Grain of salt TOTAL newb review. I've never owned a gun and have only shot firearms a handful of times - (.22 a few times, AR15 exactly 3 rounds, 12g shotgun about a dozen shells when I was 16) I grew up doing archery and airguns so I'm not a complete beginner marksman.
Received my new thin barreled keymod XCR-L about 2 weeks ago and have 1 session of 150 rounds and today's session of 200 rounds to base this review on.
Initials impressions:
-Cool, came with a case. Wow, this case is kind of a piece of crap. Can't even fit the gun with optics. At least it came with a case?
-Wow, this thing is small...as in...toy-ish. Wasn't what I expected as far as size. For some reason, I thought it was going to be bigger.
-What's all this criticism about weight? This thing is way lighter/smaller than I had imagined.
-Keymod handguard seems awesomely tight to the barrel...am I going to need rail covers for heat?
-Sights look nice but they seem kinda cheap. (maybe that's the way all iron BUIS are?)
-This is the gas adjustment knob??? Seems kinda wobbly. As stated, I have no gun experience but couldn't Robinson Arms add a rubber bushing or something to make that gas adjustment knob a bit more solid and smooth? I guess it works and it's minimalistic so maybe that's the point?
-Quality seems awesome! How would I know? I wouldn't. Just seems like a pretty well manufactured piece of metal based on my experience with high end mountain bike parts
The downs:
-Stock works well but kinda rattles when extended. Doesn't bother me...just sayin'. (EDIT: It's a minor rattle and only noticeable if I really try to make it rattle. It's just a byproduct of metal on metal sliding parts I think.)
-Cheek piece on the stock is adjustable but not retained by anything other than slots and friction. Before I shot the rifle, I thought the piece might fall off however so far it seems totally solid and I haven't thought twice about since possession.
-Sights actually do kinda suck. They're too wobbly to instill confidence. I can't wait for an optic. (EDIT: Sights don't rattle on their own. They just wiggle around if I use my fingers. The tolerances could be way tighter IMO)
-On my first field strip, the firing pin retaining pin (which I didn't know was there) fell right out of the bolt carrier onto the floor. If I was anywhere but my kitchen it would have been gone forever. Apparently I'm missing a small o-ring to help retain that pin. Wolverine has some on the way for me.
-When trying to use a cleaning rod guide, the ejector prevents the guide from going straight into the chamber. Useless unless you remove the ejector. Maybe that's how it works with other guns as well?
The ups:
-Super simple to disassemble for a beginner like me. All makes good sense. Easy to clean.
-Super intuitive ergonomics. As a beginner I am still in that super safe self conscious mode. The XCR is very intuitive. The bolt catch/release, left side non-reciprocating charging handle, ambi safety and ambi mag release all make learning to operate this rifle very easy. If the charging handle was reciprocating does anyone think I'd have some bruises by now? I'm guessing I would.
Finally - Shooting the damn thing:
Gas setting 1, Questar Pistol mags, 350 rounds of PMC Bronze pretty much flawless, in my opinion
-1 stovepipe, no idea why. On the current gas setting, cases fly between 6 and 10 ft.
-2 failures to feed on mag change. My fault. Sitting on the ground, both times I had the rifle tilted sideways and the charging handle caught my left forearm on bolt catch release.
-Today I shot 150 rounds at a reasonable pace, then hiked out for some seclusion and shot 5x10 round pistol mags in fairly rapid succession - The gun fired totally smooth and flawless but OMFG I didn't realize how quickly the barrel heats up. Thankfully I was wearing gloves because I grabbed the barrel while preparing the rifle for transport in my pack and I heard a sizzle as the snow from my hands boiled off. Beginner error.
-Despite the red hot barrel, the handguard was air temp...tested with a bare hand (+5c and sunny today) I can't see a need for rail covers yet.
-About 1 in 10 rounds has a dented casing on the shoulder
-Sighting in required the rear sight to be 2/3 of the way to the right. I have no idea if that is within the expected range or not. Could be the shooter?
That's it. Having so much fun shooting this gun. I love it. Apologies if I sound like I don't know what I'm talking about...I don't. Lots to learn.
Received my new thin barreled keymod XCR-L about 2 weeks ago and have 1 session of 150 rounds and today's session of 200 rounds to base this review on.
Initials impressions:
-Cool, came with a case. Wow, this case is kind of a piece of crap. Can't even fit the gun with optics. At least it came with a case?
-Wow, this thing is small...as in...toy-ish. Wasn't what I expected as far as size. For some reason, I thought it was going to be bigger.
-What's all this criticism about weight? This thing is way lighter/smaller than I had imagined.
-Keymod handguard seems awesomely tight to the barrel...am I going to need rail covers for heat?
-Sights look nice but they seem kinda cheap. (maybe that's the way all iron BUIS are?)
-This is the gas adjustment knob??? Seems kinda wobbly. As stated, I have no gun experience but couldn't Robinson Arms add a rubber bushing or something to make that gas adjustment knob a bit more solid and smooth? I guess it works and it's minimalistic so maybe that's the point?
-Quality seems awesome! How would I know? I wouldn't. Just seems like a pretty well manufactured piece of metal based on my experience with high end mountain bike parts
The downs:
-Stock works well but kinda rattles when extended. Doesn't bother me...just sayin'. (EDIT: It's a minor rattle and only noticeable if I really try to make it rattle. It's just a byproduct of metal on metal sliding parts I think.)
-Cheek piece on the stock is adjustable but not retained by anything other than slots and friction. Before I shot the rifle, I thought the piece might fall off however so far it seems totally solid and I haven't thought twice about since possession.
-Sights actually do kinda suck. They're too wobbly to instill confidence. I can't wait for an optic. (EDIT: Sights don't rattle on their own. They just wiggle around if I use my fingers. The tolerances could be way tighter IMO)
-On my first field strip, the firing pin retaining pin (which I didn't know was there) fell right out of the bolt carrier onto the floor. If I was anywhere but my kitchen it would have been gone forever. Apparently I'm missing a small o-ring to help retain that pin. Wolverine has some on the way for me.
-When trying to use a cleaning rod guide, the ejector prevents the guide from going straight into the chamber. Useless unless you remove the ejector. Maybe that's how it works with other guns as well?
The ups:
-Super simple to disassemble for a beginner like me. All makes good sense. Easy to clean.
-Super intuitive ergonomics. As a beginner I am still in that super safe self conscious mode. The XCR is very intuitive. The bolt catch/release, left side non-reciprocating charging handle, ambi safety and ambi mag release all make learning to operate this rifle very easy. If the charging handle was reciprocating does anyone think I'd have some bruises by now? I'm guessing I would.
Finally - Shooting the damn thing:
Gas setting 1, Questar Pistol mags, 350 rounds of PMC Bronze pretty much flawless, in my opinion
-1 stovepipe, no idea why. On the current gas setting, cases fly between 6 and 10 ft.
-2 failures to feed on mag change. My fault. Sitting on the ground, both times I had the rifle tilted sideways and the charging handle caught my left forearm on bolt catch release.
-Today I shot 150 rounds at a reasonable pace, then hiked out for some seclusion and shot 5x10 round pistol mags in fairly rapid succession - The gun fired totally smooth and flawless but OMFG I didn't realize how quickly the barrel heats up. Thankfully I was wearing gloves because I grabbed the barrel while preparing the rifle for transport in my pack and I heard a sizzle as the snow from my hands boiled off. Beginner error.
-Despite the red hot barrel, the handguard was air temp...tested with a bare hand (+5c and sunny today) I can't see a need for rail covers yet.
-About 1 in 10 rounds has a dented casing on the shoulder
-Sighting in required the rear sight to be 2/3 of the way to the right. I have no idea if that is within the expected range or not. Could be the shooter?
That's it. Having so much fun shooting this gun. I love it. Apologies if I sound like I don't know what I'm talking about...I don't. Lots to learn.
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