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Thread: Anyone here have a SNACH charging handle?

  1. #21
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  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by WS6 View Post
    I tested one of their initial offerings and have slow motion video, if anyone cares. Here is a copy/paste of my review:
    View down the electrical line paralleling the southern border of my property, offset by about 75 yards, this morning:





    My honest assessment is that the initial high-pressure gasses that "sting" your eyes/face are the same with the Griffin as any of the others. They simply are too fast/of too much volume to meaningfully channel through a 90* bend at the furthest end of the pressure-vessel (upper/lower) You can see this in the videos, as well as my experience with it as an anecdote. The slow gasses, residual back-wash, etc. and some of the high-velocity initial overpressure does go out the right side. It's like a BLAST. The lever doesn't appear to mitigate it much, really, in my video anyway. It then is dissipated by the environment. This may mean you have a big cloud of it just in front of your face blown back into your face, or not. Who knows?

    The best I can relate this to is your shower head. If you poke a 1/8" hole in it, will all the other holes cease to put out water? Will you really notice the lack of pressure to them, if the reason you poked that 1/8" hole was that their little streams were too violent? Likely not. Likely, all you will get is MORE water coming out of the shower head. This is about what I experienced. The little streams still flowed too hard, and now there was just more "water", so to speak (total amount of smoke and gas in front of my face).

    Personally, I did not find the Griffin SN-ACH to be any real-world improvement over the BCM regarding "gas in face mitigation", and I didn't really bother to play with the mil-spec because who does, who is also considering a $80+ CH?

    No, where the Griffin shone was in its finish. It is a VERY well machined and anodized piece. The ambi levers are very pleasant. It's what the Raptor should have been, IMO.

    Is it worth the cost of admission? Yes. As much as any other $80+ Ambi CH.
    Is it going to change how you perceive shooting with a suppressor? It didn't for me.

    As always, I strive for accuracy and honesty from my point of view. Others may perceive more benefit, or less, depending on their rifle.

    This is, also, just my initial assessment. I spent a total of 30 rounds between all 3 CH's. Mostly on the BCM and Griffin. I may change my opinion later as I get more time on the Griffin, but I am reserved on how much room for change their is. I experienced what I experienced. Maybe after a few mag dumps a cumulative effect would be noticed, I don't know.

    Regardless, the videos speak for themselves, and I just wanted to add my own perception to the technical aspect that the videos provide.
    Thanks for the review WS6!
    Quote Originally Posted by JSantoro View Post
    Stop dicking the dog, please. It's gross.

  3. #23
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    Yep, much appreciated.

  4. #24
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    So I was finally able to test and review the new SNACH charging handle this weekend.


    It appears to be very well made and comparable to the Raptor. The latch sizes were similar & weight (as measured on my scale) was identical, with both at 1.4 oz. The Raptor latch, IMO, was "grippier" than the SNACH. The SNACH; however, has user configurable latches available.


    The rear of the SNACH was taller (thicker) than the Raptor, and was flush with the top rail of the upper. I figured this would be more effective in blocking any gas out the rear.




    There is a large compression spring visible on the rear of the SNACH. At first I thought that there may be an issue of it popping out but after further inspection, it is captured in the rear body of the CH. Being exposed; however, does elevate the possibility of introducing dirt/debris into the spring. Mine also seemed to be overly stiff & it makes me wonder if it will accelerate wear on the upper catch.


    Now on to the testing. I was sorely disappointed in its capability to mitigate the gas to the face. In fact, it was significantly higher than when I use a Raptor.
    It became obvious to me why after I used it. With the Raptor, the only gas that I get is any that happens to get by through leakage out the rear. That amount, in my experience, is very minimal & not an issue.
    With the SNACH, any gas is freely directed out the port & wafts right into your face. There was little to no wind when I was testing, so it lingered.

    While the concept of the port seems to make sense, IMO, it only seemed to make it worse.
    I was testing this with an 11.5" SBR suppressed with a GA M4SDII can using my target reloads (55gn FMJ/H335).


    I purchased the SNACH for $69.95 delivered, so while it was somewhat of a deal, I'm still disappointed I wasted $70. If you're not shooting suppressed, it's a great charging handle. The fit/finish & overall quality is excellent, as is my experience with all of Griffin Armament's offerings.

    When I get a chance, I'm going to compare it to a 20" AR, with a Gunfighter CH. That rifle in particular, I experience the most gas to face when shooting suppressed. If the SNACH works better than the GF, I'll leave it in there. If not, I'm going to probably tap threads into the port & install a set screw to block the port.

    It is a great, high quality charging handle but it didn't, in my experience, do what it was designed to do and that's mitigate the problem of gas to face. In fact, it made it significantly worse.
    Quote Originally Posted by JSantoro View Post
    Stop dicking the dog, please. It's gross.

  5. #25
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    Thanks for the review. Good point about the gas lingering around when there's no wind. Reminds me of several piston AR's I've shot. Even though there is quite a bit of gas vented near the front of the gun, it finds its way back and stings the eyes and chokes me up.

  6. #26
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    Excellent review. I only wish I had waited for your testing before I let you convince me to buy one.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  7. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pork Chop View Post
    Excellent review. I only wish I had waited for your testing before I let you convince me to buy one.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Thanks!

    Hey wait, I think it was you, "the other white meat", that emailed me with the link to the sale.

    Hopefully, you'll have a better experience with your Omega. If not, I'll let you know which tap I used.
    Quote Originally Posted by JSantoro View Post
    Stop dicking the dog, please. It's gross.

  8. #28
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    If it's already a problem with this AR15 then why wouldn't it be a problem with your other AR15 that you say has worse gas to the face? Maybe you can just try to trade it for a Ranier Raptor?
    Yes, I like pretty ponies.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hwikek View Post
    If it's already a problem with this AR15 then why wouldn't it be a problem with your other AR15 that you say has worse gas to the face? Maybe you can just try to trade it for a Ranier Raptor?
    Because I have several ARs, all with different upper receivers, barrel lengths, and charging handle configurations. Maybe, for some reason, it'll work better in a different AR. Obviously, the manufacturer thought it worked well enough to bring it to market so maybe I can find what they saw.

    Besides, it's really not that difficult to try it out in different rifles.
    Quote Originally Posted by JSantoro View Post
    Stop dicking the dog, please. It's gross.

  10. #30
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    I'll echo what you said about the construction of the SNACH. It's built like a tank. Even if it doesn't meet expectations regarding gas redirection/mitigation, it is a well built piece if equipment and definitely not a waste of money at the price we paid. I'll have to get back to you on the suppressed qualities. I've yet to get permission to play.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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