Cosmoline
Member
It took some searching, but I found a DPMS A1 style slab-sided upper and have mated it with a Yankee Hill lower with the military buttstock. Shot it yesterday and it was really fun. It has the government profile barrel on it in 1/9--so it's not nearly as heavy as the HBAR's that dominate the 20" market but a notch stouter than the original pencil barrels. It shoots either 55 or 64 grainers without troubles. The fit with the receiver is a tad loose and I'll be locking it down better, but even without tweaks or a bench rest I was shooting solid 2" groups with the irons. No jams, either. And it's FUN. I like the Colt carbine I've got, but this one just fits a lot nicer on the shoulder and is a pleasure to rest your cheek on.
The A1 sights are more primitive and don't have elevation adjustments, but the additional sight radius allows for more precision in aiming.
Side by side, the A1 style is actually only a few inches longer overall than the carbine. But the difference in sight radius is dramatic. I think that's one reason the carbine works better for close quarters than the rifle, and the rifle tends to be favored for marksmanship. It isn't that the shorter rifle is less accurate, or even that much shorter. It's that your eye can grab the closer front sight a little faster.
The lack of a forward assist is no loss for me. I don't think we really need those outside of pitched combat and even there it's questionable whether they serve much purpose other than to complicate jam clearance drills. With the A1 you just slingshot it out, and if it still causes troubles toss the mag and replace it with a new one. There's no tapping, just racking. I like that.
Carrying is a pleasure, from the little I did. The slab side and old style rounded edge triangle profile hand guards are very comfortable and the overall light weight makes it a breeze to tote on the shoulder or over it. Compared with the pokey, jabby, heavy M1A there is NO question which I'd rather haul through the bushes. It's also a real refreshing change from the espresso-machine AR's that have hand guards full of rails and seem to have forgotten that light weight is an attribute.
In fact I'm of a mind to rig an A1 profile in 6.8 to possibly make this puppy a hunting rifle. Anyone done that before?
The A1 sights are more primitive and don't have elevation adjustments, but the additional sight radius allows for more precision in aiming.
Side by side, the A1 style is actually only a few inches longer overall than the carbine. But the difference in sight radius is dramatic. I think that's one reason the carbine works better for close quarters than the rifle, and the rifle tends to be favored for marksmanship. It isn't that the shorter rifle is less accurate, or even that much shorter. It's that your eye can grab the closer front sight a little faster.
The lack of a forward assist is no loss for me. I don't think we really need those outside of pitched combat and even there it's questionable whether they serve much purpose other than to complicate jam clearance drills. With the A1 you just slingshot it out, and if it still causes troubles toss the mag and replace it with a new one. There's no tapping, just racking. I like that.
Carrying is a pleasure, from the little I did. The slab side and old style rounded edge triangle profile hand guards are very comfortable and the overall light weight makes it a breeze to tote on the shoulder or over it. Compared with the pokey, jabby, heavy M1A there is NO question which I'd rather haul through the bushes. It's also a real refreshing change from the espresso-machine AR's that have hand guards full of rails and seem to have forgotten that light weight is an attribute.
In fact I'm of a mind to rig an A1 profile in 6.8 to possibly make this puppy a hunting rifle. Anyone done that before?
Last edited:
