First Look: Inter Ordnance (IO Inc)

Inter Ordnance - HQ

I recently had the pleasure of attending a factory tour and product demo for Inter Ordnance (IO), located in Palm Bay, Florida.

If you haven’t heard of Inter Ordnance, or IO Inc., they manufacture various models of AK-47s, AR-15s, a couple variations of 1911s and are working on more… Many of their AR/AK variations are 100% American made, with some having a combination of Domestic and Imported parts (mostly imported furniture).
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Battle Arms Development – Ambi Safety Selector (B.A.D.-A.S.S.)

For my next AR-15 build out, using the BCM-KMR-13 rail that I recently picked up and one of my Coronado Arms lowers, I wanted to go the ambidextrous route with the safety selector. After doing a little digging around, the Battle Arms Development – Ambidextrous Safety Selector (BAD-ASS) looked like a good choice, and was priced well ($52.00 on Amazon).
 

BA-SS-03
A selector with 5 different types of levers and 25 possible configurations.

 
The selector I picked up is a standard 90 deg throw selector with the standard levers (one standard and one short lever). They offer 5 different types of selector levers (Hybrid, Short Thin, Short, Standard, and Thin) and can be “configured in 25 combinations”. They also make a short throw version, but I haven’t had any experience with them. If you want to see the different lever types, check out Battle Arms’s website.
 
I got the selector in the mail and it was a simple install, as expected. If you’ve never installed a new selector before, it’s a pretty simple process (short list of basic instructions below)…

  1. Make sure your AR-15/10 is unloaded and safety checked.
  2. Remove the pistol grip which holds in the selector detent and spring. Then remove the detent and spring.
  3. Remove the selector by sliding it out the side of the lower. You may have to wiggle it around a bit to get it to clear the trigger assembly.
  4. Remove the right side (short end) selector lever from the ambi selector.
  5. Slide in the selector the same way you removed the old one, usually it goes in the easiest when angled towards the safe position. You will probably have to wiggle it around a bit to clear the trigger assembly.
  6. Once the selector is in place, attach the right side selector lever and then make sure the selector moves freely and you can check the trigger, etc.
  7. Reinstall the detent, detent spring and the pistol grip.
  8. Function check the trigger, safety, etc.
NOTE: Once you are sure you want to keep everything as it is, you should put some non-permanent thread-locker (blue loctite, or similar) on the screws in the selector.

 
Overall, I like the selector. It feels very well made; it is CNC machined and made in the USA. The levers are smooth and rounded but have notches cut into them; the notches provide sufficient grip to easily operate the selector without slippage. The selector movement itself is a little stiff, but it’s getting smoother the more I use it. I put a little oil on it and it’s working in nicely.
 
Using the selector on the weak side is a little tough, it’s definitely doable, but it’s not easy; if you’ve ever tried to do manipulation weak handed, it takes practice, practice and more practice. So over time, I’m expecting the movement to get easier and easier. You have to make sure you press the lever at the correct angle, etc. Once you do, it snaps pretty quickly and easily.
 
The short lever doesn’t interfere with my shooting hand when in the fire position. If you have smaller hands you may have some issues and want to get the “thin short” lever; it should eliminate any interference issues. In reality, you may want to look into the thin short lever for the weak side just to eliminate the possibility of any interference. But that being said, you still need to make sure you can manipulate the selector, so make sure you try it out and practice with it.
 
Another thing I noticed is that the back of the selector levers are flat (not notched out) so if you have a grip that is thick, like a Hogue or some other oversized pistol grip, it may interfere with the selector. The grips I’ve tried out have been all Magpul grips, and they seem to work without any issue. So, if your pistol grip sticks out past the side of your lower, then you may have some interference issues.
 
Check out the slide show below to see what the selector looks like installed in my Coronado Arms lower.
 

BA-SS-01BA-SS-02BA-SS-03BA-SS-04BA-SS-05BA-SS-06BA-SS-07

 
If you want to pick up one of these ambi selectors, you can order one from Amazon, or from many online retailers.
Buy Now
 
If you have one of these selectors, let me know how you like it!

BCM KMR 13″ Handguard (and Upper Receiver, BFH)

I recently decided to build out another AR-15… After doing some looking around and having a hard time finding a decent gas piston setup that I wanted, I decided to get another Bravo Company USA (BCM) direct impingement (DI) upper setup. I purchased one a while back and have had nothing but good things to say about it.
 
After doing a little looking around on BCMs site, I found the BCM KMR (KeyMod Rail, BCM-KMR-13). It wasn’t in stock at the time, but I decided to wait for it…
 

BCM-KMR-01

If you’re not very familiar with KeyMod, it’s been hitting the market hard and fast lately. Every company seems to be coming out with a handguard, or accessories for it. One of the features I like best about it is the weight savings. Since the “keys” are relatively large cutouts, you are able to create light weight mounting solutions, that are still durable, functional and very modular. You can attach accessories that are specifically designed to work with a KeyMod system, or you can attach picatinny (MIL-STD-1913) rails that have a KeyMod attachment on them. So you can still use all of your standard accessories that have picatinny mounts. It’s really the best of both worlds in my opinion.
 
Now that I have the BCM KMR in my hands, it was worth the wait. It’s extremely light and feels great in the hand. I have smaller hands, so the narrow contour of the rail is great. It’s especially nice for using an over the top grip that is becoming more and more common these days.
 

“Made of a blended aluminum and magnesium alloy, that weighs 30-40% less than aluminum with the same strength properties”

 
BCM touts the handguard as being made of a light weight and strong blended aluminum and magnesium alloy; they say it weighs “30-40% less than aluminum with the same strength properties”. It also includes an “indexing and lock up system that mitigates 12:00 rail movement under heat generated from the barrel nut.” BCM reports that the handguard assembly weighs in at 7.7oz, with all of the attachment hardware; extremely light for a 13″ rail. The whole assembly, upper receiver and handguard, came in at 2lb 12.5oz on my scale, then after adding the bolt carrier group and charging handle (BCM MOD 3), it weighed in at 3lb 9.5oz. All quite light for a complete upper in my oppinion.
 

“The KMR’s propriety finish was originally developed for the Aerospace industry”

 
The finish on the rail is not an anodizing, it has a kind of powder-coated feel to it. It’s definitely different from most standard rails, but it’s a nice touch and feels good in the hand; it gives it a smooth feel (and no sharp edges).
 
From the BCM website, “The KMR’s propriety finish was originally developed for the Aerospace industry. It is a plasma deposition process which creates a stabilized ceramic-like surface coating with superior wear and scratch resistance when compared to anodize or even hard chrome. The stabilized nature of the coating means it has a higher corrosion resistance as well, due to the lack of ‘pores’ in the surface.”
 
The upper is a standard BCM upper, with the Barrel, Forged, Hammer (BFH) marking added to the upper left side. The BFH denotes that the barrel is hammer forged, opposed to the standard barrel options that BCM also offers. I went with the BFH barrel simply because I wanted to try one out and see how the accuracy is. I have a standard barrel on my other BCM upper, and have not had a single issue with it. Hammer forged barrels are supposed to have a better lifespan, and be better for things like full-auto fire. But for standard usage, you probably wouldn’t notice the difference. So in the vast majority of cases, it’s probably not worth the extra money.
 
Also included with the handguard were two picatinny keymod attachments. They are the Nylon versions of the rials, BCM also makes aluminum versions, one 3″ rail and one 4″ rail. I’m not sure how well the nylon ones will hold up, but they feel really durable and are extremely light weight. So I’ll give them a try and see how they hold up.
 
I’m looking forward to getting this gun finished out, the upper will go nicely on my Coronado Arms lower. I only need couple more parts and then it will be time to get it on the range for some testing!
 

BCM-KMR-01BCM-KMR-02BCM-KMR-03BCM-KMR-04BCM-KMR-06BCM-KMR-07BCM-KMR-05

 
The general features/specifications of the upper receiver and barrel are (from the BCM website):

  • Cold Hammer Forged Barrels
  • M4 Feed Ramp Barrel Extension
  • M4 Feed Ramp Flat Top Receiver
  • T-Marked Upper Receivers
  • USGI 1/7 Twist Rates
  • USGI 5.56 NATO Chambers
  • Mil-Spec 11595E – Certified Barrel Steel (CMV)
  • Chrome Lined Bore and Chamber
  • Manganese Phosphate Barrel Finish
  • Mil-Spec F-Marked Forged Front Sights
  • USGI Government Profile Barrels
  • HPT (High Pressure Test) Barrels
  • MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspected) Barrels

 
If you are interested in picking up one of the complete uppers or are looking for other BCM parts, the buttons below will take you to the right places.
 
Complete BCM Mid Length Upper w/ 13″ KeyMod Rail
 
BCM Parts @ Amazon

Malfunctioning AR-15 – The Story of a Seemingly Under-Gassed Rifle

I recently had the opportunity to help a friend with an AR-15 that he had pieced together, and then had a gunsmith “finish off”. The gunsmith put the upper assembly together and finished off the lower assembly.

After taking it to the range, the thing wouldn’t cycle; occasionally it would get through 2 rounds, but the bolt would rarely pick up the next round and it would barely eject the spent case. A typical under-gassed issue, so I initially thought…

The typical causes of an under-gassed AR are:

  • Gas Port / Gas Block Alignment
  • Loose / Damaged Carrier Key
  • Damaged / Missing Bolt Gas Rings
  • Dirty or Over Lubricated Operating System
  • Bad or Low Powered Ammunition

So first things first, we checked out the bolt carrier, and made sure the carrier key was installed correctly and the screws were tight and staked correctly. Then we checked out the bolt assembly and made sure it was nice and clean and the rings were not damaged. Then we tried firing the rifle again, and got the same results. So then we removed the rail assembly, and the gas block. The gas block was partially covering the gas port on the barrel, it was not completely off, but it definitely wasn’t installed perfectly. After correcting that, we went and tried shooting the rifle again… we had the same results. So we got some samples of ammunition; Winchester, some “hot” reloads, and any other rounds we could find and still, they all exhibited the same issues.

Well what do you check next? Well, everything! We took the gun apart, completely, checking to make sure everything, even unrelated parts were correct, clean and in 100% working order.

After getting the rifle torn down, we noticed the rifle had a rifle length stock, buffer and a carbine length spring (but it was on the long end). So, the next step was to get a new spring, the correct rifle length spring.

If you don’t know, there are rifle length springs and buffers and carbine length springs and buffers. The springs are similar in length, but the rifle length springs should be about 1.5-2″ longer. It’s not a lot, but it makes all the difference in the world.

Once we got a new rifle spring, everything started running like a Swiss watch, nice and smooth! The issue, I think, was that with the lighter spring the bolt carrier was able to slide back too easily, causing the system to off-gas too quickly and causing short-stroking and feeling like an under-gassed rifle.

So my gunsmithing checklist for an under gassed (or seemingly so) rifle, now includes verifying the buffer and buffer spring are correct (something that is generally a good idea with any malfunctioning AR rifle).

My (more) complete list of things to check for a short-stroking and/or under-gassed AR:

  • Correct Buffer / Buffer Spring (carbine or rifle)
  • Gas Port / Gas Block Alignment
  • Loose / Damaged Carrier Key
  • Damaged / Missing Bolt Gas Rings
  • Dirty or Over Lubricated Operating System
  • Bad or Low Powered Ammunition

AR-15 Laser Engraving

Looking for something new and cool to do to your new AR-15? It has no performance impact, and doesn’t do anything to help accuracy; but I think it definitely looks cool! Check out laser engraving!

I recently got access to a laser engraver and decided I would put my company logo on the “blank” side of my Coronado Arms lower. I think it’s a cool personalization and really makes the gun stand out as mine. Also, the laser engraving on anodized aluminum just looks sharp!

What do you think? What would you put on your lower if you could get something engraved?

WARFYTR Equipment – Rifle Magazine Carrier

I recently got my hands on a new product from the company WARFYTR. This is their Rifle Magazine Carrier that uses a self-locking design that allows the magazines to be stored in the hanging position and “oriented to the weapon”. This is intended to speed up reloads as there is less movement of the magazine required. It also uses adjustable universal mounts that will fit belts up to 2″ and will also fit in MOLLE/PALS webbing on tactical vests and other equipment. The clips can also be set in 3-different positions and are ambidextrous.

This model currently only works with USGI 5.56×45 NATO magazines, but I’m told a PMag version is in the works for 2014.

In the playing around that I did with the carrier, I didn’t have any retention issues, even when running and jumping around with it. The magazines snap in, and you give them a twist and pull to remove them. The “latching mechanism” that is in the carrier is designed for specific magazines. Because of that, you will have to use carriers specifically designed for the magazines you will be using. This limits them over say, a pouch, but I don’t think that will be much of an issue in the reality of things.

This really looks to be an innovative product for shooters; I can definitely see it used in 3-gun competitions and other high-speed applications. It may not fit the bill for all users, but it’s definitely worth taking a look at.

You can pre-order them on the WARFYTR website. Give them a look and let me know what you think!

Pictures and a YouTube video from WARFYTR below.

AR-15 Build – Follow Up

I finally got my California bullet button and my Optics mounted and was able to hit the range with my new rifle.

Just for follow up, the rifle is a Coronado Arms lower, PSA lower parts kit, Bravo Company upper and bolt carrier group and a Vortex SPARC Red Dot.

Everything functioned flawlessly, there were no failures of any type and everything was accurate and held together amazingly.

I was able to get everything sighted in without issue, and in less than 10 rounds.

Over time I plan to get a lot more range time with the rifle, but from initial first impressions, and minimal use, it’s an amazing build, and I plan to build out a few more in similar fashion.

Check out the video review and some action shots below! And don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel!