SpecialOperations.com

It doesn’t happen very often that a product exponentially out performs expectations, but that’s exactly what the Yeti Tundra Cooler does for a living. Yeti was founded in 2006 by 2 brothers that were frustrated with the current line of mass produced, under performing coolers on the market. These guys are outdoorsman and they understand what that segment is craving in an ice chest based on their personal experience. One that will withstand the rigors of everyday use in a rugged environment without the common failures and shortcomings. A cooler that will keep ice and its contents cold for far longer than the ones found in the mass discount retailers. A cooler thats lid will not cave in under the load of a fisherman casting atop it. With these basic requirements, Yeti was born.

Yeti Tundra Cooler Design:

The Yeti Tundra Cooler is designed with the serious outdoor enthusiast in mind. Yeti uses a seamless roto-molded plastic for its outer shell similar to the material whitewater kayaks are constructed of. This type of construction eliminates seam failures which is common among cheaper coolers and will withstand endless amounts of abuse without issue. Yeti Tundra Coolers are even certified by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) to be “bear resistant containers” when used with their pad locks on the corners. Unlike the inferior coolers that only provide air as an insulator, the Yeti Tundra Cooler uses up to 3″ of pressure injected commercial grade polyurethane foam to insulate the walls and lid. Couple that with the full frame Cold-lock Gasket and you’ll have no trouble sealing the cold air inside from the ambient heat.

Other common failure points on mainstream coolers are the hinges and latches. I think we’ve all seen or experienced a cooler with a broken latch or hinge. To ensure that the Yeti Tundra Cooler keeps the cold in and heat out, they’ve eliminated hinge and latch failures completely. The hinges are integrated into the coolers mold rather than screwed on and utilize a full length rust-proof aluminum rod. In addition, the T-Rex Lid Latches are made from a heavy duty rubber that provide just the right amount of tension to ensure the lid is sealed. Rubber feet prevent the Yeti Tundra Cooler from sliding on the deck of your boat or bed of your truck. And if that’s not enough, Yeti integrated Anchorpoint Tie-Down Slots to secure your cooler in the roughest of conditions. At the end of the day, you can drain the Yeti Tundra Cooler through the leakproof Vortex Drain System. The drain plug only needs to be loosened rather than completely removed to work as the water will drain through the pair of holes located within the plug.

Pimp your Yeti:

With a wide assortment of accessories, Yeti has provided the ability to customize your cooler to suit your style or specific needs. From Yeti apparel to Grizzly Bear locks for your cooler, you’re sure to find what you’ll need to pimp your Yeti in the accessory department. I chose a few items that I thought were a necessity. The Yeti Cooler Dividers are available for most cooler sizes and can be purchased to divide the interior space vertically (short length) or horizontally (long length). I chose the shorter vertical divider for my Yeti Tundra Cooler 105. This allows me to separate food and drinks or alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages when the kids are present. The vertical divider also allows you to keep the wire basket in the cooler which is not possible with the longer horizontal divider. The wire basket is a great way to keep sandwiches or any type of food cool but not wet. The Yeti dividers also double as a cutting board for cleaning your fresh catch of the day or slicing cheese to go with a bottle of wine.

Yeti sells many types of bottle openers for various mounting options but I chose to install the retro style bottle opener directly to my Yeti Tundra Cooler. This cast stainless steel opener can be mounted anywhere on your cooler with the 4 stainless steel screws provided. As you can see in the video, mounting is simple and quick. Another item that Yeti has recently introduced is Yeti Ice. Yeti Ice is built to the same tough standards that the Yeti Tundra Cooler is known for. The Yeti website states that they provide durability and superior ice retention. To be honest, I didn’t find that the Yeti Ice stays frozen longer than the cheaper products I already had on hand from Blue Ice. The Yeti Ice features a much more durable construction and a shape that promotes quick freezing when placed in a freezer but it’s a toss up weather it’s worth it or not. I completely sold on their coolers and see myself purchasing a smaller cooler for road trips as well as the new Hopper for beach days.

My wife and I drove from Northern Michigan to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee last month for a car enthusiast get together. We booked a room at a rustic lodge in the mountains and decided to bring the Yeti Tundra Cooler because there was no refrigerator available. We packed several local beers for the “beer swap”, snacks, meat, cheese, milk, orange juice, water, pop, etc. and loaded two 7 pound bags of ice (about $4) before we left on the 12 hour drive south. For the next 4 days, we were amazed that the ice remained and our food and drinks were as cold as they would have been in a refrigerator. Once we returned home, we dumped out perfectly good ice after 85 hours in the Yeti Tundra Cooler. Some of the water bottles were actually frozen together and had to be chipped out of the iceberg. This blew my mind because after 8-10 hours on our boat in the summer, we hardly have any ice remaining in our Igloo Marine Cooler. This prompted me to test the limits of what these amazing coolers are capable of in the video below.

http://sofrep.wistia.com/medias/etyu2tcq6z?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640

Conclusion:

Weather you need a cooler for a wilderness expedition, fishing or hunting trip, camping or just plain tailgating, the Yeti Tundra Cooler has just what you need. Available in a wide range of sizes from the portable Tundra 35 to the mammoth Tundra 350 capable of carrying a mind blowing 222 cans of beer and 329 pounds of ice, you’re sure to find the cooler that fits just right. Don’t let the price scare you away because you can’t compare that piece of shit cooler you’ve been using to the superior products that Yeti produces. If you were to total up the cost of all the coolers you’ve blown through over the years due to failures that render them useless to just plain disappointment, you’l quickly realize that you’ve already paid for a Yeti that would have lasted you a lifetime of cold beverages. The Yeti Tundra 105 retails for $479 but once you get your hands on a Yeti Tundra Cooler, you’ll see exactly what I mean. And like they say, “once you go Yeti, you don’t go back”.

Take a look at the various Yeti Films on their website for inspiration, tips and tricks or product specific information.

(Featured image courtesy of yeticoolers.com)

– Erik Meisner for LoadoutRoom.com

Mec Gar produces more than 200 different models of pistol magazines, covering many of the worlds top brands and models. The privately owned and operated company has made more than 100 million magazines since 1965 in it’s two Italian factories nestled in the foot hills of the Italian Alps. They obviously are doing something right, you don’t last that long and put out that amount of volume without serious attention to detail and quality control.

You may not have heard of Mec Gar but you have defiantly heard the names of the companies that they provide pistol magazines for. Mec Gar is the original equipment manufacturer for top brands such as  Beretta, Browning, Bersa, CZ-USA, Sig Sauer, Taurus and Walther to name just a few. That means that these companies who send their pistols out into the hands of thousands of military and law enforcement officers trust that Mec Gar will produce a nearly perfect product. They stake their reputation and people’s lives on that fact.

Everyone that has ever had a poorly fitting or built pistol magazine can attest to the frustration of bad springs, followers, or just shotty workmanship. It instantly makes any range session miserable and leads to shooters have to scour the ground for live rounds do to having to clear jams or malfunctions. Shooters all know that the magazine is one of the most critical components of any weapon, so why would we take liberties with them?

Voice of Experience 

Im not just writing this as a columnist I’m writing this as a shooter who has previously fell victim to what I think is a scam in the shooting community. Cheap “asian contract” magazines as they are known have come back to bite me time and time again. One of my best pistols is my former Israeli Defense Force Browning Hi Power, a pistol that uses magazines that usually are fairly expensive. So in a cost cutting effort I ordered some china mart mags and used them for about a week. Jam after Jam, misfeed after misfeed until I couldn’t take it anymore and set the BHP back in the gun safe.

What happened next was sheer luck , during a conversation with Epicosity, a public relations firm that handles things for several gun companies I was discussing my favorite guns and issues with products and said about how expensive magazines were for my beloved Browning Hi Power and that foreign contract magazines suck. That’s when I was told about Mec Gar, their history and their status as Original Equipment Manufacturer for the companies listed above. When I was offered a chance to demo some mags I jumped all over the opportunity.

Impressions

The Mec Gar mags arrived and were in what I consider standard see threw plastic packaging, nothing flashy. Once I opened the packages and inspected the magazines it was then that I immediately noticed the massive difference between the two. The old mags I had been using on and off for a while were total and absolute garbage next to the Mec Gar’s.

The first noticeable fact is the difference in materials, Mec Gar uses much better strength springs and features better finishing on the metal. On my old magazines the follower would routinely hang up on hole for the magazine catch. No matter how much cleaning, checking it, this was a common problem, even after replacing the magazine springs with Wolff springs from Brownells.

Even the follower on the new magazines is better than the my old magazines, I even checked them against my stockpile of older mags and once again Mec Gar stood out above the pack. Its hard to usually get excited about something small like magazines, but once you have a pile of bad ones it’s easy to get a little bit amped up about these.

Testing

I received and have been testing four magazines for my Browning Hi Power, two of them are blued 15 round models and two are nickel plated 13 round models. So far after using my standard test ammunition of 115 grain full metal jacket Union Metallic Cartridge yellow box , Ive yet to have any magazine related failures. Ive had a few bad rounds but that had nothing to do with the magazines. I know its only been 500 rounds spread between a few magazines but I’m confident that this type of performance will continue well into the future.

The next phase of testing will consist of a mixed variety or full metal jacketed rounds from Wolf, Blazer, Winchester and hollow points from Federal, Hornady and Winchester. I want to make sure that they will safely and effectively run ammunition from all price ranges. This will make sure that you our readers are making a fully informed decision before you purchase Mec Gar magazines for your own use.

Conclusion

If you own a Beretta, Sig, CZ-USA, Taurus or a Walther you most likely already own one or more Mec Gar magazines. Shooters owning other brands of pistols don’t worry, Mec Gar hasn’t forgotten you either. They make more than 200 different styles of magazines, even fitting manufacturers guns that they aren’t the OEM contractor for. Below we have provided a small list of models and a link to Mec Gar’s home page. It might be worth your time and money to check them out and see if they have magazines for your pistol.

We will continue to evaluate these magazines over the summer. Periodic updates will be in the comments section of this article, so check back as the summer progresses. Until then enjoy this short video review of Mec Gar magazines.

Small List of Models supported by Mec Gar

Beretta 92, & 96

CZ 75

Sig Sauer P226/P228/P229/ 2009/2022,

Springfield XD

EAA Witness

1911, full size and officer

Ruger P85/89/93/94/95/PC9

Walther PPK/ PPKS

Ruger MkII/ MkIII

S&W 5900 Series

– Rick Dembroski for LoadoutRoom.com

The Armaspec XPDW stock was released at SHOT Show 2016 in Las Vegas this past January and once I saw it I was hoping I would get to try one on my Noveske short barrel rifle. Well wishes sometimes come true as I opened my mailbox on an ordinary Thursday afternoon and found an unexpected package. The Armaspec XPDW rifle stock.

There are many different options for AR15 owners when it comes to rifle stocks. Magpul, Vitor, B5 Systems, and Mission First Tactical to name a few. Now you can add Armaspec to the growing list of manufacturers. Each manufacturer has its own merits, some hold batteries, some are easy to adjust, some produced standard military grade adjustable stocks. Armaspec went a different route with there XPDW stock, they used a different twist on the approach.

This stock is brand new, I literally received it yesterday as I write this to get word out to you, our readers. It’s a bit heavy but seems to be built like a tank. I was really excited to get it especially since I wasn’t aware it was even coming. Several things aside from the weight of the stock stood out to me, but first lets look at the specs and the break down of the XPDW Stock.

Specifications:

Weight: 16.06 Ounces

Lengths:

• Closed Length: 6.875″
• Fully Open Length: 10.0″

Number of length positions: five total

Warranty: Lifetime

Materials: 

• Body and butt pad: Aluminum
• Guide and support rods: Hardened Steel

Special Features:

• Quick detach point on butt pad
• Uses standard Mil-Spec buffer tube
• No special tools, buffer or springs needed
• Made in U.S.A. (who doesn’t love that)

Initial Impressions:

My initial impression is that this stock is heavier than other stocks I’ve tried but it’s built like a brick. The butt pad assembly uses an ambidextrous button to release and it slides effortlessly. The stock does however stop at each of the five strops along the rail for easy adjustment on the fly. Installation on any Mil-Spec AR15 buffer tube takes less than two minutes. I demonstrated this in the below video.

Looking over the stock at first I thought it was missing a sling point and was going to note that in the review until I saw a hole in the bottom of the stock and decided to try to insert a quick detach sling point in the, and PRESTO, it worked. I then read the literature provided and checked the Armaspec company web site and yes they didn’t forget the quick detach sling point.

Testing and Videos

This stock will be tested in the very near future on my Noveske 10.5″ short barrel rifle. I have to take the SBR out to try out new optics and a new Geissele Mk IV rail anyway so why not try a bunch of stuff at once. I fully intend to drop this, scratch it, and test its impact resistance in lots of imaginative ways I assure you. Here is a quick install and overview video until I get out to the range.

If there are any tests you would like to see on this stock drop us a line in the comments section below or use the FRAGO and we will be happy to try them out, unless it will destroy my SBR in the process.

– Rick Dembroski for LoadoutRoom.com

Growing up competing in various forms of motor sports, I appreciate the fine details and skill needed to build a fast, lightweight and capable machine. Exotic materials like carbon fiber and titanium alloy as well as engineers willing to push the limits of lightweight designs in order to deliver a winning edge for their driver on race day. All of these qualities can be found in Boise, Idaho at 2A-Armaments headquarters. 2A-Armament products range from titanium take down pins to complete AR’s and everything in-between. I recently received a Regulated Bolt Carrier (RBC) from 2A-Armament to try to solve a minor problem I was having with my Daniel Defense Mk-18 when used with the Surefire SOCOM Suppressor.

Much like the engine is the heart of a race car, the bolt carrier group is the heart of the AR-15 rifle. It’s ability to cycle over and over reliably in a hostile environment is a true testament to it’s original design. Is there room for improvement? Of course there is. For the same reason the Ferrari F1 team doesn’t use a factory engine in their race cars, we shouldn’t settle for the overweight bolt carrier group in our AR’s. The crafty engineers at 2A-Armament have whittled away any unnecessary material in their Regulated Bolt Carrier to achieve a sleek, lightweight engine for your AR-15. Plus, they’ve added a titanium regulating gas-gate under the carrier key. This gate allows easy adjustability of the gas system in your AR-15. If you use a suppressor like I do, this alleviates the need for an adjustable gas block to tune the system to work reliably suppressed as well as un-suppressed. The adjustable gas-gate in the 2A-Armament Regulated Bolt Carrier can be accessed through the ejection port of the rifle with a T-6 Torx driver. This allows the user to adjust the valve while still installed in the rifle making tuning a snap.

The stock Mil-Spec bolt carrier group supplied with the Daniel Defence Mk-18 and most other AR rifles weighs in at 11.6 +/- ounces. By removing unnecessary steel from the bolt carrier group and fusing a 7075-T6 aluminum back half, 2A-Armament was able to reduce the reciprocating mass by 32% delivering a RBC of only 7.9 ounces. Any reduction in mass of a reciprocating part pays huge dividends in both performance and longevity. Additionally, the RBC’s components are all heat treated, the bolt is further cryogenically treated and everything is QPQ Nitride coated to reduce wear.

In the video below, (sorry for the wind noise) you’ll see just how easy it is to tune the gas system using the 2A-Armament Regulated Bolt Carrier. My Mk-18 was slamming the stock BCG due to the “over gassed” condition created by the suppressor. To adjust that, I found a setting within the Regulated Bolt Carrier that both cycled the rifle reliably with the appropriate amount of gas and held the bolt open once the magazine was empty. A good measure of the proper amount of gas regulation is achieving a perpendicular ejection of the spent cartridge. When I first purchased the Daniel Defence Mk-18, I had to swap the buffer to get it to cycle reliably with the suppressor installed. Rather than swap buffers and/or springs when alternating between firing suppressed and un-suppressed, now I simply adjust the regulating gas-gate. 2A-Armament does not supply the needed T-6 Torx driver with the Regulated Bolt Carrier but they are available anywhere they sell tools for less than $5.

Description and Specs courtesy of 2A-Armament:

The Regulated Bolt Carrier (RBC) is a lightweight carrier with a gas regulating gate built into the carrier itself. This provides a drop in, lightweight solution for those looking to tune your AR-15’s gas system. It eliminates the need for adjustable gas blocks, and allows the firearm to be restored to a factory full weight system by simply swapping your full-mass carrier back into your firearm. The RBC has infinite adjustment from fully open, to fully closed on the regulating gate. The RBC can be tuned to most combinations of buffers, springs, suppressors, and barrel lengths. The RBC Is fully adjustable through the port door, and does not require the firearm to be broken down for adjustment! 

• Carrier: 8620 steel, heat treated, QPQ Nitride
• Bolt:  9310 steel, heat treated, MP, Cryo’d, QPQ Nitride
• Rear body:  7075-T6, hard anodized clear
• Extractor: machined, heat treated, QPQ Nitride
• Carrier key: machined, heat treated, QPQ Nitride, staked screws
• Regulating gate: machined from 6AL-4V Titanium
• Weight: 7.9oz assembled
• Requires customer supplied T-6 Torx tool for adjustment
• Patent Pending
• Product of the great state of Idaho, MADE IN THE U.S.A.
• MSRP $419

Functionally lightweight seems to be the mantra at 2A-Armament. Aside from the streamlined Regulated Bolt Carrier, they manufacture lightweight receivers halves, hand guards, complete upper receivers, an assortment of titanium muzzle devices and a couple of sweet lightweight rifles. The sum of these lightweight components can be found in their top of the line BLR-16 Rifle which I was able to handle at Shot Show. Based on 2A-Armaments proprietary BALIOS-Lite receiver set, along with all of their titanium bits and pieces, your left holding what’s hard to believe is a complete rifle. Weighing in at 5.0 pounds, 2A-Armament has achieved lightweight nirv-AR-na. I would have given my left nut for a 5 lb. rifle while serving in 2nd Ranger Battalion. The delicately sculpted receiver and hand guard show the level of attention needed in achieving this feat. Hopefully, I will be able to report in more detail on the BLR-15 in the coming months. For now, take a look at 2A-Armament and bask in the beauty of their creations.

– Erik Meisner for LoadoutRoom.com