Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 34

Thread: Practical or Retarded?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Where the 2nd Amendment still lives.
    Posts
    2,729
    Feedback Score
    5 (100%)

    Practical or Retarded?

    Had a new group of shooters at the club last week who wanted to join the Military Rifle matches and were sighting the rifles in when I noticed all eight AR builds were all identical to each other. So I had to ask how they set up their rifles and got a surprising answer, first all were using a 16" PSA carbine gas length barrels, Semi-Auto carriers, Standard carbine springs and Carbine buffers. When I asked why such a build the leader of the group stated it was to ensure that the rifles would function with any steel cased ammo as that is all they could afford to buy in bulk and brass cased ammunition most likely would never be used.

    So is this sound thinking if the owner was only ever going to run steel cased Wolf or Tula out of a recreational rifle or would such a set up batter its self over the long haul. For what it was worth I fired one of the guns and it did not appear to have excessive bolt velocity/recoil and function and ejection seemed normal enough.
    Last edited by PA PATRIOT; 03-25-14 at 11:42.
    We are all inclined to judge ourselves by our ideals; others, by their acts.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    AZ
    Posts
    32,833
    Feedback Score
    14 (100%)
    Makes sense for their needs I guess. I'd sub an H buffer however. Almost nothing runs good with a CAR buffer.... unless they're 100% underpowered ammo, and never any Full .223 or 5.56mm
    "What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    434
    Feedback Score
    6 (100%)
    If it works for them, why not. I mean if thinking in true SHTF on the move type situation, wouldn't you want a rifle that functions with virtually every type of ammo possible? Hazard to guess that on the move it would be much easier finding steel case ammo, than brass given prices. W/ that said, I'm not attesting to any certain quality of PSA rifles. I've never owned a PSA product and therefore would be out of my lane.

    I guess it just boils down to what you need the rifle to do.
    Professional Babysitter

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    434
    Feedback Score
    6 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by markm View Post
    Makes sense for their needs I guess. I'd sub an H buffer however. Almost nothing runs good with a CAR buffer.... unless they're 100% underpowered ammo, and never any Full .223 or 5.56mm
    I used to have a Colt 16" HBAR that had a Colt 14.5" barrel with DD 7.0 swapped in by ADCO. Running a standard CAR buffer shooting AE223 (you could get 3000 rounds for about $650 shipped back then lol) would cause that rifle to malfunction every damn round. This was approximately the 2005 time period before we had such wonderful science behind buffers, gas ports, etc. I swapped to an H2 buffer and upgraded the extractor spring and O ring and it then ran fine on everything.
    Professional Babysitter

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    AZ
    Posts
    32,833
    Feedback Score
    14 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by fivepointoh View Post
    This was approximately the 2005 time period before we had such wonderful science behind buffers, gas ports, etc.
    I still can't wrap my head around how long it took for the AR/M4 world to figure out that the CAR buffer and a gaping gas port are never going to run good. I mean... just playing with an adjustable gas block is an amazing education.
    "What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    434
    Feedback Score
    6 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by markm View Post
    I still can't wrap my head around how long it took for the AR/M4 world to figure out that the CAR buffer and a gaping gas port are never going to run good. I mean... just playing with an adjustable gas block is an amazing education.
    LOL and just think, you were still on TOS then too :P Back then I was in college, young, and didn't know all the science behind gas ports and what not. Not to mention you hardly ever saw any TECH threads discussing gas ports, AGB's, etc. Only buffer weights and extractor mods were readily available to read/discuss.
    Professional Babysitter

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    AZ
    Posts
    32,833
    Feedback Score
    14 (100%)
    I remember guys going to H2 and H3 buffers. I was thinking... what are these goofballs messing with? They're going to screw up their guns and reliability.
    "What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    13,115
    Feedback Score
    2 (100%)
    Sounds more like they did a build party going as cheap as possible.
    Stick


    Board policy mandates I state that I shoot for BCM. I have also done work for 200 or so manufacturers within the firearm community. I am prior service, a full time LEO, firearm instructor, armorer, TL, martial arts instructor, and all around good guy.

    I also shoot and write for various publications. Let me know if you know cool secrets or have toys worthy of an article...


    Flickr Tumblr Facebook Instagram RECOILMAGAZINE OFF GRID RECOIL WEB

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Phoenix, Az
    Posts
    4,374
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)
    Wouldn't you want a heavier buffer to increase dwell time so the steel case has more time to constrict back down?

    I have a 6920 with a Vltor A5 system and it runs steel case ammo great.
    C co 1/30th Infantry Regiment
    3rd Brigade 3rd Infantry Division
    2002-2006
    OIF 1 and 3

    IraqGunz:
    No dude is going to get shot in the chest at 300 yards and look down and say "What is that, a 3 MOA group?"

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    AZ
    Posts
    32,833
    Feedback Score
    14 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by C-grunt View Post
    Wouldn't you want a heavier buffer to increase dwell time so the steel case has more time to constrict back down?
    Steel doesn't seem to work that way like brass. At least not as much. The elasticity isn't there. I've tried sizing down a steel case with a sizing die, and it doesn't want to squeeze back down like brass.
    "What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v

Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •