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Posted: 8/3/2020 9:30:33 AM EDT
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I’ve read some about the Vltor A5 buffer setup.... Anyone have personal experience with one? |
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Quoted: I’ve read some about the Vltor A5 buffer setup.... Anyone have personal experience with one? A hair less perceived recoil, components are a quite a bit more (when you can find them). The buffers are the "shortage" part now, having to often by the spring, tube, and buffer separate because of the shortage really adds up the shipping cost of the deal also. Most people keep the stock out at least one notch anyways, so there isn't much downside other than cost/availability. |
| I have the Vltor A5 with the heaviest buffer at 6.83oz H4. The standard is 5.3oz H2. I honestly cannot tell any difference with it. I'm not even sure what the A5 is supposed to solve. On a FA rifle, the idea is that you slow the cyclic rate down a tad and you have more forward mass coming back to aid in feeding. There is a spring behind the weight to assist in shifting the weight forward. On a civilian SA only, probably wouldn't do much. |
| I can only give my own personal experience. I have a centurion 12.5 carbine running a a5h2 sprinco green spring , a centurion 12.5 middy recce with ahh2 vltor spring and a 10.3 carbine DD using a a5h3 green spring. The 12.5 carbine was running g42 h2 , with the a5 ive noticed much less percieved recoil it shoots soft as hell now it wasn't bad by any means but now its very easy shooter now. 12.5 middy recce , since its running a vltor spring instead of the green spring theres less percieved recoil but not as much as the carbine. The biggest thing i notced with the recce was that it is much easier to stay on target with an lpvo the rifle didnt want to jump around as much on the bipod. The 10.3 recoil is a little less the snap is is more of a inline push now but the biggest improvement was the g 42 h3 would make the muzzle dip from all the weight when going home . Now that completely gone . I would very much suggest giving the a5 system a shot. The 12.5 centurion you run i cant remember if its carbine hut if so id start with a vltor rifle spring and a5h2 buffer and pick up a sprinco green spring and see if it will cycle . Im waiting on a suppressor so i went this route over adj gas block . |
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Quoted: One reason to run an A5 is you can use a heavier buffer than you can in a carbine tub. Heaviest you can go in a carbine tube I believe is a 8.8oz XH buffer. A5 you can go up to 10oz. A5H1- 4.56 oz adv' = oem H2 & extension A5H2- 5.33 oz adv' = oem H3 & extension A5H3- 6.08 adv', 6.3 oz my weight A5H4- 6.83 adv', 6.6 oz my weight PWS4- 6.9 oz my weight- use oem extension XH 8.5 oz adv'- oem extension XH 10 oz adv'- intermediate extension |
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Quoted: I'm not even sure what the A5 is supposed to solve. It was supposed to be the functional equivalent of a rifle buffer setup with a collapsable stock. Same weights, same spring, etc. So that M16A2/A4 rifles could use a collapsible stock without the mil having to go through a massive convoluted testing, qualification and type acceptance process as the US mil is want to do. |
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Quoted: A hair less perceived recoil, components are a quite a bit more (when you can find them). The buffers are the "shortage" part now, having to often by the spring, tube, and buffer separate because of the shortage really adds up the shipping cost of the deal also. Most people keep the stock out at least one notch anyways, so there isn't much downside other than cost/availability. Vltor is terrible (one of the worst) at keeping up with demand. They are chronically "out of stock" in even the best of times. The good news is that the only part of the A5 system that is actually propietary is the buffer itself. Any AR10 receiver extension (tube) approximately 3/4" longer than a standard AR15 carbine extension can be substituted for Vltors tube. Any rifle length spring can be substituted for Vltors spring. Someone whos motivated could push Vltor out of the equation by offering a comparable buffer and actually having it availible for purchase on a regular basis. |
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Quoted: It was supposed to be the functional equivalent of a rifle buffer setup with a collapsable stock. Same weights, same spring, etc. So that M16A2/A4 rifles could use a collapsible stock without the mil having to go through a massive convoluted testing, qualification and type acceptance process as the US mil is want to do. Quoted: Quoted: I'm not even sure what the A5 is supposed to solve. It was supposed to be the functional equivalent of a rifle buffer setup with a collapsable stock. Same weights, same spring, etc. So that M16A2/A4 rifles could use a collapsible stock without the mil having to go through a massive convoluted testing, qualification and type acceptance process as the US mil is want to do. Except that they did go through all that testing and found that the carbine setup with an H6 buffer was just as reliable. The Canuks have been using carbine / H2 for years with 20” uppers and have no issues. The A5 is fine, nothing at all wrong with it, but it really doesn’t bring anything to the table that isn’t already accomplished with the carbine stuff. |
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Quoted: Interesting... So it appears to have little to no effect on a properly set up SA rifle. Not really. An unsuppressed semi-auto with a good barrel, BCG, and mil-spec carbine or rifle spring will run fine on most any buffer you put in there. People think there’s a great deal of reliability or performance to be had by ‘tuning’ the reciprocating weight, but you really don’t get much past 1) it functions, and 2) bolt bounce is mitigated sufficiently to not cause a malfunction in F/A. |
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Highly debated topic. I’ve got tons of both. I know how to set up both platforms to their absolute best and the VLT0R A5 has the edge. It’s a matter of OAL for me with SBRs, which is why most of them get std Carbine. All else equal, A5 is everything it is advertised and supposed to be (go figure) - physics. If I’m not worried about OAL, it gets an A5 (12.5s,14.5s,16s etc) That said, some will not notice or care between the two. |
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Quoted: Amphibian's A5 setup is the smoothest AR style gun I've ever shot FA in 5.56. It consists of an A5 length RE, Tubb flat wire spring and Kynshot RB5007 hydraulic buffer. This is what I use as well. Credit due to @amphibian. I used the complete A5 system before and it solved all my issues in full auto. I couldn’t tell the difference in semi. |
| I bought one when they first came out and tried it on a couple different builds but didn't see any change. I eventually put it on my 'yote rifle that has an 18" bull barrel with mid length gas and found a rifle where it makes a noticeable difference. It really smooths out the recoil. |
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All of my rifles have them, from 14.5 carbine/midlengths, 16" midlengths, to 18" and 20" rifles. I'm a huge fan, I feel like I can notice a distinct difference in smoothness and recoil impulse. It's not like it's a necessary thing by any means but at the end of the day, it doesn't cost THAT much more. I'm sure some people will REEEEEEE about how the A5 system isn't currently used by the military any deviation from what they use is bad because it's an unreliable POS but.. well they're going to screech no matter what so why not have fun? |
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