DaveMachine
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- That one place with a cowboy complex
So, after my ordeal with my CSA vz58 5.56 I opted for a different NR black rifle. After selling a few items that had been sitting unused for quite some time, I finally had enough cash on hand to afford a keymod XCR-L 5.56 with light weight barrel. So far, I have to say I'm pleased with the performance. If the rifle proves to be reliable I think I will settle on the XCR-L as the black rifle in my stable and may order a conversion so I can take it out to hunt deer/black bear.
Accuracy
After a bit of reloading, I have to say I am happy with the accuracy so far. With a load of 26.0gr of W748 underneath a 69gr SMK I was able to get a group of just under 1.5" @ approx. 110-120 yards. I thought the trigger was good for a stock unit given the type of rifle it's in - definitely better than a stock AR15 trigger in my opinion. I haven't had much time to dedicate to shooting over the past 4 years so I am most certainly rusty so I think there is room for improvement. I think that some of my other loads may have performed better with a more competent tester behind the trigger. I look forward trying more powder/bullet combos as I scrape the rust off.
Ergos
The rifle is fairly standard as far as controls go - the inclusion of ambi controls is a nice touch as is the left side charging handle. I particularly like the ambi bolt catch that can be engaged with my index finger of my dominant hand. The only improvement I could suggest here is the inclusion of a charging handle that can be swapped to the other side of the rifle.
The FAST stock isn't great, but it isn't terrible either. The stock is functional but I find the width of the butt pad on the narrow side and the cheek riser doesn't provide enough adjustment for height for use with taller optics.
Reliability
No stoppages yet with any of the mags I've run. I can't really comment on reliability because I've only run approx. 100 rounds through so far.
Lastly, after doing a bit of reading about the XCR-M and the problem with short gas tubes, I used some spare flash suppressor shims to shim the gas tube to eliminate back and forth play in order to help with accuracy. I admit that maybe I was premature in shimming and that I should have tested the rifle without shims first - I will definitely remove the shims to see the effect it has.
Now for some pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/eCVSO
Accuracy
After a bit of reloading, I have to say I am happy with the accuracy so far. With a load of 26.0gr of W748 underneath a 69gr SMK I was able to get a group of just under 1.5" @ approx. 110-120 yards. I thought the trigger was good for a stock unit given the type of rifle it's in - definitely better than a stock AR15 trigger in my opinion. I haven't had much time to dedicate to shooting over the past 4 years so I am most certainly rusty so I think there is room for improvement. I think that some of my other loads may have performed better with a more competent tester behind the trigger. I look forward trying more powder/bullet combos as I scrape the rust off.
Ergos
The rifle is fairly standard as far as controls go - the inclusion of ambi controls is a nice touch as is the left side charging handle. I particularly like the ambi bolt catch that can be engaged with my index finger of my dominant hand. The only improvement I could suggest here is the inclusion of a charging handle that can be swapped to the other side of the rifle.
The FAST stock isn't great, but it isn't terrible either. The stock is functional but I find the width of the butt pad on the narrow side and the cheek riser doesn't provide enough adjustment for height for use with taller optics.
Reliability
No stoppages yet with any of the mags I've run. I can't really comment on reliability because I've only run approx. 100 rounds through so far.
Lastly, after doing a bit of reading about the XCR-M and the problem with short gas tubes, I used some spare flash suppressor shims to shim the gas tube to eliminate back and forth play in order to help with accuracy. I admit that maybe I was premature in shimming and that I should have tested the rifle without shims first - I will definitely remove the shims to see the effect it has.
Now for some pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/eCVSO
