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Old February 8, 2012, 09:39 PM   #26
TacticalDefense1911
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AR's don't even need to be clean to run...

http://www.slip2000.com/art-swat2.html
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Old February 8, 2012, 11:21 PM   #27
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to the original post:


.......and yet if the mag isn't top notch its a single shot. AK on the other hand: go the pawn shop and buy the cheapest milsurp mags you can find and your rifle will run like a champion.
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Old February 9, 2012, 06:40 AM   #28
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And an AK is lucky to hit a pie plate at 100 yards... I'll take sub MOA accuracy and throwing away GI magazines over owning a rattle trap put together by some 10 year old in a third world country any day of the week.
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Old February 9, 2012, 07:45 AM   #29
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AR

Quote:
I have a Colt HBAR that is now 26 years old. While it isn't always my primary match rifle, I don't recall it ever jamming.....
+1. That has been my experience. Mine is not quite as old - maybe 20 years - it has never FTF'd.
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Old February 9, 2012, 09:15 AM   #30
Bartholomew Roberts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dvdcrr
.......and yet if the mag isn't top notch its a single shot.
I'm not going to drag this off into yet another stupid "this rifle vs. that rifle" thread. There certainly seem to be enough of those that we don't need to hijack this thread.

However, you argue that the magazine must be "top notch." It looks like B. Lahey is using $14 PMAGs, which are good quality mags, and hasn't had any problems in 11,000 rounds, which represents a fair amount of shooting and use. I'm not sure how you are defining "top notch"; but it looks like the rifle runs well with commonly available, easily affordable, magazines.
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Old February 9, 2012, 09:50 AM   #31
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Quote:
Is that Wild West Guns in anchorage?
Indeed. Kenny used to post here constantly, but has been MIA. I hope he didn't get trampled by a moose or something.
Kenny (aka Wild Alaska) got the boot from TFL forum...I believe he is over at the 24hourcampfire these days.
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Old December 1, 2012, 07:36 PM   #32
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Update

Spent all afternoon at the range, the mongrel Colt A4gery is now at well over 12,000rds without a stoppage of any sort.
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Old December 1, 2012, 08:24 PM   #33
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Colt FTW!
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Old January 8, 2013, 09:16 PM   #34
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Update

Been shooting the A4gery a lot this winter, I put an ACOG on it so shooting it feels a bit new and amusing. Hopefully I won't have to slow down too much with the ammo shortage, but I may if things don't loosen up by the spring/summer.

Now over 13,000 rounds without a hiccup.

Looks like others are having good luck with brass ammo as well:
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/bras...ammo/#reliable
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Old January 9, 2013, 02:46 AM   #35
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Hey I saw this post awhile back and did not post . I now want to make sure I understand you correctlly . 13,000 rounds with out one FTF , feed jam , FTE ?
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Old January 9, 2013, 07:13 AM   #36
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Few people will be able to repeat this reliability...

The way the prices are going on ammo, they won't be able to afford to try.
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Old January 9, 2013, 10:22 AM   #37
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Heck, I can barely afford to shoot this much now, and I stocked up at decent prices and only shoot about 300 rounds per month, it just stacks up over time. If the drought doesn't break by summer I will have to slow down a lot.

Quote:
Hey I saw this post awhile back and did not post . I now want to make sure I understand you correctlly . 13,000 rounds with out one FTF , feed jam , FTE ?
Yep.
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Old January 9, 2013, 12:13 PM   #38
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That custom AR build with 1:7" twist

I am a current AR rookie, a certifiable geezer, and come with some pre-conceived notions about the '16.

Is the 1:7" twist the man attraction of the current platform?...the bolt assist?...or?

The original post had to do with a purpose built AR. What is the relevance to RFI (Ready For Issue), off the rack rifles?

As stated before, I am ignorant and come with some excess baggage. Can't learn if I don't ask.

Thanks,

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Old January 9, 2013, 02:49 PM   #39
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Is the 1:7" twist the man attraction of the current platform?...the bolt assist?...or?
1:7" is nice for shooting the 75-77gr open tip match (OTM) loads, which I shoot quite a bit of. I think the military went to 1:7" for the M856 tracer, which is quite a long projectile, and it came in handy later when Mk262 (77gr OTM), Optimized 70gr TSX, and other long projectiles came into use.

The forward assist has plusses and minuses. It can be used to be sure the bolt is fully in battery after a chamber check. It can also be used to cram a damaged or out of spec round into the chamber when that round should really be shucked out and discarded.

Quote:
The original post had to do with a purpose built AR. What is the relevance to RFI (Ready For Issue), off the rack rifles?
The rifle in question is essentially a semiauto Colt M16A4 (used mostly by the Marines), but I understand that its performance is not unusual when compared to other Colt products and other ARs from quality manufacturers. If you get something in the milspec or better ballpark, you seem to be able to expect nearly flawless performance if you lubricate your rifle and stay away from steel-cased ammunition.
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Old January 9, 2013, 03:22 PM   #40
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Will you have the same reliability without spraying the BCG with CLP?

Not being a goof as I'm not an AR owner, legitimate question.
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Old January 9, 2013, 07:15 PM   #41
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I have no idea. I only lube it and wipe some of the carbon off the guts every 600 rounds or so. Others have already established that ARs don't run as well without lube, and it's no big deal to dribble some in there every so often.

My kalashnikovs and M14 need lube to function properly as well. This isn't a trait unique to ARs, unfortunately.
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Old January 9, 2013, 07:19 PM   #42
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ARs generally like to run wet, for whatever reason.
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Old January 10, 2013, 03:03 AM   #43
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I carried a 16A1 from '76 to '83 for Uncle Sugar, from the Arctic Circle to the Mojave Desert. I did pay attention in basic to the DS's about proper care and regular maintenance, but it is impossible, even in peace time, to maintain that type of regimine that the 'experts' say you have to have for a 16 to work right. But, I still personally never had a malfunction with any of the issued rifles I used during my time in service. A few problems with aged magazines did show up, but that is not the rifles fault.

I had the opp to buy a Colt A2 pattern AR in '94 and jumped on it. 20", 1:9, HBAR Match, and have fired it every time Ive gone to the range or gravel pit to shoot, and out on the prairie to reduce the danger of prairie dog over-population and general varmit removal. I have no clue how many rounds I have put down the tube, and don't really want to think about the cost of those rounds. I have had zero, nada, zilch, nyet (for the AK boys), nein, and nix malfunctions with this rifle. One magazine i got at a surplus store went to the recyclers for giving me trouble though.
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Old January 10, 2013, 08:51 PM   #44
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That is remarkable performance from an AR15. Or any rifle for that matter.

Good on you.
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Old January 15, 2014, 10:41 PM   #45
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First Stoppage

I am sorry to report the first stoppage. I was using a steel israeli magazine that is very tight in the magwell. I did not seat it fully, causing the bolt to ride forward without picking up a round, and resulted in a click rather than a bang when the trigger was pulled. User error, but a stoppage none the less. It happened in the neighborhood of round 14,600.
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Old January 16, 2014, 01:20 AM   #46
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An honest question, not a flame:

Would the M16/AR15 perform as well in a dirty, muddy environment? Many people who argue the AK's reliability aren't talking about bench conditions, but mud and sand and water. I'd like to see that test as well, with maybe a VZ 58 thrown in since its generous bolt operation would theoretically make debris less of a problem.
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Old January 17, 2014, 02:58 AM   #47
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Uh... yes it will.

http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread....little-LMT-fun

Also Look up HK416 videos on Youtube.

B.Lahey, thanks for the update. Not really the rifle's fault, but yes it is a stoppage (no biggie though).
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Old March 29, 2018, 06:51 PM   #48
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Since that last singular, and humbling, moose-related stoppage at 14,600ish rounds, the mongrel A4 has continued to be a bronze effigy, resplendent, of the reliability of American machinery. Certainly close to 20,000rds now, although my recordkeeping has suffered. I suspect accuracy has declined modestly, although my control of a 10rd group of Black Hills red box 75gr .223 has not yet confirmed that. I wish it was cheaper.
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Old March 29, 2018, 06:54 PM   #49
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Ah, a four-year update.
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Old March 29, 2018, 07:00 PM   #50
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It takes a long time to shoot this much bullets, I am but a humble barrister.
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