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Old August 15, 2008, 02:56 AM   #6
MTMilitiaman
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Join Date: October 14, 2004
Location: NW Montana
Posts: 1,875
Quote:
There's a difference between "reason" and "excuse". If I were unsatisfied w/the reliability of the STG-556 then I would be the very first one to say so and would sell it immediately. However, I was completely honest about my experiences instead of the all-too-often "I just won't mention that one little problem I had" type of range report. Please notice I have not experienced any functioning problems whatsoever since that single episode w/the 42rd mag (and even that's been 100% since then). In light of its total reliability record I believe it's honest to state that the failure I experienced was entirely due to operator error (me).
I understand the difference. Believe me, I do. I have an M1A. The two malfunctions it has had have been from a single Taiwanese Type-57 mag, which I labeled and set aside. I love the rifle and trust it completely. That is a reason.

I followed the build up and release of the Microtech on AR-15.com. I read through easily 20 pages of eager anticipation for the rifle's release as people dumped thousands on what could very easily become vaporware. Even as the release date was pushed back, people maintained hope. The first rifles eventually started coming in, and people were optimistic, even favorable about the rifle's quality. But everyone, without fail, of the first range reports I read included some level of failures with one or more of the included magazines. Rifles were sent back. It appears that any modifications to the gun and/or magazines weren't all that successful. The last two reports I've heard, including yours, about late model rifles, have been exactly like yours. Mag related failures.

And really, what excuse does Microtech have? See, an M1A or an AR-15 has mag related failures and there is a reasonable justification simply because there are so many mags on the market made by so many different companies that the rifle manufacture can't be expected to accommodate minute differences between all of them. I am not unreasonable. I can understand that. But Microtech? They manufacture their own proprietary magazines from their own rifle in house. No other magazine fits their rifle. What excuse can they have, really?

So, a "reason" differs in this context from an "excuse" because it is reasonable. A reason can not typify or define the performance, or lack thereof, of a design. Mag related failures seem to be not only "a" defining feature of the Microtech, but "the" defining feature. And this is not reasonable given the price Microtech charges and the fact that they have complete control over every aspect of the rifle and its feeding devices--a luxury most other rifle manufactures don't have, even though they still manage to turn out high-quality, reliable rifles, often at a fraction of the price. The word you're looking for is "excuse."
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