Having been a fan of firearms basically since conception, I have fortunately or not, seen things come and go. Good ideas. Bad ideas. Companies, products, and maybe most unfortunate of all—people. The constantly changing landscape is inevitable. It’s no longer a surprise. Occasionally what the industry offers in the way of innovation lands in the murky waters of been there, done that—in other words no surprise, and every once in a while something and someone comes out of the blue and you wonder, why no one thought of that a long time ago.
Dillon Rifle, Mini Guns & the OPAR Trigger
Dillon. As a gun enthusiast, what does that name mean to you? For some it’s reloading and progressive loading setups, and let’s not forget the timeless beauties of the Blue Press. For some it’s mini guns, whether helicopter or SUV mounted. Others no doubt think of the calendars with stunning models throughout, posing with weaponry that many of us will never get to seen in person let alone actually touch or operate. For some of us, like this guy, it’s all of the above. Wherever you fall on the Dillon-recognition timeline, be prepared to rethink, reimagine, and reacquaint, because a new Dillon variant is on the rise, looking to infect us all.
Dillon Rifle Company was started by Chris Dillon and Brodie Renner who retired from the Navy in 2015. Their goal: create a rifle company that recognizes and appropriately occupies the dead space in the current black arms market. That will involve everything from parts and accessories, hard goods, soft goods, apparel, and of course firearms. You’ll need to think of Dillon Rifle Co. as a firearms related R&D lifestyle brand, encompassing all facets of the space, because the guys that head it up have grown up and worked in the space and are at the age where they can plan and implement. We are seeing the diversification of sons from fathers. A prime example of this can be seen in the Barrett family where son, Chris Barrett gave us an example of what he was capable of in the design of recent SOCOM adopted MRAD sniper rifle.
“My father was a fan of John Wayne, I’m a fan of Star Wars,” Chris Dillon told me during a conversation. He was explaining what cultural forces influenced his perceptions. From that statement you can gather that his thought processes will be different, while still being relevant to the times.
No Guns No Problem
Dillon Rifle Co. has launched without a gun to show for their efforts. Don’t worry, one is on they way but consider the previous conversation with Chris Dillon. The rifle it has to be a product of a fresh approach and new thinking. It would make sense and be all too easy to start with an AR platform, but that’s not what he’s interested in doing, although the AR platform is and will be inspiration for current and future products, one of which that could potentially take the AR trigger market by storm. The OPAR Operator (On Patrol AR) Trigger.
Necessity Is A Mutha’
Before you go off half-cocked, thinking this is another speed trigger, let me just stop you there. It’s not that. Not even close. In fact it’s actually the opposite, placing emphasis on and enhancing safety. Sounds boring huh? Well, why it came to be is anything but boring. In fact it’s a real ball-buster of sorts—well nearly, and you’re likely to never use your AR hard enough to discover this major weakness of the platform.
Brodie tells of one particular night during a helicopter infiltration in Iraq. During the flight he was engaged in his usual consideration of mission details from top to bottom, including the number of insurgents they would encounter, secondary objective and so on. Routine stuff. “Suddenly I heard a gunshot accompanied by a sensation of heat between my legs. My immediate thought was that we were taking fire—again.” But that wasn’t the case. It was an accidental discharge from a team member’s rifle.
During movement within the helicopter his fellow sniper had inadvertently bumped the safety lever off on his M4. This happened due to the rifle coming into contact with his kit, which is a nonstop ordeal at operations of this magnitude. It has nothing to do with hand being on or off the rifle. That short 90 degree flip of the lever happens quite frequently according Brodie—a fact that I had never been aware of. Guess all it takes is an AD between the nads to make you wish something were different with the AR15 trigger and safety. Brodie and Dillon did something about it. …
To read the full story on Sean’s visit with Dillon Rifle, including more on the OPAR Trigger, grab a copy of the June-July issue of Tactical Life magazine. Get it now at OutdoorGroupStore.com.
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