The first product I saw at the 2017 SHOT Show was in the Suppliers Showcase. The patent-pending Torque Precision FC-Hook replaces the magazine catch on a standard AR-10 or AR-15 rifle and turns it into a fixed-magazine semi-automatic firearm. With it installed, the magazine cannot be removed without dissembling the action, according to the letter of the law. When installed, your firearm looks completely standard. Unlike some other options out there, no one can tell that your firearm isn’t sporting a standard magazine catch and release button.
Per designer Mark Abbott, the secret behind the Southern California-manufactured FC-Hook is the captive spring-loaded detent built vertically into the back side of the catch. When the catch is in its normal position, this detent rests against the inside of the mag well, preventing the magazine catch button from moving the catch outward to drop the mag.
Dissembling the action
There are two options to recharge your firearm, and whichever method you choose, you must first start out by dissembling the action. You can either insert new cartridges from the top or you can drop and replace the mag. With some practice, you should be able to push out the takedown pin and rotate the upper from the lower on the pivot pin in less than five seconds.
If you want to drop the mag, you can use a thin piece of plastic to reach down the side of the mag so that you can depress the detent into the catch, then you press the catch button. You need to hold the release button in while you insert a new magazine before you can release it. If you release the button before you insert a fresh magazine, then you can simply depress the detent and push the catch button again.
Maintaining the AR look
What caught my eye with this new product is that your AR still looks like an AR even though it is now (according to the state of California) a semi-automatic rifle instead of an assault weapon. Unlike some other solutions, there aren’t any spare doodads hanging off the side, you don’t need special parts or tools to install it, and you can keep all other features if you prefer.
There is a downside to any product that requires you to dissemble the action to drop the magazine. It may be next to impossible to clear a double feed or other jam that prevents the bolt carrier group from going into battery because some of the BCG is in the buffer tube, which is part of the lower preventing movement.
But if you don’t have any problems with this slight possibility, you have a new arrow in your quiver to help keep your personally-owned AR legal.
