#TortureTest

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves puts the AK-47 and the AR-15 against each other in a sub-zero freezing torture test. Both guns were placed in freezing temperatures well below negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit for over 7 hours. They were then removed from the icebox and shot immediately to see which one could get through an entire magazine of ammo. Spoiler alert: Only one gun came out on top. Which one do you think won the challenge?

Cerakote has published a video showing torture testing of their MC-5100 clear coating for aluminum. They applied the Clear – Aluminum coating to half of an aluminum tank surface leaving the second half uncoated. Then they applied various chemicals (drain cleaner, de-icer, bug cleaner, wheel cleaner, diesel, and gasoline) to these two surfaces, tried to leave marks with a permanent marker and even shot the tank with a shotgun (rubber slugs). The results are really impressive. You can watch the described and other scientific testing procedures in the torture test video embedded below.

I’m not a fan of torture tests, but I terribly abuse the Primary Arms 3x Prism with ACSS reticle and give my opinion of it.

In earlier episodes, Patrick has shown you how he builds an AR-15 lower receiver as well as how he assembles an upper receiver, now it is time to start with a baseline review of the completed rifle before we start tearing it up and torturing it to death.

If you are anything like me, at the beginning of your career retirement was something that barely registered on the radar. But as the years and miles stack up, handing over the reigns to the next generation becomes more and more attractive. For the most part, guns are different – unlike disposable accessories such as magazines, most guns are built to last a lifetime, depending on round counts, environmental variables and maintenance schedules. In the case of this soon to be retired Glock 21, it has been tested in more ways than one over nearly two decades of use.

Burst Review sacrifices himself for all of us by shooting 500 rounds of 2 & 3/4 bird shot. A couple months ago I submitted myself to something similar when I tested the new CROM by Aridus Industries. We shot 400 rounds which were mostly buck shot and a box of slugs. However I only shot half that much and Adam of Aridus shot the other half. As I mentioned in my review, the ported barrel and lengthened forcing cone helped to save our shoulders. I can sympathize with Jim of Burst Review with regards to having a dead left arm. Racking the pump even for 200 rounds was tedious, I can onl imagine having to do that another 300 times.

Much ado has been made recently about the US Army’s piss-poor performance in completing the evaluations of handguns in the Modular Handgun System contract. While yes, they should have completed the testing, it is fair to say that the Sig is even 3/4 as good as Glock, their $100,000,000 more worth it.

Normally, one should look at the various torture “tests” as largely entertaining affairs. Conducted by various content creators, the “tests” rarely have real-world validity due to the often incredible conditions that leave one incredulous. Noted examples have pressed debris into the action and then left it through through various subsequent outlandish procedures.

The reliability requirements for military firearms are perhaps the highest. Ideally, they must be able to perform flawlessly in any climatic condition found on the planet. And that’s why military  torture tests are conducted – to ensure particular weapon system’s capabilities and find out the weaknesses. The SVD rifle is one of those military weapons with legendary reliability. Here is how it passes torture testing in Russian company TsNII Toch Mash.

Assuming Military Arms Channel’s AREX REX Zero 1 is representative of the batch of handguns, it would seem there is a real Sig “Killer” loose on the market (that bears a striking resemblance to it no less). So far, the AREX REX Zero 1 is the only only handgun to survive full “torture test” and “The Gauntlet” without a single malfunction.

Many like to pile on to the abysmal reputation that Inter Ordnance AK-47 rifles have earned. While, yes, there are those that get what seem to be solid rifles, the trend (at least as reported by my fellow writers and internet commando’s) is that Inter Ordnance stinks.

The Kel-Tec RDB (Rifle, Downward ejecting, Bullpup) is one of the most promising bullpup designs of recent years, thanks to its slim layout and ambidextrous features. However, there is a lot that can go wrong with even the most clever of designs, and unfortunately Kel-Tec has had a history of producing weapons that, while innovative, have experienced issues with usability, reliability, and quality control. So, the question on many people’s minds was “sure, the design looks good, but can we trust a rifle from Kel-Tec?” InRange TV was one of the recipients of the pre-production RDB, and this week they released their very thorough review of the Kel-Tec RDB, giving us an idea of what to expect:

The FAXON ARAK-21 is a fusion of the AR15 and AK47 platforms and features a Stoner-Johnson pattern multi-lug rotating bolt and a long stroke piston similar to that of an AK47 rifle. The upper receiver is self contained and is available from FAXON for $1,199.00 ready to throw right on your existing AR15 lower.
So how stout if this offering from FAXON? Well, we set out to see just how much abuse this gun can take!

BigDaddyHoffman1911 is the latest YouTube channel to hop on the “torture” test band-wagon, albiet this time I would consider it a legitimate test of a product. BigDaddy and his clan put the KAK Flash Can, an aluminum blast-forward muzzle device through a heavy battery of fire to see if its aluminum construction can handle some hot 5.56 loadings. 300 rounds later, the gas tube is red-hot and the KAK is in good shape.

The Target Man’s Spartan AR550 Armor isn’t just tough, it’s tough as nails – or, more accurately, tough as Level III body armor. According to The Target Man, their AR550 has a 10% harder ballistic core than its predecessor, and they’ve done the testing to prove it. Significant research went into the creation of AR550, in fact, the company tested others first, such as AR650, which they found to be too brittle for body armor. Apparently AR650’s BHN (Brittle Hardness) range resulted in fracturing, whereas AR550 is what The Target Man describes as the “sweet spot” BHN. AR550 can withstand the stress created during the manufacturing process as well as the force of higher velocity rounds, including at close range. Better still, these are triple-curved plates, which the company cites as an industry first. On their site you can see the armor go up against XM193s, M855s, and M80s, but if you want to see it pitted against a 12-gauge shotgun, head over to Iraqveteran8888’s Youtube page – or just scroll down, and watch it here.