Jenrick
Member
Weather: Hot, probably around 95 in the shade, I was in full sun, so over a 100.
Wind: Intermittent gusting 5-7 mph going directly across from right to left. Air was pretty much still between gusts.
Lighting: A clear Texas summer day, so really bright.
Ammo: Wolf 62gr JHP
I had purchased an AR-180B from a fellow THR this past week and got it from my FFL Wednesday. Took it home and gave it a good cleaning. I noticed that the bolt and ejector area had a decent bit of red particulate matter, which I figured was probably primer sealant. Other then those areas the weapon was pretty clean and didn’t require any major work to get cleaned up. What particularly struck me was the lack of carbon deposition on the bolt or near area where the bolt locks up in the chamber. Thanks to the US Army I’m quiet familiar with how dirty this area can be on an M-16/AR-15. I was curious whether the lack of carbon was from a prior cleaning, or if the tappet style mechanism was that much cleaner. After giving everything that needed it a wipe down with CLP, it was off to the range to sight in and do some testing.
After a quick stop to grab some ammo and earplugs it was time to shoot. The weapon was set at mechanical zero to start with. It was on paper from the first round and didn’t take to long to get it zeroed. Groups where about 3-5” at 100yds, some of which may have been the operator. Off the bench/ground the weapon seems to have a firm solid recoil, heavier then what I was used to from a 5.56mm platform. Additionally the rifle is louder then one normally encounters in a 5.56mm. I attribute the recoil to the weapon being lighter then the normal M-16/AR-15 platform. The noise I attribute to the integral muzzle break. One nice thing about the muzzle break is you don’t kick up nearly as much dust from the prone position as you would with a flash suppressor.
One bit of excitement with the sight in was after the first round. I noticed smoke arising from the vent holes in the upper hand guard. I was afraid that I had ignited my rest, but after doing some looking I hadn’t even singed it. It took me a bit to realize it was probably a bit of CLP burning off in the vent holes of the gas cylinder. After another round, no more smoke.
Once I got the weapon zeroed it was time for some practice at closer range on some standard tactical drills, double taps, failure drills, etc. I found the AR-180B handles very nicely and points very naturally for me. The stock gives you an easy repeatable cheek weld that leaves you online with the sights almost from the start. This gives you fast accurate shooting, and the muzzle break gets the barrel back on target quickly.
All drills where shoot from between 7 and 25 yards. Double taps where a joy to shoot, allowing you to almost pull the trigger the second time without sighting and put two holes touching each other. The sights seem to reappear almost exactly on the previous point of aim. Failure to stop drills were equally accommodating, with a quick shift of aim driving the third round home. Shooting on the move was also nice and solid. Every round that was not where I wanted it I can directly attribute to my movement rather then the weapon not firing accurately. The safety is the standard M-16/AR-15 arrangement, and it functions just as well in tactical drills. I had no problems with thumbing it off as the weapon came on line, and then back on as the weapon came down.
The trigger was pretty crisp to me, and broke probably around 6.5lbs (I don’t have a trigger gauge, so that’s the best I can guess). The weapon cycled flawlessly, I ran through about 60 rounds during the course of the afternoon. Most were shoot in pairs or triples at a rapid pace. There were no failures to eject, and no failures to feed. The only problem I had was the very first round I chambered and then attempted to cycle free. After yanking on the charging handle for a bit the cartridge ejected into my lap. A quick examination provided my answer, some CLP had run from somewhere into the chamber. After wiping down the cartridge, the bolt face, and the chamber (you can access the chamber and bolt face easily with the bolt locked back), I repeated my test. No problems what so ever cycling by hand. The bolt locked back on an empty magazine, and all magazines feed and disengaged perfectly.
After policing up my targets and my brass it was home to clean it up. I was mentally preparing myself for carbon splattered hither and yon. I was quite pleasantly surprised. Breaking down the rifle is fast and easy. A cartridge or in my case a chopstick, is used to press the rear of the guide rod assembly in, this frees the upper receiver to pivot up and away. Pulling out the guide rod assembly lets you take out the bolt carrier assembly. From there, simply pull off the upper hand guard (secured by the guide rod assembly), and you can access the gas system. Very fast and simple.
The interior of the rifle wasn’t dirty at all. There was no real carbon deposition, primer flakes, etc. A quick wipe down with a dry patch and all was clean. The bolt carrier was also quiet clean, and again a dry patch was all it took. The bolt itself seemed remarkably clean with only a bit of primer sealant on the face. Under the extractor, and in the firing pin channel there was quiet a bit of primer sealant however. Not enough by far to affect the function of the rifle however. A quick squirt of CLP and some scrubbing took care of that problem.
As I laid aside the bolt group to dry I approached the gas system with some trepidation. I shouldn’t have. The hand guards had no significant carbon deposits and what was there wiped right off. The operating rod was also quite clean, and after disassembling the whole system (takes a minute or two at most), I realized a quick wipe down with a dry patch would have sufficed. The system is remarkably clean.
After everything dried off I lubed the channels for the guide rods and the op rod, the guide rail in the receiver, and reassembled it. A quick function check and everything was done.
Overall I really like the rifle and the design, there are only a few problems I have with the rifle. The biggest design issue I have with the weapon is the lack of a dust cover on the current model. The area around the ejection port and the cut out for the charging handle to cycle in are completely open to the elements. I would prefer something to seal that area off a bit. Also the method of locking the bolt open is a little odd. Rather then being able to lock the bolt open externally, the only method of holding the bolt open is to reach up the magazine well and manually press the bolt catch up to lock the bolt back. I would definitely prefer not having to eject my magazine to lock the bolt back. Then again I can’t think of a good reason to lock the bolt back in an actual usage situation so it’s more of a personal issue with the system.
In the ergonomic department, whoever came up with putting the rear sling attachment point on the pistol grip should be beaten. The stock sling is far too short to allow the weapon to be slung and shouldered. A sling long enough to allow the weapon to be shouldered, slings the weapon in some awkward positions due to its length. Lastly the charging handle feels a bit short to me. I might just have thick fingers, but it feels just about a .5 to short for me. I suppose the shorter it is the less chance it has to snag.
In summation I heartily recommend the AR-180B for anyone looking for a solid relatively low cost rifle/EBR. The weapon is accurate enough to hunt with, and fast enough to defend yourself with.
-Jenrick
Wind: Intermittent gusting 5-7 mph going directly across from right to left. Air was pretty much still between gusts.
Lighting: A clear Texas summer day, so really bright.
Ammo: Wolf 62gr JHP
I had purchased an AR-180B from a fellow THR this past week and got it from my FFL Wednesday. Took it home and gave it a good cleaning. I noticed that the bolt and ejector area had a decent bit of red particulate matter, which I figured was probably primer sealant. Other then those areas the weapon was pretty clean and didn’t require any major work to get cleaned up. What particularly struck me was the lack of carbon deposition on the bolt or near area where the bolt locks up in the chamber. Thanks to the US Army I’m quiet familiar with how dirty this area can be on an M-16/AR-15. I was curious whether the lack of carbon was from a prior cleaning, or if the tappet style mechanism was that much cleaner. After giving everything that needed it a wipe down with CLP, it was off to the range to sight in and do some testing.
After a quick stop to grab some ammo and earplugs it was time to shoot. The weapon was set at mechanical zero to start with. It was on paper from the first round and didn’t take to long to get it zeroed. Groups where about 3-5” at 100yds, some of which may have been the operator. Off the bench/ground the weapon seems to have a firm solid recoil, heavier then what I was used to from a 5.56mm platform. Additionally the rifle is louder then one normally encounters in a 5.56mm. I attribute the recoil to the weapon being lighter then the normal M-16/AR-15 platform. The noise I attribute to the integral muzzle break. One nice thing about the muzzle break is you don’t kick up nearly as much dust from the prone position as you would with a flash suppressor.
One bit of excitement with the sight in was after the first round. I noticed smoke arising from the vent holes in the upper hand guard. I was afraid that I had ignited my rest, but after doing some looking I hadn’t even singed it. It took me a bit to realize it was probably a bit of CLP burning off in the vent holes of the gas cylinder. After another round, no more smoke.
Once I got the weapon zeroed it was time for some practice at closer range on some standard tactical drills, double taps, failure drills, etc. I found the AR-180B handles very nicely and points very naturally for me. The stock gives you an easy repeatable cheek weld that leaves you online with the sights almost from the start. This gives you fast accurate shooting, and the muzzle break gets the barrel back on target quickly.
All drills where shoot from between 7 and 25 yards. Double taps where a joy to shoot, allowing you to almost pull the trigger the second time without sighting and put two holes touching each other. The sights seem to reappear almost exactly on the previous point of aim. Failure to stop drills were equally accommodating, with a quick shift of aim driving the third round home. Shooting on the move was also nice and solid. Every round that was not where I wanted it I can directly attribute to my movement rather then the weapon not firing accurately. The safety is the standard M-16/AR-15 arrangement, and it functions just as well in tactical drills. I had no problems with thumbing it off as the weapon came on line, and then back on as the weapon came down.
The trigger was pretty crisp to me, and broke probably around 6.5lbs (I don’t have a trigger gauge, so that’s the best I can guess). The weapon cycled flawlessly, I ran through about 60 rounds during the course of the afternoon. Most were shoot in pairs or triples at a rapid pace. There were no failures to eject, and no failures to feed. The only problem I had was the very first round I chambered and then attempted to cycle free. After yanking on the charging handle for a bit the cartridge ejected into my lap. A quick examination provided my answer, some CLP had run from somewhere into the chamber. After wiping down the cartridge, the bolt face, and the chamber (you can access the chamber and bolt face easily with the bolt locked back), I repeated my test. No problems what so ever cycling by hand. The bolt locked back on an empty magazine, and all magazines feed and disengaged perfectly.
After policing up my targets and my brass it was home to clean it up. I was mentally preparing myself for carbon splattered hither and yon. I was quite pleasantly surprised. Breaking down the rifle is fast and easy. A cartridge or in my case a chopstick, is used to press the rear of the guide rod assembly in, this frees the upper receiver to pivot up and away. Pulling out the guide rod assembly lets you take out the bolt carrier assembly. From there, simply pull off the upper hand guard (secured by the guide rod assembly), and you can access the gas system. Very fast and simple.
The interior of the rifle wasn’t dirty at all. There was no real carbon deposition, primer flakes, etc. A quick wipe down with a dry patch and all was clean. The bolt carrier was also quiet clean, and again a dry patch was all it took. The bolt itself seemed remarkably clean with only a bit of primer sealant on the face. Under the extractor, and in the firing pin channel there was quiet a bit of primer sealant however. Not enough by far to affect the function of the rifle however. A quick squirt of CLP and some scrubbing took care of that problem.
As I laid aside the bolt group to dry I approached the gas system with some trepidation. I shouldn’t have. The hand guards had no significant carbon deposits and what was there wiped right off. The operating rod was also quite clean, and after disassembling the whole system (takes a minute or two at most), I realized a quick wipe down with a dry patch would have sufficed. The system is remarkably clean.
After everything dried off I lubed the channels for the guide rods and the op rod, the guide rail in the receiver, and reassembled it. A quick function check and everything was done.
Overall I really like the rifle and the design, there are only a few problems I have with the rifle. The biggest design issue I have with the weapon is the lack of a dust cover on the current model. The area around the ejection port and the cut out for the charging handle to cycle in are completely open to the elements. I would prefer something to seal that area off a bit. Also the method of locking the bolt open is a little odd. Rather then being able to lock the bolt open externally, the only method of holding the bolt open is to reach up the magazine well and manually press the bolt catch up to lock the bolt back. I would definitely prefer not having to eject my magazine to lock the bolt back. Then again I can’t think of a good reason to lock the bolt back in an actual usage situation so it’s more of a personal issue with the system.
In the ergonomic department, whoever came up with putting the rear sling attachment point on the pistol grip should be beaten. The stock sling is far too short to allow the weapon to be slung and shouldered. A sling long enough to allow the weapon to be shouldered, slings the weapon in some awkward positions due to its length. Lastly the charging handle feels a bit short to me. I might just have thick fingers, but it feels just about a .5 to short for me. I suppose the shorter it is the less chance it has to snag.
In summation I heartily recommend the AR-180B for anyone looking for a solid relatively low cost rifle/EBR. The weapon is accurate enough to hunt with, and fast enough to defend yourself with.
-Jenrick
