Traxx Wrote:Any info on moving on to a piston system?
I avoid them like the plague, other than HK, but I still have no plans to own an HK.
There's a thread making the rounds right now started by a guy who owns Battlefield Las Vegas. They have a fleet of full auto weapons, ranging from WWI-era SMG's and belt-feds, to the most modern post dealer samples, complete with optics and accessories.
They have scores of AR15's and M4's that are select fire, and maintain very close inspection and parts replacement records on them, with round count. Keep in mind these guns are being shot on full auto to the tune of hundreds of rounds per day, thousands per week. They typically replace AR15 barrels and bolts at 20,000-30,000 rounds, once the chambers have stretched or lugs fail, cam pin hole cracks.
They crack AK receivers on a regular basis once the AK hits a certain round count. AR receivers last indefinitely.
Of all the op-rod guns they have had, all have failed early except the HK MR556, but they started key-holing at 10-15yds after 10,000rds since HK used some type of softer steel on the lowly civilian model guns.
The owner said because of the logistics involved, the op-rod guns are a money pit, when regular AR15's will run just fine for tens of thousands of rounds without failure. He mostly orders Daniel Defense and LMT carbines, since they have been very reliable, and they don't change their prices on him in a market panic, or cancel his order to make more money with distributors after the fact like others have.
His reports on high volume full auto fire are illustrative of some of us already knew, and have been trying to tell people for years and years. 99.9% of civilians will never see a fraction of the round count in their personal guns, but I personally shoot a lot, conduct a lot of high volume training throughout the year, and source proven, quality parts for my guns.
My experiences with op-rod guns doesn't ever warrant me getting into them, due to reduced reliability, increased weight and cost, and imbalance of what is a superbly-balanced weapon already.
