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Thread: Piston AR's Worth the Money?

  1. #11
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    Let's not turn this into a mouth-breathing regurgitation of OS bashing.
    Jack Leuba
    Director, Military and Government Sales
    Knight's Armament Company
    jleuba@knightarmco.com

  2. #12
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    I have no burning need for a piston upper and am not going to pay the premium for one. It is an interesting design but both systems do the job if maintained properly. As far as cleaning and maintenance, any firearm like most complex machines with moving parts need to be cared for. I can't imagine buying a firearm and not performing normal mantenance.

  3. #13
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    Guns are dirty, get over it.

    Even pistons need cleaning from time to time just like any DI gun.

    Whether there is a perceived or actual benefit from owning a piston simply doesnt matter.

    I look at it this way. Pistons command a premium price over most DI uppers. I would rather spend that extra money on ammo and shoot my gun than have a "cleaner" OS.

    Personally, if i had to buy a piston i wouldnt buy anything but an LWRC. You're paying for a fantastic barrel, excellent CS and a "complete" upper, ie rail, buis etc.

    Most of these threads devolve into a debate over personal preference. To date, no one has been able to PROVE that pistons are better in SBR's or suppressed applications.

  4. #14
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    I am interested in the piston designs and I currently have one piston carbine.

    I would not have a piston driven AR if it was to be my only AR. If for no other reason than the fact that the parts for a regular di AR will be much easier to come by if shtf in a big way (I'm one of those that like to think of large shtf scenarios).


    I don't see much benefit at this time to have a piston AR, but one thing I like about some of the piston carbines is that they get rid of the buffer and have a folding stock that makes them a little easier pack and stow. In my opinion that's not a good enough reason to get away from a regular di AR, but if a person already has a good AR and wants another carbine it might be worth trying out.
    Joshua 24:14-15


    "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke

  5. #15
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    I remember Larry Vickers telling a class that I was attending that the HK416 was designed because Delta was running ultra- SBR's full auto and suppressed--and sometimes with Beta mags!! He was skeptical of the overall benefit of a piston upper in 14+ inch length. He didn't deny that they might be more reliable in the absolute sense--but doubted the benefit was much. And this from a guy involved in the development of the gun that started the current piston mania.

    I personally own a 416 upper. But, I run it suppressed and full auto. If I didn't have the full auto lower I wouldn't have bought it.
    If you aren't armed when you take a dump in your own home then your opinion on what is a practical daily carry weapon isn't interesting to me.

  6. #16
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    Ok, I'm in the market for a AR too. I weighed the piston option and saw no advantage for me. I plan to go 16" so I dont need the pistons added reliability witha short barrel, I don't have a supressor, and I don't plan to go full auto(tho both supressors and FA are no able to be got with the proper paperwork here now). I also enjoy cleaning my guns. I will admit that not having hot gas in the reciever sounded good to me, but not enough to worrie about.

  7. #17
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    Personally, I'd rather clean all of my FALs and AKs than one DI AR. That said, none of my ARs has a piston. This is for several reasons - none is a SBR or select-fire, nor do I run suppressors, but primarily, it's because the cost/benefit ratio hasn't convinced me to buy a piston driven AR. I lean toward OCD when it comes to cleaning my guns, but I don't consider convenience a legitimate reason to go all piston.

  8. #18
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    Personally, I would not invest in a 16" piston AR15.

    I only run one piston AR15 upper. It's a 10.5" LWRC M6A1. It's most likely the only piston AR15 product I will ever own unless HK makes HK416 uppers more accessible.
    Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit
    What Happened to the American dream? It came true. You're looking at it.

  9. #19
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    I don't think the surcharge for a piston upper is worth the money currently. However, Stag recently announced a piston gun that sells for only a couple hundred more than their DI guns. List price is like $1150.

    That might bring the competitors prices down to something more reasonable. We're only talking a few more parts, and that shouldn't double the price.

    That said, I am avoiding piston action AR's until someone standardizes the design. Why get a bastardized AR with a bunch of proprietary parts that are likely to get discontinued if the thing doesn't sell well? Sooner or later the military will select a piston action AR (or other carbine) and that will set the standard. Until then DI is fine for my needs.

    For a while it looked like the HK 416 would become the standard. But the civilian version is all proprietary anyway...

  10. #20
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    I shoot off my left shoulder. With a the bolt run wet with SLIP and a can I end up looking like I work at Jiffy Lube. Would a 12" piston gun with my Surefire can reduce the residue I end up with peppering my face?
    Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little a temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Ben Franklin 1759

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