Gun Stuff: Beating Murphy

This three-shot group was fired with Hornady subsonic .300 Blackout ammo tipped with 208-grain AMAX bullets. Note how the author raised the height of the scope by sandwiching a quick-detachable picatinny scope base between the scope rings and the receiver’s flat top rail.

Last week, I reported that I was struggling with Murphy’s Law while testing and evaluation (T&E) of a Black Rain Ordnance Spec-15 Urban rifle and silencer. I was having riflescope problems that ultimately led me to mounting a Leupold 6.5-20X 50mm VX3 riflescope on the rifle.

I used a set of tactical rings to mount the scope on the receiver’s flat-top picatinny rail. Problem solved—NOT!

These were low rings, and the scope’s objective bell barely cleared the free-floated fore end. Worse, I had to tilt my head sideways to line up my eye so I could see through the scope.

Eugene Stoner was no dummy. When he designed the original AR platform, he realized that the standard A2-type stock was too straight to allow a shooter to look through the sights with his head erect, like a normal human being. The solution was to raise the rear sight to the top of a carry handle and place the front sight atop an equally high pedestal or post.

I needed to raise the riflescope high enough to use comfortably. Otherwise, I would have to do the range testing with a very awkward head position—not good. My quick and dirty solution was to piggyback the scope rings onto a quick-detachable picatinny scope base. This, in turn, would grip onto the rifle’s flattop picatinny rail.

I know, I know—this was stupid and potentially unstable, but it worked.

At the shooting range, I was able to shoot sub-MOA groups with subsonic factory loads by Hornady with 208-grain AMAX bullets and Gorilla with 220-grain Sierra Matchking bullets. However, with gusty winds present, I was not able to match the ½ inch group I had posted last week with Hornady ammo before the scope failure that ended that shooting session.

Both ammo brands launched at slightly more than 1,000 feet per second, which produced almost no muzzle noise signature or sonic crack downrange. Either load would be a fine choice either for home defense or feral hog hunting, especially at night with thermal, infrared or light amplification sight equipment.

Finally, with Murphy vanquished, I have successfully shown that the Black Rain Ordnance Spec-15 Urban rifle will consistently shoot sub-MOA with a silencer attached. Mission accomplished.

Story by Stan Skinner