I think most people are pretty familiar on this board with the new Charles Daly D-M4LE. Its the AR15 variant that strives to mirror 6920 specs, but at a price more people can afford. My initial thoughts were that it was a lofty goal, but one that would probably fall short.
For years the AR15 community has heard about Brand “X” is just as good as Colt, or that Brand “X” is better than Colt. There is lots of talk, but in the end, its usually based off one person who shoots infrequently, and is unfamiliar with what makes up the differences between the various AR15s. Without getting into brand wars, or brand bashing, there isn’t much question that Colt is a pretty solid bench mark when it comes to the AR15.
The basic stats for the Charles Daly D-M4LE are listed below for those who haven’t seen them yet.
Chrome lined 4150 barrel with M-203 mounting groove
M4 Feedramps
Forged “F” front sight base with bayonet lug & rubber coated sling swivel
Milspec diameter receiver extension with “H” buffer
T-Marked Flattop upper
6-position telestock
A2 “Birdcage” flash hider
Oval Double Heat-Shield M4 forend
Additional items of note are that the barrels and bolts are proof fired and MPI tested on a random basis. The BCG is well staked, as is the castle nut, and the extractor uses a black insert, stout spring, and o-ring.
Starting out with the D-M4LE, I gave it a quick wipe down, then lubed it with Breakfree CLP. In initial firing I used the aluminum USGI 30 round magazine (with Magpul follower) that came with the weapon. With the first round fired, I thought the trigger was a tad stiff on release, but it loosened up quickly, and caused no issues or concerns. The next 400 rounds were fired without cleaning. There were no issues of any kind. The weapon fed, fired, extracted, and ejected without problems of any kind. I had thought that perhaps there would be some initial break in reliability issues, but that proved not to be the case.
At the 400 round mark, I pulled the BCG looking for any abnormal wear, and there was none. I also checked the FCG, and found nothing out of the ordinary there either. I relubed the BCG with CLP, and reassembled the weapon. 400 rounds had been fired, and no malfunctions of any kind had been noted.
The next 600 rounds were fired primarily through Magpul 20 round Pmags, with some 30 round PMAGs, and other magazines thrown in to verify that it fed from everything. There were no malfunctions of any kind within this 600 session.
Its probably worth noting that the above 1,000 rounds was carried out in one day, with much of it being rapid fire drills. The weapon was extremely hot, and was left to cool down on more than one occasion so it could be handled easier in a cooler state. The initial 400 was done by me, as was the cleaning and inspection of the weapon. The next 600 was partially by me, and partially by others. The total of 1,000 rounds is a conservative estimate, and its probable that the total for that day was closer to 1,200, however, I can verify without question the 1,000 round mark.
The next day started with a now detail cleaned D-M4LE, and another 540 rounds were fired, much of it again working close in drills with extended strings. No malfunctions of any kind were found. This day was again completed using mostly 20 round PMAGs.
The following day, another 580 rounds were run through it, and while it had not been cleaned from the previous days shooting, I did relube it with CLP. This was again done with PMAGs, but mainly 30 round PMAGs as I had left most of the 20 rounders in another vehicle. No malfunctions of any kind were noted.
The week continued with a last day of using the Charles Daly lower on another upper. Nothing against the D-M4LE, we were simply doing some work that required use of another upper.
In the end, we concluded being rather surprised that we went the entire time without any malfunctions of any sort. It was odd enough that I double checked with everyone at least once to verify I had all the correct information. I understand that some people will feel that 2k through a single weapon is not enough to mean anything. However, for people who have been in, or taught courses where brand new weapons are fired, this is enough hard exposure to give an idea how the overall level of quality is with this particular carbine. I’ve seen plenty of new carbines choke on the morning of day 1 in a course, but the D-M4LE isn’t one of them.
In the end, I guess the questions come down to if I would recommend one to a friend, would I own one myself, and would I feel comfortable carrying one for duty. The answer to all of the above is that I would.
Below is a link to the full review of the D-M4LE, including a breakdown with pictures of its various parts.
http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum/showthread.php?t=410
