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Range report Wiselite Sterling type 2
1/1/2012 2:22:15 PM
There seems to be a bit of interest in these so I thought I would share my thoughts after taking mine out for the first time yesterday.
The first thing I noticed about this gun is that all the controls are fairly stiff(some of them are extremely stiff). The new shooter and a small framed female friend of mine were not able to operate the charging handle, or insert/remove magazines from this rifle without help. The divets on the buttplate, once completely folded in and engaged, are nearly impossible to unlatch without mechanical leverage in the form of a large flathead screwdriver. A personal gripe is warranted for the charging handle, it's very small and has a piece of rubber tubing covering it that comes off constantly. I may have a gunsmith weld on something bigger and easier to grab.
Overall appearance of the gun is quite nice, with the exception of a slightly sloppy weld where the stock attaches to the receiver. Appearance isn't that important to me personally in a rifle of this type, but it may be to some of you reading this.
While sighting in, I discovered that the front sight is a bit too tall, even when adjusted all the way down. there is a small allen headed screw on the side of the front sight post, that when loosened, allows the front sight to be turned similarly to the front sight post on an AR. At 25 yards it was still shooting 2-3" low with winchester white box 115gr value packs from walmart.
Accuracy was quite good, but since I shot offhand unsupported after sight in, I'll leave actual numbers for someone else to post. The very long sight radius of the type 2 makes even new shooters able to group their shots, and the 9lb weight gives you enough heft to keep stable, even if it does get tiring after a while unsupported due to the weight being nearly all at the muzzle end.
Reliability was hit or miss. I experienced several doublefeeds over the course of 400 rounds and a few FTE. I'm hesitant to attribute problems to the sterling just yet, since some of the magazines I ordered were in very rough shape, and because the winchester I used was malfunctioning in other guns that I know are solid. I really need to do more testing to possibly weed out worn magazines with better ammo before I make any judgements here.
Overall it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot, and very accurate. While I wouldn't recommend it for defensive purposes without extensive testing by the individual buyers, it's still a lot of fun for the money.
ETA if there was ever a rifle begging for an SBR, this is it.
The first thing I noticed about this gun is that all the controls are fairly stiff(some of them are extremely stiff). The new shooter and a small framed female friend of mine were not able to operate the charging handle, or insert/remove magazines from this rifle without help. The divets on the buttplate, once completely folded in and engaged, are nearly impossible to unlatch without mechanical leverage in the form of a large flathead screwdriver. A personal gripe is warranted for the charging handle, it's very small and has a piece of rubber tubing covering it that comes off constantly. I may have a gunsmith weld on something bigger and easier to grab.
Overall appearance of the gun is quite nice, with the exception of a slightly sloppy weld where the stock attaches to the receiver. Appearance isn't that important to me personally in a rifle of this type, but it may be to some of you reading this.
While sighting in, I discovered that the front sight is a bit too tall, even when adjusted all the way down. there is a small allen headed screw on the side of the front sight post, that when loosened, allows the front sight to be turned similarly to the front sight post on an AR. At 25 yards it was still shooting 2-3" low with winchester white box 115gr value packs from walmart.
Accuracy was quite good, but since I shot offhand unsupported after sight in, I'll leave actual numbers for someone else to post. The very long sight radius of the type 2 makes even new shooters able to group their shots, and the 9lb weight gives you enough heft to keep stable, even if it does get tiring after a while unsupported due to the weight being nearly all at the muzzle end.
Reliability was hit or miss. I experienced several doublefeeds over the course of 400 rounds and a few FTE. I'm hesitant to attribute problems to the sterling just yet, since some of the magazines I ordered were in very rough shape, and because the winchester I used was malfunctioning in other guns that I know are solid. I really need to do more testing to possibly weed out worn magazines with better ammo before I make any judgements here.
Overall it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot, and very accurate. While I wouldn't recommend it for defensive purposes without extensive testing by the individual buyers, it's still a lot of fun for the money.
ETA if there was ever a rifle begging for an SBR, this is it.
1/1/2012 4:45:38 PM
The first thing I noticed about this gun is that all the controls are fairly stiff(some of them are extremely stiff). The new shooter and a small framed female friend of mine were not able to operate the charging handle, or insert/remove magazines from this rifle without help. The divets on the buttplate, once completely folded in and engaged, are nearly impossible to unlatch without mechanical leverage in the form of a large flathead screwdriver. A personal gripe is warranted for the charging handle, it's very small and has a piece of rubber tubing covering it that comes off constantly. I may have a gunsmith weld on something bigger and easier to grab.
The buttplate divots will wear quickly with repeated use. Will become easier to operate.
One thing I've learned is the bolt doesn't have to be fully retracted on initial round chambering. The recoil spring IS quite stout but you only need to pull the bolt open 2/3 or so. It gets harder the further you pull it back.
Trash the silly rubber cap on the charging handle. IMO, that is only there to prevent the charging handle from punching a hole in the shipping box. I wouldn't recommend adding any weight to the handle as it might cause undue back/forth wear on the handle base during firing.
While sighting in, I discovered that the front sight is a bit too tall, even when adjusted all the way down. there is a small allen headed screw on the side of the front sight post, that when loosened, allows the front sight to be turned similarly to the front sight post on an AR. At 25 yards it was still shooting 2-3" low with winchester white box 115gr value packs from walmart.
Mine had the very same issue. I just filed a slight amount off the tip of the sight. I believe they make them that way so owners can do this.
Accuracy was quite good, but since I shot offhand unsupported after sight in, I'll leave actual numbers for someone else to post. The very long sight radius of the type 2 makes even new shooters able to group their shots, and the 9lb weight gives you enough heft to keep stable, even if it does get tiring after a while unsupported due to the weight being nearly all at the muzzle end.
Same here. Accuracy is good to excellent. I've only fired at a max of 50 meters so far.
Reliability was hit or miss. I experienced several doublefeeds over the course of 400 rounds and a few FTE. I'm hesitant to attribute problems to the sterling just yet, since some of the magazines I ordered were in very rough shape, and because the winchester I used was malfunctioning in other guns that I know are solid. I really need to do more testing to possibly weed out worn magazines with better ammo before I make any judgements here.
Probably the mag. One mag of mine acts the same. The others run perfectly. I guess 60yr old mags are going to have a few issues.
Overall it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot, and very accurate. While I wouldn't recommend it for defensive purposes without extensive testing by the individual buyers, it's still a lot of fun for the money.
Agree.
Loads of fun. Cheap to shoot. No recoil.
Lots of slobbers at the range.
Whats not to like?
1/2/2012 11:53:40 PM
I would guess the magazine is the problem as well
mine as been very reliable. I personally think it is better made than my real sterling. The type 1 is a different story though
mine as been very reliable. I personally think it is better made than my real sterling. The type 1 is a different story though
