Welcome back to my escape from California bondage. This is Part 2. If you read the first part, you know what this is all about. If not, check it out Un-Californiaizing My AR-15 Part 1. We left off having completed the upper half of the rifle, sans optic. Again, we’ll be working on that in the third and final part of this series. As we stand, this is the rifle.

Recently, due to the reaction of the U.S. government to Coronavirus, my day job has become 100% remote work. I work in the television industry, which has always meant one horrific thing. I was stuck living in Los Angeles. I was born and raised in LA, but as I got older and my priorities changed, I realized how much I hated living there. I started planning my escape in my early twenties, and when the opportunity to leave presented itself, my wife, baby, and I jumped on it. Our last day as California residents was Christmas 2020. We now reside in beautiful Colorado and couldn’t be happier. As an avid gun and self-defense enthusiast, the new opportunities before me were almost overwhelming. Suppressors? Binary triggers? No handgun roster? I wanted to drive straight to the nearest gun store and buy them all. Unfortunately, that would be hell on our bank account, so I had to pick a place to start. One of the most hideous affronts leveled against my passion for firearms is the illogical and ignorant laws surrounding AR-15s. I had a California compliant AR, and that knowledge made me churn and boil inside like I was filled with fiery magma. Welcome to my mini series Escape From Bondage: Un-Californiaizing My AR-15 Part 1.

One of the main focuses of Nevada-based Franklin Armory is creativity. One particularly creative product series with which they have made waves, their Binary Triggers, has been previously released for ARs, AKs, 10/22s, MP5 clones, and more. These triggers are unusual in that they not only fire when pulled, like a normal semi-automatic fire control system, but in their third firing position, they also fire another round upon trigger release. This assists in rapid firing but manages not to change the legal semi-auto classification, as would normally be the case with a three-position fire control group. A selection of TFB’s prior coverage of these atypical triggers is listed for you below.

FAB Defense is an Israeli-based company offering a variety of firearms accessories. Their product lines include buttstocks, grips, handgun PDW conversion kits, rails and rail attachments, magazines, and more. Their website asserts that “FAB-Defense® superior ergonomics, functionality and durability, reflects decades of design experience through continuous improvement and successive generations of weapon accessories.“ TFB has covered prior product news from this company quite a bit over the years, and a selection of some of those articles is listed for you below.

If you were thinking about picking up one of Taurus’ new GX4 pistols but thought the standard black finish was not exciting enough for you, then Taurus has some good news for you. The Taurus GX4 is now available in two new slide finishes – Tungsten and Coyote. The pistols are available now from $410.61 MSRP.

If you read the headline for this article and immediately checked your calendar to discern whether it’s April Fools’ Day, and/or began wondering if you’re losing your mind, neither is the case. There genuinely exists such a thing as the Conway Twitty Tribute Pistol, and it’s presented here for your likely incredulity, amazement, and entertainment (or possibly just your disgust) in all its gold-plated glory. You might think it more appropriate to commemorate a deceased career musician with something… perhaps, musical? Maybe a guitar, a microphone, or a framed record? This would be understandable, but the good folks over at “ America Remembers” are individuals possessive of, shall we say… innovative vision. Their product catalogue spans a staggering amount of commemorative firearms, nearly 150 models deep, and gaudy gilded embellishments adorn almost all of them.

If you’re a DIY type in the firearms space, odds are strong that you’re already familiar with Real Avid. These Minnesota-based toolsmiths have been putting out helpful gun cleaning and gunsmithing products for years. Their offerings are relied upon by a vast number of firearms tinkerers, of both the professional and home-based amateur varieties. Now there are yet more of these tools you may want to consider adding to your workbench. Real Avid has just announced a new line of torque wrench kits, dubbed the MASTER-FIT series.

While we patiently wait to see what Ruger does with its purchase of the Marlin company, some users may be stuck in limbo wishing they’d gotten their earlier Marlin outfitted with a larger lever loop. Jard Inc. has just reintroduced their Big Loop Kit for Marlin 1895 and 336 lever action rifles. Big loop levers on lever actions are made to accommodate gloved hands. If you’re familiar with some of the smallest loop levers outfitted from the factory, you’ll know there’s quite a difference between that and big loop levers, especially in colder environments where gloves are a given. The photo below is from Marlin’s website before the liquidation of their parent company, Remington, which shows one of the smaller lever loops outfitted on a Marlin 336.

A few weeks ago while doing some research in the UK’s Imperial War Museum online archive I came across a couple of intriguing photos that sent me down a rabbit hole. The STEN gun is undeniably one of the iconic weapons of World War Two but most of its variants were severely lacking in the ergonomics department. The supremely utilitarian STEN didn’t really have a dedicated place to hold the front of the weapon. Some soldiers held the barrel nut, some held the trigger mechanism housing and some held the magazine itself. It wasn’t until the STEN MkV that a front pistol grip was added.

My New Year’s resolution for 2021 was to take stock of what I have, use what I’ve got, and stop compulsively internet shopping for more shit. With that in mind, I did an ammunition inventory and discovered that while my stock of 9mm practice ammo will hopefully carry me through another couple of years, I also have (if I don’t get too trigger happy) a lifetime supply of .22 Long Rifle ammo. My primary handgun for training and home defense is a Dan Wesson TCP 1911 in 9mm, so my goal was to find a reliable, accurate, .22LR 1911 conversion kit as a training aid that didn’t burn my dwindling supply of 9mm. For the tl;dr people, I’ll say right now that the Nelson Custom conversion kit I got is working out very well in its intended role. For those who want details, here you go.

By now, SIG SAUER‘s handguns need little introduction. In addition to their stable of highly-regarded prior models, their newest additions with the P320 and P365 models have achieved significant success as well. TFB has previously covered and reviewed numerous iterations of both designs, largely with overwhelmingly positive overtones. In addition to the standard versions of their pistols, SIG’s Custom Works program produces some upgraded and special-edition variants, and is now adding a new Spectre series to the mix.

Tyrant Designs is a CNC-machining specialty shop producing firearms parts and accessories from their home base in Chicago, Illinois. They claim to be the inventors of the original skeletonized AR-15 grips, and today they sell multiple versions of this product as well as many other parts. TFB has covered many of their prior offerings, and some examples of those are listed below. Typically, our own reviewers as well as the industry and customers at large have reacted mostly favorably, and generally regarded these products well. Now Tyrant has announced a new product coming soon: machined aluminum Glock sights. The sights appear to employ a white front blade and blackout rear configuration with their chevron-style serrated surface texturing, although it’s indicated that additional options including night sights and suppressor height versions will be added at an as-yet-unknown later date.

To increase aftermarket support, many firearms are being designed to accept widely available AR pistol grips. Recently, more shooters are preferring steeper angles on their grips. This allows them to be in a more upright and natural shooting position. These two trends combined have lead Strike Industries to release the newest in their line of AR grips. At an almost vertical 15-degree angle, this is the new Strike Industries AR Flat Top Overmolded Pistol Grip.

Emissary Development is a new name in the firearms accessory game. However, by no means does that indicate they don’t know what they’re doing. Although the company only officially launched about six months ago (at the time of this writing) and began behind-the-scenes establishment roughly six months prior to that, Emissary is actually a subsidiary brand of Milspec Retail. Milspec Retail was founded in 2014 first as a military surplus distributor/reseller and has since grown into a major retailer for many of the top brands in gun parts, accessories, and related gear. As you peruse their website today, you won’t find brands or products that most people would consider “entry-level”; it’s pretty much all top-quality stuff. Combine this with customer-centric policies like fast and free shipping or 30-day free returns, and it’s clear why they’ve enjoyed the growth and success that they have. These elements of Milspec Retail also provide insights into Emissary, since it’s an in-house brand directly under the domain of Milspec’s product team. The ideas of commitment to top-tier equipment and excellent service appear to carry through.

Magpul Industries is an almost ubiquitous name when it comes to the firearms industry. My first AR and now some of my pistol are hosts to some of Magpul’s durable and reliable polymer magazines. Today on the show we’ve got John Canipe from Magpul Industries to tell us all about the company, how things were for the company during 2020 and where Magpul and its product lineup is headed for 2021 and beyond. We’ve recently been able to pick up steam on the podcast front so you should have a steady stream of listening material for your morning or evening commute. Thanks as always for turning in to TFB’s Behind the Gun Podcast and for making content like this possible.

Guns are machines. No matter how well-made or expensive a machine is, it will break at some point. For this reason, firearms with higher round counts could benefit from having some tools and spare parts around. Batteries in electronic optics can die at inopportune times if not replaced regularly. This is a good reason to keep spares. The problem with carrying spare batteries and tools is that they’re always in my bag. If I needed my rifle off the range and had a part break or an optic die, I would be SOL. To address this problem, Strike Industries has released the Strike Pistol Grip Plug Tool Holder Insert. This allows you to carry your spares in the gun.

The P320 Legion series of handguns is a common sight at USPSA and similar types of pistol competitions. However, you’ll often find that a lot of them are not bone stock pistols and have had a lot of modifications. One new modification on the market is from Keres Dynamics. Keres Dynamics has just introduced their Fully Adjustable  Legionnaire Competition trigger for the P320 XFIVE Legion series of pistols.

Last August we reported that the British Army was planning to make the move away from Heckler & Koch’s HKey (KeyMod) accessory attachment system to the M-LOK system with the ‘new’ SA80 A3. At the time our report was based on information from the  August 2020 edition of the British Army’s Soldier magazine, now we have some photos of the new MLOK forend in use with troops.

Dust covers are just little flaps that are fun to play with, right? While they are fun to open and close while you sit and watch your favorite episode of He-Man, dust covers play an essential role in maintaining your firearm. Most, however, are simply a tight-fitting piece of metal or plastic. Strike Industries has taken things one step further. They have added more capability to their previously released Ultimate Dust Cover by adding an “overmolded rubberized soft sealing lip”. By the power of Grayskull, this is the AR Overmolded Ultimate Dust Cover from Strike Industries.

There’s no way around how cool the CZ Scorpion EVO looks. True to their nature, the folks at Strike Industries wanted to make it cooler. To add comfort, capability, and a little bit of style, Strike has released an M-LOK and SI LINK compatible 6-inch handguard for the CZ Scorpion EVO.

Continuing to expand their competition shooting-oriented product line, TACCOM has recently released a new AR-15 stock called Cheek Riser Adjustable Buttstock. Despite the minimalistic design, this stock has a high level of adjustability that includes a length of pull, cheekpiece height, buttplate height and cant adjustments. Let’s take a closer look.

The Canik TP9 has been enjoying wild success over the last year. The feature-rich pistol with a reasonable price tag has been surprising shooters left and right. Well, with success comes aftermarket support. Like Glocks and SIGs before it, Strike Industries has introduced a plus-five Canik TP9 EMP baseplate.

I was first turned onto Langdon Tactical back when I purchased my Beretta M9A3 pistol and wanted to start shooting in competitions with it. Langdon Tactical Technology has just introduced their new LTT Match Hammer for the Beretta 92/96/M9 and PX4 pistols. The hammer is intended to reduce the pre-travel of the trigger which is a feature many shooters including myself have been looking to improve on the 92 series pistols.

Tyrant Designs has been hard at work this year coming out with a steady stream of aftermarket parts for ARs, Glocks, SIGs, and other handguns. Their latest product is an improved Trigger system for the Generation 5 Glock pistols dubbed the I.T.T.S. (Improved Tyrant Trigger System). The I.T.T.S. features a hybridized design for the trigger shoe which incorporates a semi-curved and semi-flat shape which I have found to be more comfortable than a standard flat-faced trigger.

The legendary 1911 pistol has been a staple of the American gun culture for over 100 years after its initial introduction. Despite numerous advancements in firearms operation, materials, and ammunition technology, the venerated 1911 still remains a favorite of many firearms enthusiasts. However, the 1911 pistol in its original form is far from perfect. One notable deficiency of the original design for me is the lackluster grip texture you get from stock 1911s. Talon Grips has just come out with a new modular grip system for the 1911 platform that allows adapting the grip of each side of your 1911 without having to shell out thousands of dollars for a custom 1911 or 2011 pistol. Today I’ll be reviewing a complete set of Talon Modular grips that were sent over to me for testing and review and I’ll share my thoughts on Talon’s new grip system.

Griffin Armament is best known for their silencers. They’ve been putting out quality cans since their founding in 2006, and many of their models have enjoyed significant success. From their versatile Bushwacker 46, the user-configurable Optimus, their 30SD-K model, the modular Resistance 22 rimfire can, to their new GP-N A2-mountable can, and many more, Griffin usually has at least one suppressor, if not multiple options, capable of filling virtually any role for which you might need a can.

XS Sights has branched out beyond weapon sights and is now offering a Remington 870 2rd extension. They offered up one for review so I volunteered as tribute. I was curious to see if the 870 2rd extension would work with some outlier variants of the 870 platform. Specifically, my Remington Model 870 Express Tactical Magpul edition and an AOW built off an 870.

If you have cannonballed into the firearm industry like most people reading this, one thing we all love to do is customize our weapons. Whether it is with laser beams, red dots, flashlights, a fresh new finish, or all of the above. I, personally, have fallen into the latter category where I took a once beat-up Glock 17 Gen4 9mm and traded out almost every part on it for something new. While some might call it a Gucci Glock, for me it serves the purpose of being an everyday carry (EDC) at my gun shop, it is my sidearm while hunting, and I carry it while ranching with cattle. It looks pretty slick now, but it was a lot more subdued for the longest time. The improved appearance is from a recent visit to Joshua Tree Custom Cerakote with paint practitioner Josh Matthews.

The Spanish Radetec (Rade Tecnologías) was founded in 2004 and is specialized in the development of electronic devices for firearms such as round counters. In 2012, we reported about the establishment of their US branch and later in 2013, about some of their early products seen at SHOT Show 2013. During the past couple of years, the company has been bringing to exhibitions the prototype of a more advanced system called Smart Slide that features a display built into a handgun slide which shows different ammunition and firearm status related data. Recently, Ratetec has announced that a limited run of Smart Slide kits for Glock 17 pistols is now available for preorder.

In a time where polymer and plastic is popular, Boyds Gunstocks is still producing high quality hardwood and laminate stocks for a large variety of long guns. I recently hard the opportunity to sit down (virtually)with Dustin Knutson from Boyds and talk about everything from proper stock fitment and bedding to the 40 year anniversary of their creation. Headquartered in South Dakota, the Boyds team takes a fun, laid back approach to business in the firearms industry, providing customers with beautiful stocks and top notch customer service. Enjoy the listen.