Lima Six belt-fed AR-15 upper review: what the $3,000 price costs you

Key points: Lima Six belt-fed AR-15

• The Lima Six upper costs about $3,000 against roughly $8,000 for the FightLite MCR, and the review asks which compromises made that price possible and whether they can be lived with.
• It runs direct impingement with a RifleSpeed adjustable gas block instead of a piston and regulator; the reinforced straight gas tube was not a practical failure point, and the gun held its lube far longer than the piston MCR.
• The feed tray is pinned rather than pivoting, which blocks access in front of the chamber when clearing malfunctions, and its sharp edges and the reciprocating charging handle cut both hands and gloves.
• The feed actuator does not collapse and the gun does not lock open on empty, so every reload starts with locking the bolt to the rear, which is manageable prone and clumsy from an unsupported position.
• The stretched receiver gives the bolt about three-quarters of an inch of extra travel, so it strips M27 links reliably without the heavy buffer, stiff spring and extra gas an MCR typically needs.
• The production sample had very few malfunctions while lubricated but degraded when run dry or after rain, and the fixed-gas-block prototype sent before it was unreliable enough to be replaced.
• In a 500-round burndown with a short suppressed barrel, cook-offs began after about 300 rounds and became unsafe by 500, so the host puts the practical limit near 300 rounds of sustained fire.

About this Gun Review video

Lima Six belt-fed AR-15 upper review from Brass Facts: almost 4,000 rounds through a short-barreled, suppressed sample run on a forced reset trigger, including an FRT match and a 500-round burndown. The Lima Six sells for about $3,000 against roughly $8,000 for the FightLite MCR, and the review weighs what that saving costs: direct impingement, a pinned feed tray, a feed actuator that will not let the lid close with the bolt forward, and no quick-change barrel.

Transcript: Lima Six belt-fed