Let’s face it, AR-platform rifles run dirty, at least compared to typical bolt-action rifles. The AR15 works by piping gas from the barrel back into the bolt carrier, causing the bolt to unlock and the carrier to move the bolt backward. The “exhaust gas” from the barrel contains soot and carbon. The carbon will form hard deposits on the bolt. In addition, the carbon can combine with lube on the bolt carrier to make a nasty, paste-like sludge. This can be particularly problematic when the black paste pollutes the ejector and extractor recess.
This Editor has inspected dozens of ARs over the years. Other than mag-related malfunctions, the most common cause of AR cycling problems I found was oily gunk in the extractor and ejector areas. Many AR owners overlook these critical areas. Look at an AR that hasn’t been cleaned properly and you’ll probably find black gunk (and small brass shavings) in the ejector and extractor recesses.
If you want to keep your black rifle running smoothly and reliably, you must clean it regularly and follow the correct maintenance procedures. Here are three videos that explain how to properly disassemble and clean AR-platform rifles.
Take-Down and Full Cleaning of AR15 by Jerry Miculek
Here ace shooter Jerry Miculek takes down and cleans an AR-platform rifle belonging to his daughter Lena. This is a good video because Lena’s rifle was “run hard and packed up dirty” so you can see where carbon and grease build up. This 35-minute video is very thorough. Jerry is one of the nation’s top action carbine shooters, so listen carefully to his advice on cleaning and lubrication.
How to Clean Your AR-Platform Rifle
This is a good basic video that shows the take-down and cleaning procedure for a typical AR15. It uses some fast-motion sequences to speed up the story. Check out this video if you don’t have the time to sit through the Miculek video above.
Cleaning and Lubricating AR15 Bolt Carrier Group
This video offers very specific advice on the bolt carrier group, which receives the dirty gas directly from the barrel. Be sure to check the extractor and ejector recesses. That’s where old lube, brass shavings, and carbon accumulate. Follow the directions in this video for lubrication, and don’t over-lubricate the bolt carrier — that will only capture more carbon.
When you make a reloading mistake, you may need to “pull down” assembled ammo. The embedded UltimateReloader.com video demonstrates how to use the Hornady Cam-Lock bullet pulling system.
When Reloading Goes Bad — The Danger of Over-Charging
Our friend Gavin Gear of UltimateReloader.com was recently reloading some 9mm pistol ammo with his Hornady progressive press. As part of his reloading procedure, he visually checks the cases — and he noticed that the charges seemed high. Sure enough, his most recently-produced rounds were about two grains over spec. He diagnosed the issue: “I was using a powder measure without a baffle. What happened was, over the course of the loading session, things settled in, and the charge level increased.”
Not knowing just when his powder measure started delivering too much powder, Gavin decided, for safety’s sake, to pull down all the ammo he had just reloaded. Yes that’s time-consuming, but it’s better than the alternative — having a dangerous Kaboom while shooting. With fast-burning pistol powders, a two-grain over-charge could cause a blown case, damaged firearm, and/or serious injury.
Watch Cam-Lock Bullet Puller Used to Remove Bullets from Loaded Ammo:
Use of Bullet Puller starts 4:00 minutes into video.
Gavin says it is vitally important to perform safety checks during the reloading process: “You’ve got to do it — check every single round to make sure there IS powder, and that there’s not too MUCH powder. Double, Triple, Quadruple check your components… and your powder charges. You can’t be too careful.”
To pull down a loaded round, first place the cartridge in the shellholder on your press ram. Then raise the round up into the bullet puller device installed where a die would go. The Hornady Cam-lock bullet puller works by clamping the bullet in a collet when you flip down the red-coated lever. Then, with the case held by the rim in the shell-holder, the bullet exits the cartridge as the press ram is lowered. It takes time, but it’s pretty fool-proof once you get the hang of it. This entire process is illustrated in Gavin’s video, starting near the four-minute mark.
The Hornady Cam Lock Bullet Puller has four (4) key components: 1. Cam-Lock die body; 2. Cam-Lock lever; 3. Stem; and 4. Collet (Caliber-specific).
NOTE: In order to use this tool, you’ll need the appropriate collet for each diameter range of bullets you intend to pull. For example use collet #3 for 6mm, collect #6 for 7mm, and collet #7 for .308 Caliber.
Savage Arms will launch more than two dozen new products at the 2018 SHOT Show, January 23-26 at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The big news is the AccuFit stock system for the Model 110 rifle line. “Our new AccuFit System is designed to allow shooters to quickly adjust comb height and length-of-pull for a customized fit. This results in more consistent, more comfortable shooting”, says Beth Shimanski, Savage Senior Marketing Manager. These new Savages also feature the Accustock internal chassis with bedding block (see second video below).
AccuFit Adjustment System
Accustock Embedded Chassis System
CLICK HERE for more videos showing new Savage Design and Engineering features.
More Chambering Options for Savage AR-Platform Rifles
Savage has added new chamberings for its MSR black rifle line-up. MSR 15 models will be newly offered in 224 Valkyrie, 22 Nosler, and 6.8 SPC. A 6mm Creedmoor version of the AR-10 platform MSR 10 Long Range has been added, and Savage will offer the hard-hitting .338 Federal chambering in the MSR Hunter rifle (along with 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Win).
Savage 2018 New Product Highlights
Model 110 Storm with AccuFit: Features stainless steel action and barrel for adverse weather and conditions. Sixteen caliber and left-hand options.
Model 110 Long Range Hunter with AccuFit: Engineered for long-range shooting with a 26-inch barrel and muzzle brake. Nine caliber options, including 338 Lapua Magnum.
Model 110 Lightweight Storm: Easier to carry in field thanks to a lightweight stainless steel barrel and action. Length-of-pull is easily customized. Six caliber options.
AXIS II XP with New Stock: Popular package rifle with redesigned, ergonomic stock and Bushnell Banner 3-9×40 scope in full-size and compact models. Twenty caliber/configuration options.
MSR 15 Valkyrie: MSR 15 AR-type rifle chambered for the 224 Valkyrie. This new model features an adjustable gas block, furniture upgrades, and Elite Series Flat Dark Earth Cerakote finish.
MSR 15 Recon Long Range Precision: Equipped with alternate furniture options and chambered in all-new 224 Valkyrie, 22 Nosler, and 6.8 SPC.
MSR 10 Long Range in 6mm Creedmoor: AR-10 platform rifle design for long-range precision shooting. Chambered for the flat-shooting, modest-recoil 6mm Creedmoor cartridge.
MSR 10 Hunter in 338 Federal: Built specifically for hunters and chambered in the popular, hard-hitting .338 Federal.
B Series Compact and Left-hand: Extremely accurate bolt-action .22 LR, .22 WMR, and .17 HMR options. Now available in compact and left-hand models.
A Series Pro Varmint: Semi-automatic options in .22 LR, .22 WMR and .17 HMR, all with Boyd’s Pro Varmint stock and 22-inch fluted, heavy barrel.
All of these new rifles, as well as more bolt-action and semi-auto centerfire and rimfire rifles, will be on display at SHOT Show Booth No. 14551. Most will be set up so visitors can handle the rifle and work trigger and bolt. To learn more about the new Savage rifles and their features, visit www.SavageArms.com.
Savage MSR 10 Long Range (6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win)
Today, AR-platform rifles are hugely popular. Dozens of manufacturers sell AR-type rifles, in a wide variety of configurations and calibers. But before there were M16s and AR-15s, ArmaLite produced a 7.62×51 caliber rifle, the AR-10. Yes before there were millions of 5.56 black rifles, there was a .30-caliber big brother with reddish-brown furniture. Invented by Eugene (‘Gene’) Stoner for the Armalite company in the late 1950s, this is the father of all of today’s AR-platform rifles. Way ahead of its time, this remarkable, select-fire battle rifle weighed just 7.25 pounds as first developed.
If you’re curious about the AR-10, in this video, Jerry Miculek puts an original 1957-vintage AR-10 through its paces on the range. This extremely rare, early-production rifle was provided by Mr. Reed Knight and the Institute of Military Technology. (The gun in the video was actually produced in the Netherlands under license, see video at 4:40.) This AR-10 is the direct ancestor of the AR-15, M16, and many of the modern sporting rifles that we use today.
The AR-10 was slim and light, weighing in at around 7 pounds. Some folks might argue that the original “old-school” AR10 is actually better that some of today’s heavy, gadget-laden ARs. The AR-10’s charging “lever” was under the carry handle — that made it easier to manipulate with the gun raised in a firing position.
You’ll notice there is no “forward assist”. Inventor Gene Stoner did not believe a separate “bolt-pusher” was necessary. The forward assist was added to solve problems encountered in Viet Nam. Some critics say the forward assist “only takes a small problem and makes it a big problem.” For today’s competition ARs (that are never dragged through the mud) the forward assist probably is superfluous. It is rarely if ever needed.
Note also that the handguards are fairly slim and tapered. Today, six decades after the first AR-10 prototypes, we are now seeing these kind of slim handguards (made from aluminum or lightweight composites) used on “full race” ARs campaigned in 3-gun competition.
History of the AR-10
The AR-10 is a 7.62 mm battle rifle developed by Eugene Stoner in the late 1950s at ArmaLite, then a division of the Fairchild Aircraft Corporation. When first introduced in 1956, the AR-10 used an innovative straight-line barrel/stock design with phenolic composite and forged alloy parts resulting in a small arm significantly easier to control in automatic fire and over one pound lighter than other infantry rifles of the day. Over its production life, the original AR-10 was built in relatively small numbers, with fewer than 9,900 rifles assembled.
In 1957, the basic AR-10 design was substantially modified by ArmaLite to accommodate the .223 Remington cartridge, and given the designation AR-15. ArmaLite licensed the AR-10 and AR-15 designs to Colt Firearms. The AR-15 eventually became the M16 rifle.
AR-10 photos from Arms Izarra, a Spanish company specializing in de-militarized, collectible firearms. Interestingly, this particular AR-10 was produced in the Netherlands under license.
This Wednesday (January 10, 2018), Shooting USA TV features the GAP Grind Pro-Am held at the K&M Shooting Complex in Finger, Tennessee. Conducted in association with the Precision Rifle Series (PRS), the GAP Grind features a Pro/Am format with professional and amateur competitors vying for individual glory and team honors. If you are a PRS shooter or are interested in practical, multi-position shooting you should definitely watch this episode.
More Features in January 10, 2018 Hour-Long Episode: 1. CMP Western Games in Arizona. The Western Games feature High Power, Vintage Military Rifle, M1 Carbine, and Rimfire Sporter Matches. Held at the Ben Avery Range in Phoenix, this is one of America’s biggest matches each year. 2. Savage 6.5 Creedmoor Rifles. This week Shooting USA also spotlights two new 6.5 Creedmoor Savage rifles, a bolt action and an AR-platform MSR. 3. Pistol Training with Lasers. Ace shooter Julie Golob uses on-gun lasers to help diagnose and correct common pistol shooting mistakes.
New Broadcast Times for 2018: Wednesday 9:00 pm Eastern and Pacific, 8:00 pm Central
GAP Grind Feature on Shooting USA
Lots of Action, with 20+ Stages
The GAP Grind is a notoriously challenging, “high tempo” match with minimal down-time between stages. Over the course of 20+ stages, competitors will fire 200+ shots at a variety of steel, paper, moving, and reactive targets out to 1,200 yards. Targets vary in size/difficulty based on the shooter’s position, distance, and time allotted. Most stages include “stressors” — i.e. time limits or required movement(s).
Shooting USA Host John Scoutten (in Blue/White shirt) at a past GRIND
Lots of Action, with 20+ Stages
The GAP Grind is a notoriously challenging, “high tempo” match with minimal down-time between stages. Over the course of 20+ stages, competitors will fire 200+ shots at a variety of steel, paper, moving, and reactive targets out to 1,200 yards. Targets vary in size/difficulty based on the shooter’s position, distance, and time allotted. Most stages include “stressors” — i.e. time limits or required movement(s).
Josh Temnnen Facebook photo.
The GAP Grind is held at the impressive K&M Shooting Complex:
GAP Grind Hardware Shelley Giddings, a skilled shooter of both firearms and cameras, snapped these images of state-of-the-art tactical rifles at the 2014 GAP Grind. See more firearms images on Shelley’s Facebook Page.
Can you list all the serious problems that excessive headspace can cause? For that matter, could you even explain what, exactly, is meant by the term “headspace”? If not, you should watch this instructional video from Brownells. This video defines the term “headspace”, explains why proper headspacing is critically important, and illustrates how headspace gauges work.
Headspace is a measurement from the bolt-face to a point in the chamber. This point of measurement will vary based on the type of cartridge. Improper headspace, either excessive or (conversely) under SAAMI specifications, can cause a variety of problems, many serious.
Problems Caused by Too Much Headspace
Excessive headspace issues can include: light primer strikes, failure to fire, bulged/blown cases, case separations, split shoulders, or unseated primers after firing. Case ruptures caused by excessive headspace can lead to catastrophic failures causing serious injury. That is why headspace is such an important measurement.
Problems Cause by Too Little Headspace
Insufficent (or excessively tight) headspace can prevent the firearm from going into battery, resulting in failure to fire or deformation of the cartridge case. Various feeding and functioning problems can be caused by cases with too little headspace, even if a round can be chambered (with effort).
When two or more guys get together at a shooting range, sooner or later, a challenge will ensue. It’s a guy thing — guys are competitive. We’ve seen it on varmint hunting trips too: “Bet I can hit that P-dog at 700 yards.” “No you can’t.” “Yes I can.” “Wanna Bet?”
You know how it goes. There are challenges for pride, bragging rights, and often some money is involved, or perhaps a six-pack.
In this GunVenture video, three shooters take on the challenge of hitting the face of a watch at 200 yards using an M1A rifle with standard iron sights. The rules were exact — you had to hit the FACE of the watch, not just the strap. And the bullet had to penetrate the center of the watch — no splash shots or ricochets allowed. Not an easy shot — we figure that watch face is about 1.5″ in diameter or roughly 0.75 MOA at 200 yards. They were shooting factory .308 Win ammo with 155gr bullets — a Palma load.
GunVenture Video — 200 Yard Watch Challenge with Iron Sights M1A
One of the shooters, range owner Justin Watts, rose brilliantly to the challenge. You can see Justin’s remarkable shot at 3:20 time mark. Holding slightly for wind, he drilled the watch face dead center, obliterating it, but leaving most of the band intact. At 4:25 the video reveals that the whole center of the watch (the works) was blown out, leaving nothing but a rubber doughnut. Mighty Impressive.
After making the impressive shot, Justin explained to his buddies what they did wrong. Among other things they did not compensate for the wind. Justin also observed that the first shooter sent his shot right because of the M1A’s heavy trigger pull: “Probably what happened is the trigger pull is so heavy [he] pulled it to the right. Most of the time when you have a right-handed shooter and a heavy trigger like that, it’s going to pull you off to the right.”
SHOT Show 2018 runs January 23-26 at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Head to SHOT Show in Las Vegas in three weeks? Then you need to start your planning now. You’ll want to locate the companies you want to visit, and plan your booth-visiting route to make best use of your time. Thankfully, SHOT Show’s organizers offer an interactive SHOT Show Planner that lets you look up the exhibitors and plot their locations in the Sands EXPO Center. SEE Floor Plan.
The SHOT Show’s Interactive Floor Plan offers an easy-to-use Vendor Mapping feature. Simply enter the company name in the search field in the upper left. Then the Planner will locate the vendor’s booth(s) on the map and highlight the location for you. Easy-Peasy.
Getting to the SHOT Show Building
SHOT Show 2018 is held in the Sands Expo Convention Center, attached to the Venetian Hotel. If you don’t want to walk through the disorienting maze of that badly designed, over-priced hotel, you can enter through the Sands Avenue street entrance (taxi-cab stand). Word to the wise — avoid the SHOT Show shuttle buses if you can — riding them is a great way to catch a bad cold from other passengers who are sick.
On this interactive map you can use your mouse to re-center and zoom in/out.
Ruger is working to get new people involved in shooting sports through a new 10-part video series. Ruger’s American New Shooter Academy focuses on firearms safety and handgun skills training. There are ten, 5-9 minute episodes, all available now on GetZone.com and YouTube.
Watch Episode One of New Shooter Academy:
In the New Shooter Academy series, Firearms trainer Daniel Shaw starts from “square one” with four participants with little-to-no handgun firearms experience. Shaw works with the students to build good fundamentals and follow recommended safety procedures. “Recruiting new shooters and making sure they are properly trained is critical to the future success of shooting sports” said Jeff Siegel, CEO of Media Lodge, the company that produces the videos for Ruger.
CLICK HERE to watch Ruger’s American New Shooter Academy Series (All Episodes)
During their training sessions, participants used the Ruger American Pistol compact model chambered in 9mm Luger, with a manual safety. Additional products for the series were provided by CrossBreed Holsters®, TMG Target Systems, and Hornady.
Do we really need a new, high-performance .22-caliber cartridge for the AR15 platform (aka MSR 15). Federal thinks so. Federal has introduced a .22-Caliber Hot Rod cartridge — the .224 Valkyrie. Designed to out-perform the .223 Rem and .22 Nosler while still running well in ARs, the new .224 Valkyrie offers excellent long-range performance when loaded with heavy, high-BC bullets.
The performance is impressive. Federal says that, when loaded with a 90-grain Sierra MatchKing bullet, the .224 Valkyrie will stay supersonic all the way to 1300 yards, while offering substantially less recoil than other AR-friendly cartridges such as the 6.5 Grendel.
Here are three videos that give insight into the .224 Valkyrie cartridge and rifle options. We think the two applications that make most sense for this new cartridge are: 1) PRS Gas Gun matches (Open Class) — you get 6mm Creedmoor ballistic performance with much less recoil for faster shot transitions; and 2) Long-Range (400+ yards) varminting — you get performance similar to a 22-250 in a cartridge that works with your existing AR15 lower. That will really help with those long shots on P-dogs.
.224 Valkyrie PRS Gas Gun Demo Run
The new .224 Valkyrie is basically a 6.8 SPC case necked down to .22-caliber. You can use your existing AR15 lower, but you will need a dedicated .224-Valkyrie upper, or at the minimum a new barrel, modified bolt with proper bolt face, and 6.8-compliant mags. In this video, a shooter runs a tactical course using a rig chambered for the .224 Valkyrie. You can see how it functions 100%. This video also provides ballistic comparisons with other “enhanced performance” AR15 cartridges.
.224 Valkyrie vs. .22-250 Remington
The Social Regressive explains: “There are two key reasons why the 224 Valkyrie is unique and desirable. First, it is specifically designed to fit the limitations of the AR-15 platform. It does so even when loaded with gigantic bullets, like the 90-grain SMK that Federal announced. .22-250 Rem is too long and too fat to work in the AR-15 platform; it needs an AR-10 bolt and magazine.”
Image from .224 Valkyrie Video from The Social Regressive, linked below.
“Does this mean that the 22-250 is now outmoded? Not even close. Varminters depend upon its flat trajectory and inherent accuracy. It’s a handloader’s dream cartridge, and the factory ammunition out there works well, too. If, however, you want a semiauto platform or you want to shoot longer distances, .224 Valkyrie looks like it will be the logical choice [with fast twist-rate barrels and high-BC bullets].”
New Savage MSR 15 in .224 Valkyrie
Savage Arms has a new AR15-platform rifle chambered in .224 Valkyrie. This will debut at SHOT Show 2018. The new Savage MSR 15 Valkyrie has some nice features: crisp two-stage trigger, adjustable gas system, and tough Cerakote finish on lower and upper. The 5R-rifled, 18″-long barrel comes from the factory with an effective muzzle brake. MSRP is $1499.00. We wish the barrel was a bit longer (at least 22″), but the adjustable gas system is a nice feature that lets you tune the cycling for your ammo and shooting discipline.
Savage has high hopes for this rifle. With 90gr Federal factory ammo, it produces only half the recoil of larger cartridges with similar long-range performance. Here is a video showing a prototype Savage with a 22-inch barrel. The Ammo was Federal Premium pushing a 90gr SMK at 2680 fps. Note how “calm” the rifle stays on the bags. There is no muzzle lift and rearward recoil is minimal (see 0:10). You could work a varmint field very effectively with this rifle.
Savage MSR 15 Tip from EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
When two or more guys get together at a shooting range, sooner or later, a challenge will ensue. It’s a guy thing — guys are competitive. We’ve seen it on varmint hunting trips too: “Bet I can hit that P-dog at 700 yards.” “No you can’t.” “Yes I can.” “Wanna Bet?”
