Maxim roller delay AR9 buffer

[alucard0822]

Genius at work, ain't got no time for executive function BS.

 

[outrider58]

Not sure if I was getting a shadow or seeing dirt or something, cleaned them off, the machining is good, better than most barrels in fact. just a little streaking, but nothing like Doc T's posted above, he might have just View attachment 432773 View attachment 432774 got a bad one.

That looks more better.

 

[smdub]

Had a rainy day off, so grabbed a comp PCC and a suppressed SBR to try out several buffers.
...

Great write up! I posted in the wrong 9mm thread this morning but my Mean Arms should be here Tues. When do you want to get together for a review/comparison?

 

[Worsley]

Mine isn't bad, pretty smooth , but definite streaks that I normally see when a bit is worn.


LOL, my theory that with great intelligence comes a messy workbench holds true.

Oh hell no, the messier the work space the more escapes and FOD we see in manufacturing costing us millions per year. We’ve spent a fortune to organize workflows.

 

[teratos]

Oh hell no, the messier the work space the more escapes and FOD we see in manufacturing costing us millions per year. We’ve spent a fortune to organize workflows.

Easy…this is my hobby room. A small space for reloading, milling, lathe, smithing and watchmaking.

 

[Worsley]

Easy…this is my hobby room. A small space for reloading, milling, lathe, smithing and watchmaking.

ahhhhhh….. you know how to have fun.

 

[erwos]

I finally had a chance to take mine out for a spin, and I was really quite impressed. About a hundred rounds of ammo, no failures, and a noticeable recoil reduction. There was still a bit of dot bounce, but I found super-fast doubles to be pretty easy at 15yds on an 8" target, with very minimal side-to-side dispersion (which is really the bigger problem for action shooting).

Verdict's still out on reliability, but at least for 124gr 9mm backed by 4.0gr Titegroup, it runs like a well-tuned watch so far. I would certainly recommend it based on my current experiences.

 

[erwos]

Alright, I shot it at a match.

I have mostly good things to report. Reliability was good - only one failure to feed, and my squadmates felt that it was bad (reloaded) ammo upon inspection. Recoil reduction was stellar, IMHO - I was able to run the gun very hard in terms of moving and shooting, and I was able to keep to A/C hits without a lot of drama.

Where I kinda got bit was on unloaded starts (there were 2). The LevAR is great for loaded starts, but slow and awkward for unloaded starts. I honestly think I would have been better off with a Radian Raptor CH and just pulling through as hard as I could. It's just not THAT hard to pull through on if you're really going for it.

Basically, I think in a situation like Falling Steel at AGC, where you're generally assured of having a loaded gun in your hands, the MD RDB is pretty sweet. If unloaded starts are a thing, it hurts a bit.

 

[outrider58]

Alright, I shot it at a match.

I have mostly good things to report. Reliability was good - only one failure to feed, and my squadmates felt that it was bad (reloaded) ammo upon inspection. Recoil reduction was stellar, IMHO - I was able to run the gun very hard in terms of moving and shooting, and I was able to keep to A/C hits without a lot of drama.

Where I kinda got bit was on unloaded starts (there were 2). The LevAR is great for loaded starts, but slow and awkward for unloaded starts. I honestly think I would have been better off with a Radian Raptor CH and just pulling through as hard as I could. It's just not THAT hard to pull through on if you're really going for it.

Basically, I think in a situation like Falling Steel at AGC, where you're generally assured of having a loaded gun in your hands, the MD RDB is pretty sweet. If unloaded starts are a thing, it hurts a bit.

I would try a standard CH with a very extended latch. Use the butt(pinky end) of your hand to charge.

 

[smdub]

I got to shoot the Mean Arms ball delayed upper today @ AGC. 4" bbl w/ OSS RAD45 in short config. We all forgot to bring our spare buffers so we couldn't tune it. (thats what I get for cleaning out my range bag!) My Kynshot-HD would short stroke. Eric had a H2 that would cycle w/ 147gr UMC but not 115gr. Did a couple mag dumps so can confirm it works but didn't bring my RDB to compare it to. We didn't notice any excess gas to the face so that was good. Fairly easy to keep on target.

My quick impression of the upper is what I worried about originally.
1) The plastic handguard is crap. It doesn't cover the suppressor and you REALLY have to be concious to not grab the hot bit in front.
2) The upper receiver w/ no shell defelector was a bad choice. It was throwing brass at 5'oclock - just like their videos. A lefty (or off-hand in a competition) will need neck protection. It had perfect brass aim though. You could hold a small jar and catch them all its so consistent.

If I keep this thing it will get moved to an Aero Enhanced upper w/ shell deflector and a long handguard over the suppressor.

Anyway, if somsone wants to meet at the range to compare, it's working and I'm available.

 

[alucard0822]

I got to shoot the Mean Arms ball delayed upper today @ AGC. 4" bbl w/ OSS RAD45 in short config. We all forgot to bring our spare buffers so we couldn't tune it. (thats what I get for cleaning out my range bag!) My Kynshot-HD would short stroke. Eric had a H2 that would cycle w/ 147gr UMC but not 115gr. Did a couple mag dumps so can confirm it works but didn't bring my RDB to compare it to. We didn't notice any excess gas to the face so that was good. Fairly easy to keep on target.

My quick impression of the upper is what I worried about originally.
1) The plastic handguard is crap. It doesn't cover the suppressor and you REALLY have to be concious to not grab the hot bit in front.
2) The upper receiver w/ no shell defelector was a bad choice. It was throwing brass at 5'oclock - just like their videos. A lefty (or off-hand in a competition) will need neck protection. It had perfect brass aim though. You could hold a small jar and catch them all its so consistent.

If I keep this thing it will get moved to an Aero Enhanced upper w/ shell deflector and a long handguard over the suppressor.

Anyway, if somsone wants to meet at the range to compare, it's working and I'm available.

Thanks for the report, very little info about them in the wild. The upper/ handguard and cost were kind of a dealbreaker for me. If there is a kit for a reasonable cost that drops in 3rd party uppers, I would be more inclined to check it out.

 

[alucard0822]

Alright, I shot it at a match.

I have mostly good things to report. Reliability was good - only one failure to feed, and my squadmates felt that it was bad (reloaded) ammo upon inspection. Recoil reduction was stellar, IMHO - I was able to run the gun very hard in terms of moving and shooting, and I was able to keep to A/C hits without a lot of drama.

Where I kinda got bit was on unloaded starts (there were 2). The LevAR is great for loaded starts, but slow and awkward for unloaded starts. I honestly think I would have been better off with a Radian Raptor CH and just pulling through as hard as I could. It's just not THAT hard to pull through on if you're really going for it.

Basically, I think in a situation like Falling Steel at AGC, where you're generally assured of having a loaded gun in your hands, the MD RDB is pretty sweet. If unloaded starts are a thing, it hurts a bit.

Awesome. Having tried a few handles, for me a Raptor is a requirement. My RDBs are easier to rack with a Raptor than an FM side charger with big paratrooper handle. I hate unloaded starts in PCC, especially with big awkward extended mags. Depends if rules require closed or open bolt to start. Did one match that required closed bolt/empty chamber. Slapping a full mag then trying to rack wasn't great. I used a BAD lever, racked and locked it open soon as I hit the shoot box, then did an emergency reload and was better

 

[erwos]

Awesome. Having tried a few gandles, for me a Raptor is a requirement. My RDBs are easier to rack with a Raptor than an FM side charger with big paratrooper handle. I hate unloaded starts in PCC, especially with big awkward extended mags. Depends if rules require closed or open bolt to start. Did one match that required closed bolt/empty chamber. Slapping a full mag then trying to rack wasn't great. I used a BAD lever, racked and locked it open soon as I hit the shoot box, then did an emergency reload and was better

Unloaded starts are pretty much a stage specific thing in IDPA and USPSA, but I can't count on them not being in a match. I'm not saying that the MD RDB is unusable in this context, but it's clear that using the LevAR isn't the solution vs muscling through it with a Radian Raptor. If SOLGW does their usual BF sale, I'll grab another one there.

 

[smdub]

FYI, Mean Arms is releasing their new Exomag in Jan. Its an all-in-one 9mm mag that doesn't require a Magpul shell like their Endomags do. They have a bolt hold open too. Come in 10-40rd capacities. Wish they had metal feed lips but it is what it is. Right now they have 10% off w/ code INFLATIONSUCKS.
www.meanarms.com

 

[calicojack]

So has roller-delayed blow back totally superseded radial-delayed blow back in terms of performance?

 

[teratos]

So has roller-delayed blow back totally superseded radial-delayed blow back in terms of performance?

If the rollers are in front of the BCG, it will. If the rollers are behind the BCG, it’s a “poor man’s roller delay”.