The Competitive AR-15 Builders Guide, a new book by Glen Zedicker, is now available. Following Zedicker’s New AR-15 Competitive Rifle (2008), the new Builders Guide provides step-by-step instructions that will help non-professional, “home builders” assemble a competitive match or varmint rifle. This book isn’t for everyone — you need some basic gun assembly experience and an aptitude for tools. But the new Zedicker Builders’ Guide. provides a complete list of the tools you’ll need for the job, and Zedicker outline all the procedures to build a AR15 from start to finish.
Along with assembly methods, this book covers parts selection and preparation, not just hammers and pins. Creedmoor Sports, which sells the book for $31.00, explains: “Knowing how to get what you want, and be happy with the result, is truly the focus of this book. Doing it yourself gives you a huge advantage. The build will honestly have been done right, and you’ll know it! Little problems will have been fixed, function and performance enhancements will have been made, and the result is you’ll have a custom-grade rifle without paying custom-builder prices.”
The Competitive AR-15 Builders Guide is not yet available from Amazon.com or most large book vendors. However, Creedmoor Sports has plenty of copies in stock (item BK Builder, $31.00 on sale). To order, visit www.creedmoorsports.com or call 1-800-CREEDMOOR.
Here’s an item that should interest 3-Gun and Multi-Gun competitors using AR rifles. Magpul Industries has filed for a patent on a new “quad-stack” magazine that may hold as many as 60 rounds, yet feed through a normal AR15 mag well. (In Multi-Gun matches, ultra-high-capacity magazines can provide a competitive edge in high-round-count stages.) While Magpul is renowned for its innovative engineering, we wonder if this new mag design was inspired, at least in part, by the Russians. Earlier this year, the Izhmash OJSC factory in Russia revealed a quad-stack 60-round magazine for the new AK-200 rifle, successor to the AK-47.
An explanation of how Magpul’s new quad-stack AR magazine works is found on The Firearm Blog, which reports: “The design is quite straight forward. A central partition separates two dual staggered round stacks. Two springs are used, a lower stronger spring and a weaker top spring[.]”
In the frame below, click-drag on the right-side scroll bar to view numerous technical illustrations included in Magpul’s 12-page patent application. You can also navigate by clicking the page arrows (at bottom of frame) or by clicking “tile mode”. Use the plus/minus controls to zoom in or out.
CMP efforts to develop the new National Match Air Rifle (NMAR) shooting discipline continue to advance. The CMP has created a new 30-shot NMAR Sporter-Garand Course especially for new and recreation-oriented shooters (as well as cross-over military rifle shooters). A special NMAR webpage is now posted on the CMP website to provide a handy, complete source of updated information. A revised edition of the CMP Guide to National Match Air Rifle with the latest rule changes was recently released and can be downloaded from the CMP website. The National Matches Air Gun Events Program featuring a month of daily NMAR opportunities during the National Matches has also just been released.
General Information for NMAR Competitors
Download the CMP Guide to National Match Air Rifle (PDF) for additional details. This 20-page booklet contains NMAR Rules, Courses of Fire, Firing Procedures and Range Commands, Safety Definitions and Regulations, and Range Officer Commands along with information on how to get started in NMAR and how clubs can run NMAR Matches.
A new Sporter-Garand Course has been added. This course of fire closely duplicates the popular 30-shot John C. Garand Course that is fired outdoors (with as-issued military rifles). The Sporter-Garand Course is fired with Sporter Class rifles only. All three stages of this course are fired on the AR-SR (200-yard reduced) target. This new course is designed expressly for new and inexperienced shooters and for Military Rifle shooters who want a rifle event that duplicates what they will shoot outdoors.
NMAR Rules and Guide Updated
A few rule changes were recently adopted after experiences from earlier NMAR matches were evaluated. The latest NMAR rules that are listed in the CMP Guide to National Match Air Rifle (PDF), on the CMP website. Front sight inserts in Sporter Class rifles can now be either posts or rings (apertures). It turned out that so many shooters, especially juniors, were coming to NMAR matches with aperture experience only so the change was adopted.
A reliable 22LR conversion kit for an AR-platform rifle lets you train with inexpensive ammo. That’s a big advantage for 3-gun competitors who must engage multiple targets rapidly, often at relatively short distances. Multi-gun competition is a speed game, requiring plenty of practice to “run with the big dogs”. It’s not unusual for elite 3-gun shooters to put hundreds of rifle rounds down range every week. Service Rifle shooters can also benefit from cross-training with an AR equipped to shoot .22LR rimfire rounds. With a good .22LR conversion kit, Service Rifle shooters can practice their positions and gun-handling at minimal expense. In the winter, if you have a .22LR conversion for your AR, you can train at the many indoor ranges that allow rimfire rifles, but not centerfire rifles.
Complete Conversion Kit for $189.99 from CDNN
CDNN Investments in Texas is offering a good deal on the CMMG .22lr Stainless Conversion Kit for AR15-type rifles. This includes a stainless bolt and bolt carrier assembly and two (2) 25-round magazines or two (2) 10-round mags. The CMMG Kit uses your existing fire control (trigger) group and requires no internal gunsmithing. Just drop it in and shoot. While supplies last, the CMMG Conversion Kit with magazine(s) is priced at $189.99. NOTE: CDNN is offering 2 mags with this package as a “limited time offer”. (MidwayUSA also has this Kit, with one mag, for $199.99.)
CMMG .22LR Kit Is Reliable and Affordable
The CMMG conversion is widely used and has proved quite reliable, both with the 10-round and 25-round magazines. It is recommended by Brownells, though some Brownells customers have said the kits required some minor fitting or polishing. (This may be more of an issue with “off-brand” uppers — Colt AR owners reported no issues.) In the video below you see an AR15 being fired with the CMMG .22LR conversion in place. Then the CMMG bolt is exchanged for the original .223 Rem bolt assembly and the gun is shot in centerfire mode.
In the second video below you’ll see the CMMG conversion shot with two full (or nearly full) 25-round magazines, in rapid fire. There are no malfunctions.
The IBS recently announced that it would allow AR-platform rifles to compete in local IBS benchrest matches in their own class. If you plan to campaign your AR in this new class, you should definitely add a 3″-wide front sled and some kind of rear bag-rider to your gun. Without a flat fore-arm “sled” and rear bag-rider, ARs tend to be very wobbly, and the standard rear stock (with sling loop in place) is terrible in a rear sandbag.
Robert Whitley’s AR-X Enterprises has just what you need to improve your AR’s bench behavior. AR-X sells precisely-fitted Delrin bag-riders, crafted expressly for ARs by Evolution Gun Works (EGW). The 3″-wide front bag rider (aka “sled”) features a “twin rail” design and attaches to a tubular fore-arm via a swivel stud. The rear bag-rider mates to the bottom of a standard AR stock and attaches via the rear sling swivel anchor. This provides a smooth, straight surface to ride the bags.
These Delrin EGW bag-rider units were originally designed and prototyped for AccurateShooter.com’s 20 Practical AR project rifle. We tried many different designs, and the final production versions really work — as you can see in the video above. The AR bag-riders cost $40 front and $40 rear, or $75.00 for the set of two. To order, visit 6mmAR.com, or email Robert Whitley: rcw3 [at] erols.com .
What may be the very first production, civilian Bushmaster Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR) was presented to Florida shooter J. James, who was the winner of an Advanced Armament Corp. (AAC) silent auction for the rifle (with AAC silencer). AAC was recently acquired by Remington Arms Co. as a Cerberus Freedom group company, along with Bushmaster. That’s how AAC got its hands on the first civilian ACR. The upper receiver is stamped S/N GR00100 and “MODEL – BACR”. Interestingly, the rifle is also stamped “CALIBER – MULTI”. Everybody has been clamoring for photos of the actual production version of the ACR. Well, here they are.
James had the weapon professionally photographed, and posted the images on Photobucket.com and AR15.com.
The new ACR features a 16″ barrel with m4 profile. A 4th Generation rail system offers removable Picatinny rails. James’ gun came with two (2) stocks, both the new-style, spring-lock folder and the fixed stock. The charging handle is ambi-dextrous and can be flipped left or right, as well as up and down. James reports that the ACR exhibits good fit and function. He says the trigger is “100% better than the SCAR” and is very crisp.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s educational campaign on modern sporting rifles has created a new video that explains how (and why) AR-platform rifles are suited for hunting, varminting, and other sporting uses. The campaign is designed to reach a wide audience in the hunting and target shooting community, with emphasis placed on educating sportsmen whose preference for traditional-looking firearms can lead them to misunderstand AR-15-platform rifles and to even describe them as “assault weapons”. This can inadvertently lend support to elected officials and organizations who want to ban these rifles.
NSSF President Steve Sanetti writes, “We ask everyone who values their gun ownership rights to correct misunderstandings about the use and operation of these modern sporting rifles. If we let misinformation go unchecked, we only assist those who would ban ownership of these and other types of semi-automatic firearms, like your duck-hunting shotgun. We can’t let that happen.”
Ruger has just announced the new SR-22, which is a Ruger 10/22 shamelessly tarted up to look like an AR-15. For tactical and 3-gun competitors needing a practice weapon that shares the ergonomics of their AR15 match gun, the SR-22 makes sense. Otherwise, frankly, we lament the addition of the wobbly and poorly-designed AR-style collapsible stock to a firearm that works just fine with a conventional stock. We do like the integrated Picatinny-style rail on top of the action. This allows you to easily mount Red Dot sights or other optics. But does anyone really need rails on the forearm or a Mini-14 flash suppressor on a 22LR? No, but these features will probably sell more rifles. Anything that looks “tacticool” these days seems to sell well.
MSRP for the new SR-22 is $625.00 and we expect street price to be about $575.00. That’s more than twice the price of a standard 10/22 that, frankly, performs pretty well once you’ve upgraded the trigger. Is it worth paying double to get a pistol grip, AR-style buttstock, and Picatinny scope rail? Ruger is banking on the fact that AR devotees will say yes and shell out big bucks for the SR-22.
AR Egonomics with 10/22 Economy and Simplicity
According to Ruger, the “SR-22 Rifle allows shooters to use economical .22 LR ammunition, while still enjoying the look and feel of an ‘AR’. [The gun] faithfully replicates the AR-platform dimensions between the sighting plane, buttstock height, and grip. Like the 10/22, the AR-style SR-22 Rifle also has an extensive array of accessories available, allowing shooters to select a custom configuration that best suits their tastes and needs.”
The SR-22 uses standard SR-22 rotary magazines. Indeed, at its heart, the SR-22 is pretty ordinary. It features a standard 10/22 action inside an aluminum Nordic Components chassis that provides the rail mount, buttstock mount, and AR-style grip mount. The SR-22 ships with a six-position, telescoping M4-style buttstock (on a Mil-Spec diameter tube), plus a Hogue pistol grip. Buttstocks and grips may be swapped out for any AR-style compatible option. The wobbly, collapsible buttstock is the first thing this editor would toss on the SR-22.
Interestingly, the round handguard/float tube is secured with a standard-thread AR-style barrel nut, and the handguard is drilled and tapped for rails at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’ clock positions. Picatinny handguard rails are available from Ruger so you can add rail-mounted gizmos to your heart’s content. There is a barrel support V-block in the handguard so you can easily swap barrels or install after-market 10/22 barrels. The SR-22’s 16-1/8″ barrel is capped with an Mini-14 flash suppressor mounted with AR-spec ½”-28 thread.
As if there isn’t enough coverage given to AR-platform rifles already, Grand View Media Group announced it will roll out an AR-specific digital magazine later this year. The new AR Guns & Hunting “E-Zine” covers “gear and tactics” for AR sporting and hunting applications. Its creators intend AR Guns & Hunting to be much more than a conventional print mag re-packaged for the web. According to Grand View, AR Guns & Hunting will provide interactive content and a true “multimedia experience”. You’ll also find gear reviews, tactical news, and first-person hunting accounts.
For those interested in this new web resource for AR platform shooters, AR Guns & Hunting is currently offering FREE digital subscriptions. Just supply a valid email address to get access to the content. Grand View Media plans to distribute the first editions via direct email to subscribers. (Hmmm, you may want to check the privacy policy before you sign up.)
Editor: While we applaud any effort to expand the information available to shooters, we’ll withhold judgment until AR Guns & Hunting actually launches. It may be more flash than substance, created mostly to exploit the current market craze for black rifles and accessories. We also are not big fans of “digital edition” formatting — where you flip pages as with a paper magazine. It seems cool at first but then you realize the pages are slow to load, and you don’t have the flexibility of a “normal” web page with vertical scrolling, outbound web-links, and Google searchability.
The web is truly a different medium than print. Forcing readers into a “print magazine experience” is a bit like taking the wings off an airplane so passengers can experience bus travel.
Robert Whitley has a new .224 version of the 6.5 Grendel cartridge. The goal was to create a low-recoil but high-BC round to use in AR-platform match rifles. Based on the performance Whitley is getting, we think this wildcat would also be an excellent bolt-gun round.
Whitley tells us: “I have recently been working on another 6.5 Grendel progeny I have made up and call the ‘.224 AR Mag’, which is the 6.5 Grendel case necked down to accept .224″ bullets. I am very impressed by this cartridge and Berger Bullets’ .224″ heavy, high-BC bullet offerings are just beautiful (dimensionally and otherwise) for use with the cartridge. I also have reloading dies for the .224 AR Mag and I am going to make up a page on my website for the sale of AR-15 uppers chambered in the .224 AR Mag.
Above you can see the new 224 AR Mag cartridge (right) next to a .223 Rem (left) and a Berger 82 gr BT bullet (right) next to a Sierra 77 gr BTHP bullet (left bullet). The Berger bullet has a good bit higher BC than the Sierra 77 BTHP (.432 BC for the Berger vs. .362 BC for the Sierra). In the 224 AR Mag, the Berger 82 gr BT bullet sits at 2.260″ OAL (.010″ off the lands and a perfect magazine length) with the junction of the boat tail and bearing surface just ahead of the neck and shoulder of the case. You cannot properly load the 82s to mag length in a .223 Rem because the case is so long the bearing surface of the bullet starts to disappear into the mouth of the case, and at magazine length the Sierra 77s sit so far back in the .223 Rem case they hog valuable powder capacity.
The .224 AR Mag has a powder capacity of 36 grains of H2O vs. about 29.5 grains of water weight capacity for the .223 Rem. That’s a major difference in powder capacity. In addition you have bullets like the .224 Berger 90gr VLD and 90gr BT bullets that have BCs of .552 and .525 that can be driven very effectively and fast by the .224 AR Mag because of its case capacity. Bear in mind the brass is all Lapua small primer brass as well — what’s not to like?
I have done chrono testing of the cartridge with Varget and RL-15, using the Berger 82 gr BT and the Berger 90 gr BT bullets. This cartridge really can spit them out fast! (See load data below).” NOTE: Whitley could drive both bullets about 100 fps faster using 28.0 grains of Varget or RL15, but those loads approached max practical pressure. Start low and work up.
The Competitive AR-15 Builders Guide, a new book by Glen Zedicker, is now available. Following Zedicker’s New AR-15 Competitive Rifle (2008), the new Builders Guide provides step-by-step instructions that will help non-professional, “home builders” assemble a competitive match or varmint rifle. This book isn’t for everyone — you need some basic gun assembly experience and an aptitude for tools. But the new Zedicker Builders’ Guide. provides a complete list of the tools you’ll need for the job, and Zedicker outline all the procedures to build a AR15 from start to finish.
Here’s an item that should interest 3-Gun and Multi-Gun competitors using AR rifles. Magpul Industries has filed for a patent on a new “quad-stack” magazine that may hold as many as 60 rounds, yet feed through a normal AR15 mag well. (In Multi-Gun matches, ultra-high-capacity magazines can provide a competitive edge in high-round-count stages.) While Magpul is renowned for its innovative engineering, we wonder if this new mag design was inspired, at least in part, by the Russians. Earlier this year, the 
CMP efforts to develop the new National Match Air Rifle (NMAR) shooting discipline continue to advance. The CMP has created a new 30-shot NMAR Sporter-Garand Course especially for new and recreation-oriented shooters (as well as cross-over military rifle shooters). A special 
General Information for NMAR Competitors
