Real Guns
- Thread starter Calibretto
- 8,880 comments
- 477,557 views
a6m5USP comes in full size or compact, right?
It is a old design, but man, it's not like it's inaccurate, or doesn't fire bullets. And OMG, they are sweet shooters. Don't be hatin'
In regards to HK, BrutherSuperior is not a fan of the Sig, but he used to have a USP(maybe he still does). Maybe he can chime in.
You seen how many newer used guns are out there? There's plenty of that going around.I've never fired a Sig, but I've admired their guns since I was a kid and I hope to own one someday. There are plenty of people who find their operation awkward, so I definitely recommend shooting something like P220 before spending a grand on it. I wish you good luck & have fun shopping around.
I honestly wish I had more places where I live that had big gun show rooms or shooting ranges. The most we have is gun stored that just sell glocks, Taurus, hipoint, etc.
- 5,216
- Nicest part of hell
I've shot the USP in .40 a few years ago, man, that thing was a tank. Only a little smaller than a Desert Eagle and it was extremely snappy (muzzle flip) with 165 grainers because of its heavy huge slide and super lightweight frame.
I couldn't hit anything with it, it was awkward to shoot - and I'm not a bad shot.
I couldn't hit anything with it, it was awkward to shoot - and I'm not a bad shot.
Thanks! I'm still waiting for the endorphin rush, now it only hurts like a SOB.I wish you a speedy recovery buddy.:tup:
- 4,543
- Bay Area, CA
- Zenith113
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- 4,543
- Bay Area, CA
- Zenith113
Also one for Glocks.
I’d show her my cyclic rate.
She can lubricate my bolt head anytime.
Those locking lugs look plenty big.
If she likes that carbine, she’ll love my big bore rifle.
Pistol grip? She can use any grip she wants.
My sights just flipped up.
Always use a rail cover, boys.
Shot placement is everything.
My flash hider is bigger than most.
My barrel is about to overheat.
Thoroughly lubricate all reciprocating mass.
That Magpul BAD lever should speed up my reload times.
Men over the age of 50 might experience malfunctions. For clearances longer than 4 minutes consult your nearest gunsmith.
Anything else I’m missing?
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I've looked into it alot and I think I have three different ones I'd want. Colt/Springfield armory 1911(depends which I like. 1911 model in general), H&K USP 45, or a sig p220. After looking into the USP 45, I realize that I really like the way it looks and some of the features it has. One question I still have for it and the other guns(will be a huge factor when I actually go to buy it) is if it will have the "double-action" type trigger. I'd definitely want a trigger that pulls when I wan it to.
- 4,543
- Bay Area, CA
- Zenith113
All but the 1911 are DA/SA. If the hammer is down the first pull is double action, then the rest will be single action. The gun can be kept with the hammer back to act exactly like a 1911 until you pull the trigger on an empty chamber.
No handgun in today's market has a better trigger than a 1911. The 1911 lacks the trigger safeties mandated(?) on today's guns.
IMO a good trigger is what you should be looking for, don't sacrifice everything for the end all of trigger pulls. If the trigger is really making such a big difference in your shooting then you need some extra practice.
hogger129
(Banned)
- 691
- United States
Both were made in SA in addition to DA/SA and DAK.
Like you said, still isn't a 1911 though.
As for "trigger safeties," do you mean the firing pin block? It's not really mandated. Colt came out with it because of drop safety tests I think. Even there, Springfield doesn't use em and can pass CA drop safety tests.
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Zenith013
The trigger thing I'm talking about is what I experienced doth the glock my friend has. It wasnt the double action or anything, it was the actual trigger. You had to pull it in a certain amount and then you felt tension of the trigger. I want it to be a trigger that pulls like a regular gun, not have to pull the trigger a good ways and then it pulls. If I can find out which of the guns I listed as my final few choices doesn't have the trigger like the glock I'm talking about, it is going to pretty much push me over to that gun's side.
- 5,216
- Nicest part of hell
You do know that the Glock trigger has a long travel only at the first shot, right? Don't let the trigger travel all the way forward after the first shot and you have an excellent very light trigger pull with a very short travel
Many people don't know that and let the trigger go all the way back which results in a long mushy trigger pull with a hard pressure point.
Shoot it, than let the trigger reset until you hear a ''click'', don't let it travel any further.
Many people don't know that and let the trigger go all the way back which results in a long mushy trigger pull with a hard pressure point.
Shoot it, than let the trigger reset until you hear a ''click'', don't let it travel any further.
Michael88
See, I know exactly what you mean. I know it is there for the tacticality(word check lol) and the ease of firing, but I don't think that'd be good as far as in a self defense moment. I would not want a "mushy" trigger(I like the wording. I've been trying to think of a good one for the type of trigger I was talking about) in a tense moment. I just want to make sure the three guns I'm looking at don't have that.
- 5,216
- Nicest part of hell
Believe me, in a tense situation you'd never feel the difference between a 1.5lbs match trigger and a scratchy long 10lbs double action trigger, you wouldn't even have enough time to aim properly. In a self defense situation a trigger doesn't matter. (As long you can pull it) A typical self defense situation also usually occurs at ~ ten feet.
Its the same thing when you're hunting game, on the range you might be shooting a hunting rifle that recoils so hard it just hurts like a SOB, but when you are in the woods shooting at a live animal you don't even notice the recoil because of the adrenaline.
Its the same thing when you're hunting game, on the range you might be shooting a hunting rifle that recoils so hard it just hurts like a SOB, but when you are in the woods shooting at a live animal you don't even notice the recoil because of the adrenaline.
- 4,543
- Bay Area, CA
- Zenith113
Okay.
When the trigger moves towards the rear without any real force required on your part, that's called take-up. Most triggers have some.
When the trigger slowly moves towards the rear while you squeeze, you're experiencing creep. Good triggers try to eliminate that.
What Michael is talking about is called trigger reset. This is the distance the trigger must move forward after firing before it can be pulled back again to fire.
Based on what little I know about you, I'm going to give a bit of advice.
You say you have 1-1.5K to spend on a gun. That's great. However, once you get past the $500-$600 range, law of diminishing returns kicks in fast. A $500 handgun is much better than a $250 handgun, but a $1,000 handgun really isn't that much better unless you put the gun through absolute hell.
If I were in your position, heck, if I had $1,000 to spend on a handgun as a more experienced shooter, I'd get a high quality $500 gun and spend the rest on ammo (after the market cools off) and maybe a sight upgrade.
You need to be a really good shooter to get anything out of a $1,000 gun that you wouldn't from a $500 gun. At your level or mine, there simply won't be a difference. The shooter is by far the weakest link with the $500 gun.
If you want a timepiece or a piece of exquisite art, awesome. I totally get it. Go crazy, spend as much as you'd like. But if you're looking for a tool to defend yourself with, you need to consider that the shooter is the most important part and that spending the money on ammo and range time will by far make you a more effective shooter than buying an extra awesome gun.
I encourage you to be realistic about what you need, what you want, and how we can help. If you want a gun to be both a house defense tool and a sweet machine, that's another discussion.
When the trigger moves towards the rear without any real force required on your part, that's called take-up. Most triggers have some.
When the trigger slowly moves towards the rear while you squeeze, you're experiencing creep. Good triggers try to eliminate that.
What Michael is talking about is called trigger reset. This is the distance the trigger must move forward after firing before it can be pulled back again to fire.
Based on what little I know about you, I'm going to give a bit of advice.
You say you have 1-1.5K to spend on a gun. That's great. However, once you get past the $500-$600 range, law of diminishing returns kicks in fast. A $500 handgun is much better than a $250 handgun, but a $1,000 handgun really isn't that much better unless you put the gun through absolute hell.
If I were in your position, heck, if I had $1,000 to spend on a handgun as a more experienced shooter, I'd get a high quality $500 gun and spend the rest on ammo (after the market cools off) and maybe a sight upgrade.
You need to be a really good shooter to get anything out of a $1,000 gun that you wouldn't from a $500 gun. At your level or mine, there simply won't be a difference. The shooter is by far the weakest link with the $500 gun.
If you want a timepiece or a piece of exquisite art, awesome. I totally get it. Go crazy, spend as much as you'd like. But if you're looking for a tool to defend yourself with, you need to consider that the shooter is the most important part and that spending the money on ammo and range time will by far make you a more effective shooter than buying an extra awesome gun.
I encourage you to be realistic about what you need, what you want, and how we can help. If you want a gun to be both a house defense tool and a sweet machine, that's another discussion.
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Zenith013
I know what you mean completely. I'm not a bad shooter. Or really a new shooter. I've shot a lot of pistols, just we're revolvers. I really want to get a good gun, regardless of price, that would hold up and be a great self defense. The money thing is brought into the picture when I'm asked how much I want to spend. Reasonable question, but when I say I have a high limit, it doesn't necessarily mean I want the most expensive, just like you were saying. I hope to find a gun for cheap that woudl work just as good or better than the guns we've talked of, really.
- 26,628
- OREGON
- a6m5zero
Boy, if you are interested in P220, USP and 1911s, I think you should strongly consider finding a range that have all three for rental, and actually test them out. I'd expect all three to shoot differently, and of course the different mechanics.
Probably worth your while to get online, see how much of a drive such shooting range might be!
Probably worth your while to get online, see how much of a drive such shooting range might be!
- 19,311
- Inland Empire SoCal
- SOLID_LIFTERS
Wow, some really sad news... http://m.yourstephenvilletx.com/news/local/article_01e35c44-6dab-11e2-a2e9-0019bb2963f4.html
Author of "American Sniper" among the dead at Rough Creek
A former Tarleton State University student who wrote the best-selling book, "American Sniper," was one of two victims shot and killed at Rough Creek Lodge Saturday.
Chris Kyle, 38, and another man were found dead at Rough Creek's shooting range between 3:30 and 4 p.m. Saturday, according to Sheriff Tommy Bryant.
Eddie Ray Routh, an Iraqi war veteran, was arrested hours later after a manhunt led authorities to Lancaster where Routh was taken into custody just before 9 p.m. Saturday.
Routh, 25, is expected to be charged with capital murder.
Investigators had not released the name of the second victim at press time, but reports indicate he may have been Routh's neighbor.
Bryant said the three men were at the shooting range Saturday when Routh shot the victims at point-blank range before fleeing in Kyle's truck .
Kyle was a former Navy SEAL who served four tours of duty in Iraq, where he was given the nickname "The Devil of Ramadi" by insurgents.
In 2008, he made his longest successful shot after he spotted an insurgent with a rocket launcher near a U.S. Army convoy at a range of 2,100 yards (1.2 miles).
Kyle was recently honored by the Tarleton Alumni Association as the Outstanding Young Alumnus for 2013.
"Our hearts go out to Chris’ family and friends at this tragic moment,” Tarleton State University President, Dr. Dominic Dottavio, said. “We are proud of his exemplary service to our nation and are deeply saddened to hear the news of this tragic event.”
Kyle leaves behind a wife, Taya, and two children.
Author of "American Sniper" among the dead at Rough Creek
A former Tarleton State University student who wrote the best-selling book, "American Sniper," was one of two victims shot and killed at Rough Creek Lodge Saturday.
Chris Kyle, 38, and another man were found dead at Rough Creek's shooting range between 3:30 and 4 p.m. Saturday, according to Sheriff Tommy Bryant.
Eddie Ray Routh, an Iraqi war veteran, was arrested hours later after a manhunt led authorities to Lancaster where Routh was taken into custody just before 9 p.m. Saturday.
Routh, 25, is expected to be charged with capital murder.
Investigators had not released the name of the second victim at press time, but reports indicate he may have been Routh's neighbor.
Bryant said the three men were at the shooting range Saturday when Routh shot the victims at point-blank range before fleeing in Kyle's truck .
Kyle was a former Navy SEAL who served four tours of duty in Iraq, where he was given the nickname "The Devil of Ramadi" by insurgents.
In 2008, he made his longest successful shot after he spotted an insurgent with a rocket launcher near a U.S. Army convoy at a range of 2,100 yards (1.2 miles).
Kyle was recently honored by the Tarleton Alumni Association as the Outstanding Young Alumnus for 2013.
"Our hearts go out to Chris’ family and friends at this tragic moment,” Tarleton State University President, Dr. Dominic Dottavio, said. “We are proud of his exemplary service to our nation and are deeply saddened to hear the news of this tragic event.”
Kyle leaves behind a wife, Taya, and two children.
- 4,543
- Bay Area, CA
- Zenith113
The AR15 Operating System:
A common topic involving the AR15 is its operating system. What always gets me about these discussions is how many people have an inaccurate understanding of the way the system actually works.
The common understanding of the system, the one that was on the "Direct Impingement" Wikipedia page before I edited it was this. This graphic originates from LWRC, a company that manufactures piston AR's.
It is completely inaccurate. Here is how the system works.
And another view
That gif does most of the explanation for me, but I'll put it into text anyways. Refer back to it if you have trouble visualizing the moving components.
Section I: How it works
The main component we will be dealing with are the Bolt Carrier Group (BCG):
Which contains the bolt...
...firing pin...
...cam pin...
and carrier with gas key.
We'll start with the bolt locked to the rear with rounds being freshly inserted into the gun.
The bolt carrier group is held to the rear by the bolt catch. Shown here.
When the "ping pong paddle" is depressed the catch is pivoted out of the way of the bolt. Behind the BCG is the buffer assembly. This includes the receiver extension tube which the stock is mounted to containing a mass known as a buffer and an action spring. When the BCG is freed to move forward, the action spring (previously under spring tension) will force the assembly forward.
The bottom-most lugs on the bolt will push a round from the magazine forward. The tip of the bullet will be forced up the previously mentioned "feed ramps" and into the chamber.
We can see the extractor on the left side of the bolt face. As the cartridge is pushed into the chamber the extractor will hook over the case rim. The rear of the casing will be pushed against the circular bolt face. This also pushes the ejector, circle on the right side of the bolt face, inwards. To understand the forces being applied by each, here is an exploded view.
The extractor is the oddly shaped piece of metal at the bottom. It has the job of pulling the spent casing from the chamber. The ejector will assist it in pushing the casing out of the action out of the ejection port.
We can see that the extractor is on a pivot. The spring keeps the front "tooth" of the extractor pushing inwards towards the center of the bolt face. When the back of the casing that is being chambered is pressed against the inside of that tooth, the extractor pivots in a clockwise direction, compressing the spring. Once the case rim is over the tooth the spring force will snap the tooth into place. The cartridge rim will now be engaged on one side by the extractor.
This is an inside view of the extractor with the spring and insert in. You can see where the case rim will be engaged.
As the round is finally being seated into the chamber the ejector, basically a plunger with a spring, will be pushed into the bolt body, applying a forward (relative to the bore direction) force. This will be important when the system must extract the spent casing.
The gas key on top of the carrier will be pushed over the gas tube inside the receiver of the gun, below, creating a seal.
As the bolt reaches the foremost part of its travel, it will hit the chamber face. The bolt will be pushed into the chamber face. The lugs on the bolt will slide past the lugs on the receiver extension.
As we can see from this angle, the cam pin will force the bolt to rotate as it sinks into the carrier. This will lock the lugs of the bolt inline with the lugs on the receiver extension. You now know how a rotating bolt mechanism works. All of these things happen and we haven't even touched the trigger yet.
I'm not going to cover the trigger in this section. The operating system is complicated enough as is. All we need to know is that when the hammer is released the wound up spring will force the hammer to hit the rear of the firing pin. The firing pin will jut out of the hole in the center of the bolt face and ignite the primer on the round. The primer will, of course, ignite the gunpowder in the casing and the bullet will be forced forwards until it exits the barrel.
When the bullet passes the gas port, some of the gas pressure will bleed off through the hole into the gas block. The gas block will redirect the gas pressure through the gas tube (silver thing) back towards the rear of the gun. Remember the gas key we were talking about earlier? The gas pressure will be directed into the gas key.
This is where the confusion starts. Many people assume that the gas key is cylindrical bore attached to the bolt carrier. This leads to people making graphics like this which are misleading.
This is how it really works.
As we can see, the gas pressure goes through the gas key and into the gap between the rear of the bolt and the recess in the carrier. Since the bolt isn't going to push forward into the barrel, the carrier is forced backwards. As the carrier moves backwards, room in front of the bolt opens up. This is where the gas rings come into play.
We can clearly see them (3) on the tail of the bolt. These function just like the piston rings on your car. They create a seal against a cylinder wall. The bolt moves forward in the carrier as the entire assembly is pushed backwards. This reverses the movements from before, unlocking the bolt.
When the bolt has moved to its front-most position in the carrier, it starts to move to the rear as well.
At this point another misconception about the "Direct Impingement" AR15 operating system comes up. "But look!" You might say "All that gas in the carrier is going to end up all over the reciprocating components!"
That's where the two exhaust ports on the carrier come in. In the video above you can see most of the excess carbon and gas being vented out the side of the rifle.
As the bolt rotates and starts to move back, the extractor will pull backwards on the case rim, pulling the spent casing from the chamber. As the casing clears the chamber then receiver extension, the ejector pushes. Here's another shot of the bolt face.
The ejector (right) pushes, the extractor pulls (left). The causes the case to be flung out the right hand side of the gun. The extractor and ejector spring powers must be balanced correctly to allow for consistent removal from the chamber and the action.
The hammer is cocked by the carrier moving rearward. The buffer assembly found behind the BCG is compressed, the buffer weight is moved rearward and the spring is compressed until the rear of the buffer hits the rear of the receiver extension tube.
From here things can go one of two ways. If there's another round in the magazine, the cycle will repeat. If the magazine is empty,the follower of the magazine will lift the bolt catch into position to stop the BCG from moving forward again. This is how the AR15 achieves the "bolt hold open" that other rifles like the AK series rifles do not.
Note that this is not not NOT direct impingement. The gas pressure does not impinge on the bolt, it impinges on the carrier. There is no forward operating rod found in most gas operated rifles, but the gun is still a piston system. Eugene Stoner himself noted this in the patent.
Now that we understand how the system works, we can discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the system compared to traditional forward operating rod piston designs.
Section 2: Comparisons to Other Systems
Strengths
-Recoil management: This is critical. Since the forces are all in line with the bore, there is technically no inherent muzzle rise. The AR15 has a reputation for controllability. This is due to the smaller 5.56 caliber and the design of the rifle. A good stance can keep the gun on target for the entire cycle.
-Weight: A gas tube is considerably lighter than an operating rod assembly. The weight savings are also up front, where you really notice it.
-Accuracy: Since there is no operating rod, there is next to no torque being put on the barrel during firing. This is why AR15's can be free-floated to good effect. Note that not every forward operating rod gun will see an accuracy loss due to the op-rod, there are many other factors to consider.
-Simplicity: Simply put, less parts to keep track of, break, and replace.
Weaknesses
Short Barrels: The closer the gas port is to the ignition of gun powder, the hotter and more volatile the gases sent back to the BCG and receiver will be. Traditional piston designs do not have as much of a problem on very short barrels.
Suppressors: While both the AR15 and traditional piston designs will experience an increase of carbon blowback when a suppressor is attached, an AR15 operating system will see much more.
Now onto the perceived weaknesses and addressing them. Well... more the perceived weakness.
"You're going to jam up the workings with gunk!": Yes, there is more carbon buildup in the receiver than on a traditional piston gun. But does that carbon make a difference? Not really. The carbon is found on areas that simply do not affect the function of the gun. Any carbon that would be found in these areas is quickly scraped away. The problems encountered with AR15 reliability of recent years stem from weak springs, not the operating system. A properly done AR can go for thousands of rounds and not malfunction without lubrication or cleaning. This has been proven numerous times with a wide range of ammo.
Part of the reason for this misconception is the lack of understanding of how the gun actually works. This is partially due to misleading material posted by people with more MS Paint skills than gun knowledge and companies who seek to gain money off of misinformation.
Lastly we get to the subject of "Piston" AR's. That is, AR15's that have been converted by a company to have a forward operating rod like a traditional piston gun.
In the early 2000's HK came out with a rifle that would have the reliability of the AK and the accuracy and controllabilty of the AR. This was to be achieved by replacing the gas tube with a short stroke piston. Let's talk about a few of the changes made by "Piston" AR's.
We can see that the rotating bolt design has been kept, but instead of gas pressure pushing the carrier backwards, an operating rod would deliver a massive whack to the top of the bolt carrier.
The first issue is that the reciprocating forces are no longer in line with the bore, increasing recoil. Now consider that the upper receiver was designed to have those forces be inline with the bore. The rails that the carrier rides along are fairly small in area. Since the upper receiver wasn't designed for an offset force to be applied to the carrier, the BCG would end up rotating upwards inside the receiver, a condition that would be known as carrier tilt. This would wear components unlike they were designed to be worn and would lead to some pretty strange malfunctions. Since then companies have changed the designs to fix the issue.
Other things that increased were weight up front, cost, and the issue of proprietary parts.
Of course, gains are made by converting the AR15 to a forward operating rod system. Short barreled, suppressed guns, and guns that run both see advantages in reliability.
Before I get too much into opinion, I will say this. Possibly the most important part of a semiautomatic rifle is the magazine. The AK is reliable for many reasons, the magazine is a big one. Mikhail Kalashnikov essentially designed a fool-proof magazine and attached a gun to it. The AR15 on the other hand was designed with fighting doctrine of WWII in mind, constant supply lines allowing for troops to use cheap and disposable magazines. Converting the AR15 to a short stroke piston is and always will be an adaptation of a design and does not address one of the most important factors in the firearm's design. Although short stroke piston AR's were seen as a godsend a decade ago, they have since been relegated to more specialized roles. Even by the people who once stood by them such as Larry Vickers, consultant for HK.
Section 3: How the System is Done Right
Bolt Assembly
The bolt is a critical part of the rifle. The bolt should be made of Carpenter 158 steel with a phosphate coating. A source of much debate is the important of High Pressure/Proof testing. High Pressure testing involves firing a proof (very overloaded) round from the bolt. After this the bolt is checked for cracks and other defects using magnetic particle inspection (MPI). This is a destructive process and many industry professionals consider it to do more harm than good. Most companies HP/MPI their bolts. Inferior bolts will break more quickly.
The extractor uses a single spring with black insert. The spring must be stiff enough to guarantee a consistent and strong hold over the case rim.
The extractor and ejector spring powers must be balanced to allow for consistent removal from the chamber and the action. This really isn't an issue to anybody since most bolts you buy from reputable sources will have no problems with this.
Carrier
Original M16's came with a chrome coated carrier. Soon after the design requirements changed this requirement to a phosphate coating. Some say that this was because chrome was too easy to see in the jungle. Most carriers function without issue. More on that later.
All carriers must have proper staking on the gas key retaining screws. The staking is there to prevent the screws from backing out, allowing a gap between the key and the carrier to form and the rifle to become single shot. Here is an example
Some companies do such a poor job staking the carrier that they shouldn't have even bothered, others try to substitute in red loctite. These are unsatisfactory ways of guaranteeing that the gas key stays where it needs to.
Not all AR15 carriers are equal. The rearmost portion of the carrier has seen some design changes over the years. During the 90's AWB in an effort to go along with all of the "Law Enforcement Use Only" nonsense, Colt changed the design of their carriers that were to be put on civilian guns. The new carrier had a portion removed that would previously trip an autosear. Further, the shrouding around the firing pin was removed so that the firing pin would "catch" the hammer if the gun were to be modified or malfunctioned to go fully automatic. This was called the AR15 carrier while the standard versions were called M16 carriers. Here is a comparison.
The weight differences are negligible between the two (tenth of an ounce). There is no reason not to use a "correct" M16 style carrier.
One of the most controversial additions the AR15 was the forward assist. This was a result of the reliability issues encountered by troops in Vietnam back when they were told that they didn't need to clean their rifles and the gunpowder used in the ammunition would gum up the actions. The forward assist works similarly to other FA's on other guns.
The FA is designed to be used when the BCG fails to go into battery as a result of grime in the action. The FA would be pushed, engaging one of the serrations on the carrier, forcing the carrier and bolt into place. It is usually accepted that if your gun is unable to go into battery on its own accord, forcing the assembly into place with your thumb is a band-aid solution. Most AR15 and M16 upper receivers still include this feature, but there are some that don't. The weight saving is minimal.
Moving on to the gas port, we get into the issue of barrel and gas system length. Here's a handy graphic.
Gas System Length
The original AR15 design called for a Rifle Length system. When the M4 carbine was beingcobbled together designed, the gas system had to be shortened to accommodate the 14.5" barrel. This was fine for a while, but as civilian ownership grew NFA rules that required a 16" barrel had an effect on the market. Up until that point 16" barrels used a carbine gas system. A longer gas system is better, since operating forces will be smoother and gentler.
The mid-length is a newer gas system designed for 16" and 14.5" guns. It reduces the cyclic rate and improves component life.
Other gas system lengths exist for longer and shorter barrels, but these three are the most important.
Gas Port
In any AR15 gas system, the size of the gas port is critical. Standard for a carbine length system is a diameter of .063". Some companies do not pay attention to gas port size. Perhaps they have one gas port size for every gas system and barrel length or perhaps they over gas their guns to hide flaws in the construction of their rifle.
Over-gassing an AR15 increases the cyclic rate by increasing the rearward velocity of the reciprocating components. That means that every step that we discussed earlier must occur quickly and with more force. This reduces component life, reduces reliability, and makes the gun harder to manage.
The extraction process will be accelerated, meaning that extractor will have a harder time keeping a hold on the casing. The extra energy will not go towards feeding either, since the rearmost point of the travel will stop the mass against the buffer tube. Any extra rearward energy the reciprocating components might have is thus wasted.
A well built AR15 will have a gas port designed to work with the barrel length and expected ammunition.
Buffer Assembly
All buffers should have the retaining nut aka castle nut held in place by a staked receiver end plate. If the stock is wrenched on hard enough, it can unscrew the buffer assembly, rendering the firearm inoperable. Rock River Arms notably does not stake their castle nuts, preferring to use blue loctite. This is insufficient compared to the staking.
The buffer assembly comes in two major lengths, rifle and carbine.
The action spring and buffer mass must be properly tuned. The buffer serves to slow down the cycling of the rifle, provide extra momentum when the bolt is stripping a round from the magazine, and ensuring that the bolt and carrier closes firmly into battery instead of bouncing. There are two methods when approaching this part of the rifle.
Competition shooters prefer to lighten the reciprocating mass and weaken the action spring. Since their guns will not have to overcome any grit or grime that may be in the action, they can afford to run a system with less momentum. They also prefer to speed up the cyclic rate, allowing for faster follow-up shots. However, a fast cyclic rate does have draw backs. The stack of ammunition in the magazine needs a certain amount of time to be pushed up into the path of the bolt carrier group. If the cyclic rate is too fast or if the magazine spring is too weak then a bolt over base malfunction can occur. This is more common with suppressed weapons since they further increase cyclic rates.
Combat focused shooters prefer slower cyclic rates and heavier reciprocating mass. This means there is more momentum to drive the cartridge into the chamber. It is also less sensitive, effectively detuned, to variances in ammunition. Slowing down the cyclic rate gives the magazine more time to push the rounds into place. If this component is made too heavy, the action spring is too strong, the gas system is not strong enough or has a leak, then the force of the carrier moving backwards will be insufficient for the BCG to complete its cycle. This is called short stroking. It can lead to failures to eject.
Going to the issue of extraction, a slower moving operating system allows for the spent casing to cool and contract before the bolt tries to move itself and the casing out of battery. This means more consistent extraction.
Having the bolt unlock and attempt to extract with too much speed can have several adverse effects. More strength is required from the extractor spring to keep the extractor engaged to the case rim. Additionally the brass casing will be hotter and expanded further than a cooled casing, further increasing the difficultly to extract. In minor cases this can damage case rims for those who reload ammunition. In major cases the extractor is unable to pull the casing out and casing will be stuck. This is a failure to extract and takes very long to clear.
The French FAMAS exhibits this problem to the extreme. It features a delayed blow-back operating system that attempts to eject spent casings with such force and at such a high rate of fire that brass cased ammunition is ripped in two. This problem and the fact that they chose the wrong twist rate and rifling means that the French have had to replace their ammunition with steel cased ammo, completely nullifying the advantage of using NATO standard ammunition. Furthermore the French have stopped production of the steel cased ammo and have had to import it from China. Fun story.
Changing the mass of the reciprocating components can be done in a variety of ways. The original CAR buffer on 14.5" AR15's and M4's weighs 2.9oz. The standard in most guns of today is the H or H2 which weigh 3.8oz and 4.7oz respectively. The CAR buffer is a small tube containing 3 steel weights. The H, H2, and H3 buffers replace 1,2, and 3 weights with tungsten.
The important thing to keep in mind when thinking about an AR15's operating system is that it works together much the way an automobile's suspension needs to work together. Components must be changed with all other components to achieve desired results.
Section 4: Aftermarket Stuff
We'll start again with the bolt and make our way around. There have only been two notable improvements to the bolt assembly on the AR15 design.
Bolt Assembly
The first is the Knight's Armament Company E3 Bolt. This uses rounded lugs, a reduced cam pin, and proprietary firing pin and dual spring extractor. The dual spring extractor is not to increase spring power, but rather allow the use of lower rate and longer lasting springs. The rounded bolt lugs only work with a proprietary receiver extension.
The second is the Lewis Machine and Tool Enhanced Bolt which has similar features, but works with standard receiver extensions.
Bolt Carrier
Many companies offer different coatings beyond the standard phosphate. Including but not limited to Chrome, Nickel Boron (NiB) plating, Ionbond, and Unicorn ****. Some such as NiB are supposed to use natural lubricity to reduce lubrication cycles. Chrome is supposed to be easier to clean. Others offer improvements in corrosion resistance.
It is my opinion that any two metal surfaces rubbing together need lubrication, especially on firearms. I will believe claims of a coating eliminating the need to lubricate a finish when a manufacturer coats the inside of their car's engine and runs it without oil. I also don't find carriers to be a particularly difficult or necessary component to clean.
Another development by LMT is the Enhanced Carrier. It was designed for short barreled and suppressed rifles. The extra hole enables more of the gasses to escape. The redesigned cam path delays the unlocking of the bolt, giving more time for the system to depressurize.
Gas Blocks
The Noveske Switchblock is designed for suppressed guns. It allows the user to switch to a smaller gas port setting when a suppressor is attached. This preserves the action timing of the unsuppressed gun. Many forward operating rod guns come with a similar style regulator.
The Syrac Ordinance Adjustable Gas Block changes the amount of gas that goes through the gas block, effectively taking another level of regulation behind the gas port itself. It can be used to fix over-gassed guns or specially tune a gas system to a new buffer, spring, or ammunition.
Buffer Assembly
The Enidine Buffer attempts to reduce the force of the buffer reaching the end of its travel with a hydraulic shock absorber rather than a simple polymer impact deadener. This would only be effective on over-gassed guns. It would also be better if the buffers didn't have a reputation for breaking and spilling fluid everywhere.
The final thing I'm going to talk about is the VLTOR A5 buffer assembly. It comes with an interesting story. The "A5" designation refers to M16A5, which some know doesn't exist. Recently the Marine Corps was set to replace the M16A2. Since the modern Marine Corps is full of a soldiers of varying statures and almost all fighting occurs within 200m, most of that far closer, every soldier was expecting the M4A1 to replace what they felt was an unnecessarily long and heavy rifle.
Then Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Conway came in with this to say...
Which basically translates to "My opinion of infantry is that low that I will completely disregard what the actual users of the weapon are saying."
We will also try to ignore the fact that the M4 Carbine is literally the reduction of a rifle and that the last military carbine that could be considered an extension of a pistol would be the M1 Carbine from WWII.
Basically, it became clear that the Marine Leadership was stock full of institutional inertia. The effect was that the M16A4 paired with an ACOG TA31RCO became standard issue. To give the short lowdown on the M16A4, it has a heavy profile 20" barrel with a heavy quad rail with a full length stock that will be held by 5'8 Marines with a ballistic vest. Furthermore, the ACOG it is paired with has an eye relief of two inches. The only way to get a sight picture with this set-up is to completely blade the stance. The problem with blading one's stance is that body armor is designed to work in the front and rear, thus rendering the armor useless for defending against threats to the front. The M16A4 quickly became one of the most despised guns in the Marine Corps.
VLTOR saw this and understood that the Marine leadership would never accept a carbine, it had to be called a rifle. The A5 system offers the same length of pull as the rifle stock and also features a buffer-spring assembly that shares more in common with the rifle length than the carbine. It also features a large mass buffer weight. In a technical discussion, this means that rifle smooth operation and reliability is now offered with the collapsible stock of a carbine. To Marines it means that they might actually be able to get a gun that makes sense.
That was an extremely long winded post. I'm always open for suggestions about how to make this better or corrections about things I might have gotten wrong. That is also the longest post I will need to write about in a technical discussion about AR15's.
A common topic involving the AR15 is its operating system. What always gets me about these discussions is how many people have an inaccurate understanding of the way the system actually works.
The common understanding of the system, the one that was on the "Direct Impingement" Wikipedia page before I edited it was this. This graphic originates from LWRC, a company that manufactures piston AR's.
It is completely inaccurate. Here is how the system works.
And another view
That gif does most of the explanation for me, but I'll put it into text anyways. Refer back to it if you have trouble visualizing the moving components.
Section I: How it works
The main component we will be dealing with are the Bolt Carrier Group (BCG):
Which contains the bolt...
...firing pin...
...cam pin...
and carrier with gas key.
We'll start with the bolt locked to the rear with rounds being freshly inserted into the gun.
The bolt carrier group is held to the rear by the bolt catch. Shown here.
When the "ping pong paddle" is depressed the catch is pivoted out of the way of the bolt. Behind the BCG is the buffer assembly. This includes the receiver extension tube which the stock is mounted to containing a mass known as a buffer and an action spring. When the BCG is freed to move forward, the action spring (previously under spring tension) will force the assembly forward.
The bottom-most lugs on the bolt will push a round from the magazine forward. The tip of the bullet will be forced up the previously mentioned "feed ramps" and into the chamber.
We can see the extractor on the left side of the bolt face. As the cartridge is pushed into the chamber the extractor will hook over the case rim. The rear of the casing will be pushed against the circular bolt face. This also pushes the ejector, circle on the right side of the bolt face, inwards. To understand the forces being applied by each, here is an exploded view.
The extractor is the oddly shaped piece of metal at the bottom. It has the job of pulling the spent casing from the chamber. The ejector will assist it in pushing the casing out of the action out of the ejection port.
We can see that the extractor is on a pivot. The spring keeps the front "tooth" of the extractor pushing inwards towards the center of the bolt face. When the back of the casing that is being chambered is pressed against the inside of that tooth, the extractor pivots in a clockwise direction, compressing the spring. Once the case rim is over the tooth the spring force will snap the tooth into place. The cartridge rim will now be engaged on one side by the extractor.
This is an inside view of the extractor with the spring and insert in. You can see where the case rim will be engaged.
As the round is finally being seated into the chamber the ejector, basically a plunger with a spring, will be pushed into the bolt body, applying a forward (relative to the bore direction) force. This will be important when the system must extract the spent casing.
The gas key on top of the carrier will be pushed over the gas tube inside the receiver of the gun, below, creating a seal.
As the bolt reaches the foremost part of its travel, it will hit the chamber face. The bolt will be pushed into the chamber face. The lugs on the bolt will slide past the lugs on the receiver extension.
As we can see from this angle, the cam pin will force the bolt to rotate as it sinks into the carrier. This will lock the lugs of the bolt inline with the lugs on the receiver extension. You now know how a rotating bolt mechanism works. All of these things happen and we haven't even touched the trigger yet.
I'm not going to cover the trigger in this section. The operating system is complicated enough as is. All we need to know is that when the hammer is released the wound up spring will force the hammer to hit the rear of the firing pin. The firing pin will jut out of the hole in the center of the bolt face and ignite the primer on the round. The primer will, of course, ignite the gunpowder in the casing and the bullet will be forced forwards until it exits the barrel.
When the bullet passes the gas port, some of the gas pressure will bleed off through the hole into the gas block. The gas block will redirect the gas pressure through the gas tube (silver thing) back towards the rear of the gun. Remember the gas key we were talking about earlier? The gas pressure will be directed into the gas key.
This is where the confusion starts. Many people assume that the gas key is cylindrical bore attached to the bolt carrier. This leads to people making graphics like this which are misleading.
This is how it really works.
As we can see, the gas pressure goes through the gas key and into the gap between the rear of the bolt and the recess in the carrier. Since the bolt isn't going to push forward into the barrel, the carrier is forced backwards. As the carrier moves backwards, room in front of the bolt opens up. This is where the gas rings come into play.
We can clearly see them (3) on the tail of the bolt. These function just like the piston rings on your car. They create a seal against a cylinder wall. The bolt moves forward in the carrier as the entire assembly is pushed backwards. This reverses the movements from before, unlocking the bolt.
When the bolt has moved to its front-most position in the carrier, it starts to move to the rear as well.
At this point another misconception about the "Direct Impingement" AR15 operating system comes up. "But look!" You might say "All that gas in the carrier is going to end up all over the reciprocating components!"
That's where the two exhaust ports on the carrier come in. In the video above you can see most of the excess carbon and gas being vented out the side of the rifle.
As the bolt rotates and starts to move back, the extractor will pull backwards on the case rim, pulling the spent casing from the chamber. As the casing clears the chamber then receiver extension, the ejector pushes. Here's another shot of the bolt face.
The ejector (right) pushes, the extractor pulls (left). The causes the case to be flung out the right hand side of the gun. The extractor and ejector spring powers must be balanced correctly to allow for consistent removal from the chamber and the action.
The hammer is cocked by the carrier moving rearward. The buffer assembly found behind the BCG is compressed, the buffer weight is moved rearward and the spring is compressed until the rear of the buffer hits the rear of the receiver extension tube.
From here things can go one of two ways. If there's another round in the magazine, the cycle will repeat. If the magazine is empty,the follower of the magazine will lift the bolt catch into position to stop the BCG from moving forward again. This is how the AR15 achieves the "bolt hold open" that other rifles like the AK series rifles do not.
Note that this is not not NOT direct impingement. The gas pressure does not impinge on the bolt, it impinges on the carrier. There is no forward operating rod found in most gas operated rifles, but the gun is still a piston system. Eugene Stoner himself noted this in the patent.
Now that we understand how the system works, we can discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the system compared to traditional forward operating rod piston designs.
Section 2: Comparisons to Other Systems
Strengths
-Recoil management: This is critical. Since the forces are all in line with the bore, there is technically no inherent muzzle rise. The AR15 has a reputation for controllability. This is due to the smaller 5.56 caliber and the design of the rifle. A good stance can keep the gun on target for the entire cycle.
-Weight: A gas tube is considerably lighter than an operating rod assembly. The weight savings are also up front, where you really notice it.
-Accuracy: Since there is no operating rod, there is next to no torque being put on the barrel during firing. This is why AR15's can be free-floated to good effect. Note that not every forward operating rod gun will see an accuracy loss due to the op-rod, there are many other factors to consider.
-Simplicity: Simply put, less parts to keep track of, break, and replace.
Weaknesses
Short Barrels: The closer the gas port is to the ignition of gun powder, the hotter and more volatile the gases sent back to the BCG and receiver will be. Traditional piston designs do not have as much of a problem on very short barrels.
Suppressors: While both the AR15 and traditional piston designs will experience an increase of carbon blowback when a suppressor is attached, an AR15 operating system will see much more.
Now onto the perceived weaknesses and addressing them. Well... more the perceived weakness.
"You're going to jam up the workings with gunk!": Yes, there is more carbon buildup in the receiver than on a traditional piston gun. But does that carbon make a difference? Not really. The carbon is found on areas that simply do not affect the function of the gun. Any carbon that would be found in these areas is quickly scraped away. The problems encountered with AR15 reliability of recent years stem from weak springs, not the operating system. A properly done AR can go for thousands of rounds and not malfunction without lubrication or cleaning. This has been proven numerous times with a wide range of ammo.
Part of the reason for this misconception is the lack of understanding of how the gun actually works. This is partially due to misleading material posted by people with more MS Paint skills than gun knowledge and companies who seek to gain money off of misinformation.
Lastly we get to the subject of "Piston" AR's. That is, AR15's that have been converted by a company to have a forward operating rod like a traditional piston gun.
In the early 2000's HK came out with a rifle that would have the reliability of the AK and the accuracy and controllabilty of the AR. This was to be achieved by replacing the gas tube with a short stroke piston. Let's talk about a few of the changes made by "Piston" AR's.
We can see that the rotating bolt design has been kept, but instead of gas pressure pushing the carrier backwards, an operating rod would deliver a massive whack to the top of the bolt carrier.
The first issue is that the reciprocating forces are no longer in line with the bore, increasing recoil. Now consider that the upper receiver was designed to have those forces be inline with the bore. The rails that the carrier rides along are fairly small in area. Since the upper receiver wasn't designed for an offset force to be applied to the carrier, the BCG would end up rotating upwards inside the receiver, a condition that would be known as carrier tilt. This would wear components unlike they were designed to be worn and would lead to some pretty strange malfunctions. Since then companies have changed the designs to fix the issue.
Other things that increased were weight up front, cost, and the issue of proprietary parts.
Of course, gains are made by converting the AR15 to a forward operating rod system. Short barreled, suppressed guns, and guns that run both see advantages in reliability.
Before I get too much into opinion, I will say this. Possibly the most important part of a semiautomatic rifle is the magazine. The AK is reliable for many reasons, the magazine is a big one. Mikhail Kalashnikov essentially designed a fool-proof magazine and attached a gun to it. The AR15 on the other hand was designed with fighting doctrine of WWII in mind, constant supply lines allowing for troops to use cheap and disposable magazines. Converting the AR15 to a short stroke piston is and always will be an adaptation of a design and does not address one of the most important factors in the firearm's design. Although short stroke piston AR's were seen as a godsend a decade ago, they have since been relegated to more specialized roles. Even by the people who once stood by them such as Larry Vickers, consultant for HK.
Section 3: How the System is Done Right
Bolt Assembly
The bolt is a critical part of the rifle. The bolt should be made of Carpenter 158 steel with a phosphate coating. A source of much debate is the important of High Pressure/Proof testing. High Pressure testing involves firing a proof (very overloaded) round from the bolt. After this the bolt is checked for cracks and other defects using magnetic particle inspection (MPI). This is a destructive process and many industry professionals consider it to do more harm than good. Most companies HP/MPI their bolts. Inferior bolts will break more quickly.
The extractor uses a single spring with black insert. The spring must be stiff enough to guarantee a consistent and strong hold over the case rim.
The extractor and ejector spring powers must be balanced to allow for consistent removal from the chamber and the action. This really isn't an issue to anybody since most bolts you buy from reputable sources will have no problems with this.
Carrier
Original M16's came with a chrome coated carrier. Soon after the design requirements changed this requirement to a phosphate coating. Some say that this was because chrome was too easy to see in the jungle. Most carriers function without issue. More on that later.
All carriers must have proper staking on the gas key retaining screws. The staking is there to prevent the screws from backing out, allowing a gap between the key and the carrier to form and the rifle to become single shot. Here is an example
Some companies do such a poor job staking the carrier that they shouldn't have even bothered, others try to substitute in red loctite. These are unsatisfactory ways of guaranteeing that the gas key stays where it needs to.
Not all AR15 carriers are equal. The rearmost portion of the carrier has seen some design changes over the years. During the 90's AWB in an effort to go along with all of the "Law Enforcement Use Only" nonsense, Colt changed the design of their carriers that were to be put on civilian guns. The new carrier had a portion removed that would previously trip an autosear. Further, the shrouding around the firing pin was removed so that the firing pin would "catch" the hammer if the gun were to be modified or malfunctioned to go fully automatic. This was called the AR15 carrier while the standard versions were called M16 carriers. Here is a comparison.
The weight differences are negligible between the two (tenth of an ounce). There is no reason not to use a "correct" M16 style carrier.
One of the most controversial additions the AR15 was the forward assist. This was a result of the reliability issues encountered by troops in Vietnam back when they were told that they didn't need to clean their rifles and the gunpowder used in the ammunition would gum up the actions. The forward assist works similarly to other FA's on other guns.
The FA is designed to be used when the BCG fails to go into battery as a result of grime in the action. The FA would be pushed, engaging one of the serrations on the carrier, forcing the carrier and bolt into place. It is usually accepted that if your gun is unable to go into battery on its own accord, forcing the assembly into place with your thumb is a band-aid solution. Most AR15 and M16 upper receivers still include this feature, but there are some that don't. The weight saving is minimal.
Moving on to the gas port, we get into the issue of barrel and gas system length. Here's a handy graphic.
Gas System Length
The original AR15 design called for a Rifle Length system. When the M4 carbine was being
The mid-length is a newer gas system designed for 16" and 14.5" guns. It reduces the cyclic rate and improves component life.
Other gas system lengths exist for longer and shorter barrels, but these three are the most important.
Gas Port
In any AR15 gas system, the size of the gas port is critical. Standard for a carbine length system is a diameter of .063". Some companies do not pay attention to gas port size. Perhaps they have one gas port size for every gas system and barrel length or perhaps they over gas their guns to hide flaws in the construction of their rifle.
Over-gassing an AR15 increases the cyclic rate by increasing the rearward velocity of the reciprocating components. That means that every step that we discussed earlier must occur quickly and with more force. This reduces component life, reduces reliability, and makes the gun harder to manage.
The extraction process will be accelerated, meaning that extractor will have a harder time keeping a hold on the casing. The extra energy will not go towards feeding either, since the rearmost point of the travel will stop the mass against the buffer tube. Any extra rearward energy the reciprocating components might have is thus wasted.
A well built AR15 will have a gas port designed to work with the barrel length and expected ammunition.
Buffer Assembly
All buffers should have the retaining nut aka castle nut held in place by a staked receiver end plate. If the stock is wrenched on hard enough, it can unscrew the buffer assembly, rendering the firearm inoperable. Rock River Arms notably does not stake their castle nuts, preferring to use blue loctite. This is insufficient compared to the staking.
The buffer assembly comes in two major lengths, rifle and carbine.
The action spring and buffer mass must be properly tuned. The buffer serves to slow down the cycling of the rifle, provide extra momentum when the bolt is stripping a round from the magazine, and ensuring that the bolt and carrier closes firmly into battery instead of bouncing. There are two methods when approaching this part of the rifle.
Competition shooters prefer to lighten the reciprocating mass and weaken the action spring. Since their guns will not have to overcome any grit or grime that may be in the action, they can afford to run a system with less momentum. They also prefer to speed up the cyclic rate, allowing for faster follow-up shots. However, a fast cyclic rate does have draw backs. The stack of ammunition in the magazine needs a certain amount of time to be pushed up into the path of the bolt carrier group. If the cyclic rate is too fast or if the magazine spring is too weak then a bolt over base malfunction can occur. This is more common with suppressed weapons since they further increase cyclic rates.
Combat focused shooters prefer slower cyclic rates and heavier reciprocating mass. This means there is more momentum to drive the cartridge into the chamber. It is also less sensitive, effectively detuned, to variances in ammunition. Slowing down the cyclic rate gives the magazine more time to push the rounds into place. If this component is made too heavy, the action spring is too strong, the gas system is not strong enough or has a leak, then the force of the carrier moving backwards will be insufficient for the BCG to complete its cycle. This is called short stroking. It can lead to failures to eject.
Going to the issue of extraction, a slower moving operating system allows for the spent casing to cool and contract before the bolt tries to move itself and the casing out of battery. This means more consistent extraction.
Having the bolt unlock and attempt to extract with too much speed can have several adverse effects. More strength is required from the extractor spring to keep the extractor engaged to the case rim. Additionally the brass casing will be hotter and expanded further than a cooled casing, further increasing the difficultly to extract. In minor cases this can damage case rims for those who reload ammunition. In major cases the extractor is unable to pull the casing out and casing will be stuck. This is a failure to extract and takes very long to clear.
The French FAMAS exhibits this problem to the extreme. It features a delayed blow-back operating system that attempts to eject spent casings with such force and at such a high rate of fire that brass cased ammunition is ripped in two. This problem and the fact that they chose the wrong twist rate and rifling means that the French have had to replace their ammunition with steel cased ammo, completely nullifying the advantage of using NATO standard ammunition. Furthermore the French have stopped production of the steel cased ammo and have had to import it from China. Fun story.
Changing the mass of the reciprocating components can be done in a variety of ways. The original CAR buffer on 14.5" AR15's and M4's weighs 2.9oz. The standard in most guns of today is the H or H2 which weigh 3.8oz and 4.7oz respectively. The CAR buffer is a small tube containing 3 steel weights. The H, H2, and H3 buffers replace 1,2, and 3 weights with tungsten.
The important thing to keep in mind when thinking about an AR15's operating system is that it works together much the way an automobile's suspension needs to work together. Components must be changed with all other components to achieve desired results.
Section 4: Aftermarket Stuff
We'll start again with the bolt and make our way around. There have only been two notable improvements to the bolt assembly on the AR15 design.
Bolt Assembly
The first is the Knight's Armament Company E3 Bolt. This uses rounded lugs, a reduced cam pin, and proprietary firing pin and dual spring extractor. The dual spring extractor is not to increase spring power, but rather allow the use of lower rate and longer lasting springs. The rounded bolt lugs only work with a proprietary receiver extension.
The second is the Lewis Machine and Tool Enhanced Bolt which has similar features, but works with standard receiver extensions.
Bolt Carrier
Many companies offer different coatings beyond the standard phosphate. Including but not limited to Chrome, Nickel Boron (NiB) plating, Ionbond, and Unicorn ****. Some such as NiB are supposed to use natural lubricity to reduce lubrication cycles. Chrome is supposed to be easier to clean. Others offer improvements in corrosion resistance.
It is my opinion that any two metal surfaces rubbing together need lubrication, especially on firearms. I will believe claims of a coating eliminating the need to lubricate a finish when a manufacturer coats the inside of their car's engine and runs it without oil. I also don't find carriers to be a particularly difficult or necessary component to clean.
Another development by LMT is the Enhanced Carrier. It was designed for short barreled and suppressed rifles. The extra hole enables more of the gasses to escape. The redesigned cam path delays the unlocking of the bolt, giving more time for the system to depressurize.
Gas Blocks
The Noveske Switchblock is designed for suppressed guns. It allows the user to switch to a smaller gas port setting when a suppressor is attached. This preserves the action timing of the unsuppressed gun. Many forward operating rod guns come with a similar style regulator.
The Syrac Ordinance Adjustable Gas Block changes the amount of gas that goes through the gas block, effectively taking another level of regulation behind the gas port itself. It can be used to fix over-gassed guns or specially tune a gas system to a new buffer, spring, or ammunition.
Buffer Assembly
The Enidine Buffer attempts to reduce the force of the buffer reaching the end of its travel with a hydraulic shock absorber rather than a simple polymer impact deadener. This would only be effective on over-gassed guns. It would also be better if the buffers didn't have a reputation for breaking and spilling fluid everywhere.
The final thing I'm going to talk about is the VLTOR A5 buffer assembly. It comes with an interesting story. The "A5" designation refers to M16A5, which some know doesn't exist. Recently the Marine Corps was set to replace the M16A2. Since the modern Marine Corps is full of a soldiers of varying statures and almost all fighting occurs within 200m, most of that far closer, every soldier was expecting the M4A1 to replace what they felt was an unnecessarily long and heavy rifle.
Then Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Conway came in with this to say...
Which basically translates to "My opinion of infantry is that low that I will completely disregard what the actual users of the weapon are saying."
We will also try to ignore the fact that the M4 Carbine is literally the reduction of a rifle and that the last military carbine that could be considered an extension of a pistol would be the M1 Carbine from WWII.
Basically, it became clear that the Marine Leadership was stock full of institutional inertia. The effect was that the M16A4 paired with an ACOG TA31RCO became standard issue. To give the short lowdown on the M16A4, it has a heavy profile 20" barrel with a heavy quad rail with a full length stock that will be held by 5'8 Marines with a ballistic vest. Furthermore, the ACOG it is paired with has an eye relief of two inches. The only way to get a sight picture with this set-up is to completely blade the stance. The problem with blading one's stance is that body armor is designed to work in the front and rear, thus rendering the armor useless for defending against threats to the front. The M16A4 quickly became one of the most despised guns in the Marine Corps.
VLTOR saw this and understood that the Marine leadership would never accept a carbine, it had to be called a rifle. The A5 system offers the same length of pull as the rifle stock and also features a buffer-spring assembly that shares more in common with the rifle length than the carbine. It also features a large mass buffer weight. In a technical discussion, this means that rifle smooth operation and reliability is now offered with the collapsible stock of a carbine. To Marines it means that they might actually be able to get a gun that makes sense.
That was an extremely long winded post. I'm always open for suggestions about how to make this better or corrections about things I might have gotten wrong. That is also the longest post I will need to write about in a technical discussion about AR15's.
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- 3,460
- Hollywood
Very interesting, Zenith. Thanks for taking the time to post that.
- 26,628
- OREGON
- a6m5zero
This is great in-depth help to someone totally ignorant like me. 👍
My only suggestion, and it's to help a slower people like myself(lol), I could have used a red arrow or something on the gas rings picture, where it's noted how you could clearly see three on the left side. After looking it up on Bing, I see it now, but I couldn't find it on my own(I know, I know...).
Thank you so much for putting this together, Z-Man. It's so helpful with the detailed explanation + GIFs & other pictures. 👍
My only suggestion, and it's to help a slower people like myself(lol), I could have used a red arrow or something on the gas rings picture, where it's noted how you could clearly see three on the left side. After looking it up on Bing, I see it now, but I couldn't find it on my own(I know, I know...).
Thank you so much for putting this together, Z-Man. It's so helpful with the detailed explanation + GIFs & other pictures. 👍
Crazy people are hard to read!Whats wrong with people?
- 5,216
- Nicest part of hell
Found a close friend and long time shooting buddy of mine a used ASM Sharps rifle in 45-70 for 500 bucks! Only slightly used condition, excellent bore, nice wood, long range peep sight, great accuracy, proof-shot for nitro powder.
He has been looking for a Sharps for years but could not afford the replicas that start at 1300 and end somewhere at 5000. They're extremely expensive.
Its a copy of the transition model, thats when the civil war was over they used the receivers of the old breech-loader sharps from the war and installed a heavy 45-70 barrel and a converted hammer + breech block so they could shoot metallic cartridges instead of paper cartridges with a percussion lock.
Its a very beautiful and rare replica.
Hes going to be sooo happy.
👍
It looks like this model, with only a few minor differences.
He has been looking for a Sharps for years but could not afford the replicas that start at 1300 and end somewhere at 5000. They're extremely expensive.
Its a copy of the transition model, thats when the civil war was over they used the receivers of the old breech-loader sharps from the war and installed a heavy 45-70 barrel and a converted hammer + breech block so they could shoot metallic cartridges instead of paper cartridges with a percussion lock.
Its a very beautiful and rare replica.
Hes going to be sooo happy.
👍It looks like this model, with only a few minor differences.
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