Well, I pulled the trigger… literally 😂 on the new AD500A in .223, and for around $1,200 after tax, I can honestly say I’m seriously impressed. I couldn’t find any real world reviews on the AD500A in .223, so I finally said screw it and had to get my hands on one myself.
Put about 200 rounds through it today and with the factory mags it didn’t jam once — not a single issue. It was also amazingly accurate at 50 yards, especially considering It was quickly sighted in before shooting on the temp sight I have on it for now (Vortex Crossfire 2)
The rifle itself feels great in the hands. It’s not heavy, recoil is very manageable, and overall it’s surprisingly ergonomic and comfortable. Everything felt well balanced and natural while shooting, which made the whole experience much better.
The only real issue I found was with some of the factory fit and finish. I originally bought another one but noticed a lot of small surface manufacturing imperfections. Luckily, G4C was great about it and allowed me to exchange it, and thankfully the replacement I got has been solid with no issues or visual imperfections.
If you’re going to look at one, I’d definitely recommend taking a really good look over the entire rifle before leaving the store. Check the overall hardware, alignment, screw heads and even the tools provided. On the first one I had, there were little things that looked slightly out of line, some screw heads appeared warped/damaged, and even some of the included tools weren’t quite right. Nothing I experienced with my replacement, but definitely something I’d recommend checking closely before purchasing.
As for magazines, I bought a couple Amend2 mags to try out and unfortunately had issues pretty much every time I tried to use them. The two factory magazines that come with the rifle were a completely different story — zero jams throughout the day. I ended up pairing the two factory mags back-to-back to make a flip-mag setup, and so far I’m definitely sticking with them.
I ran PMC Bronze 55gr through it and it ran mint. One thing I did notice is that this rifle seems to perform best when running heavily lubricated. I kept mine well lubricated throughout the range session and, paired with the factory mags, it ran flawlessly.
Overall, I’d highly recommend the AD500A in 223 to anyone looking for a cool-looking semi-auto that performs amazingly and looks just as neat. Between the reliability and how accurate it was at 50 yards with just a quick sight-in, it definitely exceeded my expectations.
I’ve still got a bunch more parts planned and on the away for mine, so the build isn’t finished yet. For around $1,200 after tax, I’m thoroughly impressed with it so far!
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Placing my order now! I’ll definitely follow up very soon with an update. It didn’t seem to like the aftermarket Amend2 mags I tried, so I’m curious to see how it performs with some other options and whether it cycles more consistently.
I also saw the “tighten the barrel nut after 250 rds” in the manual, did you experience it being loosen so far lol? That’s the most funny thing I have ever seen for a gun
Weirdly enough, I checked the barrel nut after my range trip and found absolutely no play in it.
I honestly feel like they put that in there as a fail-safe so there’s something they can point fingers at if a warranty claim ever comes up. Kinda like a car dealer saying, “Well, you didn’t do 100 oil changes every other day at exactly 3:18 PM, so unfortunately we can’t honour your warranty” 😂 Seems like some random technicality they have or maybe it actually does get loose who knows! Just follow the damn book takes 2 seconds to put the tool on it 😂
I in al honesty though, I did put the tool on mine afterward and gave it a little pressure just to see if it would tighten or lock in any further, but there was zero movement.
Was it the .223 or .308 model?. In all honesty, it’s not that bad. I think it can look strange from some angles on camera but in person you don’t really notice as long as the cheek guard is raised 🤣
Wild to see how many positive reviews these rifles have vs the Backland hunter, they both run similar systems (correct me if im wrong there) but ive heard way more positive experiences with these vs the backland.
The price tag was honestly the biggest thing for me. I figured, am I going to risk $2,000 + on something that could potentially be going back for warranty work all the time, or risk around $1,000? 😂 Luckily, mine hasn’t given me a single issue right out of the box.
I gave it a simple wipe-down, made sure it was well lubricated, and it ran flawlessly. From what I’ve seen, a lot of the negative reviews seem to be centred around the first imported batch of the .308 versions. I’ve watched these .223 models sell out pretty much everywhere, and so far I’ve yet to come across a genuinely bad review on one.Funny enough, I made a post about this rifle a few weeks ago and had a bunch of people slandering it in the comments… yet 100% of them didn’t even own this model as it has been out for a week or two 😂 Now that I’ve actually gotten my hands on one and put it to the test, my experience has been the complete opposite!
Good to hear its been smooth sailing for you, gotta love when it works out. Honestly, Crusader needs to get the Backland hunter running smooth, drop the price a few hundred, and they would dominate the market. If they ran half as good as some of the alcors, they would be way more popular.
Thos is exactly how I feel too. Spending over 2k on something with a high risk of being banned just isn't a risk I can take. But something like this, or like the Alcor that has a decent history in Australia and now in Canada too, I'm more willing to give a try
It ran phenomenally. I actually had one of the range officers come over to help me dial in the sight with the tools they had, and even he was genuinely stunned by how smooth the rifle felt and what he read online about the 308 versions. Overall, I was extremely impressed with how it performed!
It runs 5.56 just fine, says so right in the manual. Also, see reviews where people have shot 5.56. Can we just put this to rest already? It's not a concern.
That my friend is not something I’m willing to try. The barrel is stamped .223 so I’m sticking with that. Don’t see the benefit to even trying, both are about the same price if not 223 is cheaper most the time 😂
I bought it yesterday and tested it this morning, it turned out the barrel and the muzzle brake became loose after just 100 rounds… poor quality control and poor design. Will try to return it at the store tomorrow.
Yes i tried 3 times and the bolt charging handle is broken during the firing On the 3rd range trip….. now she is on her way to warranty center. Buy once cry once . I shot only 100 rounds pmc 223 ammo in total.
Just picked one up, the collapsing stock models were sold out, but I actually kind of prefer the look of the fixed stock, which is adjustable somewhat with a spacer for LOP.
I gotta say too, im actually pretty impressed with the quality, I paid $899 for mine on sale, which is by far the cheapest 223 semi on the market and puts it into the SKS price range.
Pleasantly surprised to see your comments on the accuracy, I wasn't expecting great accuracy.
The action is a little bit rough, but I do expect that to smooth out somewhat once I shoot it, hoping to this weekend.
Run it wetttt lmaooo 😂 At that price you seriously can’t beat it, I’m sure you’re gonna enjoy it!
Definitely double-check all the hardware, barrel nut, break, screws, etc. Throw a bunch of lube in it and rack it a few times before you take it out. And when I say wet, I mean WET 😂 The system seems to like it. There’s definitely a few parts in there that will have some touchy-touchy time together and smooth themselves out.
I’ll show you my final build too! Threw a Vortex Spitfire 3x, slanted iron sights , laser and a flash and it looks much better now. Trying to find a way to run a foregrip on it as its front heavy now haha. Currently trying to cut the handguard to fit a rail and see how it turns out.
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