[franks71vw]

Ok since we have the ar receivers GB going I was wondering if any of you guys have installed a piston kit on your ars and if they are worth it? Thread away here no question to dumb I found a company called ARES gsr 35 piston kit that makes them??

 

[phalanx]

Frank ,I tryed a piston kit on my Bushy ,It was a waist of money. So i bought the XCR ,after the break in period it works great ,and the entire rifle cost as much as some company's uppers.At first i had my doubts ,but now the XCR works as good as anything i have ever had. The Bushy has the CQT sight ,even a woman who never fired a rifle can pick this up and hit cans at 150yds. OH the chicks think they bad ,i tell them the gun is a better shot than they are ,your just holding it. The XCR has the EOtec 552 , the CQT is a better daytime sight ,the 552 is better at night because of the large window.In daylight though i like to get away from the 552 and go iron,and you don't need to remove the 552 to use iron. But back to your question,save up,get an upper, and stay away from after market gadgets.

 

[franks71vw]

Thats the modular weapon systems rifle right Phalanx I got quoted 1775.00 for one Thats alot more then i want to spend. You dont think the piston kit will work? Just wondering

 

[want2race]

I had one and sold it.

For the miniscule difference in jams I couldnt justify the cost.

Pretty boring at the end of the day. If you want a gas system buy a fal or AK in my opinion

 

[phalanx]

Frank ,I don't know what kit you are buying ,i have seen about 6 of them,The one i had just didn't work . $1700 for an XCR ?? No way , They usually don't cost any more than a Bush Master ,i gave a little over 1k for mine. It is far better to just buy an upper,every thing is made to work with a piston.

 

[franks71vw]

so You can buy the xcr uppers by them selves? I tried googleing it and at least the one company I found was at 1700 for the rifle complete Id like to you the ar receiver with the piston upper from XCR is that possible?

 

[Shattered]

It's great for a full auto gun. Dump several 30 rounders as fast as you can, then pop the gun apart and hold the bolt carrier in your bare hand... mildly warm. Do that on a regular 16 and you're going to a burn center.

Also great when using a suppressor. Not much crap comes back into the receiver... a regular 16 would be loaded with unburned powder, etc. and the basis for the too familiar "raccoon eyes" look around your shooting glasses. Also a lot easier for clean up after shooting.

Of course, if you guys are talking about semis again, it's probably not worth the $$ spent.

 

[phalanx]

Frank ,the XCR has a forum ,and no you cant use an XCR upper on an AR lower. Robinson's selling point is ,it has an AK type three lug bolt ,an FN gas system, and an AR lower ,but the lower was made to accept the FN upper.If you want a good ,inexpensive upper go to Bush Master. The XCR is hard to compare to any other rifle in as of itself. You can change the barrel in about 2 min. with no need to head space.The entire gun comes apart in about 10 sec. Change the Barrel ,the bolt ,and a different mag and you are shooting 7.62 x 39 or the 6.5. Neat rifles ,and the one i have is very reliable. I put Yankee Hill folding sights on mine and it is a tack driver. Their web page is ,Robarms .com.
The XCR was a top contender in the military trials that the FN won. Most liked it better ,but the Army was afraid to use a company as small as Robinson.

 

[FN74]

Just want to clear the air - Are these ARES gas piston conversions reliable? Are they in stock and shippping?
I know that some feel that they are not worth the money, however I am considering switching all my ARs over since I cannot stand the direct inpingement system. I have a Sig 556 enroute so don't tell me to buy a XCR or something like that. I prefer parts compatability with the AR platform, just don't like the gas system.

Thanks in advance!

 

[franks71vw]

Fn thats the boat I am on I wish someone that has the ARES system and shot a couple of thousands of rounds can post and say something

 

[phalanx]

Wasn't going to tell you to buy one.I was going to buy a Sig 556 before i got the XCR.I read an article about how some of the early Sig's had fit problems and the 1913 rail on top was off canter.If i had it all to do over again i would not have sold my Rock River NM ,but would have bought the new upper they are building ,but i wasn't going to wait 6 Mths to receive it. The way things are going with all these shootings anything can change in 6 mths.

 

[Hail Mary]

Frank, I have an ARES piston kit installed on a 11" upper with over 8k rounds. There were some ejection problems initially with it due to short stroking but that went away after 200rds or so. It now runs 100% with all ammo including weak Wolf. It is definitely worth the money as this upper dumped 3 Beta mags back to back on an M16 without problem. On a normal upper, the gas tube would've melted after the first drum. Also, I really like the ease with which the bolt can be cleaned; it's just a 2 second wipe down and the carrier doesn't even need cleaning. There used to be a rifle length kit and a carbine length one but now it's just the carbine kit since it's been modified to work with all barrel lengths. Only negative I can think of with the ARES kit is that it needs their extra high handguards due to clearance needed. When I have enought money, I'll probably get another kit to use with a 7" pistol length upper.