I asked several people, “If fool me once is shame on you and fool me twice is shame on me, what do you call the third time?”
My favorite response was that if it happened a third time, “Your an idiot.”
I’ve owned three Eotechs, I have owned three broken Eotechs. I suppose that fact makes me an idiot.
I picked up an Eotech 553, an older model marked SU-231/PEQ. This model is popular due to all the photos of SEALs and Rangers using this optic.
The battery contacts on it broke. This isn’t a fluke, it is a known issue with this model. SOCOM had something to say about the Eotech 553:
To all concerned:
The SOPMOD Program Management Office (PMO) is issuing this notice to all potential users of the EOTech SU-231/PEQ Reflex Sight, NSN 1240-01-533-0941, also known as the holographic weapon sight.
1. It was recently brought to the attention of the SOPMOD PMO that there exists the possibility that the SU-231/PEQ Reflex Sight made by EOTech is susceptible to failure characterized by the sight shutting off in the middle of weapon fire.
2. The failure is caused by faulty battery contacts that were incorporated by EOTech without government concurrence. (See attached image). These faulty battery contacts are susceptible to wear due to shock while the weapon is firing. As a result, the batteries may lose contact, causing the sight to shut off.
3. EOTech has qualified a new supplier of these battery contacts and the SOPMOD PMO is currently validating this new configuration through testing. By mid April 2008, this process should be complete. At that time, SOPMOD will institute a 100 percent replacement of the SU-231/PEQs that have already been fielded. Maintenance Contact Teams will travel to field units to either swap out the sights with replacements or conduct on-site field repairs. As an interim solution, the SOPMOD PMO is currently testing a field replaceable grommet that will mitigate the risk of failure. Pending test results, these grommets will be shipped as part of a field replacement kits to units that have been issued the SU-231/PEQ.
4. The SOPMOD PMO has ordered a halt on any further fielding of this item until sufficient testing has been performed on sights with the incorporated part upgrade. For those field units that have already received the SU-231/PEQ, the SOPMOD PMO strongly recommends not using those sights until they can be replaced or repaired.
Even after this I hear multiple reports of the 553 failing and that Eotech is now replacing military 553s sent in with the newer EXPS models. I hear so many people claim the 553 is good and proven, but there are other better options.
So instead of a good and proper review, this is another rant about how I can not and will not recommend Eotech optics. I will post a more proper review some other time, also I can’t seem to get the reticle to show up in my photos at this time.
These three weapons would have been the pride of any Rifleman/hunter sportsman of the era and a mark of real taste and a serious shooter in the years before the mid-60s. The M97 shotgun in 16 gauge, a Modle 70 varmint/target with Unertl Target scope and the M67 .22LR. A battery any of the old timers would have used to great effect.
A few weeks ago, Tactical Link graciously sent me one of their PRM sling mount. This is the 2nd gen of the rail mounted sling mounting point for QD sling swivels. I opted for the coyote PRM since my gun is a FDE anodized Colt 6940. I was very excited to get this mount and try it out because I have had a few ideas about sling mounting I wanted to try out and this was a way to test my interest in the PRM as well as try out my idea.
The PRM gen2 is the same quality as the other sling mount I have reviewed. Once again, after mounting the PRM I put the sling in the socket, stood on the gun and pulled up on the sling with everything I had trying to get it to pop free. Instead of hurting my back this time, I only managed to hurt my left shoulder so bad I wanted to kick myself for hurting myself twice.
The PRM mounts to any rail easily and fast. It comes with the tool you will need and instructions that even your brother and law would find simple. No surprise really, if you have gone this far with your rifle, you do not really need much help anyway at this point. I chose to mount it on the rear of the right side of the rail for a reason i will get to in a bit.
As you can see in the picture, it matches up well in color for those of you who over worry about such things or are going to the gun prom.
On the left side of my rail is a KAC ( knights armament ) QD sling mount. The KAC mount is a pretty low profile in my opinion, and I think this give a good idea of about how much room the PRM takes on the rail and how much it protrudes. It is a bit more trim but the best part is it does not have the sharper right angles the KAC has. This does make it a bit less prone to snag. Neither really have a problem with snagging or hooking on gear, but it is possible. The Tactical Link mount does cover a little but more space then the KAC however though it does not really matter.
Another angle above compares the PRM to the KAC part. One thing I want to note is that neither of the mounts have a rotation limiter. That matters to some people. but not to me. Yeah it could be a pain I guess, but if I am getting shot at, I doubt I would care if my sling gets twisted a little bit,
To use with the PRM, I also have the rear Z 360 mount. The 360 is something I dearly love and it a major part of idea I wanted to try out.
Now with the PRM I have 7 mounting points for my sling. I have the two front rail mounting holes that colt machines into the rail, the KAC and the PRM at rear rail, the Z360 and the two QD sockets in the CTR. It seems like a lot and more then I would need but there is a reason for this.
I am right handed with a left eye dominance. Some will tell you I should shoot with my left hand but years have told me that is just not something you have to do in my opinion. I have never found myself slowed down or handicapped from shooting with my natural right hand and non-dominant right eye. But. When I use my PVS14, I wear it over my left eye because of the dominance. When using NV, if I mounted it over my right eye. I would not be able to see through it. I found when I wear the PVS14 over my left eye., I found I can set my T1 on its NV setting, and since its mounted forward, I can simply shoulder the rifle, look through the PVS, see my red dot and fire just like it was day time. To get to the point, you could say in day I should righty, at night and I am a lefty. Since my carbine is fully ambi, I use it as naturally as I would in the day time. Now with the PRM on the right side, I can configure my sling the way I like on the left or right side. Yeah, I know its a bit much, but keep in mind, it is just something I am trying out. Time will tell if its really practical or a waste of time and over thinking.
The amount of mounting points do have some other advantages for me other then the day/night configurations I am playing around with.
Being able to use the CTR sling points and the Z360 let me use a Vickers VCAS as the 2-point it is meant to be, or a single point. I love having the option since I loathe true single point slings. In a later post I may get into detail on this a bit more, but I have found with the QD sling swivels and sockets, this is an easy and fast thing to accomplish.
To wrap up my thoughts on the PRM gen 2 sling mount, I think it is a solid piece of gear, Everyone who has seen it has liked it and a few have ordered one. Its as tough as all the other stuff from Tactical Link so thats not an issue. It does what it was meant to do, and without fail. If you want it in different colors, you got it. If you are looking for a mount for your rail, I think you should give this one serious thought.
Bellow is another guest post from friend and frequent contributor to Looserounds, The owner of http://www.thenewrifleman.com talks a little about differing levels of accuracy.
Don’t Sweat Over 1 MOA
A mental roadblock in learning to shoot is comparing yourself to others who have different goals. We see many online who post pictures of their rigs and the fantastic groupings they can achieve with setup x, y, or z. When I was new to the AR15 world the exposure the rifle gets as a 1MOA capable weapon (with the right ammo, barrel, ect) sets up the expectation of how good you should be shooting. Shooting tight groups and shooting for practical accuracy are two very different goals.
Is 1MOA the Gold Standard?
1 MOA is a great grouping and clearly shows the mastery of the rifle and component selection. You take the same rifle and shooter and put them in a competitive environment at short and mid-ranges and the groupings will open up significantly. When your heart is racing, when you have run from station to station, and when you are shooting from un-conventional positions, a 1MOA rifle’s capabilities are lost to the 4-10 MOA shooter. The rifle is still shooting to 1 MOA but the shooter is winded, stressed, and fighting a time limit. He or she won’t be shooting that rifle to its capabilities in such a scenario.
If you are trying to push yourself to get tight groupings inside of 100 yards or less… what is your goal? You don’t need 1MOA at 100 yards to accurately put down a man-sized target. If someone was trying to cause you harm inside of 100 yards there is *no time* for 1MOA techniques. What will come in to play is your muscle memory, your eye quickly acquiring the sights, and your finger snapping off as many shots as necessary. The goal is to put someone down, and at 100 yards or less, fast and sloppy groupings are practical since we can keep shooting until the threat is gone. The beauty of the AR15 is that it is a controllable semi-auto weapon.
Other situations will demand more accuracy and that’s why we also practice shooting supported from conventional and unconventional positions. As a *new* shooter, work to achieve a modest goal of 3-4 MOA groups at 100 yards. Shooting 4 MOA will get hits on a man-sized target at 400 yards. Shooting 3 MOA or better will get you hits on a man-sized target at 500-600 yards. This is all provided that you understand your drop compensation and can dope the wind at the further distances. That skill will come with time and practice as well. If you go to the gun range and look at your fist sized 100 yard groupings in disappointment… stop being disappointed. You are doing well enough to push yourself and your rifle easily to 400 yards with a little practice.
Wrapping Up
When you hit the range, stop worrying about shooting small groups. Work on practical accuracy. Spend your time working on muscle memory and fast shooting out to 100 yards. Also spend time working a slower approach where you can reduce your group size by shooting from stable conventional and unconventional positions. Don’t worry about the guy with the varmint AR15 next to you and his 1MOA groupings. His goals are likely different then yours. He want’s to shoot woodchucks. You want to learn to defend your self, your family, your country, and your way of life.
1) If you belong to a club that doesn’t allow you to practice defensive shooting… then time to find a new club or get involved with the club to change the bylaws.
2) Getting to a competition will show shortcomings in your current shooting ability. Learning how you suck allows you to work on the skills that suck.
3) Your box stock AR15 will take you very far in your journey to become a rifleman. The human behind the trigger is the bottleneck.
You can get some good deals buying used parts online. I buy a good deal of stuff used on the Equipment Exchange on AR15.com. The problem is that when you buy used you are taking a large risk, and you really need to know what you are purchasing.
Not only are there scammers out there, there are also ignorant sellers who may be selling fakes thinking that they are real.
Recently I purchased a used Colt 733 upper. The C stamp on the upper and the C MP CB on the barrel lets me know that they are Colt parts.
I paid $500 for a complete upper including bolt carrier group. To me, this is an excellent deal as Colt bolt carrier groups often run 2-300 dollars on their own, and often similar uppers with out a BCG will run $4-500.
When I got it, the first thing I did was inspect for wear, internal and external.
The upper and barrel exterior both showed wear from use. This was a police trade in, and the wear on it showed that. Wear on the barrel from a rifle rack, wear on the front sight base from some sort of sling or accessory attached there. Wear on the carry handle from a scope mount.
The two spots of bare aluminum on the inside of the carry handle look like the wear marks left from a Trijicon Reflex sight in a carry handle mount.
Next I looked at the bolt carrier group. First I checked to be sure that the parts I got were Colt.
The markings all checked out. A C stamped on the bolt carrier, A MPC on the bolt, and a C on the extractor. The two main wear points on the bolt carrier group that I inspect are the bolt face and the cam pin.
The bolt carrier group was clean, and while the finish has been worn off the bolt face, bolt lugs, and the cam pin neither show excessive wear or pitting. So this bolt carrier group has been used, but not excessively so. More heavily used uppers will have grooves in the cam pin, and pitting on the bolt face.
The most interesting thing about this 733 upper is that it has M4 feedramps.
I was under the impression that the 733 upper was out of production before the M4 feedramp change was made. Turns out I am wrong, there are C stamped Colt C7 type uppers out there with M4 feedramps.
The only problem I had with this upper is that the little C-clip that is the ejection port door retaining ring was missing. Fortunately I have many of those laying around, and I replaced it easily. The seller of this upper even threw in extra items with it, making the deal even sweeter.
I got a good deal on this upper and I am very happy with it. In part two of “Buying a used AR15 upper” I will tell you of a couple of cases that did not work out so well.
I personally teach my two boys about the firearms we have in the home and how they operate. I also teach them about safety and to never touch the firearms, unless Mom and Dad are present. There are several NRA videos (cartoon friendly) that are geared towards children on firearms safety as well. It is unavoidable having worked in Law Enforcement, training and teaching others about firearms and writing for a gun blog, for my children not to see firearms and want to know about them. Children will be more curious about something if you hide it from them. Ignorance is not safety, even if you secure the firearms in your home, this does not protect your children from their friends home.
Big T. Cleaning Colt LE6920
Checking the Hits.
Several years ago I started to purchase Gun Vaults and other safes to secure my firearms as the boys were getting older. I also let my children touch, manipulate and use the firearms I own under my supervision. This will curb their curiosity at getting into mischief, if they find a firearm at my home or someone else’s. I found my oldest boy just wants to be involved with what Dad is doing. A big plus for me is, he love’s to clean my AR after a long day of shooting. Teaching your children responsible safety around firearms is your duty as a responsible gun owner. I also purchased a .22lr rifle just for my boys to start shooting. (http://looserounds.com/2013/06/17/smith-wesson-mp15-22-moe/) I found they were very curious about “Daddies big guns”, I used while writing for Loose Rounds. Involving your children in shooting and firearms safety at a young age will teach them responsibility and safety with firearms.
Teaching the little one on the M&P15-22
The last thing you want, is to have your child find an unsecured firearm and harm himself or another. I have instructed and taken several firearms courses that constantly use the phrase, “Worst Case Scenario”, involving a firearm. The worst case scenario for me, is my child or another child being hurt with a firearm because I failed to properly educate my little ones. Take the time to teach your children and involve them in the firearms you have and enjoy. This will keep your children safe at home as well as someone else’s home, who might not secure their firearms as responsibly as you.
Airsoft and Realistic looking replicas:
Recently there have been several high profile police shootings involving children with airsoft guns or realistic looking toy firearms. While I will not scrutinize these shooting as I was not there, I do understand what the officers may have thought or felt in these incidents. Airsoft and other realistic looking toy guns should be treated as real firearms, especially if persons without knowledge of the toy guns being used, come in contact with you or your kids. I have been involved with other officers in incidents that turned out to be someone with an airsoft or fake gun. Modern firearms can be painted or coated in all sorts of colors. Therefore, law enforcement usually treats all potential firearms as a real threat.
One incident sticks out where a partner of mine almost fired on a 13 year old boy who had a fake gun. The call came out that a male was chasing another male, in a parking lot, with a handgun, around 10pm. It was very dark at this time. When we made contact with the child in question, the child was turning on us while we were yelling for him to drop the gun. I actually remember saying to mayself, This guy has an HK USP, when I hit him with my light. In the child’s mind it was not a real gun. The boy then turn and pointed it at my partner and we were all less than 15 feet from each other. We both had our duty firearms drawn, and I thought this was it. By the grace of God the boy dropped the gun and we both heard the pistol hit the ground. We then discovered it was an airsoft pistol with the orange tip taken off. This incident shook my partner to the point of tears and I had to be restrained from the ignorance of the parents, who clearly did not understand. Teaching your children the dangers and respect of all firearms, even those that look real can avoid these needless tragedies from happening.
Duncan.
TWANGnBANG posted up a class review where he shows some of the Raidon Tactics non-standard shooting position training. I really enjoyed watching this video that I often forget about shooting long arms weak side strong handed, and other variants of things like that.
He says:
The class wasn’t exactly called this, but “Intermediate 2 Long Range Shooting” just isn’t descriptive. This class started with some RETs (rapid engagement techniques) that are easy and fast for mil-ing e-types (and people) out to about 600yds. We then went right into the practical portion of the class.
Frankie McRae, head of Raidon Tactics, generously allows me to share everything I want in my videos on their classes (except RETs), and this is no exception. That said, the overriding lesson from the course can be summarized as “use everything you have to build a stable shooting position.” If you can’t relax, then you can’t hold the rifle steady. So, we were challenged to find stuff we had with us to shove under our rifles, wedge into unsupported joints, etc.
Our “graduation” exercise was to shoot an e-type at 500yds while side prone. Our line of sight was under a barrier and over a rise in the ground in front of us, requiring us to lay our rifles sideways in order to use our scopes. It was a really rewarding experience to hear the ring of the steel in spite of being in a very awkward position.
I also show how the H59 Horus reticle in my Bushnell HDMR made aiming much easier. I am sold on the utility of having the grid at my disposal when picking a point of aim.
NASGW – Colt Tactical Rifles. Posted by TacticalLifeVideo
