Spikes/Trinity Force 22 AR 15

The problem with any AR15-type rifle, regardless of calibre or action type, is where do you start or stop on customisation? For example; my initial out-of-the box Smith & Wesson Military & Police 15-22 semi-auto rimfire cost me I think around £500 five years ago. Since then the addition of spare mags, dedicated optics, better furniture, moderator, tactical sling and a custom paint job has probably doubled that figure. Which when compared to a custom-build is still not that expensive, as speaking to a few UK AR builders indicates that £1500-£2000 is the ball park figure, which is starting to get a bit pricey; certainly for a 22!

North West Custom Parts (Wayne Titterton) is one of the UK’s recognised AR15 builders and in the main has stuck to top end custom work over the years. He is now however offering an out of the box 22 AR with everything you might need to shoot comps, including optics, at a considerably lower price than his usual wares.

TRINITY FORCE + SPIKES

Called the Spikes Tactical/Trinity Force Mod2; as the name implies this rifle is a blend of the Spikes Tactical ST22 upper and lower receivers, with a 22, semi-auto bolt kit and the choice of either a 12 or 16” barrel. Furniture is provided by Trinity Force (TF) who have been making a name for themselves recently for some very nice forends etc. Depending on your needs or preferences, there’s also the option of a 1-4x24 compact scope in a QD mount, which as an all-in price, does not push the envelope past £1150. So let’s take a closer look!

12” SHORTY

My tester was the 12” carbine variant, which will certainly have an appeal, as compact rifles are very much the thing with many UK shooters. The barrel, which is fitted with an A2 flash hider sits in a TF, 10”, P1812, triangular, free-float forend, complete with Key-mod slots, which allows the easy attachment of rails and grips etc. The 12 o’clock section has a fulllength Picatinny rail. I have the 13” version on my SGC Speedmaster and it’s a good design. Good too is the fact the rifle comes fitted with TF’s compact alloy Siege Grip. It shows a multi-angle profile to accommodate a wide variety of shooting styles and positions. The extended front wedge acts as an angle grip, and the curved back strap is designed for maximum comfort when holding it vertically. It’s skeletonised to reduce weight and can act as a hand stop too.

Moving back, there’s a TF pistol grip, with finger grooves, fill-in back strap and a storage compartment; OK no MIAD, but better than an A2! Finally a 5-position CAR15-type butt with QD sling swivel sockets and a slide-on rubber pad. Operation is by a pull-up lever in the stock void.

STANDARD

The Spikes receiver halves are made for fullbore ARs, as compared to my S&W 15-22, which is a 22 LR-dedicated design. This, as we shall see, is a mixed blessing in terms of control functions and features. The upper has an ejection port cover, integral case deflector hump and a forward assist plunger and is flat-topped, which means easier scope mounting. The lower shows all the normal controls – safety/selector left above the pistol grip, mag release button right forward of the trigger and the automatic last round hold open/manual bolt release catch, top left of the mag well. Due to the 22 LR build, this control is non-functioning. Feed is from a Black Dog 25-round magazine, which is made from black polymer and configured like the old alloy 223 AR clip with vertical fullering. The trigger is very much the military unit, with a creepy first stage and a heavy but reasonably crisp break of around 6-8 lbs.

GLASS ON TOP

As I said the rifle also offers the option of a scope and mounts included, which only adds £95 to the bottom line. I tested this Trinity Force 1-1x24 model a few months ago and though no Swarovski and probably made in China, it offers good clean glass with a decent sight picture along with a practical, twin-lever QD mount. It comes with flip-up lens caps, 3-colour (red, blue & green) illumination with the rheostat on the left of the saddle and ½-MOA turrets. The reticule is not a Mil-Dot, which would have fitted in well, but a #4-type with free-floating centre aiming dot. The rear ring of the mount has a short section of Picatinny rail on top, which can be placed front or rear. So good for light, lasers or compact red dots. But for sub-£100 it’s not bad!

The overall package is well presented and feels handy, so let’s see how it shoots! For the test I had four brands and types of 22 LR – Remington Golden Hi-Velocity (HV), Fiocchi hollow point HV, Winchester Xpert (target) and RWS Match Rifle (target). Results were interesting and threw up some questions on both the rifle and some of the ammo. The rifle sits well in the shoulder, due no doubt to the large rubber butt pad that gives a good footprint. Typically the butt is a bit wobbly but that’s quite common with this style. The pistol grip is comfortable and the forward Siege grip, though short, is a practical design and doubles as a hand stop if desired. The full-length Picatinny rails means versatile optical mounting.

RUNNING IN- PLEASE PASS!

Initial shooting showed that the bolt did not run fully into battery as you cycled the action for the first shot and had to be pushed closed, a functioning forward assist would have been of great help here. I started with the Remington Golden and thought it might be this brand, but the other three did it too. However, as the test progressed this problem cleared up after around 150-rounds with the RWS, Winchester and Fiocchi, but persisted with the Remington, to such an extent I stopped using it. However, there was no live round ejection (manually cycling the action to empty the chamber) with any of the makes.

After that, feed and function was fine and off the bench at 50-yards the rifle was shooting just over the inch. The Black Dog mag was pleasingly easy to fill, even though there were no pull-down side toggles and it held 23-rounds; two shy of its stated capacity! As I previously mentions; as the lower is a 223 unit there’s no automatic last round hold open, or bolt release. An ersatz hold-open function is supplied by the magazine platform rising after the last shot and physically blocking the bolt as it moves forward. Better than nothing I would agree, but as soon as it’s removed the bolt closes! You can achieve a partial manual hold open but the bolt runs out and stops about ¼” open, which is not really enough to inspect the chamber. In a competitiontype environment a chamber flag would be mandatory!

Overall this is a clever package, not with everything you need but more than the basics and you would not be found wanting at a comp either. Truth is a lot of extras are there for cosmetic effect more than functionality, and I’m as guilty as the next shooter of being seduced by bolt on goodies to a degree. I do not like the magazine-actuated last round hold open, but given the 223 lower used there’s not a lot you can do about it and I’d like to see the trigger slicked up a little too. Personally I would trade the scope for both of those areas to be improved! But at the end of the day I reckon the Spikes Tactical/Trinity Force Mod2 ticks most of the boxes required and offers pretty good value for money too! Plus, as you already have a 223 lower, if you want to move into that calibre you just need to get a 223 upper, which is going to save money down the line.

PRICES: Rifle with scope £1150, Rifle less cope £1065
CONTACT: North West Custom Parts, 0161 408 1155, www.northwestcustomparts.com

BARREL:
12 and 16” W flash hider
Trinity Force forend, butt, pistol and forward grips
Trinity Force 1-4x24 scope & mount