MidwestPX

Not picky as far as feeding and extracting. But I put about 20 buckshot loads through each one at set distances to determine patterning. I wanted a 3-4" pattern at 7 yards and it turned out that each gun preferred a different load. My FIL's 20" 590 prefers Hornady TAP to the Federal that my 18.5" 590A1 prefers.

My 590 prefers Federal low-recoil buckshot while my 870 prefers Hornady TAP.

No prob. Like I said, it's not a bad setup considering what it cost. But I think it would be better suited to smaller framed individuals. I'm 6' tall and wear a 44L so somewhat average or slightly above average in size and the top edge of the plate may or may not be completely covering my heart. I could force the plate higher but then the bottom edge is above my navel. I'll see how these fit on my wife (I do not have high hopes for this simple due to the nature of the female form) and if they don't work, I'll sell them at some point. The plates I have from BPM may be more expensive but that additional surface area is worth it to me. On a side note, I wasn't too impressed by the packaging of these plates. Each was put in a 1/8" bubble bag then a cardboard insert between them. They were put in a form fitting box. Not the best protection from shock which is a big deal for armor plates. BPM does a significantly better job of packaging by double wrapping plates in 1" bubble then padding all surfaces in the box.

The Highcom plates are a touch smaller than the ones I received from Bulletproofme.com. They don't quite fill out the TAG Banshee PC as they're about 3/4" shorter than the PC. Not bad for a $375 armor setup but not ideal. I'll probably pick up a First Spear Strandhogg at some point and get another set of plates from BPM.

But the Secret Services uses it!

The proof is in what we see and experience. For myself, of my rather large safe of ARs, I only have one piston gun and it's a dedicated short barreled suppressor host that happens to have a happy switch. This is because I don't see the value of a piston system other than in that limited application. Like HE, I have seen very few piston ARs carried by professionals in the classes I've either hosted or attended. While there are regular guys who shoot for fun in those classes, there are typically more who carry those rifles into harm's way. The fact that they're using DI guns and not piston guns should tell you something. The logistics of piston guns is an inherent issue that is a result of the operating system not being standardized. You guys who say you'd carry your piston guns if SHTF are discounting the importance of having spare parts readily available. Wanna know what I'm doing with that piston gun if SHTF? Putting a 10.5" DI upper on it because of the logistics and if I really need a LMG, well, I have an open bolt Mk46 for that. For the most part, you should consider any moving part of an operating system to be a consumable. With a DI gun, it's very easy to find a spare BCG should you need it. Can't say the same for a piston gun.

To be different and create a new market. Piston systems have their place but for a general purpose AR, DI is the way to go.

Just a wee bit of hyperbole about the reliability of a DI gun, don't you think? I'll run several hundred through a suppressed select fire SBR between lubrication intervals. Unsuppressed and with a longer barrel, my DI guns will typically go 400-500+ before requiring lubrication. If DI guns were as unreliable as you make them out to be, we'd have a lot more caskets in the ground. And there's no such thing as over-lubricating an AR and gumming it up. I don't know where this started but it's pure bupkiss. To prove this point, I have taken a BCG apart and soaked every component in lube before reassembly and proceeded to dump a 60rd Surefire mag on full auto. Want to know what surprised me the most? The Surefire mag not choking.

The only time I prefer a piston to DI is on a suppressed machine gun. Then a piston system really shines as blowback is severely reduced. I think DI reliability is often times incorrectly maligned due to other issues. See Filthy 40 for an example of a DI gun running like the Energizer Bunny. Personally, my primary training SBR is now on the third AAC brake due to eroding the first two out (it has that many rounds on it) and it's incredibly reliable as long as I do my part of keeping it lubed.

Bushnell Vortex SWFA (yep, I'm a fan of their stuff!) I'd look at offerings from all three as they all offer quite a bit of value. Bushnell is probably the most surprising of the three since they seem to have stepped up their game lately. I had a customer come in today look through my 1-8.5 on my SPR and thought it was a Leupold based on glass clarity. He had no idea it was a Bushnell that costs about half of a Leupold Mk8 and was floored when I told him.

Receiver extensions are hollow. What "short tube" are you referencing? Do you mean the four position extensions?

The SL line is taking existing products, redesigning them a little but more importantly, incorporating/launching Magpul's new attachment standard, M-LOK. Like Key-Mod, it is freely available to other manufacturers. I have a feeling we're witnessing the firearm industry's version of Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD (or Beta vs. VHS for you old farts, of which I am one to remember the Beta/VHS slugfest).

Sorry to say but only a handful have gone to NJ and I'm not sure they were to forum members.

I see your dog toys and raise you....LEGOS! My daughter is playing with hers quite a bit now and I am convinced that there is no worse pain than unexpectedly stepping on a Lego in the middle of the night while half asleep.

Looks to be the same discount.

Is it just me or do they do a poor job of explaining the difference in models?

Eros Ti has arrived. Weighs in at 1.7oz with the center of gravity about 1/3 of the way down the grip. This knife opens extremely quickly and easily. Texturing of the handle is aggressive. The blade is extremely sharp and I have high hopes for how well it retains its edge based on reviews/posts I've read about the steel.

Adding to mipafox's post, the only thing that might replace the Mk46 is the HK IAR. The beltfed conversion uppers aren't super reliable from what I've heard/read.

I should clarify that they were making 10/20s before there were 10rd body PMAGs available. I don't know if they ever a) made a 15/20 with a rivet and b) shipped such a 15/20 to NJ.

If you're trying to shoot for tight groups, you have the wrong scope, the wrong rifle, and the wrong ammo. Precision shooting demands that your gear be manufactured with that in mind. The typical cold hammer forged barrel is a 1MOA barrel at best. Surplus brass cased is 2-4MOA ammo, at best. Steel cased is even worse. An RDS with little to no magnification is also the wrong optic choice as the reticle isn't designed for the task. No matter how good of a shooter you are, if the weak link in your gear is say a 3MOA barrel, you won't consistently shoot better than 3MOA provided that you as the shooter are doing your job. This is like trying to drive a car at 160mph when the final gear tops out at 130. Now, you can certainly improve or maximize your accuracy with a magnified optic and changing your ammunition. Most factory Daniel Defense rifles in my experience are combat accurate rifles meaning about 2MOA. If you're wanting to see how accurate your setup can be at 100 yards, I'd suggest a medium powered scope in the 8x to 12x range. SWFA sells a mil/mil 10x for $300 which is a great value given the build quality and clarity of the glass.

LWRC

Plastic can be welded. The cost of the machine is significantly higher. The one we use for PMAGs cost in excess of $10K.

That used to be my go-to until two of them (purchased at different times) started flickering for no reason. That's when I decided my confidence in Streamlight had been shaken enough that I'd switch to Surefire.

I carry an Emerson EDC2 made by Multitasker. I have a CRKT Eros Ti and Multitasker F1 coming that I will likely use for "nicer" functions. The Eros could be used as an EDC blade but the F1 is a ceramic blade and is more for looks than utility.

If that happens, they should just license the design of the proprietary parts to other manufacturers. Isn't that how AR lowers and rifles are legal in NJ provided they don't say, "AR15" on them?