The A2SQD has a detented collar, the gate is like .109” thickness so all A2 comps work, the collar is tightened and compresses the gate into the grooves front face, pinching the A2 into a diametrical flange in front so the unit is rigid and aligned to the A2. This way the gate doesn’t get shit hammered by the excessive tolerance at the groove required to interface minority European A2’s made closer to low limit of the nato print at times.

We made one edit and replaced two of the baffles in the back of the can (that were already manufactured but not yet assembly welded), with one more durable baffle that had the weight of the pair, this dropped the already low backpressure, and added durability for the target customers which are military end users who want cans but can’t administratively or that organizationally do not want to modify the rifles.

Devices longer than A2 will not work.  Our closed tine, and hammer comp devices will interface and the hammer comps improve suppression a little vs std A2’s. I tested the A2SQD on a unmodified factory 14.5 mid mounted on an A2 with m193 for a US government agency inquiry last week, and AHAAH weekly dosing numbers were 72rds muzzle, 37rds left ear, 26 rds right ear. Those numbers are about 40% higher muzzle (as in more safe), and approximately identical ear to the KAC NT4 we tested on a 16” mid gas barrel.  

Peak rise and fall happen in about 3 ms, indicating the can has a pretty high flow rate which is supported by near zero perception of gas in the face.

Flash reduction is pretty solid, as it has our new flash suppressor like the Recce 5K, but in a short tine version on account of the can being a little longer.

This product wasn’t designed or targeted at consumers, but is available due to a desire not to offend anyone.

With the military doing ridiculously abusive tests that require special non std issue platforms like the 416 to conduct because they will break a DI platform, and purchasing 22 ounce NT4’s, the 19.5 ounce weight is lighter than NT4, and similar system weight to units like the RC2 which mount to 4.7 ounce flash hiders and weigh 17.2 ounces without the flash suppressor.

So while I will totally agree that the weight is heavy, this is driven by the excessively abusive tests being conducted that have no relationship to any combat reality and are decided in a lab by people who aren’t typically soldiers or operators.

We gave the government agency freedom to tell us if they would like length or weight specifications to change and told them what options we had and how that would affect performance, so if they prefer a different direction that is available to them.

If a government customer orders changes that reduce weight, that will drive development which may make an alternate configuration available for consumers.

Another obvious reality is that A2 mounts are heavy, and A2 compensators are light, so a direct comparison to other market muzzle device attached options can essentially delete ~3 ounces of weight from any A2 mount can, and 16.5 ounces isn’t quite as heavy of a number.

We aren’t trying to actively not do things people want.  There is just massive demand right now.

I wouldn’t mind at all if the agency asked for lighter.  That would give us a reason to lose sales redirecting time to developing it, because we want to develop verticals, and government sales is a vertical.  We are pretty deep into a GSA onboard process for example. Losing sales (if required) to be a better strategic partner of a newer customer demographic is a strategic loss for a long term more stable success in that individual markets ebb and flow. High long term success is good for our customers of all types and employees.

I do understand that there is consumer interest and a lighter model should exist for that.  We are actively working on increasing our capacity, so whenever we get time we will invest some in that.

Maybe Surefire will eventually have a lighter can.  Again the system weight of RC2 and A2SQD with muzzle devices are within approximately 1/2 an ounce, and I haven’t seen people make the case Surefire is putting customers in a bad place by offering the product because some day a lighter can similar to an RC2 may exist.

The weight of the can is intended to allow it to meet the possible durability requirements of a big military organization.  We can’t be considered stupid for looking at the USMC infantry buying 24 ounce system weight NT4’s, and Army buying 21.7 ounce system weight RC2’s and saying possibly a big Army purchase, possibly even outside the infantry could want a 21.5 ounce system weight.

They obviously want excessive durability. And aren’t concerned with weight.

I would love to see 17ounce system weight with muzzle device as the answer but to change the direction of the government is really pissing up hill.  A simple practical decision a consumer can make in half an hour might take the military 15-20 years.

I do blame the absurd accelerated durability tests.  

I also think a lot of it has to do with mathematical lethality on paper- if the warfighter can put more bullets in the air they are more lethal is not a fact, but it appears to be the way gold stars get earned. The faster people shoot, the lower the hit probability for the rounds fired will become.

The reality is that they already have a heavy fight simulation in the old 40 target weapons qualification, so they know what a simulation of a very heavy fight is, and they simply have not used anything like it to establish standards for the gear.

I know a recon marine who kicked doors in the falujha offensive and he averaged 1.3 rds a minute for four hours, and he was at times doing failure drills on two targets in a room (aka perhaps 6 rds a target). He was twice wounded in that time and that ultimately forced a need for medical attention before he expended his 13 mags completely.

He could have run a 10.5 ounce can under those circumstances without even pushing it hard, but he had a 22 ounce can- the medical issue that took him out of the fight temporarily was related to the speed of engagement of two targets in one room, so maybe it even came down to the 12 ounces of can slowing the transition just enough for that to happen.

In order to optimize gear, it will be necessary to understand a few users will damage units.  But this doesn’t have to be the end of the world- a quick replacement of one can of 100, and a little end user headspace and timing adjustment, and 99 guys are lighter and faster on the battlefield, or can carry more water into the fight.  It certainly didn’t seem to bother the infantry when a platoon could fill a gallon bucket with Acogs that would zero anymore. So why should this not imply one can worn out is unacceptable?

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Production volume, if the can was selected and the whole suppress the Army M4 inventory thing happened, would have to be absurdly high.  People in procurement already said the cost that project could weather would not be high.  So some of the design emphasis had to do with potential speed of production if something like that actually materialized.  And very little of the speed of production (almost Zero) is integrated right now as this is just a concept.  Some of the manufacturing technologies neccessary to ultimately cost reduce the design are only reachable at volumes of more than 100,000 components in an order, and would likely involve subcontractors who specialize in ultra high volume production.

The project may never happen, and our likelihood of winning it if it did is low because we just haven't been here 40 years and made all the inroads.  But we didn't plan for it to be impossible to meet the requirements if the volume happened.

A lot of people at modern day marine were talking about the IAR system being too heavy for practical use. It was a common topic of unsolicited conversation. The rifle, as well as the vcog, and the NT4, and light/laser are all heavier than average devices in their classes.  

I believe the fully outfitted rifle is 14 lbs with a loaded 30rd magazine vcog, nt4, and peq16b, which is 4.5 lbs more than a WWII m1-garand rifle.  It is 2.25lbs heavier than a 1928 thompson with loaded 30 rd stick magazine, and the 1928 was great but its a total pig for weight in the smg category.  It is important to note the center of gravity on the Thompson was more rearward than on the outfitted IAR with the can out on the end of a 16” barrel and a lot of the weight in the vicinity of the barrel.

Our assembly department manager is a marine infantry reservist who was issued an M4 before the IAR and he talks about his M4 like its a dream he’ld like to get back to.

I saw hackathorn argue that but my grandpa had to hump a BAR in the phillipines, so thats a good reminder it can always get worse. The bar is like the least ergonomic gun ever especially with the bipod up front.

I don’t think its true.  There was a macvsog guywho ran an m1A1 in wwII, korea, and Vietnam and he survived his mac v sog time.  

That seemed to suggest the Thompson was ok.  I personally like the 1928 more than the m1a1.  The cutts comp, and adjustable sights are nice for keeping the gun on target. I’m sure the gun was devastating on troops without body armor. On automatic at close range, it makes a shotgun look less intimidating. Nobody survives catching 6-10 45 slugs in the chest.

My grandfather said if so much as a squirrel made a move he would drop 20 rds on it.  He mentioned in the jungle the Japanese would often hide really well and attack at point blank range so it was pretty chaotic.  He fired what he estimated to be 1440 rounds in combat until finally he lived in the Malinta tunnel before the surrender of Bataan and he had 23 confirmed kills. He never fired a rifle after the war (had made a decision never to pick up a rifle again), but had a Browning A-5 shotgun and hunted pheasants.  His army buddy was in a competition, saying whoever had the most confirmed kills would win the pay of the other guy. At the surrender it was 23 to 21 with my grandfather in the lead. He mentioned nobody ever paid- possibly the other guy didn't survive. FDR screwed them over by not re-supplying the Phillipines- they didn't have to lose the Philippines to the Japanese, but FDR was preoccupied with getting involved in Europe.

He was tortured by the Japanese and he hated them his whole life.  I remember visiting him in the hospital at a point and he was unconscious and I could see cigarette burns all over his legs and a scar where a Japanese interrogator had gouged a decent size disfiguring chunk of his thigh out with the buttstock of an Arisaka rifle.  He had been an Army medic by MOS ( 6'2" 235lbs and had been tasked to carry the BAR because of his size).  He had a veterinary medicine book in the camp and and was studying to be a veterinarian (what he did when he got back to the US aside from college on the GI bill and playing football for the Michigan state Spartans).  A few prisoners needed surgeries and he performed successful surgeries in the prison camp and got a bronze star for that.  It would have been cool to hear a little more but he only ever said a few sentences to me, so most of what I know is from my dad. Ironically he did tell me he joined the Army in 1939 because he thought there would be a war with Germany and he was the son of a WWI veteran- my great grandfather who had convinced him to stay the fuck out of the Army, and he volunteered for the Philippines because it was half a world away from Europe, figuring it was a good survival strategy.

I tell my kids the same- stay out of the Army.  But I realize taking them to Benning for the international sniper competition and letting them watch the mortar competitions with the mortarmen and working in the firearms industry isn't maybe the best way to ensure they never think about it.  

On another note, we've sold only a small number of A2SQD's and one of the first customers is the US Army- a very small order from dog handlers.  Cool.

Thanks- I thought the can was kind of perfect for the Infantry and its neat to see some personnel in the Army respond to it. Our Talo rep is a former infantry soldier from the 101st and he was at hq last week shooting the A2SQD, and really liked the product which was cool.

Events like that harden a person to the extent they are almost unable to be normally functional in normal life.  He was one of the most hardened people I’ve ever met.

I don’t think a lot of people understand what happened to the soldiers in the Phillipines was kind of unprecedented. They were cut off from resupply fighting for months on reduced rations- the guys going into the bataan death march had gotten to see MacArthur leave them to escape their fate, and were already malnourished. They considered MacArthur a coward.

He mentioned things like picking up the pace and going group to group on the death march to find a group, the guards of which were allowing the prisoners to drink water- knowing that many of the guards who weren’t allowing troops to drink water were going to inevitably run everyone to collapse and kill all their prisoners by bayonet.

He said the rice they were fed in the prison had maggots or something in it, and mentioned telling guys not to pick them out because they needed all the calories they could get.  He weighed 120lbs when they were liberated 3 years after being captured.

I don’t really think it would be professional to ask, and like I said a very small order, but I do appreciate that it resonated with soldiers so quickly.

That was the point. To protect the working dogs I’m a little surprised that they aren’t already issued suppressors.