Stainless Steel Robinson M96 Earns Consideration for Duty
by Scott Smith
Contributing Editor
Over the last few years, mainly since the infamous North Hollywood bank robbery shootout and 9-11, carbines have been appearing in more and more police vehicles. The reason is quite simple: the need for a firearm that is more effective than a sidearm and accurate at longer ranges. AR-style rifles/carbines dominate this trend, with several agencies and individual officers fielding other semi-automatic rifles. These range from M1As to FALs to Mini-14s.
But another firearm that deserves a look is the Robinson Arms M96 Expedition Rifle/Carbine.
The M96 has many features that set it apart from other gas-operated .223s. Unlike ARs which use alloys for the receiver, the M96 is stainless steel. The rifle uses a piston driver system to help prevent fouling of the bolt/carrier and allows for adjustment of the gas system, much like an FN FAL does.
Since the receiver is made of stainless steel, the overall weight of the M96 is somewhat heavier than other semi-automatic military-style rifles. Where the AR and Mini-14 generally weigh in at 6 pounds, the M96 rifle tips the scales at 8.5 pounds; the carbine model weighs 8.2 pounds. To many shooters and operators, this may seem like a heavy rifle. However, it balances well and because of the extra weight there is little if any felt or perceived recoil. Both the rifle and carbine handle very well and transition smoothly during multiple target engagements.
One area that Robison Arms has addressed over the last couple of years is the lack of mounting points. In the world of “tactical” carbines, there is a desire to attach white lights, lasers, vertical forearms and various types of optics. This has been one area where Robinson Arms lagged behind the competition. Late in 2004 they introduced a forearm with standard 3/6/9/12 mounting points and a Picatinny rail that attaches to the top of the receiver and has a functioning rear sight.
For our test of the M96 the top mount Picatinny rail was used. The object was to go with just the basics to improve the rifle for general use, and a red dot sight is a major upgrade for those of us who have tired eyes.
The other item that was used for the test was the 16-inch Recon Carbine Barrel. This makes the package a bit shorter and easier to use in confined quarters. The other reason for testing the Recon Barrel is that Robinson Arms advertises the M96 as a modular rifle; so I wanted to check out the ease of swapping out barrels and the performance of such shorter barrels.
Breaking from the male tradition of I know all there is to know about things related to firearms, I read the instructions before attempting the barrel change. I didn’t want to screw up the gas piston or anything else since this rifle operates much like an FN FAL.
My shooting partner and I found the directions to be somewhat ambiguous and it neglected the part about the fact that one of the ports on the short barrel will be exposed. No matter how we tried, the piston tube didn’t fit like the long barrel’s tube did. Some checking around proved it should not. Okay, so we were slow learners.
Essentially, you clear the firearm; safety first! Then retract the charging handle while holding down the barrel release button, and then get a second set of hands to gently twist and rock the barrel out of the receiver. Next, remove the operating rod by pushing it into the receiver and twist it &Mac249; turn counterclockwise; then slide it out. To reassemble the M96 with another barrel, reverse the directions. The barrel fit is snug, be patient and the barrels do swap out easily.
With the short 16-inch barrel now in place, the sight rail was installed so I could put a Truglo red dot on the M96. I prefer red dots to iron sights since my now bi-focaled eyes find it easier to acquire them. Besides red dots are now being used by the military, law enforcement and for use in three-gun competition; and the military has found accuracy has improved.
The Truglo unit chosen is the Panorama Mk IV. This compact unit is small and provides the user with a heads-up type display, not a tube-type red dot. Over the years I have used these type red dots and have been impressed with them. The only draw back is that you turn them off with a cover not an on/off switch. Other than that, I haven’t found a down side; and to tell the truth I haven’t tried to find one since the sight works well for me.
Anyhow, I gathered up the M96 with the Mk IV mounted and a mixed bag of ammunition from Black Hills, Federal, Winchester and Hornady. Bullet weights varied from 52-grain FMJ to 75-grain JHPs, to give a fair run down of available ammunition with this carbine/rifle.
Mother Nature was cooperative on the day I headed to the range, a new thing over the past fall and winter. If it wasn’t raining, the range was a bog from the previous rain. Our range day ended up being thirty-ish and sunny—good shooting weather.
First task at hand was to see how well the sight was zeroed. My one bud bore-sighted the M96/Mark IV combination before my trip to the range, and I had hoped he was fairly on. As it turned out, at 100 meters the zero was about two inches left and a tad low. This was a good thing, since the author had a senior moment and forgot to bring the mini-Allen wrench to adjust the Mark IV. Testing the Robinson Arms M96 could go forward.
Several magazines were run through the blaster just to see how it felt and handled. Thanks to its weight, there was little or no recoil and shot-to-shot recovery was quite fast. No matter the bullet weight or design, the M96 simply digested it and spit it out the barrel. Brass was sent flying and no jams occurred throughout the 200+ rounds I ran through the M96 to test its reliability and handling.
After the reliable work, it was time to see how well this things shot. After all how well the blaster performs is a key in deciding whether or not it’s a keeper, or to go out and purchase one.
Since yours truly forgot the sight adjustment wrench for the Truglo Mk IV, a little Kentucky windage had to be used. Several groups were fired to just find out how far off the bore-sighting job was. Turns out four inches left. No problem for a country boy, I just held off about four inches right. Granted the accuracy suffers, but I had to make do.
I fired several 5-round groups. For the testing of the Robinson Arms M96, I had chosen several common loads: Winchester 62-grain FMJ and 64-grain Power Point; Hornady 75-grain BTHP-TAP; American Eagle 50-grain FMJ, and Black Hills 68-grain Match HP—to represent the variety of ammunition available for rifles chambered in .223 Remington. I also had several stray rounds of .223 but couldn’t remember what the bullet weights were, so this ended up being one of the mixed bag magazines I shot to see if the rifle was finicky with ammo.
To say I was surprised with how well the M96 shot would be an understatement. The rifle just cranked out the rounds, and at 100 yards, using a pillar as a support and Kentucky windage, groups hovered at two inches.
Not bad considering the Mk IV was not regulated to point-of-aim/point-of-impact. Using the M96’s iron sights, groups expanded to about three inches, but it’s tough for those of the bifocal generation to see that front sight.
Conclusions
I had enough oddball .223 ammunition to load two magazines with 19 rounds each. These two magazines were shot at 50 and 150 yards. At 50 yards, the rounds were fired offhand while the beam was used to steady the rifle at 150 yards. The M96 did not seem to be picky, groups at both distances were better than average. At 50 yards, the 19-round group was four inches with several shots touching; not bad offhand with a semi-regulated red dot. Moving out to 150 yards, the group was four inches for 19 rounds; half of these were inside two inches. All rounds stayed inside the head of the B27 target I used for this accuracy session.
I am certain had I not forgotten the Allen wrench and if the Mk IV Truglo was truly zeroed, the Robinson Arms M96 would be a tack driver. Various folks I know who own these rifles attest to their ability to shoot sub-MOA with premium ammunition. Sadly, the weather and time have not permitted another range session with the M96.
Overall I was very impressed with the Robinson Arms M96. The ability to readily convert the firearm from a carbine to a rifle enhanced its flexibility. I firmly believe that it will perform well for varmint hunting, duty, or competition, especially three-gun shoots. Many will have problems with the M96 because there are not a million and one gizmos to attach to it. Robinson Arms now offers a sight rail, and four-position forearm to attach vertical grips, lights, etc. Nothing really fancy, just the basics!
The big thing the M96 offers over other semi-automatic rifles is reliability. No matter what you choose to use the M96 for, this overrides the issue of having several bolt-on options. The ability of the firearm to shoot all the time outweighs the need for gizmos.
Some folks will say the M96 is overpriced with an MSRP of $1,599. However, I have noticed that many ARs are in this price range too, without any bells and whistles. A rifle that shoots all the time no matter the ammunition or weather conditions, is accurate, and is fun to shoot sounds like a pretty good deal to me. The Robinson Arms M96 is good enough that my partner in crime who works for a local PD carries it on duty. Check one out at your local purveyor of fine firearms or, at the very least, on the web at: www.robarm.com.
Contact Information
Robinson Arms
PO Box 1677, Dept. GWK
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Phone: 801-355-0401
www.robarm.com
Black Hills Ammunition
PO Box 3090, Dept. GWK
Rapid City, SD 57709
Phone: 605-348-9827
www.black-hills.com
BlackHawk Products Group
4850 Brookside Ct., Dept, GWK
Norfolk, VA 23502
Phone: 757-436-3101
www.blackhawk.com
Federal-American Eagle
N5549 Country Trunk Z, Dept. GWK
Onalaska, WI 54650
Phone: 800-635-7656
Hornady Ammunition
PO Box 1848, Dept. GWK
Grand Island, NE 68803
Phone: 308-382-1390
www.hornady.com
Sling System
1090 W. Edmundson Ave., Dept. GWK
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Phone: 408-852-0607
www.slingsystem.com
TruGlo Inc.
PO Box 1612, Dept. GWK
McKinney, TX 75070
Phone: 972-774-0300
www.truglo.com
Winchester Ammunition
427 N Shamrock St., Dept. GWK
E. Alton, IL 2024
Phone: 618-258-2000
www.winchester.com
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