Len Y submits the following
I bought a new Colt/UMAREX M16 SPR Tactical .22 rifle just after Christmas. I would like to offer my comments as I proceeded to clean it for the first time and then took it off to the range for first time.
First thing I would like to point out is that the look and feel of this .22 M16 are superb! It weighs enough to give the feel of a true to life M16 and with it's flash suppressor and a 30 round mag, that looks like the real thing, you could not tell the difference unless you got up close and personal. After reading the manual that came with the rifle I discovered errors in the text that were corrected in the manual that I downloaded directly from the UMAREX website. The only critical error was in the bolt mainspring adjustment where the printed manual had the turn directions reversed. Not life threatening, but I was glad to have the right instructions because I purchased high velocity .22 LR ammo and made the adjustment to have the bolt return speed increased to the max. Another omission from the printed version was to loosen the muzzle compensator by two turns before removing the rear receiver pin to open the rifle for cleaning. This is VERY IMPORTANT as it takes tension off the barrel casing and makes it easier to remove the pin without damage to the lower receiver enclosure.
Upon opening the rifle for cleaning I knew that cleaning was going to be a little tricky given that you cannot remove the bolt assembly from the upper receiver, nor the trigger and hammer assembly in the lower receiver. Thus cleaning is a matter of using sprays and some type of air blowing apparatus, e.g., a mini vac with a blower capability, a small compressed air rig, or a can of air. I also found it a bit tight to do a good job of scrubbing out the breech area. But,with a good cleaning kit (Otis) using a flexible rod and the smaller .22 brass brush, I got through the process OK. Oil is used very sparingly as not to cause a buildup of residue in the mainspring and bolt area.
Despite some of my grief over cleaning, once I got to the range, all was well with the world. To be poetic...the rifle is a hoot to shoot! I was able to find some of the new Winchester Super X Super Speed Plated Round Nose Ammo with a 40 grain copper jacketed bullet. The ammo is rated at 1300 FPS. WOW! Popping off 30 rounds as fast as I could pull the trigger and feeling as if it were almost like a full auto, I was in shooter heaven, at least until my first jam. My thinking is that I have to play a bit with the bolt mainspring adjustment to find the right combination of forward and reverse bolt speeds to handle the ammo correctly. I found that shooting rapidly sometimes resulted in an inability for the extractor to fully expel the empty casing before the next round popped up to be loaded into the breach. It was not a big deal as I shot over 400rounds in my first outing and only had a few events.
Once I had my sights rough aligned I was able to get X ring groups at 25 Yards (limit of myclosest indoor range) and it proved tome very quickly that this rifle is as accurate as it is beautiful. That's itfor now. Next up is a moderate priced scope and more breaking in. If any thing else happens I'll drop you a line.
By the way...you have a great website!
All the best!
Len Y.
Northern Virginia
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