S.W.A.T. Magazine

A couple of years ago, the U.S. Army began its search for a semi-automatic sniper system (SASS), which was intended to replace the aging M24 Sniper Weapon System (SWS). The reasoning for the semi-auto format was to provide greater firepower at extended ranges, with accuracy as good or better than the old system. Requirements set forth by the U.S. Army ARDEC (Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center) in Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. stated that the 7.62mm SASS system be capable of delivering precision fire on targets out to 1,000 meters.

DPMS (now DPMS Firearms LLC) offers its SASS version to the public and is the subject of this evaluation. Accuracy testing consisted of multiple 10-shot groups fired at 100 yards from a Coyote Jakes shooting bench on Handloader targets by Mountain Plains Industries with each load. Groups were measured center-to-center and averaged for overall performance. Overall combined 10-shot group average of the 16 loads tested was 2.16 inches. Top load for accuracy in the DPMS-SASS rifle was Federal 168gr. Match, which averaged 1.05 inches.

In mid-May 2009, Sturm, Ruger & Company (Ruger) surprised the firearms community with the announcement that the company would start producing an AR-15-type rifle—the SR-556. Some have posed the question, “Do we really need another manufacturer producing an AR-type rifle?” With the current supply and demand situation, coupled with the uncertainty about what “The One” and his minions will do in the next few years, I believe the answer is a resounding “YES!”

Having toured Ruger’s plants on more than one occasion, I had no doubt that, if they put their minds to it, they could produce a high-quality rifle that may well be the equal to that of any manufacturer. I placed an order for a test and evaluation rifle; arriving in mid-June, I’ve spent many hours on the range with it since then. Unlike most, but not all, AR-type rifles, the SR-556 doesn’t work on Eugene Stoner’s direct gas impingement (DI) design, but rather on an innovative, patent-pending, two-stage piston-driven design. The advantage of a piston-driven design is that almost no carbon builds up on the bolt carrier, compared to a DI design and therefore it requires less maintenance. While I’m sure this is important to some folks, to be completely honest, I’ve never found properly lubricating a carbine to be much of a chore.

In DI designs, gas is vented toward the end of the barrel and travels down the gas tube, which causes the bolt carrier to travel rearward, ejecting the spent case and chambering a fresh round. The SR-556 will run cooler because combustion residue is vented through the bottom of the gas block. With the SR-556 there’s no need to worry if the carrier key screws are properly staked—there are none. The carbine utilizes a one-piece bolt carrier. Also, due to the piston design, the tail of the bolt itself is different from a standard AR bolt and doesn’t employ gas rings.

Viking Tactics is one of the foremost contract trainers used by elements of our country’s special operations forces (SOF). I had been aware of VT’s reputation for some time, but hadn’t been able to match up a time against one of its few annual classes that aren’t exclusively contracted to SOF units. After reading VT owner/lead instructor Kyle Lamb’s book, Green Eyes & Black Rifles: Warriors Guide to the Combat Carbine, and hearing yet more praise from a trusted associate, I knew I had to get a VT class under my belt. Fortunately, I was able to get into one of only six open enrollment classes this year.

The 1.5 class requires students to have been through some credible manner of initial carbine instruction, and is definitely geared toward the mission-oriented end user. The class focuses in several areas that Lamb feels are deficiencies across the rifle-carrying force: being able to hit from essentially any position while using the body and surroundings for support; understanding the cycle of operations and being able to clear malfunctions; being able to shoot effectively from the support side; and understanding maintenance and service life issues.

Over the years I have been fortunate to be able to shoot lots of different kinds of firearms. And I’ve always made an effort to pull the trigger at least once on everything I cross paths with. From a Mk 19 40mm to the single-shot .45 Liberator handgun, I’ve shot firearms of all shapes and weird configurations. In the vein of shooting different stuff, with the help of my friend Jacob Bynum, I got to shoot his Prairie Gun Works Defence Technologies Inc. (PGWDTI) Timberwolf bolt-action, magazine-fed rifle. The rifle platform uses the expressly made-for-long-range .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge. Based in Manitoba, Canada, the PGWDTI people build high-end, high-quality rifles and weapons systems across a broad spectrum of calibers and uses.

If you ask questions, the PGWDTI people are sort of close-mouthed, yet this ability to keep their mouths shut has earned them sales and the respect of their end users. Me, I just wanted to shoot the rifle. The rifle I fired was the folding stock (more easy to parachute jump with) version. Among other versions, there’s a McMillan solid stock system.

Prone is the most stable of the firing positions. The closer we are to the ground, the more of our body is in contact with the ground. So far, so good, but there are problems: legions of shooters get their body flat on that deck, but then brace on their elbows, bringing the rifle so high up that they might as well be kneeling.

A part of this is that many appear to be afraid of getting too close to the ground. This may be steeped in the tradition of formal marksmanship training, when it was “illegal” to allow the rifle to get too close to the ground. To that end, a properly looped and slung shooter—to enhance the marksmanship portion of the equation—would have his arms directly under the gun, with no portion of the weapon/magazine touching mother earth, and therefore providing artificial support.

This has carried on to high-power rifle competition, which has turned into a mega game (and a great game) of equipment, but having no connection to fighting. Prone is a very stable position, but only if you are low to the ground. Having body armor, magazines on your chest or the big curse of American society—a food blister—can make it difficult to get into a viable prone position.

Today’s law enforcement and military environments are getting compressed dramatically. Conflicts are getting shorter and engagements are getting closer between forces. Room by room, building by building is now the norm. This means that weaponry must follow suit, so it didn’t surprise me to see that Troy Industries has its own extreme CQB (close quarters battle) weapons platform on the market. And it’s a well-made offering at that.

The name M7A1 makes this very ingeniously put together AR variant standout from the crowd. However, a name only carries you so far. If the weapon is only good as eye candy, it has no place in the hands of our nation’s guardians. I’m pleased to say that the M7A1 does indeed have it where it counts.

Before I go further, it bears saying that the M7A1 is a full kit minus the lower. And when I say the lower, I mean just “the lower.” All you have to bring to the table is a Mil-spec lower, with its internal parts installed minus the buttstock and pistol grip, as these are provided in the kit. The M7A1 kit is a comprehensive set-up, with everything you need to have an outstanding fighting carbine ready to roll. While the kit’s price is daunting, the end result is an incredibly tricked-out carbine with every piece comprised of top-of-the-line gear.

If you’re like most of us, the value of your ammo stockpile has outpaced your retirement portfolio. Ammo must be used on an ongoing basis to maintain your proficiency and increase your skill. Especially hard hit have been .223/5.56mm ammo, with prices rising two to three times what they were a few years ago—and availability taking a nose dive. One method of maintaining an AR practice regimen is through the use of a .22 conversion kit. Not only is .22 Long Rifle (LR) dramatically more affordable than .223/5.56mm, but a .22 LR conversion can be used at a wide variety of shooting ranges that cannot accommodate rifle calibers.

This—coupled with the affordability of a .22 LR—means that normal pistol practice can be transformed to integrate carbine work, including transitions from the carbine to the handgun. Many people practice more frequently with their handguns than their carbines. This is because handgun ammo is more affordable and shooting ranges that can accommodate handguns are more numerous and more conveniently located.

Conversions for AR-15s come in two forms: a conversion kit that replaces the AR’s bolt with a blowback unit to accommodate .22 LR ammo, and a dedicated .22 upper that replaces your AR’s standard upper. While conversion units tend to be less expensive than dedicated .22 uppers, they have several drawbacks.

After last year's debut and huge sales of the Ruger LCP (Light Carry Pistol) chambered for .380 ACP, not surprisingly the 2009 Sporting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show had many more such subcompacts on display. One firm that displayed at SHOT had not reacted to this sales spurt, though. Rohrbaugh Firearms had long been working to bring its Rohrbaugh Model R9 subcompact semi-auto to full production. I see the R9 pistol as an evolutionary outcome of the Seecamp pistol design. For me, the best way to describe the feel and look of the R9 is that it’s like meeting a long-lost friend who, while having changed, is still the same good friend; still the same likeable individual.

Three decades ago or more, Larry and Leander Seecamp developed their all-steel, subcompact, double-action-only pistol, which caught on with many who wanted and needed a very small but effective pocket auto. For me, the Seecamp replaced my Colt .25 ACP Model N, my .380 ACP Walther PPK and my .38 Special J-frame Smith &Wesson revolver, despite the Seecamp being at first chambered only in .25 ACP. The R9 very much resembles and draws from the original Seecamp design, with the additional benefit of now being chambered in 9x19mm. (As of this writing, I understand there's a Rohrbaugh .380 ACP version in the pipeline, and Seecamp now has a .380 as well.) The R9 also has an ammunition restriction, a warning of which is stamped into the side of the two six-round magazines supplied with the gun. The warning is not to fire any +P or +P+ 9x19mm loads. Another caution from the instruction manual is to change the outer spring of the dual recoil spring system every 200 rounds. Not surprisingly, this dual spring system is the same as the one patented by Seecamp. (The patent has expired.)