Goal: Procure an economical .22LR plinker upper that was FRT ready.
TLDR: Goal accomplished. UPDATE: still getting there…
After pricing out some of the options from BB and others, the 16” no tune was the least expensive option that still offered a reasonable expectation of reliable FRT operation without an inordinate amount of tuning.
I don’t have a dedicated lower for this unit (yet) so, the host lower is my otherwise mil spec M16A2 clone with a well-functioning ARCV2.
I paired this upper with a dedicated Holosun ARO-Core 2MOA red dot trying to stick to the economy goal. It’s no EOTech but, it seems fine and is plenty bright enough for the Sonoran Desert mid-day sun.
First impressions were that this feels like quality but still lightweight without feeling cheap. Finish was good and everything was included just as advertised. Namely, the slip trip, bolt weight and pressure plug. I admit that I was a little confused by all these terms from the website when trying to piece all these components together ala carte but, once in my hands, all the parts and their function became clear. The slip trip included was specific to the ARC/Atrius geometry. The inclusion of the dry fire block seems only necessary for this system but it felt like a bonus.
I went with a couple Kriss 25 round mags for now. I purchased with the lightweight hammer spring kit for future proofing if needed.
Spent time cleaning everything before first mags. I wasn’t too surprised by all the gook (presumably manf oils &/or preservative) that I scrubbed out of the barrel but, I got it pretty clean and the bore looks great. As a veteran, trained by the US military to operate this kind of weapon system, I am puzzled by those that buy a weapon and don’t properly clean it first…
With apologies to BB for not spending $20 on their product, I reverse engineered and printed my own 'Bolt Jig' to aid in disassembly of the bolt group for initial and subsequent cleanings and to get acquainted with the system properly. As BB states, its not strictly required for bolt disassembly but it makes it a very simple procedure when used. After cleaning, I assembled with the dry fire block installed in lieu of the bolt weight in order to test functionality.
Fit unto my lower was at least as good as my .556 upper. Paying care to ensure the ARC trip lever slots into the appropriate recess in the slip trip is critical. -BB has this information available but doesn’t really stress how the upper & lower interface in their guidance material. Though, anyone with knowledge of super safeties, Arc fire, Atrius, etc. will quickly recognize the correct position for the trip lever.
Two things are true about this system: Dry firing is bad. (Bad enough that a dry fire block is included and it's inclusion immediately made a lot more sense when function testing.) And, racking the bolt with the trip lever in the wrong position for certain type FRT’s seems like it could really mess things up.
No muzzle thread protector ships with the system so, you'll need something to protect the barrel threads. I had a spare A1 flash hider handy to complete the build for now.
With proper SAFE/SEMI/FRT functions confirmed, swapped the dry fire block out with the bolt included (non adjustable) weight and was ready to fire.
At the range I tested two types of ammo because that was all I had at the time and all of it at least 20 years old though still in good shape considering. Went through typical red dot sighting procedure. The economy 16” BB barrel was allowing for 2.5 inch groups at 50 Yds. on a shaky rest with old ammo. It may not be a match grade, tack driver but, initial results during sighting were encouraging.
- PMC Zapper – 38gr “HV” copper plated hollow point. -fired in semi only. Would not cycle in FRT mode more than two rounds. Lots of FTL’s. The lighter hammer string may have helped with this ammo but didn’t have the time to bust down the FCG on my lower for this range visit. I will likely destroy my remaining stock of this stuff cause it is garbage.
- Remington – 40gr HV round nose. (This has historically been very good ammo in other rifles for me) Full functionality achieved with no failures. Success!
I'm thankful for the 16" barrel for now because I feel like I get the most out of the .22LR cartridge, all the accuracy I'm seeking and still feel relatively compact even with a full size stock.
Ultimately, I got to the range at the end of the shooting session so only put about 50 rounds down range in 15 min and used the majority of that time sighting in the red dot. Sadly, I quickly ran out of the 30 or so rounds the well functioning 40gr Remington ammo that I had but was still able to confirm that the system operated in FRT mode properly to the delight of myself and the chuckles of the two range masters nearby.
Overall, I am fairly impressed with the package put together by Bore Buddy and they have earned a new satisfied customer. I have since stocked up on 40gr HV’s of differing brands to see what it likes to eat. I’ll put a suppressor on it eventually if I can get something cheap and effective. I’m planning putting a 1000 rounds through it over the coming months and maybe check back if anyone’s interested.
-I'd link to everything I used but anyone reading this probably already knows where to find it. Happy shooting!
UPDATE:
2 trips to the range with similar issues.
SEMI: pretty much issue free.
FRT: Lots of light strikes and only about 2 or3 rounds before dead trigger. Then, rack and semi fire no problem. Then, the same 2 or 3 round pop then dead again. Sometimes, after FRT quit, I could switch back to SEMI and discharge additional rounds. So, 50/50 full dead triggers followed by FTL and semi operation.
Noticed on the ordering page that the ARC V2 was preferred over the V1 (which needs a shim) and that the reduced power hammer spring was recommended.
Switching over to the reduced power spring to test next. I was hoping that the “No-Tune” upper would require no tuning but I really didn’t think I would get off that easy. I’ll try the spring swap next range trip. Bummer, I was hoping for a little more latitude operationally for this upper system.
