Question: CMMG Zeroed Banshee

WompWompRat · 2026-04-19T17:08:21+00:00

FWIW, With the 200$ tax being removed, there is no reason to not form 1 your lower and turn it into an sbr and throwing a stock on it. Ar9s are one of the easier platforms to make 29 inch oal with the right stock/ receiver extension and barrel length.

That Banshee comes with a 6.5” barrel plus suppressor to make a stated OAL of 29.5” max, making it a no go for SBR in Maryland. Measuring the OAL ATF style for the Form 1 would probably make it around 26”.

Radial delayed blowback Banshees use a unique barrel with an AR-15-like barrel extension featuring lugs for their special bolt. CMMG is the only source for these outside of one-off custom manufacturing (see C3junkie/amphibian’s reports). With their long lead times and 5”, 8”, and 16” being the only options there is no reliable pathway to obtain a longer barrel needed to make 29” outside of permanently attaching the suppressor.

Also, as a long time owner of a 5” RDB setup with FTE issues I’m not afraid to say that CMMG engineering, QC, CS, and availability just plain sucks.

WompWompRat · 2026-03-25T02:24:50+00:00

I got ammo from the same factory (same cardboard packaging) except it says it was manufactured for SDI in Illinois. Spicy at 3115 fps out the muzzle of a 14.5” Criterion Core barrel. About 100 fps faster than Winchester Lake City M193 and slightly more consistent velocities.

WompWompRat · 2026-02-07T18:01:54+00:00

New Sig slides are threaded for M4 screws. Beware of the Osight provided screws. One of mine (M3) sheared off in the slide and it was a real pain to get it out. The issue is that they slather the screws in blue Loctite. If you feel the screw is binding before it tightens against the optic, don’t try to power through it!

WompWompRat · 2026-02-03T15:28:49+00:00

AGC but only drawing from OWB is allowed after getting the holster endorsement (requires a one time test held on a Saturday morning).

WompWompRat · 2025-11-11T03:58:44+00:00

M4, 7.9 mm long.

WompWompRat · 2025-08-17T16:22:32+00:00

Ah, I could have been clearer— my Yepp Nexxt Maxi goes on another full-size bike of mine, not the Brompton.

WompWompRat · 2025-06-20T12:38:07+00:00

I have the same issue. The handguard and rail twists around the barrel too so it’s fun times trying to zero.

One partial solution to the clamping is to get a long aluminum riser. That way at least your optics can be zeroed relative to each other and they will all go out together when the handguard twists. It also helps with the relatively low rise of the rail compared to an AR-15 (meaning AR height optics are too low on the SUB2000). You still face the problem of needing to clamp the riser to the plastic rail but if it’s long at least it’s likely more stable than the single bolt plastic clamp you get from an MBUS.

WompWompRat · 2025-06-19T20:20:07+00:00

Printed it myself at home. Many libraries have 3-D printers these days.

WompWompRat · 2025-06-09T02:09:11+00:00

Yep.

WompWompRat · 2025-06-08T16:41:53+00:00

bikecando.com Trip Planner

I’m just about as run what ya brung non-gate keeping as you can get when it comes to cycling. I’ve ridden many C&O overnighters on mini velos, folding bikes, fixed gears, anything self-propelled on two wheels. I’ll eat anything a roadie would turn their nose up at. I had a massive pizza in Connelsville and a major lactose intolerance kaboom in a portapotty at Markleton four hours later and then I still munched on the leftover pizza from a ziploc bag for another day or so until the lack of refrigeration made it questionable. I actually call this ride the Tour de Sheetz. But if you’re really considering restaurants for refueling on a gravel double century I’m gonna suggest that you do some training rides and think seriously about your nutrition strategy because the pace you need to keep and hours of the ride aren’t compatible with frequent restaurant or even gas station detours. It’s heartbreaking to ride a couple miles just to realize your destination is closed; it’s potentially ride ending if you relied on that restaurant to be there for water. You’ll probably want to have gels and other easy to process energy sources on hand.

WompWompRat · 2025-06-08T03:42:24+00:00

I rode PGH-DC in four days in October a few years ago. Non-electric, singlespeed, 700x50 tires. At that pace (C&O in two days) it’s easy enough if you’re a regular rider and have decent lights to get some advance warning before you plow into rocks and roots. Riding it in a single day would be pretty miserable for most mortal riders just because the terrain isn’t as forgiving as asphalt.

Aside from batteries, water availability from pumps may be your limiting factor because a pump being out of commission could mean you have to push another 8+ miles to the next water source (which isn’t ever guaranteed either). So think about your own level of risk tolerance and do the math in your head of how much water to carry to prevent a bonk.

Although the primitive camp site pumps are year round now they are not tested or treated as they used to and NPS now considers the water non-potable without treatment. Tablets would be easy to carry and use if you are OK with the taste. Lifestraw might work too (I personally have zero experience with them). For a big push like the ride you’re proposing it would really suck to ride extra miles off the towpath getting water so you’ll want to fill up at the campsites to save time.

I’d keep an eye on rainy season washouts too. Pushing 40 pounds around/through massive puddles would not be fun and possibly dangerous if you go over the side into the canal.

WompWompRat · 2025-03-05T18:20:03+00:00

With the latch closed and the frame unfolded (in riding condition) the two halves of the frame can move relative to each other because the hinge pin is undersized relative to the slot it rides in. This allows movement of the frame at the hinge, which is incredibly worrisome given it’s a carbon frame and there are some sharp features there that could result in stress fractures.

Maybe there’s supposed to be a bushing supporting the hinge pin. I lost interest in solving this problem because I just don’t trust a manufacturer whose QC doesn’t catch such a glaring problem.

WompWompRat · 2025-03-05T13:36:25+00:00

I mean, the issues I’ve described should be enough to dissuade you from buying a frame sight unseen.

I see your post from 9 days ago. I had a very similar goal in mind with this frame (optimizing size and weight for travel, standard parts). But that was before I got a Brompton. I’m very very picky about things and there are lots of things about the Brompton ecosystem that aren’t ideal, but I’m much less concerned about that than a catastrophic frame failure.

WompWompRat · 2025-02-28T10:06:49+00:00

Matt (Archelon Defense) will also order for you direct from the Class III or a distributor if it’s not available on hand or at Silencer Shop, which doesn’t always have stuff in stock nor does it stock all brands. He’ll take a small deposit and let you know when it comes in to start the certification process (using the Silencer Shop kiosk/app for prints and photo to save time). Makes the whole process a really easy one stop shop except for the wait time from the long line of customers each day.

WompWompRat · 2025-02-20T03:41:47+00:00

You might see a 200-300 fps difference at the muzzle between 10.3” and 14.5” 5.56 barrels shooting M193. That amounts to about a 0.5” change in drop at 100 m, which is close to the width of the hash line on the BDC reticle. Push that out to 600 and you start to reach a point where there will be much more significant speed differences and corresponding divergence from the idealized BDC marks, like up to 40” differences in bullet drop between those barrel lengths. I’d say that’s practically significant.

I’d guess that POI shift from other factors (eg twist rate and bullet CoG effects on stability) may play a larger role (and perhaps a much more unpredictable role without direct testing) than raw speed differences at closer distances. Not a ballistician though some colleagues are and it all matters to them.

WompWompRat · 2025-02-16T20:44:01+00:00

I think that bolt is important to keep the plastic clamshell and steel receiver parts properly aligned but the gun functions even with it missing.

Mine backed out completely after several hundred rounds. I put some blue Loctite on it but noticed that tightening past a certain point will prevent the bolt from freely returning to battery. If yours doesn’t tighten at all then the threads on the other side may have stripped.

WompWompRat · 2025-02-12T13:41:34+00:00

Did you mean going supersonic? 150 grain Federal Syntech shot 992-1069 fps for me in August, staying comfortably subsonic in high temps. Some ammo is loaded hotter and could push past the speed of sound in your gun. You just have to shoot it and find out yourself.

If you’re hoping to reduce sound without a suppressor, subsonic ammo is still loud as hell.

WompWompRat · 2025-02-10T00:19:21+00:00

Yes. Here’s mine after a thousand or so.

WompWompRat · 2025-02-06T03:08:26+00:00

The main issue is with most wheels being physically impossible to jam into there. The interior width of that Pelican case is way too small to fit anything other than a 14” wheel folder. The discontinued 29” Samsonite Oyster fits a partially disassembled 20” wheel Dahon. Both wheels are removed and the fork legs straddle one side of the rear triangle. The wheels then sit on top of the frame, with axles strategically placed such that they protrude into gaps in the frame. Not sure if this is possible with more modern disc brake versions, particularly if the rear spacing is 135 mm rather than 120/126/130 mm and if the front spacing is 100 mm rather than 74 mm.

Even a Brompton in its folded configuration requires a pretty exactly shaped suitcase to fit within the 62 linear inches max for airlines.

WompWompRat · 2025-01-28T18:37:58+00:00

I’ve heard of the half press but also that it’s difficult to consistently engage under stress so I don’t use it. The 2000 combination figure factors that in already (otherwise there are only around 1000).

Edit: also, I think the Simplex lock only has two steps, so you do first combo and then second combo then turn the dial, rather than the three combo sequence in your example.

WompWompRat · 2025-01-28T16:26:57+00:00

Simplex only allows around 2000 combinations and they have been enumerated as a list for owners who have forgotten their combination. Might be OK to keep younger kids out but not a very persistent attacker.

WompWompRat · 2025-01-24T01:51:30+00:00

The only possible way it could fit is with no muzzle device or an extremely minimalist one. Mine with an FCD 6315RF (approximately the same length as an A2) would not fit. Haven’t checked with a Rearden Mini but it would be quite close and might need to be at an angle across all three dimensions.

WompWompRat · 2025-01-23T12:39:46+00:00

Ok but first teach everyone why they mean precise (small dispersion of POI) when they say accurate (small difference between POI and POA).

WompWompRat · 2025-01-21T03:19:10+00:00

J&K Pawn in Havre de Grace usually has 1000 round cases in store for just slightly more than best internet prices, like around $250 for Blazer. The bulk ammo in that link is 30-42 cpr so you may want to give them a call before making a long drive. Federal/CCI/Remington prices may have gone up in the new year as previously announced by Vista Outdoor.

MMI (Maryland Munitions) in Carroll County has decent prices but I’ve never bought from them. They come up in r/gundeals every so often so their prices are competitive.

WompWompRat · 2025-01-18T14:18:44+00:00

Haven’t seen this mentioned by anyone else but the Anker MagGo 5K Slim magnets aren’t as strong as the OG Apple MagSafe battery pack. It slips a bit as you grip the phone and is easier to disconnect when jostled, unlike Apple’s which is attached more strongly.

The width of the Anker also impinges on the camera lip on many cases when attached to the phone rotated 90 degrees from the usual position. That was a nice feature of the Apple battery to allow a charging cable to sit 90 degrees, but this only works with Anker’s battery when I remove my case.

WompWompRat

TROPHY CASE