I love to try new products, new ideas, and new manufacturers. In this build I attempted to showcase a number of those new ideas from the front to the back of the rifle. The result is one uniquely forward looking rifle which looks awesome and shoots great.

Aero Precision No-Forward Assist Upper - I started with Aero Precision's unique No-Forward Assist upper. This is a unique product in the industry which actually takes away a classic AR15 function which some folks such as myself are pretty excited about it - they removed the forward assist. The forward assist did not exist on very early M16s, but due to reliability was added to assure rounds made it in the chamber.

The very few times I have used the forward assist just left me swearing with some out of spec inexpensive steel cased ammo. It pushed the rounds in the chamber, but I ended up jack hammering the AR15 on the ground to free the now jammed rounds after detonation. Sure, in some very extreme situations the forward assist can help keep an insanely dirty AR15 shooting even if there is damage or gunk preventing normal cycling. My opinion is if a normal Condition 1 or Condition 2 failure clearing drill does not re-enable firearm operation, there is something serious wrong which requires disassembly.
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What goes better with innovative design than more innovative desings. H&K P30L and Extrema Ratio Nemesis |
I am not alone in my complete non-use of the forward assist. The current industry best practice for misfeeding rounds is not to hit the forward assist, but instead to get that damn round the hell out of the gun and put a round it that will cycle. So.. Aero Precision asked the question "Do we really need a forward assist if no one is using it?" Customers surveys on the company's Facebook page indicated that a mil-spec upper without the forward assist would be a great product as long as they kep the ejection port cover and they whipped out the CAD eraser tool and removed the forward assist milling process. The upper is cleaner looking and of course shaves ounces from the weight of the upper. All great things if you never use the forward assist. $84.99 MSRP
Aero Precision Ambi-Lower - Another AP innovation is their Mil-Spec compatible AR15 Ambi Lower receiver designed around the Battle Arms Development Short Throw Ambi-Selector Switch (abbreviated B.A.D. A.S.S.) Aero Precision's design adds a right hand trigger finger bolt release/catch control paddle which is proprietary to the AP Ambi lower design. The index finger can simply reach up after dropping the mag and be ready to release the bolt when the fresh mag is inserted. If you are a lefty, this delivers right side controls to drop the bolt after reloading. Aero's Ambi-lower is probably one of the cleanest and least expensive ambi-lowers I have tested without jumping into custom billet price ranges.

PWS Enhanced DI Carrier & Billet Buffer Tube - This ain’t your daddy’s carrier or buffer tube. PWS - Primary Weapons Systems decided to offer a version of its carrier used in the PWS MK1 rifle famous for reliability but in a DI - Direct Impingement version.

- Length 6.625”
- Diameter 0.98”
- Weight 9.9 oz
- MSRP $199.95
The PWS Billet Buffer Tube $149.99 is machined from one piece of 6061 aircraft-grade aluminum and packs more features into the PWS buffer tube including eliminating the castle nut, a unique indexing screw & plate system ensures precise alignment of the buffer tube, features a lip that extends into the receiver to support the carrier, integrated QD attachments are machined directly into the aluminum for durability and weight savings, fluting creating channels for debris, a nickel Teflon coating, 4140 steel, and features several drain holes to allow water to escape the system. Innovative? You Betcha!


- Compatible with all existing .223/5.56 variant parts groups and bolt carriers. No modification or tools are required for installation. Also works with all .223 cased variants - 300 Blackout, 25-45 Sharps, ...etc.
- The Relia-Bolt is machined from S7 tool steel, which significantly increases its strength. When compared to mil spec Carpenter 158, the S7 steel provides a 75% increase in tensile strength, and 60% improvement in yield strength.
- Every Relia-Bolt is coated with NP3, an electrodes nickels-based finish that co-deposits sub-micron particles of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), commonly known as Teflon. Even after thousands of rounds without cleaning, carbon residue can be wiped away with a soft cloth.
- Lifetime Warranty - MSRP $149
Black Hole Weaponry .223 Wylde Barrel - Black Hole Weaponry offers match grade polygonal rifled barrels that starts around $320. Not heard of Black Hole Weaponry? They sell barrels direct to customers, however they are primarily an OEM barrel supplier for many AR brands you know that punch tiny little groups. I have featured Black Hole Weaponry barrels in a number of builds and have always been impressed with the accuracy of their barrels.
If you want a certain stainless barrel weight, feel, barrel profile, fluting, or finish in a carbine, mid, or rifle-length gas system, Black Hole Weaponry can accommodate almost any request within their regular list of options.

Bird of Prey Muzzle Brake - This manufacturer was literally handing these Muzzle Brakes out to almost any media person walking by his booth. Due to the outrageously futuristic design of this triangular brake, stupidly many folks were just saying “uhh, no thanks”. I on the other hand am always looking for new and interesting products and the Bird of Prey muzzle brake is definitely interesting, intriguing, possibly cool, and some would say a little weird looking. Though it does not look like an A2 birdcage or a standard brake, I will admit that this seems to be one of the more effective brakes out there. It also does not jack up the sound pressure for the shooter like regular brakes, does an outstanding job of keeping the muzzle down and the rifle flat.

Unlike many “muzzle brakes” I have tested which provide a felt and forcible downforce, the Bird of Prey delivers a softer downforce feel while still delivering zero muzzle rise on this rifle. As strange as it may look, this is an incredibly well made brake, all USA manufactured, and very high quality piece. At MSRP $150 and Street price of $115 it is not especially cheap, however it works exceptionally well and is definitely outside the normal muzzle brake design.
- Patent pending design “renders generic cylindrical compensators obsolete”.
- The Bird of Prey eliminates muzzle rise, helps to reduce recoil and muzzle blast.
- Case hardened USA steel, and available in 1/2x28 threads for .223/5.56 caliber firearms. $124.95
Nordic Components Heavy Duty Charging Handle - I have used Nordic’s billet aluminum Heavy-duty Charging Handle on many builds including the Lone Survivor Charity rifles I donated. The beauty of the design is that the charging handle stays true to the charging handle raceway as it slides and doesn’t rotate while pulling back. Machined of billet aluminum and anodized matte black to match your AR. Comes with a standard latch. For only $24.99, it is the best and strongest in the business. Revolutiony? No, but definitely evolutionary.

14" Solo KeyMod
SLR's Q-Mod - All Keymod slots double as QD swivel mounting points
12.7oz oz - 1.3" ID
Mil-Spec Hardcoat Anodize
7075 Barrel nut w/ Handcoat Anodize
Free Floating Design - Grade 8 Fasteners
Ti Anti Slip plate - Anti Rotation- Anti Slip Design
No Special Tools Need for Barrel Nut
Continuous top rail design
Mil-Spec 1913 Mounting rails
SLR Rifleworks also took the idea of the adjustable gas block in a different direction. Several problems with adjustable gas blocks are that they can clog and they can fall out of adjustment. SLR developed a design which prevents gas from leaking and fouling the adjustment and paired it with a detent that assures it will never fall out of adjustment. My favorite adjustable gas block made and definitely different than your typical gas block with a screw in it. $119.99

The problem is that many of these trigger design goals are all opposing forces. A smooth, fast, and flat pretravel and crisp light final break all require low forces at the sear which equates to the need for lighter hammer and trigger springs which can lead to light hammer strikes and less reliable ignition. In standard trigger designs, very fast trigger resets, minimized lock times, and high hammerfall impact require heavy springs which creates a crappy feeling heavy trigger. The final dimension is tuning out pre-travel, overtravel, and ensuring a crisp trigger break which are all impacted by the above light or heavy springs. Bad tuning can further impact reliability and safety. The end result is that trigger engineers have their work cut out for them to strike a balance for a great trigger.
The magic of the HiperTouch HiperFire design is delivered via spring cam-ed pressure on the hammer which counteracts much of the hammer spring force within the first couple of degrees of movement around the point of sear engagement. This delivers the perfect situation for a great feeling trigger and break. After the hammer begins to move forward the cam applies pressure the other way and greatly increases the hammer force. This increases hammerfall force, decreases lock time...etc. It's a mind screw when you first pull back the extra force hammer and have such a light trigger pull. It's a best of both worlds design and its a totally new trigger design. Actually I consider it the most revolutionary trigger design available for the AR15 and it works wonderfully and the HiperFire 24 3Gun is their top model with a curved blade trigger.

My personal favorite feature is that they were the first to offer some of their products in the color grey. I find their Engage Pistol grips and Minimalist buttstock more comfortable than what their competition offers and cooler looking. Mission first is bringing new evolutionary and innovative designs.
Optics - Sadly, I could not get my hands on a high tech auto tracking Tracking Point scope, however I did win an auction on Ebay for a Trijicon 1-4x scope which is perfect for this 3Gun feeling build. It was $400 well spent on an optic which still has a little glimmer of tritium glow left in the dot and looks great when light is present with the fiber optic lit reticle.
FINAL THOUGHTS

Am I burying a $2400 custom AR15 in a foot of mil-spec mud or caking the breech of a match grade barrel with mud to test durability? No that would be moronic, however I did add up round count to see how the build all worked together. I have had “stock” rifles fail far before that round count. Frankly, I loved putting all these new ideas into one rifle to test whether all the new and innovative ideas worked together. Give some innovation a try on your next AR15 build.
BLACK HOLE WEAPONRY BARREL - http://www.blackholeweaponry.com
BIRD OF PREY MUZZLE BRAKE - http://www.stockpilelogistics.com/
SLR RIFLEWORKS - https://www.slrrifleworks.com/
AERO PRECISION NO-FORWARD ASSIST UPPER - http://aeroprecisionusa.com/
AERO PRECISON AMBI-LOWER - http://aeroprecisionusa.com/
MISSION FIRST TACTICAL GRIP & STOCK - http://www.missionfirsttactical.com/
HIPERTOUCH HIPERFIRE 24 TRIGGER - http://www.hiperfire.com/
NORDIC COMPONENTS HEAVY DUTY CHARGING HANDLE - http://nordiccomp.com/
PRIMARY WEAPONS ENHANCED CARRIER - http://primaryweapons.com/accessories/dicarrier/
SHARPS RELIA-BOLT - http://srcarms.com/
USED TRIJICON 1-4 SCOPE - ebay - http://www.trijicon.com
KNS Precision - http://www.knsprecisioninc.com/Troy Industries - https://www.troyind.com/
3 comments:
Did you go with a 16 or 18 inch barrel? I'm thinking of building an AR and really like your build here. Keep posting good stuff!
Did you go with a 16 or 18 inch barrel? I'm thinking of building an AR and really like your build. Keep posting good stuff!
It was a 16" barrel. Mid-length gas system.
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