Going Hot Outta The Closet: Parts from AXTS Weapons Recoil Staff December 8, 2015 Join the Conversation At RECOIL, we review every product fairly and without bias. Making a purchase through one of our links may earn us a small commission, and helps support independent gun reviews. Read our affiliate policy. Find out more about how we test products. If Oregon based AXTS half asses anything, we don't know about it. While they make complete carbines and rifles, they also have a variety of well thought out parts and pieces available for purchase. The original production charging handle of the AR-15 was just fine when it was designed and refined in the late 1950's and early 1960's. Since that time, and especially over the last 15 years, weapons handling, training, and employment has changed dramatically. There's more focus now on charging with the non-dominant hand (which is especially fun for a lefty) and using AR/M16 variants in precision roles. First extended latches hit the market. And quickly people were finding themselves breaking roll pins and even kinking the bodies of the charging handles. These days there's no shortage of aftermarket charging handles, but probably currently the most mimicked is the original AXTS Raptor charging handle. It features large-but-not-too-large levers that are equally effective with either hand. It's available in five different finishes for both 5.56 and 7.62 AR's. AXTS also has ambidextrous selector sets that are…. selectable. The AXTS Talon not only has four different 7075 lever sizes to choose from (for 16 different possible combinations) and a variety of colors, but the Talon is easily swapped from the traditional 90 degree throw to a shorter 45 degree throw without even removing the safety cylinder from the weapon. Instead of having to play with screws that are easily lost, the levers for the AXTS Talon uses a clever dent-and-dovetail design for lever attachment and swapping. It's been said that if a rifle has a heart an soul, they can be found in the Bolt Carrier Group (BCG) and the barrel. AXTS took this seriously when they made their Black Nitride BCG. The bolt is high pressure tested (HPT) and magnetic particle inspected (MPI), the carrier key is well staked, and the Black Nitride finish is deep and uniform. AXTS sweats the small stuff too. Forward assists are an often argued subject regarding the efficacy of their use. AXTS must have figured that if you were going to have one, at least make it right and make it light. The AXTS forward assist is titanium and weighs (at least on our scale) 8 grams less than the standard part. No, 8 grams is not likely to break the proverbial camel's back, but lighter is lighter. Just like everything else we've seen from AXTS, this isn't half-assed in the slightest. 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