By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
The Adcor rifle is well made of good material.
The ADCOR AR 15 rifle is among the best examples I have tested of America’s most popular rifle.
It isn’t a bottom end rifle made to sell, but an improvement over the general run of rifles.
You may not have heard of the ADCOR but if you own a modern Colt with monolithic receiver and rail- it just may have sported a receiver made by ADCOR. The ADCOR AR 15 features a monolithic receiver and quad rail that offers a great deal of utility and a modern appearance.
The Adcor features an advanced gas regulation system.
The Brown Enhanced Automatic Rifle (B.E.A.R.), named for its inventor, is offered in both the standard gas impingement system and a gas piston type. My example is the gas impingement rifle with adjustable gas tube. Originally, the rifle featured a floating gas system that many find attractive. My rifle also features the floating barrel and rigid rail system. The ADCOR B.E.A.R. boasts first class assembly, fit and finish. Every piece is made in the USA. A special bolt design protects the ejection port from debris, dust and other material entering the rifle.
While I conducted initial firing with the supplied fixed sights, later during the test program my rifle was fitted with a TRUGLO Omnia rifle scope. Here are the specifications for the Omnia:
- Multi-coated lenses for enhanced clarity and contrast
- 30mm tube for increased turret adjustment range and increased brightness
- Locking target turrets prevent accidental adjustment
- 1/2-MOA target turrets and MOA based reticle for simplified adjustments, tracking, and holdover
- Included APTUS-M1 mount for a strong hold and ideal mounting position on modern sporting rifles
- Illuminated All Purpose Tactical Reticle (A.P.T.R.) for precision measurement without a crowded sight picture
- Hardcoat anodized matte finish
- Nitrogen gas-filled, fog-proof construction
- Water-resistant and shock-resistant
- Illuminated glass-etched reticle
- Leaf-spring turret control for positive and responsive click adjustments
- Generous eye relief
The monolithic barrel and receiver set the rifle apart from the average.
I have fired the rifle extensively with a wide variety of makes and brands of ammunition, always with good function. I have used primarily Brownell’s well proven magazines, but the rifle is reliable with other types as well. Most of the practice loads have been the Black Hills Ammunition 55 grain FMJ, an affordable and useful training load that is not only accurate it burns clean. I have kept the rifle lubricated with Ballistol, with excellent results. The rifle handles well, with a good balance. The quad rail provides excellent real estate for mounting lights and a good gripping surface. The trigger breaks at 6.0 pounds even. While the trigger isn’t light it is even and consistent. The rifle is fast on target. There were no problems with reliability with any of the ammunition tested. I have run a small quantity of steel cased ammunition through the rifle but prefer not to abuse the extractor and chamber, and use primarily USA made brass cased cartridges. The rifle turned in good results at longer ranges within the limitations of iron sights.
An adjustable stock allows shooters of all sizes to adapt to the rifle.
Since I am adopting the ADCOR as one of my primary emergency rifles it has been tested extensively with a wide range of loads from Black Hills Ammunition. The Omnia 6 rifle scope has been a good choice for my use and delivered excellent practical accuracy. The scope is delivered with a sturdy and rigid mounting bracket. I especially like the All Purpose Tactical Reticle. The ladder of hashmarks is calibrated for 55 grain loads but far from useless with other loads. A big advantage of the initial low magnification is that you may fire with both eyes open. It is quite easy to move the handle quickly to bring the elevation up for longer shots. The scope offered excellent accuracy at longer range. If you use alternate 5.56mm/.223 loads such as the popular 60, 62, 75 and 77 grain loads the scope and hashmarks are useful once you have memorized the point of aim and point of impact. The ADCOR/TRUGLO combination is a good one. I have enjoyed firing this rifle and evaluating with different ammunition and sights. The rifle is a solid choice as a go anywhere do anything rifle.
Ammunition choices
There is nothing wrong with the 55-grain FMJ for the majority of target and practice work. For coyote, varmints and other chores including personal defense an expanding bullet is needed. The Black Hills Ammunition 60-grain JSP has been my standard to go loading for more than a decade. A 3,000 fps loading isn’t a compromise and this load offers an excellent balance of penetration and expansion.
The bolt design prevents debris from entering the action.
At a long 100 yards the best three shot group with this loading was .9 inch, a good standard. I also fired the match grade 77-grain OTM loading. This load is proven in the hands of our young snipers and has done its duty for the Republic. An average of .85-inch was recorded with a singular .75-inch group. This is a fine all around loading for most uses. I also explored the specialty varmint class loading with the Black Hills Ammunition 36-grain Varmint Grenade. This load explodes water jugs in a tremendous energy dump and will vaporize varmints. It is accurate enough for the chore in the ADCOR rifle to 200 yards or more.
The ADCOR has been an impressive rifle, well made of good material, as well as accurate and reliable. It is worth your time to investigate as one of the finest of modern black rifles.
