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By Toby Melville
September, 23, 2018
Last updated on 9/24/18.
The name Midwest Industries is a respected and well-known name in the firearms industry. While some companies went with the concept of being the boutique AR business, or with the idea of being budget-minded, Midwest Industries did what the customer truly wanted. They provided a well-made and reliable product at a fair price that’s palatable for the masses, but they also ensured that quality was paramount.
Today, it would be impossible for anyone that exercises their Second Amendment rights either privately or professionally not to know their name. They were also the earliest of any firearms company to successfully supply both ARs and AKs with high quality aftermarket products. What is standard today for many firearms companies, Midwest Industries did ahead of the curve.
Skipping forward, we look at one of their many offerings, the Midwest Industries G3 17” 5.56mm NATO (5.56x45mm NATO)/.223 Rem. upper receiver with their MI G3 M-LOK free-float handguard/rail system and standard AR lower. This combination is a solid-performing weapon that allows its users the full flexibility that the AR is known for, but with forward-design characteristics like the mid-length gas system that’s become a standard for 16” barreled rifles, and an ingenious handguard that provides a long length of grip, while taking on a specialized characteristic that has been reserved for the likes of most discerning AR manufacturers.
The first thing users will notice is the extended handguard of the G3 upper. It extends past the end of the barrel, and continues over the entire compensator. However, it’s wedge-cut on both sides, preventing the blast from the compensator from impacting the handguard, giving the upper a distinct appearance without sacrificing performance. This also allows those with very long arms, or those shooters that like to over-extend their arms down the barrel for greater muzzle control at shorter ranges, that opportunity.
The quality of a Midwest Industries AR rifle/carbine becomes readily apparent when you examine the weapon. The quality of machining and finishing touches is visible, and the weapon maintains that Colt-like standard of production. The need for fancy bells and whistles is not needed when an emphasis is placed on producing a weapon that is meant for combat conditions.
The Midwest Industries G3 17” 5.56mm AR rifle/carbine platform lends itself to be able to use virtually any aftermarket product, given that the platform is based on the basic design. Whether you want to customize your furniture, trigger, internals, or even a beveled magwell, the end user will have full flexibility to choose how they want to go forward with their build’s customization without having proprietary designs that may prohibit some aftermarket products.
There’s another part of this equation; enter Kriss USA. Kriss USA is known for their radical approach to creating an operating system for a new sub-caliber firearm that has not only blown away the firearms industry, but has taken full root in every shooting game and action movie without fail. The Kriss Vector .45 ACP SMG (Submachine Gun) is one of the most recognizable submachine guns of the 21st century. So, it’s impossible for someone who has a even a meager knowledge of firearms not to have seen it. Kriss has another company, besides Sphinx Pistols, called DEFIANCE. Defiance didn’t want to be just another AR company, so they made the calculated decision to only produce .22-caliber ARs. This has allowed them to have a more rooted following with their designs. The real magic has been the crossbreeding between Kriss and Defiance firearms in furniture.
The featured build from Midwest Industries has been customized with Defiance Arm’s new minimalist stock, pistol grip, flip-up back up iron sights (BUIS), Inforce Weapons Light, Vortex Viper 1-4 optic, and other add ons from Midwest, as well. The stock (AR buttstock) from Defiance is one of the best AR stocks I’ve used. It combines a lightweight minimalist design with a strong performing stock that’s easy to shoulder, and very comfortable both in and out of the shooter’s shoulder. Defiance even made the stock easy to install and remove onto the buffer tube. The end result is a stock that is intuitive and very comfortable to shoot, while allowing for a handsome look that I personally find a cut above most AR stocks. Its price is comparable to other minimalist stocks on the market, but for this shooter, is one of the best-looking AR stocks, period.
Next, lets look at the new Defiance AR pistol grip. Their pistol grip is a clean and very comfortable design. It allows for easy control without being too full in the shooters hand, and allowing some movement for manipulation. It’s comfortable for both strong and weak-side shooting. This pistol grip doesn’t just look amazing on the weapon, it also proved to function well while shooting.
The last product from Defiance is their flip-up BUIS (Back Up Iron Sights). Their approach was simple, keep the sites easy to use and zero, while making them rapidly adaptable for different shooting problems, and allowing them to stay out of the way until deployed. In this regard, their iron sites are a massive success. The design is brilliant; to switch from your daylight to low-light aperture is simple, simply flip the aperture 180 degrees. Instead of the 90-degree flip that is common on back up iron sites, they went with a slightly longer rotation (for which you will not notice a difference in time), which allows the sight to lay flatter when stored. The sights are well-engineered and very simple to use.
I mounted the sites to the G3 build from Midwest Industries with their angled and offset mounts, giving me a completely unobstructed view through the Vortex Optics Viper 1-4 Optic/Scope. Vortex, as anyone in the industry knows, is a premium optic with a very fair price. I’ve witnessed their optics in use by all types, from the weekend range warrior to elite professionals in the most elite units within the US military and government units. I can personally attest to their quality and durability in the worst environments. I cannot go into further detail on this, but rest assured that if you buy Vortex, your money is well spent.
Finally, I finished of the build with build with an Inforce Weapons Light. Inforce is one of those companies that’s kept their product line simple, and has focused more on the quality of their design to ensure their price point is one that every one can afford. I’ve personally used, and continue to use, their products in combat zones. I can not say enough good things about their products. While other companies make very well-designed products, as well, it’s hard to argue with Inforce products’ ease of use and price point.
Another add-on to this build were the forward controls from RailScales. Their quality design, excellently designed tactile feel, and look are second to none. I used their Anchor and Karve, which give the shooter amazing control, while keeping a very minimalist approach for both weight and interface. The look is simple, attractive, and effective. We used the M-LOK attachment for their interface with the G3 handguard, and it gave me perfect performance. Their product lineup is simple, attractive, and amazing quality for any shooter.
My final thoughts for the Midwest Industries G3 build are as follows: The rifle shot very well. The mid-length gas system, coupled with their two-chamber compensator, made for a flat and soft-shooting rifle that has plenty of room for the shooter to customize to their content, without going broke. The furniture from Defiance is awesome, and the Vortex Viper 1-4 optic is the cherry on top. I look forward to doing some more customizing for future testing, and showing you, the readers, other products that will allow further customization and adaptability.
Company Contact Info:
Midwest Industries, Inc (MI)
W292S4498 Hillside Rd.
Waukesha, WI 53189
Phone: 262-896-6780
Email Contact Page: http://www.midwestindustriesinc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&page_id=33
Website: http://www.midwestindustriesinc.com
Criterion Barrels, Inc.
W172 N13050 Division Rd.
Germantown, WI 53022
Phone: 262-628-8749
Fax: 262-677-2554
Email Contact Page: http://criterionbarrels.com/contact-us
Website: http://criterionbarrels.com
KRISS USA Inc.
PO Box 8928
Virginia Beach, VA 23450
USA
Tel. +1 757-821-1089
Fax +1 757-689-2113
E-mail: sales@kriss-tdi.com
Website: http://www.kriss-tdi.com
Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/KRISSArms
KRISS Systems SA
Ch. de la Vuarpillière 35
1260 Nyon
Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 363 78 20
Fax: +41 22 363 78 21
E-mail: sales@sphinxarms.com
Website: http://www.sphinxarms.com
DEFIANCE Suppressors and Sights
Email: info@defiance-ops.com
Website: http://www.defiance-ops.com
Sphinx Systems Ltd.
Gsteigstrasse 12
3800 Matten / Interlaken
Switzerland
Phone: +41 33 821 10 05
Fax: +41 33 821 10 06
E-mail: info@sphinxarms.com
Website: http://www.sphinxarms.com
Sphinx Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/SPHINXArms
Sphinx Twitter Page: http://twitter.com/sphinxarms
EMISSIVE ENERGY CORP. (EEC) / INFORCE
135 Circuit Drive
North Kingstown, RI 02852
Telephone: 401-294-2030
Fax: 401-294-2050
Email: info@inforce-mil.com
INFORCE WML Page: http://www.inforce-mil.com/wml-ir.php
General Website: http://www.inforce-mil.com
Matthew S. Wolfe
VP Military & Government Sales
Telephone: 401-294-2030
Email: mwolfe@inforce-mil.com
Michael Strickland (USAF Ret.)
Military & Government Sales Manager
Telephone: 912-823-2247
Email: mstrickland@inforce-mil.com
INTERNATIONAL:
Michael J. Vogel
International Business Development
EMISSIVE ENERGY CORP. (EEC) / INFORCE
Email: mjvogel@inforce-mil.com
RailScales LLC
PO BOX 2845
Claremore, OK 74018
General Inquires: jake@railscales.us / 918-973-2910
Product Development: derek@railscales.us / 918-973-2911
OEM Vendors: brent@railscales.us / 918-973-2912
Dealer Sales: jake@railscales.us / 918-973-2910
Replacement Hardware: jaeman@railscales.us / 918-973-2914
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© Copyright 2018 DefenseReview.com (DR)and Toby Melville. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without receiving permission and providing proper credit and appropriate links. If you are reading this article anywhere other than DefenseReview.com, please email us the website address/URL (where the unauthorized DR article reprint is located) at defrev (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you.
