I came by a Colt SP1 upper recently, and fell in love with it. It is deadly accurate and weighs nothing. The A1 sights are solid as a rock and will never lose zero. I am pretty much convinced at this point that Eugene Stoner got it right the first time.
But the big-hole adapter is a pain to deal with, and... well... it's kinda too nice to shoot! I'd also like the freedom to modify my rifles slightly (Muzzle devices, etc) without being branded a traitor and heretic. Also, the 1:9 twist option was very seductive.
So I picked up one of Canadaammo's A1-style Norincos. It arrived today. (1 week, not bad!) We all know what they look like, so I'll focus on what's not mentioned.
Finish is what you'd expect from a norc. Not something I care about. Fit isn't the greatest, Upper and lower don't mate terribly tightly. (Typical of a norc).
Receiver
It has an A1-style forward assist and brass deflector, if you can call it that. I prefer the A1 assist, and I'm a righty so brass deflection doesn't affect me terribly.
Semi-auto BCG
Fine by me, it's a lightweight rifle and this shaves off an ounce or two.
That said, I have a BCM BCG that drops in just fine, so I'll be rolling with that for added reliability.
Sights
Instead of the large/small aperture sights we're used to, It has a small aperture...
...And another small aperture. Supposedly one is for 0-300 and the other 300-500. One of them looks noticeably off centre so its a little funky to look through, and I prefer having that large aperture so I'll be switching that out at the first opportunity. (If I can find a replacement!)
Probably most surprising is that, yeah, it has a round handguard cap, but it looked an awful lot like a standard round handguard cap...
So...
It's a struggle, but MOE handguards will go on without modification, and A2 handguards likely will as well. I'll still be replacing the cap with a triangular one for more options and an easier fit.
Speaking of which...
Gas Tube
The gas tube seems to either be divided into three segments (one here, in front of the receiver, and another an inch from the front sight base), or it has some kind of sleeve. I've never seen this before, maybe someone can fill me in? I'm sure it shoots fine, but since it's all coming off anyway, I'll be replacing it with a milspec tube, because why not?
As with every upper I've owned, it fits very snugly in my NEA lower, so that's the configuration I'll be shooting it in.
I'll likely do away with the norinco lower entirely.
4 July 2014 - Range
Finally had some free time so I spent 'Murrica day at the range with a friend, and brought the 20" Upper.
The only thing I've changed out since last post is the Front Sight Post and Rear aperture - I replaced them with Mepro Tritium sights, absolutely no difficulty.
(I could not replace the handguard cap because those pins holding in the front sight base just would not come out. I broke 2 punches and flattened the nose of a third. At least you know the rifle can take a beating!)
Ammo Used:
AE 55gr FMJ Black Box
Norinco 55gr FMJ White Box
100m Prone Unsupported / Iron Sights
After some sighting in and warm up rounds, I found these groups were typical:
The vertical stringing I think was due to me more than anything else. There was some heat haze that gave me difficulty figuring out how high to hold on the target.
Out of curiosity, I also decided to affix bayonet to see what effect that had:
(AE Black Box)
Rounds in the middle shot afterwards by a friend. You know how it is waiting to change targets!
Out to lunch, but still effective!
I spent my remaining ammo snap shooting at the 200yd gong, and it rang every time.
(Starting from standing - target obscured, drop to kneeling, aim and fire. Typically 2-3 seconds).
I can't speak to the loose fitting lower (that I didn't bother using), but the DA556 20" A1 has a solid upper in my book thus far.
Next range trip I'll focus exclusively on shooting paper at 200yds and post the results here.
But the big-hole adapter is a pain to deal with, and... well... it's kinda too nice to shoot! I'd also like the freedom to modify my rifles slightly (Muzzle devices, etc) without being branded a traitor and heretic. Also, the 1:9 twist option was very seductive.
So I picked up one of Canadaammo's A1-style Norincos. It arrived today. (1 week, not bad!) We all know what they look like, so I'll focus on what's not mentioned.
Finish is what you'd expect from a norc. Not something I care about. Fit isn't the greatest, Upper and lower don't mate terribly tightly. (Typical of a norc).
Receiver
It has an A1-style forward assist and brass deflector, if you can call it that. I prefer the A1 assist, and I'm a righty so brass deflection doesn't affect me terribly.
Semi-auto BCG
Fine by me, it's a lightweight rifle and this shaves off an ounce or two.
That said, I have a BCM BCG that drops in just fine, so I'll be rolling with that for added reliability.
Sights
Instead of the large/small aperture sights we're used to, It has a small aperture...
...And another small aperture. Supposedly one is for 0-300 and the other 300-500. One of them looks noticeably off centre so its a little funky to look through, and I prefer having that large aperture so I'll be switching that out at the first opportunity. (If I can find a replacement!)
Probably most surprising is that, yeah, it has a round handguard cap, but it looked an awful lot like a standard round handguard cap...
So...
It's a struggle, but MOE handguards will go on without modification, and A2 handguards likely will as well. I'll still be replacing the cap with a triangular one for more options and an easier fit.
Speaking of which...
Gas Tube
The gas tube seems to either be divided into three segments (one here, in front of the receiver, and another an inch from the front sight base), or it has some kind of sleeve. I've never seen this before, maybe someone can fill me in? I'm sure it shoots fine, but since it's all coming off anyway, I'll be replacing it with a milspec tube, because why not?
As with every upper I've owned, it fits very snugly in my NEA lower, so that's the configuration I'll be shooting it in.
I'll likely do away with the norinco lower entirely.
4 July 2014 - Range
Finally had some free time so I spent 'Murrica day at the range with a friend, and brought the 20" Upper.
The only thing I've changed out since last post is the Front Sight Post and Rear aperture - I replaced them with Mepro Tritium sights, absolutely no difficulty.
(I could not replace the handguard cap because those pins holding in the front sight base just would not come out. I broke 2 punches and flattened the nose of a third. At least you know the rifle can take a beating!)
Ammo Used:
AE 55gr FMJ Black Box
Norinco 55gr FMJ White Box
100m Prone Unsupported / Iron Sights
After some sighting in and warm up rounds, I found these groups were typical:
The vertical stringing I think was due to me more than anything else. There was some heat haze that gave me difficulty figuring out how high to hold on the target.
Out of curiosity, I also decided to affix bayonet to see what effect that had:
(AE Black Box)
Rounds in the middle shot afterwards by a friend. You know how it is waiting to change targets!
Out to lunch, but still effective!
I spent my remaining ammo snap shooting at the 200yd gong, and it rang every time.
(Starting from standing - target obscured, drop to kneeling, aim and fire. Typically 2-3 seconds).
I can't speak to the loose fitting lower (that I didn't bother using), but the DA556 20" A1 has a solid upper in my book thus far.
Next range trip I'll focus exclusively on shooting paper at 200yds and post the results here.
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