AR harsh recoil

[Bowman78]

I have a mid-length ar that I pieced together and it seems to kick a little harder than I expect.... it's a dpms complete lower that I got from the 1500 in October and a bcm upper from another member on here.. After shooting it side by side with a friends m&p15 I am sure it has excessive recoil... I would compare it to a healthy 20 ga shotgun round... Does recoil spring pressure or buffer weight change this recoil pulse or does it just need shot more? Btw I'm not a big sissy.. 225 lbs and been shooting 12 ga shotguns since I was 13 so recoil is not an issue but this just seems like it is unusual for an AR-15

 

[windellmc]

It may be over gassed although I think that is abnormal for a midlength. A heavier buffer might help. What does it have in it now? I assume you were shooting full 5.56 Nato ammo and not .223?

 

[Bowman78]

.??

I ave no idea about different buffers or how they are coded and what they are rated for?? 223 is a bit less harsh but it's more noticeable with NATO stuff... Xm193 to be exact...

 

[iamaclone45]

I'm no expert but I would start by looking at the bolt carrier group and buffer spring assembly. Look for abnormal wear just to make sure you don't have any issues there.

You could also always upgrade to a compensator or muzzle break to help mitigate felt recoil.

 

[turnerdye1]

Try putting a heavier buffer in it. H1 H2 H3 are the differant weights and put a comp on it and see how that works out for you.

 

[Bowman78]

Can you?

Swap buffers from a carbine to a mid length?? I can try swapping lowers with the same friend to see if that helps??

 

[Bowman78]

Comp

Shouldnt need a muzzle brake on a 223 this heavy...

 

[mrfjones]

Don't discount the idea of a muzzle break. It makes a bit of a difference.

Look at the buffer you have, they usually have a mark that you can see if you just pull the rear pin. Let us know what it says and you will get some pretty good answers.

 

[03A3]

The free length of a carbine buffer spring should be 10-1/16" minimum to 11-1/4" maximum. Pull it out of there and see what you have.
Buffer springs are a consumeable and you should keep spares onhand. That's part of owning an AR15 longterm.
Is the face of your buffer marked? That's the part of the buffer that's visible when you push out the rear pin and pivot your lower down for a look-see at your buffer. If you don't see something like "H" stamped in it, it is a carbine buffer.
I'm not trying to talk to you like you're an idiot, but I don't know what you know, and I'm just trying to make sure you understand what I'm saying.
Do you have a semi-auto bolt carrier or the heavier full-auto version?
If you're not sure, beat the internet bushes and a short search will get you some pictures to compare. It seems like I've seen pics on m4carbine.net and weaponevolution, but I may be mistaken on that.
The added weight of the full-auto bolt carrier will decrease bolt carrier speed and dampen the recoil impulse somewhat.
I've never had any dealings with a mid-length but I thought the whole purpose of it was to, shall we say, lessen the harshness/reduce BCG speed/reduce the recoil impulse. If you are seeing (feeling) that much of a difference in a side by side comparison something is going on with the gun, or so it seems to me. As I said, I have no personal midlength experiance.

Added : Being a BCM upper I'd be willing to bet that the gas port is the proper size.
I also don't see that a comp should be required on this upper to tame it down.

 

[Bowman78]

Removed

The buffer and there are no id marks whatsoever on it... Didn't measure spring length yet and I did check the bcg and it appears to be a full auto version based on Internet info... So I'm not sure... Will probably swap lowers or buffers and or springs from another lower and see what happens

 

[thecollector]

Easy way is to pull the to pins and shoot it with your buddys lower. Does yours have a shorter barrel? Weight out in front always will help recoil in anything you shoot. muzzle brake will just screw on when you take your flash hider off. I have one that I built to be for long distance, weighs about 10 lbs, feels like a .22 when you shoot it.