XCR Forum banner

new to forum, need XCR owners opinions

3295 Views 25 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  wristlock
I have a XCR, hvy bbl, VLTOR adj stock, Vortex hider and its mid 1100 serial number range with original 4 position gas adjustment. The gun has 500 flawless rnds down range so far and im wondering if the newer gas adjustment is really neccessary or just an optional upgrade?? as for ease, the new one would surely be the way to go but is there a 'must' reason to upgrade?? Also, ive been all over the RA site and i must be missing it but i cant find the info on how to upgrade and a price list...any help and advice is appreciated...thanks
tom in tn
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
Hi Tom, You at Fort Campbell??? If I had an old system that worked great I would not attempt to "fix" anything. Now if you buy a caliber conversion of course do the upgrade (I think all the conversions HAVE the new system). I could not see "upgrading" my .223/5.56 barrel as it WORKS. Go to the robarms site and look in accessories and caliber conversions. Sounds like you have a fine XCR, and it is reliable for you. Glad to have you as a new member. ;D
I'm not familiar with the old one, but the new one sure is slick. Just press a detent and rotate.

I think it costs about $100 for the upgrade, and I would consider it worth it to transition from a no-tools approach.

Then again, if your gun works fine, there may also be much wisdom in just not futzing with it.
If you are planning on converting calibers you will want to do it. Otherwise it shouldn't be needed unless you shoot a Can and therefore the S setting would be nice. I shot all different brands of ammo plus hamdloads and never found the need to adjust the gas system on the old system once I was done with break in. The new system is supposed to have a slightly better seal but again, if it aint broke dont fix it.

Where are you stationed if you are military? I am at Hunter AAF
MrMP,

Welcome to the forum. I can't say any more than what the others have already said, and the old saying stands here too: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Hope you enjoy your membership here, there are a lot of good people here with a lot of information about the XCR.

Be safe!

Roy
That was my initial thoughts as well "it ain't broke don't fix it." But, I knew a conversion was in my future so I upgraded to the new system so the op rod would work with the conversion and my current barrel. I was not expecting a huge improvement but it was the best $120 ish I spent on the gun. With the new gas ssytem I can run reliably on #1 and it recoils less than my HP5 clone. See my full post for the full right up.
Yeah, it's not really a necessary upgrade. Some guys are just really into having every single upgrade done ;D
Doesn't getting a caliber conversion get you the new gas system that can be used for your new caliber and the original 5.56mm?
No, the way I understand it, when you order a barrel it comes with a gas block pre-installed. When you change barrels in a normal fashion, you change gas blocks as well, and have gas block for each barrel. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.
Each barrel has its own gas block, but from what Terra told me, all the new barrels have the new block. The piston end is not the same for the new and old block. You could change piston head as you change caliber but I did not want to go this route and ordered the new block for my old barrel.
The new piston will not work with the old gas block. Switching the pistons back and forth is tough, considering the fact they need to be put on very tightly, with loctite. It's better to order an extra gas block if you are going to be switching calibers often.
Mrmil...
The one thing I haven't seen listed is SBR. If I missed it, sorry. I had my XCR barrel cut to 11 inches. After that it would only run two brands of ammo. Other stuff couldn't even think of cycling it. Once I had the new gas block installed, every ammo ran perfectly. I don't know if 12 inch factory SBR's with the old gas block had issues or not. Anyway, something to consider if you want to chop it down the road.
The new piston will not work with the old gas block. Switching the pistons back and forth is tough, considering the fact they need to be put on very tightly, with loctite. It's better to order an extra gas block if you are going to be switching calibers often.
Okay, I thought I was all set to put my new gas block on. The gas block itself appears to be easy to install, but I've never seen any directions about the piston. Can you provide some guidance on how to install the new one?
Mr mil
What gas setting do you have it on?
And did you set it to 4 for the 300 round break in?
Hey Sig, Think Robarms has a video on that at there website. :2cents:
Okay, I thought I was all set to put my new gas block on. The gas block itself appears to be easy to install, but I've never seen any directions about the piston. Can you provide some guidance on how to install the new one?
The piston head is real easy, I just put the piston in a vise (use something to hold it in so that you dont crush/marr the piston) and used a wrench to get the head off.
I've got a vise and plastic jaw inserts that I used to replace the Flash Hider so that part will be easy. Did you loctite the new piston head?
I didn't loctite it but only because I didn't see any evidence of loctite on the old piston head. It literally took 5 minutes to do.
It'll take me that long to find a 1/4 in allen wrench to take the barrel off. The way I do things it's more like one hour to plan and 5 minutes to do it.
I hear you, I think actually tightening the piston in the vise took 5 minutes.
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top