I have 2k 77gr HPBT SMKs. Hopefully the 1:8 twist and barrel length can get them going.
I have 2k 77gr HPBT SMKs. Hopefully the 1:8 twist and barrel length can get them going.
Government is a broker in pillage, and every election is sort of an advance auction sale of stolen goods. HL Mencken. 1919.
crossing my fingers mine ships today and magically shows up tomorrow or thursday!
I found some old S&B Factory 69 grain Match ammo at my LGS today and he has agreed to swap me my 3000 x 55gr Campros for some 62 and 68 grain Hornady projectiles :>)
Doubt I'll get out next couple of days due to the heat wave.....
Will plink with the AE55 I have and load develop with the Hornady's.
"No matter where you go - there you are"
Too smokey and hot today for the range but I put the new ALG trigger in. Wow, night and day from the OEM one.
Further from JaredP's comments on his rifle, half of my handguard screws had loctite and the other half did not. John @ Wolverine has said they should not have loctite but a few got out that way. Use a 3mm allen and they come out with just a bit of pressure required, heads stayed OK.
griffin68 reported his safety selector screws were backing out and needed loctite but mine have loctite both sides. Also his comments regarding the handguard touching the gas block are correct. It is more pronounced on one side - the other side seems fine. Not sure if there is enough play in the guard holder when tightening the screws to keep a gap on all sides but I think Kodiak needs to address this and open up the area around the gas block slightly to guarantee a free floating guard. Probably the easiest thing for them to do is reduce the OD of the gas block a few thou.....
Another slight annoyance to note is any M-Lok accessories on the lower part of the handguard aft of the block need to be removed to take the handguard off. This is due to clearances between the M-Lok t-nuts/screws and the gas block on the way by.
"No matter where you go - there you are"
Sent an email to Kodiak Thursday night ref the handguard clearance. The General Manager has passed it to the Plant Manager for his response.
Note that this email was answered 23:45 Ontario time on Thursday night, 45 minutes after I sent it. Pretty darned quick reply from Kodiak.
"No matter where you go - there you are"
OK, was able to get to the range today with the following Factory ammo:
S&B 69 grain HPBT
Federal AE 62 grain FMJ BT
Much better than the AE 55 grain bulk ammo
Had to sight my scope back in so unfortunately only had a few 69 grain left for group(s).
Sand bags front and back for support
50 yards
100 yards
My LGS targets are not 1" square unfortunately...
62 grain was 2.5" group at 100
69 grain was 2.4" group at 100
So with the 1:8 twist the heavier bullets perform better (as expected).
For the above testing I just loaded mags and shot. No waiting for barrel cooling etc etc.
I'm waiting for anyone to report back on 77 grain - I can't find any locally.
The new ALG ACT trigger is a treat, I would recommend it for around $110
Also, I'm sending the upper back to Kodiak for them to mill the gas block for more clearance on the handguard.
Last edited by Paul_T; 08-14-2018 at 04:40 PM.
"No matter where you go - there you are"
I had mine out today to sight it in and see how it liked my load for my AR. I was able to get 3 x 3/4" 5 shot groups off a front and rear bag with a fixed 10X bushnell at 50 yards. I was more than happy with those results. Didn't try at 100 today but I am satisfied with the accuracy I was getting. The trigger isn't great but usable for now. The included Hera mags are garbage. P-Mags worked well without issue. 10 round LAR mags didn't like to be loaded to 10 rounds, 8 or 9 seemed to ensure first round would feed properly.
I like the rifle and will add a couple items to make it more comfortable. I won't bother with load development beyond what I have done with it today. Its not a precision gun by any means so no point in going down that rabbit hole.