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Posted: 5/31/2011 6:29:24 PM EDT
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My dealer called to tell me he had a box from Barrett with my name on it waiting for me. I eagerly ran down there today to pick it up. Inside was a shiny new REC7 chambered in 5.56.
I've only had time to shoot 60 rounds through it so far but will update with range info as soon as I can. I'm pleased to see that the REC7 ships with a full-auto bolt carrier and will let you guys know how the gun runs on full-auto as soon as I'm able. Enjoy! Barrett REC7 with Hi-Lux 1-4x scope 
Rifle field-stripped 
Barrett REC7 bolt. Note the groove milled behind the locking lugs. 
Gas Piston parts. Simple! 
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| I think it is a well-thought designed feature to vent out the front! Not that I get all that much venting under the handguards of my LMT piston, but the ability to clean around the gas block without pulling the barrel out is just a nice touch. Those folks at Barrett are a good, patriotic bunch too. I don't own any right now, but who knows what the future holds after getting an MR556. |
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I have been running the gun most of the week and have four hundred rounds fired now. Most of that has been Prvi 55gr and most has been on full-auto using a Colt lower with the Barrett buffer spring and H2 buffer in place.
The few rounds I've fired on semi-auto have been mainly for sight in and I've found that the rifle is about a 2"-2.5" shooter with ball. It has been rather windy this week so I'm saving my 69gr and 75gr ammo for a calm day. I have found that, using the H2 buffer, the gun seems a little under gassed and I've had some short stroke issues with the Barrett upper on the Colt lower. Switching to an H buffer has produced good results. I did try two magazines of Winchester Q3131 (or was it American Eagle 55gr?) using the H2 buffer with no issues. I talked to the nice folks at Barrett about this and they told me they build and spring the guns to run with M855. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2bwDiAoCus |
| Is it worth the money? I really want one in 6.8 but the price ...... I don't ask in smart ass way, I am interested very much but hell I could get a SCAR for the money or really there are a lot of rifles you could get for the money but I don't mind paying for something if its worth the coin. Have fun with the new rifle. |
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Is it worth the money? I really want one in 6.8 but the price ...... I don't ask in smart ass way, I am interested very much but hell I could get a SCAR for the money or really there are a lot of rifles you could get for the money but I don't mind paying for something if its worth the coin. Have fun with the new rifle. I haven't been able to answer that myself. There are some nifty things about this gun and its quality is evident but it is a very expensive package. |
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well from your vid it looks like you will put it through some serious work let us know how it holds up. Nothing test a rifle like full auto. I would like to know if the ring in the bolt really does what they say (collect the gunk as it builds up) From what I understand, the groove in the bolt is there to help alleviate the possibility of breaking a locking lug and has nothing to do with collecting gunk. |
| Hum I just read that about the groove in the bolt like two weeks ago in a mag i was looking at while the wifey was shoping (I think it was special weapons for leo/military or one of those). It is the reason the writer of the article gave it, I am assuming he was just another writer for gun mags and not an employee of the manufactorer. Maybe he was wrong, which now makes me wrong. Either way lat us now how it holds up to all that auto fire. |
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Hum I just read that about the groove in the bolt like two weeks ago in a mag i was looking at while the wifey was shoping (I think it was special weapons for leo/military or one of those). It is the reason the writer of the article gave it, I am assuming he was just another writer for gun mags and not an employee of the manufactorer. Maybe he was wrong, which now makes me wrong. Either way lat us now how it holds up to all that auto fire. The groove could certainly serve the function of catching gunk and residue in addition to removing a potential stress point on the bolt. But, really, there isn't much crud inside the action to get into the groove... I read the same article, by the way. |
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Melvin,
Do you have any experience with LWRC? Just wondering how they compare, considering the prices seem similar (at least, the prices of the uppers do). On Arfcom, I think LWRC has a much better reputation than Barrett, but in other firearms circles, including military snipers (I am not one, I've just heard stories), Barrett has a very good reputation. What do you think? Thanks! |
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Melvin, Do you have any experience with LWRC? Just wondering how they compare, considering the prices seem similar (at least, the prices of the uppers do). On Arfcom, I think LWRC has a much better reputation than Barrett, but in other firearms circles, including military snipers (I am not one, I've just heard stories), Barrett has a very good reputation. What do you think? Thanks! Sorry. I have no experience with LWRC. My local dealer has an SBR that he shoots fairly regularly and I've examined it but never shot it. |
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We had a calm windless morning for the first time in a couple weeks and I was able to get out and finally get some good groups on paper. This morning I shot a small quantity of Prvi 69gr, Hornady 75gr steel and some handloads using a Hornady 68gr BTHP bullet and H335 powder. The Barrett doesn't seem too crazy about the Prvi stuff but it really likes the 75gr and the 68gr stuff.
Here's an example of my 75gr target: 
And here's a group I fired with my hand loads: 
Not bad for an inaccurate piston gun! |
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I talked to the nice folks at Barrett about this and they told me they build and spring the guns to run with M855. Sounds a bit limiting, no? Not really. If they built the guns to run with WOLF, they'd be overgassed for everything else. Barrett's gas regulator only has two settings. One for suppressed and one for unsuppressed. It doesn't have (but maybe could use?) an "adverse" setting like some. |
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I have been running the gun most of the week and have four hundred rounds fired now. Most of that has been Prvi 55gr and most has been on full-auto using a Colt lower with the Barrett buffer spring and H2 buffer in place. The few rounds I've fired on semi-auto have been mainly for sight in and I've found that the rifle is about a 2"-2.5" shooter with ball. It has been rather windy this week so I'm saving my 69gr and 75gr ammo for a calm day. I have found that, using the H2 buffer, the gun seems a little under gassed and I've had some short stroke issues with the Barrett upper on the Colt lower. Switching to an H buffer has produced good results. I did try two magazines of Winchester Q3131 (or was it American Eagle 55gr?) using the H2 buffer with no issues. I talked to the nice folks at Barrett about this and they told me they build and spring the guns to run with M855. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2bwDiAoCus I am now starting to believe that my earlier cycling problems were more the result of tolerance stack than low powered ammo. The Barrett has always run fine with the Barrett factory lower and it worked fine on another full-auto lower Friday. Same ammo, same H2 buffer. I'll have to check out the lower I used with the H buffer and play with it again. |
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I need to replenish my stash of cheap steel cased ammo. Anyway, I will get some WOLF and run the Barrett in both semi- and full-auto. The gun is clean and oiled now and I'll take some pictures after I've put 500 rounds or so downrange so we can see how dirty the operating parts get. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Quoted:
We had a calm windless morning for the first time in a couple weeks and I was able to get out and finally get some good groups on paper. This morning I shot a small quantity of Prvi 69gr, Hornady 75gr steel and some handloads using a Hornady 68gr BTHP bullet and H335 powder. The Barrett doesn't seem too crazy about the Prvi stuff but it really likes the 75gr and the 68gr stuff. Here's an example of my 75gr target: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Barrett%20REC7/utf-8BSU1HLTIwMTEwNjExLTAwMTQxLmpwZw.jpg And here's a group I fired with my hand loads: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Barrett%20REC7/utf-8BSU1HLTIwMTEwNjExLTAwMTQ0LmpwZw.jpg Not bad for an inaccurate piston gun! Can you take some 5 -10 shot groups? |
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Quoted:
We had a calm windless morning for the first time in a couple weeks and I was able to get out and finally get some good groups on paper. This morning I shot a small quantity of Prvi 69gr, Hornady 75gr steel and some handloads using a Hornady 68gr BTHP bullet and H335 powder. The Barrett doesn't seem too crazy about the Prvi stuff but it really likes the 75gr and the 68gr stuff. Here's an example of my 75gr target: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Barrett%20REC7/utf-8BSU1HLTIwMTEwNjExLTAwMTQxLmpwZw.jpg And here's a group I fired with my hand loads: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/tokarev/Barrett%20REC7/utf-8BSU1HLTIwMTEwNjExLTAwMTQ0LmpwZw.jpg Not bad for an inaccurate piston gun! Can you take some 5 -10 shot groups? I'm pretty limited on "match" ammo at the moment but will see what I can do. |
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I mean in the sense that it should work with whatever you feed it with. What happens if/when you can't find any M855? You're fucked?
Plus, I was under the impression that M855 was waning in popularity and effectiveness, hence other cartridge variations being developed to do the job better (ex: Mk. 262) |
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I mean in the sense that it should work with whatever you feed it with. What happens if/when you can't find any M855? You're fucked? Plus, I was under the impression that M855 was waning in popularity and effectiveness, hence other cartridge variations being developed to do the job better (ex: Mk. 262) I'd guess the Barrett is built and tested to run current USGI ammo. I've got a case of WOLF on order. We'll see how it does... |
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In sorting through some ammo in cans, I found that I had 500 rounds of old school WOLF 55gr ammo with the lacquered cases. I took this and the REC7 out to the range this morning for a little playtime.
The WOLF shot okay from 100 yards, holding about 4" groups. Crap ammo in a nice rifle is still going to produce mediocre accuracy. This I expected and I was actually more interested in how the rifle would function and cycle with the old cheap stuff. I ran 120 rounds through the gun using the factory lower and another 60 rounds using a select fire lower. I'm pleased to report that I experienced no issues. One thing I note is that the REC7 vents all its propellant gases out the back of the gas block and out the lightening holes in the DD rail. The rail and parts of the upper look rather brown and sooty and I wonder if this exhaust would eventually find its way onto flashlight lenses, etc. 
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Here are some accuracy results from today's outing. The day was overcast and generally calm with an occasional gust. I used an old metal sign to help stabilize my target stand. All groups were fired off a sandbagged rest from 100 yards. All groups were fired using the Leatherwood 1-4x CMR scope.
Ten rounds of 75gr Hornady BTHP loaded with H335: 
Eight rounds of 56gr Golden Tiger FMJ: 
Ten rounds of 52gr BTHP loaded with AA2230C: 
Eight rounds of Speer 45gr spitzer loaded with a max load of H335. One to the body and one to the head! 
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