First off, the main tool is sweet, but the expansion kit is like the mercury icing on Murderface's birthday cake (well, not quite as toxic anyway.) The kit consists of a semi-hard case and spare bits for the driver portion of the Tube.
The inside of the case has elastic loops for the Tube itself, and a couple slots for the pick and whatever else you want to stick in there. The other side has a couple mesh dividers and a velcro retention strap for the extra bits whatever you want to stick in that side as well.
As you can see, everything fits inside quite nicely, and doesn't bounce around. I carried the whole kit in my day pack over the weekend through the LandNav course, and it was silent. No rattles or clunks.
As mentioned, the expansion kit includes a range of spare bits in a rubber holder. The bits include a #1 Phillips; a 3/32 and #5 Flathead; a T-10 and a T-15 Torx bit; and 3/16, 9d/64, 1/8, 7/64, and 3/32 Hex drivers. That should cover most of your bases in the AR15 world of field maintainence.
Cool stuff.
Now on to the Tube tool itself.
Multitasker is a fitting name for the company, seeing as they produce a full range of weapon specific multi-tools, and the Tube is no exception. Being similar in size to a marker, it still packs some nice features. The cap unscrews to reveal the magnetic socket for the driver bits, and the tube comes with an AR15 front sight tool (four pronged A2 type.)
The inclusion of a front sight tool is one of the reasons I thought this tool was a winner right out the gate. Anybody who's spent more than a week in the Army can remember numerous zero ranges with a handful of finishing nails scattered about for front sight adjustment. I still don't understand the Army's refusal to issue front sight tools.
Making the sight tool a separate bit was a genius move on Multitasker's part, as the prongs are somewhat fragile, so the bit is easily replaceable. The cap also has a little nub sticking out of the top, which is perfect for stubborn takedown pins, and the pocket clip pulls double duty as a flathead screwdriver.
The other end features a threaded peg that accepts the included dental pick and AR15 bolt scraper.
The pick is great for getting into those tight spots, as well as for those of you who have problems getting out the firing pin retaining pin. Just hook the little sucker and pop it right out.
The scraper was the biggest reason I was attracted to the Tube. Anybody who's cleaned an AR after a couple hundred rounds of rapid-ish fire is familiar with the baked on layer of crud that will accumulate on the bolt tail right behind the O-rings (you know that criticism of the AR for crapping where it eats? Well that's the diner plate.) The blade of the scraper is cut to match the contours of the bolt tail, and is the best way I've ever had of scraping that crap off.
Here's the bolt from my A2 clone. That's at least 500 rounds of crap that's had about a year to settle on there.
I didn't soak it or anything, just scraped away for about 30 seconds. Some Hoppes and cloth will take care of whatever's left no problem.
The threading on that end of the Tube is also the same as the threading on the Otis cleaning kits that the Army issues now, meaning you can use the tube as a handle for the pull-through. I don't have an Otis kit handy, but I'll probably pick one up in the near future to try out in conjunction with the Tube. (Toss the pull through in that big empty pocket on the top of the above case, a little bottle of CLP, and you should be good.)
If you're the type who regularly shoots an AR, especially if you're like me and put 100+ rounds through in a regular range session, the Multitasker Tube is well worth looking into, even the basic tube alone. The Tube and expansion kit is available from Brownell's.
ETA: Update here.
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1 comment:
That's good stuff Fred. Thanks for the review. I've been looking for a small package to throw in with my range bag and I think this will fit the bill nicely. I owe you.
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