Brigade Mfg. Makasi MK-15 Construction and Accuracy Review

[Feminist]

Im okay with a heavier barrel...but that's just me.

Judging by the OP pics from google drive, the 16" Makasi barrel is a government profile M4 barrel with a M203 cut, but instead of being 14.5" it's extended to 16" due to NFA.

The government profile was designed with the intent of having extra stiffness near the muzzle for bayonet use, and the incorrect perception that soldiers were bending M16A1 barrels by using them to pry open crates. Both are highly dubious justifications on a modern rifle.

The problem is multi fold:

1. The government profile is thinnest between the chamber and gas block, it has the least material in the segment with the highest thermal load, while simultaneously putting useless mass towards the muzzle. This makes the barrel more suspectable to thermal drift while at the same time hurts ergonomics by introducing a front heavy bias.​

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2. The M203 cut is purely extraneous. It sits under the handguard and serves zero practical purpose. But it does create a spot of local thermal unevenness, introduces harmonic discontinuity, and the cutout creates a stress concentration point. All of that affects accuracy and consistency of the barrel.​

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3. Weight distribution is completely backwards. Barrel profile plays a big role not only in the total weight of the rifle, but also in how it feels and handle. It appears they extended the thick section all the way out to the muzzle for the 18.6" barrel version. This results in an even more front heavy feel, common to many NR modern sporting rifles in Canada.​

 

[Painkillers]

Making assumptions? We can see several examples of the Makasi all having issues and there are lots of negative reviews about Brigades products in general. With said issues remaining unaddressed for MANY YEARS that speaks even more of the character of Gus.

We are drawing logical conclusions based on Gus's own statements and behavior.

It is more than fair to go after the owner for his on camera performance because he is blatantly lying to people while doing it.

It is much easier to tell the truth than to lie. When you tell the truth, you do not need to remember what you said before. Lies grow bigger and harder to manage over time.

After 10 years of Trudeau going uhh and umm through the constant lies it's not hard to recognize this pattern at all.

The guy doing the interview is a coward and blatant shill, made obvious in the YT video descriptions saying these are the best made and he can't wait to buy them, love at first sight/ect.

Classic Firearms are also shilling for Brigade as noted in their conclusion.




L:ying through your teeth with a big smile speaks volumes about a persons character and sense of morals which we are rightfully judging.

I compared Gus directly to NEA/BCL from the get go because this exact behavior has been demonstrated at extensive lengths by Jeff Hussey and his crew of shills.

He reminds me of this guy.

 

[Sma the Average]

I concur. I tend to be prepared for the worst while hoping for the best, which I think applies quite well to Brigade Manufacturing and their Makasi rifle as it enters the Canadian market.

The fact that one of the few Restricted Makasi's currently in Canada is apparently a malfunctioning "lemon" is troubling news, and there's nothing to be gained from diminishing the truth or ignoring the facts. This strongly implies that the rifle in question left the factory in highly unreliable condition, despite whatever live-fire testing and/or post-assembly QC the Makasi's receive from their parent company. This does not inspire confidence in Brigade Manufacturing's internal QC systems, notwithstanding all of the positive U.S. Youtube reviews of the Makasi rifle.

Despite the above, others have received Restricted Makasis which functioned fine following the recommended break-in period. The rifle received by GT did not experience the nose-diving Charging Handle/Handguard interface, nor did it appear to suffer from out-of-spec top rails. It ran reliably and produced acceptable accuracy. Are there minor "issues" with GT's rifle? There are, but they are nothing that cannot be readily remedied by a mechanically-astute owner.

So what to believe? On the balance of probabilities, we can expect to receive a rifle which (following break-in) is reliable and reasonably accurate, notwithstanding the singular example of a lemon received by one customer thus far. We can expect there to be minor issues such as a loose Gas Plug Retention Clips, which are easily sorted by just about anyone. We can expect the Handguard Retention Screws to have been installed in such a way that they partially thread the grooves of the Barrel Nut. This is unsightly and speaks again to sloppy QC by Brigade Manufacturing, but at the same time it is hardly the end of the world provided the Handguard mounting is solid and repeatable without further wear to the Barrel Nut. What else? Nothing much comes to mind based on what I have read and watched about the Makasi thus far. So, not what I would "normally" consider to be a $2400 rifle, but these are not "normal" times with only two 5.56mm/.223 cal semi-automatic platforms currently available to Canadian consumers. Based on what I know about both platforms I am going to stay with the Makasi, quirks and all. So long as mine is reliable and reasonably accurate following the break-in, I will be well satisfied.

Fair analysis, it seems it'll come down to Brigade Mfg.'s QC at the end of the day. But it's exactly what makes evaluation so difficult - some will receive great rifles without issues, and others like mine. It also depends on how experienced the buyer is who can notice things as small as unstaked gas key screws or the lack of grease on the barrel nut.

My experience with the rifle is just an unlucky consolidation of all the negative aspects which have been reported to some extent by American reviewers. I certainly hope the rifles that other Canadians receive run fine (especially with the extra operating pressure and dwell time of the 18.6" barrels,) but I have my doubts since the factory couldn't even bother to update their digital user manual.

Anyways, I've already voided the warranty by swapping to a 12.5" barrel. Ran 300 rounds today without issue after removing one of the recoil springs for a total lifetime round count of 581. Gotta love AR15 parts compatibility, there's usually something that can be purchased to fix these issues.

 

[zupermann]

Judging by the OP pics from google drive, the 16" Makasi barrel is a government profile M4 barrel with a M203 cut, but instead of being 14.5" it's extended to 16" due to NFA.

The government profile was designed with the intent of having extra stiffness near the muzzle for bayonet use, and the incorrect perception that soldiers were bending M16A1 barrels by using them to pry open crates. Both are highly dubious justifications on a modern rifle.

The problem is multi fold:

1. The government profile is thinnest between the chamber and gas block, it has the least material in the segment with the highest thermal load, while simultaneously putting useless mass towards the muzzle. This makes the barrel more suspectable to thermal drift while at the same time hurts ergonomics by introducing a front heavy bias.​

​

2. The M203 cut is purely extraneous. It sits under the handguard and serves zero practical purpose. But it does create a spot of local thermal unevenness, introduces harmonic discontinuity, and the cutout creates a stress concentration point. All of that affects accuracy and consistency of the barrel.​

​

3. Weight distribution is completely backwards. Barrel profile plays a big role not only in the total weight of the rifle, but also in how it feels and handle. It appears they extended the thick section all the way out to the muzzle for the 18.6" barrel version. This results in an even more front heavy feel, common to many NR modern sporting rifles in Canada.​

Yup! Apparently some companies think M203's are common in the modern sporting rifle crowd...

 

[Karnage]

He reminds me of this guy...

That guy is getting daily rectal probing. What a sikko...

 

[Feminist]

Fair analysis, it seems it'll come down to Brigade Mfg.'s QC at the end of the day. But it's exactly what makes evaluation so difficult - some will receive great rifles without issues, and others like mine. It also depends on how experienced the buyer is who can notice things as small as unstaked gas key screws or the lack of grease on the barrel nut.

My experience with the rifle is just an unlucky consolidation of all the negative aspects which have been reported to some extent by American reviewers. I certainly hope the rifles that other Canadians receive run fine (especially with the extra operating pressure and dwell time of the 18.6" barrels,) but I have my doubts since the factory couldn't even bother to update their digital user manual.

Anyways, I've already voided the warranty by swapping to a 12.5" barrel. Ran 300 rounds today without issue after removing one of the recoil springs for a total lifetime round count of 581. Gotta love AR15 parts compatibility, there's usually something that can be purchased to fix these issues.

How's the ejection pattern with the 16" and 12.5" barrels? No brass deflector might be a deal breaker for left handed users.

 

[CobraGT]

Anyways, I've already voided the warranty by swapping to a 12.5" barrel.

I'd love to see pics