They work just fine and are a good home for any extra/spare AR parts. I would get the Mk2 upper with the bolt catch. The absence of one on the Mk1 can be a PITA sometimes.
Yup, I thought for a savings of $100-$200 I would get the MK1 knowing that it doesn't come with a bolt catch/release. There isn't a day that goes by that I wish I spent the extra money for the MK2. My MK1 also does not seat a full mag on a closed bolt, no matter how vigorously I "tap" it in.
I've got a Mk1 and it works great. I got it before we even knew for sure if there would be a Mk2. The Mk2 would be nice but I'll probably just keep the Mk1, it's good enough for my purposes.
Loading with a full mag on a closed bolt, it works fine for me with most mags, but I recently found out that it doesn't work with Magpul 20/5. Some of the types of mags that work fine in my Renegade don't allow loading full on a closed bolt in a friend's AR (from his past experience pre-ban). I'm guessing this is something that varies depending on how the tolerances stack up with the individual mag, bolt and receiver.
Thanks for the feedback. I am thinking maybe I will just keep using it and maybe it will get better over time (I have stopped using the MK1 based on this issue). Yes, I noticed in particular the PMAGs (whether Gen 2 or 3) had this problem consistently. Most of the other mags did as well, and I have since found out a number of AR type of platform rifles of different makes/models have this issue.
I would assume there is no third party / aftermarket part that can be added as a bolt lock/release (like what TNA has made for the WK180.
I might feel differently if the takedown pins allowed for bolt removal and cleaning like most autoloaders including the AR
Still, it would be nice to be able to run a chamber brush in from the receiver side (I'm not aware of one that screws onto a cleaning rod from the breach end).
Could be considered to be a minor inconvenience by some, and certainly my biggest peeve.
My second is probably the fact these things won't readily accept a standard AR stock (the teardrop shape) as the extension is designed for the buffer tube only.



























