My New (first) Ar-15 Is Here!

[mcb]

It took six weeks to get but the wait appears to be worth it. I picked up my RRA Coyote Rifle yesterday after work.

The rifle is tight. There is absolutely no slop between the upper and lower receivers. The rifle was every bit as nice as I hoped. The sights went on real nice. I really like the rear sight as it blend very nicely into the upper receiver. The Hogue over-molded forearm is very nice. The rubber coating make for very good grip and I think in cold condition it will be nicer to the fingers than a bare aluminum tube forearm. The trigger is very crisp. The first stage takes up cleanly and the second stage breaks very crisp with little creep. For a factory trigger it is very good.

There were two minor surprises. First the barrel under the hand-guard is heavier than the barrel in front of the gas port. The barrel in front of the gas port is ~0.75in and the barrel under the hand-guard has to be ~0.875. Didn't measure it yet but it was unexpected, although not a problem. In fact I like the muzzle heavy feel especially for shooting off hand.

The second minor surprise was the magazine it came with. I really expected a 10 round to make it shippable to states like California or other area with restrictive gun laws or maybe a 20 round magazine since they are legal here in Ohio. The magazine, far left in the second picture, is the magazine it came with and it only holds 9 rounds. What's with that? Why would anyone make a 9 round AR magazine. There has to be a good reason I just haven't figure it out yet? It will be good for bench shooting but it's a bit goofy, why not 10rds.

The rest of my magazines are twenties and thirties. I splurged and got the teflon coated magazine and put Magpul follower and ranger base plates on most of the magazines. The Magpul accessories are not compatible with the older straight 20 round you see. I like the look of the straight magazines but the curved one are suppose to run more reliably.

Rather than print their own version of a manual Rock River just put a copy of the manual given to our US Army troops. Found that interesting. Some of the manual does not apply. I don't have normal hand guards to deal with and I also don't have burst on my safety selector (I wish though).

When I ordered it I was apprehensive about the ACE skeleton stock. As it turns out I really like the stock but am a little wishy-washy about the Hogue pistol grip. The finger groves sometimes bother me. If I am conscience of it as I grasp the pistol grip my hand fits fairly well. If I grab it the way I grab my handguns then I tend to let my hand crowed up on the grip and my fingers end up on top of the finger grooves rather than in the grooves. I might have to break down and get the Magpul grip system that has selectable front and back straps. Got to shoot it first before I go changing to much.

Hopefully I will get out this weekend and put some round through it. I will post targets if I get a chance.

mcb

[bigbrowndog]

mcb, you'll enjoy the sights, and the advantages of having them. i keep a spare front sighted in, so that if i bend the front post, i at least have a sight that will get me close enough until i can verify for sure. i have bent the post in the past, twice, it is thinned quite a bit. if you decide to thin your post invest in a sight protector as well(brownells).

enjoy your new toy...........trapr

[Rob Boudrie]

. The magazine, far left in the second picture, is the magazine it came with and it only holds 9 rounds. What's with that? Why would anyone make a 9 round AR magazine. There has to be a good reason I just haven't figure it out yet? It will be good for bench shooting but it's a bit goofy, why not 10rds.

The common reason for 9 round magazines for ban states is tolerance. Manufacturers are not taking a chance that tolerance stackup on the parts, spring compression, etc. will let you squeeze in that 11th round in the magazine.

[mike_pinto]

Two words.. Saaa Weeeet...

You will be happy with the RRA. The tightness does not go away. Rumor has it they are going to become more involved with 3-gun as well. They are great to work with and their rifles are nice, hence the wait..

Have fun and shoot out the rifling!!

Mike

[mcb]

Thanks guys,

Hopefully I can get out to the range Saturday to give a test run. I will post some target when I get them.

mcb

[mcb]

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 wasn’t 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 wasn’t 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, don’t 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 ain’t 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.

Here’s 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 don’t 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. That’s 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 it’s 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.

pic1

pic2

pic3

This final one I was getting a little creative.

pic4

Edited November 5, 2006 by mcb

[wide45]

Nice.

I used grease to reduce the "sproing" sound. Here is a thread about it.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18294

[ihatepickles]

Nice.

I used grease to reduce the "sproing" sound. Here is a thread about it.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18294

Grease works well for getting rid of the sproing. Every highpower ratgunner I know uses the trick.

Nice AR.

[mcb]

Nice.

I used grease to reduce the "sproing" sound. Here is a thread about it.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18294

Grease works well for getting rid of the sproing. Every highpower ratgunner I know uses the trick.

Nice AR.

Thanks guys I will put a light coat of grease on the buffer and spring and see what that does. The sproing sound really wasn't too bad but I certainly noticed it.

Thanks

mcb