So I got to shoot my AR-15 Saturday. It was a good day but I have decided that Eugene Stoner was a very very dirty man!
Well, he probably wasnt but the firearm he designed is, to the extreme. I shot my new AR-15 for the first time yesterday and of course when I got home I had to give the newest addition to my gun cabinet a good cleaning. Now I usually clean my guns after a trip to the range or match and the AR got the same treatment, but damn if that wasnt the filthiest and hardest gun I have ever had to clean. I only put 200 rounds through it today and it was dirtier than my XD after nearly five hundred rounds on a long weekend of shooting. Nothings worst than trying to get all the burnt powder out of the barrel lugs and the top of the upper receiver. No wonder this thing had reliability problem when it was first introduced to our troops.
Other than the filthy gun I got to clean when I got home the gun was a joy. It looked like it was going to be a cold day at the range. The forecast showed a morning low of 26 with the high only getting to 44. I had packed my insulated Carhartt bib-overalls and a heavy fleece and my heavy hunting coat, I also had a hand full of those disposable hand warmers just to be safe. Well the sun came out and there was next to now wind, dont know how warm it was but in that sun I never put my Carhartts on and wore just my fleece and shell all morning.
This was the first target, the very first five rounds out of the AR. Damn! if that aint sweet! 5 rounds of relatively cheap Prvi Partisan M193 ball ammo, 1.5inch group at 50 yards. This was as the sights were mounted, Zero windage and the elevation set 2MOA below the 300m mark.
Heres the best group at 50 yards, 5 shots, 1 inch group, Winchester White box 55 grain FMJ. I was holding pumpkin on a fence point for consistency but I had move point of impact down by 3 clicks on the front post to give me point of aim hits. For completion you dont have any bullseyes to aim and thus want the rifle sighted in for point of aim not 'pumkin on the fence post'.
And the best 100 yard group 1.5 inches with of all things, 62 Grain Hollow point Golden Bear. Thats the cheap Russian stuff in the brass plated steel case. After this target I did end up with two click windage to the right. So when it was all said and done I only had move 5 click total change to put it pretty much where I wanted it.
Anyway I learned that Red on Yellow targets suck. At 100 yard over the standard front post its next to impossible to get a consistent hold on the target. Hence the black Shoot-N-C stuck on the target for the 100 yard shooting. I think the targets might have been OK had it been over cast but with it turning out to be a nice sunny day the targets washed out badly.
I had only one malfunction in 200 rounds and that was due to a bad cartridge from some bad M855 ball ammo, made in United Arab Emirate, that I had bought at Gander Mountain; good price, bad ammo. One of bullets while being seated had scrunched the neck of the case. That locked the gun up tight but after a bit of fiddling I freed it up and I kept on shootin I had never seen 223 ammo with such erratic OAL as that UAE M855. On round would be seated deep enough to not see the bullet cannelure at all the next round the cannelure would be completely out of the case. yuk!
All in all I am very please with the rifle. I'm still am getting use to that recoil spring going sproing past my cheek but I'm getting use to it. All my magazines ran fine but the 30rd magazine are to long to use the guns over my shooting bag. The 9rd and the straight 20rder works best given their short length.
Final for this post a few somewhat better pictures of my AR.
This final one I was getting a little creative.