Archive for the 'AR-15s' Category

Recoil:

In addition, the top of the mount also incorporates the activation button for the light, providing natural and ergonomic access to the controls, especially for shooters who use a thumb-over grip on their rifle. Tap the switch to turn the light on or off, or hold it to activate momentary on mode. Double tapping the switch engages strobe mode. INFORCE says the light will output approximately 1,300 lumens.

That’s a lot of light.  I’m certain it would be blinding in the dark to an assailant, but the danger is that it’s so bright that it causes dysfunction even in the shooter due to light scattering from walls, ground, etc.  I’d want to see this in the dark myself before buying, although with electronic components there are no returns.  I do like the offset mount.

The INFORCE web site doesn’t show this product yet.  The alleged cost is in the neighborhood of $239, with a $100 switch.  I found the cost of the Surefire M622 (with switch) to be $429.  That’s up a bit from the last time I looked.

Washington Examiner:

David Hogg: “If you need an AR-15 to defend yourself you need more target practice because you’re a terrible shot.”

First of all, he’s a liar and doesn’t really believe this because he’s not advocating that the police be disarmed of long guns, and has never done so.  He just wants the state to have a monopoly on violence.  It’s always enlightening to run things like this through the grits mill in order to see the hypocrisy of their views.  If you advocate disarming people other than cops, then you’re just a communist.

Second, as for not needing an AR-15 to defend yourself, I think Mr. Stephen Bayezes would beg to differ when he used an AR-15 to defend against multiple assailants in a home invasion.  So would a number of other folks.

However, Hogg is right about one thing.  We all need more practice.  So let’s heed Hogg’s counsel and make sure not to neglect range day.  I think Jerry Miculek said in one video that he has shot somewhere around 7,000,000 rounds downrange in order to get as good as he is.  I know that my son shot well more than half a million rounds in his workup to deployment.

We’ve all got a little bit to go, I suspect.

Wirecutter has this video up on barrel twist rate.  Go to his place to see it.

I don’t think the author of the video understands the basic concept and what’s going on here.  This is a screen shot of the video I linked on barrel twist rate.

Bullet tractability is the degree to which the nose of the bullet follows the trajectory.  In the screen shot above, it doesn’t.  This can indeed happen if the bullet is overstabilized, something we concluded in our assessment of this.

In the video (screen shot above) it is explained that this doesn’t usually happen at closer distances, but rather towards the end of the flight path.  In the case of the 5.56mm flight path, we’re looking at around 500 yards effective distance.

The author of the video Wirecutter gave us is shooting at 100 yards.  Basically, I’m saying he has proven nothing at all.  He’s a decent shot, but he hasn’t tested what he thinks he has tested.

And by the way, the twist rate, if you’ll remember, of 1:7 was meant to stabilize the tracer round.  But most twist rates for common ammunition should be fine.  The testing conducted by the Army on both older and newer 5.56mm ammunition involved 1:8 accurized barrels.

Prior: AR-15 Ammunition And Barrel Twist Rates

See the list at Shooting Illustrated.  This one was particular interesting.

Alexander Arms Highlander
Available in 6.5 Grendel, .50 Beowulf, .300 BLK and .17 HMR, the Highlander offers the added efficiency of a carbine-length gas system in select models.

The .50 Beowulf is a large bear round.  I cannot imagine shooting that out of a pistol length barrel.  It’s interesting that they have engineered this down to the .17 HMR, which of course is a rimfire round.  I wonder about the reliability of cycling this round in an AR?

Following up his first video, Tim Harmsen adds to the round count on his BCM rifle.  He explains what he does and doesn’t intend with this test.

Through Edmond Haifer Park.  Just a few of comments.  First, to the cop.  Stop pointing that rifle at people.  It’s stupid.

Second, do … not … ever … touch another man’s gun in a circumstance like this.  Ever.  It’s stupid.  A negligent discharge can occur, someone could get hurt, the weapon might have been modified and you wouldn’t know it, a round might be chambered and it might not be, you don’t know the configuration or status of that weapon, and so on.  Do not ever touch another man’s weapon.

Third, get educated.  Too many cops were looking on the idiot boxes (phones) to figure out if a barrel less than 16″ with a pistol brace is an SBR or a pistol.  Really.  Seek some education, read a little bit.

Prior: Oklahoma AR Pistol Walk

I understand what Tim is doing here.  While this isn’t the typical use of Go / No-Go gauges I’ve seen, he’s trying to get a hot rifle and use the No-Go gauge to see if the expansion of the chamber from heat is enough to give too much tolerance for proper head space.

Here are two other videos I have watched before on head space check with gauges.

Ammoland:

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR) proudly introduces three rifles chambered in Winchester’s all-new .350 Legend cartridge: two Ruger American Ranch rifles and one AR-556 MPR. These new rifles give hunters and shooters a variety of options to use this exciting new cartridge in both traditional bolt-action and modern sporting rifle configurations.

[ … ]

The AR-556 MPR has proven to be an excellent hunting platform, and the .350 Legend chambering expands that role. The nitrided 16.38” barrel is capped with a ½”-28 radial port muzzle brake. The rifle’s appeal is enhanced by the combination of a Ruger® Elite 452® AR-Trigger, Magpul® furniture and a 15” free-float handguard. Magpul M-LOK® accessory attachment slots make the addition of a sling or bipod easy. With less recoil, and weighing almost a pound less than its .450 Bushmaster counterpart, the MPR chambered in .350 Legend is a fantastic hunting option.

From the Ruger website:

There are also two ranch rifles.

Lower receiver is fitted with Magpul® MOE® grip and MOE SL® collapsible buttstock on a Mil-Spec buffer tube.

• Handguard is free-floated for accuracy and the slim, 15″ length provides enhanced ergonomics.
• Bolt is mil-spec 9310 and is machined and shot peened for strength and durability.
• The Ruger® Elite 452® AR-Trigger is a two-stage trigger that offers a smooth, crisp, 4.5 pound trigger pull. It features a full-strength hammer spring for consistent primer ignition and a lightweight hammer that enables a faster lock time for improved accuracy.
• Magpul® M-LOK® accessory attachment slots along the 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00 positions with additional slots on the angled faces near the muzzle.
• Ruger® muzzle brake is a radial port design that significantly reduces felt recoil and muzzle movement. The threaded barrel allows for standard muzzle accessories to be installed.
• Cold hammer-forged 4140 chrome-moly steel barrel with ultra-precise rifling provides exceptional accuracy, longevity and easy cleaning. Optimized feed ramp provides improved reliability, and the matte black nitrided finish provides corrosion resistance.
• Made from aerospace-grade 7075-T6 aluminum forging, the flat top upper receiver includes a forward assist, dust cover and brass deflector, and is Type III hard coat anodized for maximum durability.
• Bolt carrier and gas key have chrome-plated inside diameters to provide exceptional resistance to hot gases. The gas key is staked so that it will not loosen after extensive firing.
• Pistol-length gas system provides smoother operation and reduces felt recoil.
• Also includes: one magazine.

I was a bit surprised to see the pistol-length gas system, but I guess they’ve found that it contributes to the most reliable feed.  I’ll also comment that the price-point is right ($1099 MSRP).

Now.  I’d like to see a little better ammunition availability.

Shooting Illustrated:

Modern Sporting Rifles also have the largest volume of light components suitable for retrofitting existing guns. Most makers of steel barrels and AR bolt carriers offer lightweight options alongside their regular products. Skeletonized, extruded-aluminum or carbon-fiber freefloat fore-ends further drop weight at the front of the rifle, while trimmed-down polymer furniture shaves weight at the tail. DS Arms, V-Seven, 2A Armament and Brownells offer lightweight aluminum and titanium small parts that replace original AR steel. Small pins, grip screws and even muzzle devices can be had in materials that shave a tangible amount of weight after a full retrofit. A small number of titanium parts and accessories specifically designed for SCAR, M1A and FAL rifles are also available in the aftermarket.

While the author didn’t go to the trouble to give you links to actual parts rather than the company URL, I’ve tried to do better.  Here they are: 2A-Arms, VSeven, Brownells, and Daniel Defense.  Those links will get you to rails/handguards, or thereabouts.  Of course, those aren’t the only lightweight AR parts being manufactured.

I’m sure there are many others.  I welcome reader feedback in the comments.  I’m actually interested in strong, lightweight AR-15 rails and lightweight AR-10 rails (longer, about 17″).