What is best piston AR?

Oh boy, you are going to get more advice than and suggestions than you can handle! This will probably turn into a DI vs Piston debate and free for all.

That being said I bought a S&W M&P15 PS (Piston) about 9 months ago. It has been flawless after many shooting sessions. Super easy to clean and maintain. The down side is that it has cost me nothing but money since I brought it home. I have added an EOTech HWS, a Stark grip with a built in sling attachment, flip up sights that Co-witness with the EOTech, a Geissele Super Semi-Automatic Enhanced (SSA-E) Trigger, lots of Mags and ammo.

If you shop around you can usually find some good deals. I paid about $200 more for my piston gun compared to a similar DI gun.

Go here and look at post #32..my grandson shooting my M&P15 for the first time...made me a proud grandpa! :D

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=480340&page=2
 
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i would like to recommend the LWRCI line of pistons, but due to the UNreliability of the piston return spring (must be replaced every 3,000 rounds) i in all honesty can not !!

check out the S&W M&P PS, there are others you may want to consider.
 
The best piston gun? One with a lifetime warranty. Reason being, some have some issues with tilting and uneven wear at high round counts (not most by any means but enough that you should be aware of it). I have a PSX that I've never had any issues with it. I'd buy it again for what's that's worth.
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HK 416. (MR556)

The only one that has extensive military operational use.

My second choice would be the LWRC.

LWRC has a very good reputation among LF.net users and at the last LWRC machine gun shoot at my local gun shop, they stood up to some serious abuse. 30 rd dumps over and over again and then having their front ends submerged in a 5 gal bucket of water with steam coming out of their ejection ports.:D They did this for about 8 hours with no failures that I am aware of.

I was playing with the 416, AK, and the MP5 so I wasn't watching them that much.:cool::D

I haven't used any of the others.

Honestly though, if I were looking at pistons, I would take a really hard look at the SCAR. It was designed from the ground up for one.
 
I had seriously schemed on an LMT. I had read a lot of LMT good stuff, a gunsmith who is a cop, ex Army, and several times into Iraq-and-Afghanistan as a private security contractor aka Professional Soldier aka mercenary, told me he likes LMT quite a bit.

They make some compliant rifles that are NJ legal and just what you would want and need to do to make it NJ legal from the factory, including a compliant CQB MRP Defender 16 ... [CQB for Close Quarters Battle lol, MRP for Monolithic Rail Platform... Defender 16 model of their 16" AR-15 version] ... now its almost $1900 on their website, my local store had it as a Christmastime sale for like $1500 or maybe closer to $1600... well I was loving it, as I thought it was an LMT piston rifle. Turns out its DI... they do in fact make the exact same rifle with their piston system, which is what I thought this was but it wasn't lol... that rifle is like $2200 and they don't have a compliant model.

I'm still debating what I want now... I haven't the money so I have plenty of time. On one hand I'd figure I'll just build my absolute custom dream AR and go with a personalized version of either a SEAL Recon Rifle using BCM's Recce 16 upper, or a SPR using their MK 12 upper. But LMT makes a great rifle and it's all right there at the local gunstore, for $1600, without much need for modification, I mean it comes with their rail, sights, a SOPMOD stock, etc. And I don't see a whole lot of piston AR options... That S&W is of course an option.. I ain't doing a Ruger or Stag, just don't want one of those, and the HK 416 is nice but so expensive, and they also don't have a compliant version.... So I would wind up with a Bushmaster ACR if I went piston route... not sure what everyone thinks of the ACR these days... if they finally came out with the 7.62x39mm conversion and or the 18" SPR conversion kits, I'd be really sold.
 
POF 415 18" vanadium alloy steel barrel from Rock Creek Barrels. The acres of NP3 coating throughout the weapon makes it superior to all other choices. As the Gun Digest AR-15 book by Patrick Sweeny states on page111 "Until there is some sudden change in chemistry, metallurgy or small arms design, it would be hard to find a better barrel than the one from POF." On page 115 it states " The rifle is utterly reliable, a hallmark of the modern AR."

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to POF or any other gun manufacturer or retailer. I am a gun consumer and POF owner.

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Look at the Barrett REC7. You hear the flavor of the week answers on the Internet echo chamber forums. Barrett designed the REC7 as a piston gun, has a Barrett designed bolt and bolt carrier specfically for piston operation - no carrier tilt problems.

Barrett designed a piston system that is self regulating with minimum number of parts, and that is accessible from the front of the top rail by turning a lever with your fingers on the gas block (no tools, removing rails, etc.) to get at the piston system for cleaning. The bolt is 9310 steel, the bolt carrier is 8620 steel and bolt carrier use an NP3 type coating. The chamber and barrel are chrome lined. Have no knowledge of who makes the REC7 barrels, Barrett uses both Kreiger and Federson barrels on their large caliber rifles.

The REC7 is not a retrofitted direct impingement rifle, it has been designed as a piston rifle and does not suffer the problems inherent in a retrofitted DI rifle. If you're set on a piston rifle, you need to seriously consider the REC7.
 
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Thanks for all the answers guys. These answers will give me a place to start. I probably will check out some websites during the commercial breaks of The Walking Dead :D
 
I ordered a PWS MK114 4 weeks ago...they are in more demand than any other piston gun on the market right now. Two more weeks and I will be plinking up a storm with my new equipment.
 
Every review I've seen on the Internet that includes the long-stroke piston PWS MK1 models end up liking those the best. If the PWS is not evaluated, it seems the LWRC is next.

I am saving up for a PWS.
 
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