Yesterday, 3/1/2016 was sunny and little wind (0 to 5 mph) at the range in Southern New Hampshire. This article is a continuation of discussion my Colt upper/ Bushmaster mil spec lower AR-15 and its Trigger.
First, let me say that if given this trigger was a permanent one and I could not change it, it does work “ok” if you work to learn it even at 8.5 lbs. Thankfully that is not the case. New Timney triggers are coming and thus we can see what kind of improvement we can get. Should be a fun exercise and we can hopefully learn a lot. Yes there are other manufacturers that also produce triggers but that is for another day.
So I went to the range today and shot 3 brands of 55 grain Full Metal Jacket FMJ ammo with cannelure crimp at 50 yards to see what grouped best with 5 shot groups.
What I found was groups tighter than expected and occasional fliers which can be attributed to 1) the trigger 2) the shooter, 3) the ammo itself, 4) new rifle.
The trigger pull experience on this rifle can be understood to be heavy and have slack. I found that I could pull up slack and find the barrier wall where the hammer is located. It helped me group better than I expected by pulling to the wall first and then a final squeeze.
I chose 50 yards to begin this grouping exercise because I could clearly see the “x” in the bullseye and focus on it. What I found was that each brand grouped well with this trigger with occasional flyers due perhaps to a combination of things including the trigger, shooter unfamiliarity etc. I am satisfied with this exercise of capability with each brand of ammo with ARMSCOR USA shooting the best 5 shot group with one flyer. It is about groups not where they hit the target bullseye you see. We can always adjust the scope! My goal is to do this kind of grouping at 100 yards not 50 yards with a better trigger like the drop in Timney’s that I will test. Note the “X” Ring circle is 1 inch across for your reference. Triggers are coming! The take away here is that the Colt barrel is excellent and, I believe, capable of better groups than we see here under ideal conditions.
© 2016