S.W.A.T. December 2007 - McKeesport Police Department

ARMALITE AR-10A4CS
Magpul stock with cheek piece
and length of pull adjusted for
my individual preference. Bottom
of hook-style buttstock can be
removed, exposing Picatinny rails
for mounting of a monopod.
Leupold Mk4 3.5-10X40mm LR/T
scope with target-style windage and
elevation turrets. Warne Tactical
rings were used to mount the scope
to the AR-10A4CS’s Picatinny rail.
Alostyr Quadrail
with GG&G offset
light mount, forward
pistol grip, bipod, and
PentagonLight X3.
Note muzzle brake’s
double baffle design.
sures six inches in diameter. Another key
feature is the CQ/T’s 1-3X magnification
range. Most close quarter sights offer no
magnification capability. It is nice to be
able to take advantage of the .308’s ballistic
advantage with 3X magnification.
Finishing off the Leupold Mk4 CQ/T
package is an optional A.R.M.S. throw
lever mount that allows for quick on/off
of the sight with repeatable zero.
One word of caution is due with the
ArmaLite AR-10. The user must diligently
field check all 20-round magazines
before committing them to use. There
are several generations of AR-10 magazine
designs on the market. Even “new”
mags need to be checked for reliability.
On a positive note, once I have verified a
magazine as working, I have not encountered
any problems. Another quirk is
that magazines need to be downloaded a
minimum of one round to allow for reliable
loading and feeding. A fully loaded
20-round magazine is difficult to seat in
the rifle with the bolt closed, and even
with the bolt open the magazine’s spring
tension is such that the bolt does not
close properly 100% of the time. I have
had no such issues with the ten-round
magazines.
In the role of a precision rifle, not
fully taking advantage of the ArmaLite
AR-10’s gilt-edged accuracy has always
caused me consternation. Sub-MOA
rifles are not common—despite such reports
on the Internet—and here was one
in a semiautomatic platform. The AR-
10A4CS transformed easily into a precision
rifle. I mounted a Leupold Mk4
3.5-10X40mm LR/T scope with TMR
reticle to take full advantage of the AR-
10’s accuracy. The premium high-powered
Leupold scope draws many comments
from the uninitiated upon seeing
it placed on the short barrel AR-10A4CS.
I used Warne Tactical rings to mount the
LR/T.
Next, I installed an ArmaLite National
Match Two-Stage trigger. Trigger control
is a vital component to accurate shooting,
especially at extended ranges, where
any variable is magnified and affects
shot placement. A good trigger is often
overlooked in the accuracy equation.
The ArmaLite trigger is a two-stage type,
needing four pounds of pressure to fire.
Another modification used in the AR-
80 S.W.A.T. » DECEMBER 2007 SWATMAG.COM