Testimonials
Here Is What People Are Saying About The AR15 Fix!
First I would like to thank you for supporting us troops who are in Iraq, second is I have never been a fan of the AR or M4 rifles in my 19 years of military service I have had many malfunctions at the wrong time when a good rifle was needed, I personally own AK’s, FN FALS, AR18 rifles and I respect the gas piston system for its reliability. I have been able to test my M4 now with your system in a good old Iraqi dust Storm, and to my surprise zero malfunctions even in this harsh environment, Thank you again as I am sending a full report to up the chain; now if I can only get them to change calibers to the 6.5mm.
MSG US Army Sniper (Operation Iraqi Freedom)
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Last year I started looking at a piston system AR15 platform. What started me looking was reading about the Masada Rifle from Magpul. I started looking with Bushmaster, but just wasn't too keen on the specs and more importantly the price. I looked at the ARES system but everyone I talked to about the ARES system seemed dissatisfied with the quality, lack of support and price (not to mention the lead time). Of course an HK416 was out of the question due to price and the utter lack of availability. That led me to LWRC, however the combination of the clumsiness of their system coupled with what I had heard about their support, not to mention the extreme lead time and more extreme price led me to continue my search.
Lets fast forward to September 2007. I found an article about a little company in, of all places, a little town on the Gulf Coast of Florida called Palm Harbor, a place where I spent most of my childhood. I found some contact info and called. Jason Adams answered the phone and was immediately surprised I had found out about his company as they were still a very fledgling. We talked for awhile and Jason finally said, Send me your rifle and we will set you up. My upper was in the mail the next day.
Needless to say the wait was well worth it.
I have over 18 years of experience with Eugene Stoners creation, the M16/AR-15 platform. I joined the Marine Corps in 1990 as an Infantryman and over the next 6 years qualified 4 times as an Expert Marksman, even going on to teach rifle marksmanship at Stone Bay Rifle Range, Camp Lejeune NC. I was also a Combat Rifle Instructor at Camp Lejeune MTU (Marksmanship Training Unit), as well as shooting in Intramurals for the Camp Lejeune Rifle Team. After leaving the Marine Corps in 1996 I continued my love of the M16/AR-15 platform, building AR-15s of all varieties from then until the present.
I can in all honesty say that my Adams Arms Piston System rifle is not only the best rifle I have ever owned, it is also the best rifle I have ever shot.
The quantum leap forward in performance with the Adams Arms Piston System is worth every penny of the $499.00 price tag. Reduced recoil, no more gas in the eye and the fact that not a single drop of dirty gas enters the action of the rifle are just the tip of the iceberg. Reduced maintenance, predictable, reliable performance (the piston gun has a 10.3 barrel, which commonly causes failures to cycle.), reduced stress to the bolt/action of the rifle, and ease of cleaning are even more benefits.
I took my rifle out for its maiden shoot at McKellers Lodge at Ft. Bragg, NC. Needless to say this rifle draws a lot of attention due to its short barrel. Usually someone will proceed to inform me that my rifle is illegal. I proceed to tell them it is a registered SBR. Now these people are drawn to the gas system. They want to see it taken apart, which, unlike most of the other systems out there is fully accessible from the front. No need to take your rails and all your gear off the rifle to pull the gas system to clean it.
I have taken my rifle to more than a few gun shops, everyone who sees it is blown away not only by the design, but the sheer durability of the system. I usually have to wrestle my rifle away from whomever is looking it over.
I have already told Jason that I want to convert my 16" Mid-length Rifle to Piston, as well as build up a dedicated 7.5" SBR with Adams Arms Piston System. I am sold on Adams Arms.
Jamie Northam
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While attending a US Army event I was able to test your piston system in a 10" Rock River Arms upper installed on my FA Rock River Arms lower. First 60 rounds were put through on Semi and FA. After that the weapon was fired only on FA by several members of our Armed Forces including Officers and Enlisted personal. All shooters were VERY impressed! There was not a single problem even after 960 rounds non stop! We were using 55grain Military ammo and all shooters remarked how stable and flat it performed, felt recoil was less and muzzle stayed on target better. The spent casings were ejected flat out at the 1500 mark and upon inspection of them there was no case damage at all. The last shooter was the first one to fire and could not believe how cool to touch the upper was after all the rounds fired. After firing we inspected the upper/lower for carbon and found them both to be very clean. I personally am looking forward to installing you system in many Law Enforcement and Military weapons in the very near future.
Tom Carbone
C.C.F./RRA
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I am a big fan of the ar 15, only problem was I'm a lefty. Then
Stag Arms made a great left handed carbine. Only thing was I was
sold on the piston system, and guess what, nobody made a left handed
ar in piston. Then a buddy of mine told me about Adams Arms. So
I called, and after talking with the folks there we decided to give
their system a try. Well, in four weeks I had the kit and in about
40 min. the Stag was up and ready to go. I loaded up a 30 round
mag. and went out to test the system. Not
only was I impressed with how easy the kit went on, but also the
quality of the product. I unloaded the 30 rounds out
of my ar in a rapid fire test and the gun functioned flawlessly.
I then pulled the bolt and carrier out and found it cool and clean.
I would recommend to anybody right or left handed that Adams Arms
has a winning product. I was also impressed with the service and
the follow up of the company to make sure that I was completely
satisfied with the product. Adams Arms gets an A+ in my book. Thank
You Adams Arms!
Stacy Owens
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After Action Report:
1) I heard about Adams Arms a couple of weeks ago on AR15, and notice that they were out of Clearwater, FL. I have a friend who owns a gun store up in Hernando county. A few phone calls later and about two weeks later, I am up at the range shooting their piston AR. I spoke with Jim, VP of Adams Arms, shot his piston platforms, and had a great time doing so. The company is young, and insanely busy, yet the quality of the product speaks toward the character of the people who are making this piston AR happen. I ask anyone to meet up with anyone from Adams Arms at the gun shows, trade shows, whatever, and I am sure you will come to a similar conclusion. I love great customer service, and a great product; if you don't have both I won't even talk to you at all. I know I will be dealing with Adams Arms in the future.
2) The system is a solid unit, plain and simple. On the rifle, it is sturdy; the component parts are strong when taken apart off the rifle. I shot easily 200 rounds through the system and there weren't any hick-ups. I shot a variety of ammo from wolf, silver bear, S & B, Winchester, etc. No problems for the system eating a variety of ammo. I shot the system rapid fire, to just plinking at targets, there were no problems. I shot the system suppressed and regularly, there were no problems. In total that night at least some 700 rounds were put through the rifle amongst the 4 of at the range. The system cycles great, and it lives up to hype of a piston system. The system cycles fine, feels comfortable to shoot it, the bolt carrier group stays at room temperature, there are no permanent modifications to the rifle, and it would be a breeze to clean the rifle when you are done shooting.
3) This is not some infomercial, I wasn't given or promised anything.
I will be buying one of these units for my personal rifle. I know
the cost is more than the other systems, but this
isn't like those other systems on the market. I have
been done for many years of buying cheaper things that won't work
as well, only to buy the quality piece later. I believe in the piece,
which is why I am making room in the gun fund for it. Another thing
I didn't mention, the retrofit system will fit a variety of after
market handguards, including my TROY rail. Many folks already have
a couple of hundred dollars invested in the handguards. The idea
of not having those handguards, or modifying the rails permanently
is unsettling for some. With this system you don't need to do so.
AR15.com member ballerB
FL, USA
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Ok, here is my quick review. Please let me know if there is anything else you want me to take a pic of or add.
I am extremely pleased with the system. It is of the highest quality and everything I expected it to be; I couldn't ask for more. I highly recommend it.
First off, a quick comparison of the Adams Arms AR-15 piston system and the other piston systems on the market for those who do not understand why it is superior and, subsequently, a little more expensive than the others:
*This is a TRUE, END-USER RETROFIT piston system. It can be installed by anyone on virtually any AR without any permanent modification to the rifle or barrel.
-The PWS system must be sent in for installation and requires permanent modification of the barrel
*Does not rely on the weak gas tube hole and roll pin on the standard A2 gas block like all other retrofit systems
-ARES/BM, Osprey Defense, etc are all supported by the A2 gas tube hole and roll pin, which are not meant for a harsher piston system (many ARES users have complained about complete breakage at this point)
*Piston/op-rod is removed through the front of the gas block for
cleaning
*Different gas settings for suppressed firing
*Really, there isn't a piston because the op-rod IS the piston.
This eliminates the need for an op-rod housing and a separate piston,
thereby eliminating unnecessary weight and moving parts. There simply
are no internal moving parts--just one solid piece of metal.
-The PWS system has separate moving parts, including a free internal piston as well as a housing that encases the op-rod (see page 2 for pics)
...these are just a few of the reasons it is a superior system...
On with my review...
Here is how the system comes shipped. The metal rod at the bottom
is simply a dowel rod tool used to insert the little op-rod shim.
They also provide threadlocker.
Here are the three different settings
Here is where the op-rod presses up against the carrier key
WEIGHTS
*The weight of the AA system:
-[gas block with bolts, piston/op-rod/spring, handguard cap, shim,
carrier key with bolts] = 304g (10.72 oz)
-[handguards] = 134.9g (4.76 oz)
*Weights of stock parts removed on my LMT upper:
-[gas block with pins, gas tube, handguard cap, carrier key with
bolts] = 193.4g (6.82 oz)
-[handguards] = 179.7g (6.34 oz)
*Comparison of weights:
-Overall added weight, excluding handguards = 110.6g (3.90 oz)
-Overall added weight if you use M4 plastic handguards = 65.8g (2.32
oz)
It is less when factoring in the handguards because the AA handguards are much lighter than M4 handguards. So, if you don't use plastic handguards and are going to use the same rail as before the install, then use the larger number.
I honestly thought the system would add more than a measly few ounces, so that's a plus.
INSTALLATION
I'm not going to go through the installation because instructions come with the system, but I have a few recommendations. The installation is pretty easy and doesn't take long.
-First of all, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS--read them well before starting (don't just read a little and go step by step--you will understand why after you finish)
-Use a BRAND NEW socket allen key like in the above photo
-Use a torque wrench for the final tightening of the gas block (Adam says 40-50 ft lbs.). I say this so you don't over-tighten it and strip the allen bolts, since we all know allen bolts tend to do that.
-The most difficult part of the installation is making sure the gas block stays aligned when tightening down. To do this, have the op-rod inserted without the spring and constantly rotate the op-rod in circles while tightening. If you knock it out of alignment, which you will do several times before getting is right, the resistance to rotating it will increase and it will feel sticky or won't rotate at all. You want the op-rod to rotate freely on the metal tube that inserts into the op-rod chamber. You can also slide the op-rod in and out (as if it were firing) while rotating the op-rod to check smoothness.
-It is important you have the gas block seated all the way against the lip on the barrel to ensure the gas holes are lined up properly. Seat it as good as you can with your hand while aligning the gas block, then get a wood block and give the gas block a few good whacks with a hammer to seat it against the barrel lip. If the handguard cap rotates too freely, then you have not seated it far enough. Almost certainly the alignment will be off again after whacking it, so gently realign it again by checking how smoothly the op-rod rotates about the tube, as in the previous paragraph.
Finally, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS
NOTE: I'm sure this won't happen, but just so you know---If you strip the heads of the allen bolts from using a crapy allen wrench or not having the allen key inserted properly when tightening down, the bolts are fairly standard. They are 10-32 x 3/4 HARDENED CAP SCREWS (make sure they are hardened).
Finished:
TESTING
I ran 200 rounds though the system, half of them 55 grain FMJ and
half 75 grain BTHP. The bolt always remained open after the last
round. There were no extraction or feeding issues. There were absolutely
no malfunctions or problems with function. I am very pleased.
After 200 rounds, the bolt and inside the receiver appeared as clean as it did before the first round (the rifle is brand new--these were the first rounds fired out of it). It was surprising because I am used to a mere 100 rounds dirtying it up enough to where it is easily visible. I could not see any wear on the receiver extension tube from carrier tilt. I would run more rounds through it but I am short on money at the moment.
The integrity of the system is excellent. It is even more solid than it looks.
Here is the op-rod/piston where the gas is ejected
I merely used a Kleenex tissue to wipe it clean.
And here is my new rifle just so I can show it off.
As I said before, I am extremely pleased with the system and couldn't ask for more. I highly recommend it to anyone reading this.
AR15.com member ryanjc559
CA, USA
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HI ALL NEW HERE. I ALSO JUST PURCHASED THE CARBINE SYSTEM, AND
I AM REALLY HAPPY WITH IT. I'M UP TO 430 ROUNDS WITH NO CLEANING.
I CLEANED THE BARRELL AFTER THE FIRST 10-20-50 ROUNDS AND HAVE BEEN
GOING STRONG ALSO. VERY WELL PUT TOGETHER SYSTEM. AND DEFINETLY
ANYBODY CAN DO AT HOME. TO REFERENCE WHAT I HAVE. IT IS A SABER
DEFENCE M4 WITH A 16IN, 1:7 WITH CHROME CARRIER. I KNOW THE CHROME
IS NOT NEEDED BUT I FIGURED THIS WAY I CAN SEE ANY BUILD-UP. I WILL
POST PICTURES AFTER THIS WEEKEND. PLAN ON PUTTING A FEW HUNDRED
MORE ROUNDS THROUGH IT. AND FOR ANYBODYS INFORMATION ON PRICE, OR
BEING TOO EXPENSIVE! THERE ARE NO SYSTEMS OUT THERE FOR LESS THAN
$400!!! I PERSONALLY PUTH THIS RIFLE TOGETHER WITH NOTHING BUT TRUE
MILSPEC PARTS. INCLUDING THE GAS PISTON AND MY TOTAL PRICE CAME
OUT $125 LESS THAN A BUSHMASTER PISTON AND ALMOST $500 LESS THAN
A LWRC OR POF. I'M ALSO TALKING COMPLETE RIFLE. THIS
IS A GREAT SYSTEM FOR ANY AR UPGRADE. THANKS FOR THE
TIME.
AR15.com member GUNFIGHTER08
AZ, USA
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AAR and Pics
Background:
I have an bad case of BRD (black rifle disease), it manifested into
a case of SBBRD (short barreled black rifle disease) and then went
terminal with SBSBRD (short barreled suppressed black rifle disease).
This last turn for the the worse had led to precious time in my left
being wasted on cleaning a direct impingement system that gets down
right nasty with a 10.5 in barrel and a suppressor. Because of this
I have had a personal interest in a piston system.
At SHOT SHOW 2007 I handle every system on the market at that time and decided that the cost of new upper or rifle was not in my budget. So i paid close attention to retro fit kits. I have been looking for one to come out that was durable, simple, and most compatiable with existing railed forearms I currently owned.
Two weeks ago my good friend Eric (BallerB) asks me if I have seen Adams Arms piston system. I said no, he lead me to this thread. I then called my friend JC who owns a new gun store in Hernando County, FL. JC has been very interesting in the black rifles and all the goodies that go with them. I contacted Adams Arms on JC's behalf to find out more about there system. Since they are only about 45 min south of us, they offered to come up and show us the system and set up a demo.
Within a few days Jason and Jim were at JC's shop showing us the system. It was a great first meeting and they were very nice, professional and excited about their product. The next week we set up a range demo here in Hernando County. That brings us to Thursday May 15, 2008.
DEMO
JC invited myself and Eric to join Jim from Adarms Arms at the Hernando
Sportsman Club for a live fire demo. We all met at JC's gun shop.
We pillaged the largest variety of ammo we could, plus our personal
stashes to test the Adams Arms piston unit with.
We got to the range, set out our stuff, Jim took a Rock River tactical entry that they set up with one of their systems with a Daniel Defense Rail, a Colt with and ARMS rail system an one of the systems, an upper with a system and standard M4 handguards, and a standard DI carbine. Jim also had Magpul PMAGS, USGI aluminum mags, H&K Steel Mag for use.
Of course we all brought some our own DI rifles, JC had his S&W M&P15, I had my Spikes/LMT 10.5 w/YHM suppressor, Eric had his own Spikes/RRA M4gery. (On a sidenote we like buying products made in the USA and especially in FL). I had brought Magpul PMAGS, D&H teflon coated USGI mags with magpul followers, COLT factory 20 round mags, Okay USGI mags with green followers.
Jim from Adams Arms said that the RRA rifle was brand new, they just got it, installed the piston system on the weapon and fired 700 rounds and did not clean and brought it as is.
JIM's Table of Goodies
RRA BCG with 700 rounds usage without cleaning
RRA Bolt Face with 700 rounds usage without cleaning
Pictures of the AMMO table showing the variety that we brought.
Brands of ammo tested was Remington, PMC, Prvi, Wolf, Black Hills,
Lake City, reloads, Silver Bear. Ammo was FMJ, Soft point, hollow
point, 40 gr, 55 gr, 62 gr, 75 gr.
SHOOTING
After Jim showed the system and the way it operates we loaded up mags
and let loose. This range session was not an accuracy test or velocity
test. This initial range session was test function and reliablity
with various ammo. The most interesting
thing as we got started is Jim's rifle was bone dry. No oil, no lube.
Not on the BCG or upper or anywhere. As we all know AR's don't like
to be dry. SO I thought this should be interesting.
JC shooting
Eric Shooting
Between the 4 of us fired about 200 rounds in rapid semi auto to get acquainted with the system, uses what ever ammo we loaded into the mags, wolf, silver bear, lake city, black hills, pmc, remington, etc. We mixed ammo, mags etc to see if we could get the system to choke.
Jim said the BCG in their piston system does not heat up like it
a BCG does on regular DI gun. The piston system doesn't let nearly
the amount of carbon back into the chamber and onto the bolt. The
DI system blows hot carbon and gas back into the chamber and BCG,
which causes carbon to bake and build up on bolt. It also heats those
parts up. So we decided to test this heating theory. We fired 120
rounds as fast as we could pull the rigger, then immediately took
out the BCG to inspect it. It was not hot, as soon as it came out
Eric put it on his tongue (crazy marines).
Don't know if that is overwhelming ground breaking, but the BCG was not hot nor dirty after 320 rounds.
Next Jim let him take of his flash hider and put a flash on the gun
that would allow mount of my suppressor. This was what i wanted to
see. We threaded on the suppressor and fired 120 rounds of wolf, prvi
and reloads. Remember the gun still has no oil, it is bone dry. We
fire as fast as we can pull the trigger, the suppressor was steaming
hot.
Jim shooting some
Then we immediately took it out the BCG to see if it got dirty, here
is what it look liked after 320 rounds, plus 120 more suppressed for
a conservative total of 440 rounds so far, here is the pic
What little carbon was on the BCG group wiped off with a dry rag. This is where I started getting really impressed. We continued to shoot more. Total round count for the RRA rifle with Adams Arms system was 700 when we had to pack up because range was closing.
OBSERVATIONS
The system is solidly built. It
is made of top quality material. It has a LIFETIME Warranty!
It will fit under many existing rail systems. It is American Made.
The guys of Adams Arms are starting from the ground up, are shooters
and gun enthusiasts, are polite, and willing to answers questions
and let ordinary Joe's demo the system. I think their design is top
notch in the piston area.
CONCLUSION
I will buy one there is no doubt about it. I think it is well worth
the $499 MSRP. You get what you pay for when it comes to quality products.
I am going to be JC's first customer when he gets them in. Eric will
be the second. The next batch will be available in June.
Now the best part...I wanted to do more testing and didn't feel like I had enough time at the range with it. I want to test the velocity, accuracy and high endurance reliability. So Jim gave me a demo piston system to mount on my LMT 10.5 and test. I couldn't believe it. As we were packing up for the night at about 9pm, he hands me a system and says test it. So I am going to do even more testing and will post my results. These guys really beeivve in their product and are not afraid to let it be used, abused and run hard.
So stay tuned in for even more detailed reports. And if you want to buy one, call JC, Adam Arms made a believer out of him too.
If you have any questions please fell free to ask.
Paul
AR15.com member c350z FL, USA
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Evaluation of the Adams Arms Gas Piston Conversion
Jim,
I would like to thank you and the folks at Adams Arms for the upper
you sent me. I will tell you that I was overall very pleased. When
I first got the upper delivered I was anxious to examine the gas piston
system your company had installed on it. I
took the hand guards off and looked at the best improvement to the
little black rifle since Eugene Stoner first unveiled it.
With nineteen years in the US Army and several years as a competitive
shooter, I have shot and cleaned my share of AR15/M16 rifles. The
sheer simplicity of your system along with the fit and finish was
a work of art. It is very rugged in construction but not bulky. I
worked the system a few times to inspect it and found a superb fit
to the gas block, and sleeve/drive rod. Further disassembly and inspection
revealed the bushing in the upper receiver gas tube port and the bolt
carrier key. I thought to myself "how simple this system is,
why has it taken us fifty years to bring this to production?"
Impatient to see how well it would function I fitted it to my lower
and headed to the range. After arriving at the range and showing the
system to Rick Allenbrand of Bear Creek Tactical we started putting
rounds down range. The first thing I notice was the reduced recoil.
Not as much as a compensated rifle but still noticeable. I shot it
and passed it around for nearly an hour, and 300
rounds, before we dropped it open and found the bolt was cool and
almost as clean as when we started. There was more brass
on the bolt than carbon residue. Everyone at the range was impressed.
Without cleaning I packed the rifle up to get ready for the Midwest
3 Gun Championship the upcoming weekend. At the match I shot over
250 more rounds through the rifle, again without cleaning. I demonstrated
to many of my fellow competitors the clean cool operation of your
gas piston system, all were impressed. Throughout all this shooting
the rifle with your gas piston system never had a malfunction. And,
I'm sure that due to the design, has an extremely lowered probability
of ever having a malfunction. I'm truly grateful to Adams Arms for
this product. You have added to the already long life of this rifle
in the hands of shooters like myself.
Kirk Broyles
SSG, MP, US Army
Distinguished Marksman
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Adams Arms Retrofit Piston Driven Systems
Now Available!
Adams Arms piston driven systems replace the problematic impingement system currently associated with the mil-spec Ar15, m16 style rifles.
Our system eliminates hot gasses and carbon from the bolt carrier reducing recoil, heat, fouling, maintenance and increases reliability.