Posted on 09/23/2009 6:19:16 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!
Very nice blades. One of the HH knives is back in TX. Two tours in the sandbox on the vest of an Army Medic. Both theaters. I told him we have another in ready reserve should he ever need it. Fine troop support, he thanks you.
I remember back to 2009, during the great Obama gun rush... The guy next to me was buying an M-faux after buying an M1A the day before. He pointed out that it was cheaper for him to buy his wife a new rifle than pay for a divorce.
I know the American family is alive and well when I see couples, and their kids, shopping for weapons together. All of those happy memories on the firing line, just waiting to be made. Where is today's Norman Rockwell to capture these touching moments of pure Americana?
The target shows my first attempt at determining the accuracy potential of the rifle. I threw on my unzeroed ACOG, some leftover backup sights, an aftermarket grip to replace the standard GI torture (for me) grip, and a spare Smith Industries flash hider.
I also started my standard Nanolube break-in ceremony before firing the first 100 rounds. I had to use some of my large stash to Serbian M118 match ammo, since all the NATO ball ammo has nickel in the jacket metal, making it slightly magnetic, and therefore a no-no on the range at the EBR boutique.
This first trip to the range was for break-in and debugging. IO discovered that both DPMS steel mags consistently failed to lift a near-full stack of ammo fast enough for the bolt to catch the rounds, but the Magpul plastic magazine worked flawlessly. Time for a bunch of Wolff extra-power magazine springs to fix the DPMS steel mags, and buy some more Magpul plastic ones.
After the hundred rounds with Nanolube treatment of the trigger mechanism, the pull went from 8 pounds with a gritty takeup to 7 pounds with a clean first stage of three pounds, and a crisp 4-pound let-off. Further break-in should trim at least 8 ounces off the pull. I'll debate a more pricey target trigger later.
Since I didn't want to spend a lot of time zeroing a "loaner" scope, I just applied some "Kentucky elevation", and found that at 25 yards, putting the crosshairs at the very bottom of the bull printed almost all of the rounds in the black. There was no attempt to adjust for windage, since I was just testing for out-of-the-molded-plastic-box accuracy. Considering I was leaning on the firing bench with my elbows plopped on two sandbags, I was overall very happy with the group.
The Smith Industries flash hider worked well, dissipating 99% of the flash and blast, but still leaving a vey tiny flame visible just at the tip of the flash hider. I think the PWS "sci-fi" flash hider/brake may work a bit better, and provide a bit of recoil abatement, too. I think the four spiral flutes work well with the 5.56mm round, but the bigger 7.62mm cartridge needs a bit more taming.
This configuration should be able to reach out and touch the target at longer ranges, even with the 16 inch barrel. So I'm shopping for a more sophisticated Leupold variable scope, along with replacing the A2-style fixed stock with an adjustable M4-type, so I can adjust the fit to my sometimes-odd shooting stance. I'm not exactly wild about the aluminum tube handguard, which got only slightly warm after 100 rounds, so I will eventually consider something else. I'll need something with a rail on the bottom if I install the Magpul angled fore grip, which I find vey comfy for any rifle I shoot without a bipod.
I would have preferred a telescoping stock already installed, saving me the cost of a new action tube, spring, buffer, and stock assembly. But this was the only way I could get the 16" heavy barrel threaded for a muzzle device. As shown, the rifle weighs ten pounds, exactly. The changes should add about two more pounds, so it will still wind up weighing about half of what the DPMS SASS tips the scale at.
If someone wants .308 power and accuracy in an M4-sized package, this one fills the bill at about the same price as a decent M-faux clone.
Oh, and I found an ambidextrous safety in my spare parts stash, but I could not find the American flag magazine release button I just saw a few days earlier. Some day, I’ll make up a list of “must have” accessories and mods I insist on for AR15-type rifles. I guess I have a pretty comprehensive list of parts, and tune-up procedures, that I want my rifles to have. Another reason why I rank Eugene Stoner just below John M Browning. His design has become the 1957 Chevy of EBRs, able to become almost all things to almost all people. Not too shabby for a “one-hit wonder”.
Good lookin rig...... put one of these on a friends bushmaster yesterday. Worked very well.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1WhhKH3QVU&feature=pyv&ad=6832211627&kw=hunting
Spiffy knives.
Nice shooting rifle; still amazed you can shoot high power rifles on an indoor range. The MDC outdoor ranges say no steel ammo; they gots magnets they do. sheesh.
.308/30-06 is the upper limit of approved rounds at the EBR store. They use a rare-earth magnet from an old disk drive to check for "steel". It's so powerful that even traces of nickel in the jacketing is attracted. Insurance companies say nickel makes the jacket too hard, so it's banned, just like steel cores or jacketing.
Heh, yep, that’s gotta be the magnet that the MDC uses. The Swiss, the Swede, the Ruskie, the Enfield are OK with lead or hunting ammo, noway for mil-surp stuff. Handloading is our friend.
I decided to try out a set of offset backup sights from Dueck Defense. The offset front and rear sights clamp to the top rail of the weapon, and give you instant M16-type iron sights when you tilt the rifle to the left 45 degrees.
Some of my larger scopes have a Docter miniature red dot sight mounted on the scope tube itself on an offset. That also works, but the backup sight remains fixed to the scope, so if the scope is removed, so are the backups. Also, the tiny red dot is a bit hard to find due to the narrow viewing angle, while the offset sights are regular-looking iron sights.
The rear sight is a bit harder to see from the top due to the visual clutter created by the forward-assist handle, but it's still easy to sight through when the rifle is tilted.
The sights are acquired quickly, although the standard sight picture isn't as quick as a red dot, once you've actually found the red dot in the tiny field of view. But these sights seem to work well, especially with weapons with large scopes that shouldn't be removed casually. And they cost about the same price as a pair of folding backup sights, making them worthy of serious consideration. I've ordered two more sets for rifles that either had no quick-shot short range backups, or used a tilted Docter red dot sight. I expect them to work well for their intended purpose, even though it looks like I'm shooting "gangsta style". Or maybe that applies just to Glocks.
My new piece is one of the snazy new Kimber Super Carry Pro which is a Commander size 1911 with Aluminum frame and ‘bobtail’ rounded grip. It is a great combo which lets me use my favorite existing holsters for a lighter smaller piece. It carries very comfortably IWB, much better than the full size 1911s I usually carry. The extra ‘melting’ Kimber does to the dovetail is GREATly appreciated. Having gotten use to carrying a full size 1911 the lighter weight is very nice.
The scalloping on the front and back of the grip is nice. compared to my standard smooth 1911s it gives a better grip surface in the areas that need it most (per our previous discussion. I probably will put an extended slide release on it and I am looking at my options for grips. The grip checkering is VERY aggressive. Of my other two 1911s one quite flat and tame checkering (Armscor) and the other is wearing the smooth grips you (300winmag) gave me (Springfield). I like both of those. The aggressive checkering on the Kimber really chafes if I am carrying with only 1 layer of shirt. So my options are:
-Find something custom that fits that
-Cut down one of my existing sets of grips
-Sand down the checkering on the stock grips
-Mold something out of plastic (I have to stuff to do that) using an existing set as the template
I would rather not trash the stock grips but other than that I am not sure what option is best.
Actually when we get the new kayak then the next on the list may suddenly be a stainless steel revolver.
Heh, point. Well I suppose our collection needs one of them old-fashioned type guns anyway....
Well you can load a revolver with shot shells. Very effective if you run across a water snake. And of course stainless so we dont trash a perfectly good automatic with too much salt.
Yup yup — highly effective against snakes. My family kept one loaded with snake shot all whilst growing up in rattlesnake country.
One type of checkering is "combat cut", where just the front edge of each grip panel is checkered or stippled. Vertical flutes might also work, and there are even grips with golfball "dimples". The material can also matter, with micarta and other synthetics being more-or-less aggressive than wood. Machined aluminum or cast pewter are also used, although many times it's just for show.
The best place to begin is Brownells, which shows tons of different styles. However, they don't carry everything by every maker, so visiting their sites is the next step. Hogue and Carbon Creations have lots of variations in materials, and there are plenty of other makers out there, too.
I prefer grips as thin as possible, with most of the "grip" on the front edge. I look for a secure grip that won't tear up my hand, and won't grab clothes and "print through" by interfering with the natural drape of the clothes.
Here's an example of cut-checkered carbon fiber (I discovered it was too aggressive for my hands), and laser-stippled Kimber laminated grips. I've replaced those grips with identical ones made for Kimber by Carbon Creations.
Beautiful, Mister Mag. :-)
A new boat? That must mean an accident and lost guns aren’t far behind.
Hold muh beer...
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