Anyone here have a piston AR?

[jim02]

Anyone here have a piston AR?
How does it shoot compared to the normal DI AR's in your opinion, less/more recoil, less/more muzzle raise, easier/harder to control in rapid fire?

I have not had a chance to shoot one or seen one in action in real life yet but I am looking at getting another AR and am thinking it will be a piston.

[rhineoshott]

You should post this in the "Wanted" section for better succes. It's under "Trading post"

[Hoser]

I shot one and thought it was ok. More felt recoil though. And with a lot of shooting, I would bet the hand guard would heat up faster with the gasses being dumped in there instead of the upper/lower area.

I will pass on them for now.

[rtr]

I don't own one and haven't shot one, doesn't prevent me from adding my .02 though.

The consensus is that they have more felt recoil. But certainly not shooting gas, unburnt powder etc. directly into the action is a good idea.

For a soldier or someone else that needs absolute reliability in adverse conditions it is certainly something to look at.

For a guy like me that shoots for fun and competition I know that my properly built ARs will run fine with just a little bit of maintenance.

[275RLTW]

I've been running my piston system for a few months now & have had no problems. I bought it from Primary Weapon Systems (www.primaryweapons.com) and mounted it on a LMT Defender lower.
The piston system is a bit heavier than a comarible DI system, but not enough that it is bothersome. The rails are much more stout than other mfgs so I presume the additional weight comes from there.

The recoil is much LESS than a DI system. The action runs cooler after sustained fire, although the barrel does get hot still. Without the normal cycling feel from the bolt and buffer, I felt as if I could run the gun faster, similar to the difference between a DAO gun and a 1911.
Cleaning time is reduced greatly as the majority of the gas hits the piston and nothing else. The upper receiver is clean and my hours with dental picks and q-tips are gone!

As soon as I got the upper I ran 700rds through it without any oil, lube, or grease before it started to stick and not feed completely. Adding some TW-25B grease solved the problem immediately.

My only complaint is that parts can be difficult to find at a match or if used overseas, however prudent planning can solve this.

I would recommend a piston system (not a conversion kit) for anyone who is slightly considering it.

[Mista Bukit]

I don't know if this will help but I had a chance to run 3 mags through an H&K 416 at full auto. My limited experence was that it ran a lot smoother and was a lot more accurate than my issue M4. I think it had less recoil and that contributed to the full auto accuacy. It goes without saying I want one!!

[Bailey Guns]

I've owned/still owned a few. By far the best was an LWRC 6.8 rifle. Just flawless in looks and function. Also have a Bushmaster factory piston gun...also works flawlessly. I've had a few conversion systems, too, and they've both been great though I haven't shot them much at all.

I worked the BM the hardest and actually abused the rifle by not lubing/cleaning it at all, ever, over maybe 3k to 5k rounds. Never failed and the majority of the shooting was done with Wolf or Silver Bear ammo. Actually, the only ammo other than Wolf or Sil Bear that I can really recall running through it was some 75gr TAP just to see if it'd work. It did.

I've seen no evidence of wear or "bolt carrier tipping" that some folks have experienced. Added weight is about the only drawback I can see...and having to modify certian handguards or rail systems to fit with the piston system installed.

Cleaning is a non-issue with piston guns in my experience. Wipe everything down and boresnake the bore. Lube. Done.

I can't comment on accuracy because I don't shoot for small groups at any particular distance. My gut tells me they're all very close, and in the case of the LWRC maybe more accurate, to what the DI guns will shoot.

I have a new conversion kit that I haven't tried yet that I'm anxious to try out made by made TNC or TWC or something like that. Looks to be of very good quality and I picked it up from a dealer at the Tanner show last Oct. He sold it to me for $245 out the door. I couldn't pass on that. Just haven't got around to installing it yet.

I'd recommend them (piston guns) if you don't mind paying the premium price.

[Quib]

Anyone here have a piston AR?
How does it shoot compared to the normal DI AR's in your opinion, less/more recoil, less/more muzzle raise, easier/harder to control in rapid fire?

I have not had a chance to shoot one or seen one in action in real life yet but I am looking at getting another AR and am thinking it will be a piston.

I’ll be finding out here soon.....

http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum...ead.php?t=1724

[BadShot]

I've got a PWS conversion that is on a Saber Defense 16" upper, love it. I think if I were going after a new system or complete rifle it would be either the Ruger SR-556 or if I were willing to keep saving, a LWRC.

As others have noted the recoil impulse is different. I personally don't think it's heavier or any more tiring than a DI weapon. It's hard to describe accurately the difference. Either way, its something you'll notice if you're swapping between a DI and Piston gun in the same range trip or class, but not really anything you'll notice if you're only running the piston gun.

Look for a piston system that keeps most of the retaining pieces captured. The PWS has a small guide pin that I've spent some time finding again and some "I"m an idiot" moments making sure it's seated correctly during re-assembly. The LWRC, Ruger and Adams Arms systems seem to better capture all of the little pieces.

Still a fantastic improvement to the AR system, while I'm not trading out the other DI AR's I have, the PWS is by far my favorite.

[LIL-COMMANDO]

Check out the article on page 12. It does make you think what is needed or wanted for your purpose.

http://fmgpublications.ipaperus.com/...GUNS/GUNS0310/