11 Aug 02

DPMS and D&S

We just finished an Urban Rifle/Shotgun Course in MN. We had one D&S FAL which never experienced so much as a single hiccup during the entire three days. Excellent rifle!

We had one Steyr AUG (original version). It also functioned perfectly during the entire three days.

We had one Ruger Mini-30. Within the first fifty rounds, its firing pin broke, and it was down for the duration.

DPMS AR-15s are manufactured nearby, and we had several in the course. All functioned well, except for the ones that had their triggers "customized." All of them experienced continuous functional distress One went down completely.

Lesson: PLAY GUNS CANNOT DOUBLE AS SERIOUS GUNS. Military rifles are pretty well set up for serious fighting as the come from the factory. Attempts to "customize" triggers and "accurize" the system are ill advised if the weapon is to be put to serious use. Increases in accuracy from such modifications are negligible, but compromises in reliability are disastrous, as we saw this weekend.

/John