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Thread: Hodge Defense--Best Carbine money can buy?

  1. #271
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    Quote Originally Posted by Renegade04 View Post

    This is the type of info that should be listed and not just claims that try to justify its price tag. It helps people to research certain items of interest in the case they are interested in using those parts on they AR. If the summation of all the parts renders a fully functional and dependable AR, then the mission is accomplished. It does not matter whether it cost $800 or $3000 to assemble. The important thing is the design fits the function without anything wasted. I am sure that Jim builds some fantastic ARs, but like I said, a lot of home builders do as well. We do it for ourselves while he does it for his business. I look forward to seeing the specs on this AR.
    He did come on line to post the spec of his weapon......please check page 3 of this thread...

    Also check out my video post on page 10..it is not essential to the performance of the M4 carbine, but this is the quality that you see in a HDSI rifle.

    link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmYU...ature=youtu.be

  2. #272
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    Quote Originally Posted by Renegade04 View Post
    I have read a multitude of the comments in this thread. I have seen some who support the abilities of Jim Hodges and his competency in building very well functioning ARs. Like many who have questioned the specifics of the AR that SMGLee has presented, I too would like to know. I have seen the list of parts that were listed from Hodges' website and they are good quality parts. That is very important if you are going to build a high quality weapon. There are many home builders who do the same. I am one of those home builders. It is not hard to build one spending $2000. There are many manufacturers out there who build many of the same components and of the same materials. I recently built a really nice mid-length carbine and I wanted to do a high quality build. I did a lot of research and comparisons of various parts before I started buying them. After all was said and done, I ended up with a $1900 investment that works extremely well.

    Here is the breakdown:

    Upper Receiver:

    TGD Firearms Billet upper receiver (made by New Frontier Armory)
    AIM Surplus NiB M16 Bolt Carrier Group
    BCM Gunfighter Charging Handle w/ Mod 4 latch
    BCM Standard 14.5" Mid Length Barrel, Stripped
    BCM Low Profile Gas Block (steel with set screws) 750
    Midwest Industries 12-inch Gen2 SS-Series One Piece Free Float Handguard - BLACK
    Midwest Industries G2SS PANEL KIT (FDE)
    JP Enterprises Compact Tactical Comp with Persuader Front End
    MAGPUL MBUS front and rear sights
    Aimpoint PRO

    Lower Receiver:

    TGD Firearms Billet lower receiver (made by New Frontier Armory)
    PSA LPK w/ B5 Systems Pistol Grip (FDE)
    ALG ACT Trigger
    BCM 4-Position Mil-Spec Buffer Tube Assembly (standard carbine buffer)
    B5 Systems SOPMOD stock (Mil-Spec)
    Seekins Extended Bolt Release
    Seekins Magazine Release






    This is the type of info that should be listed and not just claims that try to justify its price tag. It helps people to research certain items of interest in the case they are interested in using those parts on they AR. If the summation of all the parts renders a fully functional and dependable AR, then the mission is accomplished. It does not matter whether it cost $800 or $3000 to assemble. The important thing is the design fits the function without anything wasted. I am sure that Jim builds some fantastic ARs, but like I said, a lot of home builders do as well. We do it for ourselves while he does it for his business. I look forward to seeing the specs on this AR.
    Not quite sure about the New Frontier Armory receivers or the PSA lpk, but to each their own I guess. The only thing I can figure is that you like tinkering/ building. Since you could have ordered most everything already put together from BCM and a free BCM BCG for around $100 less.
    "The most important rule in a gunfight is: Always win and cheat if necessary." ~ Clint Smith

  3. #273
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    Hello gentlemen. Much of you have asked what makes the MOD1 any different than other rifles you champion here on M4Carbine.net. Before answering this, please keep this in mind. Like stated before, I have consulted for many companies which you are familiar with, for longer than this sight has been up. Please consider that most of the parts I have chosen came from companies I have been close with for more than a decade. What does this mean? It means the MOD1 has a little of me from other companies. You ask for IP, I cannot wholly say all of the components featured in my brand come from my intellectual property, but when asked by those manufacturing the parts, my input is tendered, and you see a reflection of that in my MOD1. Like stated before, I am not new to this industry, and have a humble and respectful reputation in the industry. Ask around, call a buddy in the business, vet me...

    I was once told, you haven't been in business for 1 year, you been in this business for more than a dozen, you just went commercial in the past year.

    The rifle is a sum of it parts, and the care behind building it, it's not just one proprietary element. Look at the other companies you/we covet here. KAC, BCM, DD, Noveske, COLT... Great guns, and fit a certain niche in the market. I truly love these brands, and they are inspiring to me as companies go, though it was time for me to come out from behind the curtain and take a chance in an over populated industry.

    If you like a CHF, CL, 1/7 mid gas barrel, well then your options get more narrow. If you like a Geissele SMR rail coming from the factory, then again your options narrow. If you like investment cast parts replaced by bar-stock parts, again you dwindle in you brand choices. My uppers and lowers will work just fine with other brands. The long term use on my specs have proven not to be an problem at all, as we have customers who have 30k plus with no hick-ups. Have we had issues, not much, but yup. We have seen bolt lugs sheer twice, one cam pin fail, and that's it. (Knock on wood). What is proprietary, FOR NOW, is my dimensions on the upper and lower. There are other components on my MOD1 which I have helped design along the way.

    For those who need end user feedback, I am blessed to have a following of sophisticated professionals. That is all I will say about my "non-commercial" customers.

    For those who want specific dimensions on gas port sizes, and the specific type III hard coat I use, etc... Please consider, if it performs to your standard, or more, what difference will it make if we argue on the semantics of opinion.

    For the LEO/Mil roll marks... Good story behind my decision on that. During the last run on these types of rifles, there were a bunch in the media saying "I don't see the need for the public to have those types of rifles" "we believe our military, and law enforcement should be the only ones who have that type of firepower"... Evil me decided, screw it, I am putting the roll mark on my brand as a reminder that even "John Q" has the right to own one of these rifles. It's kinda a FU to the media...nothing more, nothing less.

    Why is gun worth the street price of 2k? It's expensive to build to MY spec. I don't deal direct to the consumer at this time. For admin reasons, and logistics, I developed a dist./dealer network. The parts alone are high, then FET, then Admin costs, then profit, and then profit to my dealers. It all adds up.

    Why is my carbine better, it may not be for you, but it is for my buyers. You don't have to buy into anything me or someone else says here, find one, test drive it, and you will come to your own conclusion.

    MOD2, tooling up for it now. Working with some distinguished organizations, and manufactures to produce an enhanced carbine the industry has yet to see. Back to you IP guys... Upper, lower, come from enhanced forgings I had a major role in designing, as well as a handguard per my design. The operating system will be basically the same as the MOD 1, though will have more ambi control.

    Hot tits Hulahan in the OP, well she is hot, but I like brunettes...and therefor if you go to my website of FB page you will understand I don't employ hot girls for ad campaigns or media.

    By the way...if anyone can tell me what the clover represents, I'll give you a cookie.

    Have a great rest f the weekend,

    Jim Hodge

  4. #274
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    Quote Originally Posted by texasjim View Post
    Hello gentlemen. Much of you have asked what makes the MOD1 any different than other rifles you champion here on M4Carbine.net. Before answering this, please keep this in mind. Like stated before, I have consulted for many companies which you are familiar with, for longer than this sight has been up. Please consider that most of the parts I have chosen came from companies I have been close with for more than a decade. What does this mean? It means the MOD1 has a little of me from other companies. You ask for IP, I cannot wholly say all of the components featured in my brand come from my intellectual property, but when asked by those manufacturing the parts, my input is tendered, and you see a reflection of that in my MOD1. Like stated before, I am not new to this industry, and have a humble and respectful reputation in the industry. Ask around, call a buddy in the business, vet me...

    I was once told, you haven't been in business for 1 year, you been in this business for more than a dozen, you just went commercial in the past year.

    The rifle is a sum of it parts, and the care behind building it, it's not just one proprietary element. Look at the other companies you/we covet here. KAC, BCM, DD, Noveske, COLT... Great guns, and fit a certain niche in the market. I truly love these brands, and they are inspiring to me as companies go, though it was time for me to come out from behind the curtain and take a chance in an over populated industry.

    If you like a CHF, CL, 1/7 mid gas barrel, well then your options get more narrow. If you like a Geissele SMR rail coming from the factory, then again your options narrow. If you like investment cast parts replaced by bar-stock parts, again you dwindle in you brand choices. My uppers and lowers will work just fine with other brands. The long term use on my specs have proven not to be an problem at all, as we have customers who have 30k plus with no hick-ups. Have we had issues, not much, but yup. We have seen bolt lugs sheer twice, one cam pin fail, and that's it. (Knock on wood). What is proprietary, FOR NOW, is my dimensions on the upper and lower. There are other components on my MOD1 which I have helped design along the way.

    For those who need end user feedback, I am blessed to have a following of sophisticated professionals. That is all I will say about my "non-commercial" customers.

    For those who want specific dimensions on gas port sizes, and the specific type III hard coat I use, etc... Please consider, if it performs to your standard, or more, what difference will it make if we argue on the semantics of opinion.

    For the LEO/Mil roll marks... Good story behind my decision on that. During the last run on these types of rifles, there were a bunch in the media saying "I don't see the need for the public to have those types of rifles" "we believe our military, and law enforcement should be the only ones who have that type of firepower"... Evil me decided, screw it, I am putting the roll mark on my brand as a reminder that even "John Q" has the right to own one of these rifles. It's kinda a FU to the media...nothing more, nothing less.

    Why is gun worth the street price of 2k? It's expensive to build to MY spec. I don't deal direct to the consumer at this time. For admin reasons, and logistics, I developed a dist./dealer network. The parts alone are high, then FET, then Admin costs, then profit, and then profit to my dealers. It all adds up.

    Why is my carbine better, it may not be for you, but it is for my buyers. You don't have to buy into anything me or someone else says here, find one, test drive it, and you will come to your own conclusion.

    MOD2, tooling up for it now. Working with some distinguished organizations, and manufactures to produce an enhanced carbine the industry has yet to see. Back to you IP guys... Upper, lower, come from enhanced forgings I had a major role in designing, as well as a handguard per my design. The operating system will be basically the same as the MOD 1, though will have more ambi control.

    Hot tits Hulahan in the OP, well she is hot, but I like brunettes...and therefor if you go to my website of FB page you will understand I don't employ hot girls for ad campaigns or media.

    By the way...if anyone can tell me what the clover represents, I'll give you a cookie.

    Have a great rest f the weekend,

    Jim Hodge
    Thank you Jim. I appreciate you taking time to post a reasoned response. Hope I get the chance to shoot one of your offerings some day.
    What if this whole crusade's a charade?
    And behind it all there's a price to be paid
    For the blood which we dine
    Justified in the name of the holy and the divine…

  5. #275
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    Quote Originally Posted by Voodoochild View Post
    J chops go back to the the top of page 3 when the man himself chimes in and breaks things down for everyone. Specifically bolts since you seem to have an issue with that.
    Yes, I saw that which is why I posted that group of suggestions. Trying to help Hodge possibly clear things up for prospective buyers. I think a lot of stress would be alleviated with some transparency.

    He said that he has in fact shipped them "sometimes with 9310", yet the site only lists C158. So why not just list both materials? There's obviously nothing to hide on his part. I'm not saying which is better. I'm saying it sucks to say something is a specific way and then find out later it's a different specific way, especially on a $2,299 "all the details matter" carbine.

    A crappy analogy, but if KAC listed their guns used CHF barrels "sometimes" and "sometimes not", wouldn't you want to know? Which E3 do I have? A sometimes or a sometimes not?

    Again, to do investigative reporting to find out WTF is inside a carbine (in 2014) is just annoying the shit out of people. Why be so vague and make people call to have simple questions answered that could be done in five minutes of updating? (Who makes your CHF barrels? Oh, DD, nice. What kind of gas blocks are you pinning? Where do you source your BCGs? What kind of endplates do you use? Why? Who makes your bar stock selector? Oh you make your own FA and takedown pins in house? Do you offer any other factory options? Great! Etc.)

    That site couldn't possibly be any less informative and more misleading. Just being honest.

  6. #276
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    Quote Originally Posted by comprido View Post
    You forgot vague references to the builder's history of work overseas and of building rifles for people "who shoot bad people in the face" ie Tier 1/2/SOF, etc. (Though I'm sure if anyone asks for clarification on what the builder did overseas we quickly hear something about not needing to know and would quickly get a "stay in your lane.")
    He would have been called out awhile ago by those who are in that business if this were the case. To be quite frank, you have no need to know who he worked for or when. The product speaks for itself as a quality rifle that has been vetted by several highly regarded members of this forum. There is a dog pile here that never should have started. If you have nothing to say about the product then move on. This reminds me of people trying to dog Geissele for perceived association with an SMU, which was true, he was and those people sounded like idiots. This forum has now created a number of internet experts who know everything and attack anything they don't. These people then embrace the thing they hated after it gets enough momentum (Keymod comes to mind) and I expect that to happen here as well. You guys can hate it all you want and save me the pain of being on a wait list.

  7. #277
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    I believe glocktogo has nailed it most succinctly:

    "What we have here is a thread that was started on a high end, high dollar AR by a SME that does not adhere to the time honored formulas . . . THAT, is the sole reason this thread has taken on a life of it's own . . . We've all been witness to the M4C party line that details matter, specs matter and materials matter. Suddenly we're being told "trust us".


    I think this thread is an example of cognitive dissonance: mental stress or discomfort experienced by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the same time, or is confronted by new information that conflicts with existing beliefs, ideas, or values.(1)

    As a simple AR enthusiast with only a small fraction of time behind weapons compared to mods, industry experts, and SMEs (and who probably has no business posting in this thread) my sense is that time and rounds downrange will shed definitive light on the Hodge offerings. However, given my regard for the opinions of M4C heavy hitters and Mr. Hodge, I believe that the respected OP's assertions will likely be confirmed. It will certainly be interesting to look back on this thread a year or so from now. My wallet will be ready.




    1. Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. California: Stanford University Press.

  8. #278
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    @texasjim - Based on your success with "non-commercial" customers, I'd argue you may want to focus on that business model. Your opportunity to make inroads with the commercial crowd on this forum appears to have been scuttled faster than the Graf Spee. The botched delivery and the protective association mentality of the site owner, mods and industry insiders was nothing short of comical.

    Wait for it...

  9. #279
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    Quote Originally Posted by MarkG View Post
    @texasjim - Based on your success with "non-commercial" customers, I'd argue you may want to focus on that business model. Your opportunity to make inroads with the commercial crowd on this forum appears to have been scuttled faster than the Graf Spee. The botched delivery and the protective association mentality of the site owner, mods and industry insiders was nothing short of comical.

    Wait for it...
    Mr. G, my business model was an easy first step for me, as my inroads with those communities were low hanging fruit. Meaning, my reputation was easier with my non commercial clients to market to.

    To those interested in my background... I am no Ninja. I road on the coat tails of other great men, and was blessed to do some cool shit down range which involved carrying a gun for a living.

  10. #280
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    Lookin forward to the MOD2

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