All posts in AR15 Uppers

Is a 6.8 SPC worth getting?

That is a question we get quite often around here and we always throw a question back to a customer.   People call or show up wanting us to give them advice but there are a lot of liabilities in telling people what to get or do.   So much of gun accessories and firearms has to do with the job at hand and a persons gun skills.   I’ve heard people claim that you can’t shoot long range with a 5.56 gun but I see it done all the time at local gun clubs.   Sure there are instances of high wind where a 5.56 bullet isn’t going to do very well, but sometimes only a 50 bmg is going to get the job done.

Even the trusty and reliable Mini 14 is an often over looked hunting Carbine, but I’ve seen white tails taken up in Vermont with 75gr expanding rounds.   The 6.8SPC would be a more powerful round than what the military is using today but it’s not really going to solve all of your problems.  Most of my friends that own them are using them for hunting rounds and not even for Carbine training ect.  The only problem you may run into when changing uppers in with the gun magazines.  The 5.56 round is better than any handgun round if you use the right kind of ammunition and the AR15 platform gives you lots of caliber options that are really best for upgrading your gun for better hunting.

Top

Gun cleaning brushes don’t last forever

I have several gun cleaning kits laying around my gun cleaning room and some of them are close to 20yrs old.   I still use various elements of them since not all of the kits are still intact.   Most of the non-one piece cleaning rods I have used in the past have become broken or bent and have been tossed, but I have some of the Hoppes gun cleaning solvent and a few cleaning brushes that have moved in with my gun cleaning kits.   The bore snakes that I have, have pretty much replaced the gun cleaning brushes but there have been a few times recently that I have gone back to using tradition cleaning kits.   I have been testing out many of the Otis gun cleaning kits to basically get use to the product line.

Otis gun cleaning kits aren’t going to clean your guns in some magical new way.   They really are just another mode of gun cleaning supplies, different type of cleaning and lubrication, different way of using a metal cord instead of a cleaning rod, but other than that, it’s just a compact way of keeping your gun cleaning kit something that can go in a range bag. The larger multi-caliber cleaning kits make a ton of sense if you own a lot of firearms, but if you don’t they will be a major over kill.   Gun cleaning patches are something we know we should throw away at certain point, but I see many using gun cleaning brushes for far longer than they should.   If you are noticing that you can’t get a barrel clean, try replacing the gun cleaning brushes you have.   Getting lead out or cleaning a gun that has not been cleaned all that well in the past is harder if you don’t have the right tools.

Top

Otis 5.56mm grip cleaning kit

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a thorough check of my gun cleaning supplies, and today I decided it was time to do a brush check  to see if I need anymore gun cleaning brushes.  Some of the gun cleaning brushes I have seem to have really taken a beating and especially with my rifles, I thought it was a good idea to replace them because I didn’t know if they were really doing the job anymore.  I was  happy to find out that I completely forgot that I have an Otis 5.56 grip cleaning kit that was unused from over a year ago.

I met with a rep that worked for Otis at a few conventions and he hooked me up with a few of the Otis gun cleaning kits.  The Otis 5.56 grip cleaning kit is meant to fit exactly where you think it goes, the pistol grip on  your AR15.    These gun cleaning supplies are meant for AR15.  When I was cleaning my AR15 rifles, I was thinking that I should be using a chamber brush, unfortunately the Otis pistol grip cleaning kit doesn’t come with one.  I find that somewhat disappointing because I would think that any AR15 cleaning kit would come with one of these.  The chamber area is one of the hardest parts to get to on an AR15 and on a direct impingement carbine, this is where the most dirt can collect that usually causes jams.  The kit is nice for being a compact kit, but I’d still add a a chamber brush to it.

Top

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.

Top

Gun cleaning is a talent

When most people think about gun cleaning they usually think about how fast they can get it done and what gun cleaning supplies they can use to get the job done.  Most of the time I just use Break Free CLP on all of my guns and rarely bother with Hoppes cleaning solvent.   I’ve learned to avoid those really harsh gun cleaning chemicals and only use them when I am shooting lead or haven’t cleaning a firearm for awhile after shooting it.

Last week I got an opportunity to shoot some of the LWRC M6 rifles.   A few weeks before that I got to shoot an LWRC M6AK.   The only simliar type of AR15 upper receivers I shot were the Smith & Wesson 5.45×39 uppers.  These guns varied in cost, but when I cam home I don’t think I shot up more than $50 worth of ammo and I must have expensed more than 500rds.   When we were done I was told to clean them with Windex!  And that’s another story.

Top

Getting bored with your AR15?

It wasn’t until the later 1990’s that the M4 carbine really took hold in the civilian market.   We usually only saw the AR15 A2 on the firing line and that was about it.   Then we started to see the heavy barrels and then the light barrels.   In the last 6yrs there have been so many calibers and manufacturers making the AR15 firearms that I have completely given up on keeping track of them.   There are so many custom AR15 models that it’s really more like asking someone what kind of Legos do they like to build.

I am going to be taking the dive into the AR15 market again very soon.   I recently got to fire a Ruger 556 and was really amazed that Ruger of all people would step into the market, even more so than Smith & Wesson have the guts to make a 5.45×39 AR15 upper receivers.   CMMG makes a darn good version for the money and we’ve sold a ton of those to people that didn’t want to spend $1800 on another firearm.    Once again, the beauty of the AR15 design is that you can put any type of AR15 upper on them and only have a minimal amount of gunsmithing to do if something doesn’t fit quite right.

Top

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.

Top

It’s hard to have to wait, but sometimes it’s worth it

We got another large shipment of the LWRC M6AK upper receivers and some of these orders have been a couple weeks backordered.   A lot of the AR15 market is about accessorizing and my eyes hurt from just looking through the AR15.com website for product info.   After awhile,  I have to wonder what kind of life some people have to constantly attach and mess around with their firearms.  Sure it can be a hobby to work on a firearm, but nothing beats knowing how to fight.   I’ve seen so many guys with $3000 worth of gun and accessories that never leave the 5oyd range and  like to talk about accuracy, meanwhile, if I talk about what a Mini 14 can do at 300-600yds, I’m somehow over stepping myself.

Rifle optics has a lot to do with the job at hand and more rifle scopes tend to be able to really only do 1 or 2 tasks.   You are either close quarters fight, medium range fighting, or long range engagements.   And there may be a modification or accessory that can get you one of the other ones.    LWRC uppers have folding down front and rear sights on all complete upper receivers.  I have always preferred the ability to switch to iron sights and front posts never bothered me for optics, but now  that so many optics are zero magnification, folding front sights down may, depending on your tolerances, inhibit some visibility.

Top

Ok, So LWRCI has something less expensive

I think the best bang for the buck is buying a 5.45×39 upper for your AR15, but you will have to do some research on using the magazines and possible changing a few things in your AR15  like a new buffer or a hammer spring.   The main reason I didn’t start shooting one of these was because I didn’t have a spare lower to try out.   Last year I did some shopping, but I’m not really a fan of swapping parts in and out of uppers and lowers just to do caliber changes.   I think its a better idea to pick a caliber and keep a lower for the gun.

The 5.45×39 ammunition is dirt cheap and the Smith &  Wesson seems to have been king of the realm for awhile, but direct impingement and 5.45×39 don’t mix very well.   LWRC uppers have been increasingly expensive and yes, you can buy a whole new Colt AR15 for the price of an LWRC upper, but recently we were informed that the LWRC M6SL which is the lightweight stretch upper costs just about $1000.   I got my LWRC M6A2 for more than than about 4yrs ago.   Even though we’re selling them we want to hear from people on how they are holding up.

Top

Drinking the cool aid with LWRC

I have been on hiatus form gun forums for several years due to the fact that they just wore me out.   I think they are great for researching information about products but you still need a really good bull shit meter to know if someone is lying to your or not.   As a dealer, i get stressed out reading about all of the new optics and accessories that are coming out because I know it’s only a matter of time before I get the phone call or email about what kind of adapter or mount someone is going to need for AR15 style X.    I love the industry but all of this accessorizing makes me want to break out a welding torch and just be done with it.   I’ve seen guys with what must have been about 24 or more screwed in components and to think about the odds of those screws coming loose or breaking bothers me.

I recently went back to a gun forum I use to frequent and it was all the same old anti-product bashing that goes on.  It’s almost tribal warfare with gun makers.   LWRC uppers are definitely my favorite upper receiver although I am very much aware of how expensive they are and that it’s debatable about how much of an improvement over reliability they are.   I have not had any parts breakage but I read all of the stuff i can from Pat Rogers and some of the uppers didn’t fair so well a few year ago in tests.   There have been product upgrades and I actually took a tour of the LWRCI facilities last year and had a parts upgrade done to my gun.  The real improvement I see if the gun just darn well runs cleaner and It doesn’t have lube running out of all of the a parts.

Top
1 … 8 9 10 11 12 … 15 Page 10 of 15