lja
09-26-11, 15:13
Howdy All. First post on this forum and want to thank all the contributors, moderators and voices of experience for all the good learnin' to be found here - and a relative absence of interweb silliness.
While I have a clear bias toward DI guns and have been shooting them for forty years, I gave-in to the dark side and bought a new Adams Arms complete piston upper to put on my old SP-1 pre-forward-assist carbine lower.
The price was more than right ($600). My motivation was to get rid of the carry-handle and to find-out for myself how piston guns compare to DI.
My review after about 1,000 rounds of all kinds of ammo (primarily BH MK262) is highly favorable. Manufacture, fit and finish are top notch. The piston system is elegantly simple and self-scrubbing. No bobbles or misses to date using old Adventure-Line GI mags and P-Mags. Once I got the buffer weight up to H3 and put in a Tubb spring, the recoil pattern became acceptable. It is actually a soft shooter with 223 ammo.
With an M223 1-4 scope on a LaRue mount, the gun will shoot 1/2" or less at 50yds with boring regularity (MK 262 and BH 223 77gr OTM). A Wilson TTU trigger helps a lot in that regard.
What I like about the piston upper is its accuracy and minimal cleaning requirements. What I don't like is the nature of the recoil. It is sharper indeed as many have observed. Not really more recoil - just not the soft shove of a DI gun that is properly buffered and sprung.
I shot 200 rds through the Adams upper and 200 rds through my Daniels Defense middy then proceeded to clean both. Same ammo in both as well. Frankly, there was nothing to clean (other than the bore) on the Adams upper. I was a bit shocked actually. The piston and rod had very little crud - it wiped off with a soft cloth, and the receiver and bolt were pristine. Cleaning was done in 5 minutes or less. The DD was, well, typical. Not offensive in any way - just the usual carbon and crud.
So, this is not a this vs. that kind of comment or thread. My preference runs to less moving parts, simpler operation and less abrupt recoil. For folks who just want an accurate range gun with minimal maintenance obligations, the Adams appears to be a great choice at a great price. I doubt that much lubrication is required.
My take on this is that the piston gun is really not an AR-15. It is a hybrid. Only time will tell whether such designs will prove to be as durable and battle-worthy as Stoner's original, simpler design. Being a devotee of the 1911 45 auto, I know that most departures from Browning's original design and physics have failed and will fail. Will the same be true of Stoner's work?
Thanks for reading, and God Bless Texas.
While I have a clear bias toward DI guns and have been shooting them for forty years, I gave-in to the dark side and bought a new Adams Arms complete piston upper to put on my old SP-1 pre-forward-assist carbine lower.
The price was more than right ($600). My motivation was to get rid of the carry-handle and to find-out for myself how piston guns compare to DI.
My review after about 1,000 rounds of all kinds of ammo (primarily BH MK262) is highly favorable. Manufacture, fit and finish are top notch. The piston system is elegantly simple and self-scrubbing. No bobbles or misses to date using old Adventure-Line GI mags and P-Mags. Once I got the buffer weight up to H3 and put in a Tubb spring, the recoil pattern became acceptable. It is actually a soft shooter with 223 ammo.
With an M223 1-4 scope on a LaRue mount, the gun will shoot 1/2" or less at 50yds with boring regularity (MK 262 and BH 223 77gr OTM). A Wilson TTU trigger helps a lot in that regard.
What I like about the piston upper is its accuracy and minimal cleaning requirements. What I don't like is the nature of the recoil. It is sharper indeed as many have observed. Not really more recoil - just not the soft shove of a DI gun that is properly buffered and sprung.
I shot 200 rds through the Adams upper and 200 rds through my Daniels Defense middy then proceeded to clean both. Same ammo in both as well. Frankly, there was nothing to clean (other than the bore) on the Adams upper. I was a bit shocked actually. The piston and rod had very little crud - it wiped off with a soft cloth, and the receiver and bolt were pristine. Cleaning was done in 5 minutes or less. The DD was, well, typical. Not offensive in any way - just the usual carbon and crud.
So, this is not a this vs. that kind of comment or thread. My preference runs to less moving parts, simpler operation and less abrupt recoil. For folks who just want an accurate range gun with minimal maintenance obligations, the Adams appears to be a great choice at a great price. I doubt that much lubrication is required.
My take on this is that the piston gun is really not an AR-15. It is a hybrid. Only time will tell whether such designs will prove to be as durable and battle-worthy as Stoner's original, simpler design. Being a devotee of the 1911 45 auto, I know that most departures from Browning's original design and physics have failed and will fail. Will the same be true of Stoner's work?
Thanks for reading, and God Bless Texas.