quote:

Originally posted by CD228:
Check Fire! Put down the dremel tool and step away from the rifle !

LDD and Jelly gave you some good advice on your technique. Kyle Lamb even wrote about what LDD is talking about in his book "Green Eyes, Black Rifles" IIRC Lamb said he observed a 4 MOA shift when force was applied to the barrel. While a free float rail will help, just like LDD said, good technique will help too just like Jelly and LDD said.

Go back to the range and shoot off a rest or sand bag and see what the rifle does. Also try different ammo or have another shooter try. try to isolate the actual cause of the issue, don't just throw parts at it. Check and make sure all your screws are torqued to the proper spec (check your manual).

Did you clean and grease your rifle when you got it? did you lubricate the trigger group after you cleaned it?

How many rounds have you actually shot through the rifle and how familiar are you with the AR family of rifles?

Good tips, thanks! I have about 700 rounds down range. I've cleaned and lubed it many times, and at least after every other range trip. It's my first AR, and I recently replaced the Aimpoint Pro with the Vortex Strike Eagle.

My last two range trips were shot off sandbags (under the forend not the barrel), but I need to check the mounts and rings next time out and work on my fundamentals. The trigger is really horrible though. I'm going to replace it before doing any other mods. I've shot Federal 55 GRN FMJ, and some 55GRN soft points, but that's it on the ammo selection so far.

Both loads exhibited the same characteristics?

Did you see the same issue with the Aimpoint?

Have you tried 62 grain or other ammo configs?

Sorry to keep hitting you with questions, but questions and understanding is free, parts and repairs are expensive. I've seen new AR folks drop a rent payment chasing "problems" that sometimes aren't even the right problem. Or buying a lot gear, when the solution is range time, dry fire and fundamentals.

It sounds like you have made up your mind on the trigger.

I'll point out that it sounds like you need smooth, not necessarily light. I'd point to the ALG QMS or ACT, alternately, the BCM PNT. They are all affordable and off good quality. The ALGs run between $50-70. I actually really like the less expensive one, it's basically a high quality OEM trigger. The other thing I love about the ALGs is that they come with slave pins that make install really easy. I've got the BCM, but I don't have enough trigger time on it to recommend it yet.

If you want a really great trigger, I recommend the giesle(SP) SSA. It's spendy, but it's great.

In general I agree with LDD that trigger replacement is usually lower priority as long as the OEM is safe and functional.

If you want to look at free float rails I'd can point you to couple, but I want to see if the trigger corrects the situation first.

As you've noticed AR accessories can get expensive fast, and price doesn't always equal value.

I'm not impulsive about spending money on firearms or accessories. I do as much research as possible, hence my question in this thread. I really believe a better trigger is a sound idea, even if it may not solve my issue(s). The ALG looks like a great option for me, so I think I will go that route.

I have not yet shot anything other than 55GRN FMJ or soft points with about the same accuracy. Results with the Aimpoint at 100 yards were similar, although I chalked that up to the size of the dot relative to the target. I thought 6X with the Strikefire would have allowed for better aiming than the Aimpoint. I need another range day with the info from you folks and see how I do before changing a bunch of stuff.