jhr1986
02-04-16, 20:22
This won't live up to the Molon level standards that we all so enjoy but I figured I'd post my findings. Recently built this gun for my mother who has taken more of an interest in shooting over the past year and decided she wanted a rifle.
Specs are as follows:
Aero Precision upper and lower
ALG Defense QMS trigger & LPK
BCM RE/spring/H buffer/charging handle
Magpul K grip, ACS-L stock & SL handguards
Toolcraft BCG
Ballistic Advantage 14.7" pencil Mid-gas 5.56 barrel w/FSB (1/7 twist)
A2 flash hider
First impressions after the first couple of outings: very lightweight (theme of this build since it is for a little old lady), very soft shooting. The gas port must be on the lower end of the spec, it is definitely softer shooting than my other middy 14.5" and BCM 16". They don't bother me but she thought the recoil was a little harsh on those two, she likes hers quite a bit however. I had no issues with wolf gold 223, m855 or any of the ammo I shot today. On my second outing with the gun we did have a 2-3 instances where the bolt failed to lock to the rear on an empty magazine when using PMC bronze 223, but it never failed to load the next round if there was one in the magazine. After those failures I added some lube to the BCG and loaded a single round of PMC bronze into ten mags. All ten resulted in the bolt locking back after firing so hopefully it is just a break in issue. I will be keeping an eye on that though.
So onto the slightly more interesting stuff. Today was our 3rd time out with this gun and my goal was to see how accurate it could be with decent ammo and a scope. I am planning on building a 20" A4ish type rifle here pretty soon and am waffling between a BA QPQ or a Green Mountain chrome lined for that build. This test was part of my plan to help solidify that decision. I'm relatively happy with the results from this barrel considering the pencil profile, non free-float handguards and my impatience (not letting the barrel really cool down much between strings).
Here is the rifle as it normally sits:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pP2Evoqe9rI/VrPydownShI/AAAAAAAAA2g/GeIkCSdJj4g/s800-Ic42/image.jpg
And here it is in the configuration that I used to do my accuracy testing:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xjUltuVaX_E/VrPydv4EJBI/AAAAAAAAA2g/siHZDFZQ-JY/s800-Ic42/image%252520%2525281%252529.jpg
Finally, here are the groups I shot today:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bQElBTm-DrQ/VrP8CpzSqdI/AAAAAAAAA2g/niOcMEGV4lc/s800-Ic42/TgtGfx.jpg
I used an SWFA 10x mounted in an Aero Precision SPR mount for my group shooting today. All groups were shot from a bench using my range bag as a front rest (making sure not to touch the barrel itself) and a rear bag. I allowed 2-3 minutes in between strings with each group being shot in the span of about a minute. The order that I shot the groups in was:
1. ADI 69gr
2. Beck 77gr
3. Hornady 75gr
4. Hornady 55gr
5. Hornady 75gr
The first group with the Hornady Match 75gr was so bad that I decided to reshoot it to see if the results were consistent. Obviously this barrel is not a fan of that particular load/bullet. On the upper left hand group (Hornady 55gr Spire Point), the very first shot was way over to the left. I still included it in the group because I didn't feel like I messed up the shot, but results on the target tell another story. Small sample size though, need to shoot some more of the Hornady 55gr and Beck 77gr through this barrel. For those that are curious, the other group measurement under the top left group is a measurement of the 9 rounds that grouped together.
The range I was shooting at today does not allow any FMJ ammo, so I was not able to test groups with m855 and xm193. I'd guess they'll probably be ~3-4" @ 100. I'll get out to another range and shoot some of those in a few weeks. Hope you guys enjoyed reading.
Specs are as follows:
Aero Precision upper and lower
ALG Defense QMS trigger & LPK
BCM RE/spring/H buffer/charging handle
Magpul K grip, ACS-L stock & SL handguards
Toolcraft BCG
Ballistic Advantage 14.7" pencil Mid-gas 5.56 barrel w/FSB (1/7 twist)
A2 flash hider
First impressions after the first couple of outings: very lightweight (theme of this build since it is for a little old lady), very soft shooting. The gas port must be on the lower end of the spec, it is definitely softer shooting than my other middy 14.5" and BCM 16". They don't bother me but she thought the recoil was a little harsh on those two, she likes hers quite a bit however. I had no issues with wolf gold 223, m855 or any of the ammo I shot today. On my second outing with the gun we did have a 2-3 instances where the bolt failed to lock to the rear on an empty magazine when using PMC bronze 223, but it never failed to load the next round if there was one in the magazine. After those failures I added some lube to the BCG and loaded a single round of PMC bronze into ten mags. All ten resulted in the bolt locking back after firing so hopefully it is just a break in issue. I will be keeping an eye on that though.
So onto the slightly more interesting stuff. Today was our 3rd time out with this gun and my goal was to see how accurate it could be with decent ammo and a scope. I am planning on building a 20" A4ish type rifle here pretty soon and am waffling between a BA QPQ or a Green Mountain chrome lined for that build. This test was part of my plan to help solidify that decision. I'm relatively happy with the results from this barrel considering the pencil profile, non free-float handguards and my impatience (not letting the barrel really cool down much between strings).
Here is the rifle as it normally sits:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pP2Evoqe9rI/VrPydownShI/AAAAAAAAA2g/GeIkCSdJj4g/s800-Ic42/image.jpg
And here it is in the configuration that I used to do my accuracy testing:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xjUltuVaX_E/VrPydv4EJBI/AAAAAAAAA2g/siHZDFZQ-JY/s800-Ic42/image%252520%2525281%252529.jpg
Finally, here are the groups I shot today:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bQElBTm-DrQ/VrP8CpzSqdI/AAAAAAAAA2g/niOcMEGV4lc/s800-Ic42/TgtGfx.jpg
I used an SWFA 10x mounted in an Aero Precision SPR mount for my group shooting today. All groups were shot from a bench using my range bag as a front rest (making sure not to touch the barrel itself) and a rear bag. I allowed 2-3 minutes in between strings with each group being shot in the span of about a minute. The order that I shot the groups in was:
1. ADI 69gr
2. Beck 77gr
3. Hornady 75gr
4. Hornady 55gr
5. Hornady 75gr
The first group with the Hornady Match 75gr was so bad that I decided to reshoot it to see if the results were consistent. Obviously this barrel is not a fan of that particular load/bullet. On the upper left hand group (Hornady 55gr Spire Point), the very first shot was way over to the left. I still included it in the group because I didn't feel like I messed up the shot, but results on the target tell another story. Small sample size though, need to shoot some more of the Hornady 55gr and Beck 77gr through this barrel. For those that are curious, the other group measurement under the top left group is a measurement of the 9 rounds that grouped together.
The range I was shooting at today does not allow any FMJ ammo, so I was not able to test groups with m855 and xm193. I'd guess they'll probably be ~3-4" @ 100. I'll get out to another range and shoot some of those in a few weeks. Hope you guys enjoyed reading.