Archive for the 'AR-15s' Category

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″).

I confess I had never thought of something like that.  Tim Harmsen of The Military Arms Channel answers the question, as well as one more.

Like me, Tim is a champion and fan of the AR-15 design.  He begins an interesting test with a BCM rifle.

He shot 1000 rounds in 35 minutes.  We’ll see how far this goes before it gives up as he tracks this over time without cleaning or maintenance.

The guys at Wanat claimed that their Colts gave up after shooting 800 rounds in 30 minutes.  My bet is that they were firing in 3-round bursts.  Although I still can’t see how they managed to put more rounds downrange than Tim.

When Tim posted this a few minutes ago, I heard that Bob Scales puked in his cream of wheat.  His contract with H&K stipulates that no one can perform any more run-to-failure tests proving that no one really needs a piston system.

“Rifle is fine.”

Via BRVTVS, this is an interesting video.

I have to say that I do have one problem with it.  Mr. Johann Boden speaks as if the only important factor in the high velocity from rifle ammunition (and here he’s speaking of the 5.56mm AR, which is an important distinction in the conversation) is the hydrostatic shock from velocities greater than 2200 FPS.

That simply isn’t so.  We’ve learned over the years that the tendency to tumble and yaw (even in flight, but especially in tissue) and break apart into multiple pieces is one of the defining characteristics of the lethality of the ammunition, in no small part yielding its massive success on the battlefield.

As we’ve discussed before, see Small Caliber Lethality: 5.56 Performance in Close Quarters Battle.

Glomming off of Wirecutter’s hard work (WiscoDave sent this our way), here is a very good video of 300 BO Q&A by someone who sounds like an experienced practitioner.  I don’t shoot 300 BO, but if I wanted to start, I’d begin with his video.