Category: Technical Issues/Notes

A few nights back, I disappeared into my gun room, a jumbled mess of ARs and parts in my arms. After some sweating, grunting, and cursing, this is what came out of the room. It's the perfect AR-15 (for me), and here's why. - The heart of any AR is the barrel. This rifle has a Centurion Arms 16" lightweight midlength barrel. It's not as light as an A1 profile barrel, but it is lighter than "government" or standard profile barrels. More important, it shoots groups that are highly competitive… Read More

I first examined the KRISS Vector submachinegun at IWA in 2011. I did not understand why it needed to exist. I spent an evening at a Cuban cigar lounge in Nuremberg with some executives and tech guys from the company explaining my opinion to them. There was a former Swiss police officer who worked on the Sphinx pistol program (the companies are related) in attendance; he nodded as I spoke with a barely perceptible smile on his face. Essentially, I didn't see why something as large and heavy as the… Read More

A while back I did some preliminary twist rate testing as a spinoff of the .223 vs. 5.56 article. It morphed into a separate article which is sort of summarized here on Google+ (which is apparently a real website).

I have utilized several motion picture devices and a personal computer to construct the greatest video you have ever seen* *involving an iPhone and sandwiches.

It's about AR-15s, and fire, and there is a photo of the delightful Ms. Viscusi shooting from the prone.

When I started this blog, it was to put out good information, reliable information that every shooter could use. I didn't want to dumb down what I put out so that the bottom 10% could understand it, and I didn't want to make it so technical and hard to read that only the top 10% could understand it or cared enough to try to understand it. I understood from the outset that people might take my opinions and advice into consideration when making purchases, so I've focused on being right… Read More

After several years with various Nickel Boron-plated AR-15 components, I am of the opinion that they should still be lubricated just like any other bolt carrier group. It is important to note that I held this opinion even when I had relatively little experience with nickel boron. Nickel boron is a coating used by FailZero on bolt carrier groups and is purported to reduce lubrication requirements - eliminate them, actually, but I'll stop lubricating my weapons when the owners of FailZero plate the internal components of their cars' engines with… Read More

Robert Silvers, who is head of R&D at AAC and inventor of the AAC Blackout flash suppressor, explains how flash suppressors work, and how his thorough understanding of the science involved shaped the AAC Blackout. Reprinted with his permission. When designing (the AAC Blackout), I read a bunch of patents and did not find many instances of inventors knowing why flash formed or why their design works. Because of this, they often added in features which did more harm than good. I kept the Blackout efficient by not making those… Read More

As I posted yesterday, I recently disassembled the Spike's Tactical 5.45x39 upper receiver assembly and checked it for corrosion. I had intended to post more photos last night, and apologize for not doing so when I said I would. As noted, the weapon was very dirty. If you are not familiar with my use of this upper, it is important for you to understand that I have fired over 7500 rounds of corrosive ammunition through it, over a period of a year, without one proper cleaning. The first thing I… Read More

One common topic of discussion relating to AR-15s is weight. Frequently, someone will want to know what a certain accessory will weigh, or how much difference there is between a heavy barrel and a light barrel, and so on. I have created a very simple calculator - with links to resources from other websites - that will assist those who are looking for the total weight of their weapon. I cannot guarantee that it will be perfectly accurate, given variables relating to manufacturing processes and scale calibration, but it should… Read More