Trash Panda Range report.

[Elk Creek]

Sako and I hit the range for a Beautiful fall Friday. I wanted to keep with the spirit of the Trash Panda and bought some Scorpio 55 grain 223 ammo, it made in the over in the Czech Republic. It was cheap and it was good enough for the initial break in was my thinking…… Well, it went bang! Then the next shot made that hole bigger, then a little bigger with the 3rd round! With 5 round groups at 50 yards with a Crimson Trace CT-1000 red dot I was getting 3/4-1” groups with the first 20 rounds!!! The dot on the optic is a 2 MOA dot and I could keep every shot within that dot. I was banging steel at 100, 150 and 200 with no problem. The Strike industries Warhog break input on the rifle worked great my sights really didn’t go off target after each shot. Sure it a little loud but man it works. I had Zero Zip Nada malfunctions of any kind. The bolt locks back on every empty mag. I usually run 5 rounds in the mag when testing shoot for group and last shot hold open test all in one. ! It might be a bit over gassed but it’s hard to say I haven’t shot a slick sided gun before so I’m not sure where it should eject with no deflector. The only quirk I ran into was the charging handle would unlatch and move about an inch with about 1 in 4 of the five shot groups. After getting home I noticed the latch was weak on the charging handle so I swapped it out for another one I had in my “random cheap AR junk” box my dad gave me a while ago….. (we are talking cheap junk! All the standard pistol grips and a few carbine stocks, standard selectors basically all the parts people change out. Most is in decent shape, but used old junk!) The new charging handle is much better!

Oh, what’s a carbine without a sling, so I fixed that too. I found a Magpul MS1 on eBay for 20 bucks with shipping, it was even coyote brown! I had a front mloc QD set from the afore mentioned “random cheap AR junk” box but no rear swivel or QD socket. Para cord to the rescue. I worked up a rear attachment point, it works great so far….threat is a slightly modified Prusik knot. When weight is applied tonic it will bind onto the tube and not move, but remove the weight is will slide around. It stays put when the rifle is hanging doing. There is a section of reinforced tubing that the para cord runs through to support the sling and reduce any wear spots with the para cord running on the sling. It is working great so far. We shall see.


To be short I really like this carbine! It shoots great for what it is and flat it came together so well. There may be a rattle can paint job in its future…… who knows.

[Diver43]

That certainly came together

[Elk Creek]

That certainly came together

Thanks!

[sakodude]

yep, no flies on that trash panda at all.

[Elk Creek]

yep, no flies on that trash panda at all.

Thanks buddy! Sako was running an accuracy clinic today. Especially with bullets that shouldn’t be!

[JunkCollector]

Hey 257 RN are the bomb....believe it.

[Wambli Ska]

Nice rifle you threw together there brother

[Elk Creek]

Hey 257 RN are the bomb....believe it.

The 70 grain 22’s and 40 grain moly bullets!

[Elk Creek]

Nice rifle you threw together there brother

Thanks

[Freezer]

Ya got to love it when a plan comes together.

[Chiro1989]

That’ll put a smile on a guys face, I really have not assembled an AR that did not shoot out to 200 well, that is the maximum on my range

[Elk Creek]

Ya got to love it when a plan comes together.

Sure do!

[Elk Creek]

That’ll put a smile on a guys face, I really have not assembled an AR that did not shoot out to 200 well, that is the maximum on my range

I’ve had one that was a dismal shooter years ago. I should have know when it took 3 barrels form the manufacturer before I go one that wasn’t screwed up! Barrel 1, gas vent drilled off enter and material from drilling left inside barrel. There was a chunk still attached to the edge of the vent liner. Barrel 2, was shipped as a 16” m4 type delivers a 10.5. Called and they said just run that barrel. “And felony myself?” Oh yeah. Barrel 3, 6” group at 100 yards…. It was gone with full disclosure.

[Chiro1989]

Dang, that was alot of problems for one build

[Elk Creek]

Dang, that was alot of problems for one build

This was 2010 ish and I was being characteristically cheap….