2018cnc8-9

explained. Although broaching is far less expensive, it generally is associated with lower-end rifles. Ash knew that their target market would demand more. “Law enforcement agencies need a fast reload, and broached mag wells are more likely to drag on the mag release. Quality is everything, particu- larly when it comes to a weapon that could mean the difference between life and death.” Ash and his partners concluded that EDM was the only way to get the job done right. One look at Blackout Defense’s lowers and you can see they were dead on. They can achieve with their EDM a near 90-degree corner if necessary. “EDM is the only way to get it tight and precise,” remarks Ash. “It is impossible to do this with a mill or by broaching.” Blackout Defense EDMs 12 lowers at a time, efficiently completing two racks a day. Ash touts the Mitsubi- shi MV1200R as one of the best and most enjoyable machines he has ever used. Ash is proud of the ripples Blackout Defense has made in the AR market. Continuing its trend of innovative and measurable enhancements, Blackout De- fense has its sights set on introducing a precision bolt action rifle by the end of the 2019, and a 1911 pistol by the end of 2020. Ash predicts that the EDM will play a significant role in the manufac- turing of both products. “We anticipate using the EDM to refine the bolt action receiver after heat treatment. We also expect to use the EDM to cut the 1911 slide and frame from a single block of material.” Blackout Defense has everything in house: milling, EDM, heat treating, and even CNC grinding. “We crammed a lot of technology in a very small space,” notes Ash. “We believe in technology and want to be able to control as many pro- cesses as possible to minimize the manu- Blackout Defense chose the AR-15 as their foray into gun manufacturing. The popular shooting platform gave them the opportunity to machine a wide selections of parts and complete rifles. The devil is in the details and a close look will show how they are doing things a little bit differently than most. Here is a tungsten finish on a Blackout Defense AR-15 chambered in a 6.5 Grendel. EDM fixtures don’t have to hold the part as solidly as you would need to on a mill, but they offer their own set of nuances that you don’t see on any other style of machine. Blackout Defense cuts 12 lowers at the same time. They machine two racks of lowers per day.