As in every part of life, also in the "tactical world" there are certain trends and fashions that, for a long or a short time, take over people's hearts, minds and wallets. For several years, this scenario has been reflected in the activities of the GBRS Group (Global Battlefield Research Solutions), founded and run by veterans of the NSW DEVELOPMENT GROUP.
The company's profile includes tactical and shooting training, as well as broadly understood equipment and "merch", i.e. exclusive gadgets and clothes which prices reach high, sometimes ridiculous amounts - but we will come back to that.
For some time now there were (controlled?) leaks on social media about a revolutionary new mount for optics and accessories for AR15 platforms. This mount is called the Hydra Mount and it officially premiered a few days ago.
What is so special about this piece of aluminum? Well, the Hydra design allows, first of all, as the first mount on the market, to mount the Aimpoint T1/T2 reflex sight and others with the same bolt spacing, i.e. with a footprint of 2.91” from the axis of the barre, higher than average. This is somewhat of a trend in shooting favored by the GBRS, the quite high position of a reflex sight is to enable trouble-free aiming, especially when the shooter is wearing a gas mask, hearing protectors and/or night vision goggles. In addition, the shooter does not have to "bend down" to the gun, maintaining a natural, sporty posture, somewhat reminiscent of a boxing one. This attitude speeds up aiming at a target, and thus helps hitting it faster.
The second function of the Hydra is to integrate the optics and a laser sight module (GBRS presents the Hydra with the latest L3/Harris Next Generation Aiming Laser modules) and locating the latter in a place in which it does not obstruct the grip of the weapon. This solution is ideal for short carbines and submachine guns, where the length of the handguard/rails and the number of accessories to be mounted sometimes make an ergonomic grip impossible.
Currently the Hydra is available only for the Aimpoint T2 and similar sights in two color versions, black and FDE. The mount is made of aluminum 6061 - T6. And finally the price, $549, which gives food for thought. Is it worth spending so much money on a mount? On the one hand, you may think that the amount is nothing more than the price for the hype for a new gadget from the cool guys at DevGru. On the other hand, people who know something about firearms know how much you have to pay for a good mount for optics. Anyway, the first batch of Hydra Mounts is said to have already sold out…
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Source: gbrsgroupgear.com, soldiersystems.net, thefirearmblog.com
