[Northern]

I thought it would be fun to share some comments that I’ve heard when I’ve shown my XCRs to range officers and other range friends/acquaintances, and in some cases allowed someone to shoot them.

“Wow, it’s so tight!”

“oh my god it’s light!”(i thought that one was funny)

(after shooting) “Least recoil of any 5.56 I’ve ever shot.”

(after shooting) “It’s a tack driver.”

“I love the positions of the controls.”

“this trigger isn’t upgraded?”

“it’s like a mini scar” (person then agreed that many features were preferable).
(After being shown how barrels swap out) jaw drop

Anyhow, I love exposing people to the XCR because it’s pretty eye opening to people who have never seen, let alone held or shot one.

 

[Chowwow]

"It has no recoil impulse at all!"
-My gunsmith friend after trying it for the first time. He's shot a lot more than I have and eats a steady diet of AR-15 and AR-10 rifles.

"That recoil is pretty harsh!"
-A guy I met who came into the range with a .22 rifle. I guess he never tried a 5.56 rifle before, but this was also before I installed the muzzle brake.

My XCR has caught a few eyes because it kinda looks like a SCAR. I do my best to be a walking salesman for the rifle.

 

[Northern]

Personally I think when anyone describes 5.56 recoil as especially great or intense, it’s usually an inexperienced shooter reacting to the shockwave rather than the recoil but I supposed there are people with extra sensitive shoulders out there.

 

[scalton]

Definitely is the gun at the range that gets the most attention while people are sitting up targets.
Several times I've been to the range and had a guy shooting his AR-15 and having feeding problems from his mag, almost every time I've been able to put the magazine in my xcr and have zero feeding issues.
I've had more than a few people ask me if it's a scar clone, I tell him it's kind of the other way around and bonus it's about half the price for twice the rifle

 

[Northern]

I think it would be interesting to make a features comparison chart that compares the XCR with AR-15 (maybe choose some specific Daniel Defense model for sake of comparison), AK (maybe KUSA KR-103 for comparison), SIG MCX, SCAR, and ACR. I think the XCR defeats all of them in every possible comparison except perhaps for ready availability of spare parts.

 

[Sean K.]

I think the XCR defeats all of them in every possible comparison except perhaps for ready availability of spare parts.

Not really when one considers how limited the other platforms are in terms of actual caliber conversions and the like. Yeah, it takes times to get parts.....but at least you can actually get the parts. Most of the other companies promised stuff that never was delivered.

 

[Flskunkape]

Not really when one considers how limited the other platforms are in terms of actual caliber conversions and the like. Yeah, it takes times to get parts.....but at least you can actually get the parts. Most of the other companies promised stuff that never was delivered.

The other day I saw a SCAR 308 barrel and gas block for 1200+ish on GB, you can get 2-3 XCR conversion kits for that.

 

[Northern]

What I meant was the AR and AK have a lot of standard parts available from many sources, whereas with XCR the parts are proprietary and we are at the mercy of when RA has the parts. I literally can’t think of any other aspect of those platforms that comes close to the XCR.

 

[Bret]

I'd say weight, but the AR15 defeats pretty much all others in that regard.

 

[CB3]

Preaching to the choir, I know, but for me:

Pros
1. Robust, simple, reliable operating system. Easy to access and maintain.
2. Wonderfully intuitive true ambi controls, placed ergonomically, except for the right side safety lever (I shorten mine).
3. Great triggers OoTB.
4. Monolithic top rail for sighting accuracy.
5. Barrel and caliber kits at reasonable prices.
6. Excellent folding stocks/braces.
7. Handguard options including length, Mlok or Keymod.
8. Adjustable gas system!
9. Left hand side non-reciprocating charge handle.

Eyes open wide when non-owners see all these features together in one rifle/pistol. There is no other like it.

Con
Weight and balance

 

[mjorin]

Personally I would say that anyone that thinks that 5.56 recoil is harsh, might be a pussy.

 

[Chowwow]

Personally I would say that anyone that thinks that 5.56 recoil is harsh, might be a pussy.

I thought so too even while my own -L was kicking me around when I first had it. But I think it really depends on how you set up the 5.56 rifle. In DI AR-15s like the M&P Sport II I cut my teeth into, recoil is translated into muzzle flip and I didn't remember getting significant recoil from shooting that. Piston-driven rifles like the XCR send a lot of that recoil straight down the barrel and into your shoulder and I sure got a lot of passive-aggressive punches from my -L's base configuration. My more experienced gun friends who also tried it noticed that the FAST 2 stock was too wobbly and thin to be comfortable. My gunsmithing friend suspects that it's because of the XCR's stock that it doesn't get much mainstream appeal even when it is available.

As soon as I switched to a muzzle brake and the ACR stock, that all changed. Though the muzzle brake takes most of the edge off the recoil (though a flash hider would be more practical in a self-defense shooting), I do have to credit the ACR stock for being more rigid and comfortable to shoulder; I like to bet that if I kept the flash hider the -L would have still have been more comfortable to shoot than with the FAST 2. I wish I had my -L set up like this back then when I had the guy with the .22LR rifle try it, it probably would have felt less intimidating.

 

[Northern]

My experience of the XCR-L in 5.56 with FAST stock could not possibly be any more different than what you described, and it makes me wonder if you had the gas up all the way? I experience it as nearly zero recoil and the stock is not unstable at all.

 

[Sean K.]

I thought so too even while my own -L was kicking me around when I first had it. But I think it really depends on how you set up the 5.56 rifle. In DI AR-15s like the M&P Sport II I cut my teeth into, recoil is translated into muzzle flip and I didn't remember getting significant recoil from shooting that. Piston-driven rifles like the XCR send a lot of that recoil straight down the barrel and into your shoulder and I sure got a lot of passive-aggressive punches from my -L's base configuration. My more experienced gun friends who also tried it noticed that the FAST 2 stock was too wobbly and thin to be comfortable. My gunsmithing friend suspects that it's because of the XCR's stock that it doesn't get much mainstream appeal even when it is available.

As soon as I switched to a muzzle brake and the ACR stock, that all changed. Though the muzzle brake takes most of the edge off the recoil (though a flash hider would be more practical in a self-defense shooting), I do have to credit the ACR stock for being more rigid and comfortable to shoulder; I like to bet that if I kept the flash hider the -L would have still have been more comfortable to shoot than with the FAST 2. I wish I had my -L set up like this back then when I had the guy with the .22LR rifle try it, it probably would have felt less intimidating.

There shouldn't be any wobble in your stock if adjusted properly.

 

[Sean K.]

My experience of the XCR-L in 5.56 with FAST stock could not possibly be any more different than what you described, and it makes me wonder if you had the gas up all the way? I experience it as nearly zero recoil and the stock is not unstable at all.

I'm running my new 5.56 9.5" with the gas all the way up since I'm still pretty low on round count. Even with M193, and the stnd A2 FH....recoil is not at all harsh.