Basically to paraphrase people were having issues using certain types of ammo. Apparently the sr15 has issues sometimes when using less than NATO pressured ammo.
Another guy in that thread said that his barrel only shoots heavier grain bullets accurately. Said it shoots amazing groups with 75-80gr bullets. But that it shoots 3-4in groups with 55gr from 50yds!! That really narrows my options for ammo… I was really excited about this upper until I read the thread. Seems like the only ammo that fits this profile is the 75gr 5.56 TAP, which is totally unrealistic.
So basically I’m stuck shooting only milspecif I don’t want to worry about having issues? Does anyone have much experience with the sr15 and different types of ammo?
Ive shot quite a few different types of .223 ammo through mine without a problem.
There is some weak ammo out there, and they can cause issues in properly tuned guns. UMC and Wolf are very weak. As I said in the other thread we shot some British ammo, and were told it could cause malfunctions in our rifles because its weak.
Honestly if you want a gun that will reliably shoot the really weak junk the KAC is probably not for you. Bushmaster is good about putting huge gas ports so they will run that crap. I personally like being able to shoot 556 loads, and have minimal recoil. There is a reason everyone says they run so smooth, and that is because they are setup to run a 556 load not super weak 223 trash ammo like UMC.
My SR15 is not super accurate but accuracy wasn’t really a concern with this gun. It will get the job done within my effective range with the T1, and that is a lot longer than Id likely ever need to use it.
Yeah man, don’t worry about anything at all. You’re buying a badass carbine!
I was one of the guys that posted in that thread. I had 2 or 3 problems with an underpowered batch or Wolf 55gr ammo. But that shit is so inconsistent. One batch will be trouble free, and the next will have some issues occasionally.
But seriously, no need to worry. If I didn’t think I could count on my SR-15 to go BANG when I needed it to, I would’ve gotten rid of it. But my SR-15 ain’t going nowhere.
My buddy and I have the opportunity to shoot a LOT of surplus ammo. He has an SR15 and has some problems at those outings, whereas my Stag hasn’t had an issue. Granted it’s not a fair test since some of this ammo is true crap (not just surplus, but surplus that’s been returned), but his experience and the M4C thread referenced above pushed me to the Noveske Light Recce I’m (still) waiting for instead of a KAC. I don’t know if the Noveske will be any better at feeding this crap, but we’ll see.
I wouldn’t worry, I’ve put everything from Wolf, Hornady TAP (steel case) to Federal Tac through mine without a single ammo related issue. I put 2k of Hornady steel case through it last week (minimal cleaing) and no problems.
I have an SR15 and no failures or problems with any type of ammo and I have run Wolf, Privi, Federal and Winchester through mine. No problems whatsoever. Buy it in confidence.
Ferraris don’t run on 87 octane gas, since they were engineered for high performance from the start.
Same deal with the SR-15.
If you want to save money on ammo while owning a SR-15, you’re gonna have to reload. Given that you can load brass cased ammo to 5.56 pressure levels at $160 per case… you’ll get better ammo than cheap russian crap for less money.
The SR-15 uses a relatively small gas port and light weight buffer (lighter than a CAR buffer) to cut down on recoil. Pretty smart design, but makes feeding crappier ammo problematic.
True. OTOH, I suspect that a Noveske can at least keep up with an SR15, and do so on regular gas. That was my decision point. The SR15 is a beautiful rifle, but the bonus of shooting cheap and/or free-but-crap surplus ammo is too good a deal to pass up when choosing between equivalent rifles at an equivalent price.
Yeh, I read that. I thought I also read that later SR15’s come with a slightly enlarged gas port to stroke better on weaker ammo. True? My buddy tried emailing Knight about that but never got an answer and he didn’t persist.
Yeah Hmac I see your point and that was exactly my reasoning. A noveske or BCM are arguably just as high performance but can shoot whatever you feed it. And in today’s world of ammo shortages and unpredictable economy that’s a bonus. I’m still happy with KAC and am excited to try out the upper. It just kind of put a damper on it all for me to find that out after I made the purchase.
Weak ammo can cause issues in “mil spec” guns, too. Ive mentioned it 3 times now but that is why the US mil is not supposed to use British ammo in combat loads. I had bad short stroking problems with a lot of Wolf ammo I shot in a Colt 6921 upper.
If shooting real crap ammo is your end goal then yeah get something with a larger gas port. You’re not going to hurt anyones feelings going with a different gun as we all have our own end goals. For me I like shooting full power 556 loads, and not have unnecessary recoil.
I think KAC stated pretty long ago the SR15 was tuned to run with 556 loads so if that is not what you are shooting buy something else or risk weak ammo causing short stroking. Not had any issues myself with it 223 ammo but I don’t shoot Wolf or UMC which can have weaker lots, and is weak to start off with. Shooting that stuff is quite a bit different than say IMI M193 which is pretty hot.
Naturally, shooting real crap ammo is not my end goal…but it IS an option I want to leave myself for recreation and practice if the only thing I have to sacrifice for it is a little increase in recoil when I’m shooting 5.56 at a course or three-gun event.
The vast majority of people are shooting .223 through their SR15 just fine. Its just the real low end ammo that MAY cause a problem, and to be honest I’ve only heard of a couple people that had an issue. My point is that real weak stuff can cause issues in many guns besides the SR15. Its not an issue specific to this gun. If someone said they were getting short-stroking in a Noveske shooting Wolf Id not be terribly surprised.
I shoot PMC bronze quite a bit which is considered kinda low on the totem pole of “power”, and mine runs it fine. I don’t really consider a slim chance of having issues with real lower power ammo a knock against the gun because it shoots so well with 556, and the SR15 is not alone in MAYBE having an issue with low end 223. I ran mine up to ~5k without cleaning shooting a mixture of 556, and 223 without an issue. I have a bit over 10k total through it, and only had some issues early on that disappeared as soon as I took the BAD lever off.
Lastly if someone did run into an issue with the ammo they were using Im sure KAC could open up the gas port a little bit for them. Overall I don’t really think the gun can be beat for its intended purpose. Ive got, owned, and shot quite a few mid-length AR’s, and its the best to date.
I had a few problems with Wolf in my SR15. But, doesn’t everyone have problems with Wolf at one time or another?
My SR15 has shot every other ammo type accurately through it, from 50gr Hornady Varmint (I know, 1:7 is not made for 50gr but it I had it so I shot it) to 77gr Fiocchi. I’ve fired surplus M193, new M193, M855, Wal Mart Federal 100 bulk pack, UMC and others with no issues.
I would have no reservations about buying another SR15 if I had the money.
We did open up the ports on later guns, they are still on the smaller side, so if its cold/and or the gun is not lubed some people shooting very low power ammunition still may have issues, however we then address it on a case by case basis.
Port sizing is a balancing act, as you can make a monster port that overgasses the gun and can cause other reliability and wear issues.
The other issue is when people add cans.
However we fell that the current SR-15E3 is best able to address the needs/wants of 99.9% of the consumer base.
Anyone needing info from KAC, can feel free to email me at anytime.
i really appreciate you jumping in on the thread. my fears have been put to rest. i still feel like the kac is the rifle for me. thanks for everyone’s help
