PTR91-A3R Review

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  • Thor

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    Greetings all,

    I just took delivery of a new PTR91-A3R. This is the version with the wide forearm...the G3A3 German style and a welded Pickatiny Rail on top of the receiver. The rail was a plus for me as I'd seen the claw mounts and they are both a bit Rube Goldberg and made up the price difference between the A3R and the less expensive GI model. This is an all American made rifle.


    View attachment 29980

    Mine is a Bristol, CT built weapon not from their new digs in Aynor, SC but any company willing to relocate to get away from gun grabbing libs deserves support I say.:yesway:

    The weapon arrived looking very impressive with small and even (almost unnoticeable) welds. I mounted a 4x Weaver I had lying about on a promag PM067 aluminum scope mount.

    View attachment 29981

    View attachment 29982


    The tolerances are very tight out of the box. I did a disassembly and cleaning and the stock had to be persuaded off by putting the take down pins in the holders on the stock and tapping them with a rawhide mallet. It was definitely too tight for just pulling it off without maybe you and a friend doing a three stooges routine; also, I didn't want to throw my new rifle across the room.


    I decided to follow their recommended break in procedure which entails firing a round, swab the barrel with solvent, run a brush through it 8-10 times, swab dry...each time for the first 10 rounds then after each magazine for the first 200-300 rounds. The manual states that during this time you may experience Failure to Feed or Failure to Eject. So, I loaded up 10 20 round magazines and headed to the range to see how it ran.

    I fired the first 10 rounds as recommended without seriously considering where it was shooting as I was more interested in getting all that cleaning done, still not a bad 4" group from 100 yards with 10 rounds for a minute of scrubbing between shots and only having put a laser boresighter on it.

    I spent the next 80 rounds futzing with the scope and just putting rounds down range. Still not where I want it to end up but I was more interested in functioning of the weapon.

    For the last 20 rounds I went back to the 200 Yd table.

    View attachment 29983

    So, how did it run? Flawlessly. Not a single issue. I was shooting steel case Russian stuff, 147gr FMJ and Surplus German 7.62 NATO rounds. I chose those mostly because I had heard of issues with both feeding and function but from my experience the only issue was that the Russian ammo was dirty with visible smoke from the shot and wafting out of the weapon afterwards. After 110 rounds I decided that any further break in was really unnecessary.

    I've heard some say the recoil is too much. Having tested HK91/G3 rifles in Germany back in the 70's I didn't remember it to be so. There is some movement of the weapon on firing that would probably intimidate someone moving up from a .22 but I shoot .308 in a Mauser that has little in the way of recoil mitigation and don't find that bad...and it's as nothing compared to my .45-70. So, 110 rounds and no shoulder soreness; I think that equates to recoil not bad.

    It does throw the brass into the weeds way over there and the ones I found were dented and had visible lines where the barrel fluting did it's job to ensure extraction; and the manual does say they don't recommend reloading any cases fired from the weapon.

    So, if you can live with not reloading or even finding the fired brass and are looking for a good option for a Main Battle Rifle in 7.62NATO this seems to be a viable American made option.:ar15:

    Another plus is that magazines are still about as cheap as you can get. It uses G3 or CETME magazines and I picked up a box of 10 G3 aluminum mags for less than 40 bucks plus shipping.

    Next up I need to find a good bipod so I can work on accuracy. I see they have them over at HK Parts but hoky smokes! The price obviously is meant to reflect German Gnome Space Magic content. :dunno:
     
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    Kirk Freeman

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    This is the version with the wide forearm...the original German style . . .

    Thanks for your write up.

    FYI, the original was the skinny forearm. The wide body come to the GayDry later in its service life.

    Are you going to kick start it, or leave the sling stock?
     

    Thor

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    Thanks for your write up.

    FYI, the original was the skinny forearm. The wide body come to the GayDry later in its service life.

    D'oH! Guess I should have said G3A3. The original would have been wood...

    Are you going to kick start it, or leave the sling stock?

    At this point I'll be leaving it stock...need more ammo first I think; and a bipod.
     

    Kirk Freeman

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    At this point I'll be leaving it stock...need more ammo first I think; and a bipod.

    I've shot HK91s for a long, long time. I've never rigged one for kick starting either, but then I've never shot it when people are shooting at me, but at a nice, calm square range.
     

    spencer rifle

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    Scrounging brass
    People, including myself, reload G3/CETME cases all the time. Dents are more of an issue than fluting. A port buffer will reduce denting, so there's really no good reason not to reload an otherwise-undamaged case. Finding them again is another matter...
     

    T.Lex

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    Thanks.
    You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Kirk Freeman again.
    Alas, that seems like a bad way to charge it. Like warranty-voiding type bad.
     

    teddy12b

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    Thor,
    Those rifles have always fascinated me. Thanks for the write up. Do you have any plans to do an accuracy test with any 168gr match ammo and a scope?
     

    Thor

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    Do you have any plans to do an accuracy test with any 168gr match ammo and a scope?

    At some point yes...I just ordered 1000rnds of 147gr FMJBT this morning so probably not right away. I also have found that my fat hand monopod needs an upgrade before I do any serious accuracy testing and possibly my optics.
     

    Thor

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    Thanks.

    Alas, that seems like a bad way to charge it. Like warranty-voiding type bad.

    There is validity to the concept however, especially if crawling around in the bush. You wouldn't have to reach forward to access the charging handle and it would be better than just a lanyard because it would always be accessible from the back of the weapon. I do wonder what PTR would say about the concept. I will ask them and see what they say. If it looks like the S is really going to HTF I suppose their 25k round warranty wouldn't be the top thing on my mind though.
     

    Thor

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    Update on Kick Starting

    I sent PTR Industries a message this morning and asked about kick starting and the warranty.

    Chris from PTR called me right back.:yesway:

    He said that technically, it won't violate the warranty but that if you actually use your foot it puts a lot of stress on the charging tab and they won't replace that part if it fails. He said other than that there is no issue other than when using this process to charge the rifle there is no way to lock the handle in the rear position and that it would not effect the warranty of any other associated parts.

    He said another option people use is to attach a braided length of para-cord to the charging handle and mount it to the forearm sling point so that it lies flat against the rifle when the charging handle is forward. He thought that offered some of the benefits, was lightweight and strong, and wouldn't stress the charging handle.

    +2 for immediate response and friendly feedback.
     

    Thor

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    Look what they released on Monday: PTR Industries If I had $1,200 I'd have it ordered right now.

    That is pretty...and I was initially disappointed that I didn't wait...then I thought it's kind of like buying a new mega-chrome Harley; you'd spend more time polishing than riding. Then there's always the tactical issue of 'hey! Shoot me! I'm right over here!' so I'm still glad to be back in black.
     

    teddy12b

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    I saw their new South Carolina rifle on facebook a week or so ago. It looks like it'd be a very nice rifle, but for more for a collector or someone who just wants to celebrate South Carolina. I'm in Indiana and most of my rifles get a crappy krylon camo paintjob so they blend in with their surroundings. This particular rifle wouldn't do anything for me, but be a range queen. If the exact same thing were offered in black/green/whatever I'd be more interested in it. If I ever buy a PTR, it'll be one that has the scope mount already welded to it like the South Carolina rifle has.
     
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