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Thread: Musings on a Friday Afternoon

  1. #1

    Musings on a Friday Afternoon

    I took a few ARs for test firing after tearing down the Wolf Pup (my AR pistol) for parts replacement and experimenting with the Big Smith (M&P-10) and the War Horse (Colt 6920) and driving back from the range today gave me some time to ponder a few observations made while shooting and as you stopped by, I thought I'd share them with you

    WOLF PUP

    The Wolf Pup is my first foray into the world of shorties. It's my first rifle caliber firearm with a barrel less than 16". Before building this AR, I wanted nothing to do with AR pistols. They looked awkward to shoot and I figured I was already giving up enough velocity going from a 20" barrel to a 16". I started giving thought to getting an SBR after shooting a 6933, but money was tight and frankly, I was intimidated by the NFA paper work. Then, a glorious thing happened. Sig brought the arm brace to the market.

    I dug through the couch until I found enough loose change to buy a 10.5 inch barrel, started collecting the parts needed, ordered a brace and finally put it together. It was over-gassed, loud, the brace was clunky and friends gave me the stink eye every time they got a dose of blast-n-flash from the Battle Comp. A couple of parts needed modification to fit, but it was pure fun when it was done


    It's evolved since then. Early ejection problems were eliminated with the installation of a Colt ejector spring. Over gassing was tamed with a heavier buffer, adjustable gas block and a barrel with a more reasonable gas port diameter. The original brace was replaced with a more svelte unit originally designed for the Galil Ace. I made it fit nice and snug with a high tech solution- the receiver extension was wrapped with gaffer's tape. Here's what the Wolf Pup looks like today


    A little worse for wear, but that's because this AR gets shot. It's been with me from the Pacific Northwest to the Pennsylvania Amish country to the Southwest. It's a sweet little shortie and pretty smooth. It was torn down to fix a problem with first generation SLR 7 gas block. I broke the metering screw using the wrong tool to adjust it. When I contacted SLR to buy replacement parts, they told me to ship the old one back and they'd send me a new one. I told them I broke it and had to grind it to fit the mis-located gas port on the barrel but they told me to send it in anyway. I had a new one in hand in just a few short days. How's that for customer service?

    There are 10 Kinds of People in This World. Those Who Understand Binary and Those Who Don't
    Recently, I did something rather foolish. I bought a Franklin Armory Binary Trigger at the LGS. I wish I could tell you I got a great deal on it, but I didn't. I paid close to full retail. Ok, so I paid full retail. It wasn't until I got home that I recovered enough from the "I Wants" and the "I wanna Gets" to realize that for the money spent on the damn trigger, I would have been half-way to a new T2 Micro. Or an AMTAC over the barrel suppressor for the War Horse. So I did the only sensible thing. Since the Wolf Pup was down until the new gas block came, I tore it down and had the lower engraved in the third position for the new binary trigger. $14 at Symbol Arts


    "NO BANG"
    "BANG"
    "BANG-BANG"


    After re-assembling the Wolf Pup, I took it to the range and tuned the gas block so it would lock back on the last round. If I close the gas one more click, the Wolf Pup will eject, but lock back. I locked in a 40 round Magpul, set the selector on BANG-BANG and cut loose. Once I got the hang of it, nary a bobble. I think I went through a couple of hundred rounds most rikki-tik. Once I add in ammo cost, this trigger is gonna be the most expensive AR accessory I've ever bought.

    Ejection
    One thing I've admired about most Colt ARs I've ever shot is the consistency of the ejection pattern. The full auto Colt I shot tossed the empties in a shiny bright waterfall of brass in a neat little pile about three foot in diameter. I never got that kind of consistency from any of my other ARs. Until today. Combined with the adjustable gas block and the Colt extractor spring, the pile of brass from the Wolf Pup was about four foot long and two foot wide at about 4 o'clock from my shooting position. Normally, I have to hunt all over the range to police up the empties. Not today. It wasn't just the gas block either. Before, the bolt had some generic no-name extractor spring and even with the gas block tuned, brass was scattered about in a random pattern. Want consistent ejection? Get a Colt extractor spring. I'm gonna start getting Colt ejector springs and see if they make any difference.

    Heat
    Shoot two hundred rounds fast enough and an AR will get plenty hot! I set the Wolf Pup in the shooting bench just briefly and when I picked it up, there was an ugly mass of melted carpet stuck to the Omega. I carefully checked other spots of the Wolf Pup to see how hot they were. The gas block and the barrel around it was nearly as hot as the suppressor. The barrel nut was very warm, but not enough to burn skin right away. I could hold it for a few seconds. The chamber was quite hot! Everything was as it was expected to be. Until I pulled out the carrier. It was completely cool to the touch! Not hot. Not warm Not even lukewarm. It was basically, room temperature. So was the bolt and the gas key. The last time I did this little informal checking of BCG temperature, the bolt and key was hot enough to sting, but cooled quickly and the carrier was hardly warm enough to notice. But today, the bolt, key and carrier felt cool to the touch. I thought at least the bolt would be warm from the chamber heat

    The Big Fat Wolf Operates
    There were a few other guys at the range and of course, everybody and their brother and girlfriend had an AR. But, I thought to myself, I'll put on a little show to wow the yokels. I nonchalantly uncased the Wolf Pup, tuned the gas block, loaded up a mag, slipped the selector into binary mode and cutt'er loose! BANG. BANG BANG. BANGADY BANG-BANG!

    Heheheh. Let's see one of you guys-

    BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!

    Damn pup! Consarned whippersnapper, ain't you got no respect fer yer elders?!

    BIG SMITH

    Last weekend, while waiting for the replacement gas block and the lower to come back from Symbol Arts, I got to thinking about the T2 Micro sitting on the upper doing nothing. The Big Smith was without optics because the scope mount broke (a story I won't share until I give the manufacturer a chance to replace it). Heres the Big Smith, right after the carbon fiber free float handguard was installed but before I finished shaking up the rattlecans


    I pulled the T2 Micro off the Wolf Pup, installed it on the Big Smith and headed off to the range. The photo below was taken by my Lady Wolf when I first got the Big Smith. My H1 Micro is on it



    Later, I went to Pennsylvania to work at Sikorsky and took the Big Smith with me. I made a couple of life-long friends while there. With the H1 mounted, we put the Big Smith through it's paces in some close quarter drills. It was a rush!

    Weight
    The Big Smith normally wears a NF 2.5-10x32, scope that's heavy for it's class. The Big Smith will never be mistaken for a small framed AR, but replacing the NF with the Micro lightens the Big Smith noticeably. If the Big Smith were a car, it would be a muscle car and with the Micro, it's a muscle-car that handles well

    Shots Fired
    A few quick shots got the Micro zeroed and putting the dot on anything from up close to all the way out to 300 and the target was hit. Off-hand, I was able to keep my shots on a three foot square steel plate about 75% of the time. With my elbows resting on the bench, it was no challenge to hit the plates every time. From up close, all the way out to three hundred yards, all I had to do was put the dot on a head sized target and the bullet would strike with no hold overs. Assuming of course, the dot wasn't wobbling all over the place...

    Reliability
    I've had the Big Smith for a few years, but because the cost of commercial ammo has risen dramatically and it seems the milsurp tap has been turned off, I have not been able to give it the workout it deserves. It runs well with quality commercial 308, but cold temps and lower pressure milsurp leads to short stroking. No hiccups with PPU in the warm temps we've had the last couple of weeks, however

    Power
    You know what separates man from lower animals? Power tools, baby. Big. Honkin'. Power tools. As much as I enjoy shooting 5.56 ARs, I find shooting the bigger battlerifles much more satisfying. If 308 ammo prices were what they were back in the 80s and 90s, the little ARs would get left home more often than not. Out at the range, I'd been tagging a set of rocks between 25 and 50 yards with the 5.56 ARs. Dust would fly with each hit. When I stepped up to the 308, chunks flew off the first rock, the second was knocked back three or four feet and the third broke in half, each with only one shot.

    Very very satisfying

    WARHORSE
    Colts have been the best ARs I have shot. (Yes, I know that means I need to up my game to a KAC. No need to rub it in!) My first AR was a Colt Competition HBar 20 inch in what I think they call the A4 or A5 configuration. I loved that thing. But I sold it to a family member for money build a custom 20 inch precision AR, then I bought a 16 PSA middie. I traded that to a young cousin who will be joining the Marine Corps after he graduates. I got the Colt 6920 to replace it. When the gas block on the Wolf Pup went down, the Colt upper (with the Omega suppressor) was moved to the Wolf Pup lower with the Binary trigger. It ran great and shooting with the binary trigger is far more fun than a Big Fat Wolf should be allowed. The only thing more fun was Red Riding Hood's Basket of Goodies, but I digress



    What a Gas
    People talk about how over gassed and how harsh recoil is with a carbine length gas system. My experience says that's simply not true. More important than gas system length is porting. (Let me pause here for a moment to give rob_s a chance to gloat and chortle "I told ya so!" He deserves it because he was right. Mostly. Ok rob, just don't overdo it.) It doesn't matter if an AR has a carbine gas system or a midlength. If the gas port is too large, then recoil is going to be sharp because the carrier is going to slam the buffer into the back of the receiver extension and the shooter is going to feel the sting. When choosing an AR, it doesn't matter which gas system the AR has, if the gas port is too large.

    I'm very impressed with the Colt. It runs with or without the suppressor and shooting outdoors, there has been no gas to the face. (I haven't shot it indoors yet.)

    Springs
    Colt has got it's springs right. All the reliability problems I've had with the Wolf Pup and the PSA carbine were traced back to springs. Specifically, the extractor springs. Once I replaced them with Colt springs, my problems went away. You wanna know what you're paying for when you buy a Colt? Springs- and the gas port. I think Colt has the best spring set

    Lube
    I have been using Frog Lube for several years and to good effect. Hot, cold, dry, humid- no problem. But Frog Lube also does not play well with whatever preservative Colt coats its new firearms with. I had one AR and two 1911s gum up to the point of malfunctioning when Frog Lube mixed with the preservative. I've completely field stripped and cleaned my Colts and re-lubed them with Frog Lube and now, they work fine-

    -until I attached the Omega to the War Horse. The extra fouling from the suppressor turned the Frog Lube into a gooey mess. It did the same to the Wolf Pup. I will be cleaning the Frog Lube from my firearms and be giving Lucas Gun Oil a try. No, I won't be switching to Mobil One. I want to stay with an "Environmentally Friendly" lube because motor oils aren't friendly to the environment of my skin.

    If you've made it this far through my ramblings, please feel free to join in on the conversation and share your thoughts. If not, feel free to share your thoughts anyway
    We wish to thank the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, without whose assistance this program would not have been possible.

  2. #2
    Why the binary over the tac com 3mr?
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  3. #3
    Because the Binary Trigger was on prominent display at the LGS when I walked in and they said "You can put it on lay-away!"

    I came very close to putting the Binary Trigger in the Big Smith while I was waiting for the lower for the Wolf Pup to come back from Symbol Arts
    Last edited by MistWolf; 05-13-2017 at 10:08 AM.
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  4. #4
    Lucas oil isn't environmentally friendly.
    Last edited by LittleLebowski; 05-13-2017 at 10:53 AM.
    #RESIST

  5. #5
    Hmm. It's marked as such on the label
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  6. #6
    banana republican blues's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LittleLebowski View Post
    Lucas oil isn't environmentally friendly.
    Quote Originally Posted by MistWolf View Post
    Hmm. It's marked as such on the label
    Please don't tell me that a petrochemical company would intentionally deceive...I just don't think I could bear it.


    /sarcasm (as if that was necessary)
    Last edited by blues; 05-13-2017 at 11:56 AM.
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  7. #7
    Stop making me want to build an AR pistol!


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  8. #8
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    Re extractor springs -did you just change the spring or ar you running the Crane O ring and Black insert ?

    If not, the O ring and insert are recommended, particularly for shorter guns.

    https://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-...exspring-1.htm

  9. #9
    Site Supporter Bigghoss's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DanM View Post
    Stop making me want to build an AR pistol!


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  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by HCM View Post
    Re extractor springs -did you just change the spring or ar you running the Crane O ring and Black insert ?

    If not, the O ring and insert are recommended, particularly for shorter guns.

    https://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-...exspring-1.htm
    Actually, the O ring was an interim fix until a proper extractor spring could be developed. The Colt extractor spring was designed to be used without the O ring. Using the O ring with the Colt extractor will result in too much tension on the extractor. Also, if the O ring comes apart under hard usage, the pieces will jam the extractor spring and there will be malfunctions. We saw the O ring do just that during the barrel "melt down" test Mr. Gunsandgear recently performed.

    All my AR bolts have the Colt extractor spring with black insert, as Colt designed to be, But no O ring. That's how my 6920 and 6933 came from the factory
    Last edited by MistWolf; 05-14-2017 at 12:00 PM.
    We wish to thank the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, without whose assistance this program would not have been possible.

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