The Franken ar15 (5.56 wylde)
It was now time to get serious about the “black gun”. There
is a reason that everyone at three gun matches (with extremely few exceptions)
uses an ar15. So I spent weeks researching and shopping online for one. At the
end of my research I had decided that I didn’t want a government profile
barrel, and I didn’t want a heavy barrel, something in the middle was the goal.
I wanted a free float hand guard, an adjustable stock and I really wanted a set
of folding sights. So I bought a rifle that had a YHM diamond XL upper and a
bushmaster lower. It had a medium profile fluted barrel and a CAA stock. All in
$1000, and right away it had a huge problem. I loaded up a mag and the first
round fired, but the bolt never moved an inch. My semi auto was a awkward bolt
action. So I took it to a gun shop and we tried to figure out what would not
let the bolt move. After an hour the store gained a customer for life when the
figured out that the gas block was not aligned over the gas port. I took it
home and spent some time very carefully realigning the gas block. It ran great
from then on. And over the three years I owned it I shot every kind of ammo you
can buy. I also fought with fore grips stocks pistol grips, and went through a
ton of optics (which I will review below) all in all the gun was just fine, I
liked it a lot, and learned more than I could ever write. Now because of the modularity of the ar15
rifle it can be tuned to you, so as I used this rifle to learn what I liked and
didn’t like you will likely have to do the same.
THE OPTICS:
1 1-the first sight it wore was a $30 red dot sight
that had 4 reticules sold by cabalas, in a word it was crap, you couldn’t hit a
target more than 20 yards away with it. It was too inconsistent and didn’t hold
zero (mostly windage).
2
2- I then put a cheap Wal-Mart tasco 3-9x 40 scopes
on it, also crap.
3
3- Igot some more money so I splurged and got a
trijicon tripower, it was a great idea, but the scope tube was too small to use
for quick shots, and your cheek weld was critical.
4
4- Then I got a eotech 556-a65, to start the night
vision mode is not something I would ever need so I wish I wish I had just
gotten the 512 model, but the sight was fine, kind of heavy, but I loved that
the batteries lasted a long time and it worked fine. I liked co-witnessing for
longer shots, but cheek weld was still an issue and I got tired of turning it
on and off.
5 5- Next I got an aimpoint pro, it had just hit the
market and seemed like a great idea, but I didn’t like searching for the dot.
The eotech was much easier to pick up.
6
6- The last sight and the one that all my AR’s now
wear is the vortex viper PST 1-4 x. This is the best optic for an AR in my
opinion. In one power mode it runs just like a red dot, it has a red ring that
also helps, and cheek weld doesn’t matter at all. In 4x I have taken shots out
to 600 yards, and being able to dope shots is great. The glass is very clear
and the mildots allow me to range shots. The only down side is that it is a bit
heavy, but I feel the tradeoff is worth it.
THE GOOD: (back to the rifle)
It worked great in all conditions, and eventually (after
thousands of rounds) it would run without lube, so I stopped lubing it.
YHM folding sights work great, they are sturdy, and I like
the ease of folding and raising them.
A six position buffer tube is my preference.
I like the magpul ctr stock, it works great.
THE BAD:
Rock River two stage triggers are not as good as everybody
says. I really dislike two stage triggers, but this one was a waste of cash on
all levels.
I tried the troy fore grip and the bipod grip but in the end
I liked the magpul afg, though mostly because I could use it to extend my grip
some on the 9 inch quad rail.
9” rails suck. I run 15inch on all my guns now.
Quad rails chew up your hands so use rail covers where stuff
isn’t
FINAL THOUGHTS:
This gun had at least 8 reincarnations during it’s time with
me, and I really enjoyed learning what I did and didn’t like about each along
the way. It shot great, was quite accurate (2moa with good ammo), and it
solidified my long gun thoughts and opinions. I like the ar15 platform a lot,
it so easy to mold it to you. And though they have some down falls I will stick
with that platform unless something truly incredible comes along.
