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  1. #1
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    Weapon Devolution: Brownell's BRN-10

    Anyone had a chance to play with one of these?

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  2. #2
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    No, but it is mildly interesting, with its ring charger and whatnot. I am also very interested in the BR 180 upper. Good on Brownells for at least doing something in this industry where the most startling innovation in a decade has been bold new graphics.
    There's no "Team" in F**K YOU!

  3. #3
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    I guess that's what's interesting about the whole retro market. There is at least one product that appeals to the majority.

    I like the idea of the AR10 and wanted one of the Armalite retro guns from the late 90s. I just never got around to buying one and next thing I knew they were no more. This new Brownell's version is more authentic than the Armalite version and doesn't use M14 mags but it would have been nice to have an Armalite symbol on the lower.

    The 180 really pegs zero on my curiosity meter. That is unless someone comes out with an AR15 lower that's shaped like an AR18 lower. Plus I think it needs a dedicated folding stock to pull it off. Adding an AR buffer tube with a knuckle and a Magpul MOE stock or whatever just doesn't work for me. Sorry.

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  4. #4
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    I don’t get it, but then again people are still buying Mosin Nagants.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by tact View Post
    I don’t get it, but then again people are still buying Mosin Nagants.
    Definitely a niche product right along the lines of a stock USGI 1911A1 or the M1 Carbine. Or a stock M14/M1A for that matter.

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  6. #6
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    Alright so I put a few rounds on paper to get the windage dialed in then spent the rest of my time whacking my B/C zone steel target and a couple distant rocks on the hillside.

    The rifle runs fine with XM80 ball and is fun to shoot. It really reminds me of the Colt SP-1 in general feel. I can't help but wonder where we'd be now if Colt had chosen to make an "SP-2" some 40 or 50 years ago.

    At some point I'll put the rifle on paper at 100 with a few different types of ammo just to see what it'll do. But I imagine most people who buy one of these will run it on less expensive ball. Accuracy potential with 168 Gold Medal, etc is mostly just academic.

    I also just received a new repro waffle mag. This changes the whole look of the rifle. It appears to be a quality item. It is expensive but unique to the market. I like the look of the waffle and it should look right at home in pretty much any 308 AR.



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  7. #7
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    Out of curiosity, are the non-waffled mags just regular DPMS/SR-25 Brownell's mags? I didn't really have any interest in this rifle when it came out, so I never really thought about it, but now it makes me wonder if Brownell's did some redesigning and made this rifle less an Armalite design and more of a hybrid/SR-25-type design to make it compatible with more affordable parts, like mags.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by gatordev View Post
    Out of curiosity, are the non-waffled mags just regular DPMS/SR-25 Brownell's mags? I didn't really have any interest in this rifle when it came out, so I never really thought about it, but now it makes me wonder if Brownell's did some redesigning and made this rifle less an Armalite design and more of a hybrid/SR-25-type design to make it compatible with more affordable parts, like mags.
    The rifle is basically a DPMS with a carrying handle and A-frame front sight post. The mag well has been flattened/straightened out so stuff like PMAGs and Lancers won't fit.

    So far the rifle has worked with Brownell's aluminum, Brownell's waffle, Larue and KAC mags. I don't have any ASC, C Products or DPMS steel mags to try.

    I do have one waffle pattern mag from D&H but haven't tried it in live fire. This particular mag fits very very tightly in the mag well and has to be rather forcefully inserted and removed. This doesn't appear to be a fault with the Brownell's mag well because the same D&H mag is super tight in a couple other rifles I have.

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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by usbp379 View Post
    The rifle is basically a DPMS with a carrying handle and A-frame front sight post. The mag well has been flattened/straightened out so stuff like PMAGs and Lancers won't fit.

    So far the rifle has worked with Brownell's aluminum, Brownell's waffle, Larue and KAC mags. I don't have any ASC, C Products or DPMS steel mags to try.
    Interesting. Is it a typo that you said it won't work with a PMAG but will work with a KAC mag? They're supposed to be interchangeable.

    Regardless, seems like a smart move to make a DPMS style rifle that looks like an Armalite rifle. Seems to be where the industry went a while ago.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by gatordev View Post
    Interesting. Is it a typo that you said it won't work with a PMAG but will work with a KAC mag? They're supposed to be interchangeable.

    Regardless, seems like a smart move to make a DPMS style rifle that looks like an Armalite rifle. Seems to be where the industry went a while ago.
    The PMAGs won't fit due to the straight vertical shape of the mag well. The rifle is much like the HK416 in this regard. The internal size is fine but the straight vertical profile interferes with the rib on the PMAG. Same with the Lancer. No go in this rifle.

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  11. #11
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    https://www.full30.com/watch/MDE5MDMy/brownells-brn-10

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  12. #12
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    Brownell's is now shipping the BRN-10 grip. I assume rifles of current production will come this way.

    Between the new grip and the waffle mags there's not much left to complain about. Maybe the forend could use a set of heat shields. The BRN Proto apparently uses the same forend but with the addition of metal liners. No word from Brownell's yet on when or if the Proto forend will be available for purchase.

    I have to wonder what Brownell's has planned for these rifles. Will they introduce a version that closely mimics the Portuguese? If they do I wonder how far they will go. Will it just be a new forend or will they clone the front sight base? And what about the forward assist charging handle?



    For comparison, here's a photo of a Sudanese pattern rifle.

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    Last edited by usbp379; 27 April 2019 at 05:54.

  13. #13
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    https://www.shootingillustrated.com/...wnells-brn-10/

    A recent article on the Brownell's version.

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