Lockhart Gen 3 preorder
- Thread starter 45C
- Start date
I'm extra thick tonite, because I'm still not entirely clear on what you are planning to do. That's fine though. So long as you are putting a Lockhart Upper on a Lockhart Lower, all will be good. It's if/when folks try to put an AR15 Upper on a Lockhart Lower, or vice-versa that things go sideways, as the Receivers, Bolt Carriers, Firing Pins and Charging Handles are all 15mm longer on the Lockhart Raven as compared to the AR15.
If you've got a Gen 3 Upper on pre-order (that you will presumably build up with spare AR15 parts less the proprietary Raven Charging Handle, Bolt Carrier and Firing Pin), and a complete Platinum Rifle you should have no problem mounting the Gen 3 Upper Receiver on the Gen 2 Platinum Lower Receiver. The only potential glitch is that a Gen 2 Bolt Carrier won't engage with the Gen 3 Upper Receiver's Forward Assist (no "detents" in the Bolt Carrier for the Forward Assist to engage with). If you want to actually use the Forward Assist on your Gen 3 Upper Receiver, you will have to also purchase a Gen 3 Bolt Carrier (sold separately, of course).
Huh - news to me, as Samuel Lockhart told me that all future rifles would ship with a mid-length system when he replaced my faulty "New/Old Stock" Barrel. I reckon he must have changed his mind again, or perhaps found a deal on Barrels with Rifle-length gas systems....
Folks who receive a rifle with a Rifle-length Gas System will simply have to adjust their gas as instructed in the owner's manual (basically repeated by me above). If there are issues, they can trouble-shoot based on the discussion in this thread. One thing to keep an eye out for (although very unlikely) is an early barrel from the small batch with chamber deformation problems. Look for any unusual outwards bulges in the fired brass casings just ahead of the Recess where the Extractor grips the casing. If there are any such bulges, take photos and send to Samuel Lockhart (info@LockhartTactical.com) seeking a new Barrel. They ought to ship one to you immediately, with the expectation that you will eventually ship the defective tube back to Cowichan Lake, BC on Vancouver Island.
I had followed your thread and expected to see mid length gas systems on new ones, but on the facebook page, all the ones that people are just getting now (this past week) directly from LTAC are rifle length gas. Same as the ones that retailers have gotten lately. I got one from CSC, but won’t be able to get out with it until near the end of January.
The replacement Barrel that I received when my original Rifle-Length Barrel was found to be faulty, was a Mid-Length Gas System. That, combined with Samuel Lockhart's statement to me that all future Barrels would be Mid-Length led me to believe that would be the case. Evidently things have changed again in the past 6 weeks or so.
Mid-length and Rifle Length Gas Systems are both fine for an 18.5" Barrel. Dwell time is longer for the Mid-Length, but is entirely adequate for the Rifle Length Gas System. On the other hand, the Mid-Length Sytem results in a slightly more violent movement of the rifle's working parts, which can result in slightly accelerated wear and tear. Regardless of which type of Barrel you receive, you will be good to go.
Mid-length and Rifle Length Gas Systems are both fine for an 18.5" Barrel. Dwell time is longer for the Mid-Length, but is entirely adequate for the Rifle Length Gas System. On the other hand, the Mid-Length Sytem results in a slightly more violent movement of the rifle's working parts, which can result in slightly accelerated wear and tear. Regardless of which type of Barrel you receive, you will be good to go.
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I had requested a mid length gas system with my newest order- early December he had said he was getting more mid length in- having said that- still waiting on it.
One thing that a Mid-Length Gas System offers is the ability to run a short(er) handguard to expose a bit of Barrel towards the Muzzle end. It is mostly aesthetics, but good looks are important too!
Yeah, but you measured only at the Muzzle, where the Barrel rapidly tapers down to its smallest diameter. Measure anywhere else along the Barrel and it is a much different story! My rifle's factory Barrel measures .92" at the Barrel Nut, and tapers down to .70" immediately behind the .750" Mid-Length Gas Journal. The Barrel then runs from .75" at the Gas Block, tapering forwards to .53" right behind the Muzzle Device. Despite the tapering, the Raven's Barrel is considerably beefier than any traditional AR15 "Pencil Barrel" such as those found on my original Colt SP1 Rifle or my SP1 Carbine. The current Raven Barrels are definitely and without question, Medium Contour for 5.56mm/.223 cal.
