Is any AR a good AR or should I stay away from certain ones?

[The Lance]

PSA also uses machine gun barrels made by FN, and Korstog uses full auto mpi/hp tested bcg as far as I know. Also, the Korstog BCG's are melonite coated, as is the gas tube.

I was under the impression that only their Cold Hammer Forged barrels were made by FN, but either way PSA is a great quality, Their lead time just is a bit too slow for my liking.

but I am very much happy with my 6920 upper which I am trading away here very soon

to build my SBR with a Rainier arms upper and 14.5inch Voodoo Barrel. (Voodoo is the company that makes the barrels for HULDRA/Korstog)
Of course a Spikes Tactical Nickel Boron BCG. Don't worry I have been piecing it together slowly to get all the parts I needed I was basically waiting on my Rainier Arms upper

[grousemaster]

PSA also uses machine gun barrels made by FN, and Korstog uses full auto mpi/hp tested bcg as far as I know. Also, the Korstog BCG's are melonite coated, as is the gas tube.

I was under the impression that only their Cold Hammer Forged barrels were made by FN, but either way PSA is a great quality, Their lead time just is a bit too slow for my liking.

but I am very much happy with my 6920 upper which I am trading away here very soon

to build my SBR with a Rainier arms upper and 14.5inch Voodoo Barrel. (Voodoo is the company that makes the barrels for HULDRA/Korstog)
Of course a Spikes Tactical Nickel Boron BCG. Don't worry I have been piecing it together slowly to get all the parts I needed I was basically waiting on my Rainier Arms upper

Cool, I've got a 14.5" voodoo with a nickel boron bcg also....can't wait to get out and shoot it.

[JohnGageMN]

PSA also uses machine gun barrels made by FN, and Korstog uses full auto mpi/hp tested bcg as far as I know. Also, the Korstog BCG's are melonite coated, as is the gas tube.

I was under the impression that only their Cold Hammer Forged barrels were made by FN, but either way PSA is a great quality, Their lead time just is a bit too slow for my liking.

but I am very much happy with my 6920 upper which I am trading away here very soon

to build my SBR with a Rainier arms upper and 14.5inch Voodoo Barrel. (Voodoo is the company that makes the barrels for HULDRA/Korstog)
Of course a Spikes Tactical Nickel Boron BCG. Don't worry I have been piecing it together slowly to get all the parts I needed I was basically waiting on my Rainier Arms upper

If you read through the different offerings on their website, PSA offers both a standard chrome lined chrome moly vanadium barrel (basic mil-spec) and they also offer the CHF "machine gun steel" barrels with the double thickness lining. The latter are definitely made by FN and are the same material used for the M240 & M249 barrels. I was under the impression that the former were made by FN as well, but I cannot confirm that.

I've had a PSA complete rifle for about 3 months now and have run about 1000 rounds through it. I have to say I'm very impressed by the quality, especially considering what I paid for it. It's solid, everything fits together nicely, no rattles, etc, and it has functioned flawlessly thus far.

[brauchma]

I should have said that I want to be able to plink, protect, and maybe 3 gun casually someday.

Maybe I need 3 different ones?

[Uffdaphil]

If you hurry PSA has a premium 16" upper listed in stock right now for $399. But I am having problems checking out some other stuff, so maybe they are being swamped. Good luck.

[BigDog58]

Hi all, I'm considering ordering a Huldra. I've only shot one AR and it was a DPMS. I'm only intending to use it for target and fun shooting. Is there a particular model I should choose over another? I'm trying to hold the cost down as much as possible, but I do not mind paying for a quality firearm. I definitely do not want a junk weapon, nor a gold plated one.

I plan to handload my ammo. Is there a particular twist rate I should focus on for shooting 100-300 meters? I'm unable to find bullet weight to twist rate recommendations on the web (have not asked in reloading section yet) and would like to know if there is such a site? I'm surely going to load many different loads until I can discover what the weapon prefers, but if I can get in the "Ballpark" as far as bullet weight and twist rate efficiency, it will save me not only time and frustration, but a few bucks as well.

Thanks all,

BD

[Hmac]

Hi all, I'm considering ordering a Huldra. I've only shot one AR and it was a DPMS. I'm only intending to use it for target and fun shooting. Is there a particular model I should choose over another? I'm trying to hold the cost down as much as possible, but I do not mind paying for a quality firearm. I definitely do not want a junk weapon, nor a gold plated one.

I plan to handload my ammo. Is there a particular twist rate I should focus on for shooting 100-300 meters? I'm unable to find bullet weight to twist rate recommendations on the web (have not asked in reloading section yet) and would like to know if there is such a site? I'm surely going to load many different loads until I can discover what the weapon prefers, but if I can get in the "Ballpark" as far as bullet weight and twist rate efficiency, it will save me not only time and frustration, but a few bucks as well.

Thanks all,

BD

Generally speaking, a faster twist rate will do a better job of stabilizing a heavier bullet, or so the theory goes. Longer ranges, heavier bullets will supposedly benefit from a faster twist rate. IIUC, milspec is 1:7 because it will do a better job of stabilizing M855 ammo commonly used by the military. I've seen reports that 1:7 might overspin 40 grain varmint bullets casue it to tumble at longer ranges. A lot of guys who use their rifles for varmints will go with 1:12. I think 55-65 grain bullets would do fine with either a 1:7 or 1:9 barrel. Heavier than that and I would get a 1:7.

I think Huldra is an excellent rifle. The question is going to be gas piston vs direct impingement. If you're considering a Huldra but aren't committed to the gas piston concept, consider a Korstog, Huldra's sister brand also available at Fleet Farm. The other leading brands for reliability and quality would be Noveske, Colt, BCM, Daniel Defense.

[Shawski]

Hi all, I'm considering ordering a Huldra. I've only shot one AR and it was a DPMS. I'm only intending to use it for target and fun shooting. Is there a particular model I should choose over another? I'm trying to hold the cost down as much as possible, but I do not mind paying for a quality firearm. I definitely do not want a junk weapon, nor a gold plated one.

I plan to handload my ammo. Is there a particular twist rate I should focus on for shooting 100-300 meters? I'm unable to find bullet weight to twist rate recommendations on the web (have not asked in reloading section yet) and would like to know if there is such a site? I'm surely going to load many different loads until I can discover what the weapon prefers, but if I can get in the "Ballpark" as far as bullet weight and twist rate efficiency, it will save me not only time and frustration, but a few bucks as well.

Thanks all,

BD

Generally speaking, a faster twist rate will do a better job of stabilizing a heavier bullet, or so the theory goes. Longer ranges, heavier bullets will supposedly benefit from a faster twist rate. IIUC, milspec is 1:7 because it will do a better job of stabilizing M855 ammo commonly used by the military. I've seen reports that 1:7 might overspin 40 grain varmint bullets casue it to tumble at longer ranges. A lot of guys who use their rifles for varmints will go with 1:12. I think 55-65 grain bullets would do fine with either a 1:7 or 1:9 barrel. Heavier than that and I would get a 1:7.

I think Huldra is an excellent rifle. The question is going to be gas piston vs direct impingement. If you're considering a Huldra but aren't committed to the gas piston concept, consider a Korstog, Huldra's sister brand also available at Fleet Farm. The other leading brands for reliability and quality would be Noveske, Colt, BCM, Daniel Defense.

Actually it was the M856 Tracer that really needed the faster twist because the tracer bullet is so long. If you've never seen one by itself, they're almost strange looking. I think they're half as long as a loaded cartridge, maybe a touch more. Just an FYI.

[MNGunGuy]

Actually it was the M856 Tracer that really needed the faster twist because the tracer bullet is so long. If you've never seen one by itself, they're almost strange looking. I think they're half as long as a loaded cartridge, maybe a touch more. Just an FYI.

M856 is longer to make up the weight difference from not being steel core like M855. This is done to give it the same trajectory as M855 using the same barrel. No twist rate change is needed to achieve this as it'd defeat the purpose.

[Shawski]

Actually it was the M856 Tracer that really needed the faster twist because the tracer bullet is so long. If you've never seen one by itself, they're almost strange looking. I think they're half as long as a loaded cartridge, maybe a touch more. Just an FYI.

M856 is longer to make up the weight difference from not being steel core like M855. This is done to give it the same trajectory as M855 using the same barrel. No twist rate change is needed to achieve this as it'd defeat the purpose.

I'm not quite sure what you're saying there. The length of the bullet is what really dictates the twist rate. A 1:9 twist rate stabilizes a M855 just dandy, but the military found they needed to faster than that for the length of the M856.

But then again it all depends on the individual barrel. Some people have found their 1:9 will shoot all the different weight/length bullets available, while others haven't found that to be true for their particular barrel. Also, the fast 1:7 barrels may make the lighter bullets(<40 gr) spin themselves apart because the jackets are usually very thin.

[MNGunGuy]

Actually it was the M856 Tracer that really needed the faster twist because the tracer bullet is so long. If you've never seen one by itself, they're almost strange looking. I think they're half as long as a loaded cartridge, maybe a touch more. Just an FYI.

M856 is longer to make up the weight difference from not being steel core like M855. This is done to give it the same trajectory as M855 using the same barrel. No twist rate change is needed to achieve this as it'd defeat the purpose.

I'm not quite sure what you're saying there. The length of the bullet is what really dictates the twist rate. A 1:9 twist rate stabilizes a M855 just dandy, but the military found they needed to faster than that for the length of the M856.

But then again it all depends on the individual barrel. Some people have found their 1:9 will shoot all the different weight/length bullets available, while others haven't found that to be true for their particular barrel. Also, the fast 1:7 barrels may make the lighter bullets(<40 gr) spin themselves apart because the jackets are usually very thin.

Length, shape and weight all play factors but you are correct, 1/7 is needed for M856. I was speaking in the context of current M4/M16's in use by DoD but yes, 1/9 caused issues back in the A1 days.

[Uffdaphil]

And then there is the 1/8 variant. Designed for 18"+ barrels I think.

[Erik_Pakieser]

It might be helpful to search for opinions from trainers around the country that see all brands and models of ARs coming through their high round-count course. Those guys tend to have pretty strong opinions about various brands based on the failures they see in the rifles brought to their courses.

Our Defensive Rifle Courses average 400 rounds fired in a single day. We've seen a broad spectrum of ARs in these classes, including homebuilt, DSA, PSA, BCM, DPMS, Bushmaster, S&W, and others.

In our experience, we haven't seen many failures related to brand as we have seen due to poor maintenance. Lack of lubrication - particularly on the bolt carrier group - is an ongoing problem. Another common problem is overloading magazines (with some magazines you can squeeze an extra round in if you are not paying attention).

Generally, we agree amongst ourselves that the upper reciever assembly - including the bolt carrier group, gas system, and barrel - is the most important. Quality from one lower reciever assembly to another does not seem to affect performance as much as the upper. Our general consensus is that Bravo Company makes the best uppers and BCGs.

I should note that these are opinions, and like with any other mechanical devices opinions vary greatly.

[FJ540]

Twist rate has nothing to do with barrel length.

Longer bullets need more twist to stabilize. Heavier bullets are inherently longer (you only get to increase length when it has to fit in the same bore).

1:8 twist is a happy medium from the 1:9 and 1:7. It stabilizes the 77gr bullets well in my experience. I've never shot a 40gr out of a .223, so I can't say there.

[BigDog58]

Hi all, I'm considering ordering a Huldra. I've only shot one AR and it was a DPMS. I'm only intending to use it for target and fun shooting. Is there a particular model I should choose over another? I'm trying to hold the cost down as much as possible, but I do not mind paying for a quality firearm. I definitely do not want a junk weapon, nor a gold plated one.

I plan to handload my ammo. Is there a particular twist rate I should focus on for shooting 100-300 meters? I'm unable to find bullet weight to twist rate recommendations on the web (have not asked in reloading section yet) and would like to know if there is such a site? I'm surely going to load many different loads until I can discover what the weapon prefers, but if I can get in the "Ballpark" as far as bullet weight and twist rate efficiency, it will save me not only time and frustration, but a few bucks as well.

Thanks all,

BD

Generally speaking, a faster twist rate will do a better job of stabilizing a heavier bullet, or so the theory goes. Longer ranges, heavier bullets will supposedly benefit from a faster twist rate. IIUC, milspec is 1:7 because it will do a better job of stabilizing M855 ammo commonly used by the military. I've seen reports that 1:7 might overspin 40 grain varmint bullets casue it to tumble at longer ranges. A lot of guys who use their rifles for varmints will go with 1:12. I think 55-65 grain bullets would do fine with either a 1:7 or 1:9 barrel. Heavier than that and I would get a 1:7.

I think Huldra is an excellent rifle. The question is going to be gas piston vs direct impingement. If you're considering a Huldra but aren't committed to the gas piston concept, consider a Korstog, Huldra's sister brand also available at Fleet Farm. The other leading brands for reliability and quality would be Noveske, Colt, BCM, Daniel Defense.

I am leaning toward the Huldra as I believe I want the Gas Piston type rifle. I like the fact that they keep the carbon and heat away from the chamber. I'm not so much concerned about which is "dirtier" than the other, as I keep my guns very clean. I've never owned a DI type system but the heat and fouling in the chamber just points me more toward the GP system as more reliable.
I really appreciate everyone's advice and input. This topic couldn't have come at a better time for me. I had reservations about the Huldra because I had only heard about it while viewing YouTube and nothing more, than seeing a couple in a FF. You all have put my concerns to rest. I did know, that I did NOT want a Bushmaster .