For real... Some things are obscure enough to just get completely lost to the sands of time if there isn't a guy as studious and obsessively thorough as Ian. Thank goodness for people like him... Especially in car and motorbike mechanics!!
i'm working on a novel delay system where the bolt gets super depressed and doesn't have the energy to unlock until its room is so full of trash that it can't see the carpet anymore, then it finally does its job and cycles.
BSA motorcycles. Lithgow small arms make SAF T LOK handcuffs. Singer sewing machines then make firearms. I read somewhere that arsenal factories make things like locks etc to keep their workforce in between arms contracts. I guess it also works in reverse
Small precision tooling is small precision tooling. Musical instruments, sewing machines, bicycles (especially the gears), padlocks, guns, coffee grinders... I'll stop here before it turns into a Weird Al bit.
@@thomasvanstraelen5848 Compatibility with standard AR lowers is VERY attractive for many of us. I love it and think it looks great and IMO is better going forward for 9mm ARs instead of the proprietary mag AND proprietary lowers that are common now.
@@dark2023-1lovesoni yeah but plenty of glock mag carriers are around, many folks already owning glocks, and won't need to buy entirely new mags, etc. Even then, you're still dealing with an entirely new proprietary mag afterall.
No way. I was working on something very similar several years back, inspired by that video you made on the ball bearing locked bolt action. I still have the cad files but abandoned it after realizing there was no way I would be able to machine it properly. I'm so glad to see the same idea working!
For delay blowback it has been mostly rollers and that seems easier to machine. But perhaps in a 9mm AR system there is an advantage due to space and materials to use ball bearings. It might also be more resistant to carbon buildup.
@@loquat4440 Firstly, off-the-shelf ball bearings are easy to come by. Secondly - I think using all three dimensions of a ball (and three of them) should allow for very precise lock-up - and good resistance against wear and fouling. The original purpose of roller-delay was to allow very high rpm in an open-bolt machine gun. Precision - not so much. The MP5 was derived from that. Although quite precise for a submachine gun from the 1960ies (closed bolt) - this thing has the potential to beat it without having an armorer tinkering with it.
Finally a 9mm AR upper I would actually buy. I could never understand how you could have more perceived recoil in a PCC vs an intermiedate cartridge and NOT think "what the hell is this?"
@GunFunZS We are total opposites lol, I love .300BLK in it's super sonic loads, which I have found 150gr+ .300BLK traveling over 2600-2700 FPS out of a 16 inch barrel, which is a shit ton of energy that has a really good BC depending on the load because it's .300WM bullets seated in a necked down 5.56 casing. Talking about the .300BLKs dimensions, either I hope someone does it and wildcats 5.45 / .300WM bullets in a revised .50 Beowulf casing or eventually I'll get around to messing with it; pushing those bullets to the max while still being able to be chambered in the AR platform without having to modify the platform itself to fit the dimensions is the idea.
@@craighansen7594for the machine time, fairly low number production, and made in usa with all the cost that brings, price isnt that bad i would be suprised if the company stays in business with a profit margin that small
@@davefellhoelter1343 Yeah. Kinda like how Chiappa have been making .22LR mags/bolts that work just like that. But I guess the holy grail would be a mag/bolt/barrel change that allows the firing of any caliber.
The first time I saw your episode on the Heym SR30, I knew it would be a matter of time before someone made a ball-bearing delayed blowback system. Congratulations, Mean Arms.
I love that companies are coming up with different solutions to delay recoil. Simple blowback is cheap and fun, but it’s a major hinderance in any competition. I thought that CMMG’s radially delayed blowback would be peak recoil reduction on a PCC (besides the heavier and more expensive roller-delayed blowback MP5). But, the fact that this ball barring system is TUNABLE, this might take the cake for best PCC system for competition. I can’t wait to see this compared side by side with the CMMG Banshee, since part of the muzzle flip reduction attributed to the roller delayed blowback might actually be due to the MP5 extra weight when compared to an AR in 9mm. I own a SBR MP5 and it weights as much (if not more) as my 16”, full rail AR.
On their website someone left a review saying their barrel groups outperform the cmmg set-up they also have. I doubt it's a fake review these look nice.
The CMMG RDB is known to have bolt lug shearing and ejector spring issues. I haven't encountered those issues yet, but I only shoot competition loads and not +p or factory stuff in my PCC.
People complaining it’s too expensive…. The machining and finishing is incredible. Not for everyone, but can’t argue the quality and ingenuity that went into creating this
Very good video. As an engineer, I suppose that a film of the machining of the parts that make up this system would be hypnotic for a nerd like me. Greetings from Patagonia Argentina.
Scale this up guys - lets see some 5.56 & 300blk bearing delay😎 Nice design, it definitely feels like the next evolution of the roller delay-style action!
Great job, @MEANARMS ! I had this idea kicking around in my head to, really glad you all had the ability to bring it into the world. Now gotta figure out how to put the money together to get one!
Please please please make a version that can be used in standard uppers. Bonus points if these bolts can handle 350 legend subsonics. ;) (I would say 9x39 and 338arc subsonics as-well, but that requires a 45'ish bolt face).
Great video and the best explanation of how the parts work and go together that I've seen so far. The owners manual does a great job explaining this but we live in a video world now and even though I've cleaned mine 3 times now I've still learned a few things from your video. I bought a 16" version in November of 2024 and really enjoying this upper. I'm using it on a Aero EPC9 lower with Glock mags and mainly use it for PCC in USPSA. I have 1280 rounds through mine with zero issues. The machining and finish on all of the parts is exceptional and I like the polymer handguard more that I though. It's a keeper..... all of it.
I love seeing the engineer in Ian geek out over the detailed design work on guns like this. I particularly love his clear explanation of how it works. (I moved away from Arizona a couple decades or so ago and really miss that beautiful sky.)
I have one of these I built with the 16" upper and I have worked with some of them on a few things with the exomags and some buffer issues I had, it works flawlessly and I havent had any issues since (Armaspec buffer didnt work well with it, standard H buffer was 100%) It is an incredibly fun to shoot, low recoil and buttery smooth shooter. It is a bit more expensive than an AR9 but that's not really its competitor, youre looking at other delayed systems like the radial or roller delayed systems and competition guns. In that context the price is by no means out of the norm. Only really the Stribog comes in much cheaper in a delayed system of any sort. The lifter system on this gives you some really good flexibility and ability to tune, and Unrivaled now makes a captured buffer specifically designed for this upper. Endomags, of which I have several, have worked flawlessly for me in mine and are really clever. I built mine one a JL billet lower, TT trigger, Unrivaled buffer among other things and it is a very light rifle. You can literally throw this upper on any lower you have and just roll. It is EASILY one of if not my favorite rifle that I currently have in my collection.
@@Rusty_Spiggle-Smith I honestly cant give an accurate answer since I have not shot a "real" MP5, only a few of the clones from other people at the range that had them and let me give them a go. Compared to them, once i got the MEAN dialed in with lifter and buffer etc, the MEAN is smoother and softer and makes almost no noise, the recoil is straight back into the shoulder like an AR15, and it is softer recoil than any of my ARs (Colt LE6920s). These new MP5 clones that are all coming to market do have my attention and I am planning to pick one up soon but havent decided which one to go with yet. To be fair, on my build I have added some things like the Unrivaled buffer which is designed for this upper specifically and isnt cheap, as well as having the 16" barrel. My lower build for this isnt a cheap one but I really like it. I would want to test a pistol variant of this next to one of the MP5 clones/MP5 to get a viable comparison, comparing them side by side to my 16" isnt a fair comparison as a lot of things change out at at length vs the ~8-8.5" of a MP5 not in the least of which is mass. Id like to build a shorter MEAN and probably will some time soon after I decide which MP5 clone to go with. Wouldnt be the first time I have purchased things purely for the sake of comparing them.
hey long time lurker and watcher, just wanted to say i appreciate the amount of work you put into these. it is also refreshing to see someone who so clearly knows his shit, and doesnt give his viewers the bullshit either. just interesting information. a hat tip to you sir
@@theflyingwelshman5338 Yeah when your market is competition shooters and law enforcement you are severely hamstringing yourself then you price them out at the same cost as a high end AR you are pretty much putting yourself out of business.
@@theflyingwelshman5338how much? If they are targeting competition shooters, what is “overpriced” for them is in another ballpark. Those are the same guys buying $3-5k handguns and 2k-3k shotguns/rifles.
love how their lifters are named HK MP At first I thought the bolt was a socket I got some O2 sensor sockets that are shaped liked that. Interesting mechanicals.
This is the best weapon and tactical channel with the most complete details and clear explanations I very much accept this channel and thank you and I am a fan of Iran
the Bazooka brothers 7.62 Tokarev upper, with a direct gas impingement system.. would be nice to look at, not a forgotten firearm persé. but it stands out, compared to all the other Blowback AR in subcaliber out there.
It's a good thing that Ian formed a positive impression of the way his setup worked with the heavier bullets without actually seeing how fast and how close the ejected cases were apparently going past his right ear as he was shooting it so smoothly! Some of this is optical illusion, but not all and Range Officers might take notes on where not to stand when Ian is shooting this in competition. On the plus side, if he had a Sri-Lankan tea-picker's basket slung behind his right shoulder it would catch all his brass for him!
Very elegant design - the various lifters and the way the operating parts fit together. It may be a copy of roller delay - but this offers more in terms of tuning. Well done!
For my CMMG Banshee I went with a JP captured spring using an H2 buffer and a 308 spring. Recoil was smooth and soft and it cycled a bit quicker than with the standard carbine spring.
This isn't my particular thing. PCC's are weird. But the machining and engineering that went into this is remarkable. The amount of time and thought that went into this is amazing.
I rock a PSA 9mm upper on a PSA 5.56 lower using Endomags. It's my favorite gun, and my most reliable. I probably have 3k rounds through it without a single malfunction. I love it, it's my bedside gun
This wouldn’t have been forgotten if they hadn’t overpriced the ever loving hell out of the upper. $1400 is prohibitively expensive for just an upper receiver.
Probably meant to compete with the ~$2k JP-5 bearing delayed AR-9 with competition shooters, not so much for everybody else. Most people will just buy direct blowback or the CMMG radial delayed.
@@judgejimbobrowntown3214 If your target audience is competition shooters, who like guns as ight as possible and don't need added rigidity due to not mounting aiming devices on the rail, why mill metal when plastic meets the goal better?
Roller delay/bearing delay system firearms will always be very expensive due to the precision required and the difficulty of engineering such a system.
There is a reason why H&K uses rollers and not ball bearings -> It's about surface area contact. A roller will have a large surface area contact against a flat surface lik the wedge or locking groves, while a ball will have a tiny surface area contact patch against the locking surfaces. Resulting in the ball bearing system wearing out much faster than a roller system. Sure you can say that a pistol cartridge has so low pressure that it wont matter, but it still will eventually wear out the wedge and locking groove surfaces because of the small contact area concentrating the force, and the ball bearings most likely being much harder than the locking surfaces. You can replace the wedge when it wears out, but the barrel extension is another matter.
Everything wears out eventually. If there is real cause to worry about the longevity of the system, we'll hear about it soon with the number of rounds some competitors shoot per year. Until then, I don't think it makes sense to avoid the product merely because they could have chosen a different engineering solution to a problem. We have no reason to think the path they took is insufficient for the task
It's a gun company and American, of course Mean is the name you settle on. If I had an arms company I'd call it "Acme", because I love Roadrunner cartoons!
A gun company named ACME? So your guns would explode like a Glock with slightly-off-spec ammo? I grew up watching all those old cartoons and uh, I don't think I'd trust something with ACME on the side lmao
I asked for one from the rep. The cost difference between a cheap AR9 upper and this upper is significant. It's going to be a huge difference in felt recoil for a large number of new shooters I bring into firearms. The Mean Arms will sell itself by having people shoot an AR9 side by side with their upper.
@SecuR0M I spoke to them at SHOT Show Friday afternoon. They didn't mention being over. This upper is making the rounds in the competition shooting sports. It's way less expensive than the JP Enterprises 9mm.
This delay system of Mean Arms is just a marvel, simply well-engineered and exquisite to look at. It may be rather expensive but it's just a wonder. Kudos to Mean Arms for providing you with this wonderful accessory. Ian, if you have time can you make a video about Taran Tactical Innovations, please? Thank you.
That's a new take on an adjustable delayed blowback system. I have also noticed that 3D printing is also starting to be used for rapid prototyping by gun companies. Ian comes up with the interesting stuff as usual. Pretty cool. 😎🇦🇺👍
A firearm is effectively, a lock - and, we even used to call the "receiver" the "Lock" as in, "Lock, Stock, and Barrel" when you owned something in it's entirety. So, a lock company (of all companies to attempt getting into firearms design) already has an engineering head-start over other small machining operations.
See i LOVE the mags being standard p mags, at least your muscle memory for working the gun and reloading will carry over exactly, even though the recoil control won't. Which is WAY MORE than most PCC's can list as a positive. Helps it fit the title of a trainer upper better. The ability to tune the system is like butter on top, probably the only PCC i have ever seen and didn't instantly think of reasons i would never buy or touch one.
The ball bearing system looks very similar to the locking mechanism of the Fortner-action biathlon rifles from Anschutz or the more recent Savage Impulse straight-pull rifles.
I use the mean arms 9mm conversion magazine with a CMMG delayed blowback 9mm upper. It’s cheaper and less complicated. I use the standard buffer because it doesn’t need to be adjusted. With a suppressor attached the system works perfectly and is close to hearing safe with standard range ammo.
It is pretty expensive, but if you're shooting a lot (like a competition shooter or hopefully PD would), the difference in ammo prices between 9mm and 5.56 is significant.
So essentially a tri lug bearing delay, it's an interesting take on HK's Roller bearing delay but owing to the nature of the ball bearings not being able to withstand higher pressures it feels like a niche "I need AR because AR" version of an MP5 system. Really cool to see newer mechanical engineering aspects to firearms deisgn.
I mean there’s also the fact that the MP5 is an outdated design…
9 дней назад+3
@@dudeguy8287 Relatively speaking, ballbearings with their smaller surface area cannot withstand the same presures of the larger surface bearings on a roller design, hence I wonder about the scalability as I actually like variety in markets but ultimately they aren't AS strong.
9 дней назад+2
@ Isn't the AR older than the MP5? I could be wrong, I just googled it, they were both developed in the 60's so it's a case of they are either both outdated or they both go bang reliably and are perfectly suitable for the task at hand.
Nicely done! Nicely done! Point of order: Ian, those are not 'Ball Bearings' but are in fact 'Bearing Balls' (We can't have you embarrassing yourself!)
I've been eyeballing this upper for a while. I want one. It just seems really cool. I've only got a p226 and a Jericho for 9mm. Getting one of these seems to be so.ething fun to have. I also like their mags. You can put it right on any AR15 lower.
That is a fine piece of machining. You can tell they put a lot of thought into this design. And the magazines! Do they work with other PCCs? Seems like something that would be a good seller on its own.
That's alot of machining...broaching...edm....and probably a explains why Ludwig Vorgrimler and his team went with rollers. The hertzian contact from balls is produces higher hertz stress than rollers too. _Full Circle_ is an excellent book on delayed blowback for those interested.
My favorite 9mm AR so far has been CMMG radial delay blowback. With the tunning capbabilty, this might be my new favorite...if I can ever afford to get it that is, haha. Ha, that heavy buffer makes it sound like a Colt 9mm. I guess that makes sense. It is a 9mm AR after all. Bong bong.
This may be the best accidental promo for the JP silent capture buffer I've seen. Disregarding it's weight being off for the setup, the sound reduction was much more noticeable on this pcc. I guess the report off 5.56 is enough to cover the springy buffer noise, but it sure comes through on the 9mm.
I've used the ENDO mag in my banshee, no failures yet, works very well. CMMG recently began making their own mag as well for the 9mm banshee, I have both, both work great!
I have a Maxim roller delayed buffer in my KP99, and it is a great upgrade from a tuned striaght blowback. Its pretty close to a clone MP5 and almost a pound lighter. If they can keep the weight loss, and get it tuned tighter. I can see it replacing MP5's for quite a few people.
I mean for 1500 just for an upper alone, I'd rather have the MP5. "Lighter" does not mean "better." Not saying this is a bad design but people need to stop whining about weight already, it's not like you're gonna have to lug your rifle around all day long in combat. If 7 pounds is too heavy for your girly little arms, you need to hit the gym; and by the time the average person is done throwing all sorts of shit they don't actually need on an AR from optics to lights etc. the added weight completely negates the benefit of having a lighter rifle anyway.
Either buy the matching safety, or make sure you have exactly the one you want. No easy swap later with a standard safety. But I love them, I have a sub 6 lb 16” carbine made with one, and several other rifles.
Looks like someone have seen Heym Rifle and also came to conclusion like i did that use of bearings in delay system would be great idea and probably easier and cheaper to make than roller delay system.
rollers replaced by ball bearings. I think rollers are superior since their shape makes them work in the longitudinal way on their wole length right from the start, whilst balls concentrate the constraints in a small arc which gets wider as the bolt moves backward.
The biggest cost saving for a police department would be in either range rental costs for a rifle range OR in the total acquisition, development and administrative/maintenance costs for a rifle range. As a former 14-year manager of a Club Range Complex, I can advise that police find it much easier-financially- to rent live firing ranges, most especially for rifle training, on a daily basis, than to own live firing ranges. A smaller range or range complex with a maximum shooting distance of 100 yards/metres would also be cheaper to rent for a day than a similar facility with butts out to 200- or 300-yards/metres. Cheers from NZ🇳🇿.
To everyone saying that this is crazy expensive for what it is, it kind of is but it kind of isn't. The closest comparison is probably the JP5 roller-delayed upper, for which the upper alone also starts at about $1800-1900. CMMG's radial-delayed uppers are about $1000, and you can build one out yourself cheaper but the necessary bolt and BCG combo alone is $500, and you can't tune that one except for changing buffer and spring weights. $2000-2500 for a complete carbine is definitely reasonable for serious competition shooters, although probably a little more expensive than a non-custom Limited Optics gun but a fair bit cheaper than a serious Open gun. Also I don't know what everyone's saying about "forgotten," this is clearly one of those "mechanically interesting" FW videos and not a "only 1000 were ever made" videos. These are a fairly recent design, still in production, and Mean Arms is releasing an even-more-expensive competition-focused upper and is sponsoring PCC shooters. It'll probably always be a pretty low-production product, but I sure wouldn't say it's a failed one.
@@petershoaf1356 Oh cool, don't have one and didn't realize that, although adding mass to the carrier instead of the bolt is fundamentally doing the same thing as changing buffer weights
@@makky-kat3719 That's fair, but you could say that about tuning any delayed blowback action. In essence, all you're doing is adjusting the force needed to 'unlock' the system and thus slowing down the overall speed of cycling. And just for the record, I do have a 9mm Banshee (Mk4, 8" barrel, sweet gun), and I don't have an action tuning kit. Mine seems to run wonderfully straight from CMMG, suppressed or otherwise with all the ammo I've thrown at it. I don't think the ATK is a common thing for most people.
i love the little nod to the MP5 with the letters for the lifters being H&K MP. someone had a giggle about that lol
I completely missed that lol
That's genius
spotto!
Came to mention noticing H K M P
I thought I was jumping to conclusions so I dismissed the thought, but I'm glad it wasn't a coincidence 😅
Ian doing the lords work for the guy that buys this thing at a pawn shop in 20 years, proceeds to breaks down the bolt and can't put it back together.
Roflmao 😂😂😂😂
I mean, you're not wrong..... lol
For real... Some things are obscure enough to just get completely lost to the sands of time if there isn't a guy as studious and obsessively thorough as Ian. Thank goodness for people like him... Especially in car and motorbike mechanics!!
@@qoph1988couldn’t agree more. That is wise.
Ian is our gun savior
@racecar74vids57 he is the gun Jesus
I really appreciate the "NO GO" area on the charts.
Won't stop Bubba from trying to run his Pissin' Hot Handloads through it.
@@benn454 he will just take it as a challenge
"NO GO" sounds more like a wager.
Haha yeah, they might as well have marked that zone "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT"
@@benn454 lets hope Bubba makes a video of his experiment
i'm working on a novel delay system where the bolt gets super depressed and doesn't have the energy to unlock until its room is so full of trash that it can't see the carpet anymore, then it finally does its job and cycles.
well, you gotta have uppers and downers for sure !!
I had one that I called "throw it in the sink until the end of the football season." An absolute dream.
I have a lot of experience with that system
Rate of Fire: One to Three rounds per week.
Accessories: Available, but why bother.
Gen Z delayed system.
They were making padlocks before this and just said "you know what's a lot like a padlock? A 9mm AR upper."
Reminds me of how Peugeot makes cars but made shovels and coffee grinders at first (they did make bikes before cars though)
BSA motorcycles. Lithgow small arms make SAF T LOK handcuffs. Singer sewing machines then make firearms. I read somewhere that arsenal factories make things like locks etc to keep their workforce in between arms contracts. I guess it also works in reverse
Small precision tooling is small precision tooling. Musical instruments, sewing machines, bicycles (especially the gears), padlocks, guns, coffee grinders... I'll stop here before it turns into a Weird Al bit.
Glock started as a manufacturer of curtain rods and knives. And now of course they're vvanking horses 😆
I mean if I had to pick one, I'd say Yamaha is my favorite grand piano/ crotch rocket company.
I really love that design of that 40 round skeletal magazine, only enough for the 9mm length, keeps the profile of 5.56 and looks cool.
I hate it and I think it looks stupid, but you do you. 👍
@@thomasvanstraelen5848 Compatibility with standard AR lowers is VERY attractive for many of us. I love it and think it looks great and IMO is better going forward for 9mm ARs instead of the proprietary mag AND proprietary lowers that are common now.
@@AustinRBa many are going with glock mags
@@patrickw9520which still don't work with Stanag mag carriers. These will fit in such gear and feel like 5.56 mags. Great for training.
@@dark2023-1lovesoni yeah but plenty of glock mag carriers are around, many folks already owning glocks, and won't need to buy entirely new mags, etc.
Even then, you're still dealing with an entirely new proprietary mag afterall.
"Thats the handguard, it does handguard-things"
You never stop learning
No way. I was working on something very similar several years back, inspired by that video you made on the ball bearing locked bolt action. I still have the cad files but abandoned it after realizing there was no way I would be able to machine it properly. I'm so glad to see the same idea working!
That's awesome man! Good on you for trying!
I remember that video. Was curious if this design has any relation beyond coincidental.
For delay blowback it has been mostly rollers and that seems easier to machine. But perhaps in a 9mm AR system there is an advantage due to space and materials to use ball bearings. It might also be more resistant to carbon buildup.
Cap
@@loquat4440 Firstly, off-the-shelf ball bearings are easy to come by.
Secondly - I think using all three dimensions of a ball (and three of them) should allow for very precise lock-up - and good resistance against wear and fouling.
The original purpose of roller-delay was to allow very high rpm in an open-bolt machine gun. Precision - not so much.
The MP5 was derived from that. Although quite precise for a submachine gun from the 1960ies (closed bolt) - this thing has the potential to beat it without having an armorer tinkering with it.
Finally a 9mm AR upper I would actually buy. I could never understand how you could have more perceived recoil in a PCC vs an intermiedate cartridge and NOT think "what the hell is this?"
It's part of what I like about 300 black. In the subsonic version is essentially a pcc perfected.
@GunFunZS We are total opposites lol, I love .300BLK in it's super sonic loads, which I have found 150gr+ .300BLK traveling over 2600-2700 FPS out of a 16 inch barrel, which is a shit ton of energy that has a really good BC depending on the load because it's .300WM bullets seated in a necked down 5.56 casing.
Talking about the .300BLKs dimensions, either I hope someone does it and wildcats 5.45 / .300WM bullets in a revised .50 Beowulf casing or eventually I'll get around to messing with it; pushing those bullets to the max while still being able to be chambered in the AR platform without having to modify the platform itself to fit the dimensions is the idea.
Lifter options to tune the action to barrel/ammo is a fantastic feature!
Cool idea but the price, ugh! You should get a tunable buffer with the set for that $1400.00 price.
@@craighansen7594for the machine time, fairly low number production, and made in usa with all the cost that brings, price isnt that bad
i would be suprised if the company stays in business with a profit margin that small
pay ZERO Attention to the Gun, The Magic and Money is in the Mag! This kicks! open doors! on every AR mag patform, all calibers!
@@davefellhoelter1343 Yeah. Kinda like how Chiappa have been making .22LR mags/bolts that work just like that. But I guess the holy grail would be a mag/bolt/barrel change that allows the firing of any caliber.
The first time I saw your episode on the Heym SR30, I knew it would be a matter of time before someone made a ball-bearing delayed blowback system. Congratulations, Mean Arms.
I love that companies are coming up with different solutions to delay recoil. Simple blowback is cheap and fun, but it’s a major hinderance in any competition.
I thought that CMMG’s radially delayed blowback would be peak recoil reduction on a PCC (besides the heavier and more expensive roller-delayed blowback MP5). But, the fact that this ball barring system is TUNABLE, this might take the cake for best PCC system for competition.
I can’t wait to see this compared side by side with the CMMG Banshee, since part of the muzzle flip reduction attributed to the roller delayed blowback might actually be due to the MP5 extra weight when compared to an AR in 9mm.
I own a SBR MP5 and it weights as much (if not more) as my 16”, full rail AR.
On their website someone left a review saying their barrel groups outperform the cmmg set-up they also have. I doubt it's a fake review these look nice.
The CMMG RDB is known to have bolt lug shearing and ejector spring issues. I haven't encountered those issues yet, but I only shoot competition loads and not +p or factory stuff in my PCC.
the real compettion to this system is jp5 pcc
Most people are unaware just how heavy mp5 is.
People complaining it’s too expensive…. The machining and finishing is incredible. Not for everyone, but can’t argue the quality and ingenuity that went into creating this
thanks!
compered to jp5 ? not even close :D
@@MEANARMS is there chance to buy upper outside US ? i was so many company here in Poland to get one but so far no luck
You can make a bearing delayed system in much easier steps.
Smells like TFBtv showtime commenters in here.
Very good video. As an engineer, I suppose that a film of the machining of the parts that make up this system would be hypnotic for a nerd like me.
Greetings from Patagonia Argentina.
We need that somehow Ian obtains access to see and film manufacturing lines from weapon making companies.
Hello to Argentina. Glad to have you here.
@ Hi!
Thanks Ian!
cool contraption guys!
Scale this up guys - lets see some 5.56 & 300blk bearing delay😎
Nice design, it definitely feels like the next evolution of the roller delay-style action!
Great job, @MEANARMS ! I had this idea kicking around in my head to, really glad you all had the ability to bring it into the world. Now gotta figure out how to put the money together to get one!
Please consider making an endomag sized for a 20rnd pmag. You would sell many!
Please please please make a version that can be used in standard uppers. Bonus points if these bolts can handle 350 legend subsonics. ;)
(I would say 9x39 and 338arc subsonics as-well, but that requires a 45'ish bolt face).
Great video and the best explanation of how the parts work and go together that I've seen so far. The owners manual does a great job explaining this but we live in a video world now and even though I've cleaned mine 3 times now I've still learned a few things from your video. I bought a 16" version in November of 2024 and really enjoying this upper. I'm using it on a Aero EPC9 lower with Glock mags and mainly use it for PCC in USPSA. I have 1280 rounds through mine with zero issues. The machining and finish on all of the parts is exceptional and I like the polymer handguard more that I though. It's a keeper..... all of it.
I love seeing the engineer in Ian geek out over the detailed design work on guns like this. I particularly love his clear explanation of how it works.
(I moved away from Arizona a couple decades or so ago and really miss that beautiful sky.)
I have one of these I built with the 16" upper and I have worked with some of them on a few things with the exomags and some buffer issues I had, it works flawlessly and I havent had any issues since (Armaspec buffer didnt work well with it, standard H buffer was 100%) It is an incredibly fun to shoot, low recoil and buttery smooth shooter. It is a bit more expensive than an AR9 but that's not really its competitor, youre looking at other delayed systems like the radial or roller delayed systems and competition guns. In that context the price is by no means out of the norm. Only really the Stribog comes in much cheaper in a delayed system of any sort. The lifter system on this gives you some really good flexibility and ability to tune, and Unrivaled now makes a captured buffer specifically designed for this upper. Endomags, of which I have several, have worked flawlessly for me in mine and are really clever. I built mine one a JL billet lower, TT trigger, Unrivaled buffer among other things and it is a very light rifle. You can literally throw this upper on any lower you have and just roll. It is EASILY one of if not my favorite rifle that I currently have in my collection.
You can get an mp5 clone plus a2 stock plus 200 dollar sbr stamp for the same price as this upper
How does it compare to an MP5 in terms of felt recoil
@@Rusty_Spiggle-Smith I honestly cant give an accurate answer since I have not shot a "real" MP5, only a few of the clones from other people at the range that had them and let me give them a go. Compared to them, once i got the MEAN dialed in with lifter and buffer etc, the MEAN is smoother and softer and makes almost no noise, the recoil is straight back into the shoulder like an AR15, and it is softer recoil than any of my ARs (Colt LE6920s). These new MP5 clones that are all coming to market do have my attention and I am planning to pick one up soon but havent decided which one to go with yet. To be fair, on my build I have added some things like the Unrivaled buffer which is designed for this upper specifically and isnt cheap, as well as having the 16" barrel. My lower build for this isnt a cheap one but I really like it. I would want to test a pistol variant of this next to one of the MP5 clones/MP5 to get a viable comparison, comparing them side by side to my 16" isnt a fair comparison as a lot of things change out at at length vs the ~8-8.5" of a MP5 not in the least of which is mass. Id like to build a shorter MEAN and probably will some time soon after I decide which MP5 clone to go with. Wouldnt be the first time I have purchased things purely for the sake of comparing them.
I wish I had a camera etc setup to record things for stuff like this.
@@Rushifell what does the fancy buffer you added offer to the equation?
Finally a worthy opponent for legendary roller delayed action
hey long time lurker and watcher, just wanted to say i appreciate the amount of work you put into these. it is also refreshing to see someone who so clearly knows his shit, and doesnt give his viewers the bullshit either. just interesting information. a hat tip to you sir
New and already forgotten.
RIP
The reason for that is because they overpriced the hell out of it.
@@theflyingwelshman5338 Yeah when your market is competition shooters and law enforcement you are severely hamstringing yourself then you price them out at the same cost as a high end AR you are pretty much putting yourself out of business.
@@theflyingwelshman5338how much? If they are targeting competition shooters, what is “overpriced” for them is in another ballpark. Those are the same guys buying $3-5k handguns and 2k-3k shotguns/rifles.
@@theflyingwelshman5338 Well not overpriced, compared to the amount of complex machining...
@@VincitOmniaVeritas7 $1500 for complete upper system. It's not overpriced for being roller delayed. Look at all those machined parts in one system!
Love a good line graph, looks super useful!
Just looking at the bolt design and the finish on it. It's really a functional work of art, pleasant to the eye.
Love the internal geometry. So satisfying.
16:48 that has got to be the sprongiest buffer spring I've ever heard in my life 😂
I reckon that's because his mic is pressed right up next to the gun
Proningggg😊
Has to do with that lower too. I have one and they definitely make the spring more audible. I thought he had a JP silent spring in his though.
@@lavenderpants8695 he changed it out because the JP wasn't heavy enough for the upper.
drown recoil and buffer springs in teflon spray for bicycle chains. that makes most of the sproing go away.
Your output is so darn consistent, thanks for the videos
love how their lifters are named HK MP
At first I thought the bolt was a socket I got some O2 sensor sockets that are shaped liked that.
Interesting mechanicals.
That's a fun little note that I completely missed, thanks!
This is the best weapon and tactical channel with the most complete details and clear explanations I very much accept this channel and thank you and I am a fan of Iran
Your excitement about this upper is contagious. Prices really are getting out of hand.
Don't worry. President Donald Trump will lower prices but every thing will still have far better quality. Just wait.
Ian sounds like he's hurrying to use the potty
@@ChrisGentry-e9z If you aren't joking then you must be incredibly misinformed. Most goods will be more expensive under heavy tariffs.
@@ChrisGentry-e9zjust like he built the wall, right? He's all hot air big talk
the Bazooka brothers 7.62 Tokarev upper, with a direct gas impingement system.. would be nice to look at, not a forgotten firearm persé. but it stands out, compared to all the other Blowback AR in subcaliber out there.
Similar offering from Ron at rmw xtreme
It’s really fun how much you enjoyed this firearm, you seemed absolutely and genuinely impressed with the quality and workmanship.
I see that Gideon optic. I’m glad you and Mike get along so well. Good company.
Looks like a well thought out and engineered piece of kit. Bet it's extra fun if you happen to have a select fire lower.
that's how we test each one before they ship
@@MEANARMS Sounds like whoever does that loves their job!
@@MEANARMSMan, I've had the page for this upper tabbed for a while. The payment plan option y'all have has nearly gotten me a few times, lol.
Jp makes a 9mm silent captured spring and it does a great job even using a straight blowback upper.
It's a good thing that Ian formed a positive impression of the way his setup worked with the heavier bullets without actually seeing how fast and how close the ejected cases were apparently going past his right ear as he was shooting it so smoothly! Some of this is optical illusion, but not all and Range Officers might take notes on where not to stand when Ian is shooting this in competition.
On the plus side, if he had a Sri-Lankan tea-picker's basket slung behind his right shoulder it would catch all his brass for him!
Ok, time for tea. uwu
Seriously, my thoughts as well about how close the brass was flying beside his ear!
@@JohnDoe-fo7yi If he hadn't been wearing earplugs, he'd have heard the cases whistle past.
Unintended advertisement for that silent buffer as well.
That was my biggest takeaway
That skeletonized magazine looks really cool, could definitely see it in a futuristic FPS.
I like it because a standard lower can be used without a pricey adapter.
The machining quality on those parts is really something
Very elegant design - the various lifters and the way the operating parts fit together. It may be a copy of roller delay - but this offers more in terms of tuning. Well done!
For my CMMG Banshee I went with a JP captured spring using an H2 buffer and a 308 spring. Recoil was smooth and soft and it cycled a bit quicker than with the standard carbine spring.
That 'silent capture' recoil buffer living up to its name. Spring noise super apparent after the switch.
Mishaco truly deserves more attention, it’s an incredible channel!
This isn't my particular thing. PCC's are weird. But the machining and engineering that went into this is remarkable. The amount of time and thought that went into this is amazing.
Seen some other much simpler bearing delay systems that also seem pretty cool. Want to see more!
It looks so nice and smooth! The magazine is probably my favorite part aesthetically.
Reminds me of that neat ball-bearing locking straight pull you looked at once. Still kinda want one of those too.
This video brought back nightmares of manufacturing quick connects and valves. Kool gun
I rock a PSA 9mm upper on a PSA 5.56 lower using Endomags. It's my favorite gun, and my most reliable. I probably have 3k rounds through it without a single malfunction. I love it, it's my bedside gun
This wouldn’t have been forgotten if they hadn’t overpriced the ever loving hell out of the upper. $1400 is prohibitively expensive for just an upper receiver.
Probably meant to compete with the ~$2k JP-5 bearing delayed AR-9 with competition shooters, not so much for everybody else. Most people will just buy direct blowback or the CMMG radial delayed.
Right Could have at least milled a hand gaurd instead of damn plastic ya a lot of milling for the bolt and barrel but 1400
@@judgejimbobrowntown3214 If your target audience is competition shooters, who like guns as ight as possible and don't need added rigidity due to not mounting aiming devices on the rail, why mill metal when plastic meets the goal better?
Roller delay/bearing delay system firearms will always be very expensive due to the precision required and the difficulty of engineering such a system.
@@douro20 I’ve heard that a hundred times. I still don’t buy it.
There is a reason why H&K uses rollers and not ball bearings -> It's about surface area contact. A roller will have a large surface area contact against a flat surface lik the wedge or locking groves, while a ball will have a tiny surface area contact patch against the locking surfaces. Resulting in the ball bearing system wearing out much faster than a roller system. Sure you can say that a pistol cartridge has so low pressure that it wont matter, but it still will eventually wear out the wedge and locking groove surfaces because of the small contact area concentrating the force, and the ball bearings most likely being much harder than the locking surfaces. You can replace the wedge when it wears out, but the barrel extension is another matter.
Everything wears out eventually. If there is real cause to worry about the longevity of the system, we'll hear about it soon with the number of rounds some competitors shoot per year. Until then, I don't think it makes sense to avoid the product merely because they could have chosen a different engineering solution to a problem. We have no reason to think the path they took is insufficient for the task
Could they be lubed?
It's a gun company and American, of course Mean is the name you settle on. If I had an arms company I'd call it "Acme", because I love Roadrunner cartoons!
Agreed, 'Mean Arms' sounds decidedly average.
ACME tool in Fort Wayne, Indiana? They build uppers.
The name is actually the initials of the family members of the inventor :)
@@JoramTriesGaming😂
A gun company named ACME? So your guns would explode like a Glock with slightly-off-spec ammo? I grew up watching all those old cartoons and uh, I don't think I'd trust something with ACME on the side lmao
"This is a Mean Arms' AR-9. It can be opened with a Mean Arms' AR-9."
The engineering behind this is cool.
Ingenious! A new variant of shooting sport that sounds very fun!
I'm firmly JP5 gang, but it is interesting that Max is using one of these now. The guys at Mean Arms seem like good dudes, I hope they have success.
I would love to know how one of these compares to a JP5 or MP5. I have a turkish clone and while it is a blast, reloads slow me way down in matches.
I like how the Magpul magazine went into the void in 5:51 cuz of the transition
I asked for one from the rep. The cost difference between a cheap AR9 upper and this upper is significant. It's going to be a huge difference in felt recoil for a large number of new shooters I bring into firearms. The Mean Arms will sell itself by having people shoot an AR9 side by side with their upper.
It's already over.
@SecuR0M I spoke to them at SHOT Show Friday afternoon. They didn't mention being over. This upper is making the rounds in the competition shooting sports. It's way less expensive than the JP Enterprises 9mm.
This delay system of Mean Arms is just a marvel, simply well-engineered and exquisite to look at. It may be rather expensive but it's just a wonder. Kudos to Mean Arms for providing you with this wonderful accessory. Ian, if you have time can you make a video about Taran Tactical Innovations, please? Thank you.
This is wildly elegant in operation and design.
The machine works looks well done.
I remember Mean Arms from Lucky Gunner's backpack gun video, I didn't realize they made uppers too. Neat.
The machining on this is masterclass. I would pay the money no prob
Right? frankly looking at it im suprized its only 1400
That's a new take on an adjustable delayed blowback system.
I have also noticed that 3D printing is also starting to be used for rapid prototyping by gun companies.
Ian comes up with the interesting stuff as usual.
Pretty cool.
😎🇦🇺👍
Yesterday I was thinking about a shotgun design with a bearing delay system. This video will be great, thanks Ian (Yes, I am Turkish)
I mean, I wasn't gonna ask... 😂😂😂
@@Didymus-vz6uy Nobody was, Turks just do that.
@@Didymus-vz6uy Yeah, no one asked, I just said it for the crazy Turkshit shotgun meme.
@@Didymus-vz6uy If you don't know the Turkish-made shotgun memes, it's normal that you don't understand. I said I was Turkish as a joke.
A firearm is effectively, a lock - and, we even used to call the "receiver" the "Lock" as in, "Lock, Stock, and Barrel" when you owned something in it's entirety.
So, a lock company (of all companies to attempt getting into firearms design) already has an engineering head-start over other small machining operations.
Finally a Roller for the 9! 🎉
"How 9mm in big magwell?" "It's a handguard, it does handguard things". Dead!
Nice intricate design for a configurable 9 mm setup.
I like the 9mm magazines used.
Yeah - most 9mm AR15s look odd, because they have a tiny thin magazine sticking out of a huge magazine well, but this fits the space.
See i LOVE the mags being standard p mags, at least your muscle memory for working the gun and reloading will carry over exactly, even though the recoil control won't. Which is WAY MORE than most PCC's can list as a positive. Helps it fit the title of a trainer upper better.
The ability to tune the system is like butter on top, probably the only PCC i have ever seen and didn't instantly think of reasons i would never buy or touch one.
The ball bearing system looks very similar to the locking mechanism of the Fortner-action biathlon rifles from Anschutz or the more recent Savage Impulse straight-pull rifles.
"It's a hand guard. It does hand guard things" ... I don't know why, but that just made me laugh out loud for real :)
I use the mean arms 9mm conversion magazine with a CMMG delayed blowback 9mm upper. It’s cheaper and less complicated.
I use the standard buffer because it doesn’t need to be adjusted.
With a suppressor attached the system works perfectly and is close to hearing safe with standard range ammo.
It is pretty expensive, but if you're shooting a lot (like a competition shooter or hopefully PD would), the difference in ammo prices between 9mm and 5.56 is significant.
And a lot of indoor ranges allow 9mm but not 5.56.
Good point.
5.56 is like 65c a round vs 9mm u can commonly find for 20c that is 3 to 1. In my book. So 9mm it is
@@michaelulatowski1119 Out of curiosity, what would "cheap" ammo cost per round in the US? Say .308 or 7.62x39?
@@muhughu Cheapest I've seen .308 is around $.80
So essentially a tri lug bearing delay, it's an interesting take on HK's Roller bearing delay but owing to the nature of the ball bearings not being able to withstand higher pressures it feels like a niche "I need AR because AR" version of an MP5 system. Really cool to see newer mechanical engineering aspects to firearms deisgn.
“ball bearings not being able to withstand higher pressures”
lol wut?
I mean there’s also the fact that the MP5 is an outdated design…
@@dudeguy8287 Relatively speaking, ballbearings with their smaller surface area cannot withstand the same presures of the larger surface bearings on a roller design, hence I wonder about the scalability as I actually like variety in markets but ultimately they aren't AS strong.
@ Isn't the AR older than the MP5? I could be wrong, I just googled it, they were both developed in the 60's so it's a case of they are either both outdated or they both go bang reliably and are perfectly suitable for the task at hand.
Check out the Heym SR rifles. Bearing balls are more than strong enough to withstand high velocity rifle rounds, even in a delayed system.
Nicely done! Nicely done! Point of order: Ian, those are not 'Ball Bearings' but are in fact 'Bearing Balls' (We can't have you embarrassing yourself!)
I've been eyeballing this upper for a while. I want one. It just seems really cool. I've only got a p226 and a Jericho for 9mm. Getting one of these seems to be so.ething fun to have. I also like their mags. You can put it right on any AR15 lower.
That is a fine piece of machining. You can tell they put a lot of thought into this design. And the magazines! Do they work with other PCCs? Seems like something that would be a good seller on its own.
That's alot of machining...broaching...edm....and probably a explains why Ludwig Vorgrimler and his team went with rollers. The hertzian contact from balls is produces higher hertz stress than rollers too.
_Full Circle_ is an excellent book on delayed blowback for those interested.
My favorite 9mm AR so far has been CMMG radial delay blowback. With the tunning capbabilty, this might be my new favorite...if I can ever afford to get it that is, haha.
Ha, that heavy buffer makes it sound like a Colt 9mm. I guess that makes sense. It is a 9mm AR after all. Bong bong.
This may be the best accidental promo for the JP silent capture buffer I've seen. Disregarding it's weight being off for the setup, the sound reduction was much more noticeable on this pcc. I guess the report off 5.56 is enough to cover the springy buffer noise, but it sure comes through on the 9mm.
I've used the ENDO mag in my banshee, no failures yet, works very well. CMMG recently began making their own mag as well for the 9mm banshee, I have both, both work great!
I have a Maxim roller delayed buffer in my KP99, and it is a great upgrade from a tuned striaght blowback.
Its pretty close to a clone MP5 and almost a pound lighter. If they can keep the weight loss, and get it tuned tighter. I can see it replacing MP5's for quite a few people.
I mean for 1500 just for an upper alone, I'd rather have the MP5. "Lighter" does not mean "better." Not saying this is a bad design but people need to stop whining about weight already, it's not like you're gonna have to lug your rifle around all day long in combat. If 7 pounds is too heavy for your girly little arms, you need to hit the gym; and by the time the average person is done throwing all sorts of shit they don't actually need on an AR from optics to lights etc. the added weight completely negates the benefit of having a lighter rifle anyway.
There is a bigger market then you out there.
MP5's are way over hyped for the cost.
Its only 1500 dollars that you have to agree to pay
I really need to do something with my WWSD lower…
Either buy the matching safety, or make sure you have exactly the one you want. No easy swap later with a standard safety.
But I love them, I have a sub 6 lb 16” carbine made with one, and several other rifles.
Very thoughtful design
Looks like someone have seen Heym Rifle and also came to conclusion like i did that use of bearings in delay system would be great idea and probably easier and cheaper to make than roller delay system.
First time I saw Ian’s video on the rifle I thought the same thing
That is a really clever, well-engineered system. I want the 22LR version with 60-round mags, lol.
It’s fascinating how they adapted roller delay principles for the AR platform.
AI slop
rollers replaced by ball bearings. I think rollers are superior since their shape makes them work in the longitudinal way on their wole length right from the start, whilst balls concentrate the constraints in a small arc which gets wider as the bolt moves backward.
Awesome! Been waiting for someone to do this!
The biggest cost saving for a police department would be in either range rental costs for a rifle range OR in the total acquisition, development and administrative/maintenance costs for a rifle range. As a former 14-year manager of a Club Range Complex, I can advise that police find it much easier-financially- to rent live firing ranges, most especially for rifle training, on a daily basis, than to own live firing ranges. A smaller range or range complex with a maximum shooting distance of 100 yards/metres would also be cheaper to rent for a day than a similar facility with butts out to 200- or 300-yards/metres. Cheers from NZ🇳🇿.
Hey…I think I recognize that monolithic polymer lower! Got a few myself!👍
I was actually just looking at buying this exact combination.
That in 4.5" with a can instead instead of the break on would be a fun little package.
really nicely thought and done parts !
Mean Arms doing their best Heym SR30 impression.
Apparently the PCC World Shoot crowd is head over heels for these guys.
To everyone saying that this is crazy expensive for what it is, it kind of is but it kind of isn't. The closest comparison is probably the JP5 roller-delayed upper, for which the upper alone also starts at about $1800-1900. CMMG's radial-delayed uppers are about $1000, and you can build one out yourself cheaper but the necessary bolt and BCG combo alone is $500, and you can't tune that one except for changing buffer and spring weights. $2000-2500 for a complete carbine is definitely reasonable for serious competition shooters, although probably a little more expensive than a non-custom Limited Optics gun but a fair bit cheaper than a serious Open gun.
Also I don't know what everyone's saying about "forgotten," this is clearly one of those "mechanically interesting" FW videos and not a "only 1000 were ever made" videos. These are a fairly recent design, still in production, and Mean Arms is releasing an even-more-expensive competition-focused upper and is sponsoring PCC shooters. It'll probably always be a pretty low-production product, but I sure wouldn't say it's a failed one.
You technically can tune the CMMG radial system. They offer an action tuning kit which allows you to add or remove a bit of weight to the BCG.
@@petershoaf1356 Oh cool, don't have one and didn't realize that, although adding mass to the carrier instead of the bolt is fundamentally doing the same thing as changing buffer weights
@@makky-kat3719 That's fair, but you could say that about tuning any delayed blowback action. In essence, all you're doing is adjusting the force needed to 'unlock' the system and thus slowing down the overall speed of cycling.
And just for the record, I do have a 9mm Banshee (Mk4, 8" barrel, sweet gun), and I don't have an action tuning kit. Mine seems to run wonderfully straight from CMMG, suppressed or otherwise with all the ammo I've thrown at it. I don't think the ATK is a common thing for most people.
I love my Endo-mag. Runs really great on my ar9.
I dont know.if its intentuonal or not but the lifter names spell out "hkmp" (h&k mp) on the manual. Thats a nice easter egg if its intentional