It absolutely kills me every time I opt to pick up a Norgon Ambidextrous Magazine Catch. While a fantastic design, the price relative to the manufacturing cost is arguably absurd from a moral standpoint, though I fully respect one’s right to earn money on a patent.

Fortunately, it seems I am not the only one lamenting the cost of the Norgon and looking for ways to improve upon it. Forward Controls Design, known for their forward-thinking small AR firing control bits, has teased on their Facebook page their upcoming EMR-A magazine release. The Enhanced Magazine Release – Ambidextrous is an externally pivoting design that solves a few issues that I have had with the Norgon.

Specifically, the Norgon uses the existing magazine release slot which limits the size of the release button itself to the dimensions of that slot. The EMR-A opts for a larger pad, similar in size to the original magazine release. For better human-machine interface, the pad is then scalloped and vertically serrated so the shooter naturally depresses the center of the button.

Unfortunately, pricing is not available at this time but here’s to hoping that they also solve a bit of that Norgon pricing. The EMR-A will likely be offered as a bundle with Forward Control Design’s existing standard EMR buttons, replacing the Norgons currently packaged.