In terms of parts of the AR15 platform, is there anything more seemingly trivial than the ejection port cover? Even the flappy little trigger guard protects, well, the all-important-trigger. Heck, I would be willing to bet that most of you rarely, if ever, stretch that trigger finger up between strings of fire and close that little slice of aluminum that keeps debris out of your action. So I’m not going to stand up here (I’m actually sitting right now) and preach to you all about how the Strike Industries UDC – Ultimate Dust Cover – is the hottest new AR15 accessory to hit the market. Yet, it’s still a neat little piece of kit that is worth the under $20 price of admission.

Last year, when I visited Q to build a Honey Badger PDW (shameless plug for my one, and only, TFBTV video) I learned some basics about assembly line manufacturing. While the Strike Industries UDC looks great on the Honey Badger, it’s also much easier and faster to install due to its captured spring design. Shaving a minute or two for each build means more guns out the door.

If you have spent any time assembling AR15s, you know that the standard ejection port (dust) cover,  spring, retaining pin and ring can be a pain to install quickly. Not to mention if you’ve already installed a hand guard. To ease frustrations, the Strike Industries UDC utilizes a captured spring assembly to make assembly and disassembly easier and quicker. Let’s take a look.

REMEMBER the four rules of gun safety:

1. All guns are always loaded.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
4. Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

TFB LIGHTNING REVIEW: Strike Industries UDC – Ultimate Dust Cover

Strike Industries UDC Description:

The SI-AR-ALUDC-223 takes everything you love about our polymer UDC’s to the next level. With an all-aluminum construction and CED coating for added durability and a cleaner finish, the Aluminum UDC is the modern evolution of standard mil-spec dust covers. It features an adjustable detent set screw in order to compensate wear on the receiver and increase or decrease opening power. The aluminum UDC still uses our unique installation system that enables users to remove or install in under 10 seconds flat! But the most notable difference is the patent pending noise-reduction padding that makes it nearly 100% silent during activation!

Manufacturer’s Website: https://www.strikeindustries.com/shop/ar-aludc-223.html

Package Contents:

• 1x Aluminum UDC Ejection Port Cover
• 1x Ejection Port Cover Spring
• 1x Ejection Port Cover Pin

Strike UDC Features:

• Patent pending spring-loaded, internal detent rod for easy installation and take-down.
• Constructed with durable aluminum and CED coated for added strength and aesthetics
• Built-in adjustable detent set screw to reduce wear on receiver.
• Available for AR-15

Strike UDC Specifications

• Length: 3.10”
• Width: 0.92”
• Weight: 0.4oz

NOTE: Safely unload your rifle/pistol. Visually and physically check the chamber and magazine well. Check twice. For photographic (and balance) reasons, I reinserted an empty magazine on an empty chamber.

If you have a standard ejection port cover, remove it using the reverse assembly instructions like those found here at Brownells. Remember to wear eye protection and watch for flying springs.

In the case of the Honey Badger, removal of the old polymer Strike Industries UDC is as simple as retracting the captured spring on the inside left of the cover using a small punch or pin.

Installing the cover is just as easy – pull back on the spring after inserting the right side into the upper receiver. The one tricky part that is reminiscent of a standard ejection port cover install is rotating the tail of the spring clockwise so that it rests on the receiver under pressure. Now insert the pin into the left side of the receiver and release the captured spring.

The new UDC comes with foam pads that can be stuck to the outside to reduce the “clack” sound of the cover opening.

I ended up removing the pads because they don’t make contact on the Honey Badger’s upper receiver.

Function check your new UDC by closing the cover, listening for any binding and feeling for resistance. Cycle the bolt a few times checking to make sure the cover opens with each pull and does not interfere with the operation of the action. There are a few billet receivers that will not properly accept a UDC.

With only a magazine through the newly outfitted Honey Badger, I didn’t notice a difference in actual functioning – which is a good thing. But the Strike Industries UDC looks great and is simple to install. So if you are building a new AR or are looking for an upgrade, I’d give it a shot.

Thanks for reading TFB.

Published on Aug 3, 2018 – TFBTV

In this episode of TFBTV, Pete makes his video debut with a visit to New Hampshire based firearm, silencer and accessory maker Q, LLC to build the iconic Honey Badger PDW. Outfitted with a seven inch barrel that is chambered in 300 Blackout and a pistol stabilizing brace designed in conjunction with SB Tactical, the Honey Badger is a compact short range weapon that is versatile enough to function in different many environments. Watch as a Q Honey Badger Pistol is built from scratch.

In this video, the Honey Badger is suppressed with Q’s own Trash Panda silencer on loan from Silencer Shop*.