AR Sponsor
Posted: 12/1/2012 5:05:09 PM EDT
| I am wondering about the quality and battle proving of the piston setups many consumers are thinking they are bees knees when the quality DI manufactures are using maching gun metals and manufacturing tech that are used in real M16s ,M4sAnd But the consumer brand piston ARS are not machine gun quality. |
| Ok...it was kind of hard to follow your post, but I have an LMT MRP CQB Piston rifle and it runs great. It is my new go to gun. I also have several D.I. rifles that I would have no reservations in using if SHTF. The LMT build quality is outstanding, but so is my Colt LE6920, Pre-Ban bushmater, CMMG M4 clone with ParaUSA lower and my new pre-ban Eagle Arms 20" A2. I like the piston setup of the LMT. Very simple design that actually cuts down on the number of parts used in the construction of the rifle. Im not sure if it is battle proven yet, but I don't really care. Is it leaps and bounds better than the D.I. rifles? I would say its more of an evolutionary step rather than revolutionary. |
|
Hey Coke, have you ever been issued and carried an M-16? As an Infantryman who carried an M-16A2 and the new M-4 (back in the day) I can tell you that we nicknamed them "Jamomatics." If kept pristine, they are fine. Introduce a large carbon build-up, some sand to stick to it, etc..... and when in a fight for your life, you hear the ringing sound of a "click" when you should hear a "bang" and you will rethink the DI system.
For the everyday person, a DI system is just fine, however, some prefer a piston. I know that I sure do. Yes, some are better than others, and that's the same for many DI guns too. I personally would never own a Colt AR. After all, they were/are the lowest bidder........... As for combat effectiveness, I own a Hogan Gun and would take that thing to combat in a heartbeat. It was carried every day while on patrol so that means I trusted it with my life. There are several other piston driven rifles that I think would be very combat effective as well. |
|
My DD 1x7 10.5 inch chrome lined barrel that I matched with an Adams arms Piston kit runs with all our agency Colt Mil spec guns and it does it with less recoil and less lube requirements .
Both DI and piston guns will run fine in harsh environments... My AA kit is melonite coated and has a one piece Bolt carrier. |
|
Piston has more moving parts, sure, and maybe the a pinch point or two if you get grit in the piston channel. Not sure how probable that is, but nothing's impossible, I suppose.
I very much appreciate the long term operating aspects of a piston system that keeps the heat and discharge away from the lubrication. This way the lube doesn't burn off the moving parts, and it doesn't get super grimy super fast. However, I would wonder how much heat dissipation a DI system creates vs a piston system. That is, and I may be wrong, but I would think the gas block and barrel would get hotter on a piston than DI system. If so, could that have any harmful effects after extended firing? As an aside, I came across a long thread on M4Carbine that got me thinking. People seem to think the Stoner DI system is one that isn't broke, shouldn't be fixed, and is the way God intended it to be. However. How much did cost factor in to the decision to use the DI gas tube system over a piston actuated system? That is, maybe it's the best system for the cost, but not necessarily the best system possible? I understand a piston AR is a gun of compromises, shoehorning a new system onto an existing platform so as to leverage the existing base of compatible parts. I can't imagine any government agency picking the most expensive system because it's the best? |
|
Not sure what you mean by manufacturers not using "machine gun parts". I've carried the same M4 through one tour in Iraq and my current tour in Afghanistan. I've had a couple of failures to feed which were from bad magazines. Fortunately I found the bad magazines on the range and not out on mission. I will say this, if given the opportunity to bring my LWRC M6A2 on deployment vs the issued M4, I'd take my LWRC in a heartbeat. First off, I can shoot much better groups with my LWRC. Using the same optics (Eotech w/ 3x magnifier), I can shoot five rounds within the zero target with my M4. With my LWRC I can keep all rounds touching inside the zero target. Granted, the ammo used was different. It was M855 whenever I zero with my M4, and I've shot touching groups with M193, PMC, and Hornady. I would say my LWRC has a better barrel, a chrome lined CHF barrel. Not sure how the M4 barrel is made. I would also like the 16" barrel vs the 14.5" barrel on my M4 for a little more velocity. I prefer the rock solid 9" freefloated handguard of the LWRC vs the 7" non freefloated rail of my M4 that tends to wiggle. When I get home, I plan on replacing the LWRC handguard with a 12" Samson handguard. The trigger on my LWRC has a much more positive and crisp feel. I also prefer the flip up front sight vs the front sight post of M4. As for durability, I have no doubt the LWRC would be able to survive the rigors and abuse of combat. As far as I know, the LWRC is pretty much mil-spec minus the piston system and the modification to the bolt. So I see no reason why it would be any less durable.
My only hesitation in using my LWRC would be lack of support. Obviously, if something goes wrong with my M4, I can take it to the small arms shop and they'd fix it, replace the parts, or issue a completely new weapon depending what's wrong with it. If I were somehow allowed to bring my LWRC, I'd be SOL. So while my M4 has proven to be a reliable and durable weapon, I would prefer my LWRC over the M4 for its ergonomics and better accuracy. With that being said, I would have no issues with my M4 if I could put on a low profile gas block, a 13" Troy Alpha Rail, magpul MIAD grip, and a Geissle trigger. I'm already running a Vltor Imod stock, a BCM Gunfighter Mod 4 Charging Handle, and a QD sling mount at the receiver end plate and on the 9 o'clock rail nearest the receiver with a Magpul MS3 sling, with the issued ARMS #40L BUIS. That would be a sweet weapon in my opinion. If I had my M4 set up this way, I probably wouldn't want anything else except maybe a 1-6x variable power scope like a Leupold Mark 6, Z6i, or S&B Short Dot. |
AR Sponsor