GunLink Visits the Home of Black Nitride, AR Components
Checking Out the Operations at H&M and Rubber City Armory
If you have been keeping up with our weekly posts about what’s new at Brownells, you may remember a recent one in which Paul Levy told us about the low mass AR-15 bolt carrier group from Rubber City Armory (RCA). This caught my attention since Rubber City is the nickname of a certain Ohio city from whence one of the GunLink team members originally came and it just so happens that we get back there to visit every so often.
I reached out to RCA and who else is on the other end than Chris Cerino himself – 2nd place finisher on History Channel’s Top Shot Season 1 and Top Shot All Stars, Gun Talk TV field host, and firearms instructor. Add to that list Director of Operations for Rubber City Armory, a subsidiary of H&M Metal Processing – the home of Black Nitride™. After exchanging a few communiques, we arranged to stop by and check out their operation on an upcoming trip to the area.
The GunLink team arrived on the day of our visit and, wouldn’t you know it, Chris had bailed. Can you believe the nerve of this guy? Only kidding – Chris was attending to the higher priority of kicking ass and taking names at the Blue Ridge Mountain 3-Gun Championship. Despite the lack of television personalities accompanying us, our awesome hosts Shade and Pete gave us the grand tour and showed us around both the H&M and RCA sides of the equation. Continue reading
Tedder Industries Launches Bigfoot Gun Belts Line
New Steel-Core Leather CCW Belts From Under the Same Umbrella as Popular Holsters
Bigfoot Gun Belts, a breakthrough company that specializes in making the world’s strongest and most reliable gun belts, is proud to release their highly anticipated Untamed Series to the open and concealed carry world. These premium leather gun belts exude quality and comfort, while providing superior support to your everyday IWB and OWB carry.
Never deal with a sagging holster ever again!
Bigfoot Gun Belts are made with a double layering of English Bridle leather, which is cut to order by a handful of skilled gun belt craftsmen. This drum dyed leather, available in traditional black or rich brown, has been chosen for its legendary strength and long lifetime.
To provide even more strength to this beast of a gun belt, craftsmen at Bigfoot Gun Belts have embedded a spring steel core between the two layers of rich leather. The steel core, available in both the 14-ounce and 18-ounce leather belts, provides handgun owners with a strength rarely seen before (perhaps only from a distance with a shaky camera).
Each of our gun belts go through a Triple Edge Finishing process, which includes a bevel, burnish, and paint done by the industries finest gun belt makers. This creates a smooth and uniform finish and also provides protection to the edges of your gun belt.
To match the strength and quality of the hand cut leather, Bigfoot Gun Belts are made with corrosion resistant hardware that will stand up to the harsh elements. The nickel-plated roller buckle will also allow the belt to effortlessly ‘roll’ through your buckle without damaging the leather, while the snaps provide you with an easy way to swap out your belt buckle within seconds.
Every Bigfoot Gun Belt is backed by our 7-Day Test Drive and Legendary Warranty. This provides you with a chance to test it out with your CCW for a full week with absolutely no risk. If you’re not fully satisfied by this beast of a belt, send it back for a full refund.
Capture the strongest gun belt in existence starting at $54.88 at GunBelts.com Continue reading
Low Profile UltiClip Offers Deep Concealment, Improved Retention
In their recent press release, Florida-based Ulticlip claimed that they intended to “bring concealed carry into the 21st Century.” As far as we can tell, they’ve done a pretty good job of modernizing one of the integral components of many holsters: the belt clip. Check that. Calling it a “belt clip” might not be all that accurate since the Ulticlip allows something somewhat uncommon: CCW without a belt.
Company owner Randall Darby sent over some of his Ulticlips to check out, so we gave them a try on a few different holster types. UltiClips are designed to work with a variety of holster designs. Basically, if your holster has belt clips that attach by a screw or fit through a sleeve, the Ulticlip will likely work with it. Paddle style holsters and pocket holsters without clip might be able to be cobbled up to work with the Ulticlip but, by their nature, they probably won’t work as designed.
We did most of our testing on our EDC IWB rigs from Alien Gear and N82 Tactical. Our N82 testing was done on the Pro model holsters; although the Original and Original Tuckable models use a clip that fits into a leather sleeve with a notch for the rib to stick out of, the sleeve is too tight for the Ulticlip rib to fit through. We also took the Ulticlips for a spin on a couple other styles of holsters and let some gun-buddies try them out on their holsters to get opinions.
The Ulticlip makers claim three main benefits of the upgraded belt clip: “ultimate retention, ultimate concealment, and ultimate versatility.” Let’s take a look at how they do in reaching these three goals. Continue reading
Latest Alien Gear Holster Chosen as American Rifleman Editor’s Choice
GunLink has reviewed a number of Alien Gear holsters and accessories, including the original Cloak Tuck IWB holster and the updated Cloak Tuck 2.0 model and clip options. Now, their latest offering, the Cloak Tuck 3.0 line of holsters has been honored by the NRA’s American Rifleman editors.
American Rifleman has named the Cloak Tuck 3.0 concealed carry holster an Editor’s Choice for IWB holsters. According to Managing Editor Joseph L. Kurtenbach, Alien Gear Holsters has improved on the design of the Cloak Tuck Series after launching their third generation of concealed carry holsters.
After testing out the Cloak Tuck 3.0 for two months with several guns, Kurtenbach was impressed by a variety of elements that this inside the waistband holster had to offer.
“[I] was impressed by its comfort, concealment and ease of carry, regardless of the pistol’s weight.”
The NRA’s managing editor explained that Alien Gear Holsters has evolved the IWB holster to better suit the needs of concealed carriers.
“Alien Gear did not invent the winged IWB handgun holster, but the Idaho-based company’s Cloak Tuck 3.0 has evolved the design in terms of construction, comfort and value,” Kurtenbach said.
Kurtenbach tributes the quality of the Cloak Tuck 3.0 gun holster to a Continue reading
X Products Can Cannon Ruled to be an NFA Item When Assembled
Fresh from the X Products LLC Facebook page is a notice from the company about the BATFE’s determination letter regarding the classification of their “Can Cannon” product.
The letter indicates that the BATFE has evaluated the product and determined that, by itself, the product – essentially an AR-type upper receiver with a big tube for a barrel – is not a firearm. However, when the user mounts the Can Cannon onto a lower receiver, he has created a short barreled rifle (SBR) if the lower is a rifle receiver or an “any other weapon” (AOW) if the lower is a pistol receiver.
The company’s letter states that they are in the process of finding a redesign that will not result in the creation of an SBR or AOW when the Can Cannon is mounted. Until the fix is finished and approved, however, Can Cannon owners should be aware that assembling the product onto a lower receiver will result in a Title II firearm that is governed by the rules of the National Firearms Act (NFA) and, without the proper making/transfer/registration paperwork, can result in the potential for hefty monetary fines and prison time.
This determination is not the end of the world, however. Aside from the X Products redesign, users are also able to just go with it and use this as an opportunity to start down the costly road of NFA ownership. Although the extra wait (months) and expense ($200) may not appeal to everyone, owning NFA firearms is easier than most people might expect. I suspect that what is needed here would simply be an ATF Form 1 Application to Make and Register a Firearm for the appropriate item (SBR or AOW) that you wish to create.
X Products is encouraging Can Cannon owners with questions or concerns about this matter to contac them directly
Perhaps Team GunLink may be in the hunt for a cheap Can Cannon when the market gets flooded by owners who do not want to bother with the additional work.
UPDATE: BATFE Determination Letter
X Products has now posted a copy of the BATFE determination letter describing the above findings. Read the full letter (PDF) by clicking the excerpt below.
Ulticlip Says They are Bringing Concealed Carry into the 21st Century
(Chicago, IL) Ulticlip was designed out of necessity. There were no viable options on the market that provided ease of carry, concealment, unprecedented holster retention, and versatility in one product. Based on more than a decade of concealed carry experience, Ulticlip sought to address issues concerned with carrying a firearm. Ulticlip has met that need!
Ulticlip’s patent pending design replaces current holster clips, allowing firearm owners to carry with better retention, a smaller footprint for increased concealment, as well as maximum versatility. It can be worn with or without a belt and securely clipped in a backpack or purse. Ulticlip’s design gives the firearm owner options that the standard holster clip has not allowed in the past.
Ulticlip is proudly made in the USA and was brought to market in May of 2015. Ulticlip has acquired the praises of firearm owners from Japan, the Caribbean, South Africa, Europe, and across the USA. Satisfied customers have said, “Why didn’t someone think of this sooner,” and “This is the product that I have been waiting for!” A great product and outstanding customer service is the ultimate goal of Ulticlip.
Randall Darby, a life-long firearm owner, is the president and designer of Ulticlip. He has worked as a full-time Missionary for over 20 years. Randall states, “Exceeding our desire to make a quality product is our vision to make a difference in this world. Ulticlip is a Christian run business. We believe that real change starts in the heart of man. For that reason Ulticlip gives a portion of the profit from each clip sold, to faith-based charities.”
For more information and video demonstrations, go to ulticlip.com and watch for a review of the Ulticlip on GunLink coming soon!
