Here is my best shot at a 100% unbiased range report for my brand new .223 Robinson Arms XCR. (None of the .25MOA at 100yards exaggerated internet crap will come from me) I am by no means a gun expert, but I do own 2 other semi-autos, and a bolt action heavy barrel. 90% of the shots I took were from a standing position. All ammo was Winchester 55gr .223, shot out of the stock 5 round mag.
Weight - I have read from a number of online posts that people thought the rifle to be too front heavy. I am about 5’11” and 185lbs, in quite good shape, and after 120 rounds down range I didn’t notice the rifle to be heavy at all. I did find it a bit heavy/awkward when I held the rifle by the front hand guard, but when holding the mag/magwell, it was very nimble. I was able to hit the large gong around 200 yards 5/5 shots from a standing position fairly consistently. I think it would benefit by a vertical front grip mounted as close to the magwell as possible. My girlfriend who is around 120lbs said that the rifle is heavier than the C7 she did basic training with. She seemed to feel like the XCR was too long and heavy for her to shoot effectively.
Accuracy – The stock sights on the XCR come with a dual ring rear sight. When lining up the larger of the two rings with the front post, I wasn’t able to hit the broad side of a barn. I am not sure if it was me or the sights, but my first 10 rounds disappeared down range.. Only god knows where. Using the smaller rear ring, the difference was night and day. I could hit the ~75 yard gong on command, and even the larger ~200 yard gong was fairly easy and consistent.
Loading – Two problems here. Twice after pulling/releasing the charging handle, the rifle failed to pick up a round out of the mag. After the second time it happened, I noticed that the mag wasn’t in 100% of the way. I may not have been pushing the mags in hard enough. After I put a conscience effort into putting the mags into the well with some force, it worked without a hiccup.
The second problem was about half way through the shoot, when the rifle tried to feed two rounds at once. After releasing the charging handle, the bolt didn’t close at all, and I could see two rounds out of the mag holding the bolt open. I don’t know what caused this, but dropping the mag cleared it up, with 1 of the rounds slightly dented. If I was guessing, I would say it was cold fingers not loading the rounds into the mag correctly. I have read reviews that people found the stock 5 round mag to have some load failures, so when the 10 round mags I ordered show up, I will update my progress and hope they clear up the loading issues.
Cleaning – I haven’t gone at it 100% yet, but after the initial tear down, the rifle looks surprisingly clean. Compared to my SKS or M14, far less needs to be removed.
Overall - I couldn’t be happier with the rifle. The drive home was spent calling all my friends to brag about my new rifle. The guy next to me at the range liked it so much, I wouldn’t be suppressed if he is already on a waiting list for the next batch at Wolverine. If anyone sees me at the Malahat range and wants to check out the XCR, please feel free to come say hi. I am more than happy to let you put a few rounds down range if you have some .223 on you. I am trying to get up there again before lunch tomorrow.
Thanks also to Danielle at Wolverine Supplies. They were a great place to do business with.
Weight - I have read from a number of online posts that people thought the rifle to be too front heavy. I am about 5’11” and 185lbs, in quite good shape, and after 120 rounds down range I didn’t notice the rifle to be heavy at all. I did find it a bit heavy/awkward when I held the rifle by the front hand guard, but when holding the mag/magwell, it was very nimble. I was able to hit the large gong around 200 yards 5/5 shots from a standing position fairly consistently. I think it would benefit by a vertical front grip mounted as close to the magwell as possible. My girlfriend who is around 120lbs said that the rifle is heavier than the C7 she did basic training with. She seemed to feel like the XCR was too long and heavy for her to shoot effectively.
Accuracy – The stock sights on the XCR come with a dual ring rear sight. When lining up the larger of the two rings with the front post, I wasn’t able to hit the broad side of a barn. I am not sure if it was me or the sights, but my first 10 rounds disappeared down range.. Only god knows where. Using the smaller rear ring, the difference was night and day. I could hit the ~75 yard gong on command, and even the larger ~200 yard gong was fairly easy and consistent.
Loading – Two problems here. Twice after pulling/releasing the charging handle, the rifle failed to pick up a round out of the mag. After the second time it happened, I noticed that the mag wasn’t in 100% of the way. I may not have been pushing the mags in hard enough. After I put a conscience effort into putting the mags into the well with some force, it worked without a hiccup.
The second problem was about half way through the shoot, when the rifle tried to feed two rounds at once. After releasing the charging handle, the bolt didn’t close at all, and I could see two rounds out of the mag holding the bolt open. I don’t know what caused this, but dropping the mag cleared it up, with 1 of the rounds slightly dented. If I was guessing, I would say it was cold fingers not loading the rounds into the mag correctly. I have read reviews that people found the stock 5 round mag to have some load failures, so when the 10 round mags I ordered show up, I will update my progress and hope they clear up the loading issues.
Cleaning – I haven’t gone at it 100% yet, but after the initial tear down, the rifle looks surprisingly clean. Compared to my SKS or M14, far less needs to be removed.
Overall - I couldn’t be happier with the rifle. The drive home was spent calling all my friends to brag about my new rifle. The guy next to me at the range liked it so much, I wouldn’t be suppressed if he is already on a waiting list for the next batch at Wolverine. If anyone sees me at the Malahat range and wants to check out the XCR, please feel free to come say hi. I am more than happy to let you put a few rounds down range if you have some .223 on you. I am trying to get up there again before lunch tomorrow.
Thanks also to Danielle at Wolverine Supplies. They were a great place to do business with.
