All posts tagged LWRCI

Building or Buying AR15 Complete Upper Receivers

Right now it’s a buyers market, we’re seeing a huge drop in buying of parts because so many people are getting complete AR15 carbines for dramatically reduced.  I recently was told by a few customers that they were getting Ruger 556 complete firearms for $450 from some dealers.   Well, welcome to the complete and total reset of the gun industry, it was all politically driven and the free ride gun stores have had for the last 8yrs is over.   Last month there was a 25% drop in background checks across the Country and it’s back to normal soon.

The one thing we’ve know is building AR15s is still going to increase and eventually it will be the majority of all AR15 sales.   Buying a stripped lower receiver and putting it together is something you can learn pretty fast, and once you’ve practiced it a few times it will forever affect the way you shop for an AR.   Buying an AR15 Complete Upper Receiver is still fairly common because it takes a little bit more skill to put one together, but still not very difficult.   The buyers market is still going on but it’s going to reset very soon.   Some companies are already laying off and only the best will be around a year from now.

Top

Complicating a firearm with buttons and switches?

The era of the over done M4 Carbine seems to be coming to an end, and I have already seen a transition towards the lighter weight Carbines.   When the M4 initially came out, it was suppose to be a lighter weight and smaller weapon to be wielded on the battle field, but many of the ones that I have seen on civilian firing ranges were about the same weight as an M1 Garand.   I have not had very good experience with using pressure switches on flashlights, not only have I seen them fail, like all other wired accessories, but they do open you up to the possibility of snagging on more things.   Something like that would get messed up in a wooded area and in close hallways ect. you can get it caught on just about anything that hangs out.

There is no real advice I can give about what to put on your firearm, all I can tell you to do is to think about the environment you are using it in and think about what “could happen” in that environment.   Streamlight flashlights have worked very well for me, I recently got some negative feedback from a fellow operator about the switches they have on the flashlights now, but I have avoided using pressure switches.   The Streamlight Scorpion I have on my M4 Carbines is located in such a position that I can reach it with my thumb and turn it on and off with ease.

Top

The 6.8 SPC still not catching on

I was never a big fan of the .223 or 556 caliber until I actually got off the bench and started doing real gun fighting.   I started out like many, with a Russian AK variant which was extremely reliable, but when it came to target engagements out to 400 meters and for close quarters gun fighting, there was a substantial difference in hit ratio.  Hit ratio was something that I never dealt with before because it was all about penetration and accuracy.   Now I know that being able to shoot a reliable rifle doesn’t mean you are going to win a fight, it’s all about hits and who gets the hits first.

There have been times when an AK74 type of rifle has done almost as well or equal to an M4 Carbine, but the shooter has to have more experience in gun  handling skills to keep up.  I compared the close quarters hit ration of the 6.8 SPC and found it to be closer to a 7.62×39 AK than a .223 variant. CMMG upper receivers are something to be considered if you are looking to mess around with bullet calibers.  Muzzle hop or flip will affect  your accuracy and speed and that is something to be concerned about.  Room to room and house to house fighting is something which occurs in seconds and putting 5 hits on paper is better more reliable at stopping a threat than one bad hit.   Bullet penetration is also something that can be over blown when it comes to CQC because that is a bad thing in a hostage situation.

Top

Bans on gun stocks and accessories

I feel sorry for some of the people that are gun owners and are presently stepping into the word of AR15, AK or Mini 14 ownership for the first time and live in anti-gun States.  I have had some really bizarre conversations with friends in California and New Jersey that had to take AR15 or FAL gun magazines and have blocks welded into them so they couldn’t take more than 10rds.  To some people these sounds like a good thing, but the real problem is  you are taking something that is functional at a certain operating system and potentially messing the whole thing up.  Magazine capacity restrictions are like putting smaller gas tanks on cars to keep people from speeding.   The other problems that many in New Jersey or California and other States run into are gun accessories like flash hiders or folding stocks, these are all usually banned.

I find the whole issue about bans on gun accessories like bayonets and folding stocks to basically be about people trying to put band aids on your kids body parts where there is no bleeding expecting to stop another person from beating him or her up.    Nobody wants to talk about how most gun crime is from the drug trade which basically is a self inflicted problem due to our Federal Government getting involved.    Gun accessories like, bayonets, flash hiders, folding stocks,  collapsing rifle stocks have no bearing on reducing crime and putting people who are a threat to society in jail for long periods of time would have more impact on reducing crime than making law abiding citizens block 20rd magazines so they can only hold 10.

Top

Upgrading to the 6.8 SPC some range thoughts

I remember looking at guns with their AR15s and all of the bragging that went on when I was still plinking away with a $179  russian SKS.   I have memories of that time period when the owners were talking about how accurate their guns were, but when we walked down range, they shot groups that were basically the same thing I shot with SKS.   After several years of walking up the ladder of cheap guns to match grade guns, I realized my shooting skills were actually better than I thought, but it was all about getting the most out of a firearm and not really which one was better than the other.   Now that the AR15 has been in the hands of law enforcement and private citizens there has been a real debate about using the 55gr ball ammo for defensive purposes.

I have a close friend that has witnessed the use of 55gr Federal American Eagle and it was a one shot and drop shooting.   I predicted along with a few other military personel that with the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, we were going to see a chanc in the type of ammo snipers used.   The resurrection of the DMR has also come about.    Since there has been a growing trend towards using retired military in security and contractor forces, these individuals have been choosing their own weapons and many of them have been choosing pistol driven guns like LWRCI AR15 upper receivers.  These guns have a  proven track record of requiring less cleaning and reducing the wear and tear on extractors and bolt carriers.

Top

Tools and accessories and practicality

Once we out grow the arguments about which gun is better than the other and which caliber has more stopping power, the next bit of squabbling is usually about accesories and gizmos.   There are absolutely higher quality tactical scopes and combat reliable flashlights like Surefire and Streamlight, but there are still credible debates about how much of a white light you should have on a firearm.    If it’s too powerful, you’re more than likely going to be draining batteries for more than what you need and a light can easily get in the way and begin to snag on things especially if it’s too big.

Tactical gear like rifle stocks like VLTOR and Magpul have a very good reputation from users and those that sell them.   We have very few complaints about durability and even though the average weekend warrior can put one of these on their Bushmaster or DPMS AR15, these tactical rifle stocks will last the life of the firearm.  When you are trying to decide on what to put on your AR15, think about everything you expect to use the firearm for and leave yourself some room for future modifications without having to overhaul the stock. If you think  you’re going to be putting a laser or flashlight on the gun, get the appropriate rail configuration.  If you are looking for long range shooting, a red dot or Eotech may not be something to put on your gun, just leave it setup for iron sights until you find the right tactical rifle scope that your money can buy.

Top
Page 1 of 1