BrentK
August 23, 2003, 01:41 PM
I shot my new M40 today for the first time, and overall I was pretty pleased with it.
I'll make my first comment positive, which is that I love the sights. My eye-sight isn't perfect, and without prescription glasses on I could still easily see the sights while focusing on the target, which I had out to 15 yards.
Accuracy? The gun's accuracy is dead-on, as long as I do my part well, which I wasn't doing very consistently (hey, give me a break, this was my first time shooting in many years :p ).
As for the grips, after 100 rounds I found myself wishing that they were larger, and softer. But that's a problem with me, not the gun. I think the grips are perfect for a carry weapon, considering their size and lack of edges.
Now for the reasons why I'm only 'pretty pleased' and not juming with joy...I had two problems. Either problem could probably be explained away by saying either that the gun is still breaking in, or that the ammo or magazine is to blame. But since I don't know this, I'll mention them anyway.
First, sometimes the magazine hits something within the mag well and won't slide in all the way until I either change the mag's entry angle or I press the mag release button. I have 4 mags, all of them Steyrs, and this happened on all of them. One time I decided to force the mag, and when I did this, the mag went in and the slide went forward without me pressing the slide release. This doesn't seem to be a mag problem; could it be break in? I'm considering getting this checked at USA Steyr, but since it's an intermittent problem I'm afraid they'll just test it a couple of times without a problem. :cuss:
Second, while I had no FTEs in the first 100 rounds (Winchester 100 round value pack), I had at least 4 in the second 100 rounds. Seems like a lot, even if it was an ammo problem, which I don't know. I figure I'll clean the gun again, take it back to the range soon and see what happens. Could this problem be related to the first?
And finally, a complaint about myself...I must have wimpy hands (no surprise with having a desk job for 20 years), because my fingertips were so sore from loading 200 rounds that I couldn't continue. (I took 500 rounds with me, planning to shoot 'em all...all by myself. :evil: ) Is there something I can buy that makes magazine loading easier?
I'll make my first comment positive, which is that I love the sights. My eye-sight isn't perfect, and without prescription glasses on I could still easily see the sights while focusing on the target, which I had out to 15 yards.
Accuracy? The gun's accuracy is dead-on, as long as I do my part well, which I wasn't doing very consistently (hey, give me a break, this was my first time shooting in many years :p ).
As for the grips, after 100 rounds I found myself wishing that they were larger, and softer. But that's a problem with me, not the gun. I think the grips are perfect for a carry weapon, considering their size and lack of edges.
Now for the reasons why I'm only 'pretty pleased' and not juming with joy...I had two problems. Either problem could probably be explained away by saying either that the gun is still breaking in, or that the ammo or magazine is to blame. But since I don't know this, I'll mention them anyway.
First, sometimes the magazine hits something within the mag well and won't slide in all the way until I either change the mag's entry angle or I press the mag release button. I have 4 mags, all of them Steyrs, and this happened on all of them. One time I decided to force the mag, and when I did this, the mag went in and the slide went forward without me pressing the slide release. This doesn't seem to be a mag problem; could it be break in? I'm considering getting this checked at USA Steyr, but since it's an intermittent problem I'm afraid they'll just test it a couple of times without a problem. :cuss:
Second, while I had no FTEs in the first 100 rounds (Winchester 100 round value pack), I had at least 4 in the second 100 rounds. Seems like a lot, even if it was an ammo problem, which I don't know. I figure I'll clean the gun again, take it back to the range soon and see what happens. Could this problem be related to the first?
And finally, a complaint about myself...I must have wimpy hands (no surprise with having a desk job for 20 years), because my fingertips were so sore from loading 200 rounds that I couldn't continue. (I took 500 rounds with me, planning to shoot 'em all...all by myself. :evil: ) Is there something I can buy that makes magazine loading easier?