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New "M4" Review (pic heavy)
Nwcid
Member Posts: 10,674 ✭
Well here is my first "M4" [:)]
Of course it has a twist to it:
Well if you still have not got it well it is a dedicated .22 upper. I had been wanting to get one for a while I had just not done it. I was going to get a Spikes unit that runs $650 and runs about 4-6 weeks according to their web site. Well at the local shop this week while picking up the Wilson 1911 mags I had him holding for $22.50 each I came across this upper.
The upper is a CMMG. I gave $550 for it which included the carry handle and a mag (the Spikes does not). It has a dedicated .22 cal 1:16 twist barrel that is 16" long. Due to the way these barrels are mounted the OAL is the same as a "real" M4 with 14.5 inch barrel. The lower is a spare I had laying around. It happens to be an LAR with Ergo Grip and 6 position stock.
I did my first shooting at bowling pins at about 30 yards with the carry handle. Using Federal 550 Bulk Pack ammo and Black Dog mags it functioned about 99% of the time. I had a were the round just wouldnt chamber right like it was hanging up on something. Pins were really easy to hit at that range.
I then though on my Eotech sight and my Outback 2 suppressor. I know how many times I have said I dont like the Eotech on the AR and I still feel this way. It was the only sight I had laying around so I thought I would run it and give it a real try again. The big reason I dont like them is the fact they are wider then the gun. To me they hang up on stuff. I love the sight itself though. Again against the bowling pins were super easy to pick up and hit. I have 2", 4", and 6" plates out at 100 yards. The 6" was easy to pick up and could manage to hit the 4" with this set up. I did not dial the sight in other then roughly otherwise I think hitting the 4" would be easy.
Since I was playing around I decided to throw a cheep riser and 3-9x40 that I had laying around and see what it would do. I bore sighted it and then dialed it in so I could hit my 3" spinner at 30 yards. I took it for a spin on the 100 yard targets. I could easily pick up the 4" and 6" spinners.
I did try running some subsonic ammo though this too. I was using Remington SS ammo to test as it runs good in my other semi autos. Well I got a lot of failures to feed. I stripped the gun down, including pulling the barrel. I found that there was a bit of a "lip" between the feed ramp and chamber that would hang up on the edge of the bullet stripping lead off of it. I did a little Dremel work and found it to be much better. I have about 95% function with this ammo now but ran out of time to play with it.
With the SS ammo and suppressor I would say this gun is just slightly quieter then my suppressed 10/22. There seems to be less action noise in the AR. Overall I am very impressed. I ran about 500 round though the gun this weekend.
The one thing I can not figure out is the barrel "cut" on this gun. Since the way the chambers are made that end should be what gives the barrel the extra length it seems like the muzzle end should be cut like the 14.5" barrel. Well even though this is the case the muzzle end is still cut like the 16" "M4" barrels. Not that I need a bayonet but I was hoping that it would fit properly on the gun but it does not.
Of course it has a twist to it:
Well if you still have not got it well it is a dedicated .22 upper. I had been wanting to get one for a while I had just not done it. I was going to get a Spikes unit that runs $650 and runs about 4-6 weeks according to their web site. Well at the local shop this week while picking up the Wilson 1911 mags I had him holding for $22.50 each I came across this upper.
The upper is a CMMG. I gave $550 for it which included the carry handle and a mag (the Spikes does not). It has a dedicated .22 cal 1:16 twist barrel that is 16" long. Due to the way these barrels are mounted the OAL is the same as a "real" M4 with 14.5 inch barrel. The lower is a spare I had laying around. It happens to be an LAR with Ergo Grip and 6 position stock.
I did my first shooting at bowling pins at about 30 yards with the carry handle. Using Federal 550 Bulk Pack ammo and Black Dog mags it functioned about 99% of the time. I had a were the round just wouldnt chamber right like it was hanging up on something. Pins were really easy to hit at that range.
I then though on my Eotech sight and my Outback 2 suppressor. I know how many times I have said I dont like the Eotech on the AR and I still feel this way. It was the only sight I had laying around so I thought I would run it and give it a real try again. The big reason I dont like them is the fact they are wider then the gun. To me they hang up on stuff. I love the sight itself though. Again against the bowling pins were super easy to pick up and hit. I have 2", 4", and 6" plates out at 100 yards. The 6" was easy to pick up and could manage to hit the 4" with this set up. I did not dial the sight in other then roughly otherwise I think hitting the 4" would be easy.
Since I was playing around I decided to throw a cheep riser and 3-9x40 that I had laying around and see what it would do. I bore sighted it and then dialed it in so I could hit my 3" spinner at 30 yards. I took it for a spin on the 100 yard targets. I could easily pick up the 4" and 6" spinners.
I did try running some subsonic ammo though this too. I was using Remington SS ammo to test as it runs good in my other semi autos. Well I got a lot of failures to feed. I stripped the gun down, including pulling the barrel. I found that there was a bit of a "lip" between the feed ramp and chamber that would hang up on the edge of the bullet stripping lead off of it. I did a little Dremel work and found it to be much better. I have about 95% function with this ammo now but ran out of time to play with it.
With the SS ammo and suppressor I would say this gun is just slightly quieter then my suppressed 10/22. There seems to be less action noise in the AR. Overall I am very impressed. I ran about 500 round though the gun this weekend.
The one thing I can not figure out is the barrel "cut" on this gun. Since the way the chambers are made that end should be what gives the barrel the extra length it seems like the muzzle end should be cut like the 14.5" barrel. Well even though this is the case the muzzle end is still cut like the 16" "M4" barrels. Not that I need a bayonet but I was hoping that it would fit properly on the gun but it does not.
Comments
I guess you can use a heavier pill, 75-85-95 grain, or whatever, but for just punching paper or whatever, wouldn't the .22 be cheaper? Can you hunt with subsonic .223?
What is the advantage to shooting subsonic .223 instead of subsonic .22?
I guess you can use a heavier pill, 75-85-95 grain, or whatever, but for just punching paper or whatever, wouldn't the .22 be cheaper? Can you hunt with subsonic .223?
I am not sure where the .223 part came in here as this is .22 and a .22 only.
As for subsonic .223 from all I have read there is NO advantages other then in "military" applications where you are limited only to a .223/5.56 ammo. With .223 SS you gain very little if any advantage over .22 SS and you have to hand cycle the gun. I have not tired shooting any SS .223 but all of the reports I have read said it was not worth it. As for me I shoot my target AR with my standard 55gr Nosler loads and with the suppressor it is still very pleasant but does get the sonic crack down range.
As for hunting in my state it is not legal to hunt (assuming you mean game) with .223, 6mm/.243 is minimum legal here.
Now if you are looking for a good SS round in an AR package then the Whisper calibers are just that, http://www.sskindustries.com/ . The .300 Whisper packs a lot of punch out of an AR-15 package that only requires a different barrel as all other standard parts are the same. I have one of those too.
Here is a pic of my .300 Whisper. It has had a few updates since this pic, but is sill in build. The dot sight was on there since it was all I had laying around.
Thanks for the review. An AR a person can afford to shoot all day!!
so long as you kind find the ammo, around here you can't even get your hands on 22lr anymore.
quote:Originally posted by mateomasfeo
Thanks for the review. An AR a person can afford to shoot all day!!
so long as you kind find the ammo, around here you can't even get your hands on 22lr anymore.
Well I might have a small bit of .22 stashed away [8D]
I've always wanted the .22 conversion kit for mine but was unsure of how reliable they were. Very nice M-4 BTW!
Have heard mixed things on the conversion kits. Most say they are ok for basic plinking. I hear lots of stories about plugging up the gas port but it does not sound like that is much of an issue from the guys that actually shoot them.
As for dedicated upper seems like overall they are quiet good but like with many .22 conversions can be ammo sensitive. I have not put enough rounds though mine for a solid reliability review yet.
nice pics and well thought out text.
you get an ATTABOY for that![:)][8D]
do you know of any ar parts dealers who DONT have a 6 wk wait now days? I need a few things to finish a build and having trouble finding.
sorry,didn't mean to hijack your thread!![B)]
Nice guns!!
tom
The ONLY reason I ended up with this is because it was there. If I would have had to order it I am sure it would be fallish before I got around to it.
From some of the other post it looks like some places are starting to catch up a bit. I am in the same boat as you. I need some more parts for that Whisper build, Magpul stuff, and since Nov, 4 it is a no go for the time being.