[Accupoint TR24 Butler Creek flip-up covers]

Just wanted to see if anyone here knows the correct sizes offhand for the butler creek flip up covers for a Trijicon Accupoint 1-4x24mm TR24 (straight objective tube versus the 1.25-4x24mm larger end). My caliper batteries are dying (still kicking myself for buying digital versus dial) and my rough measurements with a ruler put the eye piece at about 42mm and the objective end at 30mm. Just wanted to see if anyone had a set of these that could confirm which sizes I need exactly (since I'll have to order these). I've made the mistake of buying covers slightly too small before and it ended up being $18 bucks down the drain. Thanks in advance.

Eyepiece:

Size 16 (42.2mm)

or

Size 17 (42.5mm)

Objective:

Size 02A (30mm)

or

Size 02 (31mm)

[Single or Two stage trigger]

Haven't had a chance to shoot the majority of top end triggers for comparison, but I purchased the Geissele super 3gun (curved) to replace my DPMS parts kit trigger group (ground of hammer bob with JP springs) and it's a world of difference better. I suppose I'll regret it if I shoot a complete JP trigger group or similar and like it that much better, but the Geissele S3G was such an improvement over the stock trigger that it's doing the trick right now.

[Magpul P-MAGs]

Haven't had problems with mine during matches, nor did we have any issues with ours while deployed in southern Afghanistan (some of the crappiest conditions you could put a weapon through with all of the dust and mud). It looks like it may be a QA/QC issue in the production process, as others had mentioned they had whole batches that didn't seem to perform well while others had very little to no issues. Also, for what it's worth, I have read that colored or dyed plastics are slightly less durable than the standard black. Although I am not familiar with the whole manufacturing process, supposedly plastic comes black in its original state. When dyes are added as in the OD, Foliage and Tan mags, it can have a very small effect on the strength of that plastic - this could possibly contribute to the cracking or easily worn feed lips causing the double feeds. I still fully believe that the pmags are well ahead of the standard issue mags both in durability and reliability.

In my regular job, I run an extrusion machine. (polyethylene and previously a couple of other polies) Plastics generally come in a virgin clear/white form. To this are added colors with or without a UV inhibitor. UV is what kills plastics. If you keep anything plastic out of the sun or other sources of UV light, you should be good to go as far as brittleness or loss of elasticity. Some plastics like polyethylene shrink over time. Oxygen, and UV are very powerful in their ability to break down materials. Extreme cold will harden most plastics to some extent, but not all.

What could be the case is that a batch of virgin was not delivered with the proper formula. If that is the case, a molded part could cool out of spec, be brittle, or too elastic. They look the same in the gaylord that they come in. I have had one labeled the proper formula, only to notice by the draw-down and the consistency out of the die, that it wasn't to spec. If this was out of a silo, you could potentially make thousands of units without knowing that they are out of spec.

Really have a lot of trust with your suppliers to put together the right raw materials for your finished products.

... And there you have a much better explanation straight from the source. The best thing about these forums is that there's usually a subjet matter expert for any given topic and you learn something new every day.

[If you had to choose between...]

Been partial to Larue since I purchased my first mount. Aimpoint ML3, H-1, Trijicon 1-4x24mm - all mounts have been flawless.

[Magpul P-MAGs]

Haven't had problems with mine during matches, nor did we have any issues with ours while deployed in southern Afghanistan (some of the crappiest conditions you could put a weapon through with all of the dust and mud). It looks like it may be a QA/QC issue in the production process, as others had mentioned they had whole batches that didn't seem to perform well while others had very little to no issues. Also, for what it's worth, I have read that colored or dyed plastics are slightly less durable than the standard black. Although I am not familiar with the whole manufacturing process, supposedly plastic comes black in its original state. When dyes are added as in the OD, Foliage and Tan mags, it can have a very small effect on the strength of that plastic - this could possibly contribute to the cracking or easily worn feed lips causing the double feeds. I still fully believe that the pmags are well ahead of the standard issue mags both in durability and reliability.

[odd "ping" sound when bolt closes in AR-15]

It's definitely the handguard. Just like Bryan45 said - the ping sounds exactly like a tuning fork and it's muted out entirely as soon as I grab the handguard. I double checked the gas tube as well and it's good to go. Thanks everyone.

[odd "ping" sound when bolt closes in AR-15]

No - the sound did not change regardless of where I pointed the muzzle.

- However -

Your suggestion did let me dial in on it as I repositioned the weapon and listened for it each way. As a right handed shooter, I had my right hand on the grip and my left hand on the charging handle. When I charged it with my right hand and used my left to grab the handguard, I noticed the sound was distinctly muffled and different. It has something to do with the sound of the bolt going into battery being amplified by the way the JP hanguard mounts to the barrel and receiver. I found that if I charged the weapon and let the "ping" ring loudly, I could instantly dampen it by putting my hand around the JP handguard. Thanks for your help - looks like the source is identified and not anything wrong with the weapon assembly.

[odd "ping" sound when bolt closes in AR-15]

I just finished transitioning my AR-15 from a hobby shooter to one optimized for 3-gun and have noticed an odd sound when I charge the weapon (unloaded). All parts have been assembled as directed, torqued, etc. to the various manufacturers recommendations. Here is what the two builds are comprised of from muzzle to buffer tube for reference on where this new sound may be coming from:

Previously:

14.5" Sabre Defence barrel (blued, chrome lined)

Phantom Flash Hider

Daniel Defense Aluminum low-profile gas block

Daniel Defense 10" Lite Rail

Colt Auto-style Bolt and Carrier Group

Carbine "H" Buffer

Standard Carbine Buffer Spring

Mil Carbine Buffer Tube

Now:

18" Stainless RLGS Bravo Company

JP Tactical Comp (stainless)

JP Adjustable .750 Gas Block

JP Extra Length (15") Hand Guard

Young NM Light Bolt/BCG

JP Low-Mass Buffer

Standard Rifle Buffer Spring (waiting for Tubbs CS flatwire to arrive)

Rifle Length buffer tube

I have never noticed this metallic "ping" noise with other weapons when the bolt goes into battery - just wondering what this could be caused by and if anyone else has experienced anything like this. My ear is more tuned to our work guns (M4s with usually thousands of rounds put through them, thus the metal parts have worn against each other) and they have a distinctly different sound when the bolt goes into battery with an unloaded chamber. The only thing I can compare this new sound to is that of an aluminum baseball bat hitting a ball.

My only WAGs are:

The different metal qualities in new parts (stainless steel now vs. the previous)

The possibility of the Young MFG bolt being machined slightly oversized for tighter tolerances (simply a guess based on "stuff I've read on the internet" which I tend to take with a grain of salt 50% of the time)

The lower mass of the lightened bolt carrier and buffer vs. the heavier Colt FA-style bolt/carrier and carbine H buffer

The bolt possibly hitting the face/throat of barrel when it goes into battery (IE, new weapon - new parts, new sound).

Any input would be appreciated.

[15" JP tube on a 16" barrel]

Doesn't help answer your question 100%, but I have the JP XL on my rifle with an 18" barrel. There's 1 and 13/16ths inches between the end of the handguard and where the compensator meets the barrel when threaded on (not sure if there's a technical term for that part).

I just took off my Daniel Defense 10" Lite Rail and installed the JP 15" rail - it's a world of difference if you're looking to grab the handguard a little farther forward (and IMO much more comfortable than the quad rails regardless of what type of panels are on). I like the length of pull on fixed style stocks (I have a magpul PRS) and the extra couple of inches on the hand guard really let me reach out there and get a good support grip.

Edit: Dcloudy just answered it better than I could have.

[Slinging AR for Multi Gun]

You can check out the Daniel Defense sling mounts (DanielDefense.com) if you're looking for something like a receiver plate with a fixed loop that mounts between the receiver and stock rather than the standard style kits that have a small piece of webbing that wraps around the thicker rear of the stock as your point of attachment. Their stuff is pretty bomb proof (I use a couple of their products on my work gun). Downside of this is that your rear mounting piece is in a fixed, non-rotating position - may cause issues with you or it may not. If you couple this with a VTAC style 2-point sling, you can yank the pull-tab to cinch the rifle tight against your chest and transition to your sidearm if need be. Depending on how you set up your sling mount points, this should pull the receiver against your upper chest, still allowing a very wide range of motion to draw and present a pistol and still access belt-mounted magazines as well as transition between targets.

I know your primary focus was looking at sling mounting options, but I have to put in a +1 for the VTAC style 2 point slings as well. They have a very good range of adjustment when you set them up properly and are incredibly quick to use once you get the hang of them. Coming from a work standpoint (infantryman) it will only take a couple of good "taps in the junk" while the weapon is dangling from a single point sling before you reconsider. Using the VTAC allows the weapon to still feel as if it's a part of you while cinched up - the rifle moves with your upper body while running, crouching, bending, etc.

[Bayou Bullets]

I expressed an opinion based on facts I observed, that depending on a one man part time mail order operation that didnt accept credit cards might leave you hanging, several people had a fit, In the words of Sheldon Cooper, "I seem to have previously informed you thusly."

I'm not sure I follow the logic on that one. Half of the shooting equipment I own was purchased through various forum equipment exchanges/swap meets, etc. and more often than not there weren't several threads/posts vouching for the character and general good-standing of the individuals selling the equipment. I think I stand a much better chance at getting burned that way than buying bullets from a website that might not be the flashiest. Odd thing is that even without all of the eye fluff it's still easy to find information on the product, the cost, where payment needs to be sent, etc. Hell, I'd trust my gunsmith to do just about anything to my weapons and he doesn't have a website, let alone accept credit cards.

[Bayou Bullets]

Sorry to necropost here, but I just got home from Afghanistan and have been out of the loop for a while and this is the most recent post I've seen. Has anyone heard anything new regarding his health (hopefully a problem that has since been fixed) and the status of when they will be open for orders again? Another shooter at a local match turned me on to these about a year back. Unfortunately I deployed prior to ordering any and just finally unpacked all of my reloading equipment to find they had a hold on orders. Thanks.