Vector V93 rifle performance

[stubbicatt]

It's been pretty cold and snowy here for several months it seems. Haven't had a chance really to get out and shoot much.

Yesterday presented a break in the weather, and off to the range with my good friend. Beautiful place really.

So I took my year old Vector V93 rifle to zero the IOR scope on her. Took a couple of rounds to get it on paper, but once dialed in, had two groups of 5 shots all touching one another. I didn't think these rifles were supposed to shoot like that!

I also had 3 failures to eject out of 130 rounds fired, which is disappointing.

It has taken some time to get this rifle to the point where it functions as it should, and it still has some work to be done, apparently. If it weren't for the consistently good accuracy I get from the rifle, the function issues would see it replaced by something else, maybe a Ruger Mini 14 Ranch Rifle with that new target barrel.

It was a fine day outside. Enjoyed the view, enjoyed the shooting, enjoyed the camaraderie. Spring is only 3 months away!

 

[MudPuppy]

Ah--thanks for the report.

I'm really considering one of these--the accuracy sounds great, but that reliability would have to be a bit better.

What's your thoughts on addressing that? And what mags are you using? (The price on those is scaring me away a bit too.)

 

[salty]

Never had a problem with mine in 3 years - what ammo are you using ? I took it easy at first and broke it in slowly with frequent cleanings and relubing. It needs to be greased and lubed as per G3 / HK91 / HK93 procedures. I also cycled the action over 1000 times while watching tv to smooth it up. Very accurate rifle w/ B&T mount.

 

[JHansenAK47]

Very accurate rifle w/ B&T mount.

How do you like the Brugger and Thomet mounts? I want to get one for my PTR91 and didn't want to get a surplus stanag claw mount and stanag to 1913 conversion platform.

 

[stubbicatt]

Couple of things.

I'm not sure what to do about the failures to eject. Will examine the rifle more closely to see whether the ejector lever is not rising high enough, or for other more obvious signs of an issue.

The ammo is my handloads.

Magazines are a mix of 30 rounders and a 40 rounder.

I wonder whether the FTE could have been that the temps were pretty cold. I tend to discount this as a possibility.

The B&T mounts are very good quality. The Vector receivers are ever so slightly out of specification. You may have difficulty getting any mount to go on this receiver unless you get the pads milled a little bit. The claw mounts seem to work pretty well if the pads have been milled. I was unable to get a MFI mount to go on my rifle. The B&T mount was pretty nice, but I put a bit of glass bedding under it in two places so that it would stay put and not shift. In the end I opted for a claw mount with the integral 30 mm rings. It is a good setup.

The rifle is far from perfect when I got it a year ago. It has taken much fettling and tweaking to get it to work right, and even now I'm not so sure it is working 100%.

So, Salty, what are your recommended lubrication procedures? I'm using a welding flux brush to paint on some Ballistol, which is quite slick. The rifle isn't having a cycling issue with this lube, but it did have issues with Militec. The Ballistol goes a small amount on the rollers, a small amount on the locking piece, the bolt carrier is lightly painted as are the sides of the bolt where it rubs on the receiver. The receiver rails get a thin painting of Balistol, as do the hammer and other action pivot points.

Anyways.

 

[salty]

I think you need more lube and a grease product. The V 93's are a bit "tight" when new and they need to be kept clean and well lubed until they losen up a bit. I recommend you use a synthetic grease on the bolt, carrier, hammer, firing pin/spring ( I apply with a qtip, pipe cleaner or my finger) and a lliberal coating of Breakfree CLP or similar on the rest of the rifle including the trigger pak parts. Keep the flutes clean with an AR 223 chamber brush. Use small base dies on reloads - RCBS X dies work for me. I have used Ballistol for 10 plus years but not as my primary firearms lube. Ballistol is not formulated for high wear areas as grease is. Ballistol also works on my leather accessories to clean and preserve. I use KROIL to clean my bore after decoppering and rollers. The B&T mount worked fine but my Stanag claw was very very tight on V93.

 

[stubbicatt]

Salty, do you reload cartridges fired in your rifle without any ill effects? I've been using once fired, GI range brass, which has the primer crimp intact so I know it hasn't been used before. After I've shot it in my rifle, I don't reload it again, as I've heard that supposedly the cases aren't safe to use after being shot in this chamber.

I have no problems reloading and shooting 308 brass fired in my PTR91, assuming I can find it. It doesn't seem to stretch at all.