Is This The AR For You?

In the market for an AR? Join the crowd. Even if you already have one, there’s a good chance that you’re in the market for another one.

And there are a ton of choices to choose from. Multiple manufacturers with different models and options. It can be difficult to narrow your options down to just one particular gun.

Well, to make your decision potentially more difficult, Savage has come out with the MSR 15 Recon. A writer going by D.S. gives us details:

There are actually two options available from Savage. You have the MSR 15 recon and the MSR 15 patrol. The recon model has a nickel boron coated trigger, a custom forged lower receiver, a forged upper receiver, Blackhawk stock and pistol grip, and a free floated MLOK rail with a mid-length gas system. To make it even better, it has a 5r rifled, 223 Wylde chambered, nitrided barrel with an 11 degree target crown. The recon model comes with everything that an AR over $1000 should, but it comes under a 1k price point. If you want a more basic package, look at the patrol model. The patrol model is the basic model, but there isn’t a lot basic about it. The Savage msr 15 patrol comes with everything the recon does, minus the enhanced trigger, it has a smaller rubber recoil pad on the stock, and it comes with a Blackhawk drop in m-lok hand guard instead of the free float rail.

The rifles also comes with flip-up iron sights, and I will be honest, that is the worst thing on the rifle. They suck. The irons that came with the rifle appeared to be different heights as I could not sight them in for elevation…. they felt like they were cheaply made. Just do yourself a favor and get rid of them and get yourself some Magpul irons. The heart of the rifle is the Bolt Carrier Group. There are no manufacturing marks. It is marked “MP” for magnetic particle but not “HPT” for high pressure tested. The gas key is properly staked and it is a full auto bolt carrier group.

Now for the soul of the rifle, the barrel. The 5r rifling theoretically makes the barrel more accurate while also being easier to clean. With traditional rifling you have either 6 lands and grooves or 4… each land and groove being directly opposite of each other. That would deform the bullet a little bit more and that can alter its flight path a little bit by having an inconsistent wear pattern from bullet to bullet. When you are trying to be accurate, consistency is key. With 5 lands and grooves, the groove lines up with a land, which puts less wear on the bullet jacket itself. This causes less jacket deformation and leads to more shot to shot consistency. Furthermore, in a 5r rifled barrel, the lands and grooves are at a different angle than the traditional rifling so they are also be easier to clean out any fouling in the barrel.

Savage’s site gives us a few more specs on the Recon model:

• Custom forged lower receiver for a unique look
• 223 Wylde target chamber for use with 223 Rem. Or 5.56x45mm
• Nickel-boron coated trigger
• Free-float M-LOK® handguard
• Available with Magpul OR BLACKHAWK!® buttstock and pistol grip
• BLACKHAWK!® flip-up sights

All-in-all, this could be a nice rifle for you if you want an AR without spending an arm and a leg to get it.