This one is directly out of the mind of Ex-SEAL Team Six member Chris Caracci. Recently, Chris has been doing protection work for Oscar de la Hoya. However, before doing that, he came up with the AFB, which stands for Alternative Force Block. The AFB, made by GG&G, is designed to allow an operator to use his pistol as a blunt impact or compliance device in CQB scenarios, and still be able to fire the gun immediately, if need be.

The AFB does this by…

keeping the slide from being pressed out of battery when the gun is jammed muzzle-first into a tango’s, a.k.a. badguy’s, face, torso, or groin. It’s essentially a reinforced front shield(with checkered front plate at 15 teeth-per-inch ) that attaches to the 1911′s dust cover. With the Alternative Force Block installed, the operator can essentially go around punching people with his muzzle with free reign, since he no longer has to worry that the gun will be made inoperable by the slide being pressed out of battery. Pretty cool.

The only two negatives of the AFB, as I see it, are the extra bulk and weight of the unit, and the possibility that foreign material can get caught beween the front of the slide and the AFB when the gun is fired and the slide returns to battery. The latter is really the biggest problem I have with it. The extra bulk of the unit is actually worse than the 3.5 ounces of extra weight. It also necessitates a custom holster.

The AFB is manufactured out of 4140 steel, and a new version is now available with a rail made specifically for mounting an Insight Technology, Inc. M3 Tactical Illuminator.

Search terms for the article:

alternative force block, 1911 force block, alternative force block 1911, 1911 alternative force block, 1911 impact device, 1911 AFB, gg&g AFB, Chris Caracci, 1911 tactical block, alternate force block, 1911 muzzle block, tactical block 1911, 1911 muzzle blocker, ggg alternative force block, Alternative Force Block (AFB)