quote:

Originally posted by pcshooter:
I recently picked one of these up. I'm a bit of a B&T fanboy so I was excited to grab one from my local FFL. Out of the gate, while waiting for the Form 1 to clear and before I even shot it, there were a couple changes that I made. The first being the selector switch. The right-hand side was just too long and interfered with my trigger finger in the FIRE position. Swapped it out for a TriggerTech selector, no problem. (Aside from the absolutely idiotic roll pins used to retain it.) Unfortunately things kind of went downhill from there.

The trigger was quite heavy and had a bit of a mushy feel to it, so I bought a TriggerTech Diamond as a replacement. Sadly, the trigger pins are NOT mil-spec. Realizing this is a German made gun I wasn't terribly surprised...but the literature I read before buying it was that it was "a rifle in the AR-15 class and is fully compatible with the basics (accessories) of this category of semi-automatics." Turns out not to be the case. Trigger pins are MUCH longer and a tad fatter than a normal trigger pin. (See pics). Like a moron, I found that if I removed the sleeves on the TriggerTech, that I could force the pins in. Long story short, it didn't work and I ended up ruining the trigger. Adding insult to injury, the geometry of the hammer was not properly hitting the firing pin safety in the BCG. I had 8 FTFs in 40 rounds.

One of the first slingshots of the charging handle took a good chunk of skin out of my index finger, so I looked into replacing it with a Radian Raptor like I have on all my other ARs. No joy. The geometry is just a bit different and a standard mil-spec CH will NOT work...so you're stuck with the stock one. Not a huge deal, but...it's definitely not "fully compatible with the AR-15 class" as their literature suggests.

Lastly, I was hoping to replace the birdcage muzzle device with a Dead Air Keymount muzzle brake for my Sandman S suppressor. The threading is unlike *anything* I've come across before. I have a pile of different suppressor pistons that I've collected over the years and none of them were compatible. I've put in a call to B&T USA asking what it is, but I think in the meantime I'm just gonna take the upper to my local ACE Hardware and see if I can figure it out. Either way...also not "fully compatible with the AR class." I'm hoping that the cans B&T announced at SHOT a few weeks ago will be compatible. If not, I'll just have to find a can that's compatible with A2 birdcage.

Anyhow...despite all this, I'm happy with the gun. It seems well made for the design intended. Maybe not the most practical, but even with stock trigger back on, it's a fun gun to shoot. At the end of the day, that's all that matters to me.

On with the obligatory pics:

quote:

Originally posted by ...HeavyD...:
How did you remove the original trigger pins and C-clips? Can you place the C-clips back?

Could you use .154" anti walk pins instead of milspec trigger pins that are a bit too short?
Or maybe .155" anti-walk pins because you say the orignal pins are a bit too fat?

quote:

Originally posted by KSGM:
There are likely a few other silencer options as well, that will work with the device on there. Griffin makes a NATO can, in both gate and collar style, as well a collar adapter for any 1.375x24 threaded can. Gemtech HALO may also work. Why haven't you gone to the LGS, and tried a couple muzzle devices of different thread pitches, or seen a gunsmith about it, or figured out how to measure them yourself? Were the anti-walk pins a necessary part of the certain trigger you were trying to install?

quote:

Originally posted by pcshooter:
I have some fine-tipped picks for removing and installing the c-clips.

Anti-walk pins wouldn't work because I couldn't find any that were long enough to clear the that little lip that surrounds the pins. They, like the muzzle threading, are "NATO spec" apparently. Long story short, Haenel is really the only entity that can provide trigger pins for this gun.

It took 8 weeks and six emails, but B&T just responded to my emails THIS MORNING. The original guy must've been sick of my emails because someone else responded within 24 hrs of me telling them I was done buying B&T products. (Great guns...shit CS.) I have a new set of trigger pins on the way, gratis. Concerning the mystery thread pitch, they responded with:

"As for the thread pitch, the older models of the Haenel CR223/BT-15 were M14x1 and the newer ones are M15x1, I can help identify which threads are on your firearm if you send me a picture of the threads alongside a ruler."

So that explains the inconsistent comments I've been seeing around the web.

I ended up putting the original trigger back on. It's "meh" but it works. They also sent me a link to a B&T suppressor that will work with the A2 "NATO" muzzle device. I'll be ordering one of those in the next week or two.

quote:

Originally posted by pcshooter:
I have some fine-tipped picks for removing and installing the c-clips.

Anti-walk pins wouldn't work because I couldn't find any that were long enough to clear the that little lip that surrounds the pins. They, like the muzzle threading, are "NATO spec" apparently. Long story short, Haenel is really the only entity that can provide trigger pins for this gun.

quote:

Originally posted by ...HeavyD...:
CMC told me M&P15-22 anti-waliking pins could work. They are a bit longer than regular pins.

quote:

Originally posted by KSGM:
pcshooter, any progress on the silencer front? Do you have a 1.375 can?