I'll start off with this hint:
No, not an M1 Garand (although that is on the short list of "Guns Jay Desperately Wants To Get ASAP"). The Garand's successor. Specifically, the semi-automatic variant thereof (I don't have $15K for a transferable M-16!):
Yes, Barack Obama's imminent coronation has caused me to do what heretofore was thought impossible: Buy an AR-15-based semi-automatic rifle...
This is a Bushmaster (Sorry Old NFO!) XM15-E2S semi-automatic rifle chambered in .223 Remington (5.56 mm NATO). 16" barrel, pinned stock to comply with MA AWB {spit}, and 5 genuine pre-ban Colt 20-round magazines. Bought used, but barely - it looked like it had been shot maybe once or twice, tops - at my local merchant of death. Considering the current climate and availability of evil black rifles, I'm quite pleased with the deal I got...
Here I am at the range, about to shoot my shiny new rifle:
Holy crap .223 Remington is fun to shoot! It sounds like the world is coming to an end, especially with the short barrel; however the "kick" is an absolute minimum. That's actually one of the reasons I was so interested in an AR-15 based gun - it's a good introduction to semi-automatic rifles. It's not terribly heavy, yet the round doesn't kick like a mule like a .308 would.
So, how does it shoot?
Well, considering that:
1. This is the first time I've ever shot this rifle;
2. I was on the 50 yard range;
3. The rifle has no optics, and my eyesight's not the greatest...
I'd say it shoots pretty damned well:
I need to adjust the sights a bit, obviously - it was shooting low and to the left. I'm going to look around for a decent 4X scope or 2X red dot type sight (any suggestions?) and get everything sighted in at once.
Now the big question: Who's got pre-ban 30 rounders they'd like to unload?
That is all.
20 comments:
I think I hear Sarah Brady crying.
The Mrs. loved shooting the AR. I think it was what you said - big BANG, little recoil, hokey smokes it hit the target!
The ammo's spendier than .22 tho. ;-)
Jay,
One small detail . . . the M-14 was the successor to the M-1 Garand. The M-16 pattern replaced the '14. [/pedantic jackass]
...and Jay makes Sarah Brady Cry!
So is it a 5.56 chamber or .223? 5.56 I hope.
Also, buy lots of that brown box Federal XM193. It's good stuff.
Very nice!
I was kinda worried that you'd post your re-creation of the 'this is my rifle, this is my gun' scene...
Save your brass for us Jay!
Congratulations Jay! I have the target rifle version of the Bushmaster A2.It has the 20" heavy barrel and It runs flawlessly. Since I can't afford a proper high end scope, I make do with the iron sights and find them to be exceptional once dialed in.Good ammo will make a big difference which I use from time to time, but mostly I run steel cased Wolf through it which it eats without a hiccup. Good luck with yours!
Ted,
Well, the Mrs. is more than welcome to give this one a shot. I'm hoping to score some less-expensive ammo at the eeevil gun show next month, as the ammo is *much* pricier than .22LR...
brad,
A fair point, to be certain. From what I recall, though, he M-14 didn't see an awful lot of use in action - the Garand was still the longarm of choice in Korea, and the M-16 in Vietnam...
Mike W.,
It's chambered for both - I believe the way it works is that it's chambered in 5.56, which is more powerful than .223 Rem. So a gun that can shoot 5.56 can shoot both, but a gun chambered in .223 Rem cannot.
Like .308 Win vs. 7.62X51mm.
Murph,
I thought about it, and then I thought about all the people across the land gouging their eyes out in horror... :)
Bill,
Oh HELL YES. I actually scored when I took it to the range - someone had gone through the trouble of sweeping up all their 5.56 brass and leaving it in a neat little pile.
That and my Bushie throws the brass in a very neat little pile about 10 feet to the right...
angus,
Thanks! I would have preferred a flat-top rifle with a 20" barrel, but this ain't a bad second choice. I think once the furor dies down and prices start coming back down to earth I might look into a second one as a long-distance shooter.
This one, I think, will be a CQB set-up - get a holographic sight, front foregrip, and set it up for 50 yards or less...
Or not. We'll see...
First, congrats on getting an EBR! I just joined that group (EBR owners) myself last month.
Second... Screw Sarah Brady, you're making Isaac Davis cry!! Jay... BENCHRESTING the rifle??? C'mon, man! Get a SLING for that bad boy and come on out to one of the Appleseed Shoots coming up in the next few months in MA! You'll NEVER use a bench rest again because we'll teach you to sight that baby in WITHOUT it.
www.appleseedinfo.org I'll hold a space on the line for you.
Ross,
#1, I will make an Appleseed shoot. Don't worry about that!
#2, Given the cost of shooting the Bushie, I'll pick up a 10/22 before then and shoot that.
#3, The picture was taken solo using the 10 second timer on the camera. Even if I had a sling I never would have had enough time to get it in position before the camera took the picture...
:)
*drool*
My former partner has an M1 that I've had the opportunity to play with...
But this looks like too much fun.
Want!
Hopefully if I can find a buyer for the evil looking scattergun that I've got then it'll be a special happy 30th birthday to me in January.
Great minds...your enthusiastic posts prompted me to buy 2 identical evil twins. They came with 8 30rd mags and 400 rounds so I couldn't pass up the deal- and they are both pre-ban. One I left with open sights, the other has the EOS holographic system with a 3x scope- just what the docter ordered for these old eyes. And yes, they don't kick the Hell out of my shoulder like the ought six does. I'm finally ready for the next blogger shoot !
Remember, with the sights being two inches above the barrel, being an inch low at 50 yards is just about spot on. There is a debate, of course, as to what range exactly to zero your rifle, but a100 yard zero is the way to go.
A 100 yard zero leaves you a couple of inches low at CQB range, about an inch low at 50, dead nuts at 100, a little high at 150, right back on at 200 and drops off little by little after that. It makes for the flattest overall trajectory for the effective range of the rifle.
If you zero it at 50 yards, you won't be nearly as close to the point of aim at longer distances. Being 1 inch low at 50 yards when trying to hit center mass of a man-sized target usually won't be a problem.
It would make more sense if I could draw a picture. I am trying to explain the "near zero" and "far zero" concept, but I feel I am not doing a very good job.
There is probably a much better explanation out there on the internet somewhere, but I thought it was worth a mention.
How does Mass know if they are pre or post ban magazines and how much do 30rd magazines cost up there?
In CT new or like new government contract 30 rd magazines are under $20
Hey, I was damned near close!
And, yes, things chambered in 5.56 can shoot .223. However, it is generally not advised to shoot 5.56 through things that are specifically chambered in .223, since they are typically match guns, and the chambering tolerances are really that tight. I am not saying bad things will happen, but the probabilities increase.
Unless it is chambered in .223 Wylde, in which case it will eat both rounds equally well.
Bleh. Too much research into my AR15 build is flowing over...
Anywise, congratulations on the purchase! I am suitably jealous, and want my gorramed flat-top to magically appear in my lap already (Del-Ton is quoting me 4 months, and my smaller source is saying mid-Jan).
That's the EXACT gun I have. Doesn't the stock telescope?
If I wanted to commit a felony it would...
MA has its very own AWB courtesy of Mitt Fucking Romney. {spit}
Jay,
Email inbound from mid-continent.
DJ
I would recommend a sight with magnification -- I have a Holosight, which is 0 magnification, and my aging eyes are the problem, not the sight. Anyway -- have fun with your new rifle. By the way, is the Mossberg 590 on hold?
The Mossberg is in my possession.
Or did you mean customization of said Mossberg?
;)
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