When I got home from SHOT Show, I had packages waiting for me. With only one exception, they were all items I’d ordered before heading out to Las Vegas. But the unexpected one got my attention, especially when I opened it.
When I opened it, I realized it was from 1791 Outdoor Lifestyle Group, a/k/a 1791 Gunleather. It had been intended to reach me before SHOT. But I left several days before SHOT for an unrelated trip. So it didn’t get to me in time to pique my curiosity enough to look up 1791 at the Show. I did, in fact, go by their booth, but didn’t know to ask about their newest product and their new division of the company.
Turns out 1791 has added to their business offerings. Known for their line of rugged and reliable holsters, they’ve now moved into the world of hybrid materials. Not for holsters, for their new line of “ultra-lightweight” firearms accessories.
Their teaser kit contained great-looking leather desk and mouse pad, keyring, and what appeared to be three rifle barrel nuts. One looked “real” and the other two were what I presumed were plastic imitations. One had the 1791 Industries logo, my name and their SHOT booth number on it. It was the “teaser” piece designed to get me to stop by Booth 375207.
It should have worked. Unfortunately, it was already post-SHOT. Intrigued, I reached out to Catalyst Outdoors’ Matt Foster, suspecting he was the person who’d assembled the kits for 1791. He was, and surprised me by telling me what I’d gotten weren’t facsimiles of “real” barrel nuts, they were one of the company’s newest products: ultra-lightweight barrel nuts made of a metal and ceramic nano- composite material called MAGNITE.
The new composite material’s at the heart of 1791’s new 1791 Industries division.
I’ve not had the chance to try the new material on a gun. But I’m waiting for a complete upper assembly for testing. It will include the upper, charging handle, hand guard and (I hope) scope rings and bases.
Can’t yet speak to the durability, but I can certainly speak to the weight reductions—at least based on the barrel nuts in my package.
The “traditional” 6061-T6 aluminum nut weighed in at 3.5 ounces. Both the MAGNITE nuts weighed only 1.6 ounces. That’s not a significant savings; that’s a ridiculous weight reduction. Individually, that would be an eighty percent weight reduction. I’m not a skeptic, but do believe that’s very nearly the definition of “too-good to be true.” But I also believe the only way to know is to try them, so I’m going to be giving the promised kit a thorough test -meaning I won’t be the only person trying them out.
According to 1791, the overall savings on their line of replacement parts will reduce overall rifle weights by 33% versus traditional materials, and offer additional thermal resistance due to the ceramic nanoparticles.
At this point, 1791’s initial line of accessories and components will include lightweight hand guards for AR-15/M4 and AK platforms, ambidextrous charging handles, AR-15 magazine extensions, scope mounts and rings, and complete AR upper and lower receivers.
Along with the weight reductions, the MAGNITE will offer “superior vibration dampening, high-temperature resistance, and exceptional strength.
We’ll see. And, as always, we’ll keep you posted.
— Jim Shepherd