Introduction - Initial Observations & Break-In

I purchased my ACR on October 12th. The *day* it arrived to my FFL dealer on the 15th, he notified me of the recall. I was beyond pissed. I had waited months for this rifle, only to have to send it back?!? That Monday, I called Bushmaster with my ACR's serial number and sure enough, it had to go back. So, without ever having put a round through it, I boxed it back up in the same packaging used to ship it from the gun shop I purchased it from, and sent it back to Bushmaster. Three weeks later and multiple phone calls to Bushmaster trying to confirm when it would return to me, it arrived back, new and improved with a titanium firing pin.

I've pondered why they wanted to entire rifle back just to swap out a firing pin, and this is what I've come up with. Bushmaster is a major player in the AR market, and is banking on the ACR's growth in the govt/l.e. market as well as civilian. The reports of slam fires and fully automatic fire put them in a tough position. They could send out firing pins to all ACR owners and call it a day. With any other rifle, that would probably be good enough. For the ACR, it just wasn't. Future government contracts and the growth of the rifle depend on consumer confidence in the platform. While a lot of people online have ripped on Bushmaster for the ACR being too expensive, and now for the recall, stepping back and looking at the situation reveals a company that *is* standing behind Its product. Recalling all ACR's couldn't have been easy - or cheap for that matter. However, I believe it was the *right* decision for the safety of ACR users and the future of the rifle. People take for granted that the AR platform has had decades to be refined, honed, modified, and basically, perfected as it is today. The ACR doesn't have that luxury. It is a first generation rifle whose aim is to unseat and supersede the most successful rifle design (aside from the AK) in modern warfare history. From Bushmaster's perspective, and from every person that buys an ACR, it has to be right, right now.

From what I can tell, as of the date of this post, I think they've succeeded in creating a production rifle that fulfills the performance goals of the Masada.

As of today, I have taken it to the range twice; the first time to sight in my Eotech 2-0 and, of course, for function testing. The second time at the range was again, for function testing, and for minute adjustments of the Eotech, which resulted in consistent hits on the 200 yard gongs. I have to admit, I've only put around 400 rounds through it so far. However, I've had zero FTFs or FTEs. It's also important to note that the ammunition used has been a mix of .223 and 5.56, consisting of six different types - Federal A.E. .223, Federal A.E. 5.56, Lellier & Bellot 5.56, PMC .223, Fiocchi .223, and Remington .223. I currently have 1500 rounds on their way, which should help verify some of the conjectures I've made in this post.

More info to come...

Introduction

Before I begin posting, in proper, I want to clarify a few things of what this Blog is, and what it is not. First and foremost, it is to document my experience with the Bushmaster ACR rifle. During my research leading up to purchasing one, I spent countless hours online trying to find user-level accounts of their experience with the rifle. There were few, and the ones that existed seemed to be narrowly focused. My decision to ultimately purchase the rifle required a lot of time scouring the internet, and even after deciding to get one, I wished I had been able to pick the brain of someone who already owned one- getting info beyond the basic features of the rifle that could be found on the manufacturer's website. 

Neither myself or the blog is endorsed or supported in any way by Bushmaster, or anyone else for that matter. It will consist only of my own experiences and views, and consequently should be looked at with scrutiny, just as every other ACR owner's experience is! Good Shooting!