Let’s continue where we left off on Monday. That would be Ha’penny Bridge on the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland:
River Liffey as seen from Ha’penny Bridge
And as I mentioned on Monday, Ha’penny Bridge is a great place to just people watch for a bit:
Pedestrians on Ha’penny Bridge
Heading into theTemple Bar district you’ll find a lot of great places to eat:
Street-side menu
By the way, our favorite restaurant in this area is Quays Irish Restaurant — reasonably priced with great Irish cuisine and even better Irish beer (forget the Guinness; instead try Smithwick’s ruby-red Irish ale).
The locals look down on Temple Bar, with many considering it the tourist area, but I still saw many locals there despite those claims. It’s certainly a happening spot with lots of color, but make sure you price out the restaurants and avoid the pricey bars.
Temple Bar — Loud and colorfulTemple Bar on display
Our hotel was in this area, and we loved it. The rates were affordable, the digs comfortable, and the location superb. It was the colorfully appointed Blooms Hotel:
Blooms HotelBlooms Hotel
By now many of you are aware that both Ursula and I are avid fans of Hop-on/Hop-off busses. There’s not much better in most cities for getting one’s bearings and figuring out what one want’s to visit more in depth. So, after hoofing it about O’Connell Street Lower and a bite to eat we took our first Hop-on/Hop-off ride. Along the ride we passed beneath a foot bridge spanning market street that connects two structures at the Guinness Storehouse:
Guinness Storehouse bridge over Market Street
A short hop later and we found a destination we had to hit, and which you’ll see more in-depth next Monday. This is the Pearse Lyons Distillery, which is housed in the old St. James’ Church and a more modern adjacent structure:
St. James’ Church is now part of the Pearse Lyons DistilleryPearse Lyons Distillery amidst the church cemetery
Now let’s head back into Temple Bar for one last image:
This week begins a new travel photography series. It begins with a two-day stay in Dublin, Ireland. After that we flew to Amsterdam to catch a Royal Caribbean ship, Brilliance of the Seas, on which we headed to . . . Ireland. During this series I’ll be showing you many sights in both Ireland and Northern Ireland, after which we’ll go transatlantic to Ponta Delgada in the Azores. Reaching Tampa, I’m going to keep you captive for a back-to-back aboard Brilliance of the Seas for a look at the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá. So, stick with this series and you’ll see over the coming months quite a diverse set of cruise destinations.
We’re going to start our look at Dublin with some general sightseeing, starting with the statue of legendary fishwifeMolly Malone of Cockles & Mussels fame:
Molly Malone in the Temple Bar section of Dublin
But I’m taking things a bit out of order. Let’s head over toO’Connell Street Lower and have a look around beginning with this beautiful façade at the corner with Abbey Street Lower:
O’Connell Street Lower, Dublin
In the median almost directly across from the building above is a statue of Irish nationalistWilliam Smith O’Brien. This statue was erected in the 1880s in Dublin’s South Quays area before making its way to O’Connell Street in 1929:
William Smith O’Brien
About 480 feet/145 meters north of Mr. O’Brien stands a 394-foot/120-meter stainless steel needle. This is the Spire of Dublin, which was completed on 21 January 2003. Not hugely popular when it was first proposed, it ‘in’spired (see what I did there?) several less than flattering nicknames. Those included “The Stiletto in the Ghetto”, “The Spire in the Mire”, and my personal favorite as told to us by our Hop-On/Hop-Off guide, “The Stiffy on the Liffey” (referring to the nearby River Liffey):
The Dublin Spire — “Stiffy on the Liffey”
Heading back south toward the River Liffey is another monument. The subject of this memorial is Daniel O’Connell, known as ‘The Liberator’, who was the de facto leader of Ireland’s Roman Catholic majority during the first half of the 19th century.
Daniel O’Connell
We’re now going to take in the sights along the River Liffey, which cuts Dublin in two and is home to some of Dublin’s residents:
Hangin’ Out on the Liffey
Hanging a right and proceeding west we reach the Ha’penny Bridge, officially called the Liffey Bridge. This cast iron pedestrian bridge is a fun place to hang out for a while and snap some people photos:
Ha’penny Bridge
Continuing on, make sure you zoom your camera across the river for views of the Temple Bar section of Dublin:
Temple Bar district as seen from near the Ha’penny Bridge
View of Crampton Quay
Today’s last two shots were taken from atop Ha’penny Bridge facing east. The second shot is zoomed in on the classically styled Custom House, and behind that building you can see the much more modern International Financial Services Centre:
We’re finishing up “M” Week at the blog. Monday was Mosin. Wednesday we ran with Marlin. Today’s “M” is for Ruger’s MPR version of their AR-556.
I finally gave in to the AR-style rifle bug. But give in I did, after a lot of research. I had no desire to ever travel this road again, and I didn’t want to make a mistake, so I studied for months. Along the way I discovered a lot of information that directed me towards today’s subject — the Ruger AR-556 MPR (Multi-Purpose Rifle).
What were the other contenders, and how did I finally arrive at the AR-556 MPR? Let’s explore that for a moment, bearing in mind that my choices won’t necessarily align with your choices.
I’ll start with a brief look at the original AR-15 designed around the .223 Remington round. The .223 Remington was developed for the commercial varmint rifle market back in 1957, and by 1963 the first rifles chambered for this round became available. Eugene Stoner got involved when Remington invited him to scale down his existing ArmaLite AR-10 to handle the .223. The result was the ArmaLite AR-15, which like the AR-10 uses a unique direct gas impingement design (okay, not technically correct, but “direct impingement” is the popular name for it) that directed gas directly into the bolt carrier to cycle the weapon. Mr. Stoner set the barrel length at 20 inches/50.8 cm to make full use of the propellant in the .223 Remington, as barrels shorter than that length resulted in incomplete ignition of the propellant before the bullet exited the muzzle. That 20 inches also allowed for an optimal “rifle length” gas system, which would reduce recoil, thus lessening the stress on the bolt and buffer, and introduce less gas-fouling into the bolt carrier. Keep that in mind, as shorter barrels result in a shorter gas system, more recoil, faster bolt speeds causing more stress, and hotter gases getting introduced into the bolt carrier.
About this time the U.S. Air Force were looking for an alternative to their M1 and M2 carbines, and the Army were considering something easier to handle in full-automatic than their M14. This led Colt to purchase the rights for Mr. Stoner’s AR-15 from ArmaLite (contrary to myth the “AR” in “AR-15” stands for ” ArmaLite Rifle, not “Assault Rifle”). Colt then further developed the now “Colt” AR-15 into the M-16 chambered for the M193 cartridge. The M193 (not to be confused with the later similar NATO 5.56 mm round developed by FN in the 1970s) is basically a 55-grain/3.56 gram version of the .223 Remington. After some trial and error, Colt settled on 6-groove rifling with a 1:12/ 1:30.48 cm right-hand twist optimized for the lightweight 55-grain round.
Yeah . . . just try to find a rifle-length gas system on an AR-style rifle today. There are some out there, but you’ll pay for it. The rage today is to go tacti-cool and get the barrel length down to the legal non-NFA minimum of 16 inches/40.6 cm barrel. That’s because the military’s current M4 version has a ridiculously short 14.5-inch/36.8 cm barrel and, hey, everybody wants that military look regardless of how the rifle performs in most civilian applications. (Again, don’t take offense; I’m describing my preferences here, not necessarily your preferences.)
Ruger AR-556 MPR comes in one 30-round magazine
But remember what you give up for the modern Battle-of-Fallujah look — that rifle-length gas system goes by the wayside. That gets you incomplete burning of propellant; which in turn results in a reduction in muzzle velocity and energy; increased muzzle flash from the still-burning propellant blasting out the muzzle; increased bolt speed with the additional wear-and-tear that entails; and more fouling in the receiver from hotter, unburnt gases. Sorry, but I’m just not seeing any real advantages here for civilian applications. It’s not as if I’ll be using a shortened AR-style rifle with a carbine-length gas system in an urban warfare environment, or even to protect the homestead. In an AR-style rifle I’d rather have the longer range, lower recoil, and all the other advantages that a full-length gas system affords.
Again, that’s my choice meeting my needs. When you go shopping for an AR-style rifle, you need to evaluate what works best for you. And if you like what I’m about to describe on the MPR version of Ruger’s AR-556 but want a shorter barrel, you’re in luck. Ruger also makes the MPR in a 16.1-inch version (Model 8542). You can also get the MPR chambered for .350 Legend (Model 8532) and .450 Bushmaster (Model 8522). Unfortunately, if you want .300 AAC Blackout, you must go with Ruger’s standard AR-556 (Model 8530) or get the “pistol” version (Model 8572) with an even sillier 10.5-inch/26.7 cm barrel.
Here is the list of contenders that in the end were vying for my dollars:
SIG Sauer M400 Tread: SIG has discontinued anything longer than a 16-inch barrel; you pay for the SIG name.
FN 15 Military Collector M16: 20-inch barrel available; but lacked a lot of features for an MSRP of $1,749.
Colt: The original; you can’t go wrong with the Prancing Pony, but only the expensive M16A1 Retro Reissue offered a rifle-length gas system . . . at $2,499 MSRP!
Springfield Saint: Barrel maxes out at 16 inches.
Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Competition: This one comes closest yet to the MPR:
Pros: 18-inch barrel; rifle-length gas system; two-stage match trigger; 15-inch free-float M-LOK compatible handguard; full-length rail; adjustable buttstock.
Cons: Heavier than the MPR; MSRP is $700 higher than the MPR with nothing to show for the additional cost.
First, the relevant technical statistics for the Ruger® AR-556® MPR (Model 8514):
Caliber: 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington (other calibers available; see text)
Length: 35 to 38.25 inches/88.9 to 97.2 cm
Length of pull: 11.1 to 14.4 inches/28.2 to 36.6 cm
Capacity: The MPR comes with one 30-round Magpul PMAG® Gen-2 MOE magazine (a pet peeve of mine; come on, Ruger, you can do better than just one magazine)
Owner’s Manual: Of course
Safety lock: Cable type key lock
Box: Cheap cardboard, of course
Ruger AR-556 MPR
Now let’s take a look at the rifle. First off, that scope you see mounted does not come with the AR-556 MPR. Indeed, since this rifle has a free-float barrel, it does not come with a sight of any type — not even the usual combination gas block/front sight most associated with this type of rifle. As such, you’ll have to cough up some money upfront to fix that. The scope you see mounted here is a Vortex Crossfire II 1-4×24 with Vortex’s V-Brite red dot.
Barrel is free-floating
Also not included was the two-point sling you see pictured, nor the M-LOK Quick Dismount (QD) rail attachment. The MOE SL buttstock does however have a QD attachment point, in addition to a slot for your sling if you prefer.
But no matter what sight you choose to mount, there’s nearly 20 inches/51 cm of slot “rail” estate along the rail atop the MPR’s flat upper receiver. Go with iron sights, red dot, red dot with magnifier, low-power scope, high-power scope, night scope, or even optics co-witnessed with iron sights if you wish. The options are limited only by your imagination and your wallet.
Nearly 20 inches of rail for lots of customization options
Now, what about Ruger’s claimed 4.5-pound/2.04 kg Elite 452 trigger? Turns out they fudged on that one. The pull worked out closer to 4.17 pounds, but I’m not going to quibble when it’s to my advantage. The actual five-pull average came in at a mere 4 pounds 2.7 ounces/1.89 kg. Trigger reset is so miniscule I had trouble measuring it, but my best eyeball guesstimate puts it at around an eighth of an inch, or about 3 mm.
Magpul MOE pistol grip
I’ve yet to fire the AR-556 MPR, so I haven’t even had the opportunity to sight in the Crossfire II. But I can tell you how I perceive the handling characteristics thus far. The MPR is well balanced and easy to handle. It’s both light and comfortable to carry, and quick to get on target when the sling is properly adjusted. All controls are just where one would expect on any AR-style rifle, so there are no surprises here and they are all easy to manipulate . . . if you’re righthanded; none of the controls are ambidextrous.
No ambidextrous controls on this rifleControls
Fit and finish I would rate as good. The MPR certainly looks good. There was one minor flaw in the hard coat anodization on the edge of the magazine well (see below). But that’s a quibble. It’s not worth the time and effort for a trip back to the mothership for a rifle that is meant to be used.
A word of caution: make sure you disassemble your MPR and check for copious amounts of lubrication. One of the things I really appreciate about Ruger is that they way overengineer nearly everything they make, but they also love to overlubricate. In the case of this MPR, there was far too much lubricant inside the bolt carrier and on the tail of the bolt. I hate to think how much carbon would have cooked onto those surfaces if I hadn’t wiped them down. Other areas were positively dripping with lubrication as well, but that’s been remedied.
Ruger’s fit and finish almost got an A+, except for this
Overall, I’m impressed. But then I’m also a novice in the AR market, so there’s that. Perhaps I’m just easily impressed. But I don’t believe that’s the case here. For all the features Ruger threw into this AR-556 variant, the MPR is an impressive rifle at a price point hundreds less than anything comparable in a nationally known and respected brand.
Ruger AR-556 MPR
That concludes this week’s firearms series. If you’re not a fan, do not despair.
Next week this blog returns to travel the photography. That series will start in Ireland, head transatlantic with a stop in Ponta Delgada in the Azores, continue into Key West for some sunset photos, then head over to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Decisions — Murder in Paradise
The Globe — Murder in Luxury