My first DAR GEN 3- 25cal just delivered this morning

[DavesMk2]

Just signed for my DAR Gen 3 in 25 cal this morning. First thoughts are it is a good gun for the money, but in person it is a little disappointing based on information from the reviews I read.
The worst thing is the action is not as smooth as I hoped. There is a lot of flop in the charging handle when cocking. There is a lot of roughness too, not as smooth as my Impact M2. Cocking effort is less than my Marauder, but has the same rough feel of getting the hammer latched.
The magazine is nice, but won't accept the JSB Exact King Heavy Diabolo 33.95 gr pellets for loading, the skirts get stuck when inserting into the magazine. The Nielsen Specialty 33.6 gr hollow point slugs that I have work just fine. Not sure what to do about the Exact pellets as I get good results in my other 2 guns and want to use them in the DAR.
The noise level is what I would call backyard friendly, about the same as my stock Marauder. Certainly louder than my MK2 with the Donny FL on it. I do have a Buck Rail moderator scheduled for delivery today and hope that will drop the noise level.

I hope to get my scope mounted and sighted in the next couple of days. Will post a follow up in a month or so.

 

[Firewalker]

Push the skirt past the o-ring, the heavies do fit.

The lever pivot needs a tiny drop of moly, it will smooth out considerably.

Make sure you clean that barrel before you shoot! It's packed with anti rusting gunk.

Test runout on the shroud, the moderator adapter may not be sitting square in the shroud, I pulled mine off and turned it around, both ends are threaded. Don't forget to remove the baffel-stack nut if you do.

 

[nervoustrig]

The fit issue with the JSBs could potentially be a result of using the MK1 which have a larger skirt than the MK2.

I feel like I should be able to tell you from first-hand experience but my Gen 3 loves the MK2s so much that I don’t think I ever even tried the MK1s!

 

[Firewalker]

The fit issue with the JSBs could potentially be a result of using the MK1 which have a larger skirt than the MK2.

I feel like I should be able to tell you from first-hand experience but my Gen 3 loves the MK2s so much that I don’t think I ever even tried the MK1s!

Good point!

I was referring to MKll pellets.

 

[DavesMk2]

I have the MK2 and some older ones that have no MK designation and neither fit.
The moderator adapter isn't in alignment either. I have a stripe of lead on one side after firing 3 pellets so there is some clipping, will need to check barrel band at muzzle isn't causing a twist.

 

[Fatmike]

I have the MK2 and some older ones that have no MK designation and neither fit.
The moderator adapter isn't in alignment either. I have a stripe of lead on one side after firing 3 pellets so there is some clipping, will need to check barrel band at muzzle isn't causing a twist.

The strip might be where the adapter was hung during coating. I can still be clipping but theres other things the stripe could be from.

 

[nervoustrig]

I have the MK2 and some older ones that have no MK designation and neither fit.

Hmm, you may want to contact them because I don't think that is expected, and certainly not for the MK2s. For comparison, I just grabbed a tin of the larger MK1 heavies and they will feed into each cell of the rotary cartridge right up to the apex of the skirt where they then encounter resistance and stop. Deep enough that the skirts don't stand proud to interfere with the rotation, but they need a firm push to get them to continue feeding all the way through. The MK2s pass all the way through effortlessly.

 

[Firewalker]

I have the MK2 and some older ones that have no MK designation and neither fit.
The moderator adapter isn't in alignment either. I have a stripe of lead on one side after firing 3 pellets so there is some clipping, will need to check barrel band at muzzle isn't causing a twist.

The shroud indexes the adapter, the barrel band will not affect clipping in any way. Trust me, I've had 5 DAR rifles, return it or check for runout on the shroud.

Also, you can change out orings on the mags and put durometer 50 rings on them for easier pellet fit but I promise, those MK2 pellets do fit the mags.

 

[DavesMk2]

I really want to like this rifle. The action has smoothed out and functions well. BUT I can't get a group smaller than 10 inches at 15 yds. The barrel band falls off if the filler cap is left off. Lastly, the shroud flexes a lot, which I think may be the problem with grouping.

 

[Trucker3573]

Keep the thread updated as I’m curious how the new DARs hold up. In all reality the comparisons you made are not remotely fair. The dar is a 300 dollar gun and a 300 dollar shooters experience is expected.