"Canned" CAR-15 223, 22 unit IDEAL

[andy]

for combat and poaching NOW, and after shtf, their lw, concealment, ability to last a long time, not make you flinch-miss, not have flash at night, be used by one hand, be fixable-replaceable(along with their ammo) be cleanable in the field, even at night, in bad weather, be rustproof, have luminous sights, see thru scope mount, etc,makes this rifle the perfect choice for the survivalist. I consider it ideal for nearly all of the shooting that's done NOW, actually. How many hunt really big game,hmm? A cached Nagaint, $50, could handle that if, NEED be, ya know. Big game season is just a very small part of the year, and once you take one elk or moose, or bear, that's it for the year. Taking one deer is it for the year, in many parts of the country. For small game, the .22 unit serves just fiine and it and the 223 are perfect for matches, varmints, and plinking.

[John in AR]

Originally posted by 223 fan
"Canned" CAR-15 223, 22 unit IDEAL for combat and poaching NOW, and after shtf, their lw, concealment, ability to last a long time, not make you flinch-miss, not have flash at night, be used by one hand, be fixable-replaceable(along with their ammo) be cleanable in the field, even at night, in bad weather, be rustproof, have luminous sights, see thru scope mount, etc,makes this rifle the perfect choice for the survivalist.

Agree with one caveat. It's basically ideal for someone in an area like mine ; which is probably most of North America. I.E., no really long-range shooting possible, no (or very little) game that is both large and dangerous, and no arctic or near-arctic conditions.

For most people in this climate and setting, the CAR-15 is (IMO) the best combination (dare I say "compromise") of factors. Decent power, decent range, etc.



...I consider it ideal for nearly all of the shooting that's done NOW, actually. How many hunt really big game,hmm?

I do. Black bear now, and elk when the season is broadened up to allow for more than a "lottery"-picked few to hunt them. Frankly, I'd not be "too" leery of using the 5.56 for defense even on black bear if need be. Not my first choice, obviously, but it's not such a slouch ballistically. Not a caliber I'd use for elk unless I was very hungry, and willing to dump multiple shots into the animal as quick as possible.

Should I kick the anthill a little & point out that I use my "pos joke" revolver for bear...? :D


...A cached Nagaint, $50, could handle that if, NEED be, ya know. Big game season is just a very small part of the year, and once you take one elk or moose, or bear, that's it for the year. Taking one deer is it for the year, in many parts of the country.

One bear and three deer here.


For small game, the .22 unit serves just fiine and it and the 223 are perfect for matches, varmints, and plinking.

I put off buying one of the Ciener .22LR units for several years before finally buying one. Now it rides with the gun pretty much always. The conversion unit (replacement bolt), 10-round magazine, and three 50-round boxes of .22LR ammo fit in one 30-round .223 magazine pocket. I've heard varying tales of how reliable these units are; some saying they had to do a lot of smoothing and even dremel work to get them reliable, and others saying they worked fine out of the box.

Mine worked acceptably 'out of the box', once I learned what it liked, and what it doesn't. If I avoid the Aguila 'SSS' subsonic 60-grain load, it works "ok"; read that as probably 95%. One malfunction (usually failure to eject after successful extraction), every other magazine or so. For defensive use, that's not acceptable, but for a plinking/training/small-game-hunting .22 autorifle, I can live with it; and frankly, it'll likely just get smoother as time goes on.

[andy]

the chamber with dremel and polishing point, clean the chamber good, first and after, and true the point first. Preferably, spin the chamber in a drill press or lathe. You are only looking to be "at it" for about 10 seconds, or you will over do it, make the chamber egg shaped, etc. dont go so far up into the chamber that you wear down the shoulder of the "leade", either.

The other thing you can do is measure the size of the OD of the extractor spring. get a nail the same or a bit smaller OD. Slice off about 3/32" disk of the nail. Remove the extractor, drop in the disk into the spring hole. this will cause more spring tension on the extractor. You can get the Ciener unit to at least 99% reliability, perhaps even 99.5%.

[andy]

position, I'd not hesitate to shoot bear or elk or moose with CAR-223, to 100m, temple shots. Drop them like a rock.

[andy]

is a major help in protecting you and in not scaring off other animals. Also, the 223 and .22lr stay more efficient available than anything else. The CAR stays more concealable, one hand usable, etc, than anyhting else. There's far more livestock and small game animals, birds, cats, and dogs, than elk or moose or bears, and the centerfires are very much wasted on the former type of meat getting.