I received my Peerless Grade N.M. AR-15 from Clint McKee at Fulton Armory last week. The following are my initial observations after a thorough inspection of the gun and three shooting sessions (a very good week).
Clint has produced a winner ! The gun was built on my Bushmaster lower receiver. The original trigger was replaced by a 2 Stage match quality trigger that, in and of itself, makes a world of difference. Although the trigger pull measures 4.5#, It feels much lighter and is crisp and without overtravel. It is simply wonderful. It makes accurate shooting of an AR-15 easy.
The N.M. upper is flawlessly finished and carefully crafted. The A2 upper receiver is Mil Spec. The Keiger 1:7.75 twist heavy barrel is in my gun brushed stainless steel. It is 0.728" in diameter at the muzzle and brings the guns weight to about 10#. The post ban muzzle also sports an 11 degree concave muzzle crown (very similar to my Rem 700 VS).
The front sight post is slightly undercut and square sided. It is asymetrical and must be rotation a full 360 degrees to properly align it when adjusting for initial elevation. The front sight is a narrow 0.052 tapered post which is appropriately sized to the black of High Power targets. There is a set screw which locks the front sight in a solid position once initial elevation is set (a nice touch which speaks to the little touches that set this upper apart).
The rear sight is pecise in it adjustment. It is click adjustable 1/4" horizontally and 1/2" vertically. I cannot detect any slop in the rear sights. The adjustments are accurate and reproduceable. The rear site aperture are quite a bit finer than stock AR-15 sights. They appear to be in the .040 to .045 range (which happens to be the favored rear sight appeture reported in Precision Shooting to be used by the Army's MU.)
The bolt assembly is quite a bit more substantial than either Colt or Bushmasters assemblies. It is a dull chrome finish which appears to slick up the action and aids in cleaning. The sound of the action cycling is very substantial sort of like closing the door on a fine Mercedes. It is an esthetic and functional triumph. Reliability is 100%.
The Match handguard float tube assembly works as it should preventing sling tension from altering point of impact. It also adds to the rifles eventual 10# weight with slight muzzle heavy balance that is a benefit in the standing position.
Well, how does it shoot ? ...... AWESOME !!!! It is a 0.6 to 0.7 MOA rifle with iron sites. Clint guarantees under 1 MOA and mine passed that test easily. No excuses with this rifle. It is a pleasure to shoot. I just want to go to the range and stay there.
In summary, I am well pleased. This is a beautifully and thoughtfully crafted rifle that delivers all of the promise of the AR-15 as a Match Rifle. I couldn't be happier.
[Not affliated with Fulton Armory in any way, just a satisfied customer; and Clint works very hard to make sure everyone is totally satisfied]