Piston Operated AR

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Shotgun693

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I might be in the market for an AR soon. I'd rather have the M1 type operating rod. Who makes'm and about what do they run in price?
 
Shotgun693 picked his poison. Op rods are good as is DI. Everybody has an opinion. I like Op rods for cleanliness and reliability. From all I shot though, I find the DI more accurate over all. I'd go with the OP rod for a combat gun and the DI for a hunting/ varmint gun. You can say a DI is as reliable as an op rod but never are you going to say it's more reliable. That is given a good op rod system though.
 
Which is more reliable, gas or DI? Tie an AK and an AR together and drag them threw a muddy ditch with the dust covers open for a few yards and which one will fire? That’s what I would choose in a “combat” rifle.

I ask because I honestly don’t know. I don’t fall for the junk you see on TV. Common sence tells me the AK will keep working. I guess that’s why I bought one.
 
Consider the piston driven AR that works - Daewoo.

AR-100_Suppressed.jpg
 
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If you want to throw lead downrange get a AK if you want to do shooting with some precision get a AR. I speak form experience I own both and I have had stoppages with my AK just as I have had the occasional stoppage with my AR.......when you find the perfect weopon please let me know.:)
 
I know very little about ARs in general and nothing about the piston driven ones. I have used an M1 and above all things, it was reliable. Ease of cleaning would be nice as I would rather shoot than clean guns.
As I have already received a nasty 'message' from someone I guess I'll just ask a more civil crowd.
 
+1 to what palmetto said :)

One thing you will want to consider if you plan to shoot a lot. With piston replacement parts your subject to manufacturer and at their will. DI is standard you can find parts anywhere. That might factor into your choice. That and i dislike the increased weight of some piston setups.
 
I have two friends that have Ruger ARs. Both have been shot extensively with every kind of brass and steel cased ammo. Neither has ever failed in any way.
 
Shotgun693, I hope I didn't offend you with my comments. It's just that the piston vs DI horse horse has been beaten to death here lately. I know that you didn't intend to get it started up again but it doesn't seem to take very much to get the same old argument going. If pressed to answer the question that was asked, I would have to agree with the Daewoo.
 
Palmetto Pride----You've had stoppages with an AK:eek:?!?!? I hope I never see the day one of mine fails due to the fault of the weapon (I had a TAPCO mag that was cracked when I bought it but didn't see it that caused malfunctions...)

Obviously, I realize AKs have failures but, knock on wood, haven't had any yet with my WASR, Yugo, or Draco...

Now, back to the OPs point. I have not noticed a difference in reliability in my piston ARs and DI ARs. They're all extremely reliable when properly cleaned and lubricated. It just comes down to will you clean your rifle? If you are willing to do so, the DI will serve you just fine. The piston ARs (in my experience) will run cleaner for higher round counts.

DIs:
IMAG0758.jpg

IMAG0768.jpg


Piston M&P:
IMAG0732.jpg
 
I was intrigued by the Stag model 8. I would use a roller cam pin, and I would lube the heck out of the buffer, carrier.
 
Op Rod

Hey there Shotgun

I went through this dilemma about a year ago and opted for Op Rod. The reason is simple for me. Cleanliness, simpler and better parts, durability (theoretical - relative to other piston driven guns).

Both are good solutions and neither are "better" for the general population. It comes down to what you want and your comfort level.

Take this for consideration: Any DI gun is a Mil Spec standard which means that parts from any DI gun will work in your gun. AND those parts are available anywhere. Whereas, the piston driven world has not set a standard and all manufacturers have designed their own proprietary systems.

If for example, you get a Smith and Wesson M&P piston AR then you are buying an Adams Arms design but you will get a life time warranty from S&W. if you get a Ruger you are buying a Ruger. Stag a Stag and so on.

I personally bought an Adams Arms upper and love it. I have a friend who purchased a CMMG piston and has had nothing but problems with it. The LMT are considered to be one of the absolute best designs and builds. Ruger SR556 is probably the most popular.

BUT to each his own. Price becomes a factor as well. If you want the best in the DI world then a Colt 6920 is the standard but for that price you could have a nice Piston gun...

As you can see...this goes around and around.

My opinion, shoot both see which you like better especially after 200-300 rounds and a cleaning session.
 
Which is more reliable, gas or DI? Tie an AK and an AR together and drag them threw a muddy ditch with the dust covers open for a few yards and which one will fire? That’s what I would choose in a “combat” rifle.
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An AK and a Piston AR really don't have much in common at all. A Gas piston AR is just a simple conversion, that makes the action a TINY bit cleaner, not by much. So really if you want to spend the extra $$$ to save yourself maybe 3 minutes of cleaning time, be my guest.

An AK as other guns DESIGNED for gas pistons.. even the HK416 uses a bolt riding on rails. AR's RETRO FITTED to use a gas piston suffer from carry tilt.

All AR's technically are a gas piston design, small difference being that DI was designed to make the bolt the piston to make the forces coaxial, hence the tube style receiver and no carrier tilt.

Both nowadays will work fine, but "gas piston AR's" are harder to get to run right, cost more, weigh more, more parts to fail, and since they are mounted above the barrel, throw off the harmonics and make it less accurate.

If you want one that is fine, but consider where your money is going to, when the military, and people have been using DI for years.

Another good article to read is about the Filthy-14 BCM rifle. That will show you what DI can really handle.

I have personally never had even a cheap AR fail on me that wasn't a mag issue, and I run my BCM bone dry 90% of the time.

I am at the range a lot, and most times with my AR. I will shoot 500-1000 rounds in an afternoon, yet to have any issues running DI BCM & Stag Arms.

I would probably get an LMT if I was going to buy a piston AR.
 
An AK and a Piston AR really don't have much in common at all.
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Sure they do, price. You can buy a whole AK for the price of just the AR piston parts!:p

Piston ARs are marketing trash like stuff labeled tacticool or match.

Flame suit on.:D
 
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