High Exposure

I should be there as well. Looking forward to seeing Frank and boys again.

It may sound nit-picky but a lower optic can: Change your head position which can increase fatigue Reduce your field of view restricting your situational awareness Change holdovers at CQB distances Makes it harder if shooting with a promask Clutter the tube reducing what you can see when looking through the optic Complicates the addition of optic accessories - think 3x Mag or PVS 14 Increase the difficulty when getting hits in unconventional shooting positions - rollover and urban prone, broke back prone, supine, etc... So it should be better than an optic mounted with an absolute cowitness but it may not be as good as an optic mounted with the irons in the lower 1/3 of the tube. Also, keep in mind that the larger the tube (Pro, EOTurd, M4/M5s, Trij SRS, etc...) the more forgiving the differences in cowitness are. A T1, for example, has a small tube diameter, so the lower the cowitness (cowitness being based on how high the center of the tube is above the bore) the lower the top of the optic. A Pro or M4, having a larger diameter than a T1 has more of the "tube" above the dot and is easier to use when in an absolute cowitness configuration. All that being said, if you have a PRO in an Aimpoint QRP mount, you are going to be fine. It holds zero and is a well built mount, it is just built to a different set of dimensions than just about every other mount out there. You may need to work around a few things but it is not impossible - just different.

I would not by a DPMS rifle. For that $ you could do better. For a little more $$ you could do much much better. Why do you want an A1 upper with a fixed carry handle? You are severely limiting yourself on any optics choices. In my experience with DPMS - at 4k rounds a year - you can consider yourself lucky of you got more than a full year without having to swap BCG or internal lower parts.

This one? June 14 - 15, 2014 Jackson, New Jersey Central Jersey Rifle & Pistol Club Garden State Regional Classic XX

That wasn't me brother. I was/am still hoping this was a clusterfuck of cascading misfortune and not a deliberate attempt to fleece members of this board. Although, it looks less and less likely that that is the case.... And that makes me sad

https://troyind.com/products/16-promo-alpha-upper-receiver-blk Regular price is $1199.00 Use coupon codes: Nra15 and Alphaupper during checkout to get the price to $699 + ~$8.00 shipping. NOTE: It comes with a 16" barrel and a flash hider that is not pinned. In the rest of America this is a non-issue. In NJ this is an big no-no so there is a small amount of compliance work to be done - namely swap the hider for a comp/brake and have it permanently attached. Order accordingly to avoid "constructive possession" issues. Search the forum for more info. ETA: edited to add the link 'cause I'm a dope. Thanks iRONman!

Is this what you were shooting? Ammo QC is not quite at the lowest point I have ever seen it, but it is pretty bad. That said, the Federal XM193 is generally pretty good stuff, but by no means is it perfect. The "burnt" looking part by the bullet is called annealing and mil spec ammo is supposed to have this. The "chewed up" brass around the primer is probably a staked in or sometimes called a "boxed in" primer pocket, again spec'ed so the primers don't pop. Do those pics look like what you had? What are the specs on the rifle? I might look there before the ammo.

Chris, Sig, Ruger, FN etcetera make great guns. I am not sold on their ARs though. There are plenty of established makers out there turning out an excellent product at a fair price. I don't see the need to gamble on something new just for the sake of a few $$ or to be different/have the newest "toy". That isn't to say that you can't get a bad BCM product for example. I know that anything created by man can fail and all manufacturers let a lemon squeak by now and then. In fact I just had to sand a brand new BCM Bolt Carrier back because it was leaking gas. Their CS was outstanding and I am satisfied because they made it right. This did not turn me away from BCM though, and in fact I just bought another BCM BCG to replace another high round count rifle's BCG as part of its preventative maintenance cycle. This one ran fine right out of the package when tested for function - as have the other 8 BCM BCGs I have purchased. Bottom line is I do not aspire to mediocrity. I expect my gear to perform and am happy to pay a little more if that's what it takes, because I know the gear is built to meet or exceed the standard. BCM, Colt, DD, LMT, Noveske, LaRue, KAC they get my $$. S&W is the only company who I would buy from that doesn't meet or exceed the TDP for the M16 FoW. I am a big fan of DI guns. If I was going to get a piston gun it would be either an HK or a LWRC - That is it. I do not believe the piston hype after seeing many problems on the line over the last few years. Very few Piston guns come to class, but a high percentage of them have issues. Proprietary parts exacerbate the situation and many shooters that start a class with a piston gun end the class with a DI gun. In my line of work I call that a clue. This is because many subscribe to the "parts is parts", the "just as good as" and "you're just paying more for the Colt/BCM/KAC/LMT/Noveske/LaRue/DD on the side." Others don't understand what they are talking about, they are new to the platform, or they are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of choices in makers, accessories, uses, etcetera and the in-your-face marketing that some companies employ.... So they take advice from their Uncle Cheech who was issued a Mattel made M16 over 35 years ago Others still will only shoot 5000 rounds out of the gun in 20 years and for them a hobby gun will probably be all they ever need. The issue is when they think it is appropriate to espouse the virtues of their "Awesome AR that only cost $400" to someone that is a serious student of the art of gunfighting that shoots 5000 rounds in a week at a class they just spent $600 to attend. There needs to be a frame of reference, a "vetting" so to speak, of info that makes endorsements relevant. The biggest reason I think is that a great many people simply can not tell the difference between "lowest cost" and "best value".

The benefits of manipulations and load out carriage with a 30 round body over a 20 round body were well covered by others already. Spend a day on a timer doing speed reload drills, tac reload and reload with detentions drills, malfunction clearances, simple loading and unloading. Do it cold, wet, hurt, scared and and when you have to poop - The extra length makes the impossible possible when your heart rate pegs at 200 bpm, you have no feeling in your hands, and your whole world is being viewed through a paper towel tube. I do want to touch on this while "Keeping it real" Going prone with a 30 rounder is a non-issue. Even more so if wearing armor or a chest rig. You can't get any lower than what you are wearing even with a shorter mag. Also, there are numerous ways to mitigate any height issues you can't work directly around, from alternative prone positions - which are probably more likely to be useful at making you a smaller target outside the Fulda Gap - to simply planting that mag on the deck and crawling on top of the gun. You can also just roll the gun and compensate by aiming slightly high and to the mag side. The only thing a 20 round body does better than a 30 round body is fit in my safe/go bag and make working with a bipod/bag off a bench easier. For many it has nothing to do with simple "games" or being a "mall ninja". It is about efficiency, speed of manipulations, and milking every advantage you can out of your gear to win - whether that means winning a trophy or a fight.

Why?

No it's not really a big deal but it does matter.

Nope Those symbols make it Japanese. Figure-eight inside a circle (Nagoya Arsenal mark) and diamond with a rectangle inside (Toyoda Automatic Loom Works mark) Looks to have been definitely ground down and possibly had the hilt reshaped. http://worldbayonets.com/Bayonet_Identification_Guide/Japan/japan_2.html

I really like the Magpul attachment points and hardware. I f'n hate their slings. They are too thin for the tubular material that are made from and they roll and bind when trying to adjust making you have to use two hands to get your sling where you want it. Do not like. I actually cut 2 MS3 slings up just to get the hardware and use it with a BFG VCAS on 2 rifles that had ASAP plates and MOE sling mounts on MOE Handguards. Luckily, now that the modular MS1 sling is out you can buy just the hardware for a relatively painless sum instead of buying a $40 sling just to cut it up.

Sounds great. I am going to try to adjust my work schedule and come up on 5/4. Any details you can give is about the seminar? Best of luck!

Boejoula, Getting rid of your VTAC Bungee sling eh? 1LtCAP, I don't think anyone took offense to your post brother!

^^ This Any folding stock I have ever seen for the 10/22 adds a pistol grip. No-go

Thanks for the kind words Do keep in mind though that everything I type is from a "tactical" (god I hate that word sometimes) or "fighting with a gun" standpoint - not a shooting, hunting, gaming, etc.. frame of reference. There is some crossover but what works for me in my experience may not work for everyone else's needs. I had one of the EZ Slings. It is basically an updated version of a 3 point sling - almost like a quick adjust 3 point. Other than the "backpack" mode, everything the EZ sling does can be done with a quick adjust 2-point sling easier and faster. Plus there are a couple little tricks that you can do to make the QA 2-point sling work for you even better when switching shoulders or securing the long gun to your front or back to use two hands to accomplish another task.

Speak of the Devil!

Anxiously waiting its release myself... Vladtepes has a man inside. I am sure he will be by shortly to give us the scoop.

I prefer the BFG VCAS for two reasons, one subjective and one objective. Objectively, I do not like the free running end of the VTAC. I prefer the closed loop of the BFG VCAS even though it offers a more limited range of adjustment. Subjectively, I am short and I don't need as much adjustability as the VTAC provides. I have feet of sling left over once I am all adjusted, even in armor - and I will still manage to lawn dart my barrel taking a knee. The BFG VCAS offers me just enough adjustability to stay versatile, but controls the rifle enough that I can sling it and forget about it while doing other tasks. I have no experience with the VTAC Bungee. I see it retains the running end like the standard VTAC so I would probably still prefer the BFG VCAS. I am also unsure about the whole "bungee" aspect. I used to have a bungee 1 point sling (before the quick adjust 2 point slings were on the scene) and the bungee drove me nuts. I would just get everything where I want it and then it would stretch and the rifle would go exactly where I didn't want it. No thanks.

Sling selection: Avoid 3 point sling like a male prostitue with AIDS and a chloroform soaked rag. They are beyond useless. Single point slings - They are not the end of the world and you can run them if you have to, but they leave a lot to be desired. They flop around when released smacking you in the groin (read balls), They offer no additional stabilization when shooting, and they move around making it difficult to retrieve the rifle after being released. And you can forget taking a knee or bending over to pick something up, your barrel becomes an instant lawn dart. The only place where they really shine is switching shoulders. It is a nice ability to have but other slings allow it too and without all the negatives. 2-point slings - the basic 2 point sling makes a decent carry strap, but is a horrible "fighting" sling. With a little ingenuity and elbow grease you can modify them to work, but the juice just isn't worth the squeeze. Now, the Modern 2-point Quick Adjust sling - like the BFG BCAS or the VTAC - is where it's at. I have both types but I prefer the BFG VCAS as it has no loose running end. The downside to that being that it offers less inherent adjustment in the system. The Quick Adjust 2 Point slings have all the advantages of a two point sling - holds the rifle close/tight to the body when released, doesn't flop around when moving with a slung rifle, offers adjustable stability while shooting, and still gives the shooter the ability to switch shoulders quickly and easily like a single point system. Win - Win - Win. Attachment points: Getting the sling attachment points as close to the receiver as possible on both ends will set you up for success. You can use a Tangodown PR4, a Burnsed Loop, a MI Sling plate, a Magpul ASAP, whatever you like, that puts the sling as close to where the receiver extension meets the lower as possible. (I like the ASAP and the Tangodown PR4 for this. I have also used the MI version of the TD PR4 with good success.) You want the front the front attachment point as close to where the rail/barrel meets the receiver as possible. Some rail systems - DD Omega, LaRue Tactical - offer sling sockets there standard. Other handguards options may require you to buy a sling loop (ACE and VTAC make good ones) or socket (IWC makes a good one for use with Magpul MOE Handguards and Gear Sector makes a great one for throwing on a railed forend) to place on the rail where you want it. The further forward you have the sling, the more you can throw off your zero. I have seen a zero move by as much a 4" at 100 yards by a shooter tightening a sling while shooting. Keeping the sling attachment point close together enhances the abilities of the quick adjust 2 Point sling. It offers more adjustment, holds the rifle higher on your body (very helpful if you are vertically challenged like me ) keeping it from banging into your knees if moving with a slung rifle or from turning into a lawn dart if you take a knee or bend over to pick something up. This setup allows you to switch shoulders like a single point sling, and keeps the rifle tighter to you so it moves around less when slung making it easier to recover. It also gives you more room/slack in the total system when reloading and clearing malfunctions.

If you* purposefully decide to lie and state "I do not recollect" - when in fact you do - simply because you feel you are not being compensated "enough" or even at all - that is an integrity check. Your integrity and reputation is for sale and you word as testimony is now worthless. You are making a conscious decision to be honest only when it benefits you. That is dishonorable. ETA *this is the "'royal' you" so to speak. I am not saying Howard has done this, or will do this. My statement is only for the sake of discussion.

While I understand the sentiment and don't completely disagree, I am saddened by those that put a price tag on their integrity. Like it or not you are now involved. Absolutely fight for compensation and/or alternative methods that are less intrusive to your life, but don't lie if you are not compensated to your satisfaction. At the end of the day, the money will be spent and all you have left is your word, your honor, and your reputation.

Brother, in all seriousness, what are you talking about? There is nothing contradictory at all in my post above and the PM I responded to you with. Post it if you want, I could care less and have nothing to hide. If you were one of my friends I would tell you to change your tampon. But I don't know you so I will refrain - I am afraid it will make you apoplectic. Again, have a Happy Easter. I hope you had fun at the range.

Lol! Yes, I am aware of what the link I posted said. I read it often in the constant battle to keep my head on straight. I also find that keeping this short article fresh in my mind helps me to be a better worker, father, and husband. I wanted to know what the PM said....... I didn't feel like looking it up myself.....