Ambi AR15

AmbGun ACOG Page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/acog The Trijicon ACOG, the Advanced Combat Optical Gun sight, is my favorite rifle scope. But I despise those big snaggy mounting nuts and I hate using electrical tape to snuff out the fiber optic generated reticle flare. During our review of the Desert Tech MDR we removed those nuts, cut back the stud, and used 5mn flange nuts to reduce the fingernail breaking obstruction. An 80% solution. The elegant 100% solution is the Shaffer Machining ACOG mount. Easy to swap. 30 grams lighter. And it completely eliminates the snag hazard… especially important for bullpups like the MDR or RDB. Shaffer also eliminates sticky electrical tape residue with their fiber optic cover. I generally prefer a near black ACOG Chevron, so I keep the shutter closed, but it is nice to have the ability to quickly brighten the reticle. Use the indexed slider to dial in just the right amount of illumination. Shaffer Machining, single handedly and uniquely making the ACOG less flashy, less snaggy, less sticky….And More ambi.

How to Become an Ambidextral Gunfighter https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/how-to-become-ambidextrous Radian Talon Ambi Safety Kit https://www.radianweapons.com/en/accessories/talons/60426 Radian Talon Single Lever https://www.radianweapons.com/en/accessories/talons/60363 Bindo Aiming Concept https://youtu.be/k0D46JcUwHE Why Carry and Present Left Handed https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-pistol/LHcarry Chapters 0:00 Ambi Bullpups 0:33 Paintball 1:11 Why Ambi Controls 2:54 Charging Handle 4:35 Safety 6:24 Trigger 8:02 Magazine Release 8:49 Bolt Release 9:45 Ejection 10:18 Optics 13:04 Lights 13:48 Magazine Pouches 14:48 Buttstock 15:28 Grip 16:14 Mantis BlackbeardX 19:14 Canted Point Shooting 19:56 Weight 20:37 Height 20:56 Length 21:42 Ambi Appaling 23:41 A New Appreciation

AmbGun's Ambi AR page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/ar15/ambiar A subscriber sent me the Battle Arms Bad Ass Lite 45/90 safety levers. And with Cabelas bucks, I landed a set of the 60/90 MagPul ESKs. I love how the levers are secured on the Battle Arms and hoped to use the OD green levers with the new test and review ODG iron sights from Shaffer. But I found the safety cylinder was longer than any others I’ve tried, leaving a large gap between the lever and the lower. Terrific option if you had a thicker than normal lower. I’ll definitely revisit Battle Arms if they offer a conventional width cylinder. I was really excited for the MagPul ESK, too, since it includes one short and two long levers. I thought “finally, someone accommodating the ambidextral gunfighter with the option of perfectly mirrored levers.” The ESK polymer levers are secured with a unique keyed interface and polymer retaining pin. It LOOKs weak, but I presume it will prove MagPul reliable. I do think a 60 degree throw makes for a longer detent pin to safety barrel lifespan. Most 45 degree throws don’t have quite enough meat between detent stops to expect a long lifespan. However, after getting the ESK installed, I was puzzled…why am I getting inconsistent results left handed vs right handed. Then I noticed that one of the long levers was tapered…not at all like the other long lever. This may be a good solution for those who are right handed OR left handed, but is not acceptable for the ambidextral gunfighter’s unconscious bilateral transfer of skill. I could buy another set of MagPul ESK’s to have identical levers, but given the already premium price, I just could not “Ambidextral Gunfighter” endorse the MagPul ESK. Since, for me, the safety is by far the most used control…using it multiple of times per magazine, I dejectedly removed the MagPul ESK and reverted back to the UTG ambi lever. I am considering another premium option where you can secure identical length levers. A Forthcoming episode on ambi safeties.

AmbGun's Ambi AR page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/ar15/ambiar Shaffer Machining ACOG Mount and Fiber Optic Cover https://youtube.com/shorts/05KgNEmZTnY Trijicon TA31F ACOG The chevron reticle is illuminated by Tritium and fiber optic capture. The fiber optic can funnel in too much light…the crude solution is electrical tape, the elegant is the Shaffer adjustable fiber optic cover. Zero at the bottom of the chevron at 25 yards, check the tip at 100, then back to the bottom of the chevron for 300 then the first stadia for 400. The prism optic’s 1.5” eye relief does require getting your eye up close, but once there you’re in an immersive hyper reality. Super bright, crisp, and clear. For the ambidextrous shooter, the ambidextral gunfighter, be sure to check out the AmbGun video on Bindon Aiming Concept. Expensive, but consider that it includes the mount…no rings needed. The king of durability, yet extremely light compared to illuminated LPVO’s. I despise the giant mounting nuts, Snag hazard. And an ambi obstruction, especially on bullpup rifles. Remove the nuts, cut back the studs and use 5mm .8 pitch steel flange nuts to slim the profile. or…See our review of the snag free ACOG mount from Shaffer Machining…Shaffer Machining eliminates the snaggy and sticky. While Attending a Project Appleseed Known Distance event, we completed an around the squares/return to zero test and the ACOG performed perfectly…and I also earned my KD patch that day. Learn to be ambi with a red dot then switch to the 4x ACOG for Bindon Aiming Concept magic. TA31F ACOG, Decades in production, but definitely my favorite magnified rifle scope.

AmbGun's Ambi AR page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/ar15/ambiar The most popular “ambi” upgrade is the charging handle. It’s the easiest upgrade. I've used a few popular ambi charging handles…Geissele, BCM and my favorite is the Breek Arms Warhammer including their micro version. I like the full size for a standard forward assist upper and the micro for the MK2 style and slick uppers. I like the Geissele and BCM offerings very much, but I do have a slight preference for the Breek Arms Warhammer with its 4mm reduction in height…this gives my nose a little more breathing room when shooting prone tight up behind the sight. (11.65mm vs 7.51mm) This reduction in vertical height saves 7 grams over the BCM ambi charging handle. 8 grams for the Warhammer micro. However this does mean a bit less surface area for your hand when running the charging handle. If you don’t wear gloves or are attending a long training course you might find the BCM or Geissele a bit more comfortable. All are built with 7075 T6 aluminum. All with a lip to redirect back pressure gasses away from your face. However the Breek Arms Warhammer will save you about $50 compared to big name brands.

AmbGun's Ambi AR page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/ar15/ambiar The key ambi issue with regard to AR uppers is the forward assist. I don’t like the forward assist. Give me Ultra Tactical Gear as Eugene Stoner intended. Forward Assist really interferes with perfect mirroring access to the charging handle. And it can trap your fingers…particularly when doing a two finger, over the top chamber check. Maybe even break a nail. The forward assist is a hook that’ll snag on all sorts of gear and I suspect it just might cause as many malfunctions as it solves….the potential of injecting interference of the bolt’s cycle. Needless weight, width, and complexity. My ambi ambition was to go with a slick upper…an upper with no forward assist. Just a case deflector. Leapers sent me their 7075-T6 billet UTG Pro Ambi receiver set. It looks so good that I was reconsidering my slick upper ambition. Leapers then sent a prototype upper that has the forward assist shifted toward the muzzle about 2 inches…but otherwise identical. I call their prototype the UTG Pro MKx…as it reminds me of BCM’s MK2 upper. This greatly improves the ambi access to the charging handle and eliminates the pinch trap when you’re Under the Gun. It’s not perfect ambi, but maybe a decent compromise given how my options for third party slick uppers just won’t look as cool with the gorgeous made in the USA UTG Pro ambi lower. Please release the UTG Pro Mkx upper as well as a slick version of the UTG Pro upper. For a long time I thought of Leapers as a third rate accessory company. The UTG Pro line has leapfrogged them to top tier status. No doubt the result of the owner’s immersion in American gun culture.

AmbGun's Ambi AR page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/ar15/ambiar Mission First Tactical BattleLink Buttstock Minuteman Review https://youtube.com/shorts/9_kieEGwgUg Inside of Geissele’s 7075 T6 buffer tube is their Super 42 spring made of three strands of wire…more reliable less twang. Atop it sits an H1 buffer. Castle nut left unstaked until I dial in proper buffer weight. Geissele should have included a sling qd end plate. I installed a BCM end plate with QD for testing purposes. However, I really don’t need the BCM end plate since I’m running the Mission First Tactical BattleLink buttstock which has an ambi friendly QD socket. I do like how the castle nut acts as a rotation limiter for the BCM QD, but I prefer how the Battlelink positions the sling qd 2-3 inches further to the rear. Now if MFT would just add a limiter…stopping the Sling a perfectly mirrored 45 degrees to the left and to right. I’m also running the BCM KD shorty grip. I thought maybe I’d prefer a full length grip for ambi transitions,…nope, still prefer the Kyle DeFoor grip. I just don’t lean on the grip that much.

AmbGun's Ambi AR page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/ar15/ambiar There are lots of different handguards available for the AR. I chose the Breek Arms 11.7” RG2 Mlok Handguard. I went with Breek Arms because I really like their charging handles. And continuing with the Faxon Barrel, Samson gas block, and JL Billet VPR brake theme of saving weight, I chose the relatively short 11.7” handguard to reduce weight out toward the muzzle. And…to show off the tiny Samson gas block. Same for a preference for keeping lots of clutter off the handguard…I like to keep lights, bipods, lasers, etc, off the rifle and in a pouch…until needed. Moreover, since I’m not a huge extended support arm, c-clamp fan, I just don’t need that extra handguard length. In my opinion this technique is an anomaly arising from the stopwatch obsessed, run n gun competitions. Yes, be fast between cover. But when behind cover be patient and make ambi optimal use of cover with elbows tucked in tight. I am certain that a paintball team trained running stopwatch shooting mazes would get crushed by a team that is trained for ambi that communicates and patiently coordinates movement. “Strategy without tactics is slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is noise before defeat. “ “Str-ah-teh-jee without tack-ticks is slo-o-est route to vic-to-ree. Tac-ticks without Str-ah-teh-jee is no-oise before de-fe-at” I fear Americans are making lots of noise. The Breek Arms RG2-S handguard has MLok at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. In between are large cutouts to save weight and aid airflow around the barrel. The RG2 wedge block locking system mounted solidly with the included steel 1 ¼” barrel nut, And since I run my ACOG relatively far forward, the handguard is further prevented from rotating by the Shaffer no snag mount. I don’t see the need of anti-rotation pins. I upgraded to their 7075 aluminum barrel nut saving two ounces…further reducing the muzzle displacement weight. The Breek Arms hardguard is supremely affordable and I do not feel like I’m missing out on something better. I’ve mounted and removed a bipod, a sling QD, a pic rail, and the Viridian 4LUX 2K Duo. The RG2 does its job and feels good in the hand. Maybe it's time to replace the old Keymod handguard on my iron sights BCM …get the front sight out near the muzzle with a Breek Arms 15” handguard.

AmbGun's Ambi AR page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/ar15/ambiar JL Billet https://jlbillet.com/ I really was not seeking a brake for the Ambi AR project, just something to protect the crown if I jam the muzzle in the dirt. I really liked the tiny, lightweight, Tactical Advantage FTS micro hybrid brake. Sadly, it appears they are no longer in business. So I went looking for a replacement…found the JL Billet VPR (variable port recoil reduction) brake. The titanium version of the VPR is 37 grams lighter than their steel version. And despite being longer and having all of those ports at 49 grams it is still lighter than a standard 60 gram steel bird cage flash hider. 60 grams in your hand don't feel like much, but Try holding out a cleaning rod, then add a 2 ounce flash hider to the end of the rod. The leverage makes the added weight immediately noticeable. Besides perfect ambi mirroring of the controls, the goal of the Ambi AR project is to create a rifle that makes ambi transitions as balanced as a bullpup rifle. JL Billet brake, Faxon Gunner Barrel, Samson gas block, and a short Breek Arms handguard all play a role in this effort. Like all brakes, the VPR won’t win you friends on the firing line with its redirected muzzle blast, but when looking at MantisX scores, I averaged a 99.15 with the brake and 98.23 without. It is an absolutely beautiful piece of 5 axis CNC machining. I’d love to see JL Billet create their own version of the tiny FTS Micro Hybrid brake. I usually think of a muzzle device as an extension protecting the barrel crown. The JL Billette titanium brake is so gorgeous, maybe the rifle is there to protect it.

AmbGun's Ambi AR page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/ar15/ambiar Besides perfect mirroring of the controls, the AmbGun Ambi AR project is striving for balance similar to a bullpup rifle. For an AR that means reducing weight at the muzzle. In the previous episode we championed the Falcon Gunner barrel. Just before the Gunner transition to a pencil profile is the gas port. An adjustable gas block would be nice, but we're being very stingy with weight out on the lever that is the barrel. The Samson Manufacturing Low Profile gas block is as tiny as they come and it only weighs 17 grams. Skeletonized steel with only one set screw securing it in place. I used a SLR jig to create a shallow dimple to help locate that single screw. The jig positions the set screw directly across from the gas port. Using a jig, The gas block won’t necessarily set tight against the shoulder on the barrel. Given that the gas block port is about twice as large as the barrel port, you could shift it tight against the shoulder…I had about 1/100th of an inch gap. Currently, I think the rifle is a bit overgassed. I will try adding an ounce to the buffer to tone it down a bit and thereby retain the simple, tiny, lightweight, low profile, almost invisible, Samson Micro Gas Block. In the next episode looking further out the barrel’s lever…the muzzle device.