Category: Reviews

Unfortunately, the topic of "unwanted firearm discharges" comes up quite often online, either when a news story about such an incident is being discussed, or when a member of a firearm-related forum has an "insert word here" discharge. The topic can be contentious and is riddled with half truths and misunderstandings. I'm not claiming to be the final source of information on the topic, but I do believe that I have a well-grounded opinion. Now, some people say that there's no such thing as an accidental discharge, and others say… Read More

A Definition Accuracy can be subjective. For example, if I said that I had a pretty accurate rifle, but did not clarify that statement, one listener might think that I had a rifle that could shoot .5 MOA (1 MOA = 1.047" at 100 yards), while another might think that I had a rifle that could shoot 2 MOA. The first guy might think that I based my statement on a single three shot group. The second might think that I fired ten shots. Which person would be right? Well,… Read More

Most AR-15 enthusiasts, especially those who spend time online, are familiar with "the chart" - a document comparing M4 type carbines from various manufacturers via a number of features. These features are generally checked or unchecked, and weapons that check more boxes on "the chart" enjoy a higher reputation than those that do not. For the most part, I agree with that assessment. I would certainly rather have a "chart checker" than a weapon related to an M4 carbine in appearance only, especially considering the rapidly closing price gap between… Read More

I feel that a comparison such as this has been due for quite some time. Both companies have provided me with T&E rifles, and it is only fair to my readers that I give my honest impressions of each product as they relate to one another. If you don't have a whole lot of time, there is a summary at the bottom. The Market There are, of course, dozens of AR-15 manufacturers, and for the most part, the majority of them turn out decent, functional rifles. By "functional" I mean… Read More

We've been bombarded with a variety of coatings and platings over the past few years, most of which are called "proprietary" and given a cool name. In reality, there aren't a whole lot of finishes or metal treatments out there. Many are just variations on a theme, such as all the derivatives of nitrocarburization and nickel plating. Nickel boron is related to electroless nickel plating and electroless nickel with teflon (also known as Robar's NP3) with regard to the plating process. Nickel boron is reported to provide "permanent dry lubricity".… Read More

Standard disclaimer: I'm not a scientist and this was not a scientific test. Any conjecture on my part is purely an uneducated guess. As I've written before, POF-USA provided me with two of their upper receivers - one is of their standard P-415 design and the other is actually operated via a standard gas tube. It's called the RDIK. This gave me the opportunity to compare how each handled heat. That is, just how effective are all the design changes POF has made to the AR receiver, barrel nut, and… Read More

Some people are in the market for a new AR or AR upper. Some people don't think they're in the market until something special catches their eye. This could be a part that has special features, or a good product at a good price. Or, for that matter, something that has special features and is at a good price. The Spike's Tactical LE uppers are certainly in this last category. They're under $500, shipped, with a $50 coupon code - M4LEUP for the M4 type upper ($475 with the code),… Read More

Recently, I've been hearing a lot of people say "You know what the AR-15 market needs right now? More M4 profile barrels." Actually, no, I haven't heard people say that. And yet, it seems that every new carbine length upper or rifle in the last year or so has the M203 cutout in the barrel. Even the Bushmaster ACR, which cannot possibly mount an M203, sports the cutout for said purpose. So why are companies offering products that no one is really asking for? I do see many people clamoring… Read More

In a recent AR15.com thread, it was claimed that Federal 9mm ammunition identified as XM9HA was a contract overrun of 147gr HST hollow point projectiles loaded to the impressive velocity of 1180 feet per second. That's 9mm Major territory - and beyond. It was also reported that this ammunition had a high rate of failures to feed or failures to fire in a variety of handguns. I was recently sent a small quantity of this ammunition for testing via a chronograph. It was requested that I use a Glock 19… Read More

Over the past few weeks, I've been putting a fair amount of match ammunition through the BCM Mk12. Most of that has been Prvi 75gr Match, but I've also shot Hornady 75gr, Black Hills Blue Box 68 and 75gr, and my own handloads. Recently, a number of 10 shot groups were fired at 100 and 200 yards using two of the above: Prvi 75gr at 100 yards, and Black Hills 68gr at 200 yards. These groups were shot from the prone, using a Harris bipod for support, a Rock River… Read More