Tag: ar-15

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

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

I've been told that the following information is OK to release. It's pretty self explanatory. I removed the names of certain individuals, but the information is otherwise unedited. Land Warfare Resources Corporation Engineering Memorandum Engineering Memorandum To: IAR Team From: Date Written: 8/8/07   IAR Drop Test “ Summary   Purpose: The internal drop testing of the LWRC Infantry Automatic Rifle was undertaken to determine how robust the Rifle and its component parts and accessories are and simulates a drop from a rotary winged aircraft at the maximum height a… Read More

Assembling an AR-15 is a fairly easy task. Even if one starts with everything disassembled, and has never done it before, the process should take no more than an hour or two, and requires only a few basic tools, a few specialized tools that are readily available, and a vise. However, it's also fairly easy to mess up. One of the more common modifications to an already assembled rifle is the installation of a free float tube or free floating handguard that covers the gas block area. This is also… Read More

Just a brief note... I don't have a large number of groups shot through it yet, but from the bench using handloads, I was able to fire a number of 1.5-2MOA groups with the BCM 14.5" Midlength. Those groups were 10 shots at 100 yards. The smallest was 1.46" (that was actually 12 shots because I apparently can't count) and the largest was 1.88". The load consisted of 73gr Berger HPBTs over Hodgdon Varget. I used a 10x Bushnell scope for those groups. For a more practical accuracy test, I… Read More

Heat is discussed fairly often on various internet forums, especially when two subjects come up: barrel profile and method of operation. We often see comments about how light barrels heat up too quickly. This is partially true - a lighter barrel will generally heat up faster than a heavy barrel. The "too" part is where the problem lies. Too fast for a machine gun barrel? Most likely. When you're putting out a sustained rate of fire that can reach several hundred rounds per minute, a light barrel is definitely unsatisfactory.… Read More