My Latest AR Assembly Please Critique

[steven58]

Hi All,

Please excuse me but I accidentally posted this in the wrong forum and am re-posting here as I would very much like to have your collective opinion.

I have just put the finishing touch on my new mid-length AR assembly (the Aimpoint T-1 just dropped of by the BBT)

This is designed to be a light, KISS, fighting carbine for use from CQB to 300 yds. I did it as a 2 tone to break up the outline of the rifle from a distance and to increase the cool factor:cool:

I originally planned to base this assembly entirely on Blackthorne components (I have heard through confidential sources that they are the machine guns of the special forces!). Tapco was to provide all of the furniture and internal components not available through Blackthorne as there is no reason to waste good cash on trendy brand names! Also, I have been told at the range that the Bushnell TRS 25 is made in the same factory as the Aimpoint T1. They just put different different logos on them for the boutique buyers. Need proof? they both take the same batteries!!!

However I changed my mind:D

Components are as follows:

Bravo Company: mid length complete upper, bolt carrier group and receiver extension kit with H buffer:

Essential Arms: lower receiver

Daniel Defense: lower parts kit, rear sight and optic mount

Magpul: MOE stock and grip

Cavalry Arms: mid length handguards

Blue Force Gear: VCAS Victory Sling and universal wire loop front sling attachment

Noveske: QD endplate and swivel.

I was hesitant at first about using a battery operated sight. However, after researching Aimpoint and other RDS here I was convinced enough to give it a try. I own an a PVS14 so I went with the T1 instead of the H1.

It helps that the Magpul MOE grip takes the MIAD core designed to hold 2 AA batteries in a hermetically sealed container. As you can see in the picture, by interesting coincidence, it also holds 4 2032 batteries in their individually sealed wrappers. At approximately 5 years per battery that gives me about 25 years worth of back up. I'll just rotate through these to keep them under the 10 year shelf life!

So far, I have only put 300 rounds through it with the iron sights. It runs great no jams, no problems. It cycles and locks back on an empty mag using wolf 75 gr. .223 and shoots great with centurion 55 gr. 5.56. Federal XM 193 opens the groups up a bit but cycles fine. Even my "test" magazine (an old beat up, dented National Guard reject picked out of the armory trash in 1988) didn't jam it. For normal use: P-mags.

The only thing I would do different if I was starting the project today is go with a Spikes lower. At least as good as the Essential and a few bucks cheaper.

Please advise as to any improvements / changes you may think of

Thanks.

[kmrtnsn]

The big questions are, do you like it and does it shoot well for you? Congrats and good job.

[steven58]

Love it! shoots great, feels great. I have a bunch of rifles and none are as much fun to shoot as my ARs.

Thank God I bought a rimfire conversion kit, it paid for itself the first time I took my 2 kids to the range and burned up over 1k .22s + 300 5.56s.

These things are like a combination of porn and crack!:eek:

[foxjordan22]

spikes st t2 buffer. felt better than my h buffer. makes the rifle run smoother.

[steven58]

Thanks Foxjordan22,

Is your rifle a mid-length? I thought that with the H buff I'm using it was already butting up against max buffer weight for a middie.

[Belmont31R]

Thanks Foxjordan22,

Is your rifle a mid-length? I thought that with the H buff I'm using it was already butting up against max buffer weight for a middie.



Just my opinion but you should run the heaviest buffer your weapon will shoot reliably with.



OP- like the rifle!

[M4arc]

I think it looks good and by the sounds of the components a reliable build.

I would move the Aimpoint forward, to the front of the receiver because I prefer them out a little further than what you have there.

BTW I run H buffers in my middies.

[rob_s]

I have a BCM mid-length upper that used to sit on a DSA lower with one of Grant's LPKs and a MOE stock and grip. In that iteration it had a carbine buffer and ran Wolf without a failure in several hundred rounds.

I bought one of the BCM complete lowers and it came with an "H" buffer. I cleaned the upper when I made the switch, and had two failures to extract with Wolf in just a couple hundred rounds. I'm going to put the carbine buffer in it, and I already added the o-ring to the extractor.

Obviously one solution is to not run Wolf, but I have found no issues with that ammo if the gun is set up to run it, and at $00/k less than brass I'm going to keep right on shooting it.

In terms of "smoother" and "lighter recoil impulse" and all that jazz, you either have to be a dirt shooter sitting at the bench and trying to notice it, or one hell of a great 3-gun style shooter to notice it when shooting dynamically. I'm somewhere in between so I don't pay it much attention. The timer tells me I'm no faster or slower, on average, with my 6933 than I am with my BCM.

[steven58]

Thanks Foxjordan22, I think I"ll tell my M4 shooting buddies about that st t2 I'm sure one of them will get one and I'll borrow it and see if my gun likes it.


Thanks, M4ARC, You bring up an good point. The placement of the RDS is a work in progress. I've read articles from both the "drive through the optic" who recommend keeping it as close as possible and the "drive around the optic" schools of thought that put it further out. As this is my first RDS, I'm trying both ways to see which works best for me.

[steven58]

Rob_s,

I'm mainly a dirt shooter Other than my NYARNG training/experience I have no further formal training with AR driving. I sometimes shoot with a local PD training officer and get some tips /learn some drills for practice but no courses yet. They are on my short list as the ones I took for my pistol were very helpful.

The only way I was able to feel any difference was to shoot this rifle side by side from the bench with one that is identical in all respects except it has a BCM M4 upper. even doing that that the difference was so subtle that it could almost fall within the margin of error of "wishful thinking". The interesting thing was that the difference was virtually nil with .223 stuff but became just noticeable with xm193.

[PRGGodfather]

Sounds like you used some really solid components, and the rifle came out looking great. I second moving the RDS towards the front of the receiver, but if you're not intending to mount a magnifier in the future and the current config works for you, go for it.

Shoot the heck out of that carbine and have some fun!

Be safe, and shoot straight,
Alan

[M&P45]

Just my opinion but you should run the heaviest buffer your weapon will shoot reliably with.


Nonsense... The midlength gas system was designed to work with a standard carbine carrier. Most firearms work best when used within their design tolerances. The H buffer will probably be fine.

Nice simple carbine. I really like the DD sights and mount. You do realize that you have something like 30 years worth of batteries in your grip? :D

[steven58]

Thanks M&P45,

Yes, I figured 20 years in the grip and 5 in the sight, But I'm a pessimist;)

I tend to be pretty "old school" when it comes to weapons. My ideal fighting AR is KISS meets belt+suspenders+elastic waistband reliability. For me, the idea of a battery operated sight took some real getting used to as my only previous experience with RDS was with a friend's Tasco. I was not impressed...

I wanted the extra batteries on tap not just for longevity but in case the battery in the sight fails prematurely. While it is rare I have experienced fresh batteries in other applications shorting out or just plain dying at the most inopportune times.

The information from this site has been invaluable. Not only was I able to rely on it to pick what were the best components for my needs but also to make me aware of the existence of some of the newest AR toys in the first place.

Update: I recently took it to the range to try out the Aimpoint. Sight in was very easy. The only part that was odd was that the Micro adjusts opposite of the usual "clockwise = up and right" standard.

In close this is an amazingly fast and forgiving sight. Starting from a low ready it was very simple and intuitive to use. At 10, 25 and 50 Yds I was able to hit multiple silhouettes faster than I ever had with irons or an ACOG. Clay birds at 50 went down equally fast.

The toughest thing was trying to do precision shooting at 100 yds. I had a bit of difficulty learning to consistently focus on the target instead of the dot. I would reflexively treat it like a magnifying optic and focus on the reticule. Whenever I did the round dot became an oval. Blink, focus on the target and it was a sharp circle again.

Eventually, I was able to get multiple 3" 10 shot groups at 100 yds using a 4" black bull as a target and Centurion 55 gr. ammo. This was fired from a bench over sandbags.

My next upgrade will be to send the trigger out to Bill Springfield for a "basic" 4 lb. job.