All posts tagged LWRC M6AK

Still my favorite Trijicon combat optic

Not all of the Trijicon optics work for every situation, if they did there would only be one Trijicon ACOG.  I remember the first time I saw these bad boys and I was blow away at  how cool they were too look through.  Seeing a scope with bullet comp was not that common and really just finding a scope that could hold up to a semi-auto military style rifle was hard and I mostly saw hunting optics like Leupold rifle scopes for guys trying to target shoot.   It was not very common in the 1980s and 1990s to see rifle scopes on AR15s.

If I had all of the money in the world I’d probable own everything that Trijicon has out, but I’m  not so I have to be very selective on what I buy because if the bullet comp or the reticle does not suit my needs then it was a waste of money.  I have been and always will be an LWRC Fan and I have several Trijicon TA01NSN on my primary LWRC M6A2.   I have recently purchased a suppressor and I will be looking into getting an LWRC M6A5 when they become available.  As far as I know the only difference between the LWRC M6A5 and it’s predecessor is the gas selector is a 2 position and not a 4.

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Finding a gun case for your expensive Carbine

It always bothered me that guys would call off going to the range with me when there was the slightest chance of rain coming down because they didn’t want their gun to get wet.   It’s funny that someone would spend $2000 to get a combat worth rifle and then be afraid they might damage it if it gets rained on.  Most modern firearms can handle the rain and you better get use to the fact that rain isn’t going to ruin it.  If you had a wood stock on your rifle that might be another issue, but people can be far too protective of firearms when real operators know that firearm parts wear out.  Guns get scratched and things come loose and anyone that is that concerned about it probable doesn’t really have a spike in a fight anyway.

One thing that I don’t have a problem with is people getting good gun cases and protecting their guns and gear in storage.  Sometimes rifle optics can double the value of your guns, and some people upgrade their guns with new AR15 complete upper receivers that can further increase the value of a firearm.  Guns, especially M4 Carbines should be rugged and tough and getting good Magpul Accessories on it and tightening them with loctite is a way to prevent problems.   There are some really nice gun cases from Elite Survival Systems like the Covert Operations gun case that has velcro straps for locking down your optics and firearm securely.

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Too much to think about or lots to think about ?

After watching many Youtube videos about what is coming out in 2012 I was mostly bored out of my skull trying to understand why I would bother spending another $2000 for an AR15 that is slightly different than what I already own.   Sure there are improvements but spending $2000 on something that is 5% more of a gun than an AR15 that you already own doesn’t justify the cost.   I am a big proponent to upgrading what you have.   There was a really good article in Swat magazine years ago about improving what you already own and the small things you can do to improve your AR15.   Replace extractor springs, stake screws, lube your gun right and you’ve just improved your gun for less than $150.

If you are looking to make your Carbine a firearm that you can rely on, make sure you don’t over think the configuration and setup.   I understand why people spend $2000 on AR15 upper receivers that have folding front and rear sights, but if you have folding front sights keep in mind that you have one more step to getting your firearm up and running and that is something to seriously think about.   I am a firm believer that people need to adapt to weapons and gear and not always expect to adapt the firearm to them.  Fixed front sights have been around for a long time and I don’t think changing that another thing that needs to be folded or screwed on is worth the liability.

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Remember when everyone and an AR15A2?

Remember how long ago it was when an AR15 meant the long 20inch barrel and it was virtually impossible to find an M4 style firearm.   AR15 firearms have come a long way, both the upper receivers and the lowers.   Trying to find a firearm now that does not have staked parts or is not chrome plated is getting harder and harder.   Even the machining on bolt carriers has improved to the point that Direct Impingement firearms are 10xs more reliable than before.  All you have to do is pop the bolt carriers out of the guns and you can feel the difference.

Even the average AR15 now is a minute of angle firearm and can still run like a military rifle.   Barrel technology on your average AR15 upper receivers has doubled and tripled.   I have an LWRC M6A1 rifle that supposedly has a barrel life of about 7500rds but the newer ones are close to 20,000rds.   The bolt carrier group is a  one piece unit and there has been absolutely zero broken parts on it.   Hopefully the only things that will eventually where out anytime soon are the extractor and springs.  It’s always wise to keep some of the basic spare parts around no matter what AR15 you own.

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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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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.

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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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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.

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Sale on LWRCI upper receivers

As we move into our new facility we’ve been listing to our customer base tell us about what they wish they would see in the store.  Many of our customers complain that although the internet is where most of their shopping takes place there are certain things you really need to get your hands on.   Things like clothing and rifle accessories are a real royal pain to figure out online and many gun shops don’t want to deal with the headaches.   We’ve had to modify our return policy because we’ve had too many take advantage of our return and exchange policies with gun parts.   I have heard of 2 gun shops in our area not stock gun accessories because people were buying them, walking out the door, and then coming back a few days later complaining that the parts broke or were broken.   From the gun shops stand point, it’s because people didn’t know how to install them and were lacking gunsmithing talent.

 

This unfortunately had happened to us via online sales and we’ve had people buy $400 optics and call  up and complain that they didn’t know they needed a $75 adapter for their AR15 and now they want to return the optic.   When we inform them that we are charging a 10% restocking fee they complain that we’re ripping them  off.   We are stocking LWRCI uppers which puts a lot of money on the line with small margins, but given that they are unique gun parts, sometime there are pens that need to be fitted when attaching upper receivers.  Do you research or find a gun shop that stocks the products, then do your homework on how to properly install gun parts and be patient.  If you have questions, ask them, every gun is different and there are always fitting and tweaking that can occur.

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