KAC/P&S Products rail covers

I got these rail panels off EE for super cheap, and now I know why.

The carrying case was KAC, but most of the panels, including the vertical grip turned out to be P&S Products.  I'm not exactly new to P&S products, I had an M5 RAS kit before.  I suppose I should be grateful it wasn't Airsoft junk, but it would have been nice if the seller had indicated that there was one 2-rib panel that was actually marked KAC.

It's not the end of the world, these are made to the same quality as KAC because it was a government contract for the US military, and who knows, maybe these will be a collector item one day.  Anyway, they were cheap, so I'm not too pissed about it.  Will throw half of these on to my M16A4 clone, and give my buddy Alex a few panels for his 102.

Green Cover for the Elcan C79

Got a few new toys in the mail

I went on a bit of a shopping spree the last little bit and picked up a few new items:  1911 compensator, amazon.com special....and it didn't just drop in, it will need fitting.  I'll get around to it, but for now, it will just sit in the spare parts bin.

I tried it on my Norc, as well as my Remington R1E, didn't drop in for either.

The following is probably the shortest amount of time I owned one particular firearm.  The ISSC Mk22 SCAR clone.  I won it on an auction online for an incredible price, but ended up flipping it to my friend the day it arrived in the mail because I bought a new toy right after buying this one.

Sorry, no real review here, no range report, all I know is it's 2013 production, so theoretically, it's "Gen 2" and should have all the kinks worked out.  If I'd kept it, I probably would have ordered the HK takedown pins for it as well as the GSGPro thread adapter.

So, what did I sell it for?  I picked up a Colt Canada stripped lower receiver.  I'm not really sure why I jumped on one of these, for $450, it was a stupid price.  The retailer cut me a break, but still, a bit overpriced I think for a stripped lower.  But I had to have the rollmarks to go with my Colt Canada IUR.  So far, I'd been running it on a Colt USA M4 lower, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but the OCD part of me made me buy the Colt Canada lower.

What really cheeses me off is that not long after I bought the lower, did retailers start selling complete lowers, first released with the black furniture, and now they've got a limited run of leftover green furniture.  They run about $900 right now.  I don't really care for the furniture, but it does have collector value so it;s worth holding on to.  Who knows what's next from Colt Canada....hopefully a 10.5in IUR as well as the IUR DMR.

Anyway, here's the stripped lower.  As you can see, it's a really light shade of gray, and apparently, they all came from the factory like this.  Reminds me of some of our C7s, where the upper and lower had slightly different colors.  

No big deal about the lighter gray, just soaked it in a G96 oil bath and it should darken that puppy up nicely.  Plus it will smell nice too!  

Picked up the Lever Arm's last Daniel Defense lower parts kit.  I was going to swap the parts over from my US Colt M4 and sell the stripped lower, but I might just end up building a whole new AR with that lower.  Already shopping around for a new upper, lol!  Want something short, like a 10.5in.  

Colt Canada Diemaco SA20 with IUR

Cadex Folding Vertical Grip

I just received this little package in the mail: the Cadex Folding Vertical Grip.  Thanks Patrice!  So I took off the KAC/P&S vertical grip and threw it onto the M5 RAC for the ultimate Frankensteining.  Though the rail system was pretty standard issue for the US military, it was only under considered for the C7A2, but never implemented.  I think a few managed to get into the system for trials, and I heard the guys that were testing them out liked them, but it just didn’t happen.  The CF went with the Diemaco TRIAD tri-rail (the one you see on my rifle is a BCM reproduction) instead and contracted Cadex to provide the folding vertical grip which is commercially available on their website.

There was nothing wrong with the KAC/P&S Products one, and to be honest, I prefer the feel of the stubby Mapgul RVG (Rail Vertical Grip), but the Cadex one is affordable, it’s what’s on the issue rifle, and if I ever want to return the rifle to that authentic look, I’ll have it available.  The differences between KAC/P&S grip compared to the Cadex one is the KAC grip slides on, does not fold, and can be installed without tools (twist/friction attachment system).  The Cadex grip folds, locks firmly in place in the open and closed position, can be mounted straight on to the rail (does not need to be slid on) but requires a flat head to crank it down.  That being said, everyone in the CF should have their Gerber so this shouldn’t be a problem. 

BCM Tri Rail Reproduction:

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-Tri-Rail-Mount-p/bcm-tri-rail.htm

Cadex Folding Vertical Grip:

http://cadexdefence.com/store/weapon-accessories/folding-grip

M203 on my Colt Canada SA20

I should have written a disclaimer for this post, but didn’t think people would even find this picture, let alone take it seriously.  The 203 launcher is not real.  The last time I checked, a real one went for $6,000 on EE (CGN).  I understand you can buy a 37mm flare launcher for less, but I don’t see a reason to launch flares from a Restricted firearm at a registered shooting range.  That's not to say I wouldn't buy the real deal if I could afford it, hahaha!

So, for fun, I threw on an Airsoft 203 launcher on my SA20 just to see what it would look like, that’s all.  No harm in doing that as it was only on there for the photo shoot, I certainly don’t take it to the range like that.  Why did I do this?

Because….

Lol!

Colt Canada SA20 with Drop-in Rail Adapter System (KAC M5 RAS/P&S Products)

Well, I finally dug up some rails out of storage for my SA20.  I got these off an American from an exercise a few years ago and was going to put them on my C7 during the ex, but my COC (chain of command, in case some were wondering) advised me it was not a good idea to modify my rifle, even if the mod wasn’t permanent.  He didn’t personally mind, but if seen by someone else, I’d be sure to hear about it and so would he.  So, into my duffle they went, and when I got home, they were put away since I didn’t have a 20” barrel at the time.   I almost forgot about them and was thinking about buying a set when I remembered that I had some buried in my mountain of crap downstairs.  The Americans we worked with were a great bunch of guys.  They were all really easy going, but professional at the same time.  They were great hosts and I would love to work with them again.

As you can see, these rails were not manufactured by Knight’s Armament Company (KAC), but they appear to be identical to their KAC M5 RAS.  These are not to be confused with a cheap Chinese Airsoft knock off, these are definitely the real deal.  I did a little research and according to WpnsMan and coldblue (who I suspect might work for KAC?) from AR15.com, the rails were manufactured by P&S Products/DBA Molding Solutions out of Lexington, KY.  P&S received their initial contract in 2007 and were received between April and September of 2009.  

The M5 RAS was easy to install, and went in with little effort on my part.  There’s a mechanism that locks on to the gas tube and it really tightens everything down.  There’s absolutely no wobble whatsoever and the entire hand guard feels solid.

The railed hand guard on its own likely made out of aluminum and weight-wise does not feel much heavier than the original issued plastic hand guard, but once you start throwing on accessories like lights, lasers, NV, the kitchen sink etc, ounces start feeling like pounds. 

The markings are very simple, and really designed for the lowest common denominator.  The top rails are marked with a T, the bottom rails are marked with a B, left with an L and right with an R.  There are also markings inside to indicate direction the rails are to be mounted.  It’s really hard to screw it up, but I suppose it’s been done. 

Along with the covers and vertical grip that came with the kit, I threw on an Airsoft knock-off of the Diemaco TRIAD rail.  I just put it on for the photo, but Colt Canada has stated that they are looking into selling the TRIAD rail again.  I’ll probably buy one if the price is right.  Not really so much because I like the extra rail, but I do want to somewhat match the issued “look”. 

My SA20

And rack #47, my C7A2 for comparison.

I really want an Elcan to complete the build, but I don’t see myself being able to afford one in my lifetime.  For now though, the Bushnell that’s on there now provides crystal clear glass and variable magnification that’s just a hair more than the Elcan.  Also, the Bushnell is illuminated so for target shooting that this rifle is more than sufficiently equipped.  I could also use more magnification, but we’ll see later on seeing as how the nearest range maxes out at 200m. 

Some references for the C7A2:

https://army.ca/wiki/index.php/C7A2

And a great post from WB from army.ca regarding weapons modding:

Which can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending...

Contrary to what some might claim, sub-unit commanders have been turning a blind eye (even authorizing?) drop-in weapon modifications overseas. These include KAC Rails, ACOGs and Aimpoints, VLTOR buttstocks, ect. Some of these are more of a hassle than others to install, but none will leave any permanent changes to the weapon. The individual soldier could easily draw his weapon, modify it, then change it back and return it to stores exactly how it was issued to him.

Overall, I think the fact that this is becoming commonplace is a step in the right direction. But I've also seen these "unofficial sub-unit policies" manifest themselves in pretty retarded ways too. For the couple guys in my coy who were sporting ACOGs and Aimpoints, there was one who had a civvie pattern hunting scope on his rifle. For the handfull of guys who were wearing high quality chest rigs from reputable companies, there were also those who were wearing locally made rigs that were falling apart by the end of tour. The same went for slings (ref: POS locally made 1-points) and boots (and no-one will convince me that a zipper up the side of your boot is a good idea). As much as I think that letting troops take some initiative with drop-in weapons modifications is a good idea, I have to admit that it's a double edged sword. Some would be better off sticking with the issued gear.

I think the solution is not in standardization, but instead in education. Its great that non-issed gear is becoming more acceptable in Afghanistan, but if the guys can't train with their gear in Canada they won't have the experience to know whats good and what isn't. Really, all a guy can do today to make an informed purchase is read second-hand info from internet forums or have friends in the more open minded branches of the CF. Troops should be encouraged to take the initiative and experiment with gear while in Canada so they arn't wasting their money and risking their lives on POS gear in Afghanistan.