I planning to build/buy a light machine gun upper for my RR.  I like the LMG setup because of the bipod + high ammo capacity. This would not be the primary configuration, just a range toy for occasional use and give some variety.

Option 1 - Belt Fed Shrike
Pros: Belt fed would be a lot of fun and has a quick change barrel so I dont have to stop the fun
Cons: Requires buffer, buffer spring and mag catch to be swapped and at close to $5k the uppers costs as much as some entry level MGs and thats not including spare barrels, nutsacks, spare parts, links, etc... and thats assuming it doesnt have mechanical issues which they are known to have.

Option 2 - Drum Mag
Pros: way cheaper. I have uppers now i could change furniture on and slap a bipod on and pick up a couple c-mags and im done.
Cons: A drum mag just isnt as impressive as a belt a belt hang out the side of a MG

What are your thought and experience with the two?

I'm playing with drums, but I wish I had a belt fed upper

I have both (Betas and Shrike).

I can tell you that since I purchased a Shrike I don't think I have used one of my Beta Mags since then.

My personal take is the Beta's were not super reliable, they are a PITA to load (having to dump graphite powder in them, etc.), and are fragile. (if you drop a loaded drum they are pretty much fooked and the feed tower wear out as well causing malfunctions)

Prior to my Shrike they were the only option I had for large drum dumps.  I would load up a beta or two prior to a range session, shoot it, and then pack it away.  I would almost never reload Betas at the range.

Unless you get a true LMG upper with the bigger/fatter gas tube, you will pretty much kill a normal gas tube in two back to back beta mags.   You will also kill non-removable barrels in short order as well.

While the Shrike is not perfect, it is piston operated and the barrel swap so it can take a much higher volume of fire than a DI based gun with Betas ever will.

The other nice thing about belts is they can be linked ahead of time prior to your range session.  The ability to bringing 1000rds of belted ammo out with you is nice so you spend more time shooting and less time reloading.   I guess you could go out and buy 10 beta mags and preload them but that is getting expensive as well.

I also never really liked how big beta were and how they blocked your ability to grab the front of the gun, although vertical foregrips help in this regard and it's not an issue shooting off a bipod.

Is the cost of a Shrike worth 2X the cost of a beta based LMG setup, that's hard to say.  I prefer my Shrike over my Betas but its hard to say if its "twice as good" from a recreational shooting perspective.

Has anyone ever considered/used the Armatac 150 rd. drums as an alternative to the Beta's?  I have no personal experience with them, but I read they require no lubricant and are more reliable than the Beta's.

I wish they would have put the charging handle on the other side and left the bolt catch alone. Like you I am terrible at removing that roll pin and am always worried i will break the receiver as im hammering away at one of those stupid roll pins that never seem to fit. Maybe ill invent some new type of roll pin that doesnt suck.

Bolt catch roll pin punch - worth it!!!

I certainly wouldn't advocate swapping the bolt catch back and forth every time you swap Shrike back to DI upper.  (especially using a hammer and punch)

I would just swap in an angled LRBHO catch that will work with both a Shrike and a normal upper and retain the ability to drop the bolt (unlike the original factory Shrike LRBHO level that just had the paddle cut off).     Just do the swap once or pay a competent gunsmith to do it (if you dont have the tools) one time and call it a day.

I believe Ares n ow sells a LRBHO that is angled.  If they dont making one yourself out of a normal LRBHO is child-play.  All you need is a vice, lockjaw pliers and a torch.   Chuck the LRBHO into the vice, clamp the paddle with the lockjaw pliers, hit the LRBHO with some heat and slowly bend the paddle over to the desired angle.  That was one of the first things I made for my Shrike setup years ago.

I certainly wouldn't discount a belt fed upper if the only concern is the LRBHO lever swap.  Any gunsmith with the proper tools should be able to make you a custom lever and swap it out without much trouble.

I love my LMG. It fires from an open bolt and is so smooth and accurate. I have several friends with Shrikes but I do not own one since I have a Stoner 63A. The Shrike is not very smooth either and they all seem to be pretty temperamental.



And before you ask, the wear due to the open bolt set up on the trigger group pin holes is internet speculation which I have not experienced in 2 open bolt LMG guns.

Shrikes can be finicky, but I have found that it is typically link-related.  I tumble my links in treated corn cob to polish them and they seem to work pretty well.  Elsewhere I've seen a Shrike link stretcher.

The LMG is neat especially combined with the open bolt FCG.  But - DI guns do get hot quicker than pistons, so sustained fire rate is higher with the Shrike than with the LMG.

Does anybody sell a clone LMG upper or parts kit to build a clone LMG upper?  I'd like one, but the price tag is pretty steep for the Colt ones I've seen for sale. Like most uppers, I could probably build one for a lot less if the parts were available.

 
Not that I know of...


I do like my LMG

how many rounds have you fired in LMG configuration ?

Vulcan/Hesse/Blackthorne, or whatever they're called this week, did make a clone LMG upper a few years ago. They are floating around, but I don't think I'd trust one.

If you don't want to spring for a Colt, you might be better served just buying/building an upper with a nice heavy profile, hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel. PSA did a run of 18" CHF chrome-lines barrels a while back that would work well, if you can find one.

Over 25K-30K through the previous one and 10-15K through the current one.



No wear issues seen on the lower trigger group pin holes.



 

I'm thinking this M27 might be a good mag/drum fed LMG.

If i build from spare parts I really only need a Barrel and Rail. But if i build it properly I would need a whole piston system upper. Still way cheaper than a Shrike I suppose.

Does anyone make an aftermarket open bolt lmg upper?  Or are all the LMG's available colt Original production still?

Option 3:  Both

You're going to have a tough time finding an actual M27 barrel, unfortunately.  The MR556A1 uses a non-chrome lined barrel, which, as expected, won't really hold up to a lot of automatic fire (check out the Battlefield Las Vegas thread for his experiences using the MR556A1 upper as a "bullet host").  

Actual chrome-lined HK416 barrels (non-IAR) are going to cost you a pretty penny as well, close to the price of a Shrike for a complete upper.  

~Augee

V7 makes a gas tube made of inconel, might be equivalent durability wise.

I'm not terribly familiar with the colt LMG but it seems like it would be excessively heavy and large. Guess that's why I like the M27 seems like it's a smaller, lighter and in general more modern.

I'll also look into the hydraulic buffer. Any particular brand/model you recommend?

I just still can't make up my mind though. One day drum fed makes sense and the next I'm drilling over the shrike. Almost bought one this week, was a sweet deal on GB, $4500 for a gen 5 shrike with spare barrel, prob missed a great deal but I'm sure others will pop up again.

If your shop ever does a run, I want one.

 

The marginal cost of the 101st round (going from drum to belt feed) is awfully steep. I can see the appeal, but I would rather have the dollars in ammo to burn.

You can buy a 150 round drum and they supposedly work well.

I wouldn't do a continuous dump from one, though, on a regular upper. That's the kind of uninterrupted round count that kills gas tubes and creates cook-off level temps.

I've been eyeing the Ruger SR-556 Takedown to make a LMG out of. Just need to find out about spare barrels.

I looked into that as well but couldn't find spare barrels. $1500 for the whole rifle, prob quite a bit for the spare barrels I suppose.

If there was a handle attached to it that would be much better. Without it you would need to keep high temp oven gloves on you.

Until i can afford to buy a shrike/ares. I have a few betas but i don't use them. I bought the armatec 150rd drum and it runs like a dream! No more graphite. I've put 5-600rds thru my "Saw mag" and it's been plenty to play with. Built like a tank!

http://shopruger.com/Ruger-SR-556-Takedown-Barrel-Handle-Accessory/productinfo/90498/

 


Might still need a glove for the barrel latch.