I can't believe they're still selling those, they must have a TON of BB stock!
Re: Barrel Lining (Kabob): Per the website they offer a 16" nitride lined in/out and an 18" government profile chrome lined gun, same price.
I hope to order one of the 16" M4 models tomorrow, thanks to my bro hooking me up with the website. From what I've read and the pics I've seen, this is a crazy good deal. Cannot wait to pick one up.
As much as I prefer a 16" barrel I'd get the chrome lined 18" first.
That's definitely a valid concern, but if you read other peoples' experience with CMMG's bargain bin sale, and the pics they took of their purchases, they are overwhelmingly positive. CMMG seems to have excellent customer service as well; I read about one guy that got the wrong upper (middy), he emailed CMMG and they got back to him right away and said they'd ship the proper 16" M4 style that he ordered.
I think I'm gonna take the plunge, a complete AR for $600? Awesome deal.
CMMG doesn't have excellent customer service, they have an elitist "we don't have to explain ourselves to you" attitude that doesn't belong in the firearms industry. They created a "better than chrome lining OMG!" process called WASP and marketed it, when people (myself included) asked them what it was they refused to even comment on WHY it was better, you're just supposed to take their word for it. Most of their parts nowadays are rebadged DPMS...
I ended up getting one. It looked brand new...shoots well. Also got the .22LR conversion kit. I like it. For those who say it's cheaper quality, etc - you get what you pay for. If you're just looking for a cheap gun to tinker around with at the range, it's hard to beat. If you're buying it for competition purposes or going to shoot every other day - you probably wouldn't be tempted by this anyway. You're not going to buy a Suzuki to take to the drag strip...it gets you from pt A to pt B. Don't expect this to be on the same level as an AR you'd pay twice as much for. I don't get why so many people have a hard time comprehending that.
Exactly. For the price it's not bad but don't expect a caddilac or a workhorse. For a range plinker it's good stuff.
Any opinions on the 16 inch M4 vs. 18 inch Govt Profile ?
With an 18" you're getting a rifle length gas system and a full length sight base vs. a 16" M4 which will have a carbine gas system. Both work, rifle is a little more refined.
Shot mine yesterday at half time. Flawless function and dead on balls accurate. More accurate than I am I'm affraid. I need to get a scope and bipod for this rifle. 50 yard groups were 1-3 inches. I'll close that up with a good rest and optics I'm sure. Overall a $1000 gun for much less.
No offense but that isn't anything like a $1000 gun. You're missing chrome lining in the barrel and chamber, FA bolt/carrier group, potentially problematic gas key staking, parkerizing under the FSB, and alot of QC (by far the most expensive part of the mfr process). For a slightly higher price I'd pick up a new S&W, you can probably nab one for around $700 if you look hard enough.
Might I suggest anyone looking for a cheap scope/red dot might check out
http://primaryarms.com/ There are tons of reviews on ar15.com I just got the m3 multi-reticle sight and its amazing for the price!
Primary Arms is a great company. You're not getting top dollar optics but for 1/3 the price of my Aimpoint you can get a well built red dot sight and a magnifier. Excellent customer service as well.
Bear in mind, .223 is not exactly identical to 5.56mm Nato (SS109) used by military. Firing the former in weapons chambered for the latter is okay, thought not ideal; the reverse, however, can be dangerous (resulting PSI differ). From what I understand, some '.223' labelled weapons are actually 5.56mm?
Also, 1:9 twist rifling is supposedly optimal for the SS109 round, but modern US rifles (M16A2, A4; M4, M4A1) have 1:7 twist barrels. Has anyone here found either decidedly superior?
5.56x45mm is the standard for the armies of the West, but it's proven less than ideal in combat against Third World forces. High-velocity, smaller calibre rounds tend to go right through unarmoured insurgents / irregulars, and it can take several rounds to put a bad guy down. We can carry more rounds, but we often have to use more rounds too.
.223 vs. 5.56 refers to the chamber and where the rifling starts. .223 has a smaller leade (gap of unrifled area) before the bullet hits the rifling and starts spinning. With .223 spec ammo this is more accurate. 5.56 has a longer leade for better reliability and less chance of jamming. The issue is with .223 5.56mm ammo the bullets may be a little bigger and they can be jammed into the rifling which starts sooner...that is BAD news when you pull the trigger. On the flip side .223 ammo will fire just fine from 5.56mm.
Most major mfr's now stamp their barrel 5.56mm and most are up to spec. Some of the junk MFR's may not (Vulcan, Hesse, Blackthorne) but you shouldn't even consider buying one of those.
As for rifling ratios most people won't be shooting M855 (which holds said SS109). 95% of ranges won't let you shoot it as it'll punch holes in their backstop. 1:9 twist ratio shoots bullets <=62gr (M855) without issue. It has trouble stabilizing the really heavy defense rounds (75gr boat tail OTM rounds). 1:7 works with 52gr+ rounds. 1:7 is considered "superior" although depending on what you want to do with the rifle it probably won't matter. The likelyhood of you shooting anything under 52gr is small, but if you're not shooting heavy ammo like Hornady TAP ammo 1:9 works just fine.
As for .223/5.56mm being weak if you don't hit a bad guy in a critical point it doesn't matter what you shoot him with (unless it's something ridiculous like a .338 Lapua or .50 BMG which will probably rip a limb off if you hit them squarely in the arm). Shot placement > energy any day of the week. That said, having the ability to do more trauma is a big part in incapicatiting a bad guy, bigger bullets do it easier.