Alright boys and girls, since the Form 4 is still pending (since Jan) I finally met up with my class III dealer at the range and we put the rifle together. This little event was really just for fun, and rough sight-in of the scope.
Here's what I'm going to be talking about:
Now, I beat my dealer to the range by about 30 minutes, so I thought I'd get started with just the rifle. One of the reasons I really like the idea of the Cyclops is that you don't have to choose between having your muzzle-brake or silencer semi-permanently attached. That's because the AAC muzzle brake doubles as the mount for the Cyclops.
However, a casual visual comparison between the massive clam-shell triple-chamber brake that Barrett installs at the factory and the svelte little double-chamber brake that AAC provides stoked fears that the choice of how to shoot was perhaps a false one. I had only read reports of people using the system with very heavy McBros target 50BMG rifles, not comparatively light-weight Barretts. So it was actually with real fear that I pulled the trigger the first time with the AAC brake mounted -- fear that I might end up at the ER with a broken shoulder. That fear, of course, proved to be completely unwarranted. The AAC brake performs very well -- likely comparable to the Barrett brake (I say likely because I didn't get to shoot both brakes side-by-side, but rather at opposite sides of a long, cold winter).
So I got the scope sighted in, and then my dealer showed up with the goods. We mounted it -- it mounts pretty much just like any other AAC ratchet-mount silencer except that it's bigger. I took the first shot. POI was a couple of inches away from where I'd previously centered the rifle. Good enough to start shooting at the 200-yard gong (which is a piece of AR-500 steel that Ron Coburn donated to the club).
I proceeded to let a few of the local LEO, and a few other board members I'd invited, to take turns with the rifle. I originally believed that recoil with and without the brake was comparable, but one of the observers pointed out that people were being flung considerably further backwards by recoil with the silencer on.
For my own part, I treated myself to three scope-strikes on my right eye during the session -- all with the silencer on (the last one hit the bridge of my nose, which was not pretty ... but at least I didn't flinch before impact!
). So in retrospect I think it makes sense to say that the recoil is greater with the silencer on than without it. Anyone care to make sense of that? I'm guessing that you lose the forward jet-propulsion that the brake provides when the can is slipped over it, so while it absorbs all the gas impulse, since it doesn't re-direct it back, the overall effect is greater recoil with the silencer.
I was annoyed that I'd ccidentally left my monopod at home, but with the Cyclops mounted the rifle handles very lightly so it wasn't much of an issue.
I plan on doing a more in-depth review when I get some more quality time at the range with this rig, probably after my Form 4 clears.
EDIT: Oh heck, I forgot perhaps the most important part! How well does it suppress sound!? Well, I didn't shoot it myself without hearing protection, but the LEO guys did. I listened to them shoot it without hearing protection from a distance of about 15 feet. All you could hear was the sonic crack. To me, that's considerable noise, and not something you'd want to be repeatedly exposed to. However, to put it in comparison, is was much, much, much quieter than a guy shooting his Mini-14 from a distance of about 60 feet away. It was probably comparable to the sound of an unsuppressed 22LR.
Here's what I'm going to be talking about:
Now, I beat my dealer to the range by about 30 minutes, so I thought I'd get started with just the rifle. One of the reasons I really like the idea of the Cyclops is that you don't have to choose between having your muzzle-brake or silencer semi-permanently attached. That's because the AAC muzzle brake doubles as the mount for the Cyclops.
However, a casual visual comparison between the massive clam-shell triple-chamber brake that Barrett installs at the factory and the svelte little double-chamber brake that AAC provides stoked fears that the choice of how to shoot was perhaps a false one. I had only read reports of people using the system with very heavy McBros target 50BMG rifles, not comparatively light-weight Barretts. So it was actually with real fear that I pulled the trigger the first time with the AAC brake mounted -- fear that I might end up at the ER with a broken shoulder. That fear, of course, proved to be completely unwarranted. The AAC brake performs very well -- likely comparable to the Barrett brake (I say likely because I didn't get to shoot both brakes side-by-side, but rather at opposite sides of a long, cold winter).
So I got the scope sighted in, and then my dealer showed up with the goods. We mounted it -- it mounts pretty much just like any other AAC ratchet-mount silencer except that it's bigger. I took the first shot. POI was a couple of inches away from where I'd previously centered the rifle. Good enough to start shooting at the 200-yard gong (which is a piece of AR-500 steel that Ron Coburn donated to the club).
I proceeded to let a few of the local LEO, and a few other board members I'd invited, to take turns with the rifle. I originally believed that recoil with and without the brake was comparable, but one of the observers pointed out that people were being flung considerably further backwards by recoil with the silencer on.
For my own part, I treated myself to three scope-strikes on my right eye during the session -- all with the silencer on (the last one hit the bridge of my nose, which was not pretty ... but at least I didn't flinch before impact!
I was annoyed that I'd ccidentally left my monopod at home, but with the Cyclops mounted the rifle handles very lightly so it wasn't much of an issue.
I plan on doing a more in-depth review when I get some more quality time at the range with this rig, probably after my Form 4 clears.
EDIT: Oh heck, I forgot perhaps the most important part! How well does it suppress sound!? Well, I didn't shoot it myself without hearing protection, but the LEO guys did. I listened to them shoot it without hearing protection from a distance of about 15 feet. All you could hear was the sonic crack. To me, that's considerable noise, and not something you'd want to be repeatedly exposed to. However, to put it in comparison, is was much, much, much quieter than a guy shooting his Mini-14 from a distance of about 60 feet away. It was probably comparable to the sound of an unsuppressed 22LR.
