What makes the Knights Armament SR-15 E3 5.56mm rifle such a good rifle?

[mtdawg169]

I think you'll be very happy you did, seb.

[Belmont31R]

I get 4-5" groups at 100 but thats with 55FMJ's, and shooting with a T1. Definitely not a "above average" shooter accuracy wise but I don't really care. Its got like 13k through mostly doing drills. Ive never put any magnification on it, and shot it with bags underneath.

[III]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. We really worked hard on the SR-15 E3 to be the best possible gun we could build. KAC never really chases price points but we do try to keep the value as high as possible. I think the SR-15 E3 is getting more and more momentum the longer these guns are out there and the more rounds the customers get on them. Also I think the "new" is wearing off some of the guns that came out at the same time. The fact is most shooters will never shoot their rifles enough to really see what sets them apart from other rifles. Anyone complaining about the price certainly is not out there buying ammo to feed the thing like it can eat. I know that you guys have a lot of good choices when it comes to spending your money on an AR and we work hard for that money. The fact is much of the technology and lessons learned from the rifles we make for the military goes into our commercial offerings. We don't "dummy' down our commercial guns. I would say that KAC tests our guns more than any other company out there. I would honestly say we shoot more rounds per year in testing than all the other companies combined.

The SR-15 E3 is just a step for KAC. We will always continue to improve our product. The SR-15 is not the last commercial offering from us . I think the EM/M-110 Carbine SR-25 is another example of a rifle that has really been pushed as far as the performance goes. We walk a fine line of telling the customer what makes our rifles do what they do and not giving too much away to the competition. For those that can't justify the cost of one of our rifles I am sorry . I do not see us chasing the lower end of the market. There are plenty of good choices out there and maybe you will end up with one of our sights,mounts , or rails. Even if you don't own any of our product chances are a product you own owes something to KAC. We are innovators and we are not going to slow down. Considering the AR type rifle has been in production for 50 plus years you wouldn't think there was anything else to do but we keep on trying to squeeze that last bit of performance out of that design and keep our eyes on new technology and processes to push firearms technology into the future.

Thanks, and stay tuned.....

[M4Guru]

I will see if the guy still has the pics...mine did .6" shooting Barnes 70GR TSX at 50M last weekend. Could have been a fluke or all the planets aligned for that zero confirmation but either way I am not upset with the accuracy of mine.

Mine will cross the 8K mark next week (I got it in April), so far no issues. This gun is set up exactly how I would have set it up anyways with the LMT stock and URX II. All I had to do was swap out the grip and I was all set, so I think it was a bargain at the price I paid.

[mtdawg169]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. We really worked hard on the SR-15 E3 to be the best possible gun we could build. KAC never really chases price points but we do try to keep the value as high as possible. I think the SR-15 E3 is getting more and more momentum the longer these guns are out there and the more rounds the customers get on them. Also I think the "new" is wearing off some of the guns that came out at the same time. The fact is most shooters will never shoot their rifles enough to really see what sets them apart from other rifles. Anyone complaining about the price certainly is not out there buying ammo to feed the thing like it can eat. I know that you guys have a lot of good choices when it comes to spending your money on an AR and we work hard for that money. The fact is much of the technology and lessons learned from the rifles we make for the military goes into our commercial offerings. We don't "dummy' down our commercial guns. I would say that KAC tests our guns more than any other company out there. I would honestly say we shoot more rounds per year in testing than all the other companies combined.

The SR-15 E3 is just a step for KAC. We will always continue to improve our product. The SR-15 is not the last commercial offering from us . I think the EM/M-110 Carbine SR-25 is another example of a rifle that has really been pushed as far as the performance goes. We walk a fine line of telling the customer what makes our rifles do what they do and not giving too much away to the competition. For those that can't justify the cost of one of our rifles I am sorry . I do not see us chasing the lower end of the market. There are plenty of good choices out there and maybe you will end up with one of our sights,mounts , or rails. Even if you don't own any of our product chances are a product you own owes something to KAC. We are innovators and we are not going to slow down. Considering the AR type rifle has been in production for 50 plus years you wouldn't think there was anything else to do but we keep on trying to squeeze that last bit of performance out of that design and keep our eyes on new technology and processes to push firearms technology into the future.

Thanks, and stay tuned.....

"Stay tuned".... I like the sound of that!

III, thanks for all that you guys do. Since you and Kevin have tuned in, I've been wanting to ask a question. Recently I've heard people state that the E3 was Mr. Stoner's last effort or his last project. Is there any truth to this? What, if any, role did Mr. Stoner play in the design & development of the features that make the E3 unique in the AR world? I'm only asking because I'd like to know if he had direct involvement in the design changes or if this is just some romantic internet lore. And please don't get me wrong here, this question is asked with the utmost respect for Mr. Stoner & KAC.

[ALCOAR]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. We really worked hard on the SR-15 E3 to be the best possible gun we could build. KAC never really chases price points but we do try to keep the value as high as possible. I think the SR-15 E3 is getting more and more momentum the longer these guns are out there and the more rounds the customers get on them. Also I think the "new" is wearing off some of the guns that came out at the same time. The fact is most shooters will never shoot their rifles enough to really see what sets them apart from other rifles. Anyone complaining about the price certainly is not out there buying ammo to feed the thing like it can eat. I know that you guys have a lot of good choices when it comes to spending your money on an AR and we work hard for that money. The fact is much of the technology and lessons learned from the rifles we make for the military goes into our commercial offerings. We don't "dummy' down our commercial guns. I would say that KAC tests our guns more than any other company out there. I would honestly say we shoot more rounds per year in testing than all the other companies combined.

The SR-15 E3 is just a step for KAC. We will always continue to improve our product. The SR-15 is not the last commercial offering from us . I think the EM/M-110 Carbine SR-25 is another example of a rifle that has really been pushed as far as the performance goes. We walk a fine line of telling the customer what makes our rifles do what they do and not giving too much away to the competition. For those that can't justify the cost of one of our rifles I am sorry . I do not see us chasing the lower end of the market. There are plenty of good choices out there and maybe you will end up with one of our sights,mounts , or rails. Even if you don't own any of our product chances are a product you own owes something to KAC. We are innovators and we are not going to slow down. Considering the AR type rifle has been in production for 50 plus years you wouldn't think there was anything else to do but we keep on trying to squeeze that last bit of performance out of that design and keep our eyes on new technology and processes to push firearms technology into the future.

Thanks, and stay tuned.....

Its wonderful you take the time to let us know what is going on and have such a nice presence on this forum. That goes a really long way in my book

I would hate to see KAC lower the quality and technology in their guns and end up like every other gun besides the MRP/MWS platform.....sometimes you just have to pony up for the best stuff in life and KAC so far from my experience is top shelf and merits every penny its price tag demands. I cannot see any of my money going anywhere but to KAC and LMT... given as of now, nobody seems to be able to even come close in terms of the SR guns and MRP/MWS's.

[KevinB]

Mr. Stoner has passed by that time.

The E3 bolt was Mr. Knight and Doug Olsen, and the E3 was pretty much driven by III.

[mtdawg169]

Mr. Stoner has passed by that time.

The E3 bolt was Mr. Knight and Doug Olsen, and the E3 was pretty much driven by III.

That is what I thought, but for some reason I keep running across this idea being perpetuated on the net that he had some type of direct involvement. Was the E3 bolt influenced by him at all, even as a theoretical improvement to the original design?

[Army Chief]

I didn't get the impression that Stoner had anything to do with the SR-15 in terms of the actual development cycle, but rather in terms of the shared DNA that the new rifle shares with the SR-25 and other rifles that he did work on during his years with KAC.

In this, I think one can make a legimitate claim that the SR series carries forward the legacy of where Stoner was headed with the final evolution of his design, even though the work fell to others to complete. John Browning never completed the Browning High Power, either, but it is still a design that we rightly associate with him today.

I came a bit late to the party, and am almost pleased that I essentially ignored all of the hype until by pure happenstance I picked up an SR-15E3 about a month ago, and instantly came to the realization that this was not "just another rifle." Now I'm an owner -- and I doubt very seriously that this will be my last/only SR series rifle. I've no use for fanboyism, but I do appreciate a quality product, and in this case, the enthusiasm is well-earned.

AC

[III]

Gene Stoner's words ring out in everything we do , I can't think of a project where someone doesn't say" Stoner always said". That being said I would give much of the credit for the E3 bolt design to Doug Olsen as Kevin said. I would also say that we have made countless improvements/refinements to it over the years. I find it interesting that many people find the E3 and its non compatibility to be the rifles only detraction. I consider it the rifles biggest asset. The E3 bolt will out last and out perform any other AR bolt on the market made by any manufacturer . It has been tested in extreme use with a sound suppressor . We know exactly what this rifle is capable of , that is why we have never touted it as a match grade rifle. I have seen rifles that shoot under .5 MOA. The high end seems to be 1.5 or a little higher.