Exspiravit
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2A Bourbon Hound 2024
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gun good like gun
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Indeed an entertainment value.Overall, probably the most fun you can have for $400.
I've been looking to find a couple of AR pistols, AR9s, or similar to keep in the vehicles.
Think these may fit the bill nicely.
Whoa. They are cool... but not THAT cool.
I bought mine to save money on .223 ammo.
Third picture, is that a wood screw in the handguard?
The EP9 is a mostly polymer somewhat-AR pistol offering from Extar. They also make a 10mm and 45AARP model. All take Glock mags.
I put this thing through it's paces today. 400 rounds of S&B, 100 more rounds of random crap from the bottom of the ammo can, including some steel.
ZERO malfunctions. ZERO recoil. Good accuracy, loads of fun.
From the bench, it has no trouble making 1 inch groups at 25 yards with no magnification. Where it really shines though, and where the fun really begins is when you start shooting multiple targets fast. Luckily, I had the range to myself today and put out several splatter targets at several distances from 25 to 50 staggered left to right and went to town. Light recoil and decent trigger makes keeping double taps on paper child's play.
I also decided to see how hot this thing can get. After two quick 17 rounds mags and one 33 round mag, the handguard is warm but perfectly usable. The metal handguard cap pictured, however, heats up fast. It's not a problem so long as your gripping the handguard it's self, but if you're trying a magwell grip, you're going to get burnt.
One other thing I discovered is that this thing needs an extended charging handle to help get past optics. Even this Bushnell Lil' P, as low profile as it is, can grab your knuckle every once in a blue moon. Unfortunately, there's no real aftermarket for this thing yet and Extar only offer's a folding charging handle at the moment.
Worth mentioning that the charging handle is non-reciprocating.
I brought 4 other rifles today and spent most of my time with the Extar.
Let's take a a look at what makes it tick.
A lot of familiar AR stuff here. Mag release in same place, safety the same. Supposedly trigger and safety can be switched out with most AR parts. AR pistol grip.
Bolt release on the left side. It even breaks down kind of like an AR. Pop the rear detent pin out and the "upper" slides forward and off.
Fire control group/trigger is polymer. I'm hesitant to replace them now that I know that because you'll be adding a harder part to a polymer set up and it may increase or create odd wear. Trigger's better than a run of the milspec trigger anyway, so we're leaving it for now.
The buffer tube isn't superfluous on this pistol. There actually is a buffer and spring set up and they help with recoil considerably. The plate that holds the buffer in the tube is unique to this pistol.
Bolt is simple. And dirty after 500 rounds.
The rear end of the boly is just mass. It's held to the front end by the cotter pin there near the seam. Another cotter pin keeps the firing pin in place.
The little "hump" on top is how the charging handle engages the bolt.
Charging handle sits in a little sled that moves back and forth in the top of the upper receiver. Pull it all the way to the rear with the bolt removed and the handle can be pulled out and the sled removed.
Standard from the factory is this muzzle cap/brake. Between the buffer and this, there's really no recoil or muzzle flip. Threads are standard 1/2x28.
While I was waiting on this thing to get here, I was shopping for brakes, but after shooting it, there's really no reason to replace it. The VG6 Epsilon I probably would have ordered can't do much to reduce recoil when there is none, and would add concussion.
After 500 rounds, the only wear I can find is around the ejection port. Seems the empty cases coming out are chewing on the port just a little bit. Probably not something that matters in the long run, but it would be an excellent placed for a little metal reinforcement/cover piece if Extar puts out a gen 2.
Overall, probably the most fun you can have for $400. Get some 33 round Glock fun sticks and go to town.
I'm still shooting this thing pretty regularly. I've lost count of how many rounds at this point, but we're over the 2k mark.
Here's a neat one I found perusing Reddit.
The "fakelite" he did on this thing looks fantastic.
Also, I've just discovered someone is 3d printing M Lok handguards
http://www.protoshandguard.com/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=extar-ep9-protos-mlok-handguard
Doesn't really float my boat, all I need is the included rail for a flashlight, but more options are always a good thing.