Posted: 4/5/2013 1:09:30 PM EDT
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I took possession of my V7 today (which arrived yesterday) and am pleased to see DD's stated build time is exactly what.....well....they stated. I was told 2 months ago my rifle would ship the week of April 1 and they stayed true to their word. Although I've shot a variety of DD models, this is my first purchase experience. I'm very pleased to see DD enforces a business model that number one....provides a reasonable build timeframe and number two....delivers on said timeframe.
I won't bore you with "unboxing" pics since I'm confident it looks just like every other V7. My initial observations are positive with the exception of the trigger, it is most definitely a mil-spec trigger and very "gritty". I'm confident a thorough cleaning and a couple hundred rounds will smooth out the issue. Tomorrow she has an appointment for her first upgrade, a MB556K break and then 24 hours later it will be time to put her through the paces. Range report to follow. I will mainly be evaluating the heat retention of the MFR during high round courses of fire but if you have a reasonable (not shooting it with a shotgun or dragging it behind a truck) aspect of the V7 you want tested, let me know and I'll try to make it happen. |
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The weather and my schedule have not coperated yet, however tomorrow looks promising. As it stands here is the configuration I will be testing. It sits at 8.4 pounds with the SF can on the bathroom scale and the can weighs right at 1 pound. "Upgrades" include:
Aimpoint M4s w/standard mount Raptor Ambi charging handle MOE+ grip Magpul BUIS Magpul BAD lever BAD CASS Ambi lever Fortis sling point DD break replaced with a SF MB556K SF FA556-212 
I've included an additional pic for the gentleman who was inquiring about the front sling point. 
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I finally had a chance to put my V7 through its paces the past few days and had the following subjective observations:
1. The factory trigger was bad....even for a combat rifle. Upon closer inspection, the contact surfaces of the disconnector and hammer had been machined in a manner that created parallel machined lines rather then vertical lines. This was the cause behind the extraordinary "grittiness" of the trigger. A very meticulous friend spent a great deal of time with a polishing wheel and compound to produce a "grit" free and smooth combat trigger. The lines were merely polished and "smoothed" down, no material was removed or modifications made. The polishing job provided a huge improvement. 2. I'm not a "group" shooter, especially with a combat rifle, however I feel a baseline of a rifle's accuracy in a static environment provides reassurance to the operator in analyzing his capability for various encounters. With that being said, I zeroed my Comp M4s for 50 yards and then utilized a range bag for support and produced the following results. Circle #1 is unsuppressed - I fired 3 rounds and then went suppressed on circles 2 and 3 to gauge shift then went back to circle #1 for my last three rounds unsuppressed. Personally, I was pleased with the results for a CHF barrel and non-magnified optic. On a side note, those who shoot Aimpoints know the red dot is not perfectly circular and can even appear oblique to certain eyes. I found the 2 MOA dot appeared to be the latter for my eyes and was definately a negative in providing "pinpoint" accuracy. Cold bore is labeled and the remaining two rounds of the sequence are the two closest to the CB. The clover leaf is my last (after shooting two strings suppressed) string of three. 
First string suppressed. 
Second string suppressed. 
Today was rather hot in Cincy and I ran a total of 63 rounds in the following rapid manner to test the heat retention of the MFR rail. 20 ft. line - controlled pairs x's 6 for a total of 12 rounds. Walked to 30 ft. line and immediately conducted same drill, total of 24 rounds now. No discernible change. Immediately transitioned to multiple targets, engaged four targets with three rounds each, now at a total of 36 rounds. No discernible change noted. Immediately walked to 75 ft. line and engaged a single target with 12 rounds to preferred area as fast as I could accurately fire. Now a total of 48 rounds. After firing this sequence I noticed significant heat retention from the MFR. Not too hot to accurately engage targets, but noticeable. Immediately walked to 150 ft. line and engaged a single target with 12 rounds to the preferred area and then 3 rounds to the head as fast as I could accurately fire. Final total of 63 rounds. The MFR rail was approaching a temp in which I would have preferred gloves. At the conclusion of the 63 rounds, my suppressor took approximately 5 minutes to cool to the point of handling. I felt the V7 handled very well, even with the FA556-212 and configuration listed above. Accuracy throughout the drill was excellent and I experienced no malfunctions using Hornady 55grn. TAP. I also used the V7 in a local 3-gun match and experienced no malfunctions using generic Federal 55grn. FMJ. It handled very well and I found it to be a viable option for an entry level 3-gun. Overall, I give the V7.....7 out of 10 stars (fittingly). Deductions for the trigger are in order all though DD could remedy the "problem" with a better Q&C inspection. Personally, I feel the MFR should have been able to disperse the heat better than it did and for that reason I felt a deduction was in order. I am not a machinist or engineer so I don't know if a design or material change would remedy the situation. I just feel a combat rifle should be able to provide a more sustained rate of fire without the need for protection. |