SinistralRifleman

Leupold’s HAMR scope is a relatively new entry into the market for low-fixed power optics, competing most directly with the Trijicon ACOG.  You can read all about it here on The Firearm Blog.  I have had a HAMR for a few months now and the things I like about it most are the long eye relief and adjustable brightness reticle. Another noteworthy feature is the mount has different screw holes that allow the user to adjust how far forward or back the scope sits in relation to the shooter’s eye while remaining in the same rail slots.

The HAMR I purchased came with the Leupold Delta Point reflex sight mounted on top at the front of the scope.  Leupold’s choice to mount the reflex sight forward on the HAMR is much more user friendly than mounting it at the rear like the ACOG.  I have previously used a Doctor Optic mounted on top of an ACOG, and I constantly had the bill of my hat banging into the Doctor when I used the ACOG.  This was distracting and the primary reason I did not stick with the ACOG/Doctor Combo.

Unfortunately, while I like the position of the Delta Point on the HAMR, I do not care much for the sight itself.  Zeroing the delta point was a frustrating experience.  It uses very small screws for the windage and elevation adjustments and two small screws to lock those in place.  With the Delta Point mounted on top of the HAMR loosening those locking screws was challenging.  I had to remove the Delta point to have sufficient leverage to loosen them.  Adjusting windage and elevation was also tricky because there is just gross screw adjustments; not clicks for known measurements.  When compared to the Trijicon RMR LED model (the most directly competing sight), the Delta Point is lacking in ease of use.  The Delta Point is slightly smaller and about $100 cheaper, but the ease of use of the RMR offsets these disadvantages.

When I am competing in Open or Trooper divisions, I like the option of a red dot for close range stages.  I also prefer the secondary red dot mounted on top of the primary magnified optic rather than offset so I can use it off either shoulder; stage design often forces me as a lefty to shoot right handed.  I was disappointed that the Delta Point on the HAMR was not the solution I had hoped it would be.  Fortunately Hahn Precision is working on a mount that allows the use of an Aimpoint Micro on top of the HAMR.  The Aimpoint Micro is an extremely rugged sight with easy to adjust windage and elevation and adjustable brightness.  Furthermore the closed tube of the Micro will not gather dust/debris like the Deltapoint or RMR when exposed to the elements.  The  Aimpoint Micro is a natural companion optic for a military grade sight like the HAMR.  Pictures of the prototype system are below.  I am looking forward to using this system in the near future.

Two of the matches I have coming up have rules that allow you to reconfigure your guns if you carry the different optics or accessories with you for the duration of the match.  I have been primarily using a Trijicon TA11J the past several months, but sometimes a stage might be a lot easier to shoot with an Aimpoint due to the unlimited eye relief.  Having to shoot with a gas mask or paintball mask on, or from very awkward positions is something I’ve done in the past where using an Aimpoint would be an advantage.  Conversely, I much prefer the ACOG for 150-400 yard shooting.  The LaRue mounts I have on both optics return to zero reliably so I am not worried about swapping them back and forth as needed.

I asked Coyote Tactical to make me a pouch that could accommodate either optic while the other is on my rifle.  Pictured below is the final product:

The pouch is MOLLE compatible.

The lid is secured with velcro and padded

The body of pouch is supported by kydex and the kydex covered in soft material to support the optic.

The flagship product of Cavalry Arms Corporation was the CAV-15 polymer lower receiver, and later starting in 2003 the CAV-15 MKII lower receiver.  You can read all about the design history of the CAV-15 here.  I worked for Cavalry Arms Corporation from 2001 to June of 2010 when it closed down.  During that time I was able to participate in all aspects of production, testing, assembly, and testing.  I also used the CAV-15 extensively in competitions during that time.  Some of my personal receivers had 15,000 rounds on them, and some withstood abuse that would have damaged or destroyed aluminum receivers.  The CAV-15 MKIIs worked so well because of the one piece design that gave it strength, and the nylon material that allowed it to flex and return to its original shape.

posted 02 July, 2009
We attended the TIGER Valley 4 Man Team Competition in Waco, Texas this past weekend.  You can read all about the match here:   http://www.actshooters.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=19;t=000223

Late in the day on Saturday while waiting to shoot, my partner’s rifle and mine were both run over by another competitor’s truck.  This was an unfortunate accident, he didn’t see our gear pile on the side of the range (don’t worry, insurance is covering the damage).  My rifle and my partner’s were in a soft double rifle case, his was on the side facing up.  My partner’s scope (Russian POSP) was broken in half, offeset Burris red dot broken off and damaged, rail handguard damaged, charging handle broken, and buffer tube bent.  The rifle was seriously out of action, the bolt could not travel to the rear.

Damage pics of his:

My rifle on the bottom was damaged with some large gouges in the stock where the scope on the other hit into it.  There was no other obvious damage.  The zero shifted (upon disassembly, the upper receiver was found to be cracked at the barrel extension), and the rifle was not as accurate for the rest of the match, but it functioned flawlessly.  Every round chambered fired, the bolt cycled fine, and locked back on empty mags.  Plastic has the ability to flex where metal will just bend.

Trijicon proactively replaced several components in my ACOG, even though no damage was apparent.  Aimpoint said there was no damage to my Aimpoint T1 Micro at all.

In October of 2009 I did an AR15 Dirt Test using a CAV-15 MKII.

Pics of the rifle afterwards

A month later I used this same rifle at the American Heroes Team Challenge in Las Vegas, NV and it performed reliably and I was able to hit targets out to 250 yards without issue.

I suspect that the CAV-15 performed better than a traditional AR15 would have with this abuse.  The buffer tube area is much more open with the buffer and spring riding on ribs rather than a solid tube.  I believe this allowed more debris to blow past into these areas rather than causing binding.

Cavalry Arms Corp ownership and staff was all shooters.  We put a lot of rounds down range in competition, testing, and just shooting for fun.  The particular lower in this photo had gone through several uppers that were shot to the point they were no longer accurate.