Well, the Gen 2 M10X that I bought unfired from a previous owner in the EE has arrived. I bought it just prior to the Barrel deflection issue coming to light, so was understandably nervous while awaiting its arrival! I immediately stripped the rifle to check for Barrel deviation and found that my barrel is slightly off-center .076" to the Right when measured at the Flash-Comp. As this is less than 1/10", I am not sure whether or not my optics will compensate. I did not attempt to "push" the Aluminum Rail to the Right in order to better align it with the Barrel before tightening the Grub Screw, as that is what is causing the sudden "jumps" in windage - people are stressing the Rail to the side, and then the Grub Screw lets go while firing and the Rail pops back into the un-stressed center position. I simply tightened the Grub Screw once I had the Pivot Screw re-installed. That way, the rail (with the optic mounted) does not move in relation to the Barrel when handling and firing the rifle. As others have pointed out, the smart thing for M+M to do would be to press-fit the Aluminum Rail to the Steel Receiver so that there is no more slop between the two. All removing the Rail does is provide improved access to the interior of the Receiver when cleaning. It is no big deal to service the M10X as a one-piece Receiver system. I will strongly consider JB-Welding my Rail and Receiver together once I first determine whether or not Warranty service is required to improve the rifle's accuracy or function. If warranty service is required, I obviously don't want to void the warranty before I receive that corrective service! As the M+M warranty is not transferrable (boo!), the original owner of the rifle has agreed to send it in on my behalf if required. I will know this coming Monday after my inaugural range trip with this particular rifle.
As I stripped the rifle down to check for Barrel Deviation, I could not help but be impressed with the M10X's fit and finish, as well as the elegant simpicity of the design. It really is quite clever how the designer was able to reduce the parts-count by half as compared to an AKM! The machining on the Gen 2 Bolt is impeccable, as it is on the Bolt Carrier and Gas Assembly parts. The OD Green CeraKote finish is smooth and blemish-free, very professionally-applied. Quite frankly, from a design and manufacturing perspective there is little or nothing to fault M+M on. Where this rifle falls down is in its pre-shipment Quality Control (eg. visually-identifiable Deviated Barrels) and its basic performance. If a firearm is not reliable out of the box, then all of the clever design and careful manufacturing is for naught! Sadly, this currently appears to be the case with the M10X, which to date has demonstrated very inconsistent performance and reliability across the 18.6"-barrelled Canadian fleet.
Issues to date appear to be centered around:
a. Deviated Barrels (manufacturer must replace affected Receivers)
b. Light primer strikes (resolve by cutting coils off of Firing Pin Spring, or by installing a stronger Hammer Spring for hard mil-spec primers)
c. Feeding issues (resolve by testing and removing troublesome mags. Use PMags vice steel. Do not "ride" the Charging Handle)
d. Extraction issues with Steel-cased Norinco ammo (resolve by switching to Brass-cased ammo or Barnaul Steel-cased)
e. Ejection Issues - Stovepipes (possibly due to overgassing and high Bolt Carrier velocity. Resolve with stronger Ejector Spring and/or Hammer Spring)
Consistent with the opinions of many on CGN, a rifle is nothing if not reliable and therefore trustworthy. It has to work when needed, and right now there is no guarantee out of the box that an M10X will do so. As things currenty stand, each rifle must be individually test-fired and then carefully "tweaked" with stronger springs, brass-cased ammo, polymer mags, and/or other adjustments in order to reach a level of acceptable reliabllity. Improved QC at the M+M factory would likely go a long ways towards improving immediate reliabiity, as would the installation of those stronger Trigger and Hammer Springs right from the get-go. That the rifle now ships with a PMag is a definite step in the right direction, but there is still much work to be done by M+M. This is needed both to improve the rifle's reliabiity, and then to rebuild consumer trust in the company and its platform.
Test-firing on Monday will tell the tale of my particular M10X. Assuming that the Barrel is not so deviated that my optics cannot compensate, I am confident in my ability to get the rifle up and running in the face of minor issues. We shall see. Watch and shoot.....
