Piston AR's, Whats the best?

timoram

timoram

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I'm looking to add and AR to my collection and I think that I want to go with a piston driven setup.
I'm not ready to build one up myself so I'm looking for peoples opinions and suggestions as to which piston driven AR is the best.

I have been looking at the Ruger SR-556 as I have had great experiences with Ruger firearms.
I considered the HK but it seems like it is not worth the money as there seem to be a lot of others out there that offer the same quality and function at a lesser cost.

Let me know what you gous think is best.

Best Regards,
Tim
 
I believe we have only a fraction of the gas piston AR-15s in the U.S. available here in Canada.

I have seen so far in Canada:
CMMG
LMT
HK
Questar (Using the CMMG gas piston retrofit kit I believe)

There could be more that I have missed.

The debate is out there without any clear winner because most are still too new to really know which one is the best.

The HK is the only one currently in U.S. service and seen combat with supposedly good reviews from the soldiers. It is also in service with some LE in the U.S. such as Santa Monica.

The Ruger SR-556 might have some problems as listed in the link underneath. They are not available in Canada and may not be for a while considering they are not even bringing the SR-22 citing over because of restrictions (Collapsible stock & flash hider).
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=395433&page=2
http://www.defensereview.com/ruger-sr-556-gas-pistonop-rod-ar-carbine-user-feedback-case-extraction-problem-and-solution/

The LMT and CMMG I cannot comment on having not heard any reviews and not used them myself.

Supposedly Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF) is really good with some LE and trainers putting thousands of rounds through them without cleaning link underneath. Though they are not available in Canada as of late.
http://www.pof-usa.com/articles/articles.htm

However, I don't know if anyone has done a true test comparing a gas piston AR-15 to a Direct Gas Impingement (DGI) AR-15 shot for shot. A few suggest that gas piston systems are not required to replace the DGI AR-15.
http://www.defensereview.com/m4m4a1-carbine-reliability-issues-why-they-occur-and-why-theyre-our-fault/
http://www.defensereview.com/m4m4a1-carbine-reliability-issues-part-ii-diagnosing-the-root-cause/
http://www.defensereview.com/are-the-fn-scar-weapons-mk16-and-mk17-necessary-and-do-we-really-need-to-replace-the-colt-m4m4a1-carbine/

Hope this helps.
 
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Well seeing as we don't have access to many piston driven Ar's can someone suggest a high quality DGI setup?
I'm looking for high reliability, 1moa accuracy (or better but that's pushing it), fairly portable (no 20" barrels). I do plan on customizing it once I have it but a quad rail hand guard would be a plus.
Oh and I do not want anything with a carry handle or similar, looking for flat tops only.

Tim
 
Questar.gif









Can't really get any better. :cool:
 
There is only one name to buy in the piston AR world - Heckler and Koch. This is the only AR-piston system fielded in combat.

You will be better off with a high end regular AR such as Colt, noveske, KAC and Daniel Defence, instead of buying hobby piston system.

But if your objective is to have piston for the sake of having a piston, then anything is fine really.....maybe LWRCI?
 
I wonder where LWRC stands in all of this. I do know that several law enforcement units in the states use the LWRC. Mind you LWRC is a fairly small company so it might take a while for their company to catch on.
 
My opinion is if you want a piston and cannot get an Hk, then get the LWRCI gun.

They have a very slick three position gas regulator setup now, and it does not recoil like a piston gun...
 
Of course if you want a "real" piston AR, then HK416 upper on a respectible lower is the only way to roll. *runs*

In reality, though....

How many HK416 uppers are in the private hands in US? Probably dozens, but unlikely hundreds, and the premium on them is huge. How many got smuggled into Canada? Two? Three?

One approach might be to take a look what people who shoot alot - trainers at respectable organizations, competitors, etc, field, and then go with what they use. It's not military, but chances are that these "high use" uppers had more use then the "hobby" uppers of people who shoot 200 - 300 rounds a year.

Sadly, besides Magpul, the only way to find out what people at, oh heck, Bushido Tactical, Spartan Security Solutions or US Training Center (Just dropping a bunch of names, definitely not an endorsement) use (again, that I know) is to e-mail and ask them.
 
I wish we could get a real definative answer on the subject but no one has put them all head to head with identical parts.

I think all the systems will work well if when first built all use quality AR parts to begin with and do a good job on the installation from the start. You see alot of this sucks and that sucks on ARF and then find out the guy messed it up during the install.

So whats out there for kits, Adams Arms,CMMG,Osprey Defence,Ares defence and PWS for the retro kits. Then the factory piston setups like HK,LMT,Ruger,Stag,S&W,LWRC,POF and PWS.

I think Stag uses a CMMG kit and S&W uses Adams Arms kit,the others I dont know if its their own design or someone elses.

I dont have any first hand knowledge about any of the kits except for the PWS as that was the one I decided on from my 'internet' research . The selling point for me on the PWS was the (AK style) op-rod actually atached to the bolt so the piston that transmits the rearward energy to move the bolt is way up front at the gas block,so this would have less tendancy to make the bolt carrier tilt.

I got the PWS kit installed by the dealer here (Questar) and so far its been flawless from day one. First day out with it I fired 120rds with perfect functioning,took it home to check the bolt and it was very clean and still wet with grease. I use the grease on the bolt and the four carrier points method.

I gave it a quick wipe down and a patch down the barrel and decided not to clean or lube the bolt/carrier anymore after that first range session(I still run a patch down the barrel after firing it). Now its up to 840rds since I cleaned it the first time plus the 120rds from my first time out with it, all flawless :)
- 960rds total with perfect functioning
- 840rds since a cleaning, bolt is a bit dirty but still greasy

Accuracy is very good for me, I get 3' 100 yard groups consistantly and on the rare times better :) with a 3x9 scope of the bench. Im a pretty average novice shooter.

The PWS short stroke retro kit is very good choice IMO.
 
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i think the reason people love ar's so much, is almost every part on them can be swapped and customized with aftermarket. the sig, not so much
 
masterduckmaster said:
Easy, get a XCR! Problem solved!
Click to expand...

Righttttt... I think you mean problems just beginning...:puke::stirthepot2:

To the OP - you need to look at your budget with sights/optics.

It's all well and good to recommend the MR223, SR-15, and Sig, but if you can't afford a sight or ammunition after your firearm purchase....

If your budget is limited, I'd stick to a DI gun...hell, even if it isn't, there is nothing wrong with them, and if fact are inherently more accurate than a comperable piston driven rifle.
 
notbsd said:
Of course if you want a "real" piston AR, then HK416 upper on a respectible lower is the only way to roll. *runs*

In reality, though....

How many HK416 uppers are in the private hands in US? Probably dozens, but unlikely hundreds, and the premium on them is huge. How many got smuggled into Canada? Two? Three?
Click to expand...

Definitely a great set up but...honestly...DI is just as good. That's why I've gone back to a DI set up.

here's some ####...
HK22-1.jpg

NewToys-1.jpg

HK-1.jpg
 
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