My new and first black rifle.

hondo1892 · Post by **hondo1892** » Thu May 28, 2015 8:22 pm

Just assembled an AR kit from PSA yesterday. It was on sale for $380 so I figured if I don't like it I'm not out a bunch. The kit has a 16" melonite barrel and a mid length gas system. A friend said the mid length gas is better than the carbine length. Runs smoother or something. Took about an hour for me to get all the parts into the lower receiver. Would have had it done quicker but took me a while to figure out how to hold those tiny parts without loosing them. I stuck the upper on it and it has a small amount of play to it but not bad. Just burnt my bacon typing instead of cooking. Any who, I bought two pmags for it locally and I'm not real impressed with them. May just be me but I had a hard time loading them after about eight or ten rounds. At one point I had two rounds stuck side by side. I'm a single stack, wood and steel kind of guy. So maybe I just don't know how to load a double stack plastic mag. Also put a Magpul flip up peep sight on it. The steel one not the plastic.

Ok just finished up the bacon without burning it. I'm not good at multi tasking that may be another reason I have problems with a double stack mag. Took it over to the farm this evening to try it out. It had more kick than I was expecting. Nothing bad just more than I thought that little cartridge would have. I was expecting it to be loud and it is. Might wished I would have got a 20" tube instead of the 16". But I wanted the short barrel for handiness. I could eat up a hundred rounds quick with this thing. Didn't have time for any accuracy testing or any real shooting. Just wanted to check to see if it works right. I shot seventeen rounds and had it try to feed two rounds at once. Might have been my fault the way I loaded up the cartridges in the mag. Or maybe its them plastic mags. I'm going to get some aluminum ones and see if we get along better. But other than that one hiccup it works like it's sposed to. I will probably put my little Luepold scope on it to see how accurate it are. It will probably be used mostly for a truck gun and once in a while for yotes. I'll try to get a photo of it later to post but it aint nothing to write home about. My wife says it looks ugly and like a toy. Now I've found a light load for the .223 with titegroup that pushes the bullet at 1060 fps. Can anyone tell me if it will work the gas system on an ar or not. Me thinks it would be nice for plinking if it works the rifle.

arjunky · Post by **arjunky** » Thu May 28, 2015 9:59 pm

Your light load shouldn't cycle the action. Hopefully round will stay chambered and not try and feed another.
They are addicting, I got away from them for awhile and now that the prices are cheap again I built 4.

I always like the 20 round mags best, don't stick out so far and seem like they feed better, well, with decent brands anyway. Can't stand the polymer mags although I have a bunch laying around just in case.

Byron

hondo1892 · Post by **hondo1892** » Thu May 28, 2015 10:08 pm

I kind of thought that that light of a load wouldn't cycle it. I will get a twenty rounder if I find some. I see lots of the 30 round aluminum ones though.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Thu May 28, 2015 10:35 pm

MagLula is a FAST magazine loading tool you might like and not too costly, and an AccuWedge inserts in the recess behind the rear takedown pin. $3.00 maybe.

1894c · Post by **1894c** » Fri May 29, 2015 1:06 am

CONGRATS...I did what you did, put a bunch parts from PSA (complete upper) when all of that stuff was on sale before, during, and after Christmas...bought a big pile of 20 & 30-round mags, I mean a big pile. Bought over 2,000 rounds of blammo--then after shooting this AR several times I came to the conclusion (or the delusion) that's it's not me--sold it all, down the road, even made some $$$ on the whole thing. In the end I'm just a short-barreled-pump-shotgun with allot of buckshot kind-of guy, just point and click... :)

Get-off-my-lawn.jpg

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Fri May 29, 2015 5:44 am

Stick with it they grow on you with time.

Rusty · Post by **Rusty** » Fri May 29, 2015 5:44 am

Stick with it they grow on you with time.

rock-steady · Post by **rock-steady** » Fri May 29, 2015 7:54 am

Try one in 300 Blackout.

Malamute · Post by **Malamute** » Fri May 29, 2015 2:08 pm

Theyve been fun shooters for me the times I've owned them. Some of the most fun for just general shooting and goofing off. Most of the shooting I've done with them has been in more open country and at longer distances, from 100-300 up close, out to 800 yards or so.

I havent had any plastic mags. They seem really popular, but I've used Colt 20's, older GI 30's, and more recently Brownells 30's, all with perfect funtioning and not at all difficult to load. I did drop one loaded magazine on a rock, striking the lips. It didnt work well after that, otherwise, all the alloy mags I've had heve been great.

I've had several rifles and a couple carbines. The carbines are definitely handier in and out of vehicles, but for actually shooting I like the 20" rifles more, by quite a lot. Less noisy, very smooth operating, easier to spot my hits when using a scope at longer distance. I've found I like the regular fixed stocks quite a bit more also, just for stability and comfort sake. Theres likely better adjustable stocks than what I've had, but I like the fixed stocks so much I'm not concerned about finding a comfortable adjustable one. Its nice having the storage in the butt for cleaning junk also.

hondo1892 · Post by **hondo1892** » Fri May 29, 2015 7:49 pm

Thanks guys. I may try a mag loader if I end up liking this thing enough. I may get a .300 blkout down the road and see if I like it better than the .223. Will the .300 subsonics cycle the ar action? I see that they seem to be the thing right now. Also will cast bullets work in a gas system or would they gum everything up. Seems like the lube would reek havoc on them. Going to get at least one aluminum mag for sure to try.

AJMD429 · Post by **AJMD429** » Fri May 29, 2015 11:37 pm

hondo1892 wrote:Thanks guys. I may try a mag loader if I end up liking this thing enough. I may get a .300 blkout down the road and see if I like it better than the .223. Will the .300 subsonics cycle the ar action? I see that they seem to be the thing right now. Also will cast bullets work in a gas system or would they gum everything up. Seems like the lube would reek havoc on them. Going to get at least one aluminum mag for sure to try.

See my post on this forum > '300 Blackout Pistol Pretty Accurate'. I tried three 300 Blk 16" carbine and rifle setups but the 8.5" pistol seems more suited to the round. Plan to SBR it but in the meantime no real need for buttstock.

Anyway with mine 180-220 grain subsonics cycle fine even without a suppressor, but the can is normally on it because it makes it much nicer to shoot when it is muffled. 125 grain supersonics around 2200 fps if I recall. I think lead bullets ok some guys shoot lots but I haven't (yet).

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Fri May 29, 2015 11:48 pm

Uh oh! You're in for it NOW! 2-½ years ago, I had no EBRs... now I have FOUR!!!

I've found I like the D&H mags... 30 round powder coated aluminum... bought a couple or 3 10 packs before the price went too crazy, from the same place you bought your parts kit... (their current price is pretty nice also - better'n what I paid in fact)... my son likes the P-Mags... I don't find any difference over the short period of time we've had our ARs... maybe mine just aren't old enough, but I've yet to experience a fail-to-feed due to a mag. On the mags I use in 3-gun, I did install the Magpul Ranger USGI floor plate, mostly to keep the floor plate from being damaged if it lands on a rock or... Easy to install and easy to grab from a mag holder...

mikld · Post by **mikld** » Sat May 30, 2015 10:10 am

Got a link? (PSA; Practical Shooting Academy, Pacific Sporting Arms?).

Malamute · Post by **Malamute** » Sat May 30, 2015 10:14 am

Palmetto State Armory.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/

mikld · Post by **mikld** » Sun May 31, 2015 10:39 am

Thanks Mal...

jeepnik · Post by **jeepnik** » Sun May 31, 2015 11:48 am

My history with the AR15/M16 platform put me decidedly in the not, as in never, for me camp. The boys kept telling me it was all fixed now (I don't think they understood just how close they came to not being born).

Long story short, they gave me a lefty Stag. Yep, it certainly is much more reliable than the original M16. Still push come to shove I'll take my Springfield M1A Scout/Squat every time.

The AR is pretty darned accurate, and has accounted for more than a few critters. But my life or that of others doesn't hang in the balance when I use it. So, good range toy, passable hunting firearm, but that's where it stops.

Panzercat · Post by **Panzercat** » Sun May 31, 2015 1:59 pm

Probably the mag causing the double feeds. Pmags can be hit or miss. All mine are either blackhawk or PSA branded steel mags and run fine. Pick up a couple every now and then when they post them on sale. Cabelas has site to store transfer for online orders and free shipping and handling. Like this..

My new and first black rifle.

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