I think I've narrowed down my AR choice to a POF or REC7... anyone have a preference? Is there any of you who have shot a REC7? I'd love any thoughts!


Thanks!

i would take the rec7.  However i'd also wait until they release their updated model with new handguard.  I don't know how long it will be before they release it, but Ronnie Barrett hinted it in a nutnfancy shot show 2012 review.

My preference towards barrett really isn't much more than company reputation.  I have seen the bolt on the 6.8 version of the rec7 in some videos and it has no gas rings...which i like.  One less part that wears out over time.

Its a piston gun.

I don't get why there's still this debate over piston vs. DI guns. I think its very simple to understand why the piston driven is going to be better (even if DI's are still good). The AK 47 can withstand an an enormous amount of torture and keep plugging away. I don't know... I guess I could be naive.

I am not saying any thing about di vs Piston.  All I was saying is the bold does not need gas rings because its a piston.

I own a REC 7 that I got in December 2011, I've run about 1,000 rounds through it so far, what would you like to know about it?  It's a real quality piece.  The machine work, fit, finish, etc. are impeccable.  The inside surfaces of the gun are as nicely finished as the outside.  

The piston assembly is accessible at the front of the top rail.  You push in a button on the front of the gas plug, flip small lever from left to right, pull out on the lever to remove the gas plug, tip the gun barrel down and the piston and rod fall out of the gun.  No tools, no removal of the rail or other parts to get at the piston - just use your fingers and it comes apart.  The rail system is a Daniel Defense and it comes with rail covers.  The rail covers are marked "Daniel Defense" - but they're really made by Ergo Products.  They're made from Santoprene which is a high temperature resistant thermoplastic rubber material.

It's functioned flawlessly.  My only criticism is the trigger.  From the factory it was 8 pounds.  I ran 500 rounds through the gun to see if the trigger would ease up some - it didn't.  I suppose if you're using the rifle in combat, crawling across the ground, or in a situation where you could hook the trigger on something with the selector on "Fire" - the heavy trigger might prevent an accidental discharge.

I don't plan on using my rifle in situations like that, so I changed the trigger to a Wilson Combat TTU-3G - problem solved.

comparing a gun built around a piston op rod and one built with an internal piston is like apples to oranges.

the AK is not the be all end all the media makes it out to be, they still fail. and a good piston AR will hold up just as well. on that note, a lubed DI AR will hold up just as well as both.

so take your pic, DI or Piston you cant go wrong.

generally I agree except on the well lubed DI AR.  In the sandbox, the opposite has been the case often.  Dry lube and non 'wet' are the way to go

using a 50/50 mix of motor oil and ATF i have to say sand doesnt affect anything, while i havent been in the real sand box, i have burried my rifle in a sandbox and it came out shooting, did it each time after a new mag was put in the rifle and it fired 6 mags perfectly, i didnt go farther

There's HUGE difference between relatively large sand grains and the wind-driven, powder dust found in the Middle East that gets into everything, clogs everything, gums up everything, and generally makes life miserable.   While I've never been deployed to the Middle East for military operations (I'm far too old for that) I do design things that are used there, and am familiar with equipment breakdowns due to nothing but LOTS of dust.  For example, I had a vehicle with a secondary generator on-board where the generator stopped within 15 minutes because of the dust and required a totally redesigned air intake system to be able to function.   The same on-board generator system in US testing never failed to work over a two year period.- therefore, it would work everywhere all of the time - right?  Apparently, WRONG.

Burying your gun in sand only proves it worked one time when you unburied it and can't be extrapolated to overall performance under all conditions.  That's why in the infamous M4 test, the testing included time in a dust booth that simulated dust conditions in the Middle East.

The dust in Iraq and to a lesser extent AFG is more like talcum powder than what you think of as sand.  It will bring anything to a grinding fucking halt, even AKs. I have a friend who works at the ARL at Aberdeen. They actually import dust from Iraq and AFG for their testing. It destroys engines,  rotor blades, filters, HVAC, weapons, your lungs, anything. I have had it get inside a ziplock bag that was sealed inside of a building. I shit you not.

Oh and, uh... If you throw around the term "sandbox" as a war reference and you've never been.... You sound like a douche. And don't say "downrange" either. Thank you.