[Rapier]

The follow-up:

On Saturday last, I took the AR Phoenix (risen from the ashes) to my range at the farm. This was a smoke test for the entire system and to give the Chicom circle dot cheapo scope another test. I had removed this scope before as it was not conducive to shooting MOA and left me without confidence in the result of tested loads, much less the scope itself. In this test I used squares half the size of prior tests.

I wanted to see if the old mag would run OK. To do this up right, I removed the first round from the original magazine the round that was bent and dinged, it took a blade strike down its length without touching the mag lips. The magazine itself was still loaded with the original ammo, dirt and all. Turned the mag upside down and did what amounted to an old time steel pot mag strike, three pops, to align the rounds at the rear. This should have dropped any loose sand and simulate real use in a dusty, sandy environment. Remember this mag was out of the gun, under mower blades in sand, weeds and grass.

I used Sweet Shooter to clean the new barrel of preservative and shot the barrel wet, round after round, (normal Sweet Shooter break in) after 6 rounds to get the AR on paper (old paper w to many holes), it took one more to get the impact inside a 1 inch square. The next three rounds went into .673 group leaving me with two rounds in the mag. Now I will clean the mag!

So we end up with a lower and a magazine that function and shoots after the Bush Hog ordeal. Beauty is as beauty does.
Ed

PS: The previous upper was a 1-9 twist mil spec, the new upper is a 1-9 mil spec so I just used the same loads.