[squiros]

i used pmags and hex mags, they both fed 100% over my 3 hours, maybe 100..200 rounds? the rdb does seem to like my new ammo:
Federal 5.56 NATO 55gr FMJ 420 rds in Ammo Can - XM193LC1 AC1

it locked back every time. it was very windy and rainy today. didn't take pictures because of the rain. there were maybe 5 or 6 touching holes at the bullseye after 40 rounds - i think this means the rifle can be really good in ideal conditions. some of them were really, really off when the wind picked up. also the wind and rain soaked the target and eventually ripped it off the stand, the groups consequently looked terrible as i shot at the target turned flag turned kite.

 

[nwfenton]

some of them were really, really off when the wind picked up.

Well, yeah... 55 grain rounds will do that. Good to hear about the reliability, though.

 

[crossbuck]

My first trip to the range with it wasn't good. I shot federal 223 american eagle 55g that day. I ran 1 pmag with no issues then about halfway through the second I had a round lodge above the bolt between it and the top of the rifle. (Don't know what you call that issue.) The pins were so tight that I had to take a hammer and screwdriver and beat them out to disassemble it to remove the live round. After the round was removed I shot the remainder of the mag until the last bullet in the mag was dented on ejection. The first bullet of the next mag dented as well so I stopped. Having just purchased this rifle I was very disappointed. I contacted Kel-Tec and they had me ship it to them where they polished the barrel extension, reamed bolt carrier weldment, replaced captor springs, and tested it at +5 gas setting. I haven't had the chance to try it since that but I'm hopeful. I really want to love this rifle.

 

[Spike Bull]

No respect?
So many black guns are set up to kill humans but they impart no respect? I dont get that logic at all. Maybe I missed something. Anyways, i will be proud to take a nice whitetail or bear with my rfb!


No hogs locally, so....

 

[circlehawk]

hogs don't deserve any respect.

Tell that to a buddy of mine that went hog hunting with a bow and a knife at his side. He learned to respect them.

 

[Spike Bull]

Hahahhahaaa!
Love your sign off, circlehawk!
I have only just begun to explore which ammo my rfb likes best and still playing with gas. I am at B+25 right now and cycling everything perfectly but funny enough my best groups so far are with Herters steel!
We have had some brutal cold/wind on my days off so it is slow going. I find myself anxious to shoot the rfb outside but cutting that short and settling for some indoor pistol practice.

 

[squiros]

another several hundred rounds of
Federal 5.56 NATO 55gr FMJ 420rds in Ammo Can - XM193LC1 AC1
and no malfunctions. my friend had a stoppage, where he didn't seat the mag. as a result, no round was chambered. i wouldn't consider this a 'stoppage' but more of a user error.

i think the reliability may be due to the hand guard. as i mentioned, when the gun got hot, it would run unreliably. however, this hand guard seems to wick away heat being aluminum. as such, i still wonder if it's the ammo or if it's the gun tolerances. regardless, if you're jamming and you don't like the hand guard, it may be a solution.

no pictures. it was rainy and windy. i was getting 5 moa. and the POI shift was about 1 foot away. not my gun - 2 other ars were also shifted 1 foot down and right and also 5 moa. we were still able to hit human size steel at 100 m, but it was more of a fun day than a target day.

 

[IamScotticus]

I am at B+25

What is that? The RDB has dial only has 20 clicks

 

[Spike Bull]

Ruhh rohhh! Sorry, I have an rfb which has 40+ clicks and jumped on the rdb thread by mistake!

 

[Noah_Zark]

Both of my RDBs fire:

1) Late 1970s South African "M193" surplus
2) Lake City XM193
3) American Eagle 55 gr "M193-like" ammo
4) 1980s Radway Green 55 gr
5) Tula 55 gr

All without issue. Groups from a rest at 100 yds are 2"-3", some ~ 1.5".

Gas settings are "0" for Tula, "2" for Radway Green, and "3" for the others.

Noah

 

[MezTemplar]

Man, my RDB has 3% no-fires with Federal American Eagle 55gr.

 

[Ken_W]

IWI 5.56 NATO 77 GRAIN RAZOR
SIG SAWYER 223 64 GRAIN OT
FRONTIER 223 0R 5.56 NATO 75 GRAIN OT

 

[Dr. Thornton Reed]

Reading thru this I notice that not many are using the recommended grain weight for the 1:7 twist rate. Only the last post here shows the proper Grains... is there a reason you guys use lighter than recommended ? Thanks.

 

[IamScotticus]

The varying degrees of accuracy results are entirely on an individual basis. A twist rate doesn't always perform well with the ball it's designed for. So many other factors come into play. Many shooters find the 1:7 shoots 55gr acceptably within the ranges they are capable of hitting a target.
In other words, there is little consistency. I can't tell Joe that his rifle, the same model and spec as mine, he can get 2 MOA with 75gr whatever because I can. It doesn't work out that way for everyone. You don't know what your rifle likes until you do your own tests.
And happily so. This makes it a sport. These things aren't booringly uniform.

 

[IamScotticus]

Man, my RDB has 3% no-fires with Federal American Eagle 55gr.

Did you ever get this resolved?

 

[gxer]

I have tried Federal AE 55 gr, 62 gr, Hornady Frontier 68 gr HPBT, and 75 gr HPBT. They are all good ammo for my 20 inch RDB-C and capable of MOM performance. But if I have to choose one for target shooting, I would pick Frontier 75 gr HPBT since I was able to achieve the most consistent result from it. I can easily achieve close to 1 MOA with it as shown here: Range experience with a new RDB-C

 

[odinforever2000]

Ruhh rohhh! Sorry, I have an rfb which has 40+ clicks and jumped on the rdb thread by mistake!

Yea that's still rather high..I run at B+5 for 175gr M118lr and B+8 with 150gr Fiocchi in the Rfb..

 

[odinforever2000]

3 5 shot groups with 3 different manufacturers..
Best was the 50gr Fiocchi Extrema
Above that was Xtac 62gr 2.7moa
Top right..Black hills 50gr 2.2moa

All shot at B+5 Pre-production Rdb 1:9 twist.
It's all gone bang when I've shot it.

 

[WolfWings]

Reading thru this I notice that not many are using the recommended grain weight for the 1:7 twist rate. Only the last post here shows the proper Grains... is there a reason you guys use lighter than recommended ? Thanks.

Barrel length affects things greatly as well. My .458 w/ a 8" 1:14 barrel can't shoot 500gr subsonics without tumbling almost immediately, but 400gr supers it eats like (expensive) candy. That short needs a faster 1:10 twist for that heavy of a round.

Especially with even the shortest RDB being a 16" barrel and lots more with the 17" or 20" barrels you're dead to rights: The RDB as a whole is better with heavier grain weights, 65gr at a minimum on the 20" IMHO. Hell at this point I'm considering getting some Dark Horse 110gr to try on my 20" RDB since it's no longer that expensive compared to run of the mill thanks to ammo prices surging so badly.

 

[WKH]

This is a 12" target where I was sighting in a new optic at 50 yards out. Shooting PMC X-Tac 55gr. The three short strings are me adjusting my red dot walking them toward the center. This is without any magnification. So in summary, the RDB shoots as good as I can see.

Soon I will put a low power scope on it just to see how accurate it really is. But just for kicks as that is not what this rifle is for.