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alamo5000
5 May 2015, 21:05
It’s time to post up a few thoughts on the side charging upper I received as part of the T&E program. Since there are so many different parts involved I will go part by part and hopefully cover everything.

This review is definitely ongoing so these are not final conclusions but rather initial impressions.

What I received is an ambidextrous XSR-15 side charging upper from Crosshill Technology. The barrel is a heavy varmint mystery barrel of an unknown origin. It has no markings on it, not even a twist rate or the type of chamber. The hand guard is a Rainier Arms Sampson Evolution. A Syrac adjustable gas block came installed as did what appears to be a Smith Enterprises Vortex flash hider.

The first thing I had to do when I received the upper was to remove my Seekins bolt catch/release and replace it with the proprietary one that came with the upper. It is important to note that this upper will not function normally with a standard bolt catch--which by default creates a compatibility issue if you plan to swap out standard uppers. Initially this was a major turn off.

Fortunately my lower does not use roll pins so replacing the bolt catch wasn’t that big of a deal. It is by far not an impossible task but it leads me to believe that if you want this particular ambi side charger you will want a dedicated lower for it. It’s just my opinion but a bolt catch/release is not a part that is meant to be repeatedly taken off or put on.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8685/17173629028_b9e33876c9_b.jpg


The machine work on the upper itself is quite good. I have a CMT Tactical billet set and the Crosshill fit and finish by comparison is really good. The machine work is great. Zero complaints about any of that except that it is heavy. One other interesting part about the construction is where the charging handle normally is there is a loosely threaded bolt that is flat on one side. If you want to remove the bolt carrier group, take the upper loose as normal, unscrew that bolt and the BCG will come right out (of course you have to also unscrew the charging handles to do this). The bolt is in there only finger tight at best so you can easily take it apart in the field.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7790/17383750022_6305b114bb_b.jpg

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8691/17178276817_7c05e1b774_b.jpg

The way this upper functions changes some of the most basic functionality of a standard AR15. One of the unique things about the upper receiver is that it not only renders the charging handle obsolete it also renders your standard bolt catch button (mostly) obsolete, and for those who care, it also replaces the forward assist function. All of these factors make it pretty of interesting.

How this upper receiver functions is simple: to charge the rifle just insert full mag, pull it back and let it rip. When your bolt is locked back you no longer have a button (to speak of) on the side of the rifle to release the bolt. A gentle tug on either of the charging handles and away she goes. It can be done in a split second and even with no hands if you want to. (Just bump the charging handle against something with a slight forward motion and it will release) One caveat to this is that if you want to close the bolt with an empty mag in place it quickly becomes a two handed ordeal. You must drop the empty mag, insert a loaded mag, or use two hands…one to pull the charger while pressing the rather small bolt release button. It can be a pain to close the bolt with an empty mag but it’s not a total deal breaker considering how easy the rest of it is to operate. The empty mag/closing the bolt thing seems to be the main quirk I’ve found.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8801/17153962827_0e6527073c_b.jpg

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8780/16738913664_1633c7c6df_b.jpg

When I first shot the rifle having both sides of the upper open I was expecting a blast of gas in the face. To my surprise there was nothing--however I attribute that to the adjustable gas block. I still want to close off the gas block all the way and see what happens. My suspicion is that I might get a gas blowback but that it wouldn’t be anything unbearable. I for sure would think twice before I started shooting it with a suppressor though. Even the manufacturer does not recommend it.

I have no experience with adjustable gas blocks but it appears this one had already been adjusted. The net result was that the gun seemed to be stroking kind of weird to some degree. It was blowing back far enough to eject brass and pick up another round, but not far enough back to lock the bolt back when the mag was empty. The brass was also being ejected in a different position than normal.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8687/17175206479_74920e5dff_b.jpg

My initial impression is that if I were to own an upper like this I would most definitely have a dedicated lower for it. Using the proprietary bolt catch isn’t such a big deal if you use the rifle as it was intended (and have a lower is dedicated for it). It does take some getting used to as well as learning its quirks. I think this upper would actually be ideal for shooters who may have some sort of impairment such as arthritis, carpel tunnel, or other things that may impair the normal use of an AR15. I am not a cop or a military person so I can’t speak from experience but based on my non professional opinion I would put this upper in the recreational category.

Initially I thought that the ambi charger would be uncomfortable to carry. This concern is largely over blown. However depending on how you carry your rifle and how your sling is set up the charging handle can snag or poke you. If you carry bolt open it could be a problem. It all depends on how you carry and what you are wearing. If you had a plate carrier with forward mags for example I think it could get hung up whether its open or closed.

A couple of quick other notes about the other parts. The hand guard---I love it. I absolutely love the feel of it. It’s very solid.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7754/17359495852_0b4cd00aed_b.jpg

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8698/17173614688_2b88035df1_b.jpg

The barrel is very interesting. I have yet to do any serious accuracy testing with it but my hunch is it has potential for very good accuracy and will handle heavy loads. On the other hand the thing is extremely heavy. I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t be lugging that thing around too much. I guess that type of barrel is mainly used for hunting or gopher shooting or possibly some serious target shooting. Honestly I am still learning the real intent behind having such a beefy barrel. I am not sure what the substantial extra weight is supposed to accomplish. I don't know if I am really going to take a month and try to develop an accuracy load and do extensive accuracy testing in my spare time, but suffice it to say I think as for accuracy the barrel has a lot of potential.

The last part is about the flash hider. Supposedly these are great for what they are designed for but honestly I don’t do much shooting at night and I don’t really care about flash. That aside choosing a dedicated flash hider vs a muzzle brake—I really wonder why that is with this particular set up. I understand the flash hider is suppressor compatible but if you aren't shooting suppressed I might opt for something else.

As for the muzzle device itself---it pings like a tuning fork. You can thump or bump it and it will ping. You can charge the rifle and it will ping. The pinging ringing sound basically gets annoying, but aside from that I don’t really have much of an opinion about it yet.


https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7715/17361410945_9eefd7359a_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7687/17173836650_04697cb2e9_b.jpg

Now here are some other various shots for you to look at and or ask questions. I encourage you guys to ask questions so that it will give me more to think about. I haven't had much time to really shoot it a whole lot to be honest but I do plan more shooting with it as opportunity presents itself.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8730/17173847310_02d26cf3c7_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7669/16741155763_3677b3d8b2_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7713/16741146143_9db708ff16_b.jpg

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7762/17361417135_6c374d6108_b.jpg

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8684/17361418635_98cc76a6f9_b.jpg

GOST
6 May 2015, 10:03
Nice review brother.

velocity2006
6 May 2015, 10:07
Nice write up, would be interested to see some groups.

GaSwamper
6 May 2015, 19:13
Great report of your findings. I have always heard many say they preferred this particular model receiver because they did want it for suppressor use. The common thought being that the charging handle area being basically closed off would be better for those pesky gasses in the face. I didn't know they actually do not recommend suppressor use per the Manu.

alamo5000
6 May 2015, 20:26
Great report of your findings. I have always heard many say they preferred this particular model receiver because they did want it for suppressor use. The common thought being that the charging handle area being basically closed off would be better for those pesky gasses in the face. I didn't know they actually do not recommend suppressor use per the Manu.

Thanks!

Here is a quote and a link to the FAQ on Crosshill's website. It's the second from the last FAQ near the bottom of the page.

"I want to use a suppressor with my XSR-15 build, do you recommend one over the other?

Yes, when using a suppressor, CrossHill Technologies recommends the Right Hand version. This is due to the gases that can escape from the left slot of the receiver."

http://shop.crosshilltech.com/pages/faq

(this particular model comes in ambi and right hand only)

I would also say though that I think you could shoot this suppressed but an adjustable block would be pretty mandatory if you do. It would require some special tweaking but I think it could be done.


Nice write up, would be interested to see some groups.


We just now got half way dug out from under that tornado... so hopefully I can get more shooting time with it pretty soon. I definitely want to adjust the gas block down and see what kind of results that produces. I will try to run some decent ammo and see what kind of a group I can get.

That barrel is really a beast. It's thick and heavy!!! I would say the upper alone weighs almost twice as much as my regular upper. If I can find a scale I will tell you exactly. That barrel is stiff and heavy. I think it could shoot some nice groups myself, but I haven't run it through it's paces yet.


Nice review brother.

Thank you GOST!

alamo5000
6 May 2015, 20:38
And please pardon the pics. They were meant to be informational not Uwone/Stickman/Dsully/etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc gun porn [:D]

UWone77
7 May 2015, 09:50
I forgot to mention, you might want to apply a little blue loctite to the side of the charger you're going to use. We didn't do it ourselves, as we figured most people are only going to use the charger on one side the gun, and screw the other one off. You could argue that it would/could be used in an off hand shooting situation, but with the upper being so heavy, probably not that type of gun.

alamo5000
7 May 2015, 10:54
I forgot to mention, you might want to apply a little blue loctite to the side of the charger you're going to use. We didn't do it ourselves, as we figured most people are only going to use the charger on one side the gun, and screw the other one off. You could argue that it would/could be used in an off hand shooting situation, but with the upper being so heavy, probably not that type of gun.

Definitely. The set up as is seems more like a bipod set up. I'm thinking about borrowing a slide fire and giving it a go off of a bipod....LOL

Were you shooting this suppressed or did you just do the adjustable gas block just because?

I'm holding off on the loctite until I get a better feel for it. I like having my right hand on the grip and charging with my left. That part is pretty nice. That said its a series of trade offs.

BoltFace927
8 May 2015, 14:21
I have no experience with adjustable gas blocks but it appears this one had already been adjusted. The net result was that the gun seemed to be stroking kind of weird to some degree. It was blowing back far enough to eject brass and pick up another round, but not far enough back to lock the bolt back when the mag was empty. The brass was also being ejected in a different position than normal.


Try turning the set screw counter clock wise a click or two. That will open up the gas port a bit and help lock it back. Let's see some groups. :)

alamo5000
8 May 2015, 19:07
Try turning the set screw counter clock wise a click or two. That will open up the gas port a bit and help lock it back. Let's see some groups. :)

I am not that familiar with how adjustable gas blocks actually (mechanically) function. Well, to be honest I have never used one at all so I am a complete noob. There is no time like the present to learn. I've gathered that this one has a bunch of 'clicks', or settings, that turn the forward screw either in or out. Righty tighty, lefty loosey.

What I want to do is start out with it all the way closed (or open) so that it functions like a standard gas block. I guess my stupid question of the day is, if the front screw is out (like you are loosening the screw) does that bleed off more gas or force more gas down the gas tube?

I basically want to test out how the upper feels and if there is noticeable side gas blast if I was using a standard gas block. It will also tell me how essential an adjustable block would really be for the ambi charger as well as save me some time and ammo figuring it out on my own.

UWone77
9 May 2015, 14:03
The screw simply opens the gas port up more or closes it off more. Generally, people like to use adjustables on gas ports that are too big to start off with.

alamo5000
9 May 2015, 21:01
Which direction opens it and which direction closes it?

mustangfreek
10 May 2015, 02:16
Nice write up and kudos for all the pics...

Eric
10 May 2015, 09:23
Which direction opens it and which direction closes it?
From the manufacturer:
Turn the gas screw to the desired setting. Unscrewing the screw opens the gas hole in the block to allow more gas flow (more pressure) and screwing the screw in closes the gas hole reducing the gas flow (less pressure). You should feel a click every ¼ turn of the gas screw. You may leave the screw at any click position you desire.

So, turning to the right screws it in and reduces the gas flow, while turning to the left screws it out and increases the gas flow. Hopefully the clicks on that one are a bit more pronounced than the one I tried.

alamo5000
10 May 2015, 10:16
From the manufacturer:
Turn the gas screw to the desired setting. Unscrewing the screw opens the gas hole in the block to allow more gas flow (more pressure) and screwing the screw in closes the gas hole reducing the gas flow (less pressure). You should feel a click every ¼ turn of the gas screw. You may leave the screw at any click position you desire.

So, turning to the right screws it in and reduces the gas flow, while turning to the left screws it out and increases the gas flow. Hopefully the clicks on that one are a bit more pronounced than the one I tried.

Thanks for the find/info bro!

When I get a chance to shoot I am going to give it a go on some different settings. More than anything I want to know if people buy this product and it turns out that they 'need' or would most likely 'prefer' an adjustable block (and not just for suppressed shooting) that would be need to know information. With that whole side port open it's still an unknown.


Nice write up and kudos for all the pics...

Thank you!

alamo5000
23 May 2015, 11:56
Here is an update for the review.

I did a short shooting session today. The first thing I did was open the adjustable gas block all the way up so that it would act as a regular gas block. For me the upper worked substantially better this way. Not only would the bolt lock back with an empty mag, I am pleased to report there was almost no side blow back on the left side of the upper. I even held my hand up palm open next to it while shooting and at best it felt like I was maybe trying to blow a smoke ring onto my palm. It was just a gentle wisp of gas escaping out of that side. Zero complaints about that.

As I said the gun seemed to function a lot better with just standard gas, at least in my opinion. If you were to run a suppressor on it then that might be a different story, but just for standard regular shooting the upper definitely passes the test.

I found that charging the gun was literally a snap. It was beyond easy. It took some time to get used to it, but after running some rounds, putting a new mag, tapping that handle, and off she goes. I was intentionally doing 3 or 4 rounds per mag so that I could test the whole mag switch thing. It has in fact in some ways grown on me to some degree.

That said the charging handle is easy to operate but depending on what you do you can in theory still snag the charging handle on other gear or clothes or whatever and 'un-charge' the rifle without actually ejecting a shell. In such cases (pretty unlikely but still possible) you would just have to bump it forward and be done with it.

I have found that when the cases eject they were hitting the right side charging handle. After I had shot some I looked down and noticed some small deflection marks on the charging handle. Not really a big deal.

All in all for the upper I say it's a matter of preference. For me, I am not sure if I would want a side charger, but if I did I would probably get the right handed version. That said the ambi one is just fine. There was no gas problems. No reciprocation problems of the handles hitting me or anything else. It is in fact much easier to use than standard charging. Still though in my non expert opinion this is a recreational shooting type of thing which in all honesty is where most shooters 'really' are, but for me if I was building a rifle for my sister or girlfriend or grandpa, mom, or little brother or whatever--- I would not even think twice about getting a side charger. It really and truly just makes the whole shooting experience a whole lot easier. Whether you do that left, right, ambi or whatever it's really a matter of preference. That said please note that I have not revoked what I said earlier about a dedicated lower, particularly for this ambi model. If there are other models of side chargers that don't require that proprietary bolt catch I would probably opt for that only for the sole reason so that I could swap uppers when and if i wanted to.

It grows on you for sure. Initially I didn't really think I would like it... but especially after today of doing about 20 mag changes and so forth... it has kind of grown on me for the simple fact of ease of use. Did I mention it was easy to use? ;)

Now for the barrel... that thing is heavy as hell. SUPER heavy. For that reason alone I personally would not like it because it doesn't fit with the intention of what kind of rifle I am used to. But if you have some reason to need massively heavy barrel then go for it. If you run out of ammo you can club something with it. Everyone who picks up that rifle (with that upper on there) goes 'ughh' when they pick it up.

I did notice a couple of things though. Without even shooting it if I chambered a round then unchambered it I could see small scratch/score marks on the copper of my bullet. On every piece of brass that was fired I could see distinctive score marks where the brass was scratched up on the throat and on the shoulder of each round. It also seemed to me that upon visual inspection that the brass was more deformed than with my other upper. It seems that the chamber on this barrel hasn't been polished up like it should be. I don't know how much it's been shot or absolutely anything about it, but the chamber seems slightly over sized vs what I am used to. As a test I tried to run some fired brass through my resizing die and it took considerable effort to do it. It seems like aside from the chamber not being polished up that it is slightly large compared to what I am used to. I am not sure if it would be considered in spec or out of spec but the fired brass can be picked out of a pile of mixed brass and you would know which upper it came from. One thing I am certain of though is that chamber either needs to be polished up more or it needs about 1000 rounds through it to break it in more.

I tried to shoot this barrel from 100 yards and I was having a heck of a time. I couldn't hit the side of a barn with it. My target was 5 foot by 3 foot and I wasn't even hitting THAT at 100yards. After about 10 rounds I came up close to about 35 yards and I figured out at that range I was hitting low about 6". Once I figured that out I compensated some, adjusted the sights and was able to get a same hole 3 shot group at about 35 yards or so. It was literally a stacked clover that looked more like a single hole than a clover. I still have yet to figure out why when I get back farther why it was having such a hard time.

I don't even know the twist of the barrel so its possible that it wasn't stabilizing a 69grain bullet. (All shooting was done with 69 grain Winchester Match factory ammo) It started raining and lightening on me so I had to call it off for a bit but that is pretty much today's range report. I still hold out high hopes for the barrel. I think if I can eyeball a one hole group at 35 yards then I should be able to get better accuracy at distance, but like I said my optic was WAY off zero. But even then at a 3 foot tall by 5 foot wide target I wasn't even scoring hits. *scratches head*

It appears like if I really want to give the barrel a run for it's money that I am going to have to take a lot more time to zero the rifle and play with it.

UWone77
23 May 2015, 12:06
I believe it's a Rock Creek Blank utilizing a 1:8 twist. I'll confirm.

Good update, if the barrel needs more time, I'm glad you're the one shooting it, as I know you'l be meticulous about it. How were the groups (even if they were all hitting low?)

By the way, I forgot to post this video... you know in case you didn't figure out how to operate the adjustable gas block. Purely educational [:)]




http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aDCZttBkUi8

SINNER
23 May 2015, 12:13
Just when you think you know everything about gas blocks along comes a video you need to watch multiple times to get it all in.

alamo5000
23 May 2015, 12:25
I believe it's a Rock Creek Blank utilizing a 1:8 twist. I'll confirm.

Good update, if the barrel needs more time, I'm glad you're the one shooting it, as I know you'l be meticulous about it. How were the groups (even if they were all hitting low?)

By the way, I forgot to post this video... you know in case you didn't figure out how to operate the adjustable gas block. Purely educational [:)]


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aDCZttBkUi8

Boobies! I see boobies! LOL

I figured out the gas block from your earlier posts. I am sure I could tune it up some for optimal ejection patterns but my test today was to see if I would get gas in the face with the open side of the upper... which absolutely never happened. I would feel 100% confident telling anyone that they can run whatever gas block they need to with this upper. An adjustable one is nice to have but it's not mandatory for this even with both sides of the upper open.

Throw on a suppressor and who knows.

The barrel though did kind of leave me scratching my head. Like I said I had to move all the way in to 35 yards just to get a visible hit. Once I could identify that--- then the group was small. Substantially small. It was slightly larger than a single bullet hole--- so the group was about as perfect as one could ask for--at that range. When I aimed and fired I could see the impact and it was directly in line with my aim point about 6" low when I was at 35 yards. It was in perfect alignment.... So I repeated using the same aim point and got about a near perfect 'group'.

I should probably go out again in between rain storms and try to do another 100 yard shot or five... but it seems sort of baffling to me.

I will try to figure it out over the next week since I have some time off. I don't want to complain about the machine work just yet but the chamber polish would definitely come up if you were asking me.

alamo5000
23 May 2015, 12:27
Just when you think you know everything about gas blocks along comes a video you need to watch multiple times to get it all in.

HAHAA!!! LOL

All gun videos should be like this one.

alamo5000
23 May 2015, 12:38
With my RA barrel I had it relatively on zero within 10 rounds. Which is pretty par for the course for me. I started at 100 yards with that one and was able to get a hit then I was at least in the ball park and could adjust. With this one I wasn't even hitting my target at all.

Just so we are on the same page here... I went to home depot and bought some of the big foam insulation boards that are 4 or 5 feet wide and 8 feet long. I cut them into 3 pieces and stuck a target on there. Even if I didn't hit the zero mark I could identify where I did hit and make adjustments.... but at 100 yards I wasn't even hitting that big ass board at all.

After 10 shots I finally said to hell with it and moved in and got a very nice group.

I didn't get the chance before the lightening hit to get back to 100 yards and try again. If I am 6" low at 35 yards that should put me about 18" low at 100 yards... but like I said there wasn't even a mark one on the board after 10 tries.

I will try again soon to raise my aim point on my scope... but we will see. Initially like I said I don't want to complain about the machine work... but again for a meticulous person like myself I can see some possible shortcuts that might have been taken. I've never made a barrel or seen a barrel being made so I am reserving judgement....for now.

My suspicion is that the bullet isn't being stabilized somehow. I am not sure, but I will find out.

alamo5000
23 May 2015, 14:07
It stopped raining so I went out and gave it another shot. I cleaned the chamber as good as I could but you can still see the results below. All are shot with store bought 69 grain Winchester Match ammo.

You can see on the neck of the brass some gouging. It seems like this is going away the more I shoot but this is just one shell for an example. Every single shell is gouged like that. Some of the earlier ones were gouged even more than this, up to and even onto the shoulder. Some were worse but as I said, the more rounds I shoot they seem to be going away. But up until now each shell has several distinct gouges on the neck.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5338/17828437120_d3cd667b3f_c.jpg


Today I had some confirmed key holing. These two were shot at 100 yards.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7656/18016095805_fbdf60e334_c.jpg

Towards the very end of the session I had spent up most of my allotted ammo for this test so I figured I would go for another group. I got the scope on zero (or as best as I could) but the best I could do was put 8 rounds into about a 2" or 3" group. This was shot off of a led sled the same way I normally shoot.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7712/17393500214_8c000b3188_c.jpg

alamo5000
23 May 2015, 15:42
Here is a follow on to the previous post with some additional thoughts. Please note that I am not a professional and these are only my opinions.

First, whoever machined that barrel needs to be whooped with a wet noodle. To me there isn't any kind of excuse for them being sloppy and not taking off all the burrs and rough edges from the inside of the chamber, which to me there were several very obvious ones. If it's leaving gouges in your bullet and down the side of the brass that's a sure sign someone somewhere forgot to do something that they were supposed to do.

The chamber of the rifle seems to work fine. There was no feeding issues or any of that but I would think a qualified gunsmith with the right tools and gauges and stuff might should take a look at that. I am personally not qualified to say if it's in spec or not. It's something that I personally have a question about and part of that stems from the problem mentioned above.

I think if I ran another hundred or two rounds through the rifle and ran them really hard it would fix a lot of those 'oversight' issues mentioned above.

I also think that despite what that group looks like (to me it isn't very good) that this particular barrel might not like the 69's. It might be a 45 or a 52 grainer. The barrel profile and the weight and all that all play into the harmonics. With a different grain bullet or maybe a different powder charge this thing might tighten up like a banjo string. I shot a group that looked like the one above with my other barrel... then I added .2 grains to my charge and I hit the magic button and then they didn't look like that anymore.

I think there are two distinct issues. The first is that I very well might not be using the right ammo even though what I used was 'Match Grade'. Some guns are particular about it especially when you are talking about extreme accuracy. It took me a month or two testing 50,55, 60, 62, 64, and on and on grain bullets until I settled on 69. I haven't gone through any of that with this one. The point is, if you are going to buy a weapon, GET TO KNOW THAT WEAPON. Get familiar enough with it so that you know these things, which is of course a process and depends highly upon your needs and expectations. Of course my personal bar is set pretty high when it comes to barrels.

The main part regarding the barrel though is why shells (spent or not) came out looking mangled. No matter what, that is not good. It's not so bad now, but the first few times....it left something to be desired.

alamo5000
4 June 2015, 18:13
Here are some final thoughts on the two major components as I am pretty much wrapped up on the T&E on this one.

The upper reciever

I find it extremely easy to use. It does take some time to grow on you but it works just fine. I wouldn't even hesitate to build a side charger for anyone who you want to make shooting a more enjoyable experience. Pretty much restating what I said before, a girlfriend, a mom, a grandpa, a little brother... just about anyone who may have a challenge or may not really be 'in to' shooting... I think it would be an excellent place to start. For more advanced shooting the downside is the charging handles can possibly snag on gear, or if you are shooting in odd positions or up next to a tree for a rest there is a very minor potential for interference with the action. For law enforcement or military... I am not either one, but if I was stacked up outside of a door ready to go in the ambi or side charger would not be my first choice. All in all for what I think it was intended for (recreational shooting) it very much excels. If you're like me and end up taking first time shooters (or not so frequent shooters) out I would say for sure it's worth having one of these around.

The only major downside is the proprietary bolt catch which forces the use of a dedicated lower and prevents upper swaps without possible substantial effort (particularly if your lower uses roll pins). I am not sure if other models (say the right side charger) do not use that proprietary bolt catch. But if you use a dedicated lower I see no issue with the upper receiver.

The barrel

The jury is still out. Personally I do not like it merely because it's extremely heavy. I still don't understand the need for a super heavy barrel like that. If someone knows or has ideas please clue me in. As for some of the initial issues... some of those issues have lessened to a great degree as I put rounds down range but I still am not really digging it. Out of the box though if I bought that barrel I would probably be sending it back. I think for the intent of the upper receiver a standard barrel weight would be a much better fit.

Any questions or comments please don't be shy.

alamo5000
4 June 2015, 18:25
You can see on the neck of the brass some gouging. It seems like this is going away the more I shoot but this is just one shell for an example. Every single shell is gouged like that. Some of the earlier ones were gouged even more than this, up to and even onto the shoulder. Some were worse but as I said, the more rounds I shoot they seem to be going away. But up until now each shell has several distinct gouges on the neck.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5338/17828437120_d3cd667b3f_c.jpg



The gouges you see on the neck there, there were several that over time have somewhat disappeared. When I first got the barrel I chambered a round and there were a lot of gouges even for some reason on the copper of the bullet. If you ejected an unspent shell it had gouging like that. It's almost like there may have been metal shards in the chamber that were not polished out.

I never ran the rifle real hard or put a substantial amount of ammo through it but the gouging issue is clearly going away, but as I said, out of the box it's not for me for a number of reasons.