D9Firearms

D9 along with his good friend Joe will be setting up a couple of tables at the Topeka Gun Show on October 25 & 26.  We plan to have an arsenal of D9 precision custom uppers for the DPMS 308 platform & for the AR-15 platform.  We also just received in two factory standard DPMS LR-308 24” rifles (one fluted the other not) and will bring those, if we still have them.

Additionally we will have stripped lower receivers (LR-308, 260, & AR-15) and parts kits for sale.  (We can provide gunsmith services to assemble the entire rifle but due to federal law we can not sell any pre-made rifles until we receive our class-07 license.)  Our objective at the show will be to take your parts order and sign over the stripped receiver.  Upon completing the gunsmith services we will return your rifle to you.

We will also have a smattering of pistols and optics.  We currently will be bringing the following pistols:

-Taurus 45/410 Judge, blued, non-fluted.

-Advantage Arms 45 & Glock 22LR conversion kits & extra magazines.

-Sig Saur Mosquito w/APU cammo and tactical trainer can.

-XDm 40SW.

-Heritage 22LR/Mag single action revolver.

Our good friend Joe, who we will start calling Pistolero, since he primarily deals in new & used modern and unique handguns.  He has a penchant for S&W revolvers.  He always has a variety to choose from.

We also be taking orders for custom 308 ammunition, and will be able to fill the order within the week.  We will have a sample of the ammunition available but due to federal law we can not manufacture ammo until the order is placed.

Hope to see you all there.

Thanks

Recently after speaking with our local ATF agent about registering lower recievers as an SBR we found that we were skirting the lines between gunsmith and manufacturer.  Generally, most of the LR’s & AR’s we provide are factory rifles that we’ve completely reworked or customized under our gunsmith status.

However, recently with the expansion into providing stripped recievers and parts to our clients and then performing gunsmith services to install the parts and put everything together, it is closely resembles what a manufacturer does.  Although the recievers are all stamped and purchased from a factory, they are not leaving the factory as complete rifle therefore not having the federal excise tax charged.

At this point, when the word tax, federal, and firearms are all used in the same senctence it’s enough to make even the most manly man, such as me, wince.  I for one don’t want to be on the receiving end of some pencil neck accountant knocking on my door with a swat team of heavily armed agents asking to see my taxes.  Not my idea of a good time.  Or worse, being the guest of some fine federal establishment located in Leveanworth, KS with a new bunkmate who I would not want as my lover.

Additionally, when speaking with our local agent, which by the way was very helpful and got me to the right people in licensing, he spent the time to clarify and guide me through the process.  So we are now speaking with the people to get our current licenses, Class I & III, closed out and converted to Class 7 and SOT class 2 manufacturing licenses.

With this change we will be able to register new stripped lowers as SBR’s, or re-register an existing lower as an SBR, and custom build firearms to sell out right.  When re-registering an existing lower for an individual, the individual will have to fill out the form 4 paper work and pay the $200 NFA fee.  We will also be able to provide registration for any other weapon (AOW), this sounds really cool, but it can be as simple as allowing you to put a front post grip on an AR-15 pistol.  For this a different fee applies.

However, for the time being, we will still be providing our custom upgrades, and our custom upper recievers.  We will also be offering stripped lowers and the parts kits separately.

As always, we look forward to hearing from you and will be ready to outfit you with an SBR or AOW very soon, and be producing some highly accurate precision D9Firearm rifles.  (Expect an update on suppressors very shortly, we’ve received our form 3 for a couple of them.)

Shown above (L to R)

1.  WOA barrel in SDvM, 16″ SST, 1:7 twist, heavy fluting & fabio compensator, JP Vtac hand guard, Koelble gas block, & chrome bolt assembly.

2.  YHM  barrel 16″ 1:7twist, chrome lined, heavy barrel & fabio compensator, 4 rail gas block, YHM 4 light 4 rail, steel bolt.

3.  WOA barrel in SDvM, 20″ SST, 1:7 twist, heavy fluting & fabio compensaotr, YHM 4 rail, YHM picatinny gas block, & chrome bolt assembly.

4.  DPMS barrel 16″ 1:9 twist, chrome lined, heavy barrel & Tromix shark break, 4 rail gas block, DPMS 4 rail, chrome bolt assembly.

Shown above (L to R):

1.  Mike Rock 20″ SST bull 1:11 twist, Koelble high gas block, Miculek comp, chrome bolt assembly.

2.  Mike Rock 20″ SST bull 1:11 twist, CMMG micro gas block, Daniel Defense 4 rail, Miculek comp, chrome bolt carrier.

3.  Mike Rock 20″ SST bull 1:11 twist, Koelble gas block, JP Vtac, SASS Miculek, chrome bolt carrier.

D9 is continuing to work with more manufacturers to bring you quality and precision rifles.  We’ve spoken about it here before, but all the manufacturers are absolutely inundated and back logged with orders.  We call our friends at DPMS weekly to see if there is anything we can even scavenge from them, like a rifle that was ordered and canceled, but we haven’t seen anything in about 5 weeks and we can’t provide any solid lead times.

This is becoming increasingly frustrating for us as well as our clients and so we have decided to take more action and since we like customizing these rifles it was a natural expansion of our capabilities to offer more options.  We’ve started with our precision LR-308 using Mike Rock barrels and will be receiving our Krieger barrels in about two months.  We are now starting our third 308 project and will have the specs out in about a week, but we will be using a more commercial grade yet high quality barrel.

However, we are also getting several requests for .223 rifles and we’ve been extremely pleased with the work White Oak has done on the custom barrels and that same quality comes through in their .223 barrels.  We’ve tested a couple of the SDVM (16” & 20”) barrels and they not only look kick ass they perform like an adolescent on Viagra, and make excellent choices for varmint shooting.

We’ve also built a couple of CAR-15 style rifles using Yankee Hill Machine (YHM) barrels.  We received a couple of the 16” barrels with 1:7 twist chrome lined and again, just very impressed with the quality of product we received.  The barrel coating was excellent and it was a straight heavy barrel without the AP4 contour.  We’ve since ordered some more only with the diamond fluting and in 10.5” and 14.5’ for two suppressed SBR projects we are doing using the YHM 5.56 Phantom suppressor.

Some other products we we’ve started using is the JP Vtac hand guards and Ergo tactical grips.  The JP Vtac hand guards are an excellent alternative to the extended 4 rail especially for the LR-308.  It has multiple slotted positions to add 2” or 4” sections or full top picatinny rails without adding excessive weight.  Additionally, it has a smaller outer diameter, but has a thicker wall then a standard DPMS round aluminum hand guard.  The cost for the base Vtac is $150 and additional picatinny rails run $25 and up, but used as needed keeps the cost and weight in complete control.  The Ergo tactical grips are similar to the Panther tactical grips only they are rubberized and can be purchased with the palm shelf.

If your interested in a customizing an AR or LR give us a call.

Shown above are two (L1, L2) D9Firearms Custom & the third is a D9Firearms customized DPMS LR-308.

We have received our first shipment of Mike Rock barrels chambered in 308Win (Wylde chamber) from White Oak Arms.  This is one of our special projects that is a result of multiple request from several of our clients and others interested in a precision AR-10 style rifle with a  20” SST bull barrel.

The barrels have the following specifications:

- 1:11 twist

- 20” Mike Rock SST bull barrel blank

- Fore end fluting and threaded barrel (1/2 x 28)

- Factory head spaced bolts serialized to the barrel

- M4 feed ramps w/DPMS barrel sleeve

We chose Mike Rock blanks for this project based on information from an active duty Army sniper (personal friend and client of D9), military users forums, and other forums we felt honestly and accurately (not emotionally, like my barrel is better then yours) described the quality and repeatability of the barrels.   Our next choice was on the barrel finisher, which we found White Oak Arms to be one of the top choices.  During the design process WOA provided valuable input and helped guide us to the final product.

We are using DPMS receivers & internal springs, pins, and non-substitutable parts.  Everything else on the rifle is al la carte.  We have prepared a spreadsheet that we email to you and allow you to select the configuration.  If a part is not listed on the spreadsheet and will work with the DPMS 308 receiver we will get a quote for you.

We have built 4 of these rifles, three for customers and a fourth to have for display and testing.  For this rifle, following the military’s lead, we developed a new load using a 175grn SM HPBT using RL-15 & Hornady match brass and Federal Gold Medal Match primers.  I used a single stage hand loader with a competition die and everything was weighed on the Lyman 1200.

We took these four out to the range to perform a factory test for operation and shot 3-4 rounds through each.  We were also testing the grouping, however this was a little more difficult since we did a shoot and clean for each round to start the break in process.  (However, we did call Rock Creek and asked them about their recommended break in procedure, and it flew in the face of everything I’ve read.  They recommended shooting 5 or 10 rounds and then cleaning for the first 25 to 50 rounds and then settle in with your normal shooting.  So we may have done a bit over kill on the first few rounds but based on their recommendations we are going to follow what they say.)

Rifle above with:  DPMS full length handgaurd, Miculek comp, JP adjustable w/speed hammer, Hogue grip, & CAA 6 pos stock (which after shooting we called Barry & he upgraded to the Magpul PRS).

Rifle above with: A2 stock, standard aluminum hand guard, JARD 2 stage trigger, Ergo grip, Miculek comp.  (This one is going to one of our new friends Manfred down in New Zealand.  Thanks to Paul who gave him our information.)

Rifle above with:  Magpul PRS stock (very solid), Ergo grip, Badger Ordnance stabilizer hand guard, Miculek comp, Timney trigger.  This will be our display and test rifle.

Above is a standard DPMS LR-308 customized by D9 with: JP Vtac hand guard, CAA SRS stock (very nice), Ergo grip, Horus Vision Hawk, Miculek comp.  He asked if we would put a few through it for him since we were going out to test.

During our test each rifle qualified for sub-MOA, but one issue during our testing that made our job a little more difficult was that each rifle had a completely different configuration (stock, hand guard, grip, and trigger) with the trigger having the greatest effect and then the cleaning in between shots having the next greatest effect to determine out right accuracy.  Additionally, once we were done with one rifle, we moved the scope to the next rifle.  However, I was consistent on the 2 – 4 shots of each rifle basically printing figure 8’s.

We currently have 3 barrels available and most appliances on hand.  If you are interested in one these configurations please contact us here at D9Firearms.  Depending on your configuration it will take 2 to 3 weeks for delivery, but it will be worth it.

Over the recent Labor Day weekend, we decided to take a break and get out to the field to perform functional test on several of the firearms and accessories we proactively recommend to our clients and have some fun.  You can pick up any magazine and read all the reviews of people sitting at a bench or in some controlled environment shooting 5 billion rounds in two days through a gun without a misfire.  That’s all well and good, but we here at D9Firearms take our commitment to you seriously in the products we recommend and why recommend them.

To assist with this test I called in two of my associates AK-47 & Smoker, and our dysfunctional dog Jack.  AK & Smoker are my two sons and got their stealth names during this trip.  AK got his during a mini drive by operation on the way to the camp site the first night & Smoker got his because he smoked the most dogs during the trip.  AK, is the young black kid (he’s an American, since he was born here) and Smoker is the white adolescent needing a shave, haircut, and a job.

We decided on Cimarron National Grasslands in the southwest corner of Kansas.  A good friend and client of ours David, which is his real name, had called to talk guns the week before and I told him about our upcoming trip.  David, who lives down near Sunray, TX, which is about an hour south of where we were camping told us to come on down and shoot with him.  He said that several divisions of nazi storm trooper prairie dogs that had occupied his dad’s property and had been planting land mines in an effort to take out the green house gas emitting cattle.  (This of course makes the kooks happy.)

Needless to say, we were in for a fun weekend.  So not wanting to get caught short, we loaded all the main stalwarts:  Barrett 50BMG w/IOR 2×12 (in case of those giant worms like in Tremors); Tikka T3 Varmint 308 w/IOR 10x; Remington 700 VLS .243 w/Sightron 4-16; Remington 700 VSF .223 w/Sightron 4-16; Tikka 595 22-250 w/Horus Vision Hawk 3-12; Custom 6PPC AR-15 w/IOR 2-12;  Custom .223 AR-15 w/IOR 2-12; and several 22LR’s (Sig Mosquito, S&W, Custom Ruger 10/22).  So we were ready for any suicide bomber prairie dogs.

As I said on the way to base camp we had a low level conflict that erupted when a possum was flashing gang signs and making threatening movements that we had to suppress with my Ewbank AK-47 underfolder.  And then following that we had another incursion with a field rat we suspected of trying to plant and IED that we had to take out as well, since we didn’t have time to water board him for information.  We managed to get camp setup, a fire started, and some brats on the grill and settled in with an adult beverage (the boys of course indulged with cokes.)

The next day after cooking a premium sausage, hash brown, & toast breakfast over the open fire, we set out on driving over the prairie with Mrs. D9’s 4 Runner (more on this later) and my three associates, two of which were armed and ready for some quick low intensity drive by action, (we decided against arming Jack since daily life is already a struggle for him).  The place was dry, the towns were abandoned, no coyotes, or even jack rabbits.  We finally got to a town that had some activity so we eased in and setup shop.

We decided on round robin shooting, allowing each to get a couple of shots in while the other watched and spotted.  Our starting distances were in the 200yd range give or take and shooting in a low to moderate cross wind. Smoker started with a Tikka T3 Lite .243, AK was using the 700 VSF .223, and I was sitting in with my Tikka T3 Varmint 308.  We managed to shoot for about an hour intermittently before the Stalinist’s decided to go under ground.

One of the issues that partially plagued our shooting was that I had a smattering of different loads for each of the guns.  The 308 loads were our D9 custom which performed flawlessly, the .243 loads were pretty good but could use more tweaking, and the .223 loads were hold overs from about 2 years ago and just needed to be shot to re-use the brass.  I shot the 700 VSF a few times as well and am still not pleased with the replacement trigger I put in and will be looking to try a Jewell.  If the Jewell tests out well I’ll upgrade the 700 VLS as well.

Later that day we went out scouting for some more of these incestuous varmints and the place was desolate so we setup for some target practice.  This was fun, but not as much fun as shooting live targets, but I also needed to burn up some ammo so I can get on with developing better loads.

We went back out near dusk again and were able to get a few shots off but nothing serious and went back to the camp site to relax, enjoy a few adult beverages, some grilled steak and potatoes and watched the stars.  Smoker & AK, as well as Jack, enjoyed the campsite and camp fire and was just good a way to spend some time with the boys.

We loaded up the next day for Sunray, to meet up with David and fellow prairie dog assassin, Russ, which is his real name.  (We can use the real name of the Texans because down their tree hugging, tofu eating, limp wristed, anti-gun kooks are just not found or tolerated, unless you’re in Austin.)

David was using a DPMS LR-308 with a Leupold scope and Russ was using a Remington 700 243 varmint mounted in a HS Precision stock with a Leupold scope as well.  We rallied with them and headed off to a field where David new where several colonies of underage Chicom (short for Chinese Communist) prairie dogs were training for Olympic gymnastics.

Once we set up shop, it didn’t take long to get some action.  One thing about shooting prairie dogs is trying to determine the range.  David tried to get some readings but with nothing substantial to reflect off of, it was difficult.  We finally ranged out in the 275 to 325 range.  We all started doing some shooting with some spotting and some shooting.  The kills were hard to come by while were trying to figure out the range and combined with 20 – 30 mph winds was very challenging.  However, that’s part of the fun.  We managed a few kills and lots of empty brass casings.

We decided to head out to his dad’s farm to do some longer distance shooting and breakout the Barrett.  You just can’t have too much firepower when it comes to killing prairie dogs.  This was the most fun I’ve had shooting the Barrett because we had live targets and some distance.  The coolest thing was that there was minimal drift in the bullet from the wind.  David was the only one that scored a close hit at about 550yd, where he launched one about 15’ in the air before gravity took over and propelled him back to earth, where he realized something was terribly wrong and headed back for his hideout.

We all had a great time and David gave us the thumbs up if we ever want to come down and shoot with them again.  I believe we will be taking him up on this.

Optics Test:

Horus Vision Hawk – This scope performed above expectations.  Shooting in high winds and long distance I would just line up on the Christmas tree reticule for the distance and windage.  At most distances I was typically in the 7x-10x power.

Sightron 4-16 – These are good optics that offers crisp & clean glass.  One had mil-dot the other was a standard cross hair.  I’m not for sure if I would recommend them over others considering the cost, which is generally $50 to $100 more then a good Nikon, Bushnell, Burris, and about the same less then a Horus.

IOR 2-12×35 w/MP-8 – This is just a great all around optic.  I had mounted it on the 6PPC & .223 AR-15s.  This scope has excellent optics and is great for shooting close up or long distance.  I found it to be a good fit for the AR-15 & LR-308 platform.

Rifle Test:

Tikka T3 Varmint 308 w/IOR 10x – The Tikka rifles are my favorite bolt gun.  The bolt operates like its on glass, it shoots sub-MOA out of the box, and the trigger is adjustable 2-4lb and breaks clean at crisp at any poundage.  This is one of my go to guns and it is totally simplified with the 10x IOR.  It is the epitome of point and click.  This is a rifle, regardless of caliber or body weight, will out shoot and out deliver for the money over any production rifle.

D9 Custom .223 AR-15 – This is a kickass rifle (not just because I built it).  I built this using a White Oak 16” SDVM barrel 1:7 twist, JP Vtac hand gurad, RRA 2 Stage trigger, CAA stock, Hogue grip, JP compensator, and tac latches.  I am still in the process of breaking it in and just shot some static targets and did manage to squeeze a few off at some dogs.  I had the IOR 2-12 on for a while and just compliment’s the gun.  One issue, we will no longer be offering or recommending the oversized magazine release button.  When carrying the gun I hit the button and dropped the mag several times.  However, the tactical bolt catch/release worked great because of the loading/unloading when getting in and out of the vehicle.

This gun is deceivingly light weight with the heavily fluted barrel and JP Vtac hand guard.  The compensator removed all muzzle lift and recoil and combined with the scope and trigger it was nothing to put 3 – 4 down range in a matter of seconds, accurately.  I am very pleased and have order more of their barrels in different sizes.

Remington 700’s (VSF & VLS)– Both of these guns are great shooters but I had to drop new triggers in both of them when I first got them.  For the money I’m hard pressed to recommend them over a Tikka or possibly even a Savage but if you are willing to spend a few extra dollars both guns will deliver.  I would recommend a good scope and a good prairie dog field.

Sig Saur Mosquito 22LR – This is a neat little gun that I used.  I picked it up so I had a 22 to install a suppressor on that I have on order.  It seems to be a durable piece, fairly heavy trigger pull.  It seems like it would make a good trainer pistol for CCW practice, and won’t break the bank.

Shown above is a D9Firearms custom built PD-SASS w/Hawk Horus Vision Optic.

Although summer time is generally a slower time of the year for gun sales, we manage to stay busy working on special projects, loading ammunition, and customizing rifles. Currently we are still waiting on rifles from DPMS and based on their estimates we should start seeing some rifles in September. (We have 45 various LR rifles on order). Additionally, our special project using the Mike Rock barrel being finished by White Oak Armament will be in at the end of August. (We have placed an order for 5 Krieger barrels with a slightly different design and expect to see those by October.)

We had a fellow stop by our table at the Topeka Gun Show two weeks ago and he had a DPMS LR-308AP4 that needed a little D9Firearms customizing. Steve brought the rifle over last weekend and we upgraded his AP4 with a quad rail, Miculek Compensator, Hogue grip, Rock River 2 Stage National Match trigger, and bipod kit. He left with a completely different looking rifle from what he walked in with.

We also received a call from a customer of ours who had purchased one of our D9Firearms PD-SASS (Prairie Dog – Semi Auto Sniper System) LR-308B rifle and his dad wanted a DPMS LR-308SASS. The most amazing part of this story is DPMS actually had one available and we didn’t waste a second commandeering it, (Thanks DPMS). Although DPMS does excellent work and puts out great products, D9Firearms still tweaked it.

The LR-308SASS, shown above, comes standard with a JP trigger, but to us that’s only half of the picture. My assumption is they don’t add the speed hammer since this is classified as a sniper weapon. The speed hammer is ½ the weight of a standard hammer and has a light spring. We’ve not experienced a problem with misfires but if we were providing this to a law enforcement agency using military ammo, we would stay with the heavier springs. So we added the speed hammer. Additionally, I added a Miculek compensator and tactical carrier release to round out this precision rifle.

The last rifle is one of our D9Firearms custom PD-SASS rifles that Brian, a local client purchased, brought back to have us install a Horus Vision Hawk optic on. His initial impression, looking out at about 400yd, through the patio door, was the clarity of the glass and he prefers the first focal plane reticule. We look for a response from him when he takes it back out and see how it compares with ours & Paul’s from (NZ) reviews.

We received a phone call from Brain, as he was leaving the range the other day, and based on the excitement in his voice my guess is his testosterone levels were hyper-elevated. (Phone calls like this are what make building these worth the effort.) Brian provided us with a field report on the PD-SASS, Horus Vision, and D9Firearms custom 308 ammo.

Darrel-

I wanted to thank you for building me such a high performance rifle. It shoots better than I could have imagined. I have had and fired many different AR platform weapons in the past, but this is a step above.

(DPMS also receives part of the credit.)

We added the over sized Miculek for the in your face attitude.

Before I bought the Horus scope from you, I used the iron flip-up sights to break in the barrel at 50 yards and shot very tight groups. Yesterday I sighted in the Horus Hawk scope with ease at 100 yards. I went with five other friends and they all fired three shot groups. Four of them were experienced shooters and one was a novice. All of the experienced shooters could cover their groups with a quarter or less and the novice shot a 1 1/2″ grouping.

The .308 reloads that I bought from you were an excellent fit for this rifle. They out performed even the Federal Match Gold Medal. I would not have believed it if I did not see it and test it for myself. (We would like to say this was not a surprise but were very pleased to hear this.)

The Horus Hawk you sold me I was weary of, since I am such a big IOR fan and the Horus was half the price. But, the more I used it, the more I fell in love with it and its reticule. The clarity is incredible and the built in range finder is very easy to use. The fact that I do not need to adjust my turret knobs for different windage and elevation settings is so foreign to me, but I am quickly becoming fluent in its language. You get what you pay for does not apply here. For the price, there is nothing better.

The biggest compliments I got on the rifle, aside from its consistent accuracy, is how smooth the trigger is and the function of the overall weapon. (We installed a JP adjustable w/speed hammer.)

Thanks again for all your help with building my dream rifle and guiding me towards the right accessories for it.

Brian

So if you are looking for a precision AR or customizing your existing AR please give us a call at D9Firearms.

Thanks.

D9Firearms has over the past 2 years developed a few international clients that we have provided non-firearms shooting and hunting products for. Thanks to our new friend Paul in New Zealand, we are now exporting firearms as well. Paul put us in touch with European Target Shooters Supplies (http://etssincusa.com/) in Colorado who now handle our firearms exports. For non-firearms related we ship directly. We have just recently expanded the countries we are servicing clients in, to include Mexico and as of this blog we received a request from Slovakia.

Our current list of countries our international clients reside in are:

- Norway

- Denmark

- New Zealand

- Argentina

- Mexico

- Slovakia (once the permit goes through)

For our international clients there are some limitations on how we conduct business, but in general it’s as easy as doing business as it is domestically. When it comes to handling commerce we have two options; bank wire transfer or credit card. Our preferred method is credit card and we have a 3% charge for the transaction. Additionally, certain countries are high risk and we may request a bank wire transfer from individuals in those countries or refuse the sale. (We’ve done this already to a couple of nefarious wankers in Indonesia.)

Another issue is the requirements on the clients end. From our experience the client generally has to get some form of permit to import the firearm. Combined with this permit are the regulations on the firearms features such as calibers, barrel threading, magazine capacity, and others. We assume the buyer is aware of this prior to ordering and we do not research or verify what’s legal to import. The permit is then submitted to the exporter (ETSS) and we do not require it. Please verify firearms restrictions before ordering as this may result in a charge for products you are unable to import. Additionally, returns on exported items are equally as challenging so we will do everything we can to confirm you are getting what you want.

From our foreign clients perspective you can and should expect the same responsive and courteous treatment as any client that is local. You can and should expect the same guarantee that we offer our domestic clients on firearms we build (ie. D9 custom AR or LR rifles), is that we stand behind what we build. If a rifle we’ve built or customized fails to operate as a result of work we performed (triggers mainly) we will refund the local gunsmith fees that are within reason. Additionally we would expect to hear from you if there is an issue prior to taking it to a gunsmith and work out the details in advance. For factory firearms most manufacturers have local representation and would expect the client to proceed with warrantee work. (Contact us regardless we want to know if there are any issues.)

Finally our goal is to Arm the World with D9Firearms custom rifles. If you are interested in importing a firearm or hunting supplies please contact us here at D9Firearms.

Our good friend Paul from way down under in the land of sheep and kiwis just sent us some awesome pictures of him and his good friend Harry stretching out of a hilly range for some long range shooting.  A while back we outfitted Paul with a DPMS 24” Varmint upper and a custom DPMS lower built by us.

Paul also mounted a Horus Vision Hawk and provided some feedback on that as well.  We have used the Sheppard scope and it is very nice.  They cost about $200 more but based on Paul’s review it sounds like we better get one in and do some evaluation.

Recently we also sent him a second rifle a DPMS LR-260 and he just emailed us confirming that he picked up from customs over the weekend.  However, Paul now has a new problem, which is really not a problem, is that his wife now wants one.  If all goes well we hope to outfit Paul with a D9Firearms custom SASS version in 308Win.

I’ll let Paul tell the rest of the story:

Hi Darrel,

The .260 is in country, just need to clear Customs.

Had a day out at Harry’s 1000m range on Sunday, I’ve attached a few photos.

I had a chance to Crony some 77g SMK’s through the AR but only went as high as 22.5g of H335 (using 23g behind the 69’s) the 77’s made about 2650fps vs the 69’s 2800fps. at that speed there was no appreciable difference in group size. I will need to experiment further to see if I can gain any extra accuracy by speeding up the 77’s.

There is a photo of a 12″ circular steel plate, it’s out at 500yds. The 3 shot group has a spread of 80mm or about 3.25in this was shot from the AR using the 69g Match Kings. The Savage shot a similar size group

There is also a photo looking down the range, you should be able to see both the 500yd targets and in the distance a rectangular target up on the hill to the right of centre. That target is a 8ft x 4ft steel plate that’s 1″ thick! it’s out at 1000m

I ended up swapping the Shepherd V2 from the Savage onto the AR, to be honest I think the Shepherd has better clarity than the Hawk despite having a smaller (25mm) main tube. The range reticule is within an inch using the 69’s @ 2800fps out to 300yds, within 2″ out to 600yds and spot on at 700yds. At 2850fps it’s about 1/2″ out at 1000yds.

Looks like the Hawk reaches it’s limit at about 700yds with the .223, haven’t done the math for the .260 yet, it may be useful a little further out. At this stage though I will probably go with a Shepherd V1 on it.

All in all very pleased with the AR, it’s every bit as accurate as the Savage by the looks.

Regards

Paul

P.S. The other white targets in some of the photo’s cost about $100 bucks each to shoot!

If you live down under or back here at home and need a long range AR varmint rifle contact us here at D9Firearms and we will be glad to assist you with you custom built AR rifle.  (For you animal lovers ie. kooks don’t worry they weren’t shooting the sheep and if they did I’m sure they had a bbq after words.)

With the current delay in production of most AR-15’s and LR-308 rifles from DPMS, and the others we order from (Rock River & Bushmaster) we decided to develop premium .223 rifles. Generally we don’t stock or order many .223 rifles since they seem to be a dime a dozen (or found in trash cans at gun shows) unless they are requested by a client or are a premium variant such as the RRA varmint or DPMS varmint

What we have found is that most of our clients were replacing significant amounts of parts on rifles, so we decided to make a transition to primarily buying all new factory standard parts for non-substitutable parts (springs, pins, receivers, bolt & carrier) and building our premium .223 rifles from there. (We are able to reduce the cost and provide exactly what our clients want.) Additionally, we test fire each rifle prior to shipping and guarantee our work.

Wanting to do something a little different but still gear it towards varmint shooting yet flexible for potential urban action we looked too White Oak Armament for some options and chose the Squad Designated Variant Marksman barrel to start with. We have since ordered the 16” SDVM version.

The barrel is a 20” SST bull barrel, with the main body (.980) necked down to .750 fore end. The main body also has deep flutes that reduce the barrel by almost 1lb and increases cooling capacity. (The fore end is not fluted and gives a clean cut look (Marine) and would offer negligible cooling or weight reduction benefits.) The barrel is threaded for your choice of a flash hider, brake, or suppressor. The barrel has a 1:7 twist rate that is excellent for delivering heavier bullets (55grn & up).

Upon the initial inspection I immediately noticed the depth of the fluting, which on this barrel reduces close to 1lb of weight and effects cooling rate. The milling at the gas block is distinctly different with a rounded trim. We also added the M4 feed ramps which are patently obvious. The overall external barrel look and feel was a perfect match for our planned project.

For our rifle we added all the tactical parts (latch, trigger guard, mag release, bolt release, & safety) and Yankee Hill Machine (YHM) free float 4 rail & picatinny gas block. Not all the tac latches or 4 rail free float guards are necessary but we do recommend the tactical carrier release. On our next rifle we are going with a JP Rifle Vtac hand guard.

We installed the CAA 6 position stock, which is more robust then a standard collapsible, has a rubber butt pad, & risible cheek piece. For the money this is an excellent choice ($70). The Magpul PRS would be a good second choice especially for variminting.

We also went with the Timney drop in single stage because it was feeling more like a business rifle (for taking out insurgents, drug running federalalies, pedophiles, and other glittering jewels of humanity causing global warming by breathing) then a varmint rifle. Another feature we really like is the 1:7 twist, which will offer better ballistics for a heavier grain bullet 55+ (thus preventing the threat from getting to close). This will be our first 1:7 twist barrel but we are looking to getting better results for longer range shooting.

We have already started our next one, which will use the same barrel designation only in the 16”. The 16” will offer a better platform if you plan more free hand shooting.

If you are interested in a D9Firearms custom .223 with a White Oak SDVM barrel please contact us.

I felt it worth discussing since several people have asked the question of accuracy on the DPMS LR-308 rifles when comparing barrel weight (AP4, heavy, bull) and barrel length (16”, 18”, 24”).  To clarify, we define accuracy as bullet grouping.  For example, out of a 3 shot group at 100yd, if my shot placement has all three bullets under 1” center to center, this would be a sub-Minute of Angle (MOA) accuracy, which is very good.  Additionally, at 200yd this would be all 3 shots under 2” and so on.  We define drop compensation (holdover) as how many inches a bullet drops at a specified distance.  For example if you sight your rifle in at 100yd, at 200yd you may need to place the cross hairs at 2” above the desired point of impact.

Most people feel they are giving up accuracy when selecting a shorter and/or lighter weight barrel.  In general, ours and our clients’ experiences with these rifles, regardless of the barrel length or weight, will shoot sub-MOA.  In my opinion, the accuracy of the bullet delivery is primarily compromised by the shooter, ammo, and fire control system (trigger), unless you just happen to get a lemon rifle which we haven’t heard of.

However, the question still remains do you sacrifice accuracy when going from a 24” bull down to a 16” AP4?  The answer in my opinion is yes and no.  Inherently a 12lb bench rifle with a bull barrel seems like it would be more accurate because of its weight, barrel diameter, length and you would be shooting off of a fixed rest.  I personally find I am more accurate with this setup since the weight of the rifle is less affected by my movement and I’m shooting off of a rest.  However if you put both guns side by side in the same setup (trigger, rest, distance, etc.) they will shoot relatively with the same grouping accuracy.

So the issue is what do you sacrifice or gain with barrel length and/or weight if they both have relatively the same accuracy.  With a shorter barrel the bullet has less distance/time to build velocity, before the bullet exits the barrel and releases the gas pressure to atmosphere.  With a longer barrel the bullet will have more time to effectively use the gas pressure to build more velocity before venting.

(The higher the velocity, the flatter shooting trajectory it will have, but not necessarily more accurate.  Meaning that a 16” barrel sighted in at 100yd may drop 2” at 200yd where as a 24” may only drop 1”.  This doesn’t mean the 24” is more accurate just flatter shooting for longer ranges and inherently will deliver more energy on target.)

So when choosing a rifle you must determine what type of shooting you want to do?  If you are thinking brush gun for deer hunting and some field shooting that you will be carrying, the LR-308AP4, T, or L would be an excellent choice.  (This doesn’t mean these guns will not perform out to 500yd.)  The LR-308B would be a close second with an 18” bull barrel.  If you’re thinking target/varmint then the LR-308, B, C would be good choices.

We generally recommend the LR rifles for the following conditions:

Deer or Bear Hunting, Tactical or 3 Gun Shooting: (DPMS LR-308AP4, T)

-Typical range 0 – 300yd.

-Free hand, minimum non-supported shooting.

-Brush, open field, collapsible stock easier for carrying & lighter weight, faster target acquisition & maneuverability, or when fleeing from a really angry bear.

-AP4 is optimal for suppressing an urban insurgency.

Deer Hunting or Mid range tactical/sniper or target shooting:  (DPMS LR-308B, C or D9 Custom Rifle):

-Typical range:  0 – 500yd.

-Limited freehand, supported shooting platform.

-Light brush, open field, bench.  With a collapsible adds to more maneuverability in brush and general carrying.  Recommend a bipod (but adds front end weight when freehand shooting.)

-LR-308B or D9 Custom is a good bridge between tactical and bench shooting.  This is an excellent choice for suppressing urban, rural or any other type of insurgency.

Bench Shooting:  (DPMS LR-308 24”)

-Typical range:  200 – 800yd.

-Completely supported shooting platform.

-Open range.

-Excellent for not letting the insurgents get close.

Hopefully the provides you with additional information to make the best choice possible for your shooting needs when choosing a DPMS LR or D9 Custom LR firearm.  Please contact us and we would be glad to provide you with a long range AR platform rifle.  (If we don’t have it, we probably have it on order, or will build to your needs.)