Nemo Arms Mongoose Review | Outdoor...

The Nemo Arms Mongoose is a helpful 9mm PCC that’s cleverly engineered, nicely made, and — most vital — correct and enjoyable to shoot. I’ve put simply over 300 rounds by my pattern, and it lives as much as its scrappy and fierce pint-sized namesake.

The design incorporates many AR-platform options however does so with a number of distinctive twists. For me, these under-the-hood components, which I’ll expound on in a bit, add to the Mongoose’s appeal. Its foremost attraction, nonetheless, is the way it recoils so softly regardless of its mild weight and compact dimensions.

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Execs

• Compact, light-weight, and transportable
• Ergonomic and ambidextrous controls
• Straightforward to function, gentle felt recoil

Specs

• Dear
• Folder stiff to open and shut
• No sling attachment

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Specs

• 
  Motion:

  
  Semi-auto, Browning quick recoil

• 
  Cartridge:

  
  9mm

• 
  Capability:

  
  35

• 
  Barrel:

  
  5.88 inches, 1:10 twist, threaded 1/2-28

• 
  Weight:

  
  4 kilos, 3.8 ounces

• 
  Set off:

  
  4 kilos, 12 ounces

• 
  Size:

  
  23 1/4 inches (14 1/2 inches folded)

• 
  Value:

  
  $2699

Key Options

• 
  Aluminum higher and decrease

• 
  SB Tactical FS1913 brace

• 
  Magpul 35-round CZ Scorpion EV9 journal

• 
  Full-length Pic rail

• 
  A number of M-Lok attachment factors

• 
  Captured takedown pins

The place the Nemo Mongoose Suits In

The world of pistol caliber carbines (PCCs) is sharply divided by worth. The bulk price lower than $1,000 and embrace many interesting choices for plinking, dwelling protection, and competitors. Amongst these are the Ruger PC Carbine, Extar EP9, Smith & Wesson FPC, KelTec Sub2000, and the love-it-or-hate-it Highpoint Carbine.

There are a number of well-known PCCs within the $1000 to $1800 vary, too, such because the Sig MPX, CZ Scorpion, CMMG Banshee, and the lately launched Springfield Armory Kuna. (A few of these will go for extra relying on the particular mannequin.)

And lastly, we’ve the premium PCCs, the high-performance superstars of the class with worth tags to match. The B&T APC9 G, Angstadt Arms MDP-9 Gen 2, H&Ok SP5, and the JP5 are among the many standouts. At slightly below $2700, the Mongoose seeks to elbow its means into this crowd.

Nemo Mongoose’s Quick Recoil Motion

As a premium-priced PCC, followers of the class are going to choose aside the Mongoose to see the way it stacks up in opposition to its peer group. The very first thing which may elevate eyebrows is the Mongoose’s working system, which makes use of Browning’s quick recoil tilt-barrel design that’s ubiquitous with semi-auto handguns. Whereas that is an totally dependable and time-tested system, many of the high PCCs (and lots of the mid-priced ones as nicely) have delayed-roller blowback actions, which is taken into account the gold customary. The rationale for that is the H&Ok MP5 is a delayed-roller blowback and, because the world’s most esteemed submachine gun, it’s what each PCC needs to be when it grows up.

Extra particularly, delayed-roller blowback actions are recognized for his or her smoother recoil cycle, higher accuracy potential, being extra suppressor pleasant, and being lighter than direct blowback programs, which is the commonest kind of the numerous submachine gun actions.

(As a aspect notice, direct blowback actions haven’t any bolt lockup or recoil dampening system, so that they rely solely on the recoil spring and mass of the bolt, which generates heavier felt recoil.)

Whereas delayed-roller blowbacks have an ideal observe report and plain avenue cred, a brief recoil semi-auto has some benefits: they’re easier (fewer elements), cheaper to make, and may weigh even lower than a delayed-roller blowback motion. The cheap concern is whether or not this design can handle recoil in addition to a delayed-roller blowback motion. Within the case of the Mongoose, the reply to that’s sure. Regardless of being one of many lightest PCCs available on the market, the recoil impulse is gentle, with no sensation of bolt-slap or a lot muzzle rise.

If you wish to run the Nemo Mongoose suppressed (and who wouldn’t), simply bear in mind that you simply’ll want a can with a recoil booster for dependable operation. All issues being equal, a delayed-roller blowback gun shall be extra forgiving with a silencer. 

AR Design Components

The Mongoose has an higher and decrease joined by two retaining pins, simply as you’d see on an AR-style rifle. Each the higher and decrease are product of aluminum — the decrease is machined from a billet, whereas the higher is an extruded piece. Many PCCs have polymer lowers, and never that there’s something flawed with that, however the billet-machined decrease is one purpose it prices extra.

Different components borrowed from ARs embrace the ambidextrous bolt launch tabs, the ambi two-position 90-degree security, and the Magpul A2 type grip. A notable departure is the journal launch, which is a big tab surrounding the ahead a part of the set off guard.

I actually just like the outsized journal launch, which is well-positioned and formed for simple activation by both the set off finger or the assist hand thumb. The Nemo Mongoose runs CZ Scorpion type magazines, that are double stack sticks that maintain 35 rounds. They’re simple to load (although I used to be glad for my Lulu loader for rounds 30 to 35, as a result of the follower spring does get stiff) and available. One grievance I had was that it solely comes with a single Magpul 35 EV magazine, which cuts down on the enjoyable, however you should buy extras for $20 every.

Modified AR Set off

The set off can also be an AR-type and, in principle, you possibly can drop any AR-compatible set off into the gun. However Nemo did modify the set off barely, reducing some weight from the hammer mass and going with a lighter spring to enhance reliability. So, should you do put in one other set off, you’ll need to totally take a look at it with no matter ammo you intend to make use of. The set off pull on my pattern measured 4 kilos 12 ounces, which is an affordable weight for a PCC. The set off has a touch of mush — I wouldn’t go as far as to say creep — that will be distracting on a precision rifle however is suitable for this sort of PDW (private protection weapon).

Nemo Mongoose Accuracy

I don’t suppose the set off held the Mongoose again within the accuracy division. I examined the PCC with two kinds of ammo, gathering 20-shot teams at 15 yards utilizing a bag on a tripod for assist. Of the 2 hundreds, the Staccato Match 136-gr. OTM carried out greatest, however the Hornady Metal Match 125-gr. HAP did high quality as nicely.

Reliability

One attraction of any 9mm firearm is the broad, available, and sometimes inexpensive, collection of ammunition. I put round 10 totally different hundreds by the Mongoose, masking all the pieces from 115- to 147-grain bullets. This included +P hundreds, premium defensive rounds, low cost aluminum cased stuff, FMJs, polymer-coated ammunition — the works. The Mongoose ran all the pieces like a champ with one exception: Staccato’s 136-grain Match Ammunition, which is one among our baseline picks for testing accuracy, as you noticed within the chart above.

The Staccato ammo is nice stuff, which is why we use it to evaluate accuracy. The rounds are a bit longer than most, each when it comes to general size (OAL) and case size. The spec for 9mm case size is .744 to .754 inches, and this issues as a result of the case neck is what the spherical headspaces off. The instances on my Staccato ammo measure .750 inches, .004 inches shorter than the max allowable size, so they’re nonetheless throughout the SAAMI customary. That mentioned, that’s longer than the instances on all the opposite ammo I used, which measured from .7395 to .748 inches, with most being .746 or .747 inches.

Once I tried to chamber the Staccato ammo manually by racking the charging deal with or utilizing the bolt launch tab the bolt would shut however evidently not sufficient because the hammer didn’t generate sufficient power to fireplace the spherical. To me this means a possible headspace problem the place the necks are getting crammed into the entrance of the chamber.

That mentioned, if I loaded {a magazine} with the Staccato ammo, and topped it off with a special kind of ammo, the gun would cycle and run high quality. The motion of the bolt below recoil was sufficient to permit the Staccato ammo to work, which is how I used to be capable of mixture the accuracy knowledge.

One other tell-tale register assist of my speculation is that each time I went to clear the gun with a reside spherical of the Staccato ammo within the chamber, the charging deal with required a number of additional drive to extract the spherical. It didn’t exhibit the identical habits with the opposite ammo I shot.

Operating the Nemo Arms Mongoose

That is an amazingly enjoyable gun to shoot. As I discussed, the felt recoil is tremendous mushy and I discovered it simple to regulate. I may place single pictures on metal at 50 to 100 yards with cheap accuracy, and, once I wished to show up the warmth, was capable of dump rounds shortly at nearer ranges whereas conserving the dot on my Trijicon MRO regular. The format of the AR controls made working the Mongoose as comfy as slipping right into a pair of favourite footwear.

The empties cleared the motion with out fail, because of the stout ejector. And inserting and eradicating the journal couldn’t have been smoother or extra intuitive.

The folding brace attaches to a small Pic rail on the rear of the higher. It took a short while for me to interrupt within the hinge, which locks up tight however was typically tough to open and shut at first. I’m unsure what number of cycles I put the brace by, nevertheless it operates extra easily now.

One factor not included within the Mongoose’s function set is a sling attachment level. That’s not an enormous deal, however it might be good to have a QD cup someplace on the rear half of the gun.

Nemo Mongoose’s Cool Options

The flared magwell is without doubt one of the many cool options included into this PCC and, coupled with the ergonomic magazine launch, helps you to run the Mongoose like a professional. The magwell has a small window machined on both aspect that aligns with the 10-round indicator on the Magpul journal.  This can be a good contact to point out at a look when there are extra (or much less) than 10 rounds remaining.

One other good design ingredient is the metal shell deflector situated on the rear of the ejection port. This insert, held in place by a Torx fastener, protects the aluminum higher from getting dinged by the ejected brass.

An in depth have a look at the bolt face on the Mongoose exhibits that it’s a recessed oval surrounding the case head. Nemo makes use of an EDM course of to machine that form, which is extra advanced and dear to make than the bolt on a typical semi-auto handgun. It gives extra floor space for the case head to bear in opposition to, augmenting reliability.

If you wish to mount any equipment to the Mongoose, the higher has two M-Lok slots on either side and the underside for six complete giving loads of choices for a ahead grip, lights, lasers, or no matter your coronary heart needs.

Along with the aforementioned ambidextrous controls, the non-reciprocating charging deal with could be swapped from one aspect to the opposite simply, so the gun is lefty-friendly in that facet too.

A last cool function I’ll spotlight are the swappable entrance caps the Mongoose comes with. One sits flush in opposition to the higher, leaving the threaded muzzle on the barrel uncovered to simply connect a suppressor. The opposite seems like a compensator of kinds, enclosing the muzzle. They’re held in place by spring-loaded tabs on both aspect. To take away them simply press down on the tabs whereas letting the bolt fly ahead to dislodge the cap. Notice that the caps are decorative and never integral to the Mongoose’s skill to function.

From a visible and purposeful standpoint, I favor the flat-faced cap. With the compensator connected the gun is a bit louder and I don’t suppose it seems pretty much as good, although it does give the Mongoose an area gun vibe.

Compact and Moveable

With the brace closed the Nemo Arms Mongoose measures simply 14.5 inches and it ideas the scales at 4 kilos, 10 ounces with the Trijicon MRO aboard. In its folded configuration it’s simple to move in a bag or stash in a automobile. For a conveyable PDW and truck gun it is a superb possibility.

Ultimate Ideas

I’ve actually taken a shine to the Nemo Mongoose. It’s premium-priced however I feel it has the standard and performance to justify the price. One factor that differentiates from its friends is that it doesn’t have a fight SMG variant — like B&T APC9 and H&Ok SP5 — neither is it a contest race gun, just like the JP5. In any occasion it has carved out a spot within the high-end PCC market and provides shooters an alternative choice when on the lookout for a top-end PDW.