D9Firearms

We’ve had several of our DPMS LR-260 customers working on load data for the 260 and we just received an update from a DPMS LR-260H owner, Ronnie. We featured the photo of his rifle several weeks ago and he just got out to test it. These are the kind of test results that you would expect from a $5000 GA Precision, Remington M-40, or FN SPR but from a semi-auto. However, this is not the first time we’ve posted results like this for the DPMS and consistently receive feedback of .5″ grouping for the .308.
Since the load data and factory ammo is relatively limited in scope this is exciting to watch the development and get the feedback from our clients. Below Ronnie has provided some excellent load data. Our plans here at D9 are to use this data and provide custom loaded 260 ammunition and have it available by summer. (We are a federally licensed manufacturer of ammunition.)

Ronnie’s rifle shown above. DPMS LR-260H, w/JP adjustable and speed hammer, Hogue OD rubberized grip, tactical carrier release, Warne QD extra high 30mm rings, and Burris 2-12×50 30mm illuminated XTR in OD.

Darrel,

I finally got tooled up and loaded some rounds for the LR-260H. I tried getting the better dies and reloading supplies to get the best out of this thing. I figured I would break it in over a series of range trips and not rush things. So I picked a load out of the Sierra catalog that wouldn’t over work the brass and just do the first 10 rounds cleaning between every shot. 39.0 gr Reloader 15, CCI LR primers, Norma 260 brass, and 123 gr SMK’s. I used Forster Benchrest dies and loaded to an OAL of 2.785″.

I started out at 100 yds since it was already bore sighted and after the first round, it was really close to being dead on. I took about 45 minutes to fire the first 5 rounds cleaning between each shot, and I couldn’t help but notice that all the holes were just about touching even though I wasn’t concerned about getting a good group during break in. But….I couldn’t help it. Impatience got the best of me and I loaded three rounds into the magazine and fired a group. The attached picture tells the rest of the story. This is the tightest group I’ve ever fired by far, and it’s from a semi-auto! Holy $#!t! Its not even the bench gun.

0.395″-0.264″= 0.131″ group

I finished off the final two rounds by going back to cleaning between shots thinking I didn’t want to rush the break in procedure. Can’t wait to do some load testing, or maybe I’m already done.

Ronnie

 

Ronnie thanks for your feedback and look forward to hearing more. We will be providing more reloading information for the 260 as it comes available. Additionally we are in the process of testing the DPMS LR-243H and have some complimentary data. We thought the same as Ronnie Holy S&*% performance out of the box.

 

Don’s LR-260 shown above on author’s recently tiled entry way.

Prior to Christmas we sold a LR-260 24” SS with a fluted & threaded barrel, a Miculek compensator, JP Adjustable w/speed hammer, Panther tactical grip, Harris bipod, and a Burris 4-14 optic to a long time client and friend Don who lives up in Iowa.  Don just provided us with some additional load data he has been working with.

Darrel

I have shot the gun a bit and it shoots very well.  I plan to shoot it a lot more when the weather warms a bit.  It’s been cold for quit a while.  I have tried a couple of loads though that show some promise!

Speer hollow point TNT bullets seem to fly very well,  1\2 to 3\4 inch 100yd groups are common:

90g HP TNT 

I then increased to 50g’s of powder after fire forming.  I full length sized only about 3\4’s down the neck, I don’t have a neck size die yet, to maintain as much neck, shoulder and base size and consistency as possible.  3 shot Figure 8’s are common.  1\2 inch 5 shot groups.

I’d also tried Hornady 95g V-Max with:

5\8″  3 shot groups are easy to come by, and 3\4 inch 5 shot groups are common.  I seem to get at least one flier on 5 shot groups.  I think this is the cold and me!  I’m sure this can be improved with a little tweaking.

I plan on trying Hodgdons Benchmark and H414 powders as soon as it warms up and I have the time.  I’ll let you know.

Happy shooting!

Thanks for visiting out site and look forward to hearing more information like this. 

We’ve been very busy building DPMS rifles since Christmas and again had a great time doing it and built out some really cool rifles. Additionally we also developed some new friends out of the deal and plan to expand on one of those friendships in about two weeks when we take a trip down to Texas for a little hog hunting.

Shown above DPMS “Pigs-in-a-blanket” LR-308 TAC20.

The first is the TAC20, which we setup for our new friend Sterling, who has a menacing feral hog problem and has invited D9 down to help communicate his dissatisfaction with their behavior. The TAC20 comes standard with a 20” heavy barrel, extended 4 rail hand guard, flash hider, and carry handle. We the upgraded the flash hider to a Miculek and replaced the A2 stock with a Command Arms (CAA) 6 position collapsible stock, added a Hogue rubberized grip, and installed the bipod adapter and Harris Bipod. This seems like it will be a very versatile rifle for eliminating confrontational feral hogs and for deer and coyote hunting as well. I think this will be an excellent gun shot off of a bipod or rest for medium and long range, but will still serve well in quick free hand shot. (We plan to have some photo’s from this little exercise and are ready for action.)

DPMS LR-308 SASS w/JP Miculek topped off with an IOR Valdada 3×18x42. (You won’t need Cialas with this.)

After working with Sterling he told one of his friends who just bought a DPMS LR-308 SASS, (before he knew about D9Firearms) and asked us to help him out with some optics. He was looking for something commensurate to top off this long ranger and naturally we recommended IOR. Johnny was familiar with IOR and was able to get to a store and look through some of their glass. He decided to go with the 3×18x42 w/a 35mm tube. What a smoker optic. Johnny sent his upper here to us and we mounted, aligned, and bore sighted it for him and shipped it back down. We also installed a JP Rifles Miculek style compensator. He will also be joining us for a little pig roast down in Austin.

Another rifle we built was for a coyote hunter up in Michigan near Detroit where we setup a LR-260H. One of the concerns was the weight because he will be packing it but once on site will be shooting from a bipod. The LR-260H (hunter) model fit the bill perfectly for the weight requirements and shooting conditions combined with the .260 bullet it will be an excellent long range coyote hammering machine. This rifle was outfitted with a OD Hogue rubberized grip, JP trigger and speed hammer, Harris bipod, Burris XTR 2×12x50 (30mm tube) with Warne rings, and a Bulldog rifle case. Plans for this rifle include camo paint job to go with the OD optics and grip.

Another really neat rifle we enjoyed building was for a work colleague of mine Ray, who’s also going down to Texas with me to send a clear message to these loud-mouthed hogs who are molesting Sterling’s deer population. However, Ray cooked up this idea after checking out a couple of different rifles we had on hand and decided on a real unique configuration.

Ray liked the look, feel, and operation of the standard slick side upper receiver (without forward assist & dust cover) but wanted it in the 16” AP4 carbine barrel. Since the barrels and bolts are gauged and head spaced by DPMS changing out the receiver doesn’t cause any loss of accuracy or feeding so we changed it out the A3 receiver. We then added a carbine length 4 rail and replaced the A2 post site/gas block with a standard Koelbl gas block to eliminate any interference with his optic. We upgraded the standard CAR stock with a CAA collapsible, added a Hogue rubberized grip, installed a JP adjustable w/speed hammer, and added the tactical bolt and carrier release. To crown this little swineinator Ray chose our favorite optic manufacture IOR and put a 1.5×8x32 w/illuminated MP-8 reticule, and 35mm tube. He chose this for the larger field of view. I can say as I was bore sighting it for him I found this to be a perfect match for the rifle, his targets, and the distances he would be operating at.

DPMS LR-308B w/A3 receiver/fluted/threaded/Extended 4 rail/CMMG micro gas block/Miculek, Panther grip, Harris bipod & adpater, IOR Valdada 10×42, JARD 2 stage trigger.

We also cooked up a couple of LR-308B’s A3 w/fluted/threaded rifles we had special ordered. This is an excellent platform and modified this with several configurations. Within about 1 week we received orders for three of these rifles all with varying configurations. We outfitted one for a local paramedic, which in his line of work he needs a couple of them, and another for a fellow down in Huntsville who replied that even his wife was impressed. The final one we will be hand carrying down to a fellow in Austin (transferring it through a local dealer) and he went with an extended 4 rail, JARD two stage, and Hogue grip.

DPMS LR-308 w/A3/fluted/threaded/Miculek/Burris 4.5 -14×44.

DPMS LR-308 w/A3/fluted/threaded/4 rail carbine length/ACE Ltd collapsible/JP adjustable w/speed hammer/CAA G27 grip/Harris Bipod & adapter/IOR Valdada.

DPMS LR-308B w/A3/fluted/threaded/Miculek/JP w/Speed hammer/Harris bipod. Brandon outfitted this when he received it with a Magpul and Bushnell 3200 Elite. Very nice.

We received this follow up comment from Brandon:

Darrel,

Wow, thats awesome, he’s going to certainly enjoy it.  Feels like a solid piece of chisselled art… its just solid as can be.  I did some more shooting w/ it, I don’t have the pics, but I decided to do a 40 round group at 125 yards.  One bad shot ruined it, but all the rest made a nasty little group of about 1′’-1.25′’.  Not bad at all considering I couldn’t find the center of the target after the first clip!  Thanks again,

Brandon

DPMS LR-308 24″ SS fluted bull w/steel receiver. We sold this at the gun show to a local fellow and we are in the process of loading some David Tubb Final Finish bore preserving bullets. Rifle shown with D9’s Night Force.

The DPMS LR-308B shown above and below. D9 dreaming up idea’s. Lower rifle shown with SASS 4 rail. I thought it was pretty cool.

Our next project which we are in the process of organizing and laying out is a customized DPMS AR-15 lower. We ordered only the springs & pins, but can provide all the standard DPMS parts, and combined it with CAA, Badger, JP, JARD, Jewell parts without buying all the entire kit.

If you’re interested in a DPMS LR-308, LR-260, LR-243 or AR-15 customized lower please contact us here at D9Firearms. Thanks again.

The DPMS LR-260 is becoming a highly sought after rifle. DPMS has three versions of this rifle:

Ø LR-260 24” SS bull barrel which is identical to its big brother the LR-308 and is an awesome bench gun designed for the ultimate long range bench shooter.

(Rifle shown above is:DPMS LR-260 24″ SS fluted & threaded bull barrel with a Miculek, JP adjustable speed hammer, Panther Tactical grip, Burris 4×16x50 scope, tactical carrier release, Harris Bipod,, Bulldog double rifle aluminum case.)

Ø LR-260H 20” heavy barrel w/flash hider and is designed as the hunter model which is rifle designed for the getting out in the weeds making free hand shots and good for a deer stand or laying out in the field shooting off of a rest.

(Rifle shown above is:DPMS LR-260H with JP adjustable & speed hammer, OD green Hogue rubberized grip, Burris 3×12x50 (30mm) XTR OD green scope, tactical carrier release, Harris Bipod, D9Firearms sight-in target, Bulldog double rifle aluminum case.)

Ø LR-260L 18” heavy barrel w/integrated Miculek compensator, JP adjustable trigger (speed hammer not included), A27 grip, carbon fiber hand guard, and skeleton A2 skeleton stock, which is perfect for free hand, moving targets, and carrying in the field.

(Rifle shown above is a DPMS LR-260L with tactical carrier release, Bushnell 6×24, Harris bipod.)

All three are excellent rifles the problem is there is not much proven load data available for hand loaders and factory ammunition is fairly expensive. Fortunately D9 keeps good company with shooters who are very devout and hell bent on accuracy.

Recently two of our shooters purchased the DPMS LR-260 who were working on finding that sweet load that would consistently deliver the sub MOA results we’ve come to expect from DPMS rifles. They stated that they were getting about 1.5” off the bench using a couple of different loads. Another friend of D9, Earl, also purchased a LR-260 (As a side note this is the infamous Earl from Reno. Earl also has some neat shirts listed on Café Press that tout his personal hand gun favorites and even did one for us here at D9Firearms. So buy one of each.)

http://www.cafepress.com/glock_dude

www.cafepress.com/d9firearms

www.cafepress.com/fightingzombies

I decided to link Earl in with Jason & SafeAction to trade load data to get the load that will deliver the consistent sub MOA shooting. Below are excerpts from the emails that were traded back and forth. It was really neat to read what each one had tried and the process each went through trying to develop the load.

Results by Jason in Utah:

I’ve tried about 6 different loads. The only consistent thing so far is that I can get about 3 shots touching (or within .5) and two fly completely out of the group…and it’s never the same shots in the same sequence. You’d normally expect shots 3 & 4 to fly out, but it’s completely random. Honestly, I’ve not gotten super serious about it yet because I’m using resized NATO .308 brass, which is generally a little erratic in performance, but I thought I could expect better groups than I’m getting. The .243 I bought from Darrel at the same time did much better with the same brass.

Surprisingly, the 123g HPBTMK and Varget have performed the best. The heavier bullets, which should do best, have been terrible. I tried 140g HPBTMK’s and AMax bullets with 4831SC, H1000 and RL19 and there was no obvious difference in the performance of those powders - about 2-3 MOA.

I’m going back out in tomorrow to try some new things. I’ve resized some .243 Lapua Brass and prepped things a little better, so maybe that’ll be the ticket. I also put a better scope on it: I was using a VXI 4-12, now it’s got a VXIII 4.5-14. I’ve got the same scope on my 308 police rifle and it shoots .5 MOA all day, so the scope should not be a limiting factor at this point.

Earl I’ll try your 35g RL15/140g HPBTMK load and see how it works in my rifle.

Results by Earl P (Glockdude):

I have the 24” bull barreled DPMS 260 and I did my load development with Alliant RL-15 Powder and Sierra 140 Grain MatchKings. I started at 35 Grains and worked my way up in .3 grain increments to 37.7 Grains. I had sub half moa groups (4 shots) on three of the loads. The most noticeable was the 35.0 grains, which proved a .15” three shot and .25” four shot (I did it on another target so I wouldn’t screw up my group).

I still have to load 15 of each of the half MOA group loads to ensure that I have the best load selected and not a fluke group, so these results are not final.

For my reloading process, I used RCBS .260 Remington dies and Hornandy lube (comes in a little tub) to resize Winchester .308 brass to .260 – I like Winchester brass better than Remington and it is much easier & cheaper to find in .308 . The case length was actually less than the 2.025” trim length (closer to 2.013). I used Federal Gold Medal 210 Match primers. The OAL cartridge length was 2.785” as per the Sierra loading manual.

I hand weighed each powder charge to ensure consistency. I also reamed the flash hole of the primer pocket and used a chamfer & deburring tool on the case mouth (this was the tool I couldn’t remember the name of Darrel).

I didn’t have any major pressure signs or failure to extract and it functioned flawlessly in the 25 degree temperature with a stiff headwind (made shooting less than comfortable).

My scope is a $100 Whitetail Classic by Simmons, which goes 6.5-20 power (not a bad cheap scope for target shooting). I also used a Lead-Sled by Caldwell and a bubble level by B-Square that attaches to a Weaver or Picatinny rail.

I think after I figure out the RL15 load, I will try to find a faster load with Hogden H4831SC. The loads according to the manual are under 2600 fps, which is slower than I really want to be for long range ballistics. I will keep toying around and see what works the best in my rifle.

More results by Jason:

GREAT NEWS! I think I’ve found the “sweet spot”…or at least the sweet powder/bullet combination.

Earl, I tried your load recommendation (35g RL 15 and 140g HPBTMK) and all of the groups I shot were .8 MOA. All groups are at 100 yards, the dots are 3″ with a two inch inner circle and .75″ square. I think once I tweak the powder a little I should have a .5 MOA rifle - and that is really exciting! Pretty much everything I’ve tried with RL15 has done well, which re-enforces the conversation I had with Darrell when I bought the rifle; RL15 is possibly the best .308 case powder in existence!

I also tried some other bullets with 4064, RL19 and they all performed poorly. They are the groups at the bottom of the email. Thanks again everyone! I’m going back out tomorrow and will send more pics and range data.

Below: .89 MOA, 140g HPBTMK, 34.5g RL15

Below: .80 MOA, 140g HPBTMK, 35g RL15

Below: .83 MOA, 140g HPBTMK, 35.5g RL15

Below: .89 MOA, 120g Nosler Ballistic Tip, 45g RL15

Below: “Minute of Acre” loads with RL19

Results by SafeAction:

Hi folks,

it’s great to have the opportunity to share experience and loading data.

This morning I stole a few hours and went to the shooting range. It’s an outdoors range with IPSC bays and a 300yd rifle facility. www.tdsa.net

Once in a while a grackle or a crow lands on the 200 yd post. When I see them through my scope I remember that these guys are listed as pest-birds. Then I squeeze the trigger and – pop – another one goes to bird-heaven.

I have a DPMS 260L with a JP trigger. During the last few weeks I’ve been feeding the rifle 140gr SMK loads with slow to very slow burning powders:

IMR 7828, R22, R19, WXR. None of these results have turned out to be significant in the accuracy arena.

I’m aware that the 260L does not come with a match grade bull barrel so I have to give the gun some slack. (Although my Steyr rifle doesn’t have a match barrel either and it shoots stunning 0.63 MOA with the ammo Darrel provided.)

There is no doubt that R15 rocks.

Here is what I got today with Sierra 120gr MK (best result so far, hands down):

From the bench rest-

OAL 2.785

SMK 120gr

New Remington case

Federal Gold Medal 210 Match primers

R19: 47gr

Best group 0.82 MOA

Average: 1.35 moa

When loading for my Sako 6PPC I am into the super mumbo jumbo case preparation. I admit that I skipped that for all 260 loads.

The best powders in my 308 experience are Viht N140 and Hodgdon 380. I guess these powders along with N540 and H414 might also score in the 260 rem.

By the way, due to the shape the Norma 6.5mm Golden Target 130gr bullets don’t feed in the semi auto.

-Bernhard

Cedar Hill, Texas

PS: pic - In the field with low recoil guns such as the 260rem I prefer squatting to kneeling or sitting.

If you are interested in a DPMS LR-260 please contact us here at D9Firearms. Within the next few months when more load data becomes available D9Firearms will load for the .260.

Thanks and be safe. All load data provided above falls within manufacturer’s guidelines. Regardless verify any load data prior to loading and shooting it out of your rifle.

Safeaction’s rifle shown on top of a simulated failed drive by attack.

Bernhard or as he goes by “Safeaction” (Must be a Glock Man) was the first client of ours to purchase the new DPMS LR-260L rifle. Since we haven’t had a chance to shoot any of the 260’s yet Bernhard obliged us with some real world data. We currently have a couple other 260’s out in the field and are hoping to get more data posted on the loads that are being used and what seems to work the best.

Bernhard also provided us a couple of awesome pictures. By the look of it, it makes sense why crime rates are lower in Texas. For any of you inner city drive by shooting gang-banging thugs, coyotes, or other incestuous varmints, do not attempt to psis-off any one with an LR-260L.

The DPMS LR-260L is a 260 caliber AR-10 platform rifle that comes standard with a customized Miculek compensator, heavy barrel, mini gas block, A27 grip, JP adjustable trigger, and A2 skeleton stock. We added a tactical carrier release and JP speed hammer.

Darrel, hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend!

This week I got the mount and today I had a chance to take the gun to the range. Once the rifle is broken in (200 rounds according to the DPMS manual) I will pay special attention to accuracy. I’ve shot 40 rounds.

I bought a busload of Sierra MK 140gr , Nosler BT 120gr and SST 129gr. I’ll work with IMR, Winchester and Reloader powder. Usually I prefer Hodgdon Varget and Vihtavuori but I got the aforementioned powder half price.

Today the Remington Factory Accutip performed poorly which does not really surprise me. In none of my rifles Accutips group well. It is a Minute Of Koyote load, though.

I also brought self-rolled ammo: Hornady SST 139gr/ IMR 7828 which printed 1.6 MOA consistently.

I should be able to develop a sub- MOA load with the Sierra Match King. We’ll see.

I like the trigger although I have to get used to it. The weight of the rifle is perfect, and I love the way it looks. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a good time with it and the varmints won’t.

This trigger was factory set and we added the JP speed hammer. The benefit of the JP is you can adjust the engagement and overtravel. We have a tendency here to set minimum engagement and overtravel. However, instructions on how to adjust this can be found on JP Enterprises website. Or let us know when we install it for you.

I’m looking forward to do some rapid fire drills.

I thought that the lower would be identical to my DPMS 308 but it is not. Upper and lower don’t fit as tight as my 308. Is that by design?

This is consistent with past results of all DPMS rifles. Certain rifles will come out extremely tight to the point you need to use the front end of the barrel for leverage to break them apart. Over time, this does wear in and become easier. On a couple of particular rifles I’ve had to swap an upper and lower to eliminate movement between the two.

The only downside so far is that 260 Rem brass is hard to find and that the ejected brass shows nasty scratches on the neck.

Our good friend in Reno, Earl P., just purchased a 260 24” SS upper at a gun show (where’s the loyalty, LOL?) and he called us and described his enthusiasm in more colorful terms of “being happier than a pig in $#!^”. He was pretty pumped when I spoke with him. But on to the point. he was using necked down 308 brass and recommended using lots of case lube.

BTW, would a 300 SAUM upper fit on the 260 rem or 308 lower?

Yes, all AR-10 frame sizes are interchangeable. This is a great part about these rifles. However, when purchasing a complete receiver separately the cost tends to be about $50 more per receiver than buying a complete rifle and parceling off the part you don’t want.  However, it is still cost effective to getting multiple calibers uppers or variation because most of the expensive upgrades are done in the lower (trigger, grip, stock), which can add a minimum of $140 up to $500.

-Bernhard

Follow up questions by D9Firearms on how the rifle handled.

Recoil is mild and handling is excellent. It’s one of those guns that is appealing for both, hunting and target shooting.

I’ll write a complete review in few weeks. I just want to check out the 140 grainers since I think the twist of the rifle asks for a rather heavy bullet.

Personally, I’m keen on improving my 600 yard shooting. It could be fun to compare the 6.5mm140 Sierra MK to the Sierra .30 155 Palma for that range.

-Bernhard

We appreciate Bernhard’s feedback and we look forward to posting more information from him and Earl as it becomes available. (Don’t worry we still like you Earl, we know we can’t be all things to all people.)

If you are interested in curbing drive by shootings in your neighborhood, live in an area that is crawling with incestuous predators, or just want to express yourself do it with a DPMS LR-260L by calling D9Firearms.

Another shot of Safeaction’s rifle.

Since working on our Christmas cleaning gift pack I had taken a little time Thanksgiving Day afternoon (of course when the in-laws were over) to get caught up on some gun cleaning myself. I had been out a couple of times in the last few weeks and needed to get a couple of rifles and pistols cleaned up. I personally have one of the Super Deluxe rod and brush cleaning set just because of the variety of guns I use and I clean most of my guns on my work bench so it’s easy to leave everything setup there.

As I was cleaning, I thought this would be an excellent topic for another article because it is a very important aspect of responsible gun ownership. This being because having a dirty or fouled gun can lead to jamming, misfiring, or worse injury as you’re trying to clear loaded jammed firearm because it’s dirtier than a crack whore. Additionally, by keeping your gun clean it prevents surface rust and corrosion from ammunition. It also provides you an understanding how some of the mechanisms work together from your safety, trigger, and loading.

We’ve also had s people whom have recently purchased DPMS rifles from us and have never owned one and have asked about cleaning and maintenance. So I decided to give a quick run down on a couple of different guns. We are also preparing a post for proper break in procedures of a new firearm and hope to have it in the next week.

Safety Tips:

• Verify the Gun is unloaded (do this repeatedly using physical and visual means).
• Perform the cleaning in a ventilated area (Do this away from the wife and most of you know why, and for those of you who don’t, just don’t do it.)
• Keep live ammo and loaded magazines out of the area.
• Use surgical gloves to help keep the solvent off of your hands. (See the second bullet item above)
• DO NOT USE ANY OF YOUR WIFES GOOD TOWELS, TOOTHBRUSH, BEDSHEETS, SHIRTS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT BELONGS TO HER FOR CLEANING OR WASHING UP AFTERWARDS. (THIS COULD RESULT IN A FATAL GUN ACCIDENT – MEANING YOU MAY NOT FIND THE PIECES BACK OR IF IT’S ASSEMBLED SEE THE THIRD BULLET ITEM ABOVE.)

1911:

The first gun is a Wilson Combat Classic 1911. This is like most standard 1911’s, with the exception of the hand fitted craftsmanship of this gun, wow. It’s impressive. I struggled with coming to grips of purchasing a $2000 Wilson Combat 1911, but it’s one of those things that once you put it in your hand you know it’s a piece of art. Regardless, it breaks down like all 1911’s.

First, I setup my cleaning area with some old t-shirts or towels, breakout my super deluxe rod set and cleaners. Next, I do is verify the gun is unloaded by operating the slide 2 or 3 times and also visually verifying it’s unloaded. Then I break down the pistol into the main pieces, spring and guide rod, barrel, slide, and frame. Sometimes I will also remove the grips as I did for this operation, but it’s not necessary. Depending on how many times I’ve been out with it I will also strip down the firing pin and extractor.

Once I have the pistol broken down into the main components I start by injecting a shot of bore foam cleaner in the breach until it comes out the bore and let it set while I clean the rest of the gun (usually 5 minutes is long enough). This allows the cleaner to break down the build up and do the work for you. When I clean the barrel, I choose a brass bore brush and run it through a couple of times forward and reverse. I will also use a brass toothbrush or standard brush along with some solvent or gun scrubber and clean the feed ramp and chamber area. After I’ve done that, I change over the cleaning tip and run several dry patches through it until it’s clean.

The frame is usually difficult to tell if you’ve gotten all the carbon out of the trigger mechanism. Here I usually use, a aerosol spray solvent, some bore patches, toothbrush, and Q-tips to clean out the magazine area, trigger and hammer mechanism, and guide rod.

During this cleaning, I disassembled the extractor and firing pin. This is done by using a punch and small flat blade screwdriver. First, press the firing pin in with a punch or screwdriver until it is depressed below the slide plate that holds it in place. The slide plate can be slid out with the fingers or using a small flat screwdriver. Be careful when doing this so the firing pin doesn’t go flying. Once you have these items out, use some spray gun scrub and some Q-tips to clean out both chambers. Put it back together the same way it came apart. Then brush down the inside of the slide with solvent and a toothbrush and use my towel to finish wiping it down.

(Authors hands shown above with power from latex gloves. Plans with the loving wife mandated I had clean hands.)

Also shown above is the first step in removing the firing pin and extractor.

Notice the carbon build up on the extractor shown above.

Wherever you see some fouling or carbon build up take a brass toothbrush or standard toothbrush and hit it some gun scrub and brush off. Prior to reassembling, I use some gun oil on the moving parts, on the slide rails of the frame and slide, on the trigger link, and on the hammer mechanism. I don’t use very much and wipe the excess off. Then I reassemble the gun and operate the slide, trigger, and hammer a few times to make sure it’s operating properly. I finish it off by wiping down the exterior metal parts with some gun preservative and dry cloth.

Glock:

Next, I took down the Glock, I just like these guns. I like to upgrade them and cleaning them is very quick and easy. So following the same safety procedure of verifying the gun is clear I proceed to disassemble the Glock.

On my Glock, I’ve installed the extended slide release so it’s easier to remove the slide. Again, I set all the parts out on a towel once I have it broken down and inject some bore cleaner and allow it to work while I clean the rest of the gun. Once I get back to the barrel, I use the proper bore brush several times forward and reverse, brush out the chamber, and use a toothbrush and solvent to clean the feed ramp and surrounding area. I then run multiple patches through until the bore is clean and finish by wiping down the exterior and feed ramp area.

Using the extended slide release is a nice feature but not imperative to overall operation.

Next, I broke down the slide by removing the firing pin and extractor pin mechanism. When removing the extractor and firing pin you need a small flat blade screwdriver to insert between the end cap and slide, which is located at the rear of the slide. The end cap it’s fitted in tight, but slides out towards the bottom of the slide when pressure is applied between it and the top of the slide.

Be careful once again that the firing pin doesn’t go flying out. Additionally the loaded gun indicator, part of the extractor, and the safety lock pin, seen on the bottom side of the slide will also fall out once the firing pin and extractor pins are removed. All of these parts go back together in only one way so you will know as you are reassembling it if it’s not correct. Since there are a few more parts in the firing and extractor mechanism, lay each piece out in a systematic order to assist in the re-assembly. After the slide is disassembled I use solvent and Q-tips to clean out the firing pin and extractor areas. Then I use a toothbrush and solvent to clean out the slide area. I then re-assemble the firing pin and extractor. (This may take a little longer on your first attempt, but by the second time, it’s very easy. Once again, this little exercise helps you understand how the parts work together which I find very fascinating. I could not design this but I understand how it works and I’m just impressed with the simplicity and ingenuity of it.)

Shown above is the firing pin and extractor chambers.

Shown above the is the extractor and extractor pin/spring.

On the frame, I use a toothbrush and solvent to clean out the magazine, trigger and inside of the frame. I then wipe it down with a towel. I then clean out the guide rod and spring with a little solvent and brush.

Prior to re-assembly, I use a little oil to lubricate the moving parts and the slide rails and wipe down the excess. I reassemble the gun and operate the slide and trigger a few times to make sure it all went back together. (However, at this point you would know if it did or didn’t). I then take some gun preservative and wipe down all metal parts.

DPMS:

I finally worked my way through a couple of other guns until I got to my Prairie Dog – Semi Automatic Sniper System (PD-SASS) DPMS rifle. A lot of people who have purchased a DPMS from us, are first time black gun or AR gun owners and usually have lots of questions on the operation, maintenance, and cleaning of the rifle.

Following safety procedures, the first thing I do is separate the lower and the upper receiver by removing both lower/upper receiver pins. Do not remove simultaneously. I usually remove the rear first and holding the barrel to prevent it from flipping downward. Next, I remove the forward receiver pin and take separate the lower from the upper.

Next, I remove the carrier release and bolt and inject the bore foam and let it sit. When I clean the bore, I usually start with the chamber brush which has two different sizes of brushes on the same brush. The first stage of the brush is for the chamber and second is for the bolt chamber. You can install this on the rod and scrub out the chamber and bolt area. I then change brushes and use the bore brush several times, forward and reverse, to scrub the bore and then run patches through it until it is clean. On the inside of the upper receiver behind the gas tube I usually spray some gun scrubber and use a Q-tip to clean around that area and finish by wiping the inside out with a towel.

There are several parts to the bolt and carrier, so when you dissemble it, lay it out in a systematic order to make it easier when reassembling it. First, take out the cotter key or pin that holds the firing pin in and let the firing pin fall out the back. Next, push the bolt in so that the cam pin is finger accessible and pull it out, then pull it out. The bolt can now be removed by pulling it out the front of the carrier assembly. Next, take a small punch and push the roll pin out of the bolt which holds the extractor and spring in place. (DO NOT USE THE FIRING PIN FOR A PUNCH. THIS IS BAD AND IS COMMENSURATE WITH USING YOUR WIFES CLOTHING ARTICLES AS A CLEANING RAG. SEE BULLET ITEMS 2 AND 3 UNDER SAFETY TIPS.)

Removing the firing pin and holding pin.

Removing the cam pin.

Once the bolt is disassembled, I use a toothbrush and some gun scrub to clean the bolt removing any carbon and build up. On the inside of the bolt carrier where the bolt is seated I use scrubber and Q-tips to clean it out and will spray gun scrub in the gas port. I do the same thing to the firing pin chamber and the entire bolt carrier.

After cleaning the bolt and carrier, I re-assemble the bolt. Prior to installing the bolt back into the carrier, I verify the three gas rings are not lined up and are spaced an equidistant apart or close to. I then place a couple of drops of oil on the narrow raised portion of the bolt and re-insert it into the carrier. I then place a little oil on the cam pin and inset it into the carrier and bolt. (The bolt is milled such that the cam pin can only go in one way so that the extractor is to the left hand side of the carrier when looking at it from the front.) I then insert the firing pin and firing pin key. I then place oil in several locations of the bolt. On the bottom, I place oil in the groves and on the top there are some flat spots near the top of near the gas port and cam pin that I oil. I then place a little oil on the carrier handle on the top and sides. I then replace bolt carrier assembly.

On the lower receiver there is very little to clean. I will take some gun scrubber and spray the trigger mechanism out and wipe it out with Q-tips. Then I place a little oil on the hammer and trigger pins.

Lower receiver shown with JP trigger & speed hammer.

I then reassemble the rifle and wipe the exterior down with preservative. I then operate the bolt a few times to verify everything.

If you have a favorite weapon that is unique in it’s cleaning requirements or have comments to how we clean out firearms that would assist others we would be glad to post your comments. We hope this information helps and if you have any questions or would like a packaged cleaning kit please contact us here at D9Firearms.

Thanks and great shooting.

There is dual justification, for those of you who are married, for a DPMS LR-308 especially if you are also a hunter. A good friend of ours Ben, who purchased a DPMS LR-308B from us earlier this year, decided to take his hunting this year.  This year Ben also brought his neighbor, a young teenager who is interested in hunting and is planning on taking the Missouri Hunters Safety program. I can’t think of a better way to introduce someone to hunting then with a natural born stalker like Ben, who has single handedly repelled numerous prairie dog assaults, decimated killer jack rabbits charging right for him, hunted down coyotes, and shot and killed numerous deer trespassing on private property ransacking fields and stealing food.

Actually, we’ve known Ben for quite a while and he takes his hunting seriously and really enjoys getting out there and doing what it takes to bring it home. Ben provided us with some pictures and how it went down.

I brought my neighbor Cassidy along to watch because she wants to get her Hunters Ed cert. We saw several deer opening day but didn’t get any shots. By Saturday night, Cassidy was reminding me that we hadn’t seen any every fifteen minutes. We finally saw a doe that night at 300 yrds but it was getting dark, Cassidy couldn’t see her, and the only shot I had would of ruined a front and rear quarter.

Sunday I knew I’d have to shoot one to keep her interested in hunting. At about 6:55am this one came out into the crossing from right to left. I jumped on the rifle and started whispering “deer, deer, deer, do you see it?”. As soon as she said yes I pulled the trigger. The 165grn Hornady SST hit her like a truck. I caught her a little high and far back in the lungs but she went straight down. Cassidy looked at me all wide eyed and said “that was sweet”.

Ben shown above “One shot One Kill” (Of course with a DPMS provided by D9).

Cassidy shown above and looks to be as excited about it as Ben was.

Cassidy handled it really well for a 12-year-old girl that had never been hunting. She petted it, took pictures, and held the front legs while I gutted it. I showed her the organs and told her what was what and explained how to field dress a deer. She also watched us hang and skin it and played with the legs.

I don’t know to many 12 year olds, much less girls, who would have this big of a smile. You would think she took it. Hopefully next year she will.

The performance of the .308 was impressive to say the least. The exit hole was about the size of my fist and when I rolled her over the lungs were falling out.

The white spot up on the side of the hill is the deer.

I also ended up shooting a coyote and another, very small, doe with the .243. The doe, I ended up having to shoot her left handed at 30yrds in the neck.

As I said, Ben takes his hunting seriously and it sounds like we have a future D9Firearms customer. If you’re interested in a deer rifle weather it’s a DPMS or standard bolt gun we can provide what you’re looking for.

Happy hunting.

We recently built up some DPMS LR-308B rifles and before we had a chance to test one out for a review 3 of the 4 were out the door. The fourth was almost out the door, when DPMS came through and delivered us a LR-308 24” w/SS, fluted, threaded bull barrel for one incredible patient and understanding client of ours. So I decided to build this one out with everything that would make this the ultimate PD-SASS (Prairie Dog – Semi-Automatic Sniper System).

I basically striped it down to the receivers and installed all tactical latches (carrier release, bolt release, magazine release, and safety), I put in a JP adjustable with speed hammer, 4 rail free float hand guard (carbine length), Miculek compensator, Command Arms SRS adjustable stock, Harris non-swivel bipod, mounted an IOR Valdada 10×42 w/MP-8 reticule using Warne QD 30mm rings, and packed it in a Bulldog aluminum double rifle case. (Rifle package as shown $3000) Also, shown is a Bushnell 15×45 spotting scope. ($280)

Unfortunately, it sat on my bench for about 2 weeks before I got caught up on all the other things my wife had planned for me. Finally, I had enough and told my wife to get in the kitchen cook me dinner, get the laundry done, mow the lawn, scrub the floors, and be ready for me when I get back from the range. Well, it didn’t all go quite like that but I still got a couple of hours of range time.

I loaded up my PD-SASS in a new Bulldog case and brought out my new Blackwater drag bag. Typically when getting a rifle with optics that we mount, align, and bore sight, which we have to ship we will use one of these cases for extra protection and to complete the rifle package. The case has 2 key locks and two combination locks, has an aluminum shell and lined with eggshell foam. This case is rated for airline travel and will protect your rifle. (A good case like this will run about $85.)

I also brought out my new Blackwater drag bag, which is way cool. You can latch your rifle in position, has compartments for ammo, accessories, and more ammo. You can strap it to your back like a backpack, and once you get into position and setup, it folds out into a shooting mat for you prone shooters. (There are several variants on drag bags and can range from about $90 - $180 for a decent bag. This one we bought at a local store for $90.)

Photo looking down range at Mill Creek Rifle Range at the 100yd, 200yd, & 300yd. This is an excellent range.

Upon grasping the rifle by the four rail free float tube, which is made from T6 aluminum, has a totally industrial rated look and feel. It adds a little wait to rifle, but you know when you grab its solid. (These are not necessary and add about $170 cost to the rifle, but if you plan to put a light or laser, or just want the in your face attitude type of rife they are nice.)

I decided to setup first on the bench just to site the rifle in after having only bore sighted it. I had a guy I work with develop some D9Firearms targets for me which are laid out for a sight in large center target and then 4 smaller accuracy targets. We then printed it out on a 17×27 white target which makes easy for seeing bullet holes. We hope to start offering these in the next month. We are also developed these for 300 yd and on the center dot we put a 1” solid black line and then had ¼” wide lines spaced a ¼” apart until they reached 3” so you could see the bullet hole breakup on the lines.

The first shot was completely astounding. I’ve only shot the DPMS LR-308AP4 w/Miculek and was impressed, but this was totally awesome. The Miculek takes the recoil and muzzle lift down to that of a 223. Compared to my DPMS LR-308 24” SS bull, I would guess it removes 70% of the recoil and lift. I could probably have my 5-year-old daughter behind the trigger on this rifle.

Close up of a Miculek compensator.

After about 5 rounds of sighting in, I decided to try my Blackwater drag bag/mat out. It took a few minutes to get setup and into position. Here is where I can say some of the options I installed on the rifle became apparent as to why they were developed.

The whole effort took about 10 minutes to get the rifle positioned and the bipod and monopod set. Now that the stock is setup, I estimate it will take half that time to get into position. One issue that I feel is important is the bipod adjustment. I don’t use a swivel and each leg can be adjusted in any increment. (As a note, I will be adding a level to optic next.) This allows you to tweak each leg without locking into set increments and having to dig out some rock or dirt.

Notice each leg can be adjusted to any position.

I then setup the stock to get the right eye alignment and adjusted the pull and the butt plate. These are super cool features. One issue on the collapsible portion of the stock adjustment I didn’t like was a lock down torx setscrew, this should be on a thumb screw. If you were always needing this position, that’s good, but it’s a collapsible stock. However, it still works fine and there is no noticeable movement without it locked down.

I was a little skeptical at first of the monopod, but compared to using your fist, or a sock with sand, or media, it was very beneficial. It has two separate adjustments to get you out to about 6” or 9” and then you just tweak it by twisting either direction. This was very nice and was very solid and had no noticeable flexing on the stock.

At this point, I had the rifle already charged, but as you can see from the picture, the tactical carrier release makes charging the rifle considerably faster since you can charge it without reaching over the stock and getting around your optic. (This is a $20 adder and is well worth it on all of these rifles regardless if you’re using an optic or not.) I had also added the tactical bolt and magazine release are nice features for fat fingering and not having to look at your rifle to drop the bolt or magazine. (These both cost $20 and are nice but not as important as the carrier release when it comes to operation.)

Next was the Panther tactical grip, not only does it look cool, but the swollen grip fits nicely in your hand and the floor rest allows you to rest your hand in place. Next the tactical safety switch, (we can also install an ambi as well) with its oversized lever was very easy to reach with the thumb and didn’t have to look at my rifle and take my eyes off the target to get me into the firing position.

The first couple of shots were to get acclimated and setup in the prone position. I had to adjust the bipod and monopod before getting it where I wanted it. Next time, I will have a better idea of the comfort height for the prone position. I then decided to go for an accuracy test on the rifle.

I picked the upper accuracy target and went for a 3 shot grouping. The ammo I was using was our hand-loaded bullets using 168grn SM HPBT. We’ve written about the ammo before, but it has now been tested in several manufacturer’s rifles and with the exception of the Springfield Armory M1-A it delivered anywhere from .3” to .7” @100yd. (I’ve tested it out to 300yd in my Tikka Varmint and was 1.5” with on flyer out of 5 rounds.)

In roughly a minute time frame for 3 rounds I had two overlapping and one flyer that put me at about .5”. I decided to finish off the last 4 rounds in a speed test which lasted about 20 seconds. What is totally impressive about the rifle is the follow up shot capability (although I’m a former Marine “One shot One kill” this is very beneficial when a platoon of crazed prairie dogs are coming right for you.) The compensator does an excellent job of keeping the muzzle lift and recoil to a minimum and didn’t have a significant compression feel, like a 50BMG has. As I recall the 16’ seemed a little more aggressive but I was standing up and directly under the canopy.

Overall, and I’m not saying this because I built it and want to sell lot’s of these guns, which I do, but when I compare the cost of a high end bolt action that I can get .25 to .5” accuracy and the cost is twice or more as my DPMS I’m hard pressed not to recommend this rifle. I’m not disparaging the bolt guns and some may say I can get as many off in the same amount of time, but for a guy who doesn’t use it for business purposes; it almost makes you feel like one of the guys who do. It just seems at some point the diminishing returns on accuracy. However, to juxtapose this, another friend of ours brought over his GA Precision rifle and I can say he did get what he paid for.

As a supporting comment to this, I was speaking with Earl from Reno, one of our friends (most of our clients seem to become our friends and we like that) who purchased one of the first of these rifles, made the comment to me on the phone the other night that “I would trust my DPMS with my life.” I agree.

The two photo’s above were provided by our friend Earl, who obviously puts the author’s skills to shame.

These two photos are of a DPMS LR-260 24″ fluted & threaded SS bull barrel with Miculek.  We also added the JP trigger and speed hammer, tactical carrier release, Harris bipod, Panther tactical grip, and Burris 6.5×25 w/ballistic plex packed in a Bulldog case.

If you’re interested in a DPMS rifle and would like it factory standard or delivered with options we would be glad to provide it for you. If we have the rifle and options in stock, we can generally turn it around in a week to 10 days. Thanks for interest.

D9.