The Charles Daly Defense D-M4LE (top) and the Stag model 6 Super
Varminter (bottom) are two solid new entries to the brimming AR-15
market.
Anticipating the 2004 sunset of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, shooters put off buying AR-15s. This caused a stall in business for one of the largest manufacturers of AR-15 parts, leaving personnel and machines idle. Stag Arms President Mark Malkowski took the opportunity to spin off a subsidiary from the precision manufacturing firm which had been making aerospace and small arms parts for over 30 years. A left-handed shooter himself, he saw an opportunity in the market for a true left-handed AR-15, with left-handed controls and ejection.
The Stag Arms model 6 Super Varminter features a stainless 24-inch
bull barrel and a good two-stage trigger; with a long-range scope and
bipod, it's ready to go.
After this dramatic entry into the commercial AR-15 market, Stag Arms then turned its attention to more conventional rifle configurations, as well as some new ideas. Based in New Britain, Connecticut, Stag Arms offers a full line of AR-15 rifles in both left-handed and right-handed configurations, along with AR-15 parts. Eighty-percent of the parts in each Stag rifle are manufactured by Stag Arms in New Britain. They primarily serve the commercial market, however, they do have law-enforcement and international customers.
New for 2008 is Stag's model 6 Super Varminter, available in both right-handed and left-handed versions. It is based around a 24-inch
Although a sound suppressor adds a few inches to the overall length of the rifle,
the end result is a perfect combination for slaying varmints.
From the box, all the Stag needed was a scope, bipod, and a steady diet of varmint-slaying ammunition. I fitted a Leupold 3.5-10x40 mm
The Super Varminter's 24-inch stainless barrel has 1:8 twist, which
allows the use of the heavy, higher-BC 75 and 77-grain bullets for
long-range use.
The Stag Super Varminter comes with a plain crowned muzzle; however, varmint shooters have found that a sound suppressor can help prevent prairie dogs from getting spooked. With this in mind, I threaded the muzzle so the Thunder Beast Arms Corporation (TBAC) model 223P silencer could be used. The standard 1/2-28 thread pattern also
The Leupold 3.5-10x40 mm Mark 4 M3 scope gave about 55 moa of elevation from a 100-yard
zero on the Stag rifle, enough to hit anything in 5.56's effective range.
I connected a Harris model "L" bipod to the bipod stud and then handed the rifle to a friend of mine who was heading off to decimate the prairie dog population for a local rancher. Thrust directly into its element, the Stag Super Varminter performed as expected. The 50-gr .223 ammunition from the Wal-Mart value packs shot with sufficient accuracy to pop prairie dogs at several hundred yards.
When I got the rifle back, I headed to the range to do some accuracy testing. With Black Hills 75-gr match ammunition, the Stag would shoot 0.75 moa groups; with 55-gr PMC FMJ, it shot about one moa.
The Stag Arms model 6 Super Varminter is a solid, well-performing
rifle at a good price- a good choice for anyone who wants to shoot a
semi-auto .223 rifle at long range.
Varmint shooting usually involves the use of very lightweight, high-velocity rounds for explosive terminal effects on the small animals. While the Stag certainly could do this just fine, its 1:8 twist barrel is out of the ordinary for varmint AR-15 uppers. However, this enables the use of the heavy 75 and 77-gr loads, preferred for long-range use. The Stag Super Varminter is a viable choice if you want to stretch .223 to its long-range limits in the AR-15 platform.
Overall, the Stag Super Varminter is a solid rifle at a good price. The only criticism I have is that the bolt carrier had some excess friction against the receiver and hammer when new, but this did not cause malfunctions and went away after some break-in. I am delighted that it comes with a 1:8 twist barrel and not a typical slow varmint twist.
Charles Daly Defense has burst onto the scene with its line of
high-quality AR-15 rifles; the sample rifle was built right and made
of premium components.
CDD's parent company, K.B.I., sent their new D-M4LE rifle for testing. The D-M4LE has a 16-inch chrome-lined 4150 chrome-moly match barrel with 1:7 twist and M-203 mounting groove, M4 feed-ramps, and a forged "F" front sight base with bayonet lug and sling swivel. The regular D-M4 version is the same except it has a chrome-lined 4140 steel barrel with 1:9 twist. The version I was sent was finished with Daniel Defense free-floating quad-rail hand-guards, a Magpul MIAD grip, a Magpul CTR stock, and a Troy rear flip-up sight.
Attention to detail was evident on the D-M4LE, inside and out:
engraving was neat and clean on the receiver; upper to lower fit was
proper; and the gas key was staked properly on the bolt carrier.
Optics are a force multiplier for rifles and unless there is a specific reason to avoid them, they should be used. Furthermore, the flip-up Troy back-up iron sights (BUIS) which came fitted on this sample D-M4LE folds very flat and is a natural choice when an optic is used. The builders intended an optic to be mounted on this rifle.
Just one example of good setup and accessories is the Daniel Defense
sling mount, placed just in front of the receiver for use with one of
the modern adjustable two-point slings such as the Blue Force Gear
VCAS sling.
Some optics attempt to bridge these categories to provide effective multi-role capability. The Burris XTR-14 offers almost true unity (1x) magnification at the low power setting and four-power magnification at the high setting. Its reticle has an "inverted horse shoe" at the center, with stadia lines below it which demarcate the hold points for 5.56 NATO ammunition. The reticle is also illuminated for nighttime use.
Three-gun shooter Tim Pack ran the CDD D-M4LE through practical rifle
drills while at the NRA Whittington Center and was not disappointed.
The wring out the D-M4LE, I had one of my students use it during carbine training, using both the Troy rear BUIS and the Burris optic. The rifle ran like a champ; it was a good learning and training tool because it operated just like it was supposed to. In addition, an assistant and I shot some practical rifle drills using the D-M4LE, later adding the TBAC model 223P sound suppressor. On an AR-15 type rifle, a sound suppressor increases the back pressure, changing the pressure profile presented to the gas port, and aggressively fouls the action with carbon at an accelerated rate. The CDD rifle didn't flinch. Accuracy testing revealed that the D-M4LE would shoot five-shot groups with Black Hills remanufactured 75-gr (blue box) at
Although the M4-style carbines are not generally known for great
accuracy, the chrome-lined barrel shot 0.75-moa groups with Black
Hills 75-grain ammunition, which meant the CDD could hit distant
targets with ease.
Charles Daly Defense offers several other AR-15 configurations as well. Besides the standard 20-inch rifle, 24-inch varmint, and various 16-inch M4 styles, the also offer an 18-inch model designed specifically for 3-Gun competition. It comes standard with a carbon-fiber free-float hand-guard, Miculek compensator and rifle-length gas system with a JP Enterprises adjustable gas block.
Even with the TBAC 223P sound suppressor, the CDD M4-LE provides a
light and compact package, and operated well in a variety of circumstances.
My only criticism of the Charles Daly Defense D-M4LE is unfair to level. As an M4 clone, it is locked into the carbine-length gas system and barrel with the M-203 mounting groove. By definition as an M4 clone, it has to have those features. However, in the last several years and due to original research by ArmaLite, a gas system slightly longer than the carbine gas system, termed the mid-length gas system (MLGS), has become the choice for 16-inch AR-15s. It is a better choice for the 16-inch rifle because it puts less stress on the bolt, it is more reliable, it allows the use of a longer hand-guard or float tube, and it increases the sight radius. Charles Daly Defense needs to add 16-inch models with the MLGS to their lineup.
In the end, I was satisfied with the Charles Daly Defense D-M4LE and the Stag Arms model 6 Super Varminter. The Stag is a solid performer at its price point, with no surprises, while the CDD D-M4LE stands out for quality, number of mil-spec features, and unexpected great accuracy from a chrome-lined M4. If their intended applications match your needs, I would recommend either.
SOURCES
Stag Arms 860-229-9994 http://www.stagarms.com Charles Daly Defense 866-325-9486 http://www.charlesdalydefense.com Burris Optics 970-356-1670 http://www.burrisoptics.com Leupold 800-538-7653 http://www.leupold.com/ Whidden Gunworks 229-686-1911 http://www.whiddengunworks.net/ Thunder Beast Arms Corporation 307-287-2052 http://www.thunderbeastarms.com/
The Stag rifle delivered 0.75-moa accuracy at 100 yards, and the author had no problem hitting small
steel targets beyond 500 yards using the computer-generated drop values.
The Stinger monopod from Whidden Gunworks replaces the A2 buttstock with a quick-adjust monopod, which
is useful if shooting a low-recoil rifle from a set position.
The Burris XTR-14, shown here in a LaRue EER mount, is a good choice
for close and medium-range engagements with an AR-15.