AR-15’s, there are so many different manufacturers to choose from. I myself only have one. I choose a gas piston rifle: the LWRCI M6A2 chambered in 5.56 or .223. As with all firearms, it comes down to the owner’s preference. I’m not here to say that gas piston is better than direct impingement. Don’t know what I’m talking about, Google it! There’s plenty of articles and opinions out there. I used to have a Frankenstein AR-15 with a CMMG upper. I sold it to a friend not long after I had the M6A2. Anyone who owns a DI AR-15 knows that it’s a pain to clean after a long day of shooting. With the M6A2’s short stroke gas piston system, cleaning is an easy task; just clean the barrel and wipe down the bolt and that’s pretty much all there is to it. I didn’t choose my AR just because it was easy to clean, I choose it after I did my research. I do a lot of research before I come up with my decision to purchase anything, especially firearms.
LWRCI is known for making high quality short stroke gas piston rifles. All of their rifles are made here in the USA. I originally wanted an HK MR556, but with msrp starting around $3,000.00, that was out of my reach financially. So LWRCI was my next choice. The M6A2 along with all of the rifles they make have 41V45 steel alloy barrels that are cold hammer forged and coated with a NiCorr finish. A standard M4/AR-15 barrel usually lasts about 6-10,000 rounds before needing to be replaced, the LWRCI barrels are rated to last 20,000. The Bolt Carrier is nickel coated to enhance reliability. Overall, every piece in their rifles are of high quality and made to last. This is why I only need one AR-15-want is another story as I always want more! I bought my M6A2 many years ago for $2,100. It’s considered a legacy rifle system on their website currently. If you follow the gun industry, there’s always something new coming out. My M6A2 is still relevant even today and probably for my entire lifetime. It has a mid-length Troy picatinny rail and BUIS.
Appearance: My personal M6A2 has Magpul furniture all over it: an ACS stock, MIAD grip, XTM rail covers, AFG1. All of the furniture has been customized with a dye job by a good friend of mine and it looks close to Multicam.
Optics: I have a Trijicon RX30 reflex sight with a 6 MOA Amber dot. I choose this optic because it requires no batteries to operate, it uses fiber optics to catch ambient light and self adjusts brightness automatically. In low light/no light, it uses tritium. The dot is a bit big at 6 MOA, but it is easy to acquire and it is good enough to engage a man sized target over a 100 yards and beyond. It is zeroed in at 50 yards. The Troy HK style BUIS are heavy duty and well made.
Weapon Light: currently attached is a Streamlight TLR-1 HP LED weapon light. It has an output of 200 lumens and runtime of 1.75 hours. I have a remote switch that attaches to the picatinny rail, which makes it easy to switch on with my support thumb.
Muzzle Device: it came with a standard A2 birdcage and a good friend of mine gave me a Surefire MB556K, which is now attached. I still have yet to shoot it with it on, but I am sure it’s going to be loud! Surefire is developing a concussion reduction device that will attach to it and I plan on getting one when they’re available.
On the range: the M6A2 is accurate. At 50 yards where it is zeroed, it shoots groups much smaller than a dime. I’ve run it through classes and training days at the range with no failures whatsoever.
In conclusion, the LWRCI M6A2 exceeds my expectations and requirements of a carbine. It’s much heavier than most other AR-15’s, and has a price tag of more than double of a standard rifle. It’s not the latest and greatest rifle out there, but it has been reliable and accurate. I am confident I got my money’s worth out of it.