Seems to be very little info out on these so I thought I’d give my impressions on the rifle and do a small review. Until recently I had avoided the 6 arc as it never really gathered my attention. Also hearing of multiple issues with bolt breakage and reliability issues I stayed clear.
Then comes me scouring the internet for something to spend money on. I came across the gfr and was intrigued. I’m admittedly a Kac fanboy and part of that reason is because they keep trying to push the stoner platform further. In my opinion they’ve been extremely successful in doing so. Reading the details on the gfr it seems Geissele really designed the rifle from the ground up to run 6 arc reliably. This caught my attention and wanted to see and try some of these advancements my self. Here’s what geissele has to say about the gfr and what makes it different.
I’ll go from the back of the rifle to the front offering my thoughts.
STOCK-I was a fan of this stock handling it in the house. It’s a very sleek design and contours the face well. I like the adjustment lever placement and the qd points. With that said I really struggled to use this stock with a rear bag. So much so I ended up shooting all groups from a lead sled because I just couldn’t get comfortable. Will probably be swapping it for something else.
RECEIVER EXTENSION- seems to be quality 6 pos extension. Solid rich anodizing and good machining.
CASTLE NUT AND END PLATE- Both the end plate and castle nut are made by Geissele. The castle nut was staked twice. I’d like to see a little more material displaced here as it was a little weak for my taste in the staking. The end plate comes with a qd point in the very rear and seems to be well made.
RECEIVERS- Both the upper and lower receiver are standard forged receivers. With that said the upper has a riveted steel insert inside for the cam pin travel. Also the forward assist has been moved forward to allow clearance for charging the rifle when using bigger optics. I really like this change and can tell it’s easier to get my fingers around the charging handle with a bigger optic on top.
The lower in my opinion should have some type of ambi controls built in. I personally don’t use them but it’s 2024 and most manufacturers are incorporating this in to their rifles. Especially something of this cost.
There is also a built in plunger to keep the slop to a minimum. In my opinion this makes them a little too tight to where it can be difficult to remove the takedown pins.
BOLT CATCH/RELEASE- I believe this is what Geissele calls their maritime catch. I have no complaints and it’s nice and big with good checkering. As said on the receiver section I would have liked to have seen an ambi catch/release on the right side of the rifle.
PISTOL GRIP- I like this pistol grip a lot. Has a very good feel to it and very little angle which I prefer. It reminds of the b5 grip which I put on most everything.
MAG RELEASE- The mag release is the same texture as the bolt catch which I like. No complaints other then wishing their was two.
SAFETY- They did make the safety ambi which is my main preference on a safety. The left side is like a standard lever. With the right side being shortened so it doesn’t interfere with your grip. Works great.
TRIGGER- Geissele states this is a version of their ssae trigger. It’s a very nice 2 stage trigger with a good break and reset. No complaints
TRIGGER GAURD- Big oversized trigger gaurd perfect for gloves etc.
CHARGING HANDLE- The charging handle is marked “super charging handle” I assume this is the same one used in their super duty line. I REALLY like this charging handle. Allows plenty of leverage and good texturing for grip.
HANDGAURD- If it’s one thing Geissele is known for it’s for their handgaurds. Some people love them some hate them. I’m a fan of this one and the profile of it. It fits my little girl hands really well. It has two steel qd inserts and a notch that goes in to the receiver to prevent rotation.
BARREL- The model I chose came with an 18 inch chrome lined barrel. The barrel has a nice contour to it. It’s thick where you want it and lighter to the end.
MUZZLE DEVISE- It came with a Hux flash hider. I feel this is probably going to be the main thing replaced by everyone due to the variety of suppressor models everyone owns. I went ahead and ordered the hux 6k to try it and have a complete system.
BUFFER AND SPRING- Comes with the super 42 braided spring and an h2 buffer. It’s a nice addition.
BOLT CARRIER GROUP- The bolt itself is supposed to be made of some special sauce carpenter 158. This is one of the features that interested me. Has a one directional cam pin which is nice. Staking on the key is fine but could be considered on the light side. Also coated in something Geissele calls nano weapon coating. Seems pretty slick
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MAGAZINE- These rifles come with Geissele branded 6 arc mags. These were developed specifically for the cartridge and the GFR. I had no feeding issues and it loaded easily. The bummer though? It ships with just one 8 rounder. At the very minimum I’d like a 15 round mag and maybe include several of them. These mags seem nice but they’re also pretty dang expensive.
ANODIZING- I’m a big fan of the ddc color and anodizing. I like the 50 shades of fde look while I can see where some people would not. This goes to say that everyone knows ODG is the one true color and I would love to have this rifle in 50 shades of odg.
ACCURACY PORTION
I initially bought 3 factory loads to try. All three loads were chronoed using my Garmen xero.
1. Hornady black 105 grn bthp. I only was able to shoot 2 5 shot groups with this load due to using it for my sight in. All 20 rounds were chronoed though.
Avg moa- 1.18 moa
Avg velocity-2493 fps
Std deviation-14.5 fps
Extreme spread-65.9 fps
2.Hornady match 108 grn eld. 4 5 shot groups
Avg moa- 0.959 moa
Avg velocity-2546 fps
Standard deviation-13.3 fps
Extreme spread- 42.5 fps
3. Hornady eld v match 80 grn. I only shot 10 round total of this with 2 5 shot groups. Not sure what the deal is but the groups were terrible. I expected to go down range and see keyholes from what I was witnessing through my scope. The only thing I can chalk it up to is the twist rate is to fast. Can’t for the life of me find what twist Geissele is using (would be nice info to know Bill)
Avg moa- 4.53 moa
Avg velocity- 2757 fps
Standard deviation-10.7
Extreme spread- 36.7
All groups were shot using a lead sled. A Zeiss s3 4-25 mounted in a reptillia mount was used for all shooting.
That’s my write up. Going through my head and doing the math I really didn’t pay much more then I would have on a full build to my liking. I also wouldn’t have been able to get some the features that the GFR offers which is why I went this route. I think I’m really going to like the rifle and am pretty happy with the accuracy for a chrome lined barrel. With reloads I expect those groups to shrink to close 3/4 moa. Let’s be honest hornady factory ammo isn’t what it used to be. Or at least in my experience. As far as the v match goes I’m going to have to revisit that. I was hoping to use that round for thermal yote killing.If you have any particular questions feel free to ask and I’ll try to answer them!
Disclaimer*** I typed this all out on my iPhone so there may be mistakes. My computer crapped out on me so this was challenging !
