Crusader Arms Templar quality control issues and response
- Thread starter JayCorbett
- Start date
Maybe Kodiak should just ship a spare piston in the box with each new rifle..... save on postage later! LOL!
Seriously, where are all of these reports of warranty-returned Templars coming from? Reddit? That place is truly the blind leading the inexperienced, so I don't place much stock in anything that I read there. There honestly isn't very much to go wrong on the Templar design, so I'm very curious to hear the reasons behind this sudden rash of warranty returns. I can understand and believe (but definitely not abide) QC slipping in a rush to get rifles out the door while the getting is good. There is a big difference in my mind if a rifle is returned for cosmetic QC issues rather than functional failure, although no return should be requred in the first place! So does anyone know the reasons for the warranty returns?
I wouldn't lose much sleep over one unsatisfactory interaction between a vendor and a customer. Who knows? Maybe the vendor was stressed and short-tempered. Maybe the customer really was an idiot. Hard to say without a pattern of demonstrated behaviour....
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That is entirely unacceptable. They should have provided you with a replacement rifle long before now!
Did you happen to pay by credit card? Could you have them do a charge-back??
I wonder if they're busy due to holiday season. They've been a bit challenging to get a hold of through email.
Also impressions so far: Heavy. Very heavy. I think Mark mentioned he doesn't think they can peel more weight off, but I suspect it can be done. There's some useless aluminum on the upper which I assume is for rigidity? But I suspect you could cut out whole chunks of mid side and bottom of the upper extrusion not meant for optics and replace it with some lightweight polymer. Also barrel fluting or a lighter weight profile would be a good addition for a Gen 1.1 or 2 or whatever. Looks like a similar profile as the MCRs but the MCR barrels were already a bit hefty. I like the bolt release, but the charge handle... not sure yet. It's a bit too far forward to get a fabric wrap where I would want it. Otherwise the HK style alternative bolt hold open is pretty nice idea for 3gun purposes. I guess I'll find out in the next match unless the psychopathic LPC get their level insano gun ban in.
Also impressions so far: Heavy. Very heavy. I think Mark mentioned he doesn't think they can peel more weight off, but I suspect it can be done. There's some useless aluminum on the upper which I assume is for rigidity? But I suspect you could cut out whole chunks of mid side and bottom of the upper extrusion not meant for optics and replace it with some lightweight polymer. Also barrel fluting or a lighter weight profile would be a good addition for a Gen 1.1 or 2 or whatever. Looks like a similar profile as the MCRs but the MCR barrels were already a bit hefty. I like the bolt release, but the charge handle... not sure yet. It's a bit too far forward to get a fabric wrap where I would want it. Otherwise the HK style alternative bolt hold open is pretty nice idea for 3gun purposes. I guess I'll find out in the next match unless the psychopathic LPC get their level insano gun ban in.
Thanks for contributing your feedback to the thread; I will Instagram message a link to Spectre Steve. I suspect they have been slow on response between limited holidays, cranking out as many Templars as they can to beat the potential oncoming bill, and trying to feed the U.S. market to get that established.
Actually, this is what I said in the other thread concerning potential weight reduction for the Templar:
"The thickness of the monolithic Handguard has already been shaved down as much as the designers thought prudent, so cutting it back a few inches would likely save grams rather than ounces. Turning down the steel Barrel forward of the Gas Block could save more substantial weight, but at the risk of degrading the currently excellent accuracy.
I think that Fluting of the entire Barrel length is the answer for weight reduction in conjunction with hollowing/recessing the sides of the Bolt Carrier and removing the Steel Reinforcing Plate on the Left side of the Upper Receiver. Fluting not only reduces weight, it also has the benefits of:
- Maintaining the original Barrel rigidity, and
- Increasing the surface area available for cooling, thus resulting in more rapid heat transfer to the atmosphere."
I see no problem either reducing the size of the Upper Receiver's Steel Reinforcing Plate, or eliminating it altogether. A properly timed and toleranced AR180 style rifle should have no contact between the Bolt's steel Cam Pin and the Aluminum Receiver Wall in any case. I personally believe that the hype about "steel on aluminum contact" is excessive, as no such contact ought occur in a properly designed and assembled firearm. That said, if folks insist on having a steel Reinforcing Plate in the Receiver Wall, make it 1/3 the length and focus just on the area where the Bolt Cam causes Bolt rotation, since that is where such contact occasionally occurs. You could save a bunch of fairly thick steel (and its associated weight) by eliminating, reducing and/or thinning the rails of the Receiver Reinforcing Plate.
To summarize, I believe that you could knock 2 lbs off of the Templar by Fluting the Barrel, Eliminating or reducing the steel Upper Receiver Reinforcing Plate and Hollowing the sides of the Bolt Carrier. Attack the Templar's steel content, and you will achieve the greatest weight savings based on material eliminated.
Counter-proposal; leave the Templar alone as a beefy, clean-receiver dependable piston big boy. Make a new DI version, so you can use pencil or really heavily fluted barrels with a gas tube, while keeping the 180 recoil system, and add a 1913 rail to the back, so you could sell it as a pistol in the States to compete against the CMMG Dissent and other compact firearms. Offer a Blackout and 7.62x39 mm version. Accept the short boy restricted rifle or pistol will be a dirty DI boy and clean it like an AR-15. Still implement Bartok's steel plate reduction to save weight. Thoughts?
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