Mm using a sling requires a lot of training

Under the handguard, an A1 and A2 barrel have the same profile :)

@@BlokeontheRange I hesitated getting into ARs for a long time due to the reverse barrel taper seriously triggering my engineering OCD. getting away from government profile and HBAR is a relatively recent phenomenon.

@@3of11 What? You don't like adding useless weight exactly at the area that it isn't needed? Looks like you'd never make it working in the government.

I think that just by looking at where a given sling attaches, and how many degrees of separation those points are from the barrel, you could probably draw a reasonable conclusion for any given platform. Anything with a non-free floated fore is pretty much a sure bet, assuming your attachment point is on the fore.

I moved my POI about 10 inches at 100 yards with a Mini-30 (note that mini-30s don't share the slim barrel of the old Mini-14s).

Ask the Beagle engineers!

Isn't it just? :D

I think the fact your A1's were shagged out and the A2's were new will have had the biggest impact. The A2's barrel is just as skinny under the handguards as an A1 barrel though.

@@BlokeontheRange I heard the main benefit of the Government profile barrel was since it was thicker in the front, it added extra weight towards the end which fatigues your hand faster but settles the gun into the support hand more in a more stable fashion as well as reduce some muzzle climb and felt recoil, so that may be why that barrel profile worked better at distance shooting like this. That’s just what I heard some other people claim, though. Don’t know if it’s true.

@@BlokeontheRange Less of the barrel is skinny. That likely equates to less flexibility. The Marine Corps armorers actually watch the rifling and other tolerances pretty well. We had to keep track of all rounds fired, both live and blanks, and report them to the armory (we kept track of that in little notebooks). The sights on the A2 were definitely easier to adjust and use. In addition, we felt the 3 burst cam trigger was better (firing semi) than the trigger on the A1 firing semi. I purchased a Colt Sporter Target Model nib way back in 1989. It's a phenomenal shooting rifle. Have never done anything to modify it.

Aside from a trivial transition to the thicker gasblock area, the A1 and A2 barrels are exactly the same where it matters. What happens forward of the gasblock is irrelevant cos it's in front of the point of loading (whether by the sling or a clip on bipod) i.imgur.com/LDn4k0d.jpg

@@BlokeontheRange Actually, the A2 barrel is slightly thicker. Would be hard to tell by just looking but it makes a difference with stiffness, The M16A1 barrel is 0.675" tapering down to 0.600" behind the front sight, 0.625" under the front sight, and 0.575" in front of the front sight. The M16A2 barrel is 0.675" tapering down to 0.630" behind the front sight, 0.730" under the front sight, and 0.715" in front of the front sight.

I've done a fair bit already (if you use the search function you'll find it), but it's a much maligned rifle (probably due to shagged out army ones back in the day) and really very, very good indeed and will be featuring muchly on the channel in future too.

Practical inasmuch as any civilian rifle can be considered practical for purposes other than target or hunting use. Not disparaging owning such rifles, I certainly do, but let’s not delude ourselves as to what they’re really for: Shooting at targets. Because that is a fun and worthwhile pastime.

GI mags don't have any kind of overinsertion stop, so if you push too hard it can interfere with the bolt. Gen3 PMAGs have a lump on the back to prevent that.

But I was wrong. TIL

The A2 barrel is just as slender from the gasblock rearwards :)

@@BlokeontheRange correct, my A2 barrel goes all over the damn place with the sling too.

Pencil barrel or no, a hasty sling is going to pull the barrel off target if the forward sling point is attached to the barrel. It does not take much pressure to push a barrel around.

I'd like to see a retromod A1 with Criterion CORE barrel tested the same.

Correct. We were told about the shift when we trained on the gun. I had trained on the M14 and then the 16 before going to RVN. The sling on our 16’s was the same web sling found on the M14. It was only used to carry the rifle, many just removed theirs. I never saw a bipod or a scope in country and you never rested the rifle on the magazine. I arrived in country in 1970. My rifle always worked. It was a light, compact, and reasonably accurate rifle. Coming home I bought an SP1 which I still have. I shoot it once a year just for fun. I never witnessed the problems that happen earlier. By 1970 the powder problem had been solved. BTW, love your videos. Thanks

SS109 is illegal here unfortunately. I'd have to do it with FMJ.

Although looking at it, SS109 is much longer than FMJ so it won't be a comparison...

@@BlokeontheRange Is it illegal? Oops. Not that I tried it myself (couldn't see the point seeing as they were giving us lovely GP90) but I know someone who brought his ammo with him and that was SS109. I just thought it wasn't allowed on certain ranges because of the penetration issue. The GP90 bullet is 21.5mm or somewhere around there, so it's slightly shorter and the Swiss decided on 1/10. Sierra Matchking 69gr HPBT is 22.9mm and the M855 bullet is 23mm. Sierra recommend a 1/10 twist. At the altitude you're at, that's going to make a difference but if you tried it with Sierra MK on a warm day that might show up something interesting. The problem using AMS is that you can't see if the bullet is wobbling when it hits the target. The M196 tracer bullet is 23.1mm, so... I think part of the problem is that people use the wrong formula, the uncorrected formula was designed for bullets travelling at less than 3,000 fps, but the corrected formula indicates that 1/11 is correct for a 23mm long bullet.

It wont stabilize SS109 due to the twist not being fast enough to compensate for the steel penetrator not being perfectly centered in each projectile. You need at least a 1 in 9 twist for SS109 due to its design making it want to wobble. This is a good example of what works on paper, not working in the field due to a confounding variable.

@@takingbacktoxic7898 it will stabilize SS109, I've got plenty of practical experience with it. I suppose it depends on the brand as to how consistent the bullets are, but SS109 was specifically designed to work with a 1/12 twist. And bear in mind M196 tracer has a tracer element in it, and is also a longer bullet that is less aerodynamic. And that was clearly designed for 1/12.

There's no contact between the forend and the barrel on an M1. If it wasn't for the front handguard hanging off the front, I think you could legit call it a free float.

SKS dust covers won't even remotely hold zero, so yes.

I'm planning that with the WWSD already. I've got a 20" HBAR with a front sight block out as far as possible, and to be honest the extra sight radius isn't all that in practice... In principle, the M16 is capable of firing 22mm rifle grenades, which is a good reason to have the front sight where it is. Plus cost.

Holding the magwell is ergonomic suckitude, and also, given that there's play between upper and lower, you're not holding the actual bit with the barrel and sights on it and it's free to wobble about.

@@BlokeontheRange Yes but you are not holding the barrel so you are not pushing it around. And for the holding on to the gun part. The magwell holding with the left hand can give a stable platform to shoot from. I really cant see how much the upper and lower would would "wobble" it is pinned in place, it should be rather tight. Also when you are not touching the barrel there is no changing of the POI (point of impact). Anyhow, good luck with shooting. I have to out an shoot more, but i first have to find a good range... Greetings, Jeff

You've never noticed wobble between upper and lower on an AR15? It's rare to find one that doesn't if you've not used an Accuwedge, tape or similar to take it out (it doesn't matter in practice if you're holding the forend)

You set your sights taking into account the distortion, and you need to practice having the sling tension very constant. Using the sling on the SLR was a part of competition shooting in the British Army too, and the pamphlet said that the rifle was NOT to be zeroed (implicitly for normal use) using the sling.

It's a little high, but nothing to worry about. Have a look at Chappie's FAMAS with an optic, he's hardly even getting his chin on it (see either Lynx Brutality or Finnish Brutality 2022 vids)

Nobody really gives much of a damn about headspace outside of the US. It's certainly not obsessively checked like in the US. It's probably your resizer bumping the shoulder back too far indeed if it went fine with factory ammo.

@@BlokeontheRange awesome thank you. I also am looking forward to the rest of your swiss rifle series and would enjoy seeing other videos on Swiss rifle accessories/ military gear.

Nope, sorry, don't have access to a 500 yard or metre range.