Recently, On Target magazine announced the 2023 Editor's Choice Award winner of the short rifle - Caracal USA CAR816 A2 SBR.
This is not to say that traditional AR-15 rifles with automatic airducts are unreliable, in fact, for the most part, they perform very well. However, in extremely harsh environments, especially with a silencer installed, a well-designed AR-15 rifle with a piston short-stroke automatic method is more advantageous. They are unfussy about ammunition, can shoot reliably in dirty environments, and require less routine cleaning and maintenance. At the same time, only a small amount of gunpowder gas entered the inside of the receiver. After the ancillary device, the rifle is cleaner, cooler, and quieter when firing.
This article is a review published by On Target magazine, written by D**e Bahde, translated and edited by me.
In terms of barrel length, for those friends who are willing to deal with the NFA, 11The 5-inch (292mm) long barrel is still the most effective barrel length for law enforcement and self-defense applications. 11.The 5-inch barrel guarantees very good terminal ballistics and is proven at any reasonable defensive range. Of course, there are fewer options for such short-barreled rifles, and thanks to the Caracal American branch, we are offered a completely new option, and a very good one.
In 2013, Jeff Spalding of Caracal International invited me to the United Arab Emirates to see and shoot the latest pistols and precision rifles. However, we also tried an early model of the upper receiver on the M4 with a piston short-stroke automatic. In 2014, Chris Sirois, who had previously been in charge of the special ** and R&D projects for Sig Sauer USA, joined Caracal USA to work on the development of a new AR rifle. Prior to working at Sig Sauer USA, Chris Sirois was instrumental in the development of the first HK416 rifle, giving it an unrivalled pedigree. After being hired as operations manager for Caracal America, he acquired the CA814 A2 rifle made in the United States with automatic air duct and the CA816 A2 rifle with piston short-stroke automatic.
The rifles passed NATO standard tests, including 20,000 rounds of reliability tests, drop tests, and tests for the life and functionality of parts. Destructive testing includes shooting reliability testing in dirt, oil, rain, and dust environments. The caracal's bolt shell hook pin is machine-attached to the bolt, and the barrel is similarly fixed to the knot. This, combined with the special chamber specifications employed, allows it to fire ammunition that exceeds standard chamber pressure – something not all firearms are capable of. This is probably the most powerful AR-15 on the market today, and in some cases, almost half that of its competitors.
The upper and lower receivers are forged from 7075 aluminum alloy with a black hard anodized coating. The lower receiver has a delicate flared magazine compartment and is equipped with a HiperFire enhanced one-fire trigger with a trigger force of 245 n, enlarged trigger guard, bumpers that can be operated on both sides and a custom caracal small grip. A Magpul STR telescopic butt was installed on the buffer tube, and there were QD gun strap sockets on both sides of the butt. 11.The 5-inch barrel is made of 4150 cmv vanadium-chromium-molybdenum steel with a QPQ (nitrogen salt bath nitriding) coating on the surface, the exterior of the barrel has a modified M4 shape with a rifling winding 1:7 and is equipped with an A2 birdcage-shaped flame suppressor.
The gun's short-stroke piston system includes a three-position adjustable air guide that can be drawn directly from the front of the handguard for easy daily cleaning and maintenance. Adopted Carpenter 158 bolt frame with QPQ coating. 9.The 1" (231mm) handguard is equipped with an anti-tilt locking device, a QD gun strap socket on each side near the receiver, M-Lok universal connectors on both sides and underneath, and a full-length Picatinny rail on top.
Before the test, the author replaced the original flame suppressor with a B&T QD muzzle device, so that the B&T M. can be quickly disassembled and assembleda.r.s.Muffler to facilitate some test items. During the tests, a Steiner DRS1X combat red dot sight and a DBAL-A3 laser designator, which has a visible and infrared laser sight, were installed, and infrared illumination was installed.
The DRS1X Combat Red Dot Sight is not only rugged, but also has three reticles that are well suited for medium and close-range shooting, capable of meeting the needs of law enforcement and home defense.
When I got this rifle, the first thing I noticed was its excellent workmanship. It's a rugged, precision firearm that's very comfortable to hold. Because the AR-15 rifle with a piston short-stroke automatic is heavier than most of its air duct automatic counterparts, it tends to provide a soft shooting experience. There is no noticeable recoil when firing, especially when firing 55-cell ammunition. The shorter length makes it easier to carry, and the weight distribution is almost perfect.
The accuracy test distance is 100 yards (91.).4 meters), a group of five rounds, a total of multiple groups to take the average. The most outstanding shooting accuracy is the Black Hills 77 Grain TMK ammunition, which has a dispersion circle diameter of about 38mm, which is equivalent to 15 moa。The dispersion circle of the Montenegro 55 Granny Barnes TSX ammunition is slightly larger. Speer 55 granular gold dot ammo with a dispersion circle of approximately 44mm, which is equivalent to 175 moa。The firing accuracy of all ammunition is very stable, indicating that its ammunition adaptability is excellent. When performing accuracy tests, only the bean bag is used as an auxiliary support on the bench, which does not provide a reliable support, but can reflect the actual operating environment. It should be noted that a non-magnification red dot sight was used during the test, and if a magnification sight and better support device were used, better shooting accuracy would undoubtedly be obtained.
It should be noted that the reliability of the CAR816 A2 SBR rifle is very good, and the shell throwing line is consistent. The bolt assembly is lighter than most piston AR-15 rifles and provides a certain amount of bolt reciprocating velocity, resulting in a truly well-tuned rifle. In order to make this rifle run as precisely as a watch, the Caracal America company put in a lot of effort, and now all these efforts have paid off.
CAR816 A2 SBR rifle performance parameters:
Caliber: 556×45mm
Barrel: 115 inches, rifling winding 1:7
Empty gun weight: 32 kg.
Automatic mode: short piston stroke.
Surface coating: Black hard anodized.
Suggested retail price: 1,849 US dollars (about 13,307 yuan).
Translator's note:
The reason why I chose to translate this firearms review is because I want you to see the shooting accuracy of short-barreled rifles. 11.A 5-inch (292mm) long barrel can shoot 15 moa, does that mean that a standard rifle-length barrel can achieve the desired accuracy, rather than having to equip a precision shooter rifle with a longer barrel as is traditionally the case? The benefit of this is that the precision marksman rifle and the standard rifle have the same barrel length and the same external ballistic performance, so that the scope of the two can be universalized and used interchangeably if necessary.
**10,000 Fans Incentive Plan