That sounds about right. 1.5MOA is an amazing Mini-14 from what I have seen. Granted that is a limited sample set. 1-1.5 MOA is average for an AR. You can better, but the chambers are usually too tight (match like) which causes reliability issues.Vahunter wrote:1.5 MOA out of a mini 14 is rare. Sure there are some out of the box mini's that will do it but don't hold your breath. One day I put a 3 MOA reddot on mine and proceded to shoot a 3" group. I think the sun. moon and stars were aligned perfectly that day because it never happen again even with a 4x12 power scope. I like shooting it because of the pray and spray reliability.
From what I have heard the newer models are fairly accurate.
As a general rule of thumb, it is impractical to shoot groups smaller than your dot/crosshairs without a special target. If the dot or crosshair covers the target, you have a real hard time aiming in exactly the same place every time. You can "fix" this by using a target who has an aiming aid that is larger than your dot. E.g. if you have a 3MOA dot, use a 4-6" bulls eye. You still can't see the target, but you can make sure the scopes dot is in the center of the big target dot. This provides a reference so that you are aiming at the same point every time.
We can easily do 200-300 yards, although the backstop at 300 isn't great so 200 is all I usually let guests shoot. How does a weekend work for you?CowboyT wrote:Actually, I'd love to. Shooting opportunities past 50 yards in NoVA are pretty hard to come by, so sure, definitely up for that.gunderwood wrote: CowboyT, you should come out sometime with Taggure and I. I'll bring my AR(s).
ARs are touchy when improperly lubed. Talk to the guys who run tactical carbine courses and generally they will tell you that most AR stoppages are because of insufficient lubrication. With out lots of lube you get the carbon grit in the upper and it will bind up real quick. If I had to guess, I would say most people don't put enough lube because it makes a real mess to clean up in the upper and idea that ARs jam when they get "dirty." I.e. lube attracts dirt, which in turn cause the gun to jam, therefore, go light on the lube. The military did all kinds of tests, particularly sand, and they said lots of lube in all cases. Their idea of lots of lube was enough oil that you could spread it with your finger. If the metal just looks darker it isn't enough!TBob wrote:I'm not a fan of AR's in general. They are touchy about what they'll shoot and can be a bear to clean, especially in/around the bolt and bolt carrier. But it was fun to build. You can get uppers in all sorts of calibers. I decided to build mine because I wanted a 6.8 mm carbine and got a great deal on an LMT upper, but also am saving towards a .50 Beowolf upper for it. Don't plan on getting a 5.56 upper. That's what my Mini is for.
Yes, that is the biggest problem with DI ARs. Piston ARs seem to pay a 0.5-1MOA accuracy penalty for the lack of cleaning required. Spray cleaners like M-Pro7 are your friend. I love the non-toxic stuff because when cleaning an AR upper it gets on your hands no matter what you do.
+1TBob wrote:As for bargain basement AR-15's, that's exactly all you get. As I said AR's are touchy beasts. A cheap one probably won't shoot as nice as a Mini and certainly won't be as reliable. My experience is that if you pay cheap, you get cheap - especially with firearms. Better to save up a little longer and get something that's reliable and will last.
The AR is a precision machine. Asking for a cheap one is asking for trouble. Generally, QC will suffer. I.e. some examples of a cheap ARs work fine as the tolerances stacked well, but others can't finish a mag without a jam.
Is 5.56mm as good as a "real" rifle cartridge? Probably not (it depends on what you mean by as good), but it isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. Most of the issues are due to poor bullet designs for military use. Switch to a tactical bonded round or Hornady's 75gr TAP and the real world results are impressive enough. In fact, the only stories I hear of LE failures with TAP and similar ammo is because it caused too much damage (i.e. it harmed hostages, bystanders, etc.). Not being LE, I can't vouch for the validity of that, but it is the rumors I've heard.TBob wrote:I see .223 as a fun plinking round and nothing more. You can get .223 dirt cheap in mass quantities. That suits the Mini-14 very well. The 6.8 AR is for serious shooting. If it was a 5.56, it would just be another plinker.
A "real" rifle often weights 9-10lbs empty and pushes 12-13lbs loaded and scoped. A tactical carbine fully loaded can weight 7-8lbs. Mine weights 7.8lbs with 16" barrel, lots of upgrades, an Aimpoint reddot, and 30 rounds. Anything less than 200 yards and particularly under 100 yards I can lay down more firepower, more accurately than any other weapon system I can think of. Personal preference matters, but IMHO that is the whole point of a tactical carbine...a balance of characteristics.
5.56mm is a good balance for sub-200 yard shooting with the right ammo IMHO. It is the wrong cartridge for mid range engagements (200-500 yards) regardless of bullet used. The AR being adaptable makes for a good .243-.284 cal mid range platform.
Recoil is as I remember the AR-15 platform being, that is, pretty minimal. It was a comfortable gun to shoot, and due to the SR-556's piston operation, the bolt didn't get hot. I could feel it getting pretty warm close to the end of the forend, though, where the piston lives.
