Favorite Firearms: From Fickle To Finest

by
posted on January 29, 2024
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
AR-15 rifle

The AR-15 rifle is wildly popular for many reasons: accuracy, modularity, magazine capacity and an ergonomic design that cannot be beat. For those of a certain bent, however, the venerable 5.56 NATO cartridge has always left us cold. Fortunately, Eugene Stoner’s original AR-10 was designed for 7.62 NATO (.308 caliber), so the platform can handle considerable pressures. A flood of new chamberings over the past two decades has forever altered the AR power equation, depending upon one’s preferences and tolerance for recoil.

Being a huge fan of Mikhail Kalashnikov’s 7.62x39 mm AK-47 cartridge, I always dreamed of combining the two into my ideal AR-platform rifle. Before 2010, this proved daunting for several reasons. With comparatively less pressure than the 5.56 NATO (around 45,000 vs. 55,000 p.s.i.), cycling the 7.62x39 mm round in an AR-15 can be problematic, to say the least. Reliable 30-round magazines didn’t exist back then either, making jams common. Spoiled AK fans will also appreciate my visceral dislike for direct-impingement operation, which channels fouling straight back into the finicky AR-15 bolt carrier.

In February 2008, I finally bit the bullet, so to speak, purchasing a DPMS Arms AR-15 in 7.62x39 mm. Needless to say, the rifle suffered from all of the above shortcomings. But I already knew that going in: Far from a trustworthy defensive arm, the DPMS started out as a fickle work in progress that I proceeded to rebuild from the inside out.

First was an Adams Arms adjustable block piston and Samson handguard, eliminating my fouling problem. However, even at full throttle, brass 7.62x39 mm ammunition still would not cycle reliably. So, next came a low-friction Wolff recoil spring combined with a split buffer (two 1.5-oz. stock buffers instead of one 3 oz.), cutting resistance in half. Last, but not least, dependable magazines from DuraMag and other manufacturers became widely available around 2015 or so, lending my AR its customary 30-round firepower. Suddenly, my wildcat hobby-project DPMS was a 100-percent-reliable, hard-hitting tack-driver. I now consider it to be the finest firearm I’ve ever owned.

Moral of the story? All that fun and effort finally paid off. Come the zombie apocalypse, what started as a recreational labor of love will now be my very first tool in hand.

—Marc Edelstein

Latest

SIG P211 01
SIG P211 01

New For 2025: SIG Sauer P211-GTO

SIG Sauer introduced its first hybrid-frame, 2011-style pistol at its 2025 NEXT product launch event, and the P211-GTO blends features from the M1911 with design elements from the P320.

Sellmark Breaks Ground On “Verdexium” Project

In an effort to reduce reliance on international supply chains and bolster domestic manufacturing, Sellmark Corp.—parent company of the Sightmark, Pulsar, Inforce, Kopfjäger, Firefield, BulletSafe and Dark 30 brands—has broken ground on a new manufacturing complex in Mansfield, Texas, that it calls a “transformative force for American-led growth and innovation.”

Gun Of The Week: Heritage Manufacturing 92

American Rifleman staff are on the range with one of the most iconic lever-actions ever created, except this one has a bit of a plot twist—it is a model made overseas and imported by Heritage Manufacturing.

The Armed Citizen® July 25, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Victory In The Air: One Smith & Wesson Victory Revolver's Story

A primary source investigation into the service history of a Smith & Wesson Victory revolver used by the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Firearm Industry Responds To Aid Texas Flood Victims

Only a few days after the tragedy struck, two of the firearm industry’s foremost companies were raising funds for the victims and organizations dedicated to providing support through devastating floods in Texas.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.