I find it interesting to see the equipment and tactics these fighters are using. It is nice to see these Iraqi forces work professionally. I find it interesting to see the night vision and thermal equipment in use. I believe many people don’t appreciate how much of a force multiplier those are.
I saw again recently someone suggesting that a first time AR15 buyer build their own AR15 so that they would be better familiar with the parts and operation. I think a person could learn the parts and operation of a firearm just fine without building one.
By all means build a custom AR if you want too, but I highly recommend buying a good factory built AR15 for your first one. Having built quite a few ARs myself, and seen many more built, there are all sorts of mistakes a person can make. I’ve seen incorrectly aligned gas blocks, gas tubes, hammer springs reversed or under the trigger pin (allowing the trigger pin to walk out. Loose barrel nuts, loose castle nuts (allowing the stock to rotate and or the buffer retainer popping out and jamming the action), and more. The AR15 is a pretty simple weapon, but simple does not mean that you cannot mess it up. A factory built gun will generally be assembled correctly and you will have a warranty if there are any issues.
The best thing about the AR family of weapons is the massive amount of aftermarket parts. It can be overwhelming, and not all of it plays nice together. With more and more companies producing parts, they are not all interchangeable. For example, many hand guards now do not fit correctly on various billet uppers due to these aftermarket billet uppers using different dimensions then a milspec upper.
If you buy a complete rifle from a reputable manufacture, you know the parts they choose to use will work. If you build your own, you will need to do a little research. Sometimes trying to just buy all the best individual components will leave you with something that won’t work together. For example, some years back a few companies were making enhanced bolt carriers. A guy I knew purchased the LMT enhanced bolt carrier since it was supposed to be better than a standard one. He built a SBR with it, and found it didn’t work (The LMT carrier might not have been the only issue with it, but I’m using as an example). The LMT enhanced bolt carrier was tuned and built for a 14.5 inch barrel or longer. This guy just saw that there was an “upgraded” part, bought it, and never realized it wouldn’t work for him.
I could go on with more examples, but if you’re going to get an AR for serious use, or if you are not very familiar with them, it is recommended you buy a factory AR15 from a reputable company.
I’m never really sure what to say on occasions like Memorial Day. I think SoldierSystems summed up my thoughts a little more elegantly then I could have said.
I’m happy and upset with the Razer brand. I’ve long been a fan of Razer mice, so when I was looking for a wireless headset I ended up getting a Razer Man-o-War. Really awesome headset. Some time ago I broke one of the pads on it, so I contacted them and asked if I could buy a replacement pads. They said they didn’t have spare parts, but they would be willing to take my broken headset back, give me full store credit for it, and free shipping on my next order. I was surprised, and took them up on the offer. Irritation finally set in when after receiving back my old headset they dragged their feet a couple of weeks before giving me that store credit. But now all is well and I have a replacement on its way. I thank Razer for replacing my broken headset, I just wish they would have done it faster, or better yet just sent me a replacement pad. In the end, for about $12, I have a brand new headset on its way to me.
I swung by Gulf Coast Armory to drop some stuff off for Cerakote. When I was looking at some of the work Jeremy has recently done, this caught my eye. A cross between the Superman logo and the Autism Society puzzle pieces. I really love how that piece looks.
Where the hell was this guy when I was in?
I still run into many people who believe that silencers drastically degrade accuracy and velocity. Unfortunately this myth is still common in many popular video games, and all too many people believe that to be a fact. A good deal of the pro gun youth only know firearm info from the games they have played.
It is true that some of the early pistol and submachine gun silencers that relied on wipes, mesh, or large internal volume to keep .22 and 9mm rounds subsonic did reduce velocity and accuracy/precision. Modern designs don’t do that, and can actually give a small increase in velocity. I’ve seen some rifles shoot tighter groups when shot suppressed.
I was pointed to this youtube video about the Russian GM94 43mm grenade launcher.
Now, I don’t know Russian, so I have no clue what they are saying. My first impression is that it looks like a handy launcher. Our M203s and M320s are single shots, and the M32 6 shot launcher is somewhat awkward. This seems like it would be easier to pack and deploy than the M32. Being able to fire 3 rounds quickly would certainly be handy.
I doubt very many of us have any experience deploying thermobaric grenades, but I certainly would love too. They are suppose to be more reliable and effective then fragmentation grenades for incapacitating or kill in their effective radius. We have been fielding thermobaric rounds in our SMAWs, and even have one for the 40mm launchers (XM1060).
In the end, this video above is worth the watch just for its cutting edge computer graphics.
I’m getting a little better at editing these, starting to get the hang of the Audacity program.
In this episode we talk a little about the AR being a jack of all trades, and a little bit of competition shooting.
If you want to hear Shawn and I show our absolute lack of mastery of the English language, listen to our new podcast.
We plan to put up a new episode each week.
Please leave a comment if you have a question or topic for us to discuss in a future episode.
And here is a picture of a rifle since I can’t think of anything else to write:
I want to apologize to Doc Kibbey. In my article regarding him I wrote that he did an event using Airsoft equipment. That is not correct. Doc was using and demonstrating UTM Non Lethal Training Ammunition and conversions. It was very interesting. This equipment allows the user to easily convert their own actual firearm to one used against masked and padded training partners. This allows a greater degree of realism in training over other methods. It seemed a little pricey to me for use by the average guy but does have benefits over that of other gear for this purpose. It might be very good for police and military use. After practice, the guns can be quickly return to their regular configuration. All safety precautions apply here as with any similar mode of training. UTM.
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I think the Ruger Precision Rifle will be a keeper. I think this is good start.
Had my friend Jeremy Paynter over at Gulf Coast Armory Cerakote my PredatAR upper burnt bronze to match my FDE anodized Colt lower. I took a few pictures but they didn’t really turn out well and do the job justice. Once I get a better picture I’ll post up a hi-res one.
Also Shawn and I recorded the first episode of the Loose Rounds podcast. Once I figure out how we are going to handle hosting and the like, I’ll have it up so you all can listen to us mangle the English language. If you have any questions you would like us to discuss in the future, reply to this post or put them on our Facebook page.
Shortly after the Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR) first came out, a close friend of mine asked me what I thought about it. I’m pretty sure my response was something like, “Ruger is not generally associated with precision”
Later, much to my surprise, when I was talking to my VA doctor he pulled out targets he had shot with his RPR and he had some pretty impressive groups. I started reading about the rifle and found most everything I was reading was saying that the RPR is pretty outstanding. So when I saw one in 6.5 Creedmore for sale at Gulf Coast Armory I had to pick it up.
Sadly, I don’t have ammunition for it yet, so I haven’t gotten to see its true worth yet. But that has given me some time to pull it apart and examine it.
Overall I am very impressed with the rifle. I have the Gen 2 RPR that comes with a different handguard, muzzle brake, and aluminum bolt shroud. Sadly the Gen 2 rifles are $200 more then the older ones, and I think I would have preferred to have the Gen 1.
It looks like Ruger’s initial plan was to make a 1000 yard gun at $1000 dollars. The rifle is packed full of features that you don’t see elsewhere. The ability to use AR15 handguards and grips , A folding adjustable stock that can be replaced with any AR15 stock, a good adjustable trigger, threaded hammer forged 5R barrel. The barrel can be removed with an AR15 barrel wrench. 20 MOA rail, etc.
Lots of features. Now to get all that in that price, the rifle does have plenty of machining marks and a few sharp edges. I think the lack of perfect fit and finish is a negligible price to pay compared to what all else you are getting. However if you are a perfectionist, this may not be for you.
Stock:
The RPR comes with a carbine buffer tube installed with a fully adjustable stock. Length of Pull, Cheek Riser height, can be adjusted along with the ability to cant the recoil pad. It also include a couple of places to attach a QD swivel. I really like this stock, but I find if you are trying to quickly make an adjustment it will bind up. Very adjustable, but not quick to adjust.
Safety:
I really like that the RPR uses an AR15 safety with a reduced throw, about 45 degrees. Sadly this safety seems like it was added almost as an afterthought. While fully functional, it is kind of loose and actuating it feels sloppy. Instead of using a detent and spring like on the AR15, Ruger just relies on friction and a wire spring to hold the safety in place. When I had my rifle disassembled I found the Ruger safety looked like a rough investment casting coated with the cheapest black spray paint available. I swapped it out for an extra Colt safety I had laying around and that greatly reduced the slop and play in the safety. At some point I intend to get an Ambi safety for this rifle.
Handguard:
The Gen 1 rifles came with a keymod handguard with a full top rail. This interfered with some scopes that have a large objective lens. The newer RPR have a keymod handguard that omits that top rail. Some claim that you can put ANY AR15 handguard on the RPR, but that simply isn’t the case. Between the RPR receive and the hand guard nut, is the RPR’s barrel nut, which is about .2 inches long. This prevent any AR15 rail that uses the AR15 upper for alignment from fitting correctly. Some companies, like Midwest Industries and Seekins have made new handguards specifically for this Ruger rifle.
Muzzle Break:
The muzzle break was added as part of the $200 upgrade on the Gen 2 rifles. First was that mine was installed crooked. This break is covered in burrs and looks like someones first machining project. I’ve already pulled it off as I intend to mount a Surefire Silencer. This is the only part of the rifle I really feel is unacceptable.
I am really excited about this rifle. I am looking forward to seeing what I can do with it.21