Brigade Mfg. Makasi MK-15 Construction and Accuracy Review

Getting tired of waiting for the Makasi and Carmel. Being in Edmonton going to have to get rounds on them in -30 soon or risk never shooting them at all when they're inevitably banned. Made peace with shooting them for a couple months in decent weather before Liberal ####ery but that window is closing fast with the delays.
 
I’d rather it be late arriving but getting a more refined product
Makasi is apparantly fixing a bunch of the QC issues they have so I don’t mind waiting a bit
I’m really hoping they add a shell deflector to them
 
I'm sure everyone is excited for the first batch of NR Makasi to arrive in Canada despite the delays and unclear timelines. I won't be getting a second rifle but would like to hear if the rifles arriving later this year rectify the QC issues that were identified. Here's a complete list of deficiencies that we hope Brigade Mfg. has corrected in the "upgraded" Makasi rifles:

IssueCorrectionSeverity
1. Gas adjustment valve hairpin clip is oversized and falls off easily when the handguard is removed.Use a properly sized hairpin clip.Low
2. Gas block screws do not have any thread locking compound.Use a thread locking compound, preferably Loctite 272 (high temperature, red).Low
3. Barrel nut was not greased during assembly.Use grease on the barrel extension, barrel nut threads, and barrel shoulder, preferably Aeroshell 64 (formerly 33Ms).Medium
4. Barrel lacks dimpling for one of the two gas block screws.Dimple the barrel.Low
5. Picatinny slots are out of spec on the handguard, upper receiver, and lower receiver.Update the CNC machining program.Medium
6. Picatinny slots on the handguard are not aligned with the upper receiver.Update the CNC machining program.Low
7. M-LOK slots are out of spec on the handguard.License the free MAGPUL M-LOK design and update the machining program.Low
8. Clearance on the backside of the M-LOK slots is too narrow and will not allow the T-nuts to fully lock in place.Update the CNC machining program or update the aluminum handguard extrusion.Low
9. Handguard cross bolts partially thread into the barrel nut.Update CNC machining program for the location of the cross bolt screws or update dimensions of the barrel nut.Medium
10. Handguard steel cross bolts tighten into the aluminum handguard.Add steel threads to the handguard for the handguard cross bolts to screw into. Potentially use a thread locking compound, preferably Loctite 243 (oil-tolerant, blue).Medium
11. Charging handle becomes wedged under the handguard.Design clearance in the handguard or prevent the charging handle slide from overtravelling forward into the handguard.High
12. Lower receiver lacks M4 feedramps.Update the CNC machining program to add M4 feedramps.Low
13. Bolt carrier piston strike face (gas key replacement) screws are not secured in place.Use a thread locking compound, preferably Loctite 272 (high temperature, red) or stake the screws.High
14. Rifle did not cycle from the factory.Verify rifle function with test firing from the factory.High

As a quick update, the threads for my handguard's crossbolts are very close to completely being stripped after mounting and unmounting the handguard less than 10 times. This is despite being highly aware of this issue and careful during installation. Now I hope Brigade Mfg. also delivers spare parts to the Canadian market.
 
Additionally, the Makasi demo rifle at TACCOM this year doesn't inspire confidence with Brigade Mfg.'s updated design. From Canadian Caliber's Youtube video, you can clearly see that the Picatinny rail on the updated 15" handguard does not align with the Picatinny rail on the upper receiver.

TACCOM Makasi.png​

The serial number is also #817 which may indicate they have produced maybe 300 more rifles since my rifle was manufactured? I have low confidence with this assessment and ultimately, everyone with pre-orders will find out quickly (or in actuality, quite slowly,) Brigade Mfg.'s production capacity.
 
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