Hmmm... a LE folding stock Mini-14... or a M1A1 .30 carbine in an urban setting I have a mandolin case that will hold each one with 120 rnds of ammo and some other goodies... suburban setting just sling them and move out...
The Mini-14 has been traded for a Ruger SR-556, which will become my get home gun. The SR-556 came with several mags, optics, and some useless "upgrades" which I'm removing and will sell to fund a better trigger. I definitely got the better end of the deal, both for functionality and dollar value. Still, I'm going to miss that Mini since I owned it for more than half my life. Having spent some time with the SR-556 I'm having trouble figuring out what makes this an entry level rifle. Sure, I need to put in a better trigger, but it seems any rifle short of $2K comes with a standard combat trigger. The hammer forged barrel is unlined, but I don't see that as a negative. I would prefer it to be melonite/nitride treated, but given it's purpose it's just fine as is as the 30 year old rifle I traded for had an unlined barrel and it was never a factor. The upper and lower fit perfectly - not a sliver of light can get through. There is no looseness or slop anywhere. The A frame sight is by far the best I've seen - it's milled as opposed to cast, has anti-reflective serrations, and a built in QD socket. IMO, Ruger's only mistake on this rifle is that they put the the pins on the top of the barrel instead of the bottom. It's the only thing non standard on the rifle with the exception of the delta ring. The provided delta ring unscrews instead of pushing against the ring to access the hand guard. Yes, it's plastic, but so is your hand guard, and it is very rigid and strong. In fact, I had to use a wrench to loosen it in order to remove the hand guard for inspection I didn't think I would like it and figured it would be one of the first thing I would change until I tried it. IMO a definite improvement, but if you don't like it you can change it to a mil-spec delta ring. All in all this rifle is going to work out very well.
Triggers I have 2 of these and love them. I got them from Modern Day Marine tradeshow last year for $100 ea. Retail is ~$220 Super Semi-Automatic (SSA®) Trigger The Geissele Super Semi-Automatic (SSA®) trigger is a semi-automatic only version of Geissele Automatics’s Super Select-Fire trigger. The SSA is a 4.5lb. non-adjustable combat trigger that is a precision two-stage trigger and allows precise and accurate trigger control. The SSA’s two-stage design allows the trigger to be light enough for accurate and precise shots, but forgiving enough for CQB. The SSA is safety certified by Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center. It is recommended for demanding applications such as Law Enforcement use, Close Quarters Battle (CQB) and mid-range carbine work.
It's the same rifle - this is the pic from the ad: IMO it was configured better out of the box than when I purchased it. It came with a Magpul angled grip instead of the hand grip. I pulled it and the rail from the bottom of the grip and like it much better that way. I also pulled off the Bushnell red dot because my astigmatism makes them useless. I'm going to put a prismatic sight on it tonight. A few other changes as well, not the least of which is to get the red out. I'll post more pictures as I get it in the config I want. BTW, I'm really impressed with the Strike Industries Viper hand guard. It's every bit as good as the comparable Magpul hand guard and has a barrier stop built into the hand stop.
I have an SSA-E in my AR308 and LOVE that trigger. Lord, would I love to find an SSA for a hunski! I'll likely have to settle to settle for an ACT to save the $$$, still a very good trigger for a single stage. I'm also thinking about replacing that fixed rear sight with an ARMS sight, but for now will temporarily rob a folding Troy from another rifle.
If I am with the same company and we go to display at MDM I can pick up a few for select friends So now is the time to start sucking up Modern Day Marine | Marine Military Expos I love my ARMS sites.
Looks the next few hours I'm going to be "liking" all of your old posts... If that opportunity comes up and you are up for it I wouldn't exactly turn you down.
I bought 5 last year. 2 for me and the other three went to other friends. This is the first one then I Spread the word Edit:I did not have the header showing
Personally, The lightest AR based build you can do is the way I would go! I just did a replica ( kinda sort'a) C.A.R. 16 Comando SBR! Very light, very concealable, and easy to mod if/when needed! I never liked flat tops, I prefer the fixed carry handle that I can mount a small optic to! Really good counter sniper carbine, with plenty of punch to get you through just about any threat!
I'm liking that, but not as much a fan of fixed sights front or back. Dammit, now you have me thinking about a build before Bloody Brown makes everything illegal here. An SBR would be tough to beat for size and weight. What length is that barrel and what do you think is the best barrel length all things considered - size, weight, muzzle velocity for sneaking home during SHTF?
Fixed sights are fantastic at close range or CQB.. you just have to be set up for the mission at hand. And trained in that manner.....
Just remember that .233 is a velocity killer, and with a sub-gun length barrel, the ballistics are crap.
This one has the new 1/7 twist Wylde chamber in 11 in length! I fount this to be the best "compromise" between lost speed and range against size and weight! shoots the new M855A-1 really well, and really likes Match .223 in 77 gr. This one comes in at 5.8 pounds dry I.E. empty mag! I didn't want to give up things like shell deflector dust cover or forward assist, so I am up a few oz over those like the SP-1. This one shoots to the irons all the way to 400 meters using the Marine Corps mod sight settings for CQB and still packs a pretty good punch!
Now that is a slick little Bullpup! if the darn things didn't cost so darn much, Ah............one can dream!
I don't understand the desire to have target grade triggers, if one may actually find them self in a fire fight with said tool. While I have not actually been in a live fire fight with real bullets, I have done my share of combat with air soft guns, and the least of my concerns are with the trigger . Things are happening too fast, and there are a ton of other things that become highest priority. #1. not getting shot. # 2. concealment . # 3. coming from behind concealment to repeal one's opponents, and not getting shot in the process. # 4. The split second one has to make that shot, is not like sitting at a range and bench , taking your time to squeeze of each round. # 5. your opponent is doing the exactly the same thing, and is more skilled, and more accurate, and has a better gun than you do.. Stock guns work just fine IMO. I could be wrong.
Its all about the force required to pull the trigger and the effect of that force on sight alignment. The smoothness of the trigger and a clean repeatable "break" will give you a better chance of staying on target. Anything from trigger to recoil can effect your ability to stay on target for follow up shots Your points 1-5 are spot on and are just as important and you are right about "sitting at the range...." But under duress when its time to pull the trigger quickly, i want every advantage I can get to help me hit the mark. If you have a gunshop near you that has a selection of triggers installed in demo/dummy receivers or a AR or bolt gun(what ever you shoot) and give them a try. Its like my Glocks, with a stock 5lb triggers or God forbid an 8+lb "New York" trigger (all NY LEO are mandated to use these. The PTB think it will stop AD's....yea right) and the 2.5lb triggers i have installed can mean the difference between group sizes of 10-15 inches at 25 feet (rapid fire). With my 2.5 lb triggers @25 ft I can keep group size to under 6 to 8 inches rapid fire with the stock trigger the group opens up to near 20 inches or greater. Here is an example of that kind of trigger. Glock 34 9mm with 2.5 lb "match" trigger. These scores are 500 max total points First pic is the distance of the targets, time limit and # of rounds for an indoor range shooting a Glock sanctioned event. The second are my combined scores for a recent event where for 3 different matches I took FIRST and THIRD place for the old farts(55+) shooting a Glock 34 9mm and a Glock 35 40 cal S&W. I was 20 point better on average using the 9mm vs the 40 cal. Both guns are identical in size and weight, same exact frame just different barrel. The less recoil of the 9mm allowed me to get/stay on target better than the 40 cal and this is due solely to recoil. This below is the score on the same night shooting the higher recoil Glock 35. I shot the 35 with in 4 minutes of the 50 round Glock 34 run.
The triggers we have talked about in this thread so far are all combat triggers. The ALG ACT is a GI trigger that has been polished to remove all the grittiness from a standard trigger and has a crisp break. The Geissele SSA and SSA-E triggers are two stage triggers designed for and used by special forces. They are as effective for CQB, but for a long range shot have a very smooth first stage and what Geissele calls a combat break - like breaking a carrot as opposed to a glass rod. Target/match grade triggers by comparison typically have a lighter pull and break like a glass rod. IMO they might be worse in combat than your basic gritty standard trigger. All very valid points, and I think I a thread about actually getting home alive is even more important important than this thread which is about a get home gun.
