So how did the SSAR-15 Slide fires turn out - worth it?

[Hol3shot]

I'm thinking about picking up an M&P 15-22 to go plinking with my reg. M&P 15, but get a slide fire stock I could use with them.

I have never shot one, or seen someone shoot one. So I am really curious to hear how you guys like them. I figure after that group buy there should be a few of you that have used them by now to say whether it is worth it or not.

I'd love to shoot one (I've got plenty of ammo) if anyone wants to meet up at Freestate one of these days. I'll be up there tomorrow by chance, to do the paperwork on a H&K P7 I picked up.

So let's hear it - do they rock?

 

[mopar92]

Do not use a Slidefire on a blowback AR. Blowback ARs have timing issues which can result in the weapon firing out of battery. This make de rifle go "boom".

 

[Hol3shot]

So these only work on the piston style AR's?

 

[mopar92]

So these only work on the piston style AR's?

No they work on regular direct impingement ARs. Just not blowback operated (generally pistol calibers). Oh and piston ARs just straight up suck.

 

[DaemonAssassin]

No they work on regular direct impingement ARs. Just not blowback operated (generally pistol calibers). Oh and piston ARs just straight up suck.

I never could figure out why people liked the piston AR's. If the design isn't broken why try to "fix" it?

For some AR's like the LWRC REPR (.308) I can understand it being a piston gun due to the multiple roles it can fulfill with a single upper (single shot sniper platform, semi-auto, and suppressed), but I can't understand the reasons people who want a piston upper for the AR that fires 5.56. For crying out loud here, the parts are proprietary to the manufacturer of the piston system and there is no industry standard for the rods, "gas key", bolt carrier, etc... In the end if a part fails you can't scavenge parts from a parts gun to fix it, like you can for a DGI AR. If a the BC breaks on a Bushmaster, you can get a BC made by Rock River or Colt that will work as well as one made by Bushmaster.

Everybody has their opinion on the DGI/piston debate, but in a nutshell in my eyes, if the gun was never designed for a piston it shouldn't have one bolted on.

As for the slide fire stocks, they look cool but I would want to wait a few years to see if there are any issues that develop over the course of a few years, before buying one.

 

[Kingjamez]

I use my slide fire with my .22 conversion kit and with high velocity ammo, it's awesome. I see lots of folks bringing up the bolt bounce issue with the .22's, but haven't yet seen any report of it actually occurring with a slide fire stick. Plenty of people have been using the stocks for years now with the 15-22.

-Jim

 

[kalister1]

A Friend has one that he USED to use on a 9 mm AR. He had too many out of battery fires and stopped using it.

 

[Just a Guy at the Range]

A Friend has one that he USED to use on a 9 mm AR. He had too many out of battery fires and stopped using it.

The issue is one of hammer follow. As explained to me by the Slidefire folks them-own-selves. The nature of the AR fire control group is such that the hammer can fall prior to the bolt being in battery. The beauty of the AR-15 bolt/carrier group is that, until it is in almost full lock up, it is longer than the firing pin, and therefore the hammer cannot contact the firing pin prematurely, in "bump" or "full Auto" mode, for an out of battery detonation.

Most blowback AR's (generally pistol caliber) have a one piece bolt/carrier group that is shorter than the firing pin. Sucessful operation depends on the bolt being fully forward, or in battery, before the hammer is released. This is usually not an issue, as the blots are faster than the average human.

Enter the Slidefire; it allows the trigger group to drop the hammer faster than the average human, and the hammer follows the bolt, contacting the firing pin while the bolt is still in motion towards battery. There are several ideas floating around to fix this issue, that I have not had the time to explore. Maybe this winter.

And FYI: I have a friend who has one for the Saiga shotgun, now that is a joyous experience...

 

[Ganegrei]

A Friend has one that he USED to use on a 9 mm AR. He had too many out of battery fires and stopped using it.

I would have hoped he would stop after one....

 

[BenL]

A Friend has one that he USED to use on a 9 mm AR. He had too many out of battery fires and stopped using it.

I was getting out of battery dets with a .22LR AR and thought that sucked.

 

[Hol3shot]

I'm getting the feeling here that there aren't too many happy customers???

I see KingJames is the only one that seems to like it and not had any issues.

 

[Just a Guy at the Range]

I'm getting the feeling here that there aren't too many happy customers???

I see KingJames is the only one that seems to like it and not had any issues.

Quite the contrary, it works great on the platforms for which it was designed, a locking AR-15/10 and now the Saiga 12. Its when we push the design envelope, as we are want to do, that undocumented issues arise......mine is a keeper.

 

[BradMacc82]

I'm getting the feeling here that there aren't too many happy customers???

I see KingJames is the only one that seems to like it and not had any issues.

There hasn't been an issue, yet.

The odds of the OOB on blowbacks are enough to consider not pursuing that option as of yet, but everyone's free to do as they please.

You may get thousands of rounds off w/out an issue, but it's an odds game, and the odds are it's eventually going to happen if you do it enough.

 

[r3t1awr3yd]

Slidefire on my AR-15 is more fun than I can express in words.

 

[Kingjamez]

I was getting out of battery dets with a .22LR AR and thought that sucked.

Would love to hear some details on your setup. I've been running mine for a long time with no issues. I'd love to know the differences in our setups.

-Jim