Eurodriver
Newbie
I am Eurodriver. This is my first post on P&S and I am excited to be here. I will briefly lead with my experiences to lend some validity toward the claim in the subject line.
I had recently consolidated my AR15s after realizing that I shoot more than I collect and I had things in the safe I hadn't touched in ages. I now only have a suppressed 11.5" with an ATPIAL-C, T1, Surefire, etc, a 10.5" LMT with an ACOG, and a 20" Krieger with a Nightforce, Geissele SSA-E, etc. They are all great guns to hunt with, bring with me for a vehicle gun, train with by myself, with buddies or at an event, and get many likes on Instagram for their high dollar value and cool factor.
I assumed I was done purchasing ARs but bought a 6920 OEM when I saw they were available for $690 from G&R Tactical (The sale is still going on as of 5/13 for anyone interested) I remember 2007 when Colts were $1,300. I remember 2013 when they were $2,500. I can't pass one up for $690. I had a set of MOE handguards, CTR buttstock, BCM Grip, and an IWC Scout Mount laying around. I purchased a DD fixed rear from AIM and Surefire M600U w/ momentary tail cap from Arisaka Defense. All in - under $1,000 with FFL fees and such.
This rifle has quickly became my favorite gun to shoot with. I zeroed the rifle with 64gr Gold Dot ammunition at 100 yards and was impressed that I achieved a ~1" 5 round group after only 4 rounds of adjustment from mechanical zero. I need to point out here that I have exhaustive experience and training with iron sights thanks to a previous career in an organization that prides itself in marksmanship, and can not achieve these results with a (much faster) red dot. This accuracy level blew me away, but it is not as good as much quicker hits made with a red dot.
I keep it in a discreet bag disassembled for trips
This is when the fun started. I took it out into the woods for some shooting because I wanted to see just how much slower it was than a red dot. It ended up being a bit slower, but nothing significant. I don't remember exact times, but it was not something that you would shake your head at. What was significant was what I ended up deliberately putting this rifle through and seeing it shake off damn near everything. It left me wondering had I thrown a quality red dot on this rifle - just what wouldn't it do?
Listen, we all buy good kit that we think can take some abuse but I'm not gonna be the one to run over my suppressed rifle wearing an ATPIAL with a truck. That's risking too much for my wallet.
A $690 Colt though? Idgaf. So while I was out blasting one day I made this video. Keep in mind nothing of what follows is a "torture test" or anything like that - I just wanted to see how reliable the rifle was, how long it could retain zero and its inherent accuracy.
The only issue I had was with the IWC mount bending from being thrown like a windmill, and when I ran the rifle over with a truck. I simply bent it back, but I might end up replacing it for peace of mind. I was told Earl @ IWC will replace it under warranty but feel it would be unfair given my outright abuse of the product. I can't really fault the light mount because the light is cantilevered so far away from the gun and I was able to fix it in 5 seconds.
Mad props to Magpul for making handguards and magazines that put up with so much abuse.
What the rifle looks after all of the above - after a nice shower with a toothbrush and head and shoulders. Bet one could sell this as "Like new" on Gunbroker - it cleaned up amazingly well. This gun reminds me of the Toyota Hilux on Top Gear - What do you have to do to kill one?
I am taking this rifle out today to shoot some 300 yard groups. I am very anxious to see what the results are. I might be getting ahead of myself with the below, but I am confident there won't be significant issues enough to say it:
Only after soaking the rifle in water, running it over with a truck and coating it with a healthy mud/sand combination did it fail to go into battery. Getting it to the point of malfunction was not the objective of what I was doing though. Throw mud in damn near any rifle and it is going to struggle. Simply apply a liberal amount of lube and the gun gets back up.
What I was blown away about was that it never lost zero, nothing broke, nothing is permanently damaged. Accuracy remains acceptable (haven't shot it beyond 75ish yards during any of the above).
So, what does a $3,000 Wondergun bring to the table that a $1,000 Colt and $1,000 of 5.56mm does not? Especially if a durable, tested red dot were added to the Colt. I'd like to see someone run over a Magnesium BCM KMR with a 5,000 4Runner right where the light mount is located, but even if it survives unscathed - what was gained for the extra coin? Everyone wants to talk about the accuracy a free float rail brings to the table but I shoot at the range every week - not many guys shooting SBRs out to 300m+.
I'll end this with a rant - It's unfortunate that the internet/instagram has seemingly created a culture where we have to have what is cool without knowing why it's cool or how to use it. A guy with 3,000 rounds of ammo down the barrel of his 6920 is going to be way more efficient than a guy with zero rounds down the barrel of his Wondergun. I fully agree that upgrades in the AR platform bring advantages with them, but I wonder if the gun community as a whole has simply lost interest in the practical application of shooting and simply enjoys looking at pictures of shit now.
I had recently consolidated my AR15s after realizing that I shoot more than I collect and I had things in the safe I hadn't touched in ages. I now only have a suppressed 11.5" with an ATPIAL-C, T1, Surefire, etc, a 10.5" LMT with an ACOG, and a 20" Krieger with a Nightforce, Geissele SSA-E, etc. They are all great guns to hunt with, bring with me for a vehicle gun, train with by myself, with buddies or at an event, and get many likes on Instagram for their high dollar value and cool factor.
I assumed I was done purchasing ARs but bought a 6920 OEM when I saw they were available for $690 from G&R Tactical (The sale is still going on as of 5/13 for anyone interested) I remember 2007 when Colts were $1,300. I remember 2013 when they were $2,500. I can't pass one up for $690. I had a set of MOE handguards, CTR buttstock, BCM Grip, and an IWC Scout Mount laying around. I purchased a DD fixed rear from AIM and Surefire M600U w/ momentary tail cap from Arisaka Defense. All in - under $1,000 with FFL fees and such.
This rifle has quickly became my favorite gun to shoot with. I zeroed the rifle with 64gr Gold Dot ammunition at 100 yards and was impressed that I achieved a ~1" 5 round group after only 4 rounds of adjustment from mechanical zero. I need to point out here that I have exhaustive experience and training with iron sights thanks to a previous career in an organization that prides itself in marksmanship, and can not achieve these results with a (much faster) red dot. This accuracy level blew me away, but it is not as good as much quicker hits made with a red dot.
I keep it in a discreet bag disassembled for trips
This is when the fun started. I took it out into the woods for some shooting because I wanted to see just how much slower it was than a red dot. It ended up being a bit slower, but nothing significant. I don't remember exact times, but it was not something that you would shake your head at. What was significant was what I ended up deliberately putting this rifle through and seeing it shake off damn near everything. It left me wondering had I thrown a quality red dot on this rifle - just what wouldn't it do?
Listen, we all buy good kit that we think can take some abuse but I'm not gonna be the one to run over my suppressed rifle wearing an ATPIAL with a truck. That's risking too much for my wallet.
A $690 Colt though? Idgaf. So while I was out blasting one day I made this video. Keep in mind nothing of what follows is a "torture test" or anything like that - I just wanted to see how reliable the rifle was, how long it could retain zero and its inherent accuracy.
The only issue I had was with the IWC mount bending from being thrown like a windmill, and when I ran the rifle over with a truck. I simply bent it back, but I might end up replacing it for peace of mind. I was told Earl @ IWC will replace it under warranty but feel it would be unfair given my outright abuse of the product. I can't really fault the light mount because the light is cantilevered so far away from the gun and I was able to fix it in 5 seconds.
Mad props to Magpul for making handguards and magazines that put up with so much abuse.
What the rifle looks after all of the above - after a nice shower with a toothbrush and head and shoulders. Bet one could sell this as "Like new" on Gunbroker - it cleaned up amazingly well. This gun reminds me of the Toyota Hilux on Top Gear - What do you have to do to kill one?
I am taking this rifle out today to shoot some 300 yard groups. I am very anxious to see what the results are. I might be getting ahead of myself with the below, but I am confident there won't be significant issues enough to say it:
Only after soaking the rifle in water, running it over with a truck and coating it with a healthy mud/sand combination did it fail to go into battery. Getting it to the point of malfunction was not the objective of what I was doing though. Throw mud in damn near any rifle and it is going to struggle. Simply apply a liberal amount of lube and the gun gets back up.
What I was blown away about was that it never lost zero, nothing broke, nothing is permanently damaged. Accuracy remains acceptable (haven't shot it beyond 75ish yards during any of the above).
So, what does a $3,000 Wondergun bring to the table that a $1,000 Colt and $1,000 of 5.56mm does not? Especially if a durable, tested red dot were added to the Colt. I'd like to see someone run over a Magnesium BCM KMR with a 5,000 4Runner right where the light mount is located, but even if it survives unscathed - what was gained for the extra coin? Everyone wants to talk about the accuracy a free float rail brings to the table but I shoot at the range every week - not many guys shooting SBRs out to 300m+.
I'll end this with a rant - It's unfortunate that the internet/instagram has seemingly created a culture where we have to have what is cool without knowing why it's cool or how to use it. A guy with 3,000 rounds of ammo down the barrel of his 6920 is going to be way more efficient than a guy with zero rounds down the barrel of his Wondergun. I fully agree that upgrades in the AR platform bring advantages with them, but I wonder if the gun community as a whole has simply lost interest in the practical application of shooting and simply enjoys looking at pictures of shit now.