#Buffer

Imperial Arms Co. has been making some great products for the SCAR platform. Specifically, their Cypher X, to build your own pistol version of a SCAR. Or their MTM which allows you to use LR/SR .308 mags and more importantly AR triggers. Well, now they are coming out with the Buffered Bolt Carrier to help mitigate recoil.

Palmetto State Armory needs little introduction. They are firmly established in the market as one of the largest gun manufacturers. Their Sabre line just expanded to include an A5-length buffer kit, called the S5.

If you can appreciate specific products built to fit specific needs, Strike Industries has something for you. There are plenty of one size fits most parts out there, but parts made specifically for your weapon system and/or caliber can make a world of difference. SI just released their AR PDW 9mm buffer, which, as you can imagine, is made specifically for use with their PDW Stock/Stabilizer or pistol length receiver extensions on 9mm direct blowback AR’s.

Quarter Circle 10 has introduced a new weight adjustable buffer assembly for the AR-pattern blowback operated pistol caliber carbines. The buffer comes with four aluminum, four steel, and four tungsten weights, as well as four rubber spacers. Having that choice of different material weights you can assemble the buffer to weigh from 5 oz (without any weight installed) to 11 oz (with all tungsten weights) and everything in-between. By choosing the proper weight combination you can adjust the overall buffer weight to flawlessly work with the caliber your PCC is chambered in. It will also be handy to adjust the weight for use with a suppressor.

A company called Armament (yes, simply Armament) manufactures an AR-15 buffer called L.A.R.B. (Linear Alignment Recoil Buffer). When you look at this buffer, you can immediately notice its enlarged tail portion. That allows having the second point of contact with the buffer spring and provides better alignment of the buffer and spring inside the buffer tube.

V7 Weapons Systems, known for their awesome ultra-light weight AR and other components has released their latest ultralight kit for the AR-15. Dubbed the “Ultra-Light Buffer Kit” the kit combines V7’s best-known lightweight parts for the rear of your modern sporting rifle (which I own many on my ultra-light build).

Capital Armament or CapArms is an Iowa based gun and ammo manufacturer more recently known for their  $500 Titanium Magnum Rifle Suppressor (now $599). To compliment their titanium cans CapArms is now selling what General Manager Nate Rinehart is calling “an improvement to the traditional AR-15 carbine buffer system”, the CapArms Quiet Shuttle System.

Schmeisser makes upgraded AR-15 buffer tube assembly. What makes it interesting to me is the approach of the company in product development. Instead of working on a development of a single aftermarket part, they have improved all the parts of the assembly (or subassembly). In this case, it is the buffer tube (receiver extension) assembly.

Taccom, known for their competition oriented offerings including shotgun shell caddies, ultra-light weight buffer systems, and a plethora of magazine extension kits, has turned their attention to the red-hot pistol caliber carbine market with their latest buffer system, the Heavy PCC Carbine Recoil System.

Chris Bartocci of Small Arms Solutions LLC has released a video, where he reviews the different types of AR-15 buffers. He discusses the evolution of the buffers in chronological order. Starting from M16 buffers and the first appearance of bolt carrier group bounce issue all the way to 9mm buffers. There are also a couple of experimental unicorns in the video such as the Colt’s prototype hydraulic buffer which never went into production. He also tells about the possible dangers and malfunctioning issues in different climate conditions when using improper buffers.

Its truly hard to keep up with the pace by which Strike Industries has been putting out product. In fact, we have occasionally missed one, which has not been on purpose (which despite often being Made in Taiwan, tends to be some innovative stuff, like their new safety selector which has me as a believer).

Not content to dominate the exterior of Stoner-based modern sporting rifles, MagPul has decided to hop into them as well. Where previous accessories were limited to handguards, magazines, grips, etc. Magpul has gone full-tilt integrating itself with the rear-end of the rifle. On top of their recent announcement of magazine extension tubes, Magpul has released buffers, recoil springs, & receiver extension mounting hardware.

There is nothing sexier in the firearm world than a short barreled rifle (SBR) with a sleek collapsible or folding stock. And the newest trend of integrating the MP5-A3 “two post” style of telescoping stock into the AR platform has brought a new level of both compactness and style to the market. Maxim Defense’s CQB Stock is one of the best looking options I have seen to date.

New Frontier Armory, known for their billet modern sporting rifle receivers across a variety of calibers has announced the release of an extra-heavy buffer for AR-type weapons. The extra-heavy buffer is designed for pistol caliber carbines to improve function.

Blitzkrieg Components has released a purpose-designed buffer for 9mm AR-15 platforms. The new buffer differs by using a polycarbonate piston head which encases a shock absorber. Blitzkrieg claims that the new buffer design “eliminates buffer wear” and “runs completely quiet.”