced an extended switch for SureFire X300 style weapon lights called Paddle Shifter. It extends the switch upwards to the thumb of your support hand in the common modern way of gripping a semi-auto pistol, and is designed to make manipulating the light more intuitive with minimum alteration of the grip and maintaining utmost control of the weapon while activating the light.

The SIG Sauer P365 was a game-changer. The success of the pistol forced so many other manufacturers to catch up. There’s no wonder the aftermarket for these wonder-pistols has exploded, especially with the introduction of the P365 FCU. Strike Industries, a company loved by those who appreciate their push for innovation, has entered that aftermarket. SI has introduced their Strike Slide, this time for the SIG Sauer P365. 

Have you ever wanted to make your own SCAR 17s? Me neither but maybe I do now. The folks over at Imperial Arms Co. have just made their CYPHERX-ZERO receiver available to the public and this receiver requires no FFL to purchase. This “Zero Percent Blank” (basically an 80%) was approved by the ATF back in April of 2021 and now Imperial Arms is more than happy to offer customers a shot at building out their own SCAR 17s using one of their receivers.

Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article sponsored by  Wheeler,  Tipton,  Caldwell, and  Frankford Arsenal, I decided to take a look at the  Wheeler AR Armorer’s Ultra Kit. It has been a hot second since we have done much in relation to AR-related stuff. A lot of that has to do with me planning out future “assembly/reassembly” articles since we took apart a Smith & Wesson Sport II last year. I was thinking today about how integral this kit was to that string of articles and that I should make sure to do a closer look at it. If you are curious about those aforementioned articles you can find Part One: The Lower, Part Two: The BCG, and Part Three: The Upper at their respective links. That all being said, let’s dive right into this closer look at the Wheeler AR Armorer’s Ultra Kit!

At the end of the past year, we reported about the release of Ukrainian KPYK CRC 5002 adjustable AK stock. This stock was first teased a couple of years ago and it has been in continuous development and field testing processes ever since. Shortly after the release of the stock, KPYK sent us a T&E sample and in this article, we’ll present to you our review of KPYK CRC 5002 adjustable AK stock.

Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article sponsored by  Wheeler,  Tipton,  Caldwell, and  Frankford Arsenal, I decided to take you along with me in diagnosing and accessing a Remington 1858 reproduction. This revolver showed up having severe issues with its timing mechanism which I have seen before. Unfortunately, this article will not cover how to time a revolver, that should be its whole other thing. I just thought it would be fun to take a peek under the hood with everyone to show how I knew what was wrong with this gun. Let’s dive right into diagnosing and assessing a Remington 1858 revolver!

Sharps Bros has released a new AR-15 lower receiver dubbed Showdown. The new Sharps Bros Showdown lower receiver has a samurai mask/facial armor themed magazine well. It joins the Jack, Warthog, Overthrow and Hellbreaker in the company’s line of lower receivers with special magwell designs.

The Springfield Hellcat Pro is one of the latest additions to the micro compact concealed carry pistol market. While the base gun does in fact feature a pretty aggressive textured grip and according to fellow writer Nic L it was “attractive and aggressive without causing discomfort”, I know there are some of you out there who absolutely love super abrasive grip textures for hot summer months. Talon Grips has just announced that they’ve added a new lineup of their well-renowned gun grip tape specifically for the Hellcat Pro. These new Springfield Hellcat Pro grips will be available at the time of this article’s publishing and will be sold starting at $19.99.

Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article sponsored by  Wheeler,  Tipton,  Caldwell, and  Frankford Arsenal, I decided to touch on the topic of punches. More specifically the topic of punches dedicated, intended to be used for, or ones that can be used for gunsmithing. I admit at a base level it may seem mundane but punches are an essential tool for any would-be armorer or gunsmith. I had previously briefly touched on punches in my second armorer’s bench article covering essential gunsmith tools. That article was only at a glance. Let’s get into punches under the microscope!

If you’ve been looking for a good set of aftermarket backup sights for your optics-ready HK VP9 Optics Ready pistol, then you’ll be interested to hear that XS Sights has just introduced their new R3D Suppressor/RMR height sights for that specific platform. The new sight offering will join the same family as the rest of XS Sights’ R3D lineup and will feature tritium 3-dot sights all made from the same durable and precise CNC machined steel.

More rounds are always appreciated, and Strike Industries has been providing more rounds for your Glock with their polymer Extended Magazine Plate (EMP) for a few years. While the polymer versions continue to keep customers happy, people have been calling for a metal version. Well, now Strike Industries has delivered. Utilizing the same design that people love, the new aluminum EMP for Glock 19 pistols is now available.