Hey restricted state buddies,
what are your experiences with featureless / maglock / etc workarounds on your sporting rifles? I'm out here in Cali and I've been trying out a bunch of stuff. Kind of an expensive way to experiment, but I though it might be interesting to get a variety of views on how well some of the creative ways we're keeping our weapons within the letter of the law. And YES I know I should just move to a free state or whatever, but I have a career, benefits, and family here, yadda yadda. So... what have you tried, what works, what doesn't, why, and so forth?
I'll start- I just picked up one of those CompMags for my WASR.
Pros:
-definitely makes the mag "fixed" in place with no possibility of removal without disassembly
-no permanent mod necessary- easy to uninstall in 5 minute with proper tools
-easy enough to load, at least on the bench
-true 10 round mag, cycles well, no jams so far
-Compmag lets me control / operate my rifle safely and accurately like MK intended.
Cons:
-install is kind of annoying as the screw is hard to get to since it fits under the rail in my receiver (maybe this is just a WASR thing?)
-emergency reload procedure is basically "Rifle is fucked go to pistol"
-jams get harder to clear without ripping out the bottom of the mag (jk- AKs don't jam)
Overall so far I think I like it better than having to use the fin grip (I've been using the AK Hammr fin, which is the best one I've found so far). The fin grip just really makes it hard to run that safety selector (though still easier than an AR with a fin grip). Also, I find it almost impossible to pull the rifle into my shoulder in a way that naturally lines my eye up with the iron sights when I can't get my thumb around the grip. So I guess I'm willing to trade reload speed for ergonomics since most of my shooting tends to be at the range or plinking on the back 40 where quick reloads aren't needed. If SHTF but I have a 5 minute warning I could always "fix it back"... and I don't think of my WASR as a home defense rifle... prefer my dog and my 12g for that.
Anyone else using the CompMag or any other interesting featureless gear?
-Crow
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
2Fun game, compliance.
From my experience:
The best is the SCR lower.
Second best is a Thordsen FRS Stock.
Third is fixed mag with features.
Grip fins are horrible.
From my experience:
The best is the SCR lower.
Second best is a Thordsen FRS Stock.
Third is fixed mag with features.
Grip fins are horrible.
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
3I'm not familiar with SCR lowers, so I looked them up... sure would be fun to have a .308 one of those. I had a Kel-Tec Su-16 for a while that was a similar idea but I didn't really like the plastic feel even though it was a perfectly serviceable rifle. And yeah, I really hate the fin grips. I currently run the Kali Key "bolt action" charging handle on my AR just so I can keep the pistol grip. But then that gets in the way of my side-folding magnifier, so... everything has a trade off I guess.featureless wrote: Thu Sep 24, 2020 4:10 pm Fun game, compliance.
From my experience:
The best is the SCR lower.
Second best is a Thordsen FRS Stock.
Third is fixed mag with features.
Grip fins are horrible.
-Crow
Minute Of Average
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
4Yeah, I run the Thordsen- with an ambi safety it really is the best non SCR lower option. And unlike the maglocked rifles, using my freedom week mags in it is okay.
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
5I love my SCR, but I was shooting a finned AR the other day whose ambi safety made An excellent thumb rest, which I found great for trigger control. A fin is an entirely different animal with a thumb rest.
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
6I have run my WASR with a grip fin and a steel thumbrest, and it is pretty decent. I can control the rifle quite well with just my trigger hand.
"To initiate a war of aggression...is the supreme international crime" - Nuremberg prosecutor Robert Jackson, 1946
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
7Interesting... I've never tried the thumbrest option. Does it get in the way of running the selector lever on the WASR?Elmo wrote: Sat Sep 26, 2020 12:34 am I have run my WASR with a grip fin and a steel thumbrest, and it is pretty decent. I can control the rifle quite well with just my trigger hand.
Minute Of Average
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
8Dude. Let’s see pics of that thumb-rest fin. Sounds cool.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
9UPDATE:
I managed to jam the CompMag pretty good the other day trying to load it the way that the instructions tell you to- with it basically upright.. had to take the top cover / recoil spring / BCG out to clear the magazine from the top. So I messed around with it some more and found that the best way to load it is to do so with the rifle slung normally (over the right shoulder) and to hold it laid over at about a 70 degree angle and straight out from the body, supported by the sling (think the same basic positioning as when locking in a new non-fixed mag.) Then the bullets can be stacked much easier. I was able to load a bunch of times without any jams in the mag using this position, with the added bonus of being able to do so in the field rather than at a bench. The mag feeds flawlessly as long as it's loaded correctly, no complaints there.
Also- I ordered one of those AK thumb-rests to give it a try with a fin grip... I shall report back!
I managed to jam the CompMag pretty good the other day trying to load it the way that the instructions tell you to- with it basically upright.. had to take the top cover / recoil spring / BCG out to clear the magazine from the top. So I messed around with it some more and found that the best way to load it is to do so with the rifle slung normally (over the right shoulder) and to hold it laid over at about a 70 degree angle and straight out from the body, supported by the sling (think the same basic positioning as when locking in a new non-fixed mag.) Then the bullets can be stacked much easier. I was able to load a bunch of times without any jams in the mag using this position, with the added bonus of being able to do so in the field rather than at a bench. The mag feeds flawlessly as long as it's loaded correctly, no complaints there.
Also- I ordered one of those AK thumb-rests to give it a try with a fin grip... I shall report back!
Minute Of Average
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
10I feel bad for you, Crow. Lt Gen Kalashnikov must be rolling in his grave.
A VZ-58 woulda been nice. Top loading via stripper clips. -Niiice.
A VZ-58 woulda been nice. Top loading via stripper clips. -Niiice.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
11Yeah, but I'm moving to Montana soon so it won't matter for much longer anyway. Until then, my adventures in kompliance continue!Bisbee wrote: Thu Oct 15, 2020 7:37 pm I feel bad for you, Crow. Lt Gen Kalashnikov must be rolling in his grave.
A VZ-58 woulda been nice. Top loading via stripper clips. -Niiice.
Minute Of Average
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
13I still haven't gotten my AKThumbrests thumb rest because the Postal Service shipped my package to the wrong end of the state (thanks Louis!) but I did take the CompMag WASR out for some target practice yesterday and I managed to stovepipe a casing for the first time ever with that gun... I think its the mag for sure since I've never once had a malfunction of any kind in that weapon. Kind of disappointing...
I also shot my AR a bit with the Cali Key bolt action charging handle... Anyone running one of those? I don't mind it too much... gives the ground squirrels a fighting chance.
Crow
I also shot my AR a bit with the Cali Key bolt action charging handle... Anyone running one of those? I don't mind it too much... gives the ground squirrels a fighting chance.
Crow
Minute Of Average
Re: Adventures in Kompliance
14UPDATE: I guess all I have to do is complain about the mail to make my stuff show up. I got home today from the archery range and my thumbrest had arrived. I installed it with my AK Hammr Battle Fin and I actually like it a lot! WAY different than the fin and grip alone... a lot more control. Still not as good as the real thing, but much better. I'm actually kind of surprised how comfortable it is. This is partially due to the fact that the rest is actually padded and rubber dipped. Really nice machining by the maker, "AKthumbgrips". I got the one with the sling mount on the other side, and that works great too with my Blue Force Gear AK sling attachment. I'll update after I go put some rounds on it, but for now here are some pics.
Crow
Crow
Minute Of Average