A Professional Guide to New Miscellaneous Greatness— PART 7

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It’s been a while, so it’s time for another installment of my “Miscellaneous Greatness” series, where I talk up some products I’ve been using that I really like. Some of them were review products that came in and didn’t get sent back, others were things I’ve stumbled across in my daily life. In no particular order…

Safariland Liberator Electronic Muffs 

As a general rule, I don’t like earmuffs and don’t use them, because they’re either too hot, or squeeze my head, or both. Electronic earmuffs are, as a rule, superior to standard muffs in performance as they allow you to hear and talk at a normal volume, but I’ve always been underwhelmed with the sound quality of e-muffs. I have a bin full of electronic muffs in my basement I never use, and just hand out when I take other people to the range. However, I was at a Safariland event this past spring and given a set of their Liberator HP 2.0 electronic muffs, and I have to say they are the best electronic muffs I’ve ever tried.

First, the ear “gel cups” are so soft that you barely feel them, and whatever eye pro you’re wearing, they’ll mold around the temples for a good seal while not driving them into your skull. The muffs are not comically large, or heavy. But the best thing about these muffs is the sound system. The audio is so good you’ll forget you’re wearing muffs at all.

There is a slight background hiss (which you’ll soon tune out), but beyond that the sound is so natural it doesn’t sound like speakers feeding it into your ears, it sounds like you’re not wearing muffs and you’re just hearing everything with your unprotected ears. Between that and the soft ear cups, several times during the two-day Safariland event I forgot I was wearing them—and there is no better praise I can give ear pro.

No, they are not cheap. The basic Safariland Liberator HP 2.0 setup, with an over-the-head strap and replaceable batteries, runs $349. But these are professional-grade electronic muffs like SF and SWAT use, and expandable with the purchase of PTT mics, helmet attachments, and the like.

Brownells’ Heat Upper

Technically, this is the 733 C7 Upper Receiver Assembly from Brownells but everyone most likely knows it from the best gunfight to ever appear in a movie, the bank robbery scene from Heat (1995). In that legendary scene both Chris Shiherlis and Neil McCauley (Val Kilmer and Robert De Niro) were running 11.5-inch Colt 733 C7 “Commando” rifles, firing on full-auto and going through mag after mag in downtown Los Angeles as they attempted to break contact with the LAPD.

Brownells’ 733 C7 Upper Receiver Assembly is a faithful reproduction of the upper of those guns. As it has an 11.5-inch barrel, it’s going to have to go on a pistol or a lower registered as an SBR to stay legal under our current unconstitutional laws. It has an A1 birdcage flash hider, narrow CAR handguards, fixed front sight tower, and carry handle.

Brownells’ 11.5-inch barrel has a lightweight A1 profile. It has a 5.56 NATO chamber, a 1:7" twist, and a chrome-lined bore and chamber. That 1:7 (one rifling turn in seven inches) twist rate isn’t period accurate, as those original guns likely had a 1:12 twist rate, but it will allow you to shoot heavier bullets than Vietnam-era 55-grainers without worrying about them keyholing.

The upper receiver of the 733 is interesting. This is/was a transitional model, introduced after the Vietnam-era CARs but before the M16A2 came out, and the receiver you see here is the C7, originally produced by Colt Canada, and later added to many US-made Colt carbines. The C7 has the original carry handle and rear sight of the M16A1, and the teardrop-shaped forward assist, but it also has the “Burton bump” shell deflector found on all the M16A2 rifles. If you rewatch 1995’s Heat (and why wouldn’t you?), you’ll see McCauley and Shiherlis are running this exact top end on the streets of downtown Los Angeles.

What will shock you is just how light and handy it is, something lost in most modern ARs. I bought this upper with my own money, and while there are a few braces that look similar to an original CAR stock, I decided to go authentic. I SBR’d an old Rock River Arms lower receiver assembly and put an authentic 1990s-era CAR stock on it I found in my basement. The upper receiver assembly weighs 3 lbs. 8 oz. according to my digital scale. Total unloaded weight of the gun as seen is just five pounds 6.7 ounces. The only thing on my gun not “retro” is the Magpul grip and curved trigger guard, as I hate the feel of the original A1/A2 grips, and the factory trigger guard lets the frame dig into my knuckle.

If you’ve never run an AR with a carrying handle, note that there is a hole in the middle of the handle, and various types of optic mounts attach to the carrying handle using that hole. For accuracy testing, and to get a better idea of just what the muzzle was doing under recoil, I mounted a red dot on the 733. In my basement, I had an ARMS carry-handle mount with unusually-spaced slots—it is so old it pre-dates the Picatinny rail (standardized in 1994). I bought a Vortex 30mm Tactical low scope ring from Midway USA ($25) and installed my old Aimpoint CompC atop the gun.

Recoil on this gun was surprising low for how light and handy it is, and while shooting I discovered it wasn’t my imagination—under recoil the dot didn’t rise at all, it just vibrated in place. The Aimpoint makes for a little faster shooting at distance, and it provides huge 90s retro vibes, but I think I’m just going to stick to the iron sights for this gun. In part, because I know how to run iron sights fast at CQB distances. This is a trick I learned from a friend who was issued a Colt 635 (9mm SMG) when he worked for the DEA. At CQB distances, instead of looking through the rear sight, you look just over it. Use the wings protecting the rear aperture as the notch of a rear sight and center the entire front sight tower between them. You’re basically using your entire front sight tower as your front sight. Doing this you can shoot with both eyes open, and while it’s not MOA precise, it allows you to shoot iron sights accurately enough as fast as you can pull the trigger. However, this is something you need to practice, as you’ll hit high. But with iron sights there’s no faster technique inside 20–25 yards.

For testing I just didn’t feel using polymer Magpul PMags would be appropriate, so for all of my shooting I used GI contract aluminum magazines made by D&H, Brownells, and Colt (although they all had Magpul followers). I even used a few old 20-rounders (Colt and Adventure Line) with the original metal non-tilt followers that were ahead of their time.

Currently, I have 520 rounds through the upper, without cleaning, and only the lube that came on it from the factory. The only problem I had was the bolt not locking back on one of my ancient 20-rounders, reliability has been 100%. On one range trip I got the gun so hot I couldn’t touch the carry handle. The heat has discolored the end of the barrel and the front sight post. But the upper just keeps purring along. I love it. MSRP is $719.

Streamlight Wedge XT

I’ve mentioned this light in my CCW column, but as I truly carry it every day, and have for over a year, I feel it deserves a mention here. If you are looking for a good general-purpose EDC flashlight that can, in a pinch, serve double duty as a tactical illuminator, the Streamlight Wedge XT might be for you. It’s not perfect…but darn does it seem to be close.

It’s got two illumination modes, 500 or 50 lumens, and while it’s programmable I like that the high beam comes on first, and I’ve never seen a need to change that. Click it twice if you want the low beam. It’s got a simple rubberized push button switch on the end, and is plug-in rechargeable via USB-C. I’ve been carrying this light for well over a year and have only recharged it once. It throws a wide beam, nearly ninety degrees, so it’s great for general flashlight use or “tactical” use at indoor distances.

The best part of this light is you get all that performance and features in a size and weight you’ll barely notice. It is 4.25-inches long, 1.1-inches wide, and 0.6-inches thick, not including the pocket clip, and it weighs 2.62 ounces. It’s short, flat, light, and bright, which is why it’s perfect for EDC. You’ll forget you’re carrying it. It’s available in black or “coyote” and seems to be under $90 most places online.

Meprolight M22 

This optic might as well be a family member, because I really like it…in spite of all its imperfections. It is confounding and irritating and yet I still have it on my dedicated truck gun (a Daniel Defense Mk18 pistol) because of what it is and what it can do.

I wrote this fiber optic/tritium-powered reflex optic up for the Firearms News website, and since I’ve done that, I’ve gotten in the light module for it, which really makes a difference. The Mepro M22 was designed to be an improvement over the earlier M21, smaller, lighter, and with a brighter reticle. The M22 has windows in the sides, top, and front of the polymer body through which you can see the fiber optic collector rods coiled in a spiral. It comes complete with a QD throw lever mount.

Fiber optic illumination means the reticle automatically adjusts brightness according to ambient light, and there are no batteries to fail. At night, the radioactive tritium faintly illuminates the reticle, and the tritium will usually last for ten years or so.

Currently, there is just one model of M22, but you have your choice of two illuminated red reticles, a 3.5 MOA/40 MOA circle/dot they call their bullseye reticle, or a triangle that’s advertised as 10 MOA, but really, it’s 15 MOA tall. I am a big fan of circle/dot reticles, but the version in the M22 feels a bit cluttered to me. The walls of the 40 MOA ID circle are 4.5 MOA thick. For comparison, the EOTech HWS pairs a 1 MOA dot with a 68 MOA circle. I went with the triangle.

Trijicon at least two decades ago perfected fiber optic-powered reticles, and some of them are so bright in direct sunlight users have had to put tape over the collectors. The M22, on the other hand, has the opposite problem, and I’m darned if I know why, considering fiber optics aren’t exactly cutting-edge tech. The reticle is bright enough outdoors, but just barely, and in other lighting conditions you might find yourself struggling to spot it. Which makes no freaking sense. ‘Confounding’ I think is an accurate word. But I like the triangle reticle, and I like that it is always on, and truly EMP-proof.

I got a polarizer, which screws into the front end. Once installed, it has a lens which you can rotate that lowers or increases the amount of tint, from just a tiny bit to darn near blacking out your view through the window. What this tint does is make the reticle seem brighter in comparison to the background, even at lower levels, which is a good thing. It adds barely any length, and less than an ounce of weight.

Now available from Meprolight is the M22 Light Module, which replaces the side panels of your optic, adds a bit of a sun shield over the window, but—most importantly—adds illumination for when you’re running your optic indoors or in poor lighting conditions. Powered by one CR2032 battery it simply brightens your existing reticle. It has three brightness settings, and you can adjust them manually or set it on automatic, where it will adjust based on the ambient lighting around you. With it, you won’t need the polarizer. Per my contact at Meprolight (as this info isn’t on their website but should be)—the light module has 10,000 hours of battery life (dependent upon use, of course), and the light module has an auto-shutoff after 30 minutes.

Yes, I understand that battery-powered illumination isn’t EMP-proof, but the optic still works without it, and you won’t need it outdoors, and I really like big triangle reticles as they allow both precision and speed. The optic itself is 9.2 ounces including the built-in QD mount, and with both the polarizer and light module installed it was 10.57 ounces on my scale.

The M22 has an MSRP of $499.99, and the M22 Light Module is $124.99. The polarizer doesn’t seem to be available yet, but figure it will be $50–$75.

SilencerCo Omega 9K

The more time I spend around silencers/suppressors, the more particular I get. Even if you’re shooting subsonic ammunition, the only way you can get your gun Hollywood quiet is if your suppressor has a lot of volume, which adds size but also weight. So, if it’s not going to be whisper quiet…I’m thinking it shouldn’t be big or heavy, either. (Or expensive.) And this was on my mind as I started looking around for a suppressor for the Heckler & Koch SP5K I decided to SBR, to turn into a semi-auto version of my favorite SMG, the MP5K PDW.

I decided on the SilencerCo Omega 9K, as it seemed the best balance of size, weight, performance, and price. The 9K has tubeless construction, made with 17-4 stainless steel and Cobalt-6, which is a high strength steel alloy high in cobalt. Baffles made of Cobalt-6 provide better resistance to wear/erosion than those made of stainless steel or even Inconel. The Omega 9K is suitable for either 9mm or .300 AAC Blackout, super- or sub-sonic ammunition.

There is an expansion chamber just past your muzzle, five baffles, and then a smaller expansion chamber between the last baffle and the integral end cap. The suppressor itself is just 4.54-inches long, and 1.48 inches in diameter. For its size/volume, the noise reduction of the Omega 9K is excellent. SilencerCo states their muzzle average dB for subsonic ammo is 135.8 for 9mm and 133.7 for 300 BLK. That is very competitive, especially when you consider how short and light it is. As shipped the Omega 9K weighs just 7.3 ounces. It is compatible with Alpha mounts and ships with a 5/8x34 adapter, piston spring, and retainer cap, as well as a three-lug tool.

The muzzle of my HK SP5K PDW is threaded 1/2x28mm, and arguably direct-threaded suppressors have some advantages over ones using QD mounts, but I wanted to use the three-lug mount on the HK’s barrel for two reasons—first, it’s the traditional way of mounting a can to an HK, and second, it allows the suppressor to sit farther back, shortening the overall length when installed.

With the mount installed, the Omega 9K weighed 9.2 ounces, with the center of gravity toward the rear of the suppressor. With it mounted, you really don’t even feel the weight on a loaded gun. Best of all, that three-lug adapter tucks the suppressor back onto the barrel, right up against the front sight tower. Using the three-lug mount the Omega 9K only adds 35⁄8-inch to the overall length of the gun. That’s nearly nothing. It’s so short when installed that I can fit the SP5K, wearing the can (with the stock folded) into the original case HK provides with the pistol.

The Omega 9K is $749, and SilencerCo’s 3-lug mount is $139, which is very competitive. It pretty much doesn’t come off my MP5K PDW, as I am 110% happy with the setup.

Aimpoint ACRO C-2 

I believe the C-2 has been covered by other people in this magazine, so I’ll just give it a very brief shoutout. The ACRO P-1 and P-2 were purpose-built enclosed optics meant to mount on pistol slides, and they’ve pretty much become the standard for durability. But, from day one, people started mounting them on long guns. If you do the math, the square-ish window of the ACRO is actually larger than the round window of Aimpoint’s Micro.

The Aimpoint C-2 is a version of the ACRO specifically intended for use on long guns—that C stands for Carbine, and its specs have been a bit tweaked. But what’s great about the C-2 is that it’s sold as a package, with a high-end mount of your choice and flip-up lens covers, for $50 less than just a bare ACRO P-2 ($599 instead of $649).

The ACRO P-2 has a 3.5 MOA dot, is waterproof to 35 meters, and has four night vision and six daylight brightness settings. The C-2 has a 2.5 MOA dot, is waterproof to five meters, and has two night vision and eight daylight brightness settings. Otherwise, the specs are identical, this is an enclosed optic with a 7075 aluminum housing and glass lenses. The C-2 can be had with your choice of a Scalarworks, Reptilia Corp., or B&T flattop AR mount. Just bought separately, those mounts run between $85–$159, depending on the brand, and Aimpoint charges $48 for the flip-up lens cover set if bought separately.

The optic is powered by a CR2032 battery advertised as providing 50,000 hours of life and weighs just 2.1 ounces (plus the mount). The ACRO has been tested to withstand 20,000 rounds of .40 S&W ammo when mounted on a pistol slide, so sitting atop a low-recoiling AR will be like taking a vacation. A small light optic like this seems perfect for an AR pistol or SBR, and you can’t beat an Aimpoint for quality or durability. 

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