{"id":39,"date":"2006-12-30T23:38:12","date_gmt":"2006-12-30T23:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/consumermaven.wordpress.com\/2006\/12\/30\/assault-rifle-ar-15-with-trijicon-acog-and-gemtech-m4-02\/"},"modified":"2020-01-04T19:02:24","modified_gmt":"2020-01-05T00:02:24","slug":"assault-rifle-ar-15-with-trijicon-acog-and-gemtech-m4-02","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/david.bookstaber.com\/Interests\/2006\/12\/assault-rifle-ar-15-with-trijicon-acog-and-gemtech-m4-02\/","title":{"rendered":"AR-15 with Trijicon ACOG and Gemtech M4-02 Suppressor"},"content":{"rendered":"

A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government.\u00a0 — George Washington<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Bushmaster<\/a>If the Founding Fathers, believing that every citizen\u00a0should be armed to defend his life and liberty, were\u00a0handing out\u00a0guns today, every man would get an\u00a0AR-15<\/a>.\u00a0 This is the American arm you can count on to protect your family, property, and fellow man.<\/p>\n

The Rifle<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a number of reputable\u00a0manufacturers out there building AR-15 rifles<\/a> to military specifications (the AR-15 is essentially a semi-auto-only version of the M16 infantry rifle), and there are many variations.\u00a0 Since this is a tactical rifle I\u00a0believe\u00a0it should have a collapsible stock and the shortest legal barrel (unregistered), which is 16″:\u00a0This makes it as easy as possible to store, carry, and use in close quarters if necessary.\u00a0 If you start with those specifications then the biggest decision you have to make on\u00a0the rifle is between\u00a0a handle or flat-top upper.\u00a0 I like my sights up high and I\u00a0qualified on the M16-A2 while on active duty, so I went with the former.\u00a0 There is more flexibility for modifications if you go with the latter.<\/p>\n

The rifle itself will set you back about $900.\u00a0 I bought one of the first available post-sunset (i.e., collapsible stock + flash suppressor + 30-round magazine) Bushmaster XM15’s for a total of $870 in 2004.\u00a0 Since the standard grip is too small for my hands, I spent $20<\/a> to replace it.<\/p>\n

Sights<\/strong><\/p>\n

The standard M16A2 sight system<\/a> is very effective:\u00a0 Using these sights at a long-range FrontSight<\/a> course I was able\u00a0to reliably hit man-sized targets at 400 yards from a kneeling position.<\/p>\n

But the rifle is capable of more accuracy than you can achieve with iron sights, which is why this gun is not fully fleshed out until you have topped it with a 4x ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight).\u00a0 The Trijicon ACOG TA01<\/a> 4x32mm scope is a standard military\u00a0issue accessory.\u00a0 And it is a beautiful piece of hardware: It produces a bright, clear image with good eye relief.\u00a0 The reticle includes a bullet-drop compensator\u00a0and is tritium-illuminated so that you can use it in dark conditions.\u00a0 It mounts directly in the carry handle of an AR-15\u00a0using just one screw (and even leaves a hole through which you can still use the iron sights).\u00a0 It is rugged, waterproof, and warrantied for life.\u00a0 It is a perfect match for the .223 assault rifle.\u00a0 But it is not cheap: I waited and managed to get one for $580 on Gunbroker.com<\/a>, but unless you’re lucky you’ll probably have to pay at least $700<\/a> to pick one up new.<\/p>\n

Suppressor<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are many\u00a0options for suppressing\u00a0this gun.\u00a0 A lot of them are “quick-detach” cans, which can be installed with a single hand and a single twist onto a special flash hider, but these options generally cost at least $300 more than screw-on silencers.\u00a0 Since it’s more hazardous to shoot a gun without a suppressor<\/a>, I can’t think of a reason I would want to quickly remove mine, so I went with a screw-on can.\u00a0 Since Gemtech has a good reputation and reasonable prices, I chose their $500\u00a0M4-02 “Piranha” model baffle suppressor<\/a>.\u00a0 It makes the rifle quiet enough to shoot without ear protection.\u00a0 Though\u00a0since the rifle shoots around 3000fps, it is by no means quiet<\/a>: The sonic crack of the bullet makes roughly as much noise\u00a0as\u00a0a .22 being fired out of an unsuppressed gun.\u00a0 But since that sound comes from the bullet’s shockwaves reflecting off of surfaces downrange it is much more subdued than if the shot were going off right by your ear.<\/p>\n

Shooting an unsuppressed rifle — even one like the AR-15 with a reputation for very controlled recoil — is a violent experience.\u00a0 In addition to the jarring recoil there’s a deafening report coupled with\u00a0the palpable shock of\u00a0propellant exploding from the muzzle.\u00a0 Even with a good flash hider it can be disorienting.\u00a0 Now putting this silencer on the end of the barrel absorbs practically all of the muzzle blast and a lot of the remaining recoil, making shooting\u00a0almost … peaceful.\u00a0 One drawback, other than the weight (a full pound for this particular\u00a0can, protruding an extra 6″ beyond the end of the barrel), is the heat: After just ten successive shots the suppressor becomes too hot to hold with bare hands.\u00a0 Keep shooting and it starts to\u00a0radiate\u00a0a\u00a0heat mirage that can actually interfere with the sight picture if you’re trying to make a precise\u00a0group.\u00a0 (But it’s just doing its job: Here’s a good picture<\/a> of a red-hot suppressor after hundreds of rounds of sustained, full-auto rifle fire.)<\/p>\n

Ammunition<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Guns rated for NATO 5.56mm also shoot\u00a0.223 caliber ammunition.\u00a0 (These have the same dimensions, but different pressure specifications<\/a>.)\u00a0 Since this is a standard military round it is both cheap and plentiful.\u00a0 Right now you can find it in case lots for as little as $.20\/round.\u00a0 Most mil-spec ammo is 55gr FMJ, which leaves the muzzle of my 16″ barrel right about 3000fps.\u00a0 I have also chronographed\u00a0Georgia Arms’<\/a> 68gr match-grade BTHP at just over 2600fps.\u00a0 Unfortunately, with all the ammunition I have tried\u00a0I have never managed to shoot better than 3 MOA with this gun (that’s 1.5″ groups at 50 yards), though I don’t know if that’s typical.<\/p>\n

Drawbacks<\/strong><\/p>\n

You have to keep it clean.\"Field-stripped<\/a> The best critique of the AR-15 is a Mad Ogre classic<\/a> (overboard, but they are fair complaints).\u00a0 The biggest criticism can be summarized as, “The rifle defecates where it eats.”\u00a0 This was due to a design trade-off (direct gas cycling) made to keep the rifle\u00a0lighter and simpler.1<\/sup><\/a> It results in a lot more carbon fouling in the action than you would get with a piston design.\u00a0 But you don’t really have to spend 4 hours a day cleaning the gun to keep it from jamming.\u00a0 (Unless you’re dragging it through mud and sand … in which case you’re probably a G.I. with four hours a day to spend cleaning it.) \u00a0In my experience if you\u00a0field strip it and scrub it down with Breakfree CLP after every shooting trip it will continue to function reliably.<\/p>\n

You will probably\u00a0come across\u00a0criticism of the 5.56mm cartridge.\u00a0 A lot of people say you have no business putting anything smaller than 7.62mm in an assault rifle.\u00a0 Again, this is a trade-off: 210 rounds of 5.56mm weigh the same as 70 rounds of 7.62mm;\u00a07.62mm assault rifles have to be bigger and heavier to handle the larger rounds.\u00a0 My reasoning: If you need to kill in one shot, and weight isn’t an issue, then\u00a0use a\u00a0sniper rifle<\/a>.\u00a0 To say that a gun doesn’t shoot the biggest round in existence\u00a0is an observation, not a criticism.\u00a0 (Moreover, for purposes of suppression the lower the bullet diameter the better.)<\/p>\n

Features:<\/p>\n