stihl88 wrote:Agree on the lever location, not sure why he settled with it on the right but in the .gif above it looks reasonably seamless to function. I'm sure an adapter could be made to change it to ambidextrous, maybe not.
I think in these Cat B - style AR's you get what you pay fort, i look at all the videos on the constant issues around the Eureka's and similar and i wouldn't touch one with a 10 foot pole and i think they look too bulky for my eyes, maybe it's the lack of lines... On the OP SP15 almost everything is interchangeable with an AR. It's just missing the Gas system... but that's what i like about this 9mm idiation.
One of the issues on the Eureka was users not being able to reach the lever comfortably, having to move their hand too far around to release the bolt, apparently they're providing a second lever for those with short thumbs
bladeracer wrote:Ambidextrous wouldn't help me, the lever is simply in the wrong place, it should be operated by the support hand, not the firing hand. If you've tried the Buckmaster shotgun you'll know what I mean about the button release being best-positioned under your left thumb - it's as close as you can get to having the benefits of semi-auto without being semi-auto.
For me, all of these faux-AR's are way over-priced. They should be cheaper than bolt-action rifles in my opinion, not more expensive. I think the issue is trying to build them within Oz. They need to come up with a design that works, then hand it on to one of the overseas manufacturers to produce it at a realistic price. Otherwise they're always going to be aiming at a very limited niche market. These things are just novelty toys for me, especially in 9mm, which has virtually nothing to offer in a field rifle. Get them on the market for under $1000 though and I could see them selling like hotcakes to all those shooters that missed out on owning real semi-auto rifles.
stihl88 wrote:Yes he was aware of the different options of lever/button release including on the forend, not sure why he went with this final design.
They're not for everybody, I've got all the traditional stuff but the modularity and interchangeability of components of the AR platform can't be matched, they are by far the most versatile weapons system on the planet. I can do a full barrel swap in under 10 minutes, probably 5 min if i was on the clock, that's greased and torqued to spec and forend re-installed. Or about 10seconds with a simple upper receiver but that's the costly approach.
Yes the cost seems prohibitive at first, especially if you compare to the US market but that's comparing apples with oranges and we simply can't discount the R&D, tooling and one man show element in this cost and he certainly hasn't skimped on the end product unlike some in this class which IMO are CHEAP imitation garbage not even worth of the term "faux" as you say. By the time you purchase a Remington 700 and wack an Aluminium Chassis on it you're in for $3.5 -4k deep?
This probably wouldn't be my go to weapon for in the field, but if so it will still be useful inside 100yds. But there's several other boxes it does tick, some below to name a few, and if we applied most of these to most of my firearms then i'd have to rule out at least 2/3rd's of them;
- Juniors & the Missus can shoot
- Training
- H**e D*****e
- Interchangeability of mags/other platforrms
- Ammo & reloading cost
I see what you mean by "novelty", it would certainly be fun but still a very capable machine at the same time. At the end of the day it's each to their own and no one rifle ever fit's all. I'd have 5 of these over a single $20k shotgun, but that's just me.
Wyliecoyote wrote:I have to agree with blade here that these are yet another faux AR novelty item. But i have to add, what niche beyond plinking do they fill? What is the selection of 9mm hunting ammo like? I find it odd that these AR platform rifles are sold in a country that doesn't allow semi autos, have short barrels for a country that has zero suppressor licencing beyond special needs contractors and are universally missing from any form of competition. i have never seen one of these type rifles in competition anywhere. So that assumes most are bought under the hunting provision of our licensing laws. So another AR style rifle in a useless caliber that is no longer cheap to feed, fills not one requirement of any form of competition and will be most likely bought to take to range days as a talking point. They should sell like hotcakes.
Wyliecoyote wrote:I have to agree with blade here that these are yet another faux AR novelty item. But i have to add, what niche beyond plinking do they fill? What is the selection of 9mm hunting ammo like? I find it odd that these AR platform rifles are sold in a country that doesn't allow semi autos, have short barrels for a country that has zero suppressor licencing beyond special needs contractors and are universally missing from any form of competition. i have never seen one of these type rifles in competition anywhere. So that assumes most are bought under the hunting provision of our licensing laws. So another AR style rifle in a useless caliber that is no longer cheap to feed, fills not one requirement of any form of competition and will be most likely bought to take to range days as a talking point. They should sell like hotcakes.
stihl88 wrote:I love seeing Aussie manufacturers have a go, too many people piss and moan about not having access to stuff like this and when they finally bring it to the market in the best possible format to with in an inch of the law or in excess of in some states we find excuses to not own one.
Wouldn't be my go to hunting rifle but the followng video shows It's more than capable of doing the job if needed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1AHNWgrFnY
As for short barrel, 14" seems to be where peak performance is at.
There's a Pistol Caliber Carbine discipline which this platform meets minimum requirement of 9mm (9x19mm), IPSC Australia includes this discipline.
I agree, the lack of semi-auto is a definate drawback but I don't think it's the drawcard of the AR platform either. The rifle's modularity which allows for extensive customisation to suit individual needs without the need for a gunsmith in my opinion is it's drawcard otherwise they'd be making faux AK's, the most popular firearm on the planet!
A person i know wondered the same thing about the AR platform, was dead against them but something caught his eye and he ended up getting one after a while (the Wedgetail) and absolutely loves it and fully appreciates it's modularity.
bladeracer wrote:I'm certainly a fan of AR accessories, I have six Ruger Americans in MDT chassis, a spare chassis, and a big box of various AR bits to swap in and out of them as the whim takes me. But I don't need the complex machining required to make it look like an AR rifle, I'm much happier when they concentrate on making the best rifle they can rather than try to make it look like something it is not. My Chassis rifles were all bought as conventional rifles and I put them into their chassis, which made all of them (including the rimfires) cost me around $1600-$1800 each, including the rifle. If I travel interstate I can quickly drop them back into their conventional stocks.
I can't see any tangible value in the AR barrel system as I'm unlikely to be changing barrels, I'd rather have an additional rifle in the chambering I want so I can use either one whenever I want to. Conversion kits make great sense in handguns, not so much in rifles, for me at least.
The 9mm version would be great for 3-Gun, and for cheap practicing in the paddock, but I would have to fabricate a forend button-release for it. The Chimera should be on the market in weeks in .223 and that is a better design I think.
I agree that 9mm is great for training with, but .223 can be loaded down very cheaply as well, cheaper than I can load 9mm or .38 without casting my own bullets. I'm using 12-cent bullets in .223 and 24-cent bullets in .38 Special at the moment.
stihl88 wrote:Reloading
.223 - Currently $2 p/round (approx) makes sense to reload at $0.24c p/round but this doesn't factor in your time of course.
9mm - At about 50-60c p/round I think reloads would make sense only if pumping out large numbers or desire speacilty ammo and have time spare.
Just looking at some rough numbers on the net and in theory, general consensus is 9mm is roughly 25% cheaper to reload than .223.
bladeracer wrote:stihl88 wrote:Reloading
.223 - Currently $2 p/round (approx) makes sense to reload at $0.24c p/round but this doesn't factor in your time of course.
9mm - At about 50-60c p/round I think reloads would make sense only if pumping out large numbers or desire speacilty ammo and have time spare.
Just looking at some rough numbers on the net and in theory, general consensus is 9mm is roughly 25% cheaper to reload than .223.
24c nowadays will barely buy the primer
I haven't found commercial 9mm bullets as cheap as the bulk .224" 55gn, 62gn and 69gn bullets offered by Cleaver. I can load 9mm with commercial bullets as cheaply as I'm loading .223, but only because Cleaver has a special on at the moment for cast bullets at 14c apiece, more than I paid for jacketed .224" bullets. I can definitely load 9mm for less than jacketed .223 if I cast the 9mm bullets myself. Using commercial bullets I'm loading .38 Special for 33c a round now, but I've discovered cheaper bullets that should get it down to 23c a round. But when I run out of primers the price will go up by at least 14c a round. I don't see 9mm being significantly different, it just uses a couple more grains of powder. And I'm making around 200rds per hour.
I'll continue loading my own pistol ammo. I don't need particularly large amounts of 9mm. I'm hoping to regularly do four pistol matches per month, two IPSC and two Cowboy, plus matches at my local club so I'm allowing maybe 300rds of centrefire a month next year. I enjoy practicing more than competing so I'll be burning more than that on my own, but I would do most of my practicing with .22LR.
bladeracer wrote:
I'll continue loading my own pistol ammo. I don't need particularly large amounts of 9mm. I'm hoping to regularly do four pistol matches per month, two IPSC and two Cowboy, plus matches at my local club so I'm allowing maybe 300rds of centrefire a month next year. I enjoy practicing more than competing so I'll be burning more than that on my own, but I would do most of my practicing with .22LR.
alexjones wrote:I do like pistol calibre carbines(PCC). Something like this would be good for sports. IPSC, 3 gun etc. Would also be good to use at pistol ranges.
Something like this could be used for hunting small game at close distances but I would 100% bet the people who buy this will use it as a range toy or backyard plinker. Nothing wrong with that. The more guns on the market the better.
I like the fake AR guns such as Warricks, Oceanias, Wedgetails etc because it gets a lot of younger people into shooting because the guns look "cool". And the more younger people we get into guns the better our chances are at changing the laws to get real ARs back into the hands of the people of Queensland if not the Commonwealth. Children are the key to getting better gun laws. Get them whilst they are young into liking guns and freedom before they become commies.
Wyliecoyote wrote:A mate i saw over Christmas rang Oceania about cost and availability. He went no further when told $5k retail for the rifle.