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DPMS GII Recon review


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Hey guys, sorry it has been so long since i reported on the GII. I will post a link to all the past info I posted for anyone just catching up.
I have had quite a few distractions from the range to include trying to start a new business making slings
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having a weapon malfunction and rip my hand open (I suggest everyone stays away from the double tap defense)
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And throwing my dang back out! :/

Anyways, I I have made a couple of modifications that I feel are helpful. First off, I dumped the magpul moe grip... I didn't like it, although the storage is very nice.
NCM_0465_zpsofjvtaks.jpg
If anyone would like to purchase or trade for it, let me know. I need 308 and 45acp reloading supplies!
It was replaced with the hogue grip. Its my #1 suggestion on any Ar or ak platform.
Next to go were the magpul mbus sights. Dont get me wrong, these sights are GREAT! I personally believe they are superior to any other back up sight by design, not material, because although they are IMHO ugly, they lock in the down position, instead of locking up. This means if you have your sights deployed and drop your firearm, the sights simply close, instead of bending or breaking.
I went with a combo of troy dioptic and diamondhead sights, because I personally like the diamond aperture, and the cross hairs on the troy. And they look cool. Oh well, the mbus sights went onto my training rifle.

One thing that I believe needs to be changed is the rail.
THE GII PLATFORM DOES NOT ACCEPT ALL AR15 FORENDS LIKE DPMS ADVERTISED!!!
I wish they had not advertised this, as I was going to have it set up with an identical rail to my trainer for training purposes. Fail. Ill have to send it back and go a different route.
The stock rail is HEAVY, uncomfortable, and over sized.
Ok! To the meat and potatoes!
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So far I have fired 110 rnds with no malfunctions. It has fired cheap zq1 ammo, Winchester white box, as well as handloads as light as 43 grains imr4064 (minimum suggested load)
It doesnt seem to care if ammo is crimped or uncrimped. Regardless of ammo, it has been ejecting to the 3 o clock, and if I do my part, it will put all the brass in a nice little pile.
I have been shooting about 5" 5 shot groups at 100 yards, but I am using iron sights and its windy. But most importantly, im not a great shot ;-)
Regardless, the barrel is not fully broken in, and I have no doubt that with the right shooter and optics, this would be a 1 moa shooter.
Oh! Also worth noting, the two stage trigger is NICE. in fact, I installed the exact same two stage trigger into my training rifle, and it doesnt break nearly as cleanly. I am VERY happy with the GII recons two stage trigger. (not all models of GII come with this trigger)
There are a few aesthetic things to note about the platform. The bolt release button really doesnt fit the the relief in the upper receiver well. It is tall and narrow, and the relief is short and square, so the button mars the finish a bit.
The lower receiver is wider than the upper in the rear where the buffer tube screws in, so sometimes if you aren't careful, when you charge the weapon, your finger will smash that edge... it sounds lame, but it can be fairly uncomfortable.

But this isn't a custom firearm. Its a mass produced piece, that I feel will set a new standard in the market. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask, and i will do my best to answer them properly. I will continue to update as I can.

Here is the previous GII link that i wrote up. It has some good pictures of the funky internals.

Edited by beachmaster
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To be honest, I haven't taken the rail out of the package. It is a Midwest industries ss gii rail, for the Ar15. When i saw the Midwest industries came out with a rail specifically for the GII, I called them and asked if mine would fit. They said no, and they said alot of people in the industry were a little frustrated when dpms advertised that ar15 rails would fit. Apparently only dpms' ar15 rails fit.

Which kinda sucks, because the only rail that M.I. makes for the GII right now is a keymod... and I am not all in on the keymod deal.

I was hoping M.I. would exchange my rail for the GII rail, as they are the same price, but I have to go through the distributor from whom I purchase the rail from, which is midwayusa. Midwayusa doesnt have the GII rail yet, and they dont know when they will get it, so now I have to send my rail back to them and buy directly from Midwest industries.

Its a conundrum I wish I could have avoided. DPMS has had excellent cs in my experience, but the logistics of this issue are irritating :/

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The rifle does slap me around a little bit if I dont respect it. I shot 56 rnds from a bench, and i do have some bruising. But it was never brutal. Shooting slugs from a rest is a bit brutal after awhile... but so rewarding to see such large holes at 100 yards... :-D

I had a piecemeal Ar308 before this one, and i would say its recoil was a tad softer, but without doing a side by side comparison, I cant honestly say.

Ill take the light weight. It isn't too light yet... the rail weighs a ton, but once I get an m.I. on it, it will be a light set up :-)

And i wont be getting any aftermarket buffers for awhile... I am too poor, and i have to focus on reloading!

But if anyone wants to send me one to get a review of it through the GII, I can test it and return it. Or test it and keep it ;-)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Alright, new report for anyone following...

 

I took my rifle to a local gunsmith to install the midwest industries keymod rail (because they don't make a genII Ss rail for the GII), because I didn't want to mess something up myself. This rifle is my baby.

 

Well, I got a call from him today... I had heard rumors of DPMS being quite fond of red loctite.

 

The gunsmith couldn't even get the flashider off without a torch, so he contacted dpms. I am afraid the flash hider and barrel nut are red loctited. This might be great for the guy who wants to buy the rifle and never change the muzzle brake or handguard, but it is not great for us tinkerers... which I think might be the majority of the active users on this forum lol

 

So, there you go, DPMS is still at it with red loctite where they shouldn't be, costing me money. I am glad I am not doing it, because I would have destroyed something with a 6 foot cheater bar by now.

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I use it when appropriate, but I think on certain items either it doesnt belong, or a blue loctite should be used.

Flash suppresors, to the best of my knowledge, do just fine with just a crush washer. And I believe the barrel nut, torqued to the proper spec, shouldn't need anything.

I am by no means an expert. Its just, to get these things off shouldn't require a torch in my opinion.

Loctite is great! But there is a correct loctite for any circumstance where it is needed.

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  • 2 weeks later...

daddybearandbaby_zps3ce30615.jpg

 

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Well, I got the new handguard on, and finally my two dpms' match. The gunsmith had to torch the muzzle brake, and still had to throw a giant cheater bar on his wrench with the barrel in a vice to get the flash hider on. If dpms is listening, this is a STUPID idea. Hopefully I will have a range report this weekend!

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daddybearandbaby_zps3ce30615.jpg

 

Fullpictureshowoff_zps72ad40fe.jpg

 

Well, I got the new handguard on, and finally my two dpms' match. The gunsmith had to torch the muzzle brake, and still had to throw a giant cheater bar on his wrench with the barrel in a vice to get the flash hider on. If dpms is listening, this is a STUPID idea. Hopefully I will have a range report this weekend!

Sexy! I'm trying to convince Bmoney to do this to his Recon.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

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