SAR 18#6

forward assist although it serves no purpose
other than cosmetic. The receiver
also has the fired cartridge case deflector
and ejection port dust cover. The top
of the rail has a regular Mil-Std-1913 rail
along with a beautifully engraved spider
on the rear by the charging handle.
The barrels used by Spikes Tactical
are both Lothar Walther and Green
Mountain, both 1:16 twist. The barrel
on the test and evaluation unit was a
Lothar Walther. The Lothar also had a
slightly tighter chamber and bore that
improved accuracy and reliability due to
the increased back pressure. The barrel
lengths offered go from 5.5 up to 16
inches. The barrel on the T&E unit was
16 inches in length. The muzzle device
attached was the Spikes Tactical Dyna
Comp. The Dyna Comp is designed to
reduce recoil impulse and muzzle climb
to provide faster follow-up shots. This is
accomplished by balancing the direction
of the blast along the vertical and perpendicular
planes of the muzzle to lower
muzzle rise, while the end of the devise
restricts forward energy to reduce parallel
recoil. The ports are ball dimpled
for smoother expansion of gases and
rapid heat dissipation. The compensator
is Melonite treated.
The rail provided on the upper receiver
is the Spikes Tactical ST/S3. The
rail is 13.2 inches in length with quad
Mil-Std 1913 rails. The rail is attached
to a proprietary barrel nut that leaves
the barrel fully free floated. The rail is
manufactured from an extrusion and
Type III anodized hardcoat finished.
All of the rails are scalloped for operator’s
comfort. There are four QD sockets
as well. The rail is very well made
and very durable.
The bolt is a modified Atchisson design.
This design has an interchangeable
front that is held in place by the
receiver frame. This particular one is
equipped with a barrel collar assembly
that contains the feed ramp; the barrel
end slides into the barrel collar assembly.
The bolt group is entirely finished in
NP3 Nickel Teflon.
The upper receiver was placed on
the Aero Precision lower receiver. All
magazines used were Black Dog Machine
10, 25 and 50- round magazines.
The upper was tested with CCI Mini-
Mag, Remington Golden Bullet, Scorpion,
Federal Match and CCI Stinger.
The rifle would not reliably cycle with the
Federal Match and justly so due to it being
standard velocity but this was by far
the most accurate load. All other ammunition
fed reliably and accurately. More
than 200 rounds were fired through this
upper with only a few malfunctions due
www.smallarmsreview.com 69 SAR Vol. 18, No. 6