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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Do you even EBT?

So a few months back when I began building my aero precision ghost gun lower into a pistol I was trying to figure out which buffer tube I wanted to go with.
In steps the PWS E(nhanced) B(uffer) T(ube). While it is on the higher end of the price spectrum for a pistol buffer tube, there are reasons why it is a much better value than many of the other buffer tubes out on the market.



First off the buffer tube is extremely solid, and from what I have seen in person and in others reviews it can take one neck of a beating. The solid construction is to thank for that, there was a lot of thought put into making this and it shows.


Not having a castle nut to worry about is a big plus, and the set screws that holds the end plate in place are very easy to work with and require very little maintenance once set in place. The buffer tube also comes with two QD attachment points, so there is no needed to add on aftermarket parts to attach your sling.


The foam that is on the buffer tube has a much more comfortable feel than many of the others I have seen in person, and its thick enough to help absorb a good amount of the felt recoil when your cheek is on there.

Overall I have been extremely impressed with the Primary Weapons Systems Pistol EBT. It was easy to install with very little if any follow on maintenance. I am extremely confident that it is well worth the extra money and is a purchase many people would be glad they made.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Remington R-51 Post Range Initial Thoughts

I am sure many of you saw the video I posted with my concerns with the Remington R-51 that was sent to me for review, since that video I have been able to get the gun out to the range and wanted to write down some thoughts.


The fit of the gun in your hand is actually pretty decent, but there were a few issues that I had with it. The first few shots I made with it I felt like I was getting slide bite, but I checked my hand placement and there was plenty off room for the side to function and not catch the meat of my hand. After a few more rounds I realized what it was that kept biting my hand, it wasn't the slide. Instead it was the palm swell safety (grip safety) that was pinching my hand after every shot. Being that the small gun is so snappy in 9mm it causes your hand to move a bit and get pinched when the safety is depressed again. No matter what I tried I couldn't figure out a way to change my grip to alleviate this problem, which made it very unpleasant to shoot without gloves on.

Like I said above the gun is unbelievably snappy, there are other sub compact 9mm's that I have shot that had some snap to them but not like this one. Despite being snappy it was easy to keep on target, and the sights were very easy to use. The magazines both dropped freely from the gun, and it achieved slide lock every time a mag was empty. The trigger isn't terrible, but the reset isn't tactile, meaning you can't feel or hear it and you really have to take your finger completely off the trigger for it to reset. The trigger pull is smooth and consistent.

Another issue that I had was the slide became very stiff and hard to rack after achieving slide lock and inserting another mag. It wasn't impossible to do it, but it did require a little extra effort. What I found weird was this began after 6 mags (under 50 rounds) had been run through the gun, but it felt and looked like there was a thousand rounds worth of grime inside the gun. The gun continued to run for the rest of the time I shot it, which ended up being around 100 rounds total. There was only one malfunction and that was a failure to load, but I am unsure wether it was the shooter's grip or the gun since there weren't any other issues like it.


If you look close at the barrel and sleeve above you can see the scratches in them, they are pretty deep too. I noticed these when I was taking the gun apart to give it a cleaning since it apparently runs very dirty compared to some of my other guns. I am not sure if this is due to poor machining, poor fitment, or if this is just normal "wear" on the parts, but it is something I am surprised to see after only 100 rounds. 


The sleeve has scratches like this all the way around it, and if you look at the picture of the barrel below you can tell where the sleeve and spring had been jumping around on it. Granted there is a lot of force and stress on guns, but when they are machined and fitted properly they don't show hard wear as fast as I am seeing with this gun.


I plan on running the gun out to the range one more time before sending it back to Remington, but at this point I can't recommend this gun to someone. There are just too many smaller issues that will more than likely become bigger issues down the road. While I really wanted to like this gun, I am not a fan of how snappy it is with recoil or the fact that the grip safety pinches my hand after each shot. If Remington fixes the issues and improves the gun I will be all for getting my hands on the next generation and giving it a go, if they fix the issues.

Make sure to check back for the range video soon, I will make sure to go give a visual of the issues I have talked about in this post on the video. 

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Bobster Alpha Goggles and Prowler Glasses Review

Last month I posted up about the Bobster Alpha Goggles, and I have now had the chance to run both the Alpha and Prowler safety glasses in a few games of airsoft.

Sure it is airsoft and not real "operating" but it does put them through some good work. I have learned that running different goggles and glasses during airsoft games will show you which ones will fog up under hard use. Also taking a .20g bb at 350-400FPS gives a pretty good idea of just how stout the lenses are.

I will start with the Prowler Deluxe glasses. These have quickly become my favorite (which I didn't expect to happen), they are comfortable and offer better coverage of my face when combined with my smaller face mask. There are no gaps between the mask and the bottom of the lens so I don't have to worry about a bb coming through. 


As far as fogging goes, they do tend to fog up when standing still after running through a room. But they do clear out rather easily, and after treating them with some anti fog cream they do much better.

The lens is really tough, it has taken at least 5 direct hits from under ten feet away and there's no sign of damage. I did manage to mar them a bit when I dropped them after a game, but nothing I won't be able to polish out.

Overall they are extremely comfortable, provide stellar protection for my eyes, and like I said before have become my favorite to wear when playing.

Next are the Alpha Goggles.



These have to be some of the most comfortable goggles I have worn, the padding is beyond adequate and the clarity of the lens is amazing. Both the clear and the tinted lenses offer zero distortion.

The lens is extremely tough just like the prowler deluxe, withstanding multiple hits from close range with .20g bb's. The lenses are surprisingly scratch resistant, even after accidentally dropping them on the ground the lens remained unscathed.

As far as fogging goes, the Alpha does a bit better than the prowler but it still fogs up. This is an easy fix when treated with an anti fogging agent.

Overall the Bobster goggles have been some of the best I have come across, and there have been plenty of people asking about them in between games. I have highly recommended them to other players, and will say that if you are looking for some great safety glasses make sure to head over and give Bobster's site a once over cause they might have something you like.