Tag Archives: ar15

Aero Precision M4E1 6.5 Grendel

Product review, Shooting hardware, ,

The 6.5 Meme

You may have seen the popular meme about some of the more popular 6.5 cartridges, in this meme there are some satirical characterizations about the owners of these most popular 6.5mm cartridges. The 6.5 Grendel character is represented by a kooky and eccentric looking fellow you may not want to approach in the truck stop parking lot. I always laughed a bit a this meme, but today I find myself with that same wide eyed stare…

Today we are looking at a 6.5 Grendel rifle made from an Aero Precision M4A1 lower and a 22″ Grendel Hunter upper receiver. The Upper features a 22-inch 8 twist barrel with a threaded muzzle pitched 5/8-24 and of course chambered in 6.5 Grendel. The Grendel is a bit of an oddity in that it uses a cartridge case that uses a bolt face between the very common 223 Remington, and the 308 Winchester. There are only a few common cartridges that use this sized case, such as the 224 Valkyrie and the 6mm ARC. The Grendel allows you to shoot 6.5 (.264) caliber bullets from a small frame AR-15 type rifle, which can vastly change the utility of your AR-15. I have heard of people using the Grendel for hunting animals as big as Rocky Mountain elk, and having used bullets of the same size and velocity I can see why. The only difference I’ve noticed (apart from the 6.5 Grendel barrel) between this and other AR-15 rifles is the use of a different magazine. The Grendel magazines use a different follower, and I had a few laying around from my 6mm ARC project so they got put to good use.
The barrel is a fluted stainless one with a low profile gas block installed, and since it was threaded I fully intended on installing a suppressor to see how the rifle performed as a host.

After getting the rifle home, I set it on my bench and started looking for suitable accessories for the rifle. First and foremost it was going to need a good scope, for that I decided on installing my US Optics FDN17X, it seemed like a good match to the anticipated shooting for the Grendel. I also installed an MLok Harris bipod mount to the handguard so that I could install a bipod to shoot supported. I also grabbed my Yankee Hill Machine Nitro N20 suppressor to see how the rifle shot suppressed.

Ammunition

6.5 Grendel ammunition isn’t as common as most, so I knew going in I was going to have to improvise. I had a bunch of 6.5 Grendel brass already, yes I am unashamedly one of those range creeps that is always digging through brass piles. But I haven’t bought brass in years so I’ll happily take the troll title.
I have a broad selection of .264 bullets, but it seems that Grendel loads are frequently in the 100-120 grain category. So I decided I would load up some PRVI 120 grain BTHP bullets with some Hodgdon Benchmark in Hornady brass. While I claim no expertise in the dark art of handloading, I managed to get them together without any explosions or injury. So together with the outfitted rifle and my fresh loaded ammo, I headed into the hills to see how the rifle shot.

On the Range with the Aero Precision 6.5 Grendel

With a fresh target hung at one hundred yards, I laid behind the rifle to get it zeroed. I had already bore-sighted it before I left the house, so it was ready to put on paper. After the first few shots I made some adjustments to the scope, and fired a group to see how it patterned. My grouping wasn’t terrible, a five shot average of one MOA is at least somewhere to start from. It’s certainly possible the rifle didn’t care for my handloads, and had I been shooting some Hornady Match it might have shot under a half inch. I shot several boxes worth of ammunition through the rifle, and to be honest I can see why so many people like this little cartridge. The recoil is very mild for starters, and I can’t imagine it would be much worse even shooting 140 grain bullets.
It was even better when I added my suppressor to the rifle. I was able to stretch the rifle out to about five hundred yards where I found it still quite easy to hit targets the size of a deer’s vitals.

Pros and Cons

Everybody has their preferences, and I surely have mine so I’ll tell you what I would do with this rifle if I had a magic wand. First I think I’d cut the barrel down a bit, it seems cumbersomely long to me. The long length of the barrel also makes it very front heavy, which if your shooting from a bipod isn’t a big deal but it can be for an offhand shooter.
The Grendel is one of those cartridges where I wouldn’t expect to be blasting one shot rapidly after another, so the ten round magazine is more than enough for my purposes but you may want more if you are a high volume kind of shooter. Continue Reading Here…

\

Sig Sauer MCX 5.56

Product review, Shooting hardware, ,

You may have been hiding under a rock if you’ve not heard of the new Sig Sauer MCX Spear, the MCX family of rifles has been a popular stalwart in the Sig Sauer lineup for some time. The industry giant has been bringing all kinds of developments over the decades they have been manufacturing firearms, and the MCX is one of them. At a glance, the MCX appears to be just an AR-15, but a deeper look into the rifle will show something quite different.

The Dawn of Modern Sporting rifles

Since the first Stoner variant of the AR-15, a buffer tube protruding from the rear of the lower receiver has long been commonplace. The buffer tube serves two purposes; first it houses the buffer and spring which are vital parts of the function of the action, and second it serves as the base structure for the buttstock of the firearm. Buttstocks are typically attached around or to the buffer tube itself, which has dominated the design of all the various available buttstocks for AR patterned rifles.
The design of the MCX migrated the buffer spring and its associated hardware into the upper receiver, an in doing so has changed several aspects of the platform itself. Gone are the days of fitting your buttstock to the tube, in fact, you don’t even need a stock with the MCX. There are “pistol” configurations that don’t even utilize a buttstock.
This tubeless design makes the MCX stand out from the AR crowd, but there is more to this gun than just the buttstock.

The MCX

The MCX shares a great deal of parts with most AR-15 style rifles. Magazines, triggers, and such are compatible, but there are also plenty of differences. The bolt carrier in the MCX is driven forward by a pair of springs that ride just above the carrier inside the receiver. The charging handle also sandwiches into the same area as the recoil springs and bolt carrier. The handguard is attached to the upper receiver and features a very skeletonized keymod attachment section, newer models also have MLok compatible handguards. There is a small window in the front of the handguard to access the two-position gas valve.

Bolt carrier and receivers detail

The lower receiver is very similar to traditional AR lowers except where the buttstock attaches, and additionally features an extra magazine release on the left side of the receiver. There is also a small spring plunger mounted behind the trigger, it appears to be an accurizing add-on to reduce the play between upper and lower receivers. The buttstock itself is a skeletonized design with a built in folding hinge allowing the stock to be stowed to the side of the rifle, this of course doesn’t effect the operation of the rifle. All the mechanics of the operating system are contained within the receivers, so the rifle can fire regardless of the stock position.

Rangetime
As soon as I could, I prepared the MCX for the range. I mounted up a fresh Tango MSR scope also from Sig Sauer, the 1-8 power scope would be an excellent compliment to the MCX. I also grabbed a suppressor because I wanted to see how the rifle functioned suppressed. I packed up some PMC Xtac 55 grain ball ammo to shoot in the rifle, as well as a Magpul MS4 sling to use on the rifle. I also brought a couple assorted P-mags and GI magazines to try in the rifle.

After boresighting the scope, I cracked off the first few rounds and they were quite close to my point of aim. It only took minor adjustments to get the scope zeroed and then it was go time. Shooting the rifle at a hundred yards I quickly gained familiarity with both the rifle and scope, hits came easily as the MCX churned away smoothly. The weight felt surprisingly light, I believe they were advertised at six pounds though I think that is a little under what this one weighed naked.
The three-pronged flash hider seemed very effective at reducing muzzle flash, and the recoil of the 5.56 cartridge is very easy to handle in a rifle this size. The rifle was very comfortable in maneuvering and made for a very enjoyable time spending my money. I stretched the rifle out to the three-hundred yard line where I found it to be still quite accurate, I imagined an errant coyote who might have wandered into range would have been easily dispatched.
Shooting from P-mags and GI metal mags both functioned flawlessly as I would expect from this rifle, I figured it was time to install my suppressor to see how the rifle performed suppressed. This required removing the factory flash hider, and installing my suppressor mount. Sig uses a taper on many of their muzzle devices to aid in alignment, since I wasn’t using a Sig suppressor the taper was unneeded. I mounted up my Yankee Hill Machine Turbo 556 suppressor and went right back to town on the targets.

note handguard and gas valve detail

Suppressed shooting made the MCX really shine. The increased weight seemed to calm down the recoil impulse even further making it easy enough to spot my own hits at 200 yards. The reduced noise is always welcome, and hearing steel targets ring without hearing protection is always better.
Accuracy
Accuracy shown here from the MCX wasn’t spectacular, but I can certainly explain that. The included picture shows five shots from 55 grain PMC Xtac ammunition, it shot much better with Hornady Black 75 gr match but I didn’t get it on paper. Shooting from bags at one-hundred yards with an eight-power scope shivering in below freezing temps may not have given the MCX a fair shake. Continue Reading Here…


Colt M4 Carbine

Product review, Shooting hardware, ,

The AR-15 is perhaps one of the most well known rifles in America, enough to even be known as America’s rifle. And of all the many different AR-15 configurations perhaps one of the most popular is the M4, or one of its clones. Colt has been one of the longest standing manufacturers of this type of rifle, so it feels a bit daunting to try and revisit this as a review. After all, what could I possibly have to offer that hasn’t been said a thousand times over the past twenty years?

The Colt M4 Carbine
The M4 Carbine I received for review is as familiar as Mom’s bacon and eggs on a Sunday morning. The rifle uses all of the standard features we have come to know, a mil-spec two-stage trigger, detachable Stanag pattern magazines released with the push of a button. Charging handle at twelve o’clock above the buffer tube, with a collapsible CAR type buttstock. A single sided safety operated by the thumb, and a bolt-release on the left side of the receiver.
This model came with a sixteen-inch seven twist barrel, threaded 1/2-28 at the muzzle and you guessed it; a bird-cage flash hider on the muzzle. Also included were sling attachment rings front and rear, as well as a fold down rear sight assembly to use with the gas-block mounted front sight.
This is almost exactly the rifle we have all seen in the movies and magazines since childhood, with its flattop receiver designed to take whatever kind of sight you’d like to install there. Commonly you’d see an Aimpoint, Eotech, or ACOG in this position. The only thing left to investigate was to see if it lived up to the expectation.
I prepped the Colt for a range trip, which consisted of mounting up a Trijicon MRO and some ammo to feed it.

On the Range
The M4 is configured for a fighting scenario, or for civilians like myself lots of shooting and maneuvering at relatively close range. Surely it can be used at further distances but for the most part two-hundred yards or less are a most likely where it will be used. A red dot sight like the MRO works great for that scenario.
After sending a few test rounds, I zeroed the sight at 75 yards. Shooting for accuracy is a little easier for me to do with a riflescope, but I was able to shoot some inch and a half groups at seventy five yards. I don’t imagine it would open up too much more at one hundred yards, but it was certainly accurate enough for hitting forty-five percent IPSC targets all over the range. The XM193 ammo flowed through the rifle like a Vegas slot machine payout, and it felt just as valuable to watch it disappear.

Shooting the Colt M4 was as pleasant as you might expect. The mild recoil of the 5.56 cartridge makes shooting the rifle soft and easy to control, muzzle rise is minimal and easily reduced by adding a different muzzle device. The collapsible stock is easily adjusted to fit smaller statured shooters or to accommodate body armor. I’ve never envied left-handed shooters that had to operate an AR, and yet my oldest who has been given by Uncle Sam the opportunity to shoot the M4 extensively using his left-handed stance seemed to not have any issues. He even likes it to my surprise.
Hitting targets for both of us was great fun while using the MRO, I am definitely a scope kind of guy so using iron sights always comes with its contrasting results. It would likely serve me very well to spend more time shooting through these sights if only to improve my capabilities. The Magpul rear sight that came with this rifle was easily used through the Trijicon, I just need to up my iron game.
The M4 comes with pretty much no embellishments, a standard trigger, Magpul Pmag, single-sided safety and so on. That came as no surprise for a service-grade weapon, but I found it didn’t significantly inhibit the performance. Making shots and reloads went as smooth as I could go, and only slowed by my skills or lack of them anyway. Continue Reading Here…

Yankee Hill Machine Turbo 5.56

Product review, Shooting hardware, , , , , , ,

Introduction

It was SHOT Show 2017 And I found myself wandering through the many booths, filled with eye candy and toys. Being a dedicated poser, I knew I had to find something to upgrade my humble arsenal in the upcoming year. With all the places I could have found that something, who would of thought it would have only been steps away.

The Yankee Hill Machine booth is ripe with all kinds of black little goodies. Everything from AR15 parts, suppressors, to complete rifles. My first visit to the NFA club came via YHM, the first suppressor I bought was a YHM Phantom. My experience with it has always been a good one, which has led me to take a peek at some of their new products.

The new YHM Turbo 5.56 caught my eye, since I didn’t have a 5.56 can and I was in desperate need of a reason to build a host. Much to my favor, the Desert Tech MDR beat me to it, and made a perfect host for the Turbo. Click Here If you’d like to know more about the MDR.

The Turbo was made to fill a void in the rapidly expanding suppressor market. It’s stainless steel construction and design keep the cost down, opening ownership to a whole new crowd. It uses an inconel blast baffle, and a QD muzzle brake. With a size, price, and weight advantage it stands to leave much of the competition holding their forms at the door. The street price is under 500$, which is well below average when compared to other brands.
YHM has often been considered a economic choice in sound suppression, but I wanted to see if it would stand up to the cans I was used to.
The QD ratcheting teeth on the Turbo

The 1/2-28 threaded brake that comes with the Turbo, I found it very effective as a brake, and very quick to attach the Turbo to.

I tested the Turbo on two different guns, the aforementioned MDR, and also on a 10.5 inch AR15 pistol. Both guns ran perfect with the Turbo installed, there was a noticeable abundance of gas exiting the receivers of both rifles. That was no surprise to anyone, a host firearm with an adjustable gas system would easily take care of that. The excess gas coming into the receiver, did cause a little bit of extra crud build up in the rifles. But again, that is hard to avoid without cutting back on the gas volume.

Both myself and my brother were impressed with how quiet the Turbo made both of these rifles, well into the range of safe for ears. At least for my deaf ears anyways.
I wanted to see if the suppressor affected the rifle in other ways, so I fired a few groups with the Turbo installed. I was very impressed as the Turbo almost seemed to enhance accuracy, or maybe it was just the increased weight and stability. Either way, the Turbo made no harmful effect to accuracy, as the rifle shot proverbial “lights out”.

Turbo 556 Specifications:
Weight:………………………….13.5oz
Diameter:………………………1.562”
Length:…………………………….6.5”
Construction:…………………17-4 Ph SS / Inconel
Mount:…………………………..Q.D. Muzzle Brake
Decibel Rating:……………….134 dB

Conclusion

Rapid fire, on and off, gun to gun, the Turbo seemed to keep up with whatever we needed it to. The only problem I had at all with the can seemed to be self inflicted. I may Have overtightened it at one point, which caused the brake to come off with it one time. Requiring some excess work to get it apart, but that was my fault.
My initial impressions of this suppressor is that Yankee Hill knocked it out of the park. If you are in the market for a QD 556 can that won’t leave you broke, I don’t think you could go wrong with the Turbo 556.

-CBM