You know what this thread has made me realize.... Almost all the companies producing piston guns put out top quality rigs.  I can't really think of many factory piston guns I wouldn't own, LWRC, Hk, POF, LMT, PWS, and even Ruger; the majority of the manufactures are really good.

Now that being said, I also have to acknowledge that there are a lot of companies producing fantastic DI guns, but, there are just as many if not more producing sub-par equipment.  This is a very general statement, but it seems that if you get a piston gun, no matter how you slice it you're getting something worth owning.  Think about it, if you were to walk into your local shop and ask for a piston AR, chances are your only choice will be something nice (and expensive); if you were to ask for a regular AR, I'm sure you would have plenty of DPMS, Olympic, and Bushmaster options...

Just a wild assumption, but it seems that the extra cost and complexity keeps the jokers from playing the piston game.  And to answer the OP's question, they're all good, it comes down to personal preference.

I'm still enjoying my ADCOR BEAR. It hasn't malfunctioned at all through over 600 rounds of firing and is easy to operate and clean. Good gun in my opinion.

POF

The best one is the one you can afford.  Best is too subjective.  I own and shoot and adams arms....works great....never had a problem.  If you can afford a $2500 piston....then buy it.  I would rather spend less and buy 2000 rounds of ammo and get familiar with it.  Don't be like my friends...spend $2500 on a boom stick..$1500 on an acog...$250 on buis...$350 on a light/laser...and then bitch about ammo prices.  $4600 total on a paper weight that sits in the safe.  Me personally...I would spend $1600 on a gun and spend $3000$on 10,000rounds of ammo.

I've had most of them, had my hands on the rest and liked almost all of them.  Owned 2 conversions, one an Aries, the other is AA.  Still have it... inexpensive conversion and fun as hell to shoot.  Yes, you save a ton of money on it as well, and that buys you some plinking ammo, and you'll most likely be able to put a lot of rounds downrange without worries...that's been my experience, anyway.

But.....when the zombies start running amok, or the UN, or aliens, or other nefarious folk mean to take whatever is mine, with my family behind me praying I can keep them at bay and by God, the machine needs to run...I'll be grabbing my LWRC.  

HK.  No question.

Your funny man.

I know really LOL

Same here..I ended up buying a LWRC 10.5" M6A2 and PSD but, I also have a LMT 12" MRP Piston that has been just as reliable. I also own a FN SCAR and you may also want to take that into consideration cause it really is nicer than i expected. After all is said and done though, I still would more than likely fall back on my SR15 E3 if I had to choose only one.

If I had to choose one AR based piston rifle, My persoanl preference would be the MRP cause I like the option of the quick barrel change system with DI and multi calibers..

In all honesty id love yo say POF, but I've had my POF since September- nothing but problems. Cycling issues, buffer spring installed incorrectly, mil-spec buffer tube smaller than all my other mil-spec buffers, grip screw hand loose after a week,mysterious tiny slivers of metal in the lower after shooting (carrier tilt maybe??) and eventually while hunting- total lock up that required a bore rod and a mallet. After sending it in and getting very mediocre customer service- it seems to work as promised. If it helps anybody when shopping though: I use my DI rock river. I just don't trust the POF anymore. I'll be taking my POF to the next gun show here in Dallas with a for sale sign.

What do you base this on?  Accuracy?  What kind of testing did you conduct?

Thanks.

tag

That's a more valid test/validated opinion that many have.  I've been wanting to get my mitts on the MR to play with.

Seem like worst opinion of HK MR556A1 (and HK416 and M27) come mostly from people that did not try them. Those who tried seem to usually give big credit to this system, even if they point out to any problems they see or feel to be in them.

Personally I do not have problem with weight of my MR (MR223 weight same as MR556A1), but I have slight problem with very nose heavy balance (more during fast mag changes that during shooting itself). Actually I even put 1lb worth of lead granulate into stock battery compartment to counter it (call me crazy! ), especially when I mount light and laser on front. But finally I removed lead and changed Aimpoint M4S into Micro T1 (that I like better anyway - bigger dot agrees more with my astigmatism). My MR223 also came with HK house special - terrible 8lb trigger, but I keep reading that trigger in MR556A1 is not bad at all. Anyway my MR lived trough some 5000-7000 rounds of competition, training, classes and event use. It also lived trough lot of over-pressured ammo that managed to blow up other piston AR  (but did not harm AUG Z as well) and one instance of shooting lodged bullet with second one (muzzle brake and standard AR firing pin retainer did not like it, but rifle kept running for rest of class and did not showed change of POI or decreased accuracy when new muzzle brake was fitted).
I would also like HK to make adjustable gas block that allows for single shot fire, but it's just me

Here - MR is best piston AR for sure :) ... but I did not have opportunity to try POF, LMT, LWRCi, Ruger, etc., so... I will not write how bad and inferior those are

My only experience is with the LWRC. I have shot the SCAR, though not enough the have an opinion.


The LWRC is good to go equipment and worth the $ IMHO.

As for HK, I've never had an interest in those makes for whatever unknown reasons.

When I was looking for a piston rifle, with all the information I gathered, I bought what I thought was the best in gas piston set-ups.

LWRC stood out as that rifle.

I have had a similar experience, except I did have an interest in the HK after firing the 416. But when they came out with the MR556 my attitude went from interest to disgust as HK neutered another excellent battle rifle for the civilian market, just like they did with the SL8 and the USC. To be honest I had fired the LWRC prior to the 416 and it was always in the back of my head as being better but my fanboism for HKs overrode it until I learned what the 556 didn't have and how hard it would be to get it to the rifle I originally wanted.

my vote would be the barrett rec7. im very surprised no one mentioned it..... any reason y?

Not enough experience with to give anecdotal evidence.

Recently acquired a SIG 516.  Hoping to put it through the tests this weekend.  I also own a POF in 6.8.  As far as overall appearance and finish I lean towards the POF.  Cant compare any more than that at this point.  I do not like the way the railed hand guards attach to the SIG.  The upper has a female notch and the rail has a male tab that fits in.  This wouldn't bother me if I was totally happy with the SIG rail, but I cant sit still and really want to try a different hand guard.  

I have also owned a Ruger SR556.  It was heavier than what I wanted and had significant wear issues so I traded it for my 6920.  

I also briefly owned an Adams Arms upper.  Kinda wish I still had it.  It worked very well but I very much disliked the "branding" all over it.  Drove me nuts ( I realize this is dumb, but its my disease).

I haven't had the chance to get my hands on a LWRC but based on their rep on here I VERY MUCH want to!  A little pricey.

Just put my hands on a MR556 for the first time the other day.  Didn't get to shoot it, just handle it.  I was very impressed with overall quality and for some reason was very lured to the HK name.  But like the LWRC, it was more $$$$ than I was willing to part with.  Had I bought it, I would have had to sacrifice my ammo and etc budget and that would be counter-productive.

To me the simplest system with the best customer service is the way to go.  And to be completely honest, no piston set-up will ever completely replace my DI guns.  To many differences in all the proprietary systems.  Will I be able to get parts for my SIG and POF 30 years from now????????  Not sure about that.

I only have one piston upper and its a CMMG. I only have a few hundred rds through it but I like it

The only proprietary parts on the POF is the gas plug, piston and op-rod. You can order that kit through them. Thats only 3 parts and I highly doubt you'll be needing to replace them in 30 years. And if you do, that spare parts kit will take care of you for another 30 years.

It's kind of funny how long this thread has gone on. The OP posted over on another board that he bought a Colt. I wonder if he even bothered checking back in after starting this thread.

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