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Posted: 8/24/2006 6:26:01 AM EDT
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I have a co-worker who is eyeing a High Standard M4gery. I have looked it over and have a few questions/observations. Who builds these? Why could I find no forge marks, anywhere? What is the twist rate? Why was there no Front Sight Post, nor did it appear that one was ever installed in this piece, a factory new gun? It does not have a rear BUIS either. Did the gun come this way with the intention of never using iron sights? An optic/electronic sight only M4gery? No "F" Marked FSB It has a very heavy barrel under the handguards, which are tapered like the original CAR types, and have a single heat shield. I havent fired the rifle, and these observations come from about 10 minutes of touchy-feely time, and my first impression is that it just doesn't feel right. Am I correct? |
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I fingered one at Gander Mtn the other day. My initial observations were that it appeared to be of decent quality, although I didn’t go over it with a fine toothed comb. As to your questions………I understand High Standard builds these in Texas. As to no forge markings, many kit rifle receivers have no markings either and are of good quality. I didn’t pay attention to twist rate but wouldn’t doubt if it was 1X9 which is pretty standard. As to missing parts, most likely the store removed them, or they were stolen. I read somewhere that a local Gander Mtn was removing the CH’s due to theft. If you ask the sales clerk I’m sure the M4gery your friend was looking at included a CH. If I was in the market for an entry level AR and the HS’s price was comparable to a DIY kit, I would consider the HS and definitely give it a second, good look over. |
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Thanks for the reply Quib. I should have clarified things a bit, I work at Cabela's, part time. The gun in question had not been put on the shelf yet and had just been received in, brand new, from the distribution center. It appeared that no front sight post, detent, or spring had ever been installed at all, it had no carry handle, and no BUIS of any kind. My suggestion to my co-worker was that a call to HS was in order, as I cant see how we could sell it in it's current configuration, unless we sold it as an optic only rifle. Granted, he would face the same problem if he bought it - what Irons, if any, could he use, etc. and I figured that in the interim, I would pick a few brains here. |
Yes, that does clarify things a bit. I agree, a call to HS would be in order. |
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I handled one today at the local Gander Mountain. I've been curious about these since first hearing about them. A few observations: - There was no detachable carry handle or BUIS on the rifle. I didn't ask the counter-jockey if they had stored it in back; however since there were two Bushys right next to it with carry handles installed I'm inclined to think the HS shipped without one. - The lower was unremarkable, but looked perfectly servicable. It could be a CMT part, but I can't say for certain. The finish match between upper and lower was not very good. The lower had a very flat, matte finish while the upper had a slightly glossier finish. IIRC, there were no forge marks on the upper. - The barrel appeared to be heavy profile, at least forward of the FSB. I looked at the muzzle and saw no sign of chrome. There were no markings on the exposed portion of barrel. The handguards were CAR-style, single heat shield, and appeared to be of good quality. The front sight post was present and looked correct. - The buttstock was CAR-style, not M4. The stock was very similar to my Colt stocks, but its finish led me to suspect it may be a different material than the Colt stocks. I counted four positions on the receiver extension. I couldn't tell whether the dimensions were milspec. - Gander had a price tag of $895 on it. The Bushys were over $1000. HTH [edited for typos] |
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