Weaponry Reviews - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Slims · 10-02-2007, 12:24 PM

Ok, the idea here is to post concise reviews on anything you feel may help someone on this forum. Anything you have had personal experience with is fair game.

Here are a couple to get things going:

S&W M&P 9mm pistol, fullsize: I have put probably 2500 rounds through mine and it runs extremely well, is very comfortable, and I recommend it highly. I bought mine without a magazine disconnect or child-safety, and I feel I made the right decision. I had some initial problems with the pistol, but S&W customer service was top-notch and in addition to fixing my pistol, they installed Novak Tritium sights for free.

Eotech 552: I like this optic a lot. It is noticeably sturdier than the civilian 51x series, and the NV button is convenient. It is much faster to acquire a target than the aimpoint is, but it is also a little clunkier, and you have to fiddle with it every now and again or it will turn itself off.

Eotech 510: I can't stand these. They are not built to take abuse. I recently watched 5 out of 12 of these crap out on us. Usually, the prism inside the sight would break loose and would rattle around. Don't get one of these.

Beretta 92 (m9): If you buy one of these and you intend to really shoot it, make sure you have a couple extra locking blocks on hand. Personally, I can't stand this weapon, though it seems to work well enough when it isn't broken.

HK USP Compact: Very good pistol, ultra reliable. But it is expensive and is built like a tank. If you are looking for an ultra reliable higher-capacity weapon that can be carried with the hammer back and the safety on then this may be a good choice.

kel · 10-03-2007, 02:59 PM

have owned four. Each one of them was reliable enough for range duty, but 1 out of 10 times on the last round of a magazine they would jam the head of the empty case into the feed lips of the magazine effectively locking the gun up. This made them useless for USPSA or carry. One had to go back three times because it was going full auto and twice because it was breaking barrel link pins and once because it wouldn't extract (and they never fixed the extraction issues).

I have personally witnessed two out of time firing pin safeties go click instead of bang and one of mine does it too. I know one other person who had the full auto issue and he got it fixed in one trip because I explained to S&W how to resolve it.

The extractor is .125 high while a regular internal extractor is .175 high. Draw your own conclusions. Also be aware that as the hook wears it can drastically effect performance and reliability because the bottom corner of the hook is the critical surface when it comes to preventing this jam and there really isn't much material left after the hook has been dressed to aid feeding at the factory. This is not a problem that will always show up immediately as there are a number of other tolerances that affect its appearance.

If you don't believe me then see what Hilton Yam has to say:

Quote:

I am awaiting updates from S&W re: the proposed changes to their external extractor. Some samples of the extractor system work well, others not so well. The placement of the extractor is a bit high and the round slides off the hook during barrel linkdown. As the round slides off the hook, the extractor loses purchase. Some guns will continue to work ok, but you will occasionally see a casing eject to the front or up over your head. This is less than ideal and indicates marginal purchase of the extractor on the casing.

http://www.10-8forums.com/ubbthreads...true#Post51066

Quote:

Just wanted to add my experience with the S&W 1911s to Ned's excellent analysis.

The fit of the beavertail to the frame tangs - specifically the side to side play at the junction of the frame radius/thumb safety hole and the grip safety - can also affect the timing issues. If the fit is loose, the safety can actually be depressed along more than one line, allowing more than one variation in the timing. When I was up at S&W, they recognized this issue and were working to tighten the tolerances in this area.

In experimenting with the firing pin and safety plunger, I tried a number of mods to increase the clearance between the two parts in order to favor the timing lag. All the mods were ultimately unsuccessful, and the parts ended up peening each other.

The S&W extractors need to be closely monitored as they age and wear, as they all seem to work pretty well when very new. As the part wears, the performance starts to vary dramatically. Most users do not notice problems with their guns, as the bulk of the guns out on the commercial market do not get very high round counts on them.

For a few years, Smith has been planning the introduction of a new extractor and the deletion of the firing pin safety on their 1911s. These changes do not happen fast, but if/when they do, I feel that their 1911s will be an extremely solid offering for a duty 1911.

Buy a Colt or a Springfield so you don't have to deal with non-standard "improvements" to the design.

If you are unfortunate enough to have one of these problem guns I know of several partial solutions that may get it running well enough for gaming.

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Sig 226ST 9MM
The gun is reliable and good (maybe the best) for a DA auto but it is still a DA auto. The DA trigger reach is too long and the SA trigger reach is too short. Trigger reset is also long. I regret getting the stainless frame because it does not transition well and makes the gun heavy for carry. The grip is quite thick and does not conceal well. The factory grips squeaked and had play in them so I replaced them with hogue rubbers which are thick and tend to grab clothing. There was some light barrel springing which worked itself out on its own.

The factory sights are terrible. They are regulated so the POI is behind the white dot on the front sight and the front sight is too thick allowing too little light for feedback and it also obscures the target. There is no shortage of aftermarket options, but it would be nice if they came standard with a half decent set. Bar-dot is dead, let it go, it was never that good to begin with.

The manual of arms is %100 incompatible with the 1911 because the slidelock lever is in the same location as the thumb safety. This makes it difficult to get a comfortable grip high enough to be worth mentioning. This is already exacerbated by the large grip and long DA trigger reach.

The SA trigger is 4.5 pounds and crisp with a large quanitity of overtravel. The DA trigger broke in to 10 pounds or so after I replaced the mainspring with a 19 pound Wolff spring. Older carbon steel slide Sigs will have a worse DA trigger even with a lighter spring because they have a different (longer) mainspring.

I would only recommend this gun for people who are not going to be shooting competitively and are going to train extensively enough to master it. For the same level of effort you would get much better performance from a pseudo-DAO or SA gun. This is not to say that the 226 cannot perform as well, just that it is more difficult. It also stood up well to >1k rounds/month in USPSA.

squeeeb · 10-03-2007, 08:25 PM

Glock 17 - a magical gun, never got dirty, never jammed, even if using reloads, amazingly accurate. the only thing i didn't' like about it is the grips were a bit large for me (i have small hands) and it was light, which felt a bit awkward, i prefer a heavier gun...

Dog Brothers' escrima sticks - heavy, durable, nice....

Fire · 10-05-2007, 10:14 AM

astra 600/43

Vintage WWII spanish pistol, 9mm- shoots well, but is well known for having a very heavy recoil IIRC due to the fact that it is a blowback action w/ very heavy springs- have found mine to be reliable, even after several hundred rounds at a stretch- does have a kick though, and for a nine that is saying something- only problem is that my factory magazine is showing heavy wear- at the seams where it is welded, near the juncture with the feed lips, it is cracked from long term stress- according to some milisurp forums this is common... but was able to get replacement surplus factory mags without issues for less than new aftermarkets... overall a nice little shooter for fans of old school pistols

Femaru M-37

another old school pistol, this one was the hungarian royal military's sidearm until the germans steamrollered em- its a small .380, with a barely adequate 7 shot magazine- It shoots well, and as it is small but by no means compact,and solid metal, it has little recoil- the problem is that there are so many smaller pocket pistols with more rounds of higher calibur out there that it is pretty much a historical piece rather than any kind of carry gun- its also a single action with only a grip safety, and NO external safety, so its pretty much got to be carried on condition ZERO unless you wand to court an AD- It is, for all that, fun to shoot and hella sturdy, as well as being a reliable shooter, so if one were to luck into one on the cheap, I do like em.... BTW AVOID the AFTERMARKET MAGS FOR THIS WEAPON they suck- of three, NONE fed reliably.....

high standard sentinel .22LR (9 shot)

fun little plinker/ woods gun that wont quit, and combines the ease of a revolver with the capacity of an auto.....

Plan9 · 10-16-2007, 09:06 PM

ziadel · 10-17-2007, 04:29 PM

Heres one:

Springfield Mil-Spec (Not the WWII Model) 1911-A1

Has never failed me once, hits where its pointed is extremely durable and reliable. Has never once jammed with an assortment of bullets, including semi-wadcutters.

Cons: Plastic grips. Thats my only gripe.

Fire · 10-20-2007, 10:32 PM

Ruger speed six in 9mm

9mm revolvers are something of a rarity, and not often made- and they seem to not stay in production when they do- I had the good fortune to come across one, and just put a box of shells and some spares through it- and have nothing but good things to say about it- designed to use moon clips to ease extraction, the speed six will work perfectly well without- I have only one moon clip, and empties are a bitch to pry out on one, so I fired 50 rounds through the weapon without a moon clip- spent rounds were easily shaken out of the cylinder, as crud accumulated (about halfway through) they were removed with a thumbnail. its accurate, reliable, and as with most ruger designs, built like a tank...... was so lucky to find one......

Bear Cub · 10-21-2007, 09:13 AM

Bushmaster DCM competition rifle

Pros -
1" free floater barrel

Two way flip rear aperture

Weighted butt-stock for outstanding balance

As accurate as any AR-based rifle I've shot at 200 yards, right out of the box, and it's DCM competition legal.

Not a single jam or misfire to date, even with poor quality ammo, regardless of the brass used.

Cons-
Front sight post was ground wrong. Not the easiest thing in the world to shoot a match when you're trying to hold the bottom of the black on an angle.

Trigger needs work. Pull was good, second stage crisp and accurate with minimal overtravel, but first stage had a tendency to stick and not return when released before second stage was engaged. If the first stage was worked a little bit, it'd be pretty darn close to a Jewell, without the expense.

VERY stiff springs in the provided magazines. Some of the most difficult I'd ever had to load.

Slims · 12-20-2010, 06:05 PM

Bump because I am sure we have more stuff to review by now.

KirStang · 12-22-2010, 08:23 AM

Wow. No responses?

I'll add my 2 cents here (and not take care of legal stuff like I should be).

Sig GSR 1911 RCS

Very pretty gun. Slim grips make it easy to conceal. I also like the checkering on the front and back straps, gives good controllability without cutting in to your hands. Shoots accurately, great trigger, I love the Novak Night sights.

HOWEVER: Out of the box, the gun would not shoot 100%. The gun would fail to feed about once every other magazine. After about 2,000 rounds, multiple magazines and a feedramp polish, I finally sent it back to Sig. The culprit was an improperly tuned external extractor. Runs much more reliably now, although Plan9 did cause it to Fail-to-Feed once.

LWRC M6A3

Love the furniture on it....I squirrel away all sorts of spare parts in to the MOE grip and VLTOR stock. Recoil impulse is noticeably harsher than a Direct Impingement Ar-15. Have not had the chance to test out the 'suppressed' setting on the adjustable gas block.

This gun really shines in the reliability department. Took it to a VTAC class and ran it 3 days without cleaning. No gun-related malfunctions. I know I can shoot this sucker, not clean it, and keep shooting without worrying much about malfunctions.

It is about a 1.5 MOA gun, although, it's a carbine so I'm not shooting for tight little groups.

Cons: Spits carbon deposit all over the front sight and under the front of the rail. Pain in the ass to scrub up. Carbine is also heavier than a stock M4/RAS (by approximately a pound--VLTOR stock, rails, and piston parts add to this.) More finish wear in the buffer tube. Noticed some rubbing marks in the buffer tube, contacted LWRC, was told that it was normal and I was seeing the teflon coating of the buffer tube, not 'real wear.' It's been 3,200 rounds since I've owned the rifle, so I'll keep my eye out for carrier tilt.

Overall I love my M6A3s, but have been itching to try out a Daniel Defense Midlength ($1100--a fricken steal!).

*ETA*: The M6A3s come with Nickel Boron (aka Fail Zero) coating on the BCG. IMHO, it is very much worth it. The finish is extremely slick, and I can pull out the BCG after a 500 round session and the Bolt Carrier will still be extremely slippery (although that may also be attributed to the piston system not evaporating all the lube off the bcg).

KirStang · 12-22-2010, 03:37 PM

Slims,

Have the Eotech 55X series been much more durable than the 51X series? I keep hearing about EOs going down, and reports of XPS's having batteries burst in the perpendicular battery compartment.

Slims · 12-22-2010, 10:17 PM

We had a bunch of Eotechs crap out on us. They sent us our own 'Eotech repair kit' that allowed us to mod the battery cases and replace the common failure parts.

I also brought a personal Eotech XPS 3-2 on the last deployment. it also crapped out on me for no apparent reason. It 'seemed' to be working fine, but then one day at the range zeroing it just turned off...and kept turning off randomly when I was shooting.

I have lost a lot of faith in eotech since I started this thread. I have pretty much broken every product they produce.

When they are working, there is nothing faster in the world for a close-up CQB sight. But despite advertised toughness, they seem to keep failing when you really put them to the daily grind in hard conditions.

I am getting ready to send my XPS back to Eotech, if they refuse to fix it then it will be war. Either way I don't think I am going to trust it on my gun downrange again. Especially because the only way I knew it was broken was because it turned off WHILE I was shooting, so it worked during PCI's, etc.

I am probably going to try Aimpoint, or I may put an Elcan back on my weapon. I may just be unusually hard on the optics, but I don't think so, and they *should* be able to handle just about anything. I am not banging the sights against anything hard enough to visibly gauge the protective shroud (aside from routine scuffs), break the glass, or cause any observable damage. The sights either simply stop working, or something inside breaks and begins to rattle around. The Heat may be a factor, but that is a known, expected factor and should have been accounted for.

But....

Yes, the military series (all of them) are far more durable than the original 51x series. They really do hold up better, just not for multiple rotations kicking around in Afghanistan on my particular rifle.

Plan9 · 12-22-2010, 10:24 PM

Man, that's a major bummer because I was totally looking forward to buying a XPS for my next build. Screw that. I'll guess I'll just get an Aimpoint.

EDIT: Kirstang, fuck your Caspian 1911 and its finicky chokes. I've never had any reliability problems with my $600 beater Colt 1911.

KirStang · 12-22-2010, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plan9

Man, that's a major bummer because I was totally looking forward to buying a XPS for my next build. Screw that. I'll guess I'll just get an Aimpoint.

EDIT: Kirstang, fuck your Caspian 1911 and its finicky chokes. I've never had any reliability problems with my $600 beater Colt 1911.

Should have bought a S&W 1911.

===================================

Slims, thanks for that thorough review. Confirms what I've been hearing about EOtechs going down, although I am getting a used 552.A65 in a trade soon. Going to mount it on my bedside shottie and see how it runs before placing the 552 on bedside duty.

Now: To get the Thread back on Track

Walther PPS, 40 S&W:

Very slim, easy to conceal, especially during summer months. I tuck it in to a simple IWB and it disappears underneath my polo shirt. Grip is large enough so it isn't unpleasant to shoot (feels more like a snappy glock, than a LCP, or a snubbie .38). Very controllable, IIRC has a pretty decent trigger reset.

Only problem is the mag capacity--IIRC 6+1 in the .40 S&W config. Like I said, most SD shootings take place at contact distances and end within 7 shots, so 7 shots should be enough to end the encounter (for better or worse).

Here it is compared to a glock.

=================================

*ETA*: My Sig GSR RCS 1911 Caspian Frame is an uber reliable laser beam of death, until Plan 9 touches it. Then it suddenly starts jamming.

(Total joke, do not take this sentence seriously)

Daka · 12-24-2010, 06:01 AM

Walther PPS 9mm...This is a really nice shooter. never a jam, higher cap mags available
This gun hides very nicely in an outside the waist (slotted) holster even under a T shirt it's probably the thinnest of the 9's as it is a single stack
Aside from .22, 9 mm is the cheapest of "bigger" guns to shoot, for me the 40 cal is too "kicky" (and ammo is expensive)
my only problem with this is that it only has Glock safety... (my head problem)
I sold it to a friend who "lusted" after it....(my big mistake)
I bought a Springfield XD 9 Sub compact nice gun, grip safety (1911 type) shoots very nicely never a jam, very high cap mags...it's a double stack which makes it a bit thick.
Sig Saur P 238 .380, another nice gun, this has become my every day carry, but,
it needs to be carried round in the chamber, hammer back and slide locked...(not my favorite way to carry) It has a very nice feel, its fairly small and very light, shoots nicely.
Before this I had a Keltec, and a Ruger, there is no comparison, the Sig is Far superior.
Ruger MK III .22 a fun to target shoot gun. Unfortunately it needed to be sent back for some ...."work"...it jammed a bit, but after they worked it it is now a jam free gun
S&W model 60 s/s 5 shot 2 1/2", .38 very nicely built gun a bit heavy, shoots EVERY time
S&W s/s 6 shot 5" 357, a tank and weighs like one, but a great gun
S&W model 6906 9mm s/s, I bought this 20+ years ago it's a great gun but it is too big and heavy (for me these days in FL as a carry weapon)
Bushmaster Carbon 15 .223 fun to shoot,

Others I've owned, a Beretta Model 20 .25...a good pocket gun, but blued guns on the boat need to be cleaned very frequently...(big PIA) looking for one in s/s in .22 cal

KirStang · 12-24-2010, 07:10 AM

(Copied & Pasted from an Old Post)

Finally got my Hk45C out to the range today. Bought it used with Heinie Straight 8 night sights. The Range I shot at limited minimum distance to 25' so all groups were shot at 25.'

Initial Impressions:

The slim backstrap made the gun very pointable. Where-ever I pointed was where my sights were aligned. Instinctive and intuitive much like the 1911. The grip of the HK45C however, is not as comfortable as the fullsize HK45 or P30. I'm still on the fence about the Heinie Straight 8s--they're supposedly faster than 3 dot sights but the 2 dot system takes some getting used to. Also, the front sight is somewhat hard to pick-up so I painted it orange.

One thing I do not like about the HK45C is small capacity. 8rds of .45ACP with the same size as my commander 1911. The only advantage over the 1911 is the DA/SA trigger and decocker.

Range results:

Average Group:

5 shots at 25 feet, slow fire, offhand. (The 2nd concentric circle is about ~3.6")

Best 5 shot group at 25 feet, slow fire, offhand

20 shot pattern, 25 feet. Fast aimed fire. (Bang, reset, obtain sight picture, bang)

8 shots in double taps at 25 feet.

Overall decently satisfied, but I definitely need more range time to get used to the trigger.

==========================

Shot my G19 yesterday. Love the trigger. Good sized pattern (better than those crappy patterns I'm showing above). I *REALLY* love my G19.

10-02-2007, 12:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
Slims Eccentric insomniac Location: North Carolina	Weaponry Reviews Ok, the idea here is to post concise reviews on anything you feel may help someone on this forum. Anything you have had personal experience with is fair game. Here are a couple to get things going: S&W M&P 9mm pistol, fullsize: I have put probably 2500 rounds through mine and it runs extremely well, is very comfortable, and I recommend it highly. I bought mine without a magazine disconnect or child-safety, and I feel I made the right decision. I had some initial problems with the pistol, but S&W customer service was top-notch and in addition to fixing my pistol, they installed Novak Tritium sights for free. Eotech 552: I like this optic a lot. It is noticeably sturdier than the civilian 51x series, and the NV button is convenient. It is much faster to acquire a target than the aimpoint is, but it is also a little clunkier, and you have to fiddle with it every now and again or it will turn itself off. Eotech 510: I can't stand these. They are not built to take abuse. I recently watched 5 out of 12 of these crap out on us. Usually, the prism inside the sight would break loose and would rattle around. Don't get one of these. Beretta 92 (m9): If you buy one of these and you intend to really shoot it, make sure you have a couple extra locking blocks on hand. Personally, I can't stand this weapon, though it seems to work well enough when it isn't broken. HK USP Compact: Very good pistol, ultra reliable. But it is expensive and is built like a tank. If you are looking for an ultra reliable higher-capacity weapon that can be carried with the hammer back and the safety on then this may be a good choice. __________________ "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

10-03-2007, 08:25 PM	#3 (permalink)
squeeeb part of the problem Location: hic et ubique	Glock 17 - a magical gun, never got dirty, never jammed, even if using reloads, amazingly accurate. the only thing i didn't' like about it is the grips were a bit large for me (i have small hands) and it was light, which felt a bit awkward, i prefer a heavier gun... Dog Brothers' escrima sticks - heavy, durable, nice.... __________________ onward to mayhem!

10-05-2007, 10:14 AM	#4 (permalink)
Fire Warrior Smith Location: missouri	astra 600/43 Vintage WWII spanish pistol, 9mm- shoots well, but is well known for having a very heavy recoil IIRC due to the fact that it is a blowback action w/ very heavy springs- have found mine to be reliable, even after several hundred rounds at a stretch- does have a kick though, and for a nine that is saying something- only problem is that my factory magazine is showing heavy wear- at the seams where it is welded, near the juncture with the feed lips, it is cracked from long term stress- according to some milisurp forums this is common... but was able to get replacement surplus factory mags without issues for less than new aftermarkets... overall a nice little shooter for fans of old school pistols Femaru M-37 another old school pistol, this one was the hungarian royal military's sidearm until the germans steamrollered em- its a small .380, with a barely adequate 7 shot magazine- It shoots well, and as it is small but by no means compact,and solid metal, it has little recoil- the problem is that there are so many smaller pocket pistols with more rounds of higher calibur out there that it is pretty much a historical piece rather than any kind of carry gun- its also a single action with only a grip safety, and NO external safety, so its pretty much got to be carried on condition ZERO unless you wand to court an AD- It is, for all that, fun to shoot and hella sturdy, as well as being a reliable shooter, so if one were to luck into one on the cheap, I do like em.... BTW AVOID the AFTERMARKET MAGS FOR THIS WEAPON they suck- of three, NONE fed reliably..... high standard sentinel .22LR (9 shot) fun little plinker/ woods gun that wont quit, and combines the ease of a revolver with the capacity of an auto..... __________________ Thought the harder, Heart the bolder, Mood the more as our might lessens

10-16-2007, 09:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	... __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake." Last edited by Plan9; 12-22-2010 at 08:33 AM..

10-17-2007, 04:29 PM	#6 (permalink)
ziadel Myrmidon Location: In the twilight and mist.	Heres one: Springfield Mil-Spec (Not the WWII Model) 1911-A1 Has never failed me once, hits where its pointed is extremely durable and reliable. Has never once jammed with an assortment of bullets, including semi-wadcutters. Cons: Plastic grips. Thats my only gripe. __________________ Ron Paul '08 Vote for Freedom Go ahead and google Dr. Ron Paul. You'll like what you read.

10-20-2007, 10:32 PM	#7 (permalink)
Fire Warrior Smith Location: missouri	Ruger speed six in 9mm 9mm revolvers are something of a rarity, and not often made- and they seem to not stay in production when they do- I had the good fortune to come across one, and just put a box of shells and some spares through it- and have nothing but good things to say about it- designed to use moon clips to ease extraction, the speed six will work perfectly well without- I have only one moon clip, and empties are a bitch to pry out on one, so I fired 50 rounds through the weapon without a moon clip- spent rounds were easily shaken out of the cylinder, as crud accumulated (about halfway through) they were removed with a thumbnail. its accurate, reliable, and as with most ruger designs, built like a tank...... was so lucky to find one...... __________________ Thought the harder, Heart the bolder, Mood the more as our might lessens

10-21-2007, 09:13 AM	#8 (permalink)
Bear Cub The Reverend Side Boob Location: Nofe Curolina	Bushmaster DCM competition rifle Pros - 1" free floater barrel Two way flip rear aperture Weighted butt-stock for outstanding balance As accurate as any AR-based rifle I've shot at 200 yards, right out of the box, and it's DCM competition legal. Not a single jam or misfire to date, even with poor quality ammo, regardless of the brass used. Cons- Front sight post was ground wrong. Not the easiest thing in the world to shoot a match when you're trying to hold the bottom of the black on an angle. Trigger needs work. Pull was good, second stage crisp and accurate with minimal overtravel, but first stage had a tendency to stick and not return when released before second stage was engaged. If the first stage was worked a little bit, it'd be pretty darn close to a Jewell, without the expense. VERY stiff springs in the provided magazines. Some of the most difficult I'd ever had to load.

12-20-2010, 06:05 PM	#9 (permalink)
Slims Eccentric insomniac Location: North Carolina	Bump because I am sure we have more stuff to review by now. __________________ "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

12-22-2010, 08:23 AM	#10 (permalink)
KirStang Future Bureaucrat	Wow. No responses? I'll add my 2 cents here (and not take care of legal stuff like I should be). Sig GSR 1911 RCS Very pretty gun. Slim grips make it easy to conceal. I also like the checkering on the front and back straps, gives good controllability without cutting in to your hands. Shoots accurately, great trigger, I love the Novak Night sights. HOWEVER: Out of the box, the gun would not shoot 100%. The gun would fail to feed about once every other magazine. After about 2,000 rounds, multiple magazines and a feedramp polish, I finally sent it back to Sig. The culprit was an improperly tuned external extractor. Runs much more reliably now, although Plan9 did cause it to Fail-to-Feed once. LWRC M6A3 Love the furniture on it....I squirrel away all sorts of spare parts in to the MOE grip and VLTOR stock. Recoil impulse is noticeably harsher than a Direct Impingement Ar-15. Have not had the chance to test out the 'suppressed' setting on the adjustable gas block. This gun really shines in the reliability department. Took it to a VTAC class and ran it 3 days without cleaning. No gun-related malfunctions. I know I can shoot this sucker, not clean it, and keep shooting without worrying much about malfunctions. It is about a 1.5 MOA gun, although, it's a carbine so I'm not shooting for tight little groups. Cons: Spits carbon deposit all over the front sight and under the front of the rail. Pain in the ass to scrub up. Carbine is also heavier than a stock M4/RAS (by approximately a pound--VLTOR stock, rails, and piston parts add to this.) More finish wear in the buffer tube. Noticed some rubbing marks in the buffer tube, contacted LWRC, was told that it was normal and I was seeing the teflon coating of the buffer tube, not 'real wear.' It's been 3,200 rounds since I've owned the rifle, so I'll keep my eye out for carrier tilt. Overall I love my M6A3s, but have been itching to try out a Daniel Defense Midlength ($1100--a fricken steal!). ETA: The M6A3s come with Nickel Boron (aka Fail Zero) coating on the BCG. IMHO, it is very much worth it. The finish is extremely slick, and I can pull out the BCG after a 500 round session and the Bolt Carrier will still be extremely slippery (although that may also be attributed to the piston system not evaporating all the lube off the bcg). Last edited by KirStang; 12-22-2010 at 03:39 PM..

12-22-2010, 03:37 PM	#11 (permalink)
KirStang Future Bureaucrat	Slims, Have the Eotech 55X series been much more durable than the 51X series? I keep hearing about EOs going down, and reports of XPS's having batteries burst in the perpendicular battery compartment.

12-22-2010, 10:17 PM	#12 (permalink)
Slims Eccentric insomniac Location: North Carolina	We had a bunch of Eotechs crap out on us. They sent us our own 'Eotech repair kit' that allowed us to mod the battery cases and replace the common failure parts. I also brought a personal Eotech XPS 3-2 on the last deployment. it also crapped out on me for no apparent reason. It 'seemed' to be working fine, but then one day at the range zeroing it just turned off...and kept turning off randomly when I was shooting. I have lost a lot of faith in eotech since I started this thread. I have pretty much broken every product they produce. When they are working, there is nothing faster in the world for a close-up CQB sight. But despite advertised toughness, they seem to keep failing when you really put them to the daily grind in hard conditions. I am getting ready to send my XPS back to Eotech, if they refuse to fix it then it will be war. Either way I don't think I am going to trust it on my gun downrange again. Especially because the only way I knew it was broken was because it turned off WHILE I was shooting, so it worked during PCI's, etc. I am probably going to try Aimpoint, or I may put an Elcan back on my weapon. I may just be unusually hard on the optics, but I don't think so, and they should be able to handle just about anything. I am not banging the sights against anything hard enough to visibly gauge the protective shroud (aside from routine scuffs), break the glass, or cause any observable damage. The sights either simply stop working, or something inside breaks and begins to rattle around. The Heat may be a factor, but that is a known, expected factor and should have been accounted for. But.... Yes, the military series (all of them) are far more durable than the original 51x series. They really do hold up better, just not for multiple rotations kicking around in Afghanistan on my particular rifle. __________________ "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." - Winston Churchill "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence

12-22-2010, 10:24 PM	#13 (permalink)
Plan9 I Confess a Shiver	Man, that's a major bummer because I was totally looking forward to buying a XPS for my next build. Screw that. I'll guess I'll just get an Aimpoint. EDIT: Kirstang, fuck your Caspian 1911 and its finicky chokes. I've never had any reliability problems with my $600 beater Colt 1911. __________________ *Whatever you can carry.* "You should not drink... and bake." Last edited by Plan9; 12-22-2010 at 10:27 PM..

12-24-2010, 06:01 AM	#15 (permalink)
Daka Tilted Location: Fort Lauderdale	Walther PPS 9mm...This is a really nice shooter. never a jam, higher cap mags available This gun hides very nicely in an outside the waist (slotted) holster even under a T shirt it's probably the thinnest of the 9's as it is a single stack Aside from .22, 9 mm is the cheapest of "bigger" guns to shoot, for me the 40 cal is too "kicky" (and ammo is expensive) my only problem with this is that it only has Glock safety... (my head problem) I sold it to a friend who "lusted" after it....(my big mistake) I bought a Springfield XD 9 Sub compact nice gun, grip safety (1911 type) shoots very nicely never a jam, very high cap mags...it's a double stack which makes it a bit thick. Sig Saur P 238 .380, another nice gun, this has become my every day carry, but, it needs to be carried round in the chamber, hammer back and slide locked...(not my favorite way to carry) It has a very nice feel, its fairly small and very light, shoots nicely. Before this I had a Keltec, and a Ruger, there is no comparison, the Sig is Far superior. Ruger MK III .22 a fun to target shoot gun. Unfortunately it needed to be sent back for some ...."work"...it jammed a bit, but after they worked it it is now a jam free gun S&W model 60 s/s 5 shot 2 1/2", .38 very nicely built gun a bit heavy, shoots EVERY time S&W s/s 6 shot 5" 357, a tank and weighs like one, but a great gun S&W model 6906 9mm s/s, I bought this 20+ years ago it's a great gun but it is too big and heavy (for me these days in FL as a carry weapon) Bushmaster Carbon 15 .223 fun to shoot, Others I've owned, a Beretta Model 20 .25...a good pocket gun, but blued guns on the boat need to be cleaned very frequently...(big PIA) looking for one in s/s in .22 cal

12-24-2010, 07:10 AM	#16 (permalink)
KirStang Future Bureaucrat	(Copied & Pasted from an Old Post) Finally got my Hk45C out to the range today. Bought it used with Heinie Straight 8 night sights. The Range I shot at limited minimum distance to 25' so all groups were shot at 25.' Initial Impressions: The slim backstrap made the gun very pointable. Where-ever I pointed was where my sights were aligned. Instinctive and intuitive much like the 1911. The grip of the HK45C however, is not as comfortable as the fullsize HK45 or P30. I'm still on the fence about the Heinie Straight 8s--they're supposedly faster than 3 dot sights but the 2 dot system takes some getting used to. Also, the front sight is somewhat hard to pick-up so I painted it orange. One thing I do not like about the HK45C is small capacity. 8rds of .45ACP with the same size as my commander 1911. The only advantage over the 1911 is the DA/SA trigger and decocker. Range results: Average Group: 5 shots at 25 feet, slow fire, offhand. (The 2nd concentric circle is about ~3.6") Best 5 shot group at 25 feet, slow fire, offhand 20 shot pattern, 25 feet. Fast aimed fire. (Bang, reset, obtain sight picture, bang) 8 shots in double taps at 25 feet. Overall decently satisfied, but I definitely need more range time to get used to the trigger. ========================== Shot my G19 yesterday. Love the trigger. Good sized pattern (better than those crappy patterns I'm showing above). I REALLY love my G19.