A buddy of ours bought a Barrett REC7, which I’d never heard of. It’s piston AR (I’ve got no idea why we’re still chasing the piston AR idea, but whatever)
We didn’t get to run it too hard, and only ran it suppressed. But it’s a pretty nice gun and shot some MOA groups (barrel not even broken in yet)
Not enough round through the gun to see if any of the usual piston problems pop up. The gun was noticeably quiet with the can on. Almost quieter than a regular DI gun. We didn’t mess with the gas adjustment, but it’s up there and pretty much like what you’d expect to see.
Gun comes with Magpul grip and stock.
Weird to feel a bolt with no rings. Feels loose and makes me want to fix it. BCG and Charging handle:
The trigger is pretty nice. Reset is almost too light. It’s crisp, but it feels almost too fragile.
Some interesting choices there. Red latch on the Radian stands out, not sure why but I guess it looks cool.
The trigger though, I wonder how that adjustment affects how it feels? And I guess the two “snug” ports lock it in place?
That trigger looks like a Triggertech. If he likes the pull but not the adjustability, they make fixed models. I have the heavier fixed model and it is outstanding, though I’m not sure I’d endorse it for LE/Mil use due to the way the pins are retained. I’d be concerned with constant vibration from vehicles, though mine has not proven that concern. My PCC hasn’t broken it yet, either. I think it’d be fine in a house gun or typical range/training use.
Man, I have to bump this thread. This gun has been brought out like a dozen times since June and it continues to run like a champ. I personally wouldn’t buy one of these guns because I don’t need another AR, but this thing, I dare say, is as good as a direct impingement AR-15. Plus, it shoots very accurately. I shot a sub MOA 5 round group with the 85 gr Match Burners 2 months back.
I also didn’t feel that typical piston recoil thump. Shot very smooth and seems to be a high quality AR. It does have a Triggertech adjustable 2.5-5.0 lbs per Barrett. He has also bought an NX 1-8 scope since his first outing. Nice rig.
There’s a screw in each of those that pushes against the floor of the lower to make the pins bind in place. The hammer and trigger don’t touch the traditional pins; they are just used to hold the cassette in place.
The Rec7 Piston has been on the market since 2010ish if I remember correctly, we sold quite a few of them when I worked at a Gun Store and range from 2012-2015. Apparently they discontinued the piston at some point and still sell a DI version
I haven’t popped the receivers open to see if there’s any wear issues you’d normally find with a piston AR. But I swear if you shot this thing and didn’t know it was a piston, you’d just think you were shooting a regular AR.
