All posts tagged LWRC REPR

LWRC REPR Impressions

I am a FAL owner and I have gotten more out of my DSA STG58 than most people have gotten out of an M1A.   I have never felt like I needed to go out and get the M1A because I am in the minority that can get MOA out of my FAL and I really don’t feel as though I need to get it better than that.  From my experience with Semi-auto rifles, the more you push towards accuracy, the less reliable the gun is after all of the fine tuning.   The best way to get a 308 into gear is to turn it into a DMR.

LWRC is once again the leader in better designs and moving away from the direct impingement design is one thing, but getting an MOA gun with reliable magpul pmags and making it lighter than an M14 or FNFAL is a fantastic thing.   I was fortunate to be able to get to test a few of the new LWRC REPR rifles out and I did not feel like I was firing a 308 rifle.   The REPR feels like an AR15 and the lighter weight really means something for a gun in this caliber.  $3500 + optics is steap though, but hell, everyone has a second mortgage these days.

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Magpul angled fore grip response

We attended the new Zombie Shoot at the New Holland Rifle and Pistol Club and we had fun watching all of the guys  show  up with the new accessories and gear.   I recognized a few faces from years ago when it first began at a few other gun clubs but gun accessories have changed since then.   One of my new favorite accessories is the Magpul Angled Fore grip.   This was a really good idea and considering the number of people that were using them, they have caught on.   I was never a fan of the protruding fore grips that got in the way when you were firing out a window or laying on the ground.

I have tried some of the folding fore grips but they didn’t hold up too well.  I had a friend take mine off to test out a bi-pod and we ended up finding out that the grip I was using was dangerously close to breaking.   Magpul pmags are still the king when it comes to AR15 gun magazines and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.  There are still debates about the orignal mag puls vs the floor plate for quick mag changes, but I personally don’t have that problem depending on which tactical vest I have been using.  The 30rd window pmags in black are the number 1 sellers from us even though I do see a good many 20rd magazines showing up at these events.

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Making a rifle into a DMR

The term Designated Marksmen Rifle has been around for a long time, but in the last 8yrs it has really made a comeback.   When the United States invaded Iraq, there was more street fighting and urban engagements that in the first Persian Gulf War.   I remember making some comments to a few friends about what we will see evolved with the military now that we actually have boots on the ground.   We expected to see the M16 replaced by now, but according to many sources, the piston driven versions of the M16 are in service in Special Forces and some branches.  Even rumors that the H&K 416 was used to kill Osama Bin Laden.

You can make any rifle into a Designated Marksmen Rifle.    In my opinion it usually means putting a higher magnification optics like a Trijicon ACOG or  Leupold Rifle Scopes on them.   If you have a good enough operator behind a weapon the standard M16A2 can be a very leathal weapon out to 600yds, especially with the right type of ammo.   There are some really good rounds for longer engagements, but the .308 is probable a better choice.  There are many times where a bad guy sticks his head out and it’s too hard to get them with an M4 Carbine.   The LWRC REPR is probable the nicest .308 gun designed for this role that is actually a few pounds lighter than it’s predecessors.

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Reasons to spend dough on gun cases and gun bags

Well, there’s many reasons, and it’s not all  about keeping your shit together.  There are plenty of nice assault rifle style bags, but you gotta watch what  you order online because you might find out that little M4 Carbine you have in your gun safe won’t fit in a gun case that is designed for that barrel length.  Your tactical flashlight, laser, optics and the list goes on can cause it to not fit in there.  I’ve had to carry some of my Carbines in a Elite Survival bag that was really designed for a sniper rifle because my smaller AK type gun cases wouldn’t fit them.   I took my flashlight on my LWRC M6A2 last week and tossed it in a case not realizing that the flashlight was floating around and could have damaged something.

Protecting your stuff can vary, if you want to drop it out of a helicopter, get and SKB gun case, but there are some fine gun cases like the Blackhawk gun cases that are really drag bags.   These gun cases can carry pistol, pistol ammo, lots of AR15 gun magazines and more.   It might be a good idea to research gun bags or better  yet, stop in a gun shop that carries them so you know exactly what you are looking for.   Having a gun bag that fits your needs may take some research because some gun bags an be pricey and ordering them online from just a  picture can be a headache.

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Range Report on M4 Carbine

I’ve had an LWRC Carbine for several years now and it has served me well.   I’m not going to brag about  how great this thing runs compared to other firearms, all I’m going to say is that this was the gun I really learned about gunsmithing with.   I recently stripped the gun down to do a repair after the stock came loose and i lost the rear take down pin detent and spring.   I was shooting and noticed that my M4 Carbine rifle stock was starting to unwind and I was a little surprised.  I thought I broke the stock for a moment and then I realized that it was just lose.  I didn’t have a stock tool with me so i just hand tightened it, but then I noticed the rear take down pin was falling out.

Well, I wasn’t in a gunfight, but I did learn that more than just an optic or a magazine can fail you, you’re gun may just fall apart if you don’t pay attention to it.   While I took the gun apart to analyze it a little more I notice that the fore grip that I was using was cracked, it had not broken off on me, but man, did it look like it was close to snapping, there are a great many things to lock down and tighten, spending $1800 on LWRC uppers, doesn’t mean the gun isn’t allowed to have an operator induced failure of some sort or sheer neglect.   Everything that can come loose needs to be checked.

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Got to fire a REPR today!

Today I attended an event at a local gun club where several industry big dogs came out and brought their firearms.    I shot a Ruger LCP for the first time and the Ruger 556.    I have to say that I am blown away by the number of high quality AR15 rifles there are out there and it’s amazing to see all of the piston driven guns being accepted by the public.   The AR15 debate seems to never be put to rest but there are more reason to have a piston in the gun than not.

The real event of the day was firing an LWRC REPR.   I was never impressed with the AR10 because it seemed to have all of the same liabilities that the AR15 had plus it was really hard to find decent magazines for.   There are now PMAGs for the .308, but this gun was not like an AR15.   LWRC uppers may make a gun look like a regular AR15, but the REPR functions more like an FAL.   The gun was surpressed but I did feel a lot of gas coming back at me.  The recoil was nothing and the gun felt about 2lbs lighter than my FAL.

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Getting the most out of the .223 gun

Even if you are someone that get’s very accurate results from your M4 or 14.7 inch barrel AR15.   You may be getting hits, but that caliber can become very weak once you get several hundred yards out.   When I picked up a chronograph I was blown away by how much velocity I actually got out of short barrel handguns and my M4 rifles because it did not match up with what I previously read about on the internet.   I saw 75gr HPBT clock at 2900fps out of my guns when I thought they would have been close to 2750.   I know you can push the limits with hand loaded ammunition, but you do have to be careful about excessive wear and tear.

I have been recently thinking about picking up an LWRCI Repr because I have been a big fan of battle rifles and even the military has brought back the 7.62 DMR rifle in various configurations.  I have even seen a few British troops show up with FAL rifles with scopes on them.   There is also a difference between what you can get out of a 55gr hpbt and a 75gr hpbt out of a 5.56 gun.  Sometimes an 18-20 inch AR15 upper receivers will get you far more range and punch than M193 ball ammo.  What you can do at 400-800yds with those guns compared to a 55gr bullet is considerable especially with wind drift ect.   Of course much of this is up to the skill level of the shooter.

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Your AR15 is probable not the AR15 your father had

It’s funny making a statement like that because I still feel like the AR15 is a new gun, but the reality is that it is now something that many of us had in the 1980s and 1990’s and now we have kids that are shooting them.    The AR15 is now probable the most popular firearm being sold in the Country, not only can you use it for close quarters combat and house to house clearing, there are varmint versions that are extremely accurate.   The whole durability and design of the rifle has improved dramitically, even though the M16A2 has been in service for about 25yrs and is a considerable leap in reliability over the A1, other changes have been made.

Chrome barrels use to be the thing that helped keep the direct impingement guns in a better functionality, but gun magazine improvements have reduced the number of malfunctions I see by atleast 95%.   I don’t see the failures to feed or the double feeding that I use to and it’s primarily due to the Magpul P-mags.   These magazines feed better than most and you can drive a car over them and still have them work.  Swapping out the upper receivers on an AR15 involves pushing 2 pins out, and there are many configurations from CMMG, LWRCI, DPMS that will improve the durability over lower grade guns.  If you want a combat reliable AR15, you will probable have to do a few things to an AR15 that costs under $800 to get it up to par, but overall I am very impressed with the improvements I see across the board  in the AR15 community.

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