Finally got the new boom stick

[ArmyGrunt]

I'm not at all impressed with the customer service of Witt Machine, but overall the upper receiver is very nice. The lower is from Sharps Bros and is called The Jack. Vortex SPARC AR red dot.
The seam between the upper and lower is super sharp. Definitely less felt recoil than a regular version of this gun. Now the waiting begins for that stupid tax stamp......

There's a long saga about how this thing, which I paid for on Cyber Monday, got to me, and it includes a nearly catastrophic fumble by UPS. I'll post that story later for you all to gasp at.

 

[Pheroze]

Congratulations.

For the uninitiated (me) please tell us a bit about that gun.

 

[Ray B]

For the uninitiated (me) please tell us a bit about that gun

Yes, me too. Other than it's a variation of an AR platform and appears to be suppressed, I know nothing further about it and am curious to learn.

 

[ScottG]

Very nice Sir.

 

[CAustin]

If you are happy with the rifle all of us here on AH are happy for you! What caliber is it?

 

[ArmyGrunt]

Well, to start small with this, and make sure those who don't have our firearm privileges can follow along, I'll get down to some of the finer points.

This is a 5.56 mm, semi-automatic, gas powered rifle. It is, indeed a variant of the AR (Armalite Rifle) system. I prefer to call these Modern Sporting Rifles, because I'm really not sure what an "assault rifle" truly is...we've got mainstream media to thank for that B.S. I also call it an "evil black rifle" because of the fear it incites by its terrifying appearance.

You can build these things with an near infinite number of options: pistol grips, trigger groups, butt stock, forearm, sights, gas control system (piston or direct impingement, meaning the gas pushes the bolt group to the rear), and the upper and lower parts can be made of various materials, and occasionally milled to have a skeletonized appearance. I thought strongly about buying one of those this time...

I chose to go suppressed on this one because firstly, why not? I also love the idea of safely shooting sans ear pro. On this type of rifle the adjustment to the felt recoil is about as negligible as can be. It uses a buffer and a spring to do that anyway, and the round (AKA .223) has not got much recoil in itself. However, I can tell a difference in it because I've shot this weapon system regularly for the last 17+ years. Damn, that makes me feel old...half of my life has been enlisted. Geez.

The upper half of this, which we call the upper receiver, has an 8 inch barrel with the baffle system of the moderator pinned to the end. If it were able to be removed I'd have to buy two tax stamps, because less than 16 inches is a short barreled rifle, and Uncle Sam has that shit regulated as well. Since they are permanently together it's just a one-off stamp.

My lower receiver has the same pistol grip I carried in Iraq. A trigger set called the TacCon 3MR. It rotates that extra click, and as the bolt does its cycle it assists in resetting the sear. Feather that trigger like a paintball gun, and I can dump a 30-round mag sounding like an automatic! More fun than it should be, but sadly expensive to do.

I asked the guy behind the counter if he knew how long it was taking for the electronic filing to return the stamp, and he said he had a guy recently get it back in a week, but he's been waiting on his for ten months. I'm crossing my finger I'll be on the shorter end of this.

I'm not sure if I can use 5.56 for pigs in Texas, but if I get this home real quick I'll be asking a certain outfitter if it's legal! I'd guess @gizmo could tell me the answer to that one. It might be a caliber restriction there. Some states allow it, and there are some ammo makes specifically for pigs in 5.56.

 

[Pheroze]

Cool! Stupid question but are you allowed to customize your rifle for duty?

 

[ArmyGrunt]

oh, and to go back to the saga...

I made my purchase on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Pardon me for not knowing when that is, because I really don't care about holidays except my birthday. I knew that there would be a bit of a wait. I wanted a custom serial number to match that of my lower.
The first step if the maker has to apply with the ATF for making the device with said serial number. I called about a month out, and she said there was an unusual delay in that paperwork. Government. Go figure.
Next step when that is done, they actually assemble the scary device with that number stamped or laser engraved or whatever they do onto the sleeve of the can. This is now an officially serialized weapon.
Now they have to apply with the ATF once again to have it transferred from their shop and its records to the local gun store and its records. Typically neither of these steps should take more than three weeks. It's done via computer, and those shops that handle these NFA (National Firearms Act) weapons have to pay extra money each year to maintain this privilege. I'd think that it would be lickety split, since it's updated regularly. I'd asked during one of these phone calls with Witt Machine if they would let me know when it actually ships from them. A woman said that's not a problem, and was going to make a note of it.
Feb 2. Holy crap. Where the hell is this suppressor? I called once again and talked to one of the techs. I think he may have been the foreman, but I don't know that for sure. Either way, the voice on the phone said "it should ship out next week." Awesome sauce. I went to the local store who'd be doing things from my end to start on some of my process. Feel free to PM, and I can explain it. It's FAR easier than it was 4 years ago! I kept waiting to hear back from them that it was in transit.

March 2. Crickets....Not a single phone call or anything. I'm getting pretty upset, due to the price tag and the four weeks that have now passed. I think I got the same man on the line this time. He asked, "where was it going to be received? Please hold." A minute or two later he returns. "I've got to tell you a story." F**k. This can't be good. "We shipped this thing out (he wouldn't tell me when) and we got a call (also never said when) from a lawn mower repair place in Illinois, about 2.5 hours away from where it should have been received. UPS messed this one up. The guy at the mower store opened it, it fell on a pile of parts, and got a little messed up. He didn't know what he had, so he found our info on the forms, and called us. We got a local FFL (federal firearms license holder) to go there quick and pick it up. It just came back to us, and we're going to make sure it's in good order before we send it back out."
Marvellous. It's mostly safe, and not lost in transit. A couple of problems here.
1) This thing went to Illinois. They are illegal in that state, because - Illinois, and they're really dumb about gun laws. Not as bad as Commifornia, but that's another thread!
2) If the guy at the mower place had any idea what he held in his hand, it would have been lost forever, and further extended my aggravating wait time.
3) The manufacturer wasn't even going to let me know that my expensive, and heavily regulated weapon part had been lost in a shipping SNAFU (situation normal, all F**ked up). How on earth is this good business practice?

March 25. I started a conversation with the company via email, by initiating it on their website. Several messages later, many from their end with a real shitty tone to them, I'm told that the thing was very damaged, and they had to rebuild it to make sure I got something I'd be very happy with. He also said that they "I think we did pretty good customer service," and recanted the FFL recovery story, and cited "at our own expense." I'm sorry, but since I haven't received this thing yet, it's not customer service, it doing what I paid you for in the first place. Also, why the F do you not track these things from both shipping and receiving angles to ensure this kind of thing does not get missed? Finally, he said "you'll be informed when your item leaves our facility."

Today, March 31. I called up the local store for a couple of reasons, partly because I wanted to know if they knew about the SNAFU, because it was stated that the receiver informed the company that there was a problem. The main NFA guy had no idea about the story. Silver lining to all this? He said it was received just yesterday, but there was no information about whom the buyer was. Good thing I checked in with this story, or I'd still be without any information.

Holy Freaking Crap! The moral of this story is DO NOT buy from Witt Machine of Colorado. They also make muzzle brakes for various weapons. Maybe those will be handled better, but these suppressed uppers I'd stay away from. Of course, this is probably a prime example of Murphy's Law biting me in my arse again, because he's a dick and hates me anyway. I can say with confidence I'll never deal with them again. EVER.

Thanks for listening to me whine!!

 

[ArmyGrunt]

Cool! Stupid question but are you allowed to customize your rifle for duty?

while on deployment, we were afforded a few liberties. A couple guys made some bigger aesthetic changes. I'd only done the stock and grip, and easily returned it to issue status at the end of the trip. I saw guys in other units, and different areas, that had painted their rifles. I'd imagine they were out doing patrols where it was more prudent to not have a long, black silhouette. In my seat inside an armored truck on a convoy it didn't much matter what the color was. Pink would have been frowned on, but there was no tactical reason not to!!

 

[wesheltonj]

Yes, you can use a 5.56 on hogs in Texas. Most folks prefer a 308 for hogs, but like everything else, it's placement not caliber that kills.

 

[gizmo]

Well, to start small with this, and make sure those who don't have our firearm privileges can follow along, I'll get down to some of the finer points.

This is a 5.56 mm, semi-automatic, gas powered rifle. It is, indeed a variant of the AR (Armalite Rifle) system. I prefer to call these Modern Sporting Rifles, because I'm really not sure what an "assault rifle" truly is...we've got mainstream media to thank for that B.S. I also call it an "evil black rifle" because of the fear it incites by its terrifying appearance.

You can build these things with an near infinite number of options: pistol grips, trigger groups, butt stock, forearm, sights, gas control system (piston or direct impingement, meaning the gas pushes the bolt group to the rear), and the upper and lower parts can be made of various materials, and occasionally milled to have a skeletonized appearance. I thought strongly about buying one of those this time...

I chose to go suppressed on this one because firstly, why not? I also love the idea of safely shooting sans ear pro. On this type of rifle the adjustment to the felt recoil is about as negligible as can be. It uses a buffer and a spring to do that anyway, and the round (AKA .223) has not got much recoil in itself. However, I can tell a difference in it because I've shot this weapon system regularly for the last 17+ years. Damn, that makes me feel old...half of my life has been enlisted. Geez.

The upper half of this, which we call the upper receiver, has an 8 inch barrel with the baffle system of the moderator pinned to the end. If it were able to be removed I'd have to buy two tax stamps, because less than 16 inches is a short barreled rifle, and Uncle Sam has that shit regulated as well. Since they are permanently together it's just a one-off stamp.

My lower receiver has the same pistol grip I carried in Iraq. A trigger set called the TacCon 3MR. It rotates that extra click, and as the bolt does its cycle it assists in resetting the sear. Feather that trigger like a paintball gun, and I can dump a 30-round mag sounding like an automatic! More fun than it should be, but sadly expensive to do.

I asked the guy behind the counter if he knew how long it was taking for the electronic filing to return the stamp, and he said he had a guy recently get it back in a week, but he's been waiting on his for ten months. I'm crossing my finger I'll be on the shorter end of this.

I'm not sure if I can use 5.56 for pigs in Texas, but if I get this home real quick I'll be asking a certain outfitter if it's legal! I'd guess @gizmo could tell me the answer to that one. It might be a caliber restriction there. Some states allow it, and there are some ammo makes specifically for pigs in 5.56.

You can certainly use it but the hogs will laugh at you. They'll think the mosquitoes are out earlier than usual

 

[ArmyGrunt]

Thanks! I'd imagine if i were shooting suppressed I'd maybe get the chance to hit a couple before they get the hint, but I could be wrong. I've not been near the catcher's end of a gun shot.

 

[ArmyGrunt]

You can certainly use it but the hogs will laugh at you. They'll think the mosquitoes are out earlier than usual

You haven't seen much success with the smaller calibers, I take it?

 

[gizmo]

Thanks! I'd imagine if i were shooting suppressed I'd maybe get the chance to hit a couple before they get the hint, but I could be wrong. I've not been near the catcher's end of a gun shot.

It's not that they won't get the hint. They'll just laugh at you. They eat 556 for breakfast

 

[gizmo]

You haven't seen much success with the smaller calibers, I take it?

not to be overly dramatic but we've bounced belted magnums off their heads. I generally tell people 270 is the minimum caliber for our hogs. If you ear hole them they'll die but it's a low percentage shot.

This guy in the pic is 6'3. 350lbs

 

[ArmyGrunt]

 

[ArmyGrunt]

I meant....

 

[gizmo]

Here is @Hogpatrol with a Rockin G pig. He's at least 6'.

 

[gizmo]

That hog was no joke. He took a 20 gauge slug and got back up and tried to eat us.

 

[ArmyGrunt]

that freaking cat picture is still cracking me up....

I guess they really do grow 'em bigger in Texas! I can't wait to eat one, but mom brought me half a pig today, so the freezer is a little bit jammed up. I'll have to do a lot or reorganizing if I can get down to the visit that outfitter I'm looking at