Titleist
20 September 2009, 16:36
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/3935642203_bdaa38022d_o.jpg
Lately I’ve gotten quite a bit of response from both of my KAC guns, one a pure blood, the other a KAC in name only. These two guns have easily become my favorites, and I felt like I wanted to do a small write up (I was inspired by JakJakMan to do so) on the finished products, well...as finished as guns can ever get I suppose. Since both guns in many ways are extremely similar, yet different in their own right, this write up will serve to cover both since the commonality between the two is so great.
Knights Armament SR-15 E3 IWS
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3485/3936424680_da52190b3d_o.jpg
Back in early summer I clearly knew exactly which gun I wanted to run in the Magpul class I’d been pulling together. There was no debate, I’d run the ever loving crap out of my LMT/Larue SBR. And without a doubt that gun is fantastic. I did however realize that I wanted to continue my training down in California in early 2009, and start planning out something to bring with me that was going to be suitably 16” and arguably offensive to the assault weapon hating hippies of my former state of residence. I had it narrowed down to an LWRC M6A3 or an SR-15 E3 IWS. The KAC won out.
I’d love to say it was love at first sight. But it wasn’t. I had a few issues with the fit on my upper receiver, and 3 days after it being in my hands it was back to Florida. It took me a few weeks to get it back, but when I did the love affair finally got kicked off right. The gun is a tack driver, but more so than that it’s durable. It’s not a gun that requires complex barrel break in procedures, or needs to be kept “white glove” clean to run, it just comes out of it’s cage to do its thing. Obviously as the photos show, I couldn’t just leave a really nice SR-15 E3 alone. I had to have my way with it.
Over the last year I’ve come to love the Magpul CTR for its simplicity, modest yet effective cheek-weld, and comfortability. So that was a given. I followed the gun up with a MIAD kit, which required a small bit of work to make function properly given the fact that the SR-15’s rear take-down pin’s spring is oriented vertically, and not horizontally. I opted to stick with the 200-600m rear sight as it’s a proven and fantastic design, simple, durable, and elegant. Most of the ranges I’d be working at would be from 25-300yds, and that made the Aimpoint T-1 (in a Larue base) the optimal fit.
For a long time I’ve realized that the stubby style grips were a perfect choice for my shooting style. As the longer grips always looked odd to me, especially given the fact that I was only using a small percentage of the physical real estate. I’ve also become smitten with the Surefire Scout series of lights for their long run time, high output, and durability. I am NOT a fan of the stock mounts they come with, so again I continued the theme of Larue here and upgraded it. I also do a lot of night shooting, and IR/NVG gear has been a vice of mine for a few years now. When I got the chance add a AN/PEQ-15 I seized the opportunity and haven’t looked back since. Coming from someone who’s got a few AN/PEQ-2As the 15 is fantastically better in every sense. Smaller, lighter, and much easier to adjust and use. It gives me a capability I only get to use every so often, but when I do its clearly a massive advantage over other shooters who are trying to hit steel in the dark.
Almost a year ago I first got to see the triple tap in person on a KAC PDW, and thought it one of the strangest yet most radical compensator designs I’d seen in a long time. I knew that a PDW was out of my grasp for logistical and rational reasons, so I never considered it as something I’d own. So when KAC announced they’d be offering the Triple Tap to civilians I seized the opportunity to own, and I quote Chris Costa on this, “a piece of the space shuttle” on my rifle, I knew I had to give one a try. I’ve posted my feelings before on the TTB, so I’ll keep a recap to a minimum. But it’s a fantastic compensator that won’t beat items like the FSC556 or Surefire brake performance wise in the framework of dollar for dollar, what it will do is give you that same performance while not being anywhere near as obnoxious to yourself or other shooters on the line.
Other modifications done to the rifle include the Magpul ASAP. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but the inclusion of the QD sling cups on the lower receivers directly block the addition of the ASAP plate. I have become quite a fan of the MS2 sling, and was not thrilled at the idea of being forced out of using a sling setup I have come to appreciate. So after some time on a grinding wheel, a call to a local parkerizer, I had that problem solved. Travis (Haley) had some great advice on the modifications and even provided a few donors as he wanted to know how much had to be modified as well.
One of the great things you learn during a carbine class is where your gear and guns have either been well thought out, or been ignored completely. After 2000 rounds I realized that the gap between KAC trigger guard and MIAD created what amounted to a Ginsu knife, as it removed quite a bit of my finger on training day 2 and 3. This was later solved by going to the Magpul enhanced trigger guard. My finger is now happy.
Other bits included a KAC PDW-like modified ambi-selector, which is relief cut on the right side of the ambi-selector to provide better ergonomics of the trigger finger. The gun also has a Magpul BAD, which I would have loved to have had while clearing a double feed in the urban prone in class, so after that the BAD was on the top of my WANT list. I have also since become a fan of the PRI gasbusters for the ergonomics they provide, so that became part of this build and also a backdoor excuse to eventually suppress the gun with a KAC ‘can’ early next year.
The end result is a gun that to me exceeds anything else I could ever want in a rifle. The KAC E3 IWS has more physical controls than I will probably ever want or need. Having now two ambi-bolt releases, two mag release, two selectors, and enough rail space to lunch an F-22 off of. However where rubber meets road is how the gun shoots. And having run it, and run it hard, in a Magpul class, at practical rifle, and other training sessions I never had any doubts if this gun is on the level. From hammer drills at 5-25yds the gun just does not move off target, it’s rock solid and fast. From 300-400yds out it’s a tack driver, and clearly capable of a level of accuracy I’m only now starting to obtain from my personal skill sets.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2607/3948479756_129d7179d3.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2607/3948479756_5a8e368cf7_o.jpg) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/3936425254_ca6b031eab.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/3936425254_0961e98380_o.jpg) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3444/3936425092_7d1d0b7108.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3444/3936425092_29d38209d8_o.jpg) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/3935642587_7ef63fb53b.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/3935642587_5830a550e5_o.jpg)
LMT/Knights Armament 11.5" URXII SBR
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2543/3935642111_c051ce15d2_o.jpg
A lot of the setup decisions on the SR-15 carried over to the SBR, as it simply becomes the smaller brother of the SR-15. I won’t lie here, and I’ll just be honest as I can and admit that since seeing Chris Costa’s 11.5 URX II setup in the M4C Shoot photos I knew it was about the slickest setup I have ever seen.
At the time I had just finished my SBR using a standard 10.5 LMT upper assembly, and I quickly discovered the problems with a 7” rail. For my body mechanics I just felt incredibly cramped up, and not in that “not so fresh feeling” kind of way. The 7” rail just created a headache for how to effectively grip the rifle, and keep positive control when using a weapon light.
So when Grant offered up his take on the 11.5 URX II upper I jumped on one. Obviously the lower is set up in a similar manner to the SR-15, albeit without the ambi-mag release or right sided bolt release. But the same general setup is there. However this time I opted to go with a KAC handstop, which gives me the same amount of control as the stubby vertical grips, while cutting out all the completely wasted physical space of other grips. For simplicity I ended up using a Magpul MBUS rear sight, as it was functional and practical for the ranges I needed. Since like the SR-15 I plan to have a KAC NT4 QDSS suppressor join the family I also added a PRI Gasbuster, mostly because it provided me with a larger area for gripping, which I find is needed with the larger MBUS sights.
One of the important things imparted to us by Chris and Travis was the physical grip of our rifles, and how so much of that flows in to how we handle the rifle, so that it doesn’t handle us. Because of that my reaction hand grip has gone from being mostly underneath the rail to now being on top of the rail. This isn’t the case on the SR-15 as the PEQ-15 will not allow me that kind of purchase over the rail. But for the SBR that’s not a concern at all, and it’s allowed me to really wrap my hand over the URXII, and when gun turreting you feel completely dominant over the rifle’s momentum, or lack thereof. Because of that grip style my normal positioning of the light went from on the left, to on the top right. And for that I used a Surefire E2D LED handheld light in an a Larue offset mount. This moves the light in to a position where I can hit it with my left hand thumb while still retaining that control over the weapon. It also still allows the URXIIs integral front flip up to still function. The only downside of the E2D LED is it’s dual function lamp, which on one press goes HIGH output, but if you follow it up within 2 seconds it goes to LOW output mode. I find this to be a bit counter-intuitive especially on drills at night. Replacing this with a KX2C is on my list of things I’m still waiting for in the mail.
Given my enthusiasm for the Triple Tap Brake I knew I wanted to try one out again but on a short barreled configuration. In many ways the TTB on the SR-15 creates an incredibly stable platform without the massive blast of a muzzle break. On the SBR you get the stability but oh good god it’s at a terrifying trade off. The fireball that comes off this thing is just amazing. The dot does NOT move when doing rapid fire strings, but it’s loud, it’s vicious, but it’s effective. I’m looking forward to the KAC suppressor to tame that flash at night.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2664/3935642053_80f5621cfc.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2664/3935642053_d832cd04f8_o.jpg) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/3935642009_1e35b06566.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/3935642009_32aeffb900_o.jpg)
Summary
Both guns are so similar that I almost doubted why I’d make an SBR in the same vein as the SR-15. However both guns are a very different experience to shoot. The SR-15 is easily the best rounded of the two, however the SBR provides a more raw experience. It’s shorter, it’s louder, it’s more maneuverable. It’s more fun. But both guns are featherweights, they’re decked out with out being weighed down. Simply put I think any other carbine I build will stack up against these two rifles.
Lately I’ve gotten quite a bit of response from both of my KAC guns, one a pure blood, the other a KAC in name only. These two guns have easily become my favorites, and I felt like I wanted to do a small write up (I was inspired by JakJakMan to do so) on the finished products, well...as finished as guns can ever get I suppose. Since both guns in many ways are extremely similar, yet different in their own right, this write up will serve to cover both since the commonality between the two is so great.
Knights Armament SR-15 E3 IWS
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3485/3936424680_da52190b3d_o.jpg
Back in early summer I clearly knew exactly which gun I wanted to run in the Magpul class I’d been pulling together. There was no debate, I’d run the ever loving crap out of my LMT/Larue SBR. And without a doubt that gun is fantastic. I did however realize that I wanted to continue my training down in California in early 2009, and start planning out something to bring with me that was going to be suitably 16” and arguably offensive to the assault weapon hating hippies of my former state of residence. I had it narrowed down to an LWRC M6A3 or an SR-15 E3 IWS. The KAC won out.
I’d love to say it was love at first sight. But it wasn’t. I had a few issues with the fit on my upper receiver, and 3 days after it being in my hands it was back to Florida. It took me a few weeks to get it back, but when I did the love affair finally got kicked off right. The gun is a tack driver, but more so than that it’s durable. It’s not a gun that requires complex barrel break in procedures, or needs to be kept “white glove” clean to run, it just comes out of it’s cage to do its thing. Obviously as the photos show, I couldn’t just leave a really nice SR-15 E3 alone. I had to have my way with it.
Over the last year I’ve come to love the Magpul CTR for its simplicity, modest yet effective cheek-weld, and comfortability. So that was a given. I followed the gun up with a MIAD kit, which required a small bit of work to make function properly given the fact that the SR-15’s rear take-down pin’s spring is oriented vertically, and not horizontally. I opted to stick with the 200-600m rear sight as it’s a proven and fantastic design, simple, durable, and elegant. Most of the ranges I’d be working at would be from 25-300yds, and that made the Aimpoint T-1 (in a Larue base) the optimal fit.
For a long time I’ve realized that the stubby style grips were a perfect choice for my shooting style. As the longer grips always looked odd to me, especially given the fact that I was only using a small percentage of the physical real estate. I’ve also become smitten with the Surefire Scout series of lights for their long run time, high output, and durability. I am NOT a fan of the stock mounts they come with, so again I continued the theme of Larue here and upgraded it. I also do a lot of night shooting, and IR/NVG gear has been a vice of mine for a few years now. When I got the chance add a AN/PEQ-15 I seized the opportunity and haven’t looked back since. Coming from someone who’s got a few AN/PEQ-2As the 15 is fantastically better in every sense. Smaller, lighter, and much easier to adjust and use. It gives me a capability I only get to use every so often, but when I do its clearly a massive advantage over other shooters who are trying to hit steel in the dark.
Almost a year ago I first got to see the triple tap in person on a KAC PDW, and thought it one of the strangest yet most radical compensator designs I’d seen in a long time. I knew that a PDW was out of my grasp for logistical and rational reasons, so I never considered it as something I’d own. So when KAC announced they’d be offering the Triple Tap to civilians I seized the opportunity to own, and I quote Chris Costa on this, “a piece of the space shuttle” on my rifle, I knew I had to give one a try. I’ve posted my feelings before on the TTB, so I’ll keep a recap to a minimum. But it’s a fantastic compensator that won’t beat items like the FSC556 or Surefire brake performance wise in the framework of dollar for dollar, what it will do is give you that same performance while not being anywhere near as obnoxious to yourself or other shooters on the line.
Other modifications done to the rifle include the Magpul ASAP. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but the inclusion of the QD sling cups on the lower receivers directly block the addition of the ASAP plate. I have become quite a fan of the MS2 sling, and was not thrilled at the idea of being forced out of using a sling setup I have come to appreciate. So after some time on a grinding wheel, a call to a local parkerizer, I had that problem solved. Travis (Haley) had some great advice on the modifications and even provided a few donors as he wanted to know how much had to be modified as well.
One of the great things you learn during a carbine class is where your gear and guns have either been well thought out, or been ignored completely. After 2000 rounds I realized that the gap between KAC trigger guard and MIAD created what amounted to a Ginsu knife, as it removed quite a bit of my finger on training day 2 and 3. This was later solved by going to the Magpul enhanced trigger guard. My finger is now happy.
Other bits included a KAC PDW-like modified ambi-selector, which is relief cut on the right side of the ambi-selector to provide better ergonomics of the trigger finger. The gun also has a Magpul BAD, which I would have loved to have had while clearing a double feed in the urban prone in class, so after that the BAD was on the top of my WANT list. I have also since become a fan of the PRI gasbusters for the ergonomics they provide, so that became part of this build and also a backdoor excuse to eventually suppress the gun with a KAC ‘can’ early next year.
The end result is a gun that to me exceeds anything else I could ever want in a rifle. The KAC E3 IWS has more physical controls than I will probably ever want or need. Having now two ambi-bolt releases, two mag release, two selectors, and enough rail space to lunch an F-22 off of. However where rubber meets road is how the gun shoots. And having run it, and run it hard, in a Magpul class, at practical rifle, and other training sessions I never had any doubts if this gun is on the level. From hammer drills at 5-25yds the gun just does not move off target, it’s rock solid and fast. From 300-400yds out it’s a tack driver, and clearly capable of a level of accuracy I’m only now starting to obtain from my personal skill sets.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2607/3948479756_129d7179d3.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2607/3948479756_5a8e368cf7_o.jpg) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/3936425254_ca6b031eab.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/3936425254_0961e98380_o.jpg) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3444/3936425092_7d1d0b7108.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3444/3936425092_29d38209d8_o.jpg) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/3935642587_7ef63fb53b.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2642/3935642587_5830a550e5_o.jpg)
LMT/Knights Armament 11.5" URXII SBR
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2543/3935642111_c051ce15d2_o.jpg
A lot of the setup decisions on the SR-15 carried over to the SBR, as it simply becomes the smaller brother of the SR-15. I won’t lie here, and I’ll just be honest as I can and admit that since seeing Chris Costa’s 11.5 URX II setup in the M4C Shoot photos I knew it was about the slickest setup I have ever seen.
At the time I had just finished my SBR using a standard 10.5 LMT upper assembly, and I quickly discovered the problems with a 7” rail. For my body mechanics I just felt incredibly cramped up, and not in that “not so fresh feeling” kind of way. The 7” rail just created a headache for how to effectively grip the rifle, and keep positive control when using a weapon light.
So when Grant offered up his take on the 11.5 URX II upper I jumped on one. Obviously the lower is set up in a similar manner to the SR-15, albeit without the ambi-mag release or right sided bolt release. But the same general setup is there. However this time I opted to go with a KAC handstop, which gives me the same amount of control as the stubby vertical grips, while cutting out all the completely wasted physical space of other grips. For simplicity I ended up using a Magpul MBUS rear sight, as it was functional and practical for the ranges I needed. Since like the SR-15 I plan to have a KAC NT4 QDSS suppressor join the family I also added a PRI Gasbuster, mostly because it provided me with a larger area for gripping, which I find is needed with the larger MBUS sights.
One of the important things imparted to us by Chris and Travis was the physical grip of our rifles, and how so much of that flows in to how we handle the rifle, so that it doesn’t handle us. Because of that my reaction hand grip has gone from being mostly underneath the rail to now being on top of the rail. This isn’t the case on the SR-15 as the PEQ-15 will not allow me that kind of purchase over the rail. But for the SBR that’s not a concern at all, and it’s allowed me to really wrap my hand over the URXII, and when gun turreting you feel completely dominant over the rifle’s momentum, or lack thereof. Because of that grip style my normal positioning of the light went from on the left, to on the top right. And for that I used a Surefire E2D LED handheld light in an a Larue offset mount. This moves the light in to a position where I can hit it with my left hand thumb while still retaining that control over the weapon. It also still allows the URXIIs integral front flip up to still function. The only downside of the E2D LED is it’s dual function lamp, which on one press goes HIGH output, but if you follow it up within 2 seconds it goes to LOW output mode. I find this to be a bit counter-intuitive especially on drills at night. Replacing this with a KX2C is on my list of things I’m still waiting for in the mail.
Given my enthusiasm for the Triple Tap Brake I knew I wanted to try one out again but on a short barreled configuration. In many ways the TTB on the SR-15 creates an incredibly stable platform without the massive blast of a muzzle break. On the SBR you get the stability but oh good god it’s at a terrifying trade off. The fireball that comes off this thing is just amazing. The dot does NOT move when doing rapid fire strings, but it’s loud, it’s vicious, but it’s effective. I’m looking forward to the KAC suppressor to tame that flash at night.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2664/3935642053_80f5621cfc.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2664/3935642053_d832cd04f8_o.jpg) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/3935642009_1e35b06566.jpg (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2548/3935642009_32aeffb900_o.jpg)
Summary
Both guns are so similar that I almost doubted why I’d make an SBR in the same vein as the SR-15. However both guns are a very different experience to shoot. The SR-15 is easily the best rounded of the two, however the SBR provides a more raw experience. It’s shorter, it’s louder, it’s more maneuverable. It’s more fun. But both guns are featherweights, they’re decked out with out being weighed down. Simply put I think any other carbine I build will stack up against these two rifles.