Piston? HK MR556?

[Firefly]

I am not looking for collectors item. I am looking for a go to low maintenence carbine that I can throw a red dot and light on for HD and if things went horribly wrong a LVPO for outside the house would you recommend the MR556 for this?

To give you a totally honest answer I would say a qualified “yes” with a few caveats. Of all the piston ARs in the world, the HK is definitely the standard and with the 16” barrel you do get a far less violent recoil impulse than you would if you had a 10.4 or an 11”. That said, there is no such thing as a free lunch. The rifle is designed to survive a long time in adverse conditions but the carbon still collects somewhere. You do have to maintain it. That said, it is a bit more proprietary than your average AR.

You don’t have to baby it (I don’t baby mine) but if you are on the fence then maybe it’s not the gun for you. You will hear a lot of larpy hogwash poopooing of the 556 that should be absolutely and immediately dismissed. It IS in its own ecosystem of sorts. If all else were equal and perfect, should the rifle ever hiccup; HK will certainly stand by their product and I can attest and affirm to this professionally and personally.

BUT Cali is weird and you may only have so much of a window. I only discuss the 556 because I own one and you asked about it.

If it were me I would probably get a quality 6920 style carbine and a lot of spare parts from gas tubes to BCGs. I might even look into something with a rifle gas. You may be in a position due to political climate where you may have to be your own armorer. So you may want a lot more common parts.

If you did opt for the 556, you should be totally fine. But if you are anxious about the longevity of your freedom you may want something not so proprietary.

Going a step further, were money not an issue I would get an LMT Rifle and a spare, standard carbine upper.

All I can say is good luck. If nothing else, get what you can get regardless

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

If it were me I would probably get a quality 6920 style carbine and a lot of spare parts from gas tubes to BCGs. I might even look into something with a rifle gas. You may be in a position due to political climate where you may have to be your own armorer. So you may want a lot more common parts.

Despite the chromepocalypse above I actually agree with this. I would have said the same but we were talking about pistons. No doubt a good AR-15 is a better choice for a “one” gun.

[mysak]

Fair enough and thank you for a solid response. I have the DI thing covered and parts etc have never been an issue its more along the lines of getting something I have always wanted with out the "featureless" nonesense. If I could actually find a legit LMT carbine in stock I would consider it lol so if you know where I could find some that would be awesome. Currently I think i am between the HK and Bren 2.

To give you a totally honest answer I would say a qualified “yes” with a few caveats. Of all the piston ARs in the world, the HK is definitely the standard and with the 16” barrel you do get a far less violent recoil impulse than you would if you had a 10.4 or an 11”. That said, there is no such thing as a free lunch. The rifle is designed to survive a long time in adverse conditions but the carbon still collects somewhere. You do have to maintain it. That said, it is a bit more proprietary than your average AR.

You don’t have to baby it (I don’t baby mine) but if you are on the fence then maybe it’s not the gun for you. You will hear a lot of larpy hogwash poopooing of the 556 that should be absolutely and immediately dismissed. It IS in its own ecosystem of sorts. If all else were equal and perfect, should the rifle ever hiccup; HK will certainly stand by their product and I can attest and affirm to this professionally and personally.

BUT Cali is weird and you may only have so much of a window. I only discuss the 556 because I own one and you asked about it.

If it were me I would probably get a quality 6920 style carbine and a lot of spare parts from gas tubes to BCGs. I might even look into something with a rifle gas. You may be in a position due to political climate where you may have to be your own armorer. So you may want a lot more common parts.

If you did opt for the 556, you should be totally fine. But if you are anxious about the longevity of your freedom you may want something not so proprietary.

Going a step further, were money not an issue I would get an LMT Rifle and a spare, standard carbine upper.

All I can say is good luck. If nothing else, get what you can get regardless

[mysak]

THanks and that would be the most reasonable answer but considering I have the DI thing covered I am wanting alternatives. thanks

Despite the chromepocalypse above I actually agree with this. I would have said the same but we were talking about pistons. No doubt a good AR-15 is a better choice for a “one” gun.

[georgeib]

FWIW, I very very much love my PWS piston rifle. I've only had the opportunity to put a few thousand rounds on it, but have had no issues other than one particular Gen 1 PMAG that would only lock back on empty intermittently. Lots of other people that have them all seem to love them too, including many with extreme round counts on theirs.

Long stroke 1 piece gas piston, and probably the best kept secret in the premium AR world. And even though the bolt doesn't have gas rings, you can use a standard bolt in a pinch, as a spare.

[kyjd75]

Here are my thoughts on piston rifles based on my experience with them. I own several Sig 516's, several MCX Virtus's, and one HK MR556. I also own several DI rifles, primarily Centurion Arms. I am a big piston fan. The ones that I have have all been 100% reliable and shoot very well. The 516's are heavy, as is the MR556, primarily being massively overbuilt in certain areas including barrels. Yes, the recoil impulse of a piston rifle is different from a DI gun, but not so punishing as to make any significant difference (imho). The real beauty of a piston rifle, aside from its reliability, is that the bcg just doesn't get dirty. Cleaning a piston rifle is a piece of cake compared to a DI rifle. Now, the real interesting piston rifle for me is the MCX Virtus. Recent reviews of this rifle have been very favorable. The ones I have (16" and 2-11.5") shoot well, and the recoil impulse is virtually the same as a DI gun. There is a strong possibility that the NGSW for the US Military will be a variant of the MCX in 6.8 caliber. Lots of info out there on this rifle if one wants to look. To be sure, for civilian use, a DI rifle is just as practical as a piston variant. But for serious use the piston rifle is still the choice of many. I have no hesitation in recommending any of the models I own and shoot to anyone interested in having a piston gun.

[HKGuns]

I own two MR556's and they are, by a wide margin, the most accurate AR15's currently in my safe. I can shoot sub MOA consistently when I do my part with my hand loads. Probably not going to find one in inventory anywhere or at a reasonable cost in the current market.

They are heavy, accurate and extremely well made.

[HKGuns]

Well that was strange. Double tap.

[Firefly]

I didn’t get my 556 because it was piston but because those barrels are very well made and almost laser accurate which is coming from a man with an original SR-25 with a 24” Obermyer. You still have to clean a piston but I honestly would have no problem if it were my only gun. I still chuckle to myself at the people spazzing over the no chrome lining. If you only knew how many modern military guns didn’t have Chrome Lining you would lose a lot of sleep.

I for one am glad they got rid of the vestigial M4 step. Just for fun I put a Leupold on mine when I first got it and it would put a Mk. 12 to utter shame.

HK is like a MacBook. Yes it seems obscenely expensive initially until you realize that your purchase will hold up for a long time compared to a normal PC

[Spooky1]

I didn’t get my 556 because it was piston but because those barrels are very well made and almost laser accurate which is coming from a man with an original SR-25 with a 24” Obermyer. You still have to clean a piston but I honestly would have no problem if it were my only gun. I still chuckle to myself at the people spazzing over the no chrome lining. If you only knew how many modern military guns didn’t have Chrome Lining you would lose a lot of sleep.

I for one am glad they got rid of the vestigial M4 step. Just for fun I put a Leupold on mine when I first got it and it would put a Mk. 12 to utter shame.

HK is like a MacBook. Yes it seems obscenely expensive initially until you realize that your purchase will hold up for a long time compared to a normal PC

I only have 2 AR's with Chrome Linined Barrels and 2 Barrels I took off that were Chrome Linined because I wasn't happy with the accuracy. Anyway, what kind of Coating do they use on the 556 Barrels to protect them or harden the Steel? I haven't really looked into these but I do believe I will now.

Thanks.⁰