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BR4 Paratrooper

UPDATE! March 17th, 2016

Ejection port dust cover (top), empty case deflector (center), forward assist (bottom).

Hogue six-position buttstock.

Ergo Grip.

Bolt release (top), manual safety (bottom).

Battle Rifle Company of Seabrook, Texas is in the business of building AR-15 style rifles for those who want a rifle that is a cut above the common. Today, even the bone-stock milspec ARs on the market are really good rifles, and can serve the shooter well, right out of the box. However, many shooters desire a rifle that is put together using only premium components, configured just as they like it from the get-go, without having to modify a base rifle. Battle Rifle Company caters to these shooters, who want to buy a premium AR, already set up with upgraded features. Battle Rifle Company has several different models from which to choose, and they can also tweak components to suit the individual buyer.

The rifle shown here is their Spectre Model, but it wears a Hogue buttstock and a free-float quad rail handguard. The handguard is well-ventilated for cooling, and thankfully, it comes supplied with thin, soft synthetic rubber rail covers, to protect the shooter's hand from abrasion. The Spectre has an HBAR profile chrome-lined cryogenic treated barrel with a one-in-seven-inch (1-7) rifling twist. The barrel is manganese phosphate coated, and is fitted with a Battle Rifle Company flash suppressor.

The Battle Rifle Company bolt carrier is M16 spec full-auto rated with a chrome-lined gas key, properly staked in place. The 7075-T6 buffer tube enclosed a coated spring for smoother operation. The upper and lower receivers are also made from 7075-T6 aluminum, anodized matte black. The Ergo pistol grip is very comfortable, filling in behind the lower receiver, for a better grasp of the rifle. The upper incorporates the standard A2 features, such as the case deflector, dust cover, and forward assist. The Spectre wears the excellent Magpul folding adjustable sights, fitted to the full-length 1913 Picatinny spec top rail. The magazine well is funneled, and the rifle ships with a thirty-round Magpul PMAG magazine. The Spectre has a polished single-stage trigger, and the pull weight measured five and one-quarter pounds resistance on the rifle shown here.

For accuracy testing, I mounted my mule; the Leupold Mark 4 8.5 to 25 power target/tactical scope. This scope allows me to get all the accuracy that I possibly can out of a rifle/ammo combo. From a solid rest, it eliminates most of my human error, and allows me to see just how well a rifle will shoot. Velocity testing was done with the chronograph set out twelve feet from the muzzle at an elevation of 541 feet above sea level, approximately. Temperatures hovered around the eighty-one degree Fahrenheit mark during all velocity testing. Relative humidity was forty-five percent. Velocity readings are the average of several shots fired, and the results are listed in the chart below. Velocity readings are listed in feet-per-second (fps). Bullet weights are listed in grains. FMJ is a full metal jacket bullet. HP is hollowpoint. V-Max is a polymer-tipped varmint bullet. TSX is a Barnes Triple Shock homogenous copper hollowpoint bullet. The handload listed uses the TSX bullet with 24.5 grains of Ramshot TAC powder, a Remington small rifle primer, and Winchester commercial .223 Remington cases.

For function testing, I tried the loads listed above, in addition to a few others that I had lying around, including 55 grain FMJ commercial reloads, Israeli NATO-spec, and some Eastern European brass-cased ammunition. I tried no steel-cased ammo, as I do not shoot that stuff in my rifles. Functioning proved to be one-hundred percent, with every round feeding, firing, and ejecting perfectly. I used the thirty-round Magpul PMAG as well as Vietnam war era Colt twenty-round magazines. Again, no malfunctions of any kind were encountered during the testing of the Spectre carbine.

The trigger had a very good feel for an AR carbine, releasing relatively crisply, contributing to the rifle's practical accuracy, or better-stated, the author's ability to achieve the rifle's inherent accuracy. The Spectre proved to be very accurate. I fired for accuracy at a distance of one hundred yards, using a solid bench and a Target Shooting, Inc. Model 500 rifle rest for support. The pictures shown are representative of the rifle's accuracy achieved, with each of the types of ammunition shown. The Hogue buttstock and the free-floated railed handguard proved to be very comfortable to use. Most telescoping AR buttstocks pull the hair out of my face when I am firing the weapon, but I am happy to report that no facial hair was lost during the testing of this weapon. The rail covers also contributed greatly to the enjoyment of firing the Spectre carbine, as did the comfortable Ergo pistol grip.

The Battle Rifle Company Spectre carbine is just one of many different styles of premium ARs offered by Battle Rifle Company.

Check out the entire line of rifles at www.battleriflecompany.com.

To order quality 5.56x45mm ammunition, go to www.buffalobore.com, www.midsouthshooterssupply.com, www.doubletapammo.com, and www.luckygunner.com.

Battle Rifle Company sells direct to the consumer, or through their dealer network.

To order, call 281-777-0316 to order or email: info@battleriflecompany.com.

Jeff Quinn

NOTE: All load data posted on this web site are for educational purposes only. Neither the author nor GunBlast.com assume any responsibility for the use or misuse of this data. The data indicated were arrived at using specialized equipment under conditions not necessarily comparable to those encountered by the potential user of this data.  Always use data from respected loading manuals and begin working up loads at least 10% below the loads indicated in the source manual.

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UPDATE! March 17th, 2016