I searched through this thread and couldn't really find anything on point so I have a question...

I have heard some bad reviews about Olympic Arms quality, but it has mainly been for lowers..

What about the quality of their barrels? I am not building this gun for competition, so I'm not looking for a $500 match barrel, but just want something that is decent quality and accurate enough to take to the ranch and shoot some varmints at a moderate range.

Here's the description of the Olympic barrels...New production AR-15 barrels available as button rifled or broach-cut. Our ARB barrels are made from 4140 chromemoly steel and are precision button rifled with six lands and grooves and a standard 1x9" twist rate.

So I was considering grabbing a 20" bull barrel for about $260 it looks like.

What are your thoughts, and again, mainly on the quality of these barrels for what I want? Were those of you who were advising against Olympic talking about them overall or just for certain parts (lowers)?

Thanks for the help.

I've posted it here before... there's a little-known dirty secret that Olympic makes barrels for a lot of the big names. They are FINE barrels. Top notch at a great price... if you can get one. I chatted with an OA employee 2 weeks ago, and wait time was 4-6 months.

Yea the barrel is turning out to be the hardest find for me and a million others I'm sure..

Any comparable barrel mfg. suggestions for what I'm wanting to do would be appreciated as well..

I guess I should comment that I have an E.R. Shaw SS 20" Bull barrel 1:9 on order right now but I was told it would be 8-12 weeks...I was hoping not to wait that long..

However, I have heard good things about Shaw barrels.

[This message has been edited by tularosa5 (edited 3/19/2009 1:45a).]

For what you want any of the major name barrels will work just fine. Oly makes good barrels, no problem there.

If you are not looking for a tack driver, I would skip stainless and get a lightweight profile that is chrome lined.

If you hang out on the forums (arfcom EE) you will find a used barrel that will do what you are wanting. Its really hard to ruin a monder barrel, so there is little chance you will get a problem barrel used.

Streetfighter, thanks for the heads up. It came in yesterday afternoon and I am picking it up at lunch.

Anyone every use a Leupold VX II 2x-7x 33mm scope on an AR before? I bought one and am going to put it on my VR-15. I'll let you know how it does. Got a steal on it from the Sportsmans World closing in SA.

Sure wish the store was not closing.



Gil '91

Just picked up my stripped lower this afternoon and now I am looking for a lower parts kit. Any recommendations? I have heard of some kits coming with plastic parts instead of metal but I could not remember which ones. Another problem that I am running into is availability. CMMG wont tell you the date that anything is shipping and Del-Ton is saying to "please allow at least 12-16 weeks for all orders to ship".
I planned on building my AR slowly and when I had the money, but now that I have my lower I don't want to wait.

You might try direct from rock river arms or www.gunkings.com is releasing a few cmmg lpk every day in an attempt to spread them out.

One arfcom user said it only took a week or so to get a parts kit direct from RRA.

[This message has been edited by Streetfighter 02 (edited 3/19/2009 7:15p).]

I called M&A yesterday to check for LPK and they just had received a shipment...he said they'd be sent out in 24 hrs..good luck

Anybody from here going to the LaRue 3-gun match this weekend?

wont be competing, but I'm going.

I had to send my scope off to Leupold (CQ/T) due to a loose switch. Got it back last night and it works like a charm! They even sent it back a week faster than they'd previously said. Overnight at that.

I'll be the guy with the SS Beretta Vertec. Pics back on page 12. Hopefully won't do too crappy with the last minute change in scoring. Accuracy is not my strong suit and the new time penalties really punish you for that.

I'll be there, squad 15. The scoring doesnt bother me as much as how they have managed the whole thing...this seems to be a pattern for match staff, last year they decided after the match started that they didnt want to have a limited division prize table so they lumped those shooters in Open.

You read that right, Open. They said it was to pad the numbers in that class. Several of the top Limited shooters in the country are good friends and they where not impressed. You just dont go changing stuff after the match starts (at least this year they just cashed our checks first) and then tell folks to F-off if they dont like it... Yep.

I had high hopes that this could become a great Texas 3 Gun match, but this behavior is not likely to go away...

This seems to be the year of everyone trying their own set of scoring rules. I prefer IMGA or, even better San Angelo scoring because it accounts for Power Factor. I shot Benning this year and the Horner scoring is close to LaRue, but for me it was not as much fun to shoot. Two major power hits will be good enough in most fights.

My solution is to make the A zone bigger. Two A or C hits would achieve the same results and allow you to speed things up a bit.

So much for the *****ing about the scoring...how about that 20 mph wind we are going to have this weekend? That 500 yard steel is gonna be real fun! Might as well just throw that ammo over the berm...

Edit to add: Lex, I am bring my red Honda 4 wheeler. Look for me and I'll be on the lookout for your Italian shotgun.



[This message has been edited by Puryear Playboy (edited 3/26/2009 9:40a).]

Will a commercial end plate work with a mil-spec buffer tube?

Does anyone have a spare mil-spec buffer tube, castle nut and end plate they'd be interested in selling?

About to leave work to head up to Wichita Falls for Double Tap. 33 degrees tomorrow afternoon, chance of rain, sleet, snow, and winds gusting up to 40 MPH. It's going to be a fun match. That'll make the weather at the LaRue match look great.

come on guys, post for photos of the matches for us that had to stay at home this weekend...

They got to shoot a minigun...saw some pics up on AR15.com from the Larue shoot.

tactical piss

The LaRue match was awesome. One of my friends was one of the match photographers so I didn't take any pictures. Will post some when I get them from him. He didn't get a picture of me shooting the minigun so I will hate him forever. I've never been to a tactical style match before. Got to shoot the minigun, use a battering ram on a door, breach a training door shooting out the plastic locks point blank with a shotgun, shoot the LaRue OSR, shoot the OSR again at night with a $10k nightvision sight attached, and play with some state of the art night vision binoculars that aren't even in production yet. Lots of military and LEO at the match. Had 3 SWAT officers, border patrol, and a DEA agent on my squad.

I managed to finish 12th out of 165 despite dropping more than 80 seconds due to not knowing how severe some penalties were and having magazine and ammo problems on the very last stage . Would have been several spots higher if that hadn't happened but still happy with that finish given the quality of competitors at the match. Picked up a certificate for a LaRue upper of my choice and a few smaller items off the prize table.

PP I saw at least 4 red 4 wheelers so I couldn't figure out which was you. I'll always be running the SS Beretta 92FS Vertec so feel free to say hi at any future matches.

thanks for the update lexofer.

its not so much that i enjoy hearing about tactical failures as it is that i enjoy trying to eliminate weak spots. so please do explain the magazine/ammo problems you ran into.

i would love to do some of these matches, and one day, when funds allow, i will.

quote:

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Had 3 SWAT officers, border patrol, and a DEA agent on my squad.

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It's always amusing to hear how these guys shoot at matches...

Good job, Jason. Not a bad prize either. Sounds like it was WELL worth the money between getting to shoot cool stuff and freebies. Wish I could have made it.

On stage 8 when I went to my rifle, after the first shot I got a double feed. Two live rounds both partway into the chamber. I didn't know what happened at first so I bumped the magazine to make sure it was seated and racked the handle. Nothing again, so I reracked it, realized nothing was coming out, locked the bolt open, dropped the magazine, and saw I had two live rounds jammed into the same hole. Took some work to get them out, dropped the magazine as double feeds of two live rounds are almost always magazine related, replaced with new magazine, shot once, and double feed again.... Same drill, got it fixed eventually.

Second part of the rifle section involved shooting sideways from a port about 10 inches tall that was on the ground. I went down and after the first shot my hammer didn't drop when I pulled the trigger. Racked it and still no click, racked it again, and still nothing. Sat up, the only thing I could think was there was a loose primer underneath the trigger assembly keeping it from locking back. Dropped the mag, cleared the chamber, popped open the receiver, turned it over and shook it, reassembled, and I got a click this time when I pulled the trigger. Put the mag back in and cleaned the rest of the poppers that were out at 100 yards. After it was over I found one of the rounds I racked out was indeed missing a primer.

Lessons learned: First one is going to be very unpopular and I'm sure I'll catch some flak, but I blame the PMAGS I was using. Normally I only load them to 28 rounds and they are fine. In the past when I have loaded them to 30 or used my PMAG with a 45 round coupler loaded up I have gotten double feeds. I don't know why I loaded them up for this particular stage as I hadn't for the 7 prior. The PMAGS are going to be used for practice only until they can prove themselves. I don't see how anything but the mags could be at fault for allowing 2 live rounds to come out at the same time. I just bought 10 new windowed PMAGS too. One of the mags was a brand new one and the other was about a year old. I still like PMAGS and will continue to use them at 28 rounds and will do some testing to see if they are indeed the source of the problem when loaded to 30.

Next I've got to pay more attention when reloading brass picked up from the range. If I don't feel resistance when I seat the primer I'm going to mark that round so it goes in the practice ammo box. No more loose primers in the match ammo. Possibly will get a receiver rug to keep things from getting under the trigger group.

quote:

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It's always amusing to hear how these guys shoot at matches...

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The SWAT guys weren't as awful as most of the police officers I see at matches. It's pretty scary how poor most police officers are at shooting. The SWAT guys finished in the bottom half but weren't terrible. It was funny because the first couple of stages they kept making excuses for why my technique wasn't "tactical" enough and they were much slower because they shouldn't be shooting like me, but by the 2nd day before every stage they were coming to me asking all kinds of questions about how I was going to shoot the stage and why I did things the way I did.

The DEA agent had awful, awful, muzzle discipline. Didn't appreciate that at all.

I know what you mean. Friend of mine recently went to a Pat Rogers class that some Secret Service agents were attending. I was amused that one of them didn't understand why his Sig had a decocker on it.

That was one of the only things I didn't really like about the set up of the match when I was reading about it. It seemed like it was set up for the "Hut Hut Tactical Gurus". Almost "too tactical". I'll catch hell for it, but it seemed to appeal most to the "AR15.com mentality" of take all your mags already loaded to the match.

I'll say first I had a great time at the match. It was a Who's Who of Texas based 3 Gunners, so it was great to see all the buds. The AMU (Army Marksmanship Unit) was there in full force and the match was won by Horner. Great kid! We all had dinner Saturday night in Waco and I am just so impressed by what a great and humble young man he is; just like all the guys in the AMU, first rate.

We got to shoot a Mini-gun! What else is there to say about that??

I had the distinct honor of meeting one of the Delta snipers who was on Super 61 when it was shot down. He shot the match, his first.

I didnt shoot many pics becuase I was talking to Fingar and he told me LaRue is producing a match DVD. He wants to sell it for about $10. Gov. Perry was also going to come out and shoot some but his schedule was too tight Saturday.

I used my Nordic P-mag 17 round extension for the first time in a long match and it worked flawlessly.

The stages where very good. They where set-up for the Tacticool/LE/.mil crowd. Thats fine with me because it means less loading and more shooting on the clock.

Best thing about the match was that almost all stages used 3 guns, and the rest used 2 guns. Lots of fun. It wasnt a normal IPSC match in that there was little loading on the clock (talking mostly shotgun here), but thats an advantage for us that have the equipment to load fast anyway...

The NRA target wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. I still think the A/0 zone should be extended lower. I do like that it extends up the neck and the head is bigger than an IPSC A/B head. This does better reflect reality.

I had some real issues with the scoring. So did a couple of the RO's, who where scoring the way they wanted against the Match rules (I agreed with these RO's). Other than that, the worst part of the match was the RO's where mostly IDPA-SO Hell. The biggest difference between the two sports is the level of experience of the shooters and the behavior of the RO/SO. An IPSC RO runs the timer and manages shooter safety. When the shooter is safe at the end of the stage, he scores and manages reset. These guys/SO would give you commentary during the stage (Do this, do that); put their hands on you (I had to tell that RO "Hands Off"; waste tons of time giving an in depth lesson on putting a shotgun in a barrel...please. Several thought it was their job to tell you how to shoot the stage.

My two best RO stories:

1. When I was asking about shooting from the mandatory "cover" and the fact that I had cover over there to shoot from instead of over here in the open "making my own cover by moving" (hunh??), the RO finally got frustrated and asked me "Have you ever been shot at?!!" He turned and walked away when I relied that in fact I had, and that my opponent had killed me.

2. An RO explained the stage was designed to broaden our shooting ability and experiences by introducing "you IPSC 3 Gunners to shooting while moving." Some laughed out loud. This RO was also bragging about the fact that his Breaching door cost $4200. We all got a good laugh watching him constantly adjusting it with a sledge hammer... My club has one just like it that one of my members welded up for about $65 bucks (no sledgehammer included.) They tried to sell it after the match for $2000...you could hear crickets.

The match was a safety nightmare. You had shooters constantly breaking the 180; I saw more than one shooter do a 270 degree turn with a hot weapon...sweeping everybody; I saw a shooter drop a hot pistol that landed pointed at the entire squad (who parted like the Red Sea at the back of the bay) and was told by the RO to pick it up and keep going, shooters laying on hot pistols pointed at them or back at the squad, I cant remember ever seeing more hot muzzles, ever. RO's pointed out that this was "Tactical." The Match Director even noted there was no 180 at the shooters meeting, and he told an RO that weapons were dropped in "Tactical Training" all time and to keep going (this was related to me by the RO). Amazing.

I'm sure these things and others will be addressed in the future. Or maybe not. Mark LaRue and his company are top notch. I hope one day this match will be as well. All the effort to limit IPSC 3 gun rules, equipment and participation and focus this match on an IDPA clientele wont make any difference to the order of finish at the top.

If you dont get shot, and noone did luckily, the prize table was as good start to finish as any match in the country. No contest. 6 top 25 finished out of 8 stages made a nice trip to the table for me.

PP

Edit for crappy typing skills.


[This message has been edited by Puryear Playboy (edited 3/30/2009 6:06p).]

A couple of guys were shooting Garands at the LaRue 3 Gun. It was great to watch. Several of them did very, very well on the long range stages. Its too bad that the rules severly handicapped them from being competitive in the match.

At dinner Saturday night with the AMU we discussed the 2009 Ft. Benning 3 Gun and they are open to considering a Heavy Division that would include an M1 class (pistol would be single stack .45 and a pump 12 gauge)...I'd be all over that.

Anyway I thought I would share the CMP care package that arrived last week...two cans of LC and two cans of Greek M2 Ball. Wish I had ordered more of the LC...





[This message has been edited by Puryear Playboy (edited 3/31/2009 1:23p).]

Is the LC Match Brass? If so, and you don't want it, I'll buy it from you after it's been shot. I use it exclusively in my 30-06 reloads.

My CC just got dinged for 480 rounds of HXP I ordered in January. I've got another 480 on order that I put in in February. Guess I should put another order in today.

Sorry, I'm keeping all my brass!

I was going to order more, but instead I am just going to drive over there in mid-April.

May pick up another Winchester or maybe a carbine. And a truck load of ammo (they told me I was limited to 50 cans PER DAY.)


Edit: tx4guns...how much brass do you need? I may be able to help.

[This message has been edited by Puryear Playboy (edited 3/31/2009 5:11p).]

If you shoot any matches and pick some LC Match brass up or can get me some from the factory, I'll owe you one.

Oh, and my 4 Pmags that I ordered in November on election night (2 30's and 2 20's) are in the mail! I already have some GI mags, but I can't wait to see the PMags finally. Got them for $14 and $13 each. I should have ordered more, but didn't have the $$ at the time.

Noveske's website shows to have loads of pmags in stock.

When will the next 3 GUN match be in and around the B/CS area be?

I'd really like to at least show up and watch if not shoot one.

Texas Tactical in Bulverde is shooting a rifle/pistol match this Saturday.

2nd Saturday is a 3 Gun at West Houston IDPA (google whidpa).

4th Sunday is the Brazosland Pistoleros pistol match in Bryan and we usually have a rifle or pistol side match.