I'm over the A5 system, do you think its worth it?

[alx01]

Not to sidetrack but the "minimalist" gas port thing is for people who shoot mil-spec vs shit ammo. I'm far from an ammo snob but I don't buy shitty Wolf or Tula unless its for an AK. My AR's get 5.56 NATO pressure loads. The trend of barrel makers to make over-gassed guns is for the cheap-asses and their shit ammo. If that's what you want to shoot, fine. But for those who prefer to use 5.56 NATO it would be nice to see a choice in port sizes given by the major manufacturers. To make barrels for the masses has been done for quite some time, but I'd prefer one made for mil-spec ammo. I believe some barrel manufacturers (or their end-buyers) have spec'd tighter gas ports for the more discriminating ammo users, and that is good to see. I hope that trend continues, with port sizes for both mil-spec as well as shit ammo.

IMHO - nothing wrong with the Russian Tula/Wolf or any foreign ammo manufacturer. People know what they are buying and typically are fine with it. These are not a premium brands and never positioned themselves as such.

In my experience Russian/Ukranian/other former Soviet block steel cased ammo is more reliable and consistent (much better in fact) than any and all US re-manufactured brass ammo which are often touted as an alternative.

[MWAG19919]

SOLGW has A5 kits where you can choose what buffer weight you want. I got one on sale for $100 as a present for someone else (he's very happy with it for his 12.5" Kino build). When I was shopping for A5 parts for a rifle of mine (which, admittedly was already running perfectly) I had to piece together a BCM extension, sprinco spring, and A5 weight from two or three different places, and the whole thing cost me like $155.

Mike, if you're reading this... please don't stop selling those A5 kits!

[mark5pt56]

I never got into them, didn't see a need to. Like ED's thread, just go shoot what you have and don't fret over the latest whiz bang waazoo. A lot of this stuff reminds me of a buddy who tried getting me into 1911's. He said the best gun ever as long as they run, two rounds later his fell apart. Point is, people fiddle puck with their guns until they no longer work and wonder why.

[AndyLate]

I have one A5H2 set up on a rifle, and I like the idea of the rifle spring and buffer weight. I am just not skilled/practiced enough to take advantage of any performance benefit the A5 system offers or my upper does not let it shine.

I am good with buying carbine extensions with H2 buffers and spending the savings on ammo/reloading components.

[RobertTheTexan]

The A5 system is great in that it's more forgiving and less sensitive to input.
This.



I'm seeing a lot of this minimalist gas port stuff, but I don't think it's a solution to anything.
It's nice to see more people paying attention to gas port math, but having your rifle on the ragged edge of working is a bad idea, IMO.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

And this.
a very BAD idea indeed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RobertTheTexan]

It’s not always about the immediate moment. I think it’s important to keep the long game in mind with regards to AR builds. That strategy says the A5 is the better more reliable choice, along with the other improvements that have been noted above. I’ve ran both side by side and the results spoke clearly to me. I do understand the mantra of “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” But if in the process of “fixing”, I can improve the performance and reliability of the weapon, which has a direct impact on longevity, then it’s an acceptable fix, it’s a win-win.
You can still watch the movie”10” on a VHS player, but I think most of us (who know what that movie is) would prefer it in high def streaming or Blu-Ray version.
So after swapping out my carbine systems with A5’s, every AR continued to run, just better in my opinion, as my experience had proven to me.
But to the chief complaint...Even if I have to shop 2-3 stores to source the parts, that’s no reason to turn away from something I view as a bona fide improvement. Maybe if I was used to buying all my rifle parts at single source, like BCM,I would find a reason to complain, but I don’t and so I won’t.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TMS951]

I think for building a lower the A5 is a no brainer. It’s benafits are well worth it’s marginal increase in price.

That said, I’ve never pulled apart a factory stakes lower to install one. I just put a geiselle super 42 in it.

[Biggy]

IMHO, the whole point of the A5 system is to mimic the rifle system.

[1168]

The other benefit is increased consistency from the spring biased weights, more weights (4 vs 3) and using the longer rifle spring.

I think there’s something here.

A5 works great for me. I have two identical 11.5 SBRs, one with and one without an A4 system. Clear difference between the two rifles. Now both of them have an A5.

Have you tested with roughly equivalent weight buffers, A5 vs carbine? As in A5H1 vs H2?

I have one A5H2 set up on a rifle, and I like the idea of the rifle spring and buffer weight. I am just not skilled/practiced enough to take advantage of any performance benefit the A5 system offer or I have matched it with an upper that does not let it shine.

I am good with buying carbine extensions with H2 buffers and spending the savings on ammo/reloading components.

I think there is some validity to this

IMHO, the whole point of the A5 system is to mimic the rifle system.

I think there’s something to this.

All,

I am in the planning phase of conducting a scientifically controlled, single blinded study on this subject, and have been for several months. I have access to alumni of 3/75RR, SMU unit members, a professional scientist, and some Reserve/Guard Soldiers. I wish to compare A5 vs carbine based systems vs modified carbine based systems that use a biasing spring, measured objectively using a shot timer, eliminating as many variables possible.

Limiting factors include time available and endless schedule conflicts. I’m not sure 100% if or when I will complete this project. Also, N will be limited, and will be a snapshot of individual participants. But, I’m trying to make it happen.

My hypothesis is that the A5 results can be reproduced without the A5 RE.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

[Sry0fcr]

The A5 is worth it if you have a need for it: 1.) If you're trying to run a collapsible stock on a rifle gas system, 2.) If you have an over-gassed system that a standard buffer weight can't help, 3.) If you like to fiddle-**** with your guns.

Some will fall into category 2, most will probably fall into category 3 who should probably look into a different gas system (midlength, intermediate) or a different gas porting instead and solve the problem at it's root.