New Pair of 17" AR-15s (PICS)

[Jubei]

Seriously sweet pair of ARs guys.

I kinda felt dirty drooling over those pictures. But I kind of like that feelin' !

Jubei

 

[The Rabbi]

Neat-o. I dunno about the OD green color scheme. I could never shoulder a rifle that was the same color as a BM I had once.....

 

[Zak Smith]

Neat-o. I dunno about the OD green color scheme. I could never shoulder a rifle that was the same color as a BM I had once.....

It's actually tan. If your BMs are either of those two colors, you need to change your diet.

 

[Stinkyshoe]

Sweet guns!...how significant is having a free floated barrel on an "action gun"? Do you shooting the 5.56 strictly for 3 gun, or would it be your preference if a situation arose where you actually needed your rifle?

Could you make a scope recommendation for a replacement for a 5x33 L atn? Have you ever used a atn before?I am going to guess you will probably say to go with the ACOG...but thats just a hunch Once again, sweet guns...thanx for the fix!

 

[Zak Smith]

Sweet guns!...how significant is having a free floated barrel on an "action gun"?

It is useful for several things:

1. mounting auxiliary optics/iron sights for close-in hosing, which would otherwise be slower with a magnified optic

2. a hard mount-point for a sling which won't deflect the barrel when used as a shooting sling under tension

3. when putting pressure on the fore-end while shooting long distance precision targets

Do you shooting the 5.56 strictly for 3 gun, or would it be your preference if a situation arose where you actually needed your rifle?

5.56 with the right loads (read: the 75gr Hornady or any of the 77gr bullets) has good terminal performance, as long as you're within the fragmentation range.

Could you make a scope recommendation for a replacement for a 5x33 L atn? Have you ever used a atn before?I am going to guess you will probably say to go with the ACOG...but thats just a hunch Once again, sweet guns...thanx for the fix!

TA11 ACOG. The Trijicon Accupoint low-power variable scopes are a cheaper alternative to the ACOGs, but need a forward mounting solution (see: Larue Tactical mounts). The daylight-visible illuminated reticle is really useful for fast acquisition.

-z

 

[Zak Smith]

New optic to try..
[ link to LARGER image ]

 

[poesraven]

Nice, Real Nice . Did MSTN custom the barrel and do the upper or do they custom order the barrel from krieger then put it in the upper ? I'm really liking the darkevil one

 

[Zak Smith]

I'm not sure who did the machinework on the barrel. My guess is that it came from Krieger with that profile, but I'm not certain.

 

[poesraven]

Did you specify barrel and twist to mstn or is it a special upper that they where running ? , And why the 1-7 7" twist? , Just trying to get info for when I get the $ to do a build? Thanks, poes

 

[Zak Smith]

It was a custom upper, so I could specify virtually anything I wanted. I chose the 17" length to enable a rifle length gas system, but still be much shorter than my 20" gun. We went with the Krieger (about $150 extra) because Paul thought it should be stiffer and be more thermally stable than the Douglass for the same profile/weight. I went with 1:7.7 because of availability from Krieger -- it shoots the 75-77's basically the same as a 1:8".

The best way to proceed is to carefully think about what you want to do with the upper, and then talk to Paul (or any other competent builder) about the specific choices.

-z

 

[poesraven]

Thanks for the info ZAK, I'm just getting into the AR's and kinda got burned on my 1st purchase :banghead: So now I'm getting as much info as I can to make an Educated decision , B4 trying to do a build/or get a custom made. It gets quite $$$ costly and educational as I found out and as the credit card companys' say- "ITS PRICELESS" , Thanks for the info and enjoy your new build.

 

[Zak Smith]

Feel free to email me if you want specific advice, or a list of good vendors, etc.

 

[Chris Rhines]

Zak -

What's your take on the Troy BUIS? I have a Troy rear sight on my AR, and I've come to absolutely hate it - one of the few AR thingies that I really regret buying.

- Chris

 

[Zak Smith]

What don't like about the Troy?

Compared to the other choices, I prefer them by a wide margin. The old single aperture rear had an aperture too large for me to shoot anything far away, but would be fine for any defensive use. The new dual-aperture takes care of that.

I like that they lock in the up position, and they are real solid.

-z

 

[Chris Rhines]

What don't like about the Troy?

Glad ya asked. The Troy BUIS has a huge amount of lateral freeplay - 0.025" according to my dial indicator. This really hurts accuracy at anything beyond fifty yards or so. It's not just mine, either. One of my friends has a Troy rear sight that exhibits the same problem (both examples are the old single-aperture models.)

My experience with the Troy (and the DPMS, and the GG&G before that) has really soured me on backup irons in general. I'm playing around with another solution - something that will allow the shooter to use fixed irons and a scope at the same time.

- Chris

 

[Zak Smith]

Is that the aperture in the sight housing, or the housing vs. the receiver? I'll check mine out tonight.

 

[Chris Rhines]

Aperture in the sight housing. The sight housing on the reciever is, as you say, solid.

- Chris

 

[Zak Smith]

I guess it does move more than an A2 aperture does.

 

[poesraven]

Chris, that would be like "Co-witnessing" but wouldn't the front sight be fuzzy/or not seen at all> being so close off the lens off the scope/ should be interesting if you can do it / the only ones I thought you could do that w/ where w/ no magnification basically redots/or holos'.

 

[artherd]

Zak- how do you like the EOTech, specificaly vs the BAC with both eyes open in the ACOG?

 

[Zak Smith]

I'm off to shoot the EOTech in its first 3Gun match tomorrow. The only other trigger time I have with an EOTech is from the helicopter at the ITRC and a few rounds through a friend's SAGE M1A.

But based on my experience with the Aimpoint, the 1X red dot will be faster for short range, since there is no effort to prevent your brain from "zooming" through the ACOG.

-z

 

[Zak Smith]

11 month update:

I've shot this in 3Gun throughout the year, including local matches and MGM Ironman, and also a bunch of random field practice with or without the suppressor. It's pretty beat up and has a lot of rounds through it, but still shoots sub 0.4 MOA groups with Black Hills 75gr and the TA11 ACOG.

With the suppressor on it, somewhere in CO:
[ link to LARGER image ]

I painted the whole thing camoflage, and put it on a Cavalry Arms MK II lower for when I shoot for them. Here's how it looked at the WACO 3Gun match last week--

[ link to LARGER image ]
[ link to LARGER image ]
[ link to LARGER image ]

 

[Zak Smith]

To answer the question about the EOTech-- I like it a lot.

I set up a EOTech 551 and a TA11 both in LaRue QD mounts. I bring both and choose which one to use at any particular match depending on the required precision/distance.

[ link to LARGER image ]

I use the EOTech for matches (or stages if I'm shooting Trooper Class) where the targets are no more difficult than about a 8-10" plate at 120-140 yards. It's way faster than the ACOG for that type of stuff.

 

[Stinkyshoe]

Zak
Do you have a preference for the AA or 123 battery model? Does it matter?
Thanks
Ss

 

[Zak Smith]

There is no CR 123 model
until the 553 comes out no earlier than 2/2006. The 551 takes "N" cell batteries and the 552 takes AA's. I prefer the 551 because it's considerably smaller than the 552. I am on my second or third set of batts since Dec 2004.