I just fired my XCR for the initial break-in on Sunday.
200 rounds fired at gas setting 4.
I used 56gr Golden Tiger FMJ out of Russia that was given to me.
Pretty good ammo, considering that Robinson Arms warns against Russian ammo and calls it weak!
Every round fed, extracted and ejected flawlessly.
I used Tapco mags from Fab Arms, they worked great and fell free by the way.
Thinking of how the ammo is bulk and equivalent to surplus, under two inch groups were the norm at 50m standing unsupported.
Aiming was almost of secondary importance as I was there to make casings and cycle through the break in.
I had another friend or two there who tried it out. They took their time and easily got an inch and a half group with little effort using irons.
A fast check on the steel casings showed that extraction, ejection and primer marks were all ok and not excessive.
What really stood out was that with the gas setting at 4, the casings were being thrown out from 25 to 35 feet!!!
The gas was all being returned and it could be felt when my trigger finger actually started to hurt after about a hundred rounds. (trigger slap?)
The trigger pull itself was very smooth.
Everyone liked it overall, which is no small compliment from the gun nutz I was with.
Break in aside, unloaded oiled up and stored until I could give it a cleaning this morning. It comes apart easy enough, quite simply actually. Bolt, carrier, piston and spring out, now take off the gas plug and drop the lower reciever in one pin, done.
Some Slip 2000 Carbon Killer on the piston head and gas plug, (where was this carbon remover when I had my FN on course in 1985!?!) A wipe down, oiling and pull through and it was done. The only hiccup to cleaning was that I was reluctant to take off the barrel and gas tube from the reciever, so the gas tube did not get as great a cleaning as I would have liked.
The were a few problems that I need to ask about.
1. The sight-line of the stock is an inch or two too low for the use of the iron sights provided. I had one of those wrap around velcro cheek riser cushions on buttstock from an AR butt stock, but when I put it on I had to crush my face down an inch into the pillow to get a proper sight line.
I was thinking of either getting a Tac Pro adjustable cheek riser, or maybe getting some one inch pipe insulation foam and simply wrap it around the upper tube of the stock. Has anyone tried this?
2. Cleaning the gas tube, the bore brush of an AR actually fits into the tube but, "use the correct tool correctly", as they use to drum into us. I think an easy solution might be to get a spare brush and mop for a 12 gauge bore and set that aside strictly for use on the gas tube. Any thoughts?
3. The manual says that I can take the barrel and gas tube apart from the upper reciever by loosening the hex nut under the reciever up to a quarter inch. Is it right that I am reluctant to do this??? Am I way too anal about ending up stripping the nut? I am sure I can do this the odd time, but every cleaning, that does not feel right. What am I missing?
Another fun black rifle in the collection!
200 rounds fired at gas setting 4.
I used 56gr Golden Tiger FMJ out of Russia that was given to me.
Pretty good ammo, considering that Robinson Arms warns against Russian ammo and calls it weak!
Every round fed, extracted and ejected flawlessly.
I used Tapco mags from Fab Arms, they worked great and fell free by the way.
Thinking of how the ammo is bulk and equivalent to surplus, under two inch groups were the norm at 50m standing unsupported.
Aiming was almost of secondary importance as I was there to make casings and cycle through the break in.
I had another friend or two there who tried it out. They took their time and easily got an inch and a half group with little effort using irons.
A fast check on the steel casings showed that extraction, ejection and primer marks were all ok and not excessive.
What really stood out was that with the gas setting at 4, the casings were being thrown out from 25 to 35 feet!!!
The gas was all being returned and it could be felt when my trigger finger actually started to hurt after about a hundred rounds. (trigger slap?)
The trigger pull itself was very smooth.
Everyone liked it overall, which is no small compliment from the gun nutz I was with.
Break in aside, unloaded oiled up and stored until I could give it a cleaning this morning. It comes apart easy enough, quite simply actually. Bolt, carrier, piston and spring out, now take off the gas plug and drop the lower reciever in one pin, done.
Some Slip 2000 Carbon Killer on the piston head and gas plug, (where was this carbon remover when I had my FN on course in 1985!?!) A wipe down, oiling and pull through and it was done. The only hiccup to cleaning was that I was reluctant to take off the barrel and gas tube from the reciever, so the gas tube did not get as great a cleaning as I would have liked.
The were a few problems that I need to ask about.
1. The sight-line of the stock is an inch or two too low for the use of the iron sights provided. I had one of those wrap around velcro cheek riser cushions on buttstock from an AR butt stock, but when I put it on I had to crush my face down an inch into the pillow to get a proper sight line.
I was thinking of either getting a Tac Pro adjustable cheek riser, or maybe getting some one inch pipe insulation foam and simply wrap it around the upper tube of the stock. Has anyone tried this?
2. Cleaning the gas tube, the bore brush of an AR actually fits into the tube but, "use the correct tool correctly", as they use to drum into us. I think an easy solution might be to get a spare brush and mop for a 12 gauge bore and set that aside strictly for use on the gas tube. Any thoughts?
3. The manual says that I can take the barrel and gas tube apart from the upper reciever by loosening the hex nut under the reciever up to a quarter inch. Is it right that I am reluctant to do this??? Am I way too anal about ending up stripping the nut? I am sure I can do this the odd time, but every cleaning, that does not feel right. What am I missing?
Another fun black rifle in the collection!
