Finally... A black rifle... LOL!

Gotta convince the gf that a range day is a good idea now...

Saturday is always a range day for me! Girlfriend convincing takes place Friday night. ;)

Welcome back btw. Is Albania still pretty warm this time of year?

Also: You missed the "Holy-flip-its-a-T97!!" this week and "Blimey-I-can-fit-15-rounds-of-223-into-my-50-beowulf-mag!!!" the week before that
 
Saturday is always a range day for me! Girlfriend convincing takes place Friday night. ;)

Welcome back btw. Is Albania still pretty warm this time of year?

Also: You missed the "Holy-flip-its-a-T97!!" this week and "Blimey-I-can-fit-15-rounds-of-223-into-my-50-beowulf-mag!!!" the week before that

Meh, Albania is wet and cold this time of the year too... Not -20, but with the humidity it feels cool enough. I did plenty of convincing last night... I think she's in if I take her for breakfast and a bit of shopping this morning.

I didn't miss either of those articles, lol! The 50B mag thing has me thinking a lot though... :D
 
First real range day with the Adcor

Well, maybe not the first day at the range with it, but the first day I really got to sit down and put some serious rounds down range, lol! I did get to christen it last week on Friday when I twisted the gf's arm to come to the range with me. I only chucked 20 rounds through it after she'd had her fill of my 10/22's, ;) Here's a pic of how she's set up now but I'm not sure it's ideal for 3-gun or even really for me...

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Adcor B.E.A.R. in 5.56 NATO with 16.5" barrel
Mega lower with DPMS kit
MagPul CTR stock
MagPul MOE+ Grip
MagPul BUS's

The optic is a 1-6x24 Optisan with red/green retical illumination set on a P.E.P.R.. It's heavy... and large... I do like the increased optic size that my eye meets, but I won't be using magnification in 3-gun because I want to stay in standard class for at least one more year. Plus, I never ran magnification on the CZ-858 and didn't have any issues hitting anything I was shooting, lol! It's a bit overkill, but for some distance analysis it will do. I may try to settle on a new red dot/eotech/elcan, but I need some serious input from you CGN'rs. I'll add more about that later... Here's another pic of the Adcor beside my CZ.

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The Vortex Strikefire proved to be a really good red dot for me. It suits my eye for fast acquisition, is light, durable and not overly large. It took a while to get used to the scout-style mounting up on the front end like it is, but actually sped up my acquisition due to having a much broader peripheral vision range. I never even mounted the 2X multiplier on it as I wanted to stay in standard class all year. I initially had it mounted on a cantilever attached to the buttstock adapter, but I kept shooting it loose so moved it up front. The only drawbacks I can see with with the Vortex SF is the batteries... Dang expensive, but they certainly last a long time. I may or may not just get a second one for the Adcor...

Ok, range day analysis! Friday was a bit of a hoax as I just wanted to make sure it worked and was rushing as the gf didn't wanna stand around and watch me shoot, lol! Only being on a 50m range indoors kinda blows too so I hammered 10 Norinco yellow box 55gr and 10 MFS steel case 55gr downrange. Not a hiccup, not a peep, not a flaw. Not much to go on, but it made me happy enough.

Monday was a bit different... Drove up to Edmonton to visit some family and of course brought some toys. Renewed my range pass at Sherwood Park Fish & Game Range and headed out with the old man in tow. Total round count that day was 120 rounds. Experienced just about every type of malfunction possible... LOL! Of course I do realize that with any new firearm a guy's gotta work the kinks out so I didn't get too discouraged. The weather wasn't too bad, somewhere around -5 to -10, light right-to-left breeze and a dusting of snow. First course of business was to sight in the scope and zero for 100 yards. I don't intend to shoot over 200 yards with this rifle so zeroing at 100 yards works great for me. Slapped some targets up and left someone else's old target up to zero on. 10 rounds later and it was roughly where I wanted it to be. No FTF's, double feeds or anything yet... I wanted to test out the zeroing capability of the P.E.R.P. so off came the scope and up flipped the BUS's. Dad and I proceeded to have a bloody good time running it hard... 10 round mags are so much fun!!!

Initially the rifle worked flawlessly, but then I started to get a few light strikes and the bolt wouldn't slam home like it should. Seemed to be getting hung up and completely engaging the round and closing properly... I attributed it to the cold and the fact that I hadn't DCOA'd the entire rifle before bringing it out. I really only ragged the barrel, lol... (I know... I KNOW! I'm like a kid with a new toy, ok?) Apart from the light strikes and oddity of the bolt not shutting properly I then got a wonderful double feed which took a few minutes to sort out... Then I was worried!!! We mucked about and did some walk-and-gun/run-and-gun because we had the range to ourselves. Was a lot of fun if a bit cold on the feet/ankles, lol! Decided to slap the scope back on and check the zero before getting on the road as it was getting dark. Seems to zero just fine and locks down much more securely than the NEA rail I had on the CZ. Here's a pic of the first days 100 yard plinking at 6x24 power.

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Not great, I know, but keep in mind it's a new rifle to me, a new trigger and I didn't really dress for the temps. Plus, I wasn't truly benching it, just shooting off the table with no bipod or bags. I'm not making excuses, just explaining why it isn't one big hole in the middle, LOL! The light breeze could account for the left side drift of the group, but I would test that more the next day. I was mildly disheartened by all of the malfunctions I experienced, but being the true gun nut I am I ripped into the Adcor and did a CRAP LOAD of reading on what I should have known beforehand. I DCOA'd the rifle and tore the bolt down. Turns out the firing pin was ridiculously sticky with manufacturer's goop (light strikes) and the bolt it's was also covered inside with the same goop (Bolt not closing properly). I ragged it out, threw some Hopp's through here, cleaned everything back up and lightly lubed everything that needed some lube.

I should add to this that the trigger was biggest thing that threw me off... In NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM does that mean it isn't anything less than spectacular, it just means that I'm a CZ guy... I'm used to a LOT of take up, LOOOOONG and CREEEPY triggers with unpredictable breaks in them... lol! The trigger is GREAT in the Mega lower! Darren did a fantastic job building it for me and set it at ~4.5 pounds. I didn't want a target rifle weight as this will be used in 3-gun, not distance and accuracy shooting. I doubt I'll ever achieve sub MOA with this rifle with that heavy of a trigger and without a MUCH more powerful scope, but again it's intended purpose is action shooting, :D

Yesterday was a much more analytic day after having blown the stink off and having some laughs and smiles with the new toy. Sat down at the bench and used my tac bag as a fore end rest. Still not ideal for accuracy analysis, but whatever... The only ammo I have at the moment is 55gr black box AE Federal stuff the old man bought. I will again do a similar analysis with a bunch of different types of ammo once I get some other brands/weights. The barrel is a 1/7 twist so I'd imagine a lighter bullet weight should be better than a heavier weight. For 3 gun and the short distances I think cheapest is best, lol! Here's a pic of Tuesday's target:

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These groups are all shot at 100 yards and the weather was about the same. -5 or so and a mild breeze with some snowfall. Top left was the first group of 10 rounds and I'm well and truly happy with that. A 3" spread with minimal magnification and a heavy trigger is just fine by me. The smallest targets we had to shoot this year were 8" gongs at ~100 yards. More than adequate. Second group of 10 was bottom right. One obvious flyer high and left as I know I didn't pull that one. Felt good on the trigger, just looks like a$$ on paper, lol! Third group was top right. 5 rounds on a tempo. Probably about PPC firing speed. Acquire, shoot, acquire, shoot... Not bad, hard to see but the hole on right is actually 2 rounds. Fourth group was bottom left. 5 rounds and firing a bit faster. They all felt good, spread is just due to speed, ;) Last and final group was in the middle. 10 rounds, weak light, but they still all fall into what I consider acceptable for the optic and conditions. 3 out of ten on the x makes me happy happy! In the 40 rounds I shot yesterday I didn't have a single feed issue, mag issue, nothing... The malfunctions I experienced the first day were due to my rushing and lack of maintenance, lol... Derp! The only thing I noticed that may have thrown me off a bit was some serious mirage effect through that scope when continually firing, lol!

The last thing I did that day was to stretch it out to 200 yards with a hold over. The retical in my scope is just a circle dot with optional illumination and a German T bar. Using about 12-14" of holdover on the 200 yard gong it splatted 6 out 10 times. The rifle WILL shoot... Better than I can I think, lol!

In conclusion now after just under 200 rounds total I am well and truly impressed. The Adcor performs extremely well (so long as you take the manufacturing goop out first...) and is precisely what I wanted in a black rifle. The piston drive works flawlessly and not having all that gas and carbon coming back into the chamber will cut maintenance in half or more! The front charging handle is slicker than sh!t through a tin horn! They remedied the problem with the handle marring and scratching the forerail by vulcanizing the entire handle. Now when it slaps forward onto the rail it's rubber on aluminum, not steel on aluminum. The MagPul furniture is great too. The pistol grip is especially nice... Fits the palm nicely, no silly finger grooves and the rubberized texture is brilliant.

The weight of the rifle is what really blows me away... it's insanely light for what it is! When the scope is off it's a LOT lighter than my CZ. Of course that always lends itself to making the rifle more maneuverable, easier to shoulder and will enhance just about every movement you make. I've felt a few piston drive AR's and none of them felt lighter than my CZ and in fact usually feel heavier or bulkier. Not this one. This rifle has converted a red rifle guy to being a lot more accepting of a black rifle. The Adcor has every advantage of the red's like a piston drive, cooler running, cleaner, lower maintenance, but now it brings a bunch of other advantages of it's own to the table. Is it work the price tag? Hell yes. Would I buy it again? In a heart beat.
 
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Very nice Black and Red.

Now, if only these two guns could mate and reproduce! :adult:

I would imagine the off spring would be beautiful BlacK Cherry Bullpups.
 
Meh, Albania is wet and cold this time of the year too... Not -20, but with the humidity it feels cool enough. I did plenty of convincing last night... I think she's in if I take her for breakfast and a bit of shopping this morning.

I didn't miss either of those articles, lol! The 50B mag thing has me thinking a lot though... :D

Hey where were you shooting 3 Gun? I am really looking to get into that in the upcoming year here, might need to sell off my Tikka 7mm-08 to get a black rifle and pistol to play along though haha. Tired of the drive from Airdrie to the bush to enjoy my guns!

Beautiful rifles and nice shooting!
 
Hey where were you shooting 3 Gun? I am really looking to get into that in the upcoming year here, might need to sell off my Tikka 7mm-08 to get a black rifle and pistol to play along though haha. Tired of the drive from Airdrie to the bush to enjoy my guns!

Beautiful rifles and nice shooting!

Spruce Grove Gun Club is where all the WRAS meets were, :) Ponoka had one too and there were a few others during the year. It'll still be a drive, but it's worth it man... So much fun!!!
 
Now for a few questions to which hopefully I will get some solid info out of, :D

Definitely NOT running that scope for 3 gun. Too heavy, bulky and I have no need for magnification. I may actually make a separate post for the optic if I don't get enough feedback...

So, my question is "Which optic would YOU prefer on an AR?"

1. Elcan 1-4 Spectre
2. Aimpoint Micro T-1
3. Votex Strikefire Red Dot
4. None of the above (if none of the above please tell me what)

Next question... "If you were to add goodies to this rifle, which would they/it be?"

And finally... "What's your favorite ammo for a 1/7" twist barrel?"

Cheers and thanks in advance!
 
More gun ####, :D

Slapped the ladders on except the left side due to the charging handle and tight tolerances. I really prefer how the fore end feels now all smooth, but not any bulkier. I'll be pulling that scope off tomorrow and hopefully plopping an Aimpoint Micro T-1 on it. If not then I suspect I'll try to find another Vortex Strikefire with a high rise. The weight of that scope makes me cringe, lol! Such a shame to put it on such a sleek little rifle!

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Trimmed a half dozen followers down a bit in my LAR mags too. Everything will seat 10 rounds properly on a closed bolt now. A couple need a decent slap to get them in all the way, but they do seat.
 
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Second Range Day with Bullet Weight comparison

Well, the title explains it all. Got back down to the range and was dressed for the weather, sand bags in tow and properly mind set to do some serious analysis of ammo brands and bullet weights, :D I do love qualitative analysis on new toys, lol! Same optic was used (1-6x24 Optisan mounted on a P.E.P.R.) as I don't have another scope in 30mm that I could throw into the P.E.P.R.. I may get around to sourcing something for some longer distance work on the AR, but with the imminent arrival of my Remington 700 5R Milspec and a Nightforce 8-32x56... Shooting the AR at 200-400 yards seems like a joke, hahaha! That build will be in a different thread soon...

Anyway, down to business. I shot 7 types of .223 through the B.E.A.R. yesterday. 50m distance using bags up front and a cross arm rear rest adjusting for windage with my left hand. No wind, indoors. Yes, I know it's a shade less qualitative than 100m ranging, but it's all I got now as I'm back in Calgary. I'm still looking for a place closer than Homestead to shoot outdoors at 100-200 yards that's taking new members. If you have suggestions fill me in!!!

#1 - 55gr Black Box American Eagle 10 Rounds - Staple diet, probably what I will be shooting through it for 3 gun due to price and availability.

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The rifle does like this ammo... I may have pulled a couple low and right due to getting warmed up and still learning the break of this trigger. No excuses, just know that it's me and not the ammo dropping those shots out.

#2 - 55gr MFS HP 10 Rounds

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Seemed a bit hotter than the AE BB stuff. Not sure about the flyer if it was me or not, but it's definitely way outside the group. The thing I really don't like about this stuff is that it's varnished cases... I don't mind shooting steel cases, but varnish in my chamber makes me leery. I doubt I will run this ammo again.

#3 - 55gr Norinco Yellow Box 10 Rounds (Sample from the large crates of 1600 rounds)

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Smelly... Honest, it smelled funny, hahaha! Sour or something. Seemed to be a lot of flash/unspent powder exiting the barrel. Also, the POI is down a bit from the rest of the 55gr. To me that tells me it's loaded light or the powder is junk. Even for plinking I probably wouldn't buy a crate of this stuff. I had a terrible experience with a crate of .45ACP Norc. I do NOT likes squibs.

#4 - 52gr Hornady Steel Match BTHP 10 Rounds

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Dang... This stuff is great! Had a sharper crack to it and it is the fastest ammo of the bunch I tested. It should fly flattest in calm wind. Steel case also, but no varnish. The only round outside the group is definitely due to me. Of the 7 types this stuff grouped the best by far. It's reasonably priced, but hard to find in bulk... If I could get case lots of it for 35-40 cents a round I'd be running a lot more of this instead of the American Eagle stuff.

#5 - 50gr American Eagle JHP 10 Rounds

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Well, the group is pretty self explanatory. I think the bullet weight is getting too light for the 1/7 twist now. I didn't wanna drop $30-35 on a box of varminters to see what they are like, but I think 52gr is the cutoff. All the shots felt good, but the spread on 50m is terrible... For $13 a box I'll pass. Might shoot a lot better through a 1/9 barrel though.

#6 - 62gr American Eagle FMJ 10 Rounds

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I expected more out of the heavier bullet tbh... As you can see it also spread out substantially over 50m. This was puzzling me and I though perhaps the barrel was getting dirty or something so I shot another group of American Eagle Black Box and it showed like group #1 except I didn't drop one out... So much for the fable that a 1/7" twist barrel handles heavier bullets better? Maybe it doesn't due to it only being a 16.5" barrel... not sure. Either way, this stuff is too expensive ($14) also and not in bulk.

#7 - 62gr MFS SP 5 Rounds

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Pictures don't lie... Nice ammo... Nice looking. Doesn't' shoot worth a heck though, hahaha! It's not terrible, but at these distances and using that optic I should be able to pour them all in the same hole like the first group and the Hornady stuff. I'm not saying I'm a super shooter, just that it can be done easily.

In conclusion on the ammo... American Eagle Black Box/American Eagle bulk loose 55gr milspec stuff is what this rifle likes. No surprise there really... The barrel is stamped 5.56 NATO and it's chambered for milspec ammo. That's all good news for me cause I just picked up a thousand rounds of bulk loose for $339 and another thousand of the boxed AE for $399. Should have this baby broke in by spring time and the start of 3 gun, :D
 
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And a few glam shots of the red dot.

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This is definitely an AR-NOOB question... But is this wear on the deflector normal? I am assuming so.

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Also put a BAD Lever on it. Not exactly sure if I like how crowded the trigger is now though. It may or may not stay on. I only wanted to try it out because I'm used to closing the bolt with my trigger finger from using my CZ with a tact bolt release.

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Also, I should note... I shot 75 rounds of slow fire with ZERO problems, malfunctions or issues. No light strikes, no FTF's, no FTE's... nothing. After that I had some lunch and did 160 rounds worth of 2-round-per-mag reload drills, double tapping after acquisition, rapid acquisition and muzzle control exercises. This Adcor is a trooper. NO issues other than fumbling through learning AR mags and an AR after using a CZ for too long, lol! I haven't cleaned it yet and I intend to get it to the 500-600 round count before doing a tear down of the upper for a DCOA. Am I happy with this piston drive AR? Couldn't BE happier, ;)

One thing I have noticed now though is that there's a bit of play between the upper and lower. Any shims out there or tips/tricks to keep this as tight as possible or do I just live with it that way? I r such a noob...
 
nice looking rifle. I removed the BAD lever from my AR's...found it messed with the bolt locking back on empty and makes it impossible to shoot with gloves on.
 
Yeah... I fear I will take it off too. Good thing it was cheap, LOL! It just seems so crowded in the trigger guard now. Doesn't have any effect on locking open on empty, but I shoot with gloves on and it's just too large. :(
 
with practice there is no need for it...I thought it was cool when I moved from a XCR to AR but now its no quicker.
 
surprised about the 62gr groups, thought they would be better out of a 1/7 twist. Maybe try some 69gr one day?

the side of that BCG looks different than normal, are there still notches for the forward assist?

interesting observations with norinco ammo, I hope I dont have issues, just bought 8000 rounds of it.......
 
69gr hopefully and also some 75gr TAP too. I can't find that stuff anywhere though! Lol, it's just as well though because I'll be using this rifle for competing, not gopher hunting. Still, data is dat though, right?

Norinco ammo and I don't get along... I bought a crate of that .45ACP Norc stuff and I honestly have never seen that many squibs ever in my life... never even heard of it really... Heck, I even had a dozen split cases on supposedly "new" ammo... I don't think the .223 stuff is that bad (at least I've heard it's better), but you never know. :(
 
surprised about the 62gr groups, thought they would be better out of a 1/7 twist. Maybe try some 69gr one day?

the side of that BCG looks different than normal, are there still notches for the forward assist?

interesting observations with norinco ammo, I hope I dont have issues, just bought 8000 rounds of it.......

Just reread and saw your question about the BCG, sorry man... Yes, bolt assist still works, but probably not as far open as a standard bolt. The BCG looks different in the rifle because of the dust cover on the BCG itself, but behind it is the notches as you would see normally. When I get home from Albania late next month I'll try to remember to post a better close up pic of my actual BCG. Here's a sample I found on the interwebz though.

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Also put a BAD Lever on it. Not exactly sure if I like how crowded the trigger is now though. It may or may not stay on. I only wanted to try it out because I'm used to closing the bolt with my trigger finger from using my CZ with a tact bolt release.

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One thing I have noticed now though is that there's a bit of play between the upper and lower. Any shims out there or tips/tricks to keep this as tight as possible or do I just live with it that way? I r such a noob...

What trigger is that? I would like to try a trigger that is a little more forward than a stock trigger.
With a regular trigger you might have more room for shooting with gloves on??

These help with upper and lower play.
[youtube]ZGQF-A-Ksfw[/youtube]

I have no idea where to get these washers but if you figure it out where to buy some let me know.
Right now I just use a round rubber O ring washer
[youtube]We4iLuvkVB0[/youtube]
 
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