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Wolf upper - what is this thing?


This may answer some questions. Price seems decent for it.
 
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It's a clone of the Taiwanese military upper (Type 91 rifle).
Taiwan makes some of Wolf's ammo, their 5.56 if I recall.
I've debated picking one up myself, either to use on a regular lower or for a T91 clone.
 
I'm sure it's very good quality, it is probably being produced by a military supplier.
 
Since I made an impulse buy yesterday (something I rarely do), and it was because of you guys, I want to ask for your help and opinions!

I've already got a lower and parts kit I can assemble, so I think all I need to buy is an adjustable stock, and I'll want something that also gives me an attachment point for a single-point sling. What do you guys think would be very functional (my first consideration) and look good with the 16" barrel Wolf upper in the OP?
 
Since I made an impulse buy yesterday (something I rarely do), and it was because of you guys, I want to ask for your help and opinions!

I've already got a lower and parts kit I can assemble, so I think all I need to buy is an adjustable stock, and I'll want something that also gives me an attachment point for a single-point sling. What do you guys think would be very functional (my first consideration) and look good with the 16" barrel Wolf upper in the OP?
I'd like to see your review when you get it. I've been eyeing one for a while and would consider getting one just to swap it onto one of my other lowers just for fun...even though I said I have no plans to ever assemble another AR, I just might be moved to make a T91 clone...
 
I'd like to see your review when you get it. I've been eyeing one for a while and would consider getting one just to swap it onto one of my other lowers just for fun...even though I said I have no plans to ever assemble another AR, I just might be moved to make a T91 clone...

Sure, I'd be happy to post something after I've shot it.

It's been awhile since I built an AR, but I've always wanted one that's piston driven. Not only does this one look a bit unique, it seems to be of good quality, and it's not expensive. When I bought it, I was planning to use an existing lower, but I've got a spare optic and a Geissele trigger looking for a home, so it would be a shame not to build a dedicated lower when I have all the parts except for a stock.

I don't even remember what recoil buffer weight I should use in this, and I don't know if it's different because of its piston. I can do some research on my own, but does anybody here have an opinion?
 
there is plenty of info out there on the T91 rifle. it's a taiwanese design that employs short stroke piston. i don't own one but they seem to do just fine. since it's a piston rifle, the bolt is proprietary. if looking for a piston upper try it.
 
How does he like it? (Or not?)
Funny you ask, i actually talked to him today. He says it runs great and with PPU match and his fixed 10x scope hes getting -2 moa with out much effort shooting prone off bags. He sold the free 500 rounds of wolf gold for $1 round last month effectively making a profit on the purchase. He loves it and is waiting for the the T91 rear site to come in.
 
Sure, I'd be happy to post something after I've shot it.

It's been awhile since I built an AR, but I've always wanted one that's piston driven. Not only does this one look a bit unique, it seems to be of good quality, and it's not expensive. When I bought it, I was planning to use an existing lower, but I've got a spare optic and a Geissele trigger looking for a home, so it would be a shame not to build a dedicated lower when I have all the parts except for a stock.

I don't even remember what recoil buffer weight I should use in this, and I don't know if it's different because of its piston. I can do some research on my own, but does anybody here have an opinion?
My friend is running a H2 buffer,
He texted me again and says it ran really smooth on his A2 "rifle" lower set up but runs a "carbine" lower set up so he can adjust the stock.
 
My friend is running a H2 buffer,
He texted me again and says it ran really smooth on his A2 "rifle" lower set up but runs a "carbine" lower set up so he can adjust the stock.

Thanks for the info!

Funny you ask, i actually talked to him today. He says it runs great and with PPU match and his fixed 10x scope hes getting -2 moa with out much effort shooting prone off bags. He sold the free 500 rounds of wolf gold for $1 round last month effectively making a profit on the purchase. He loves it and is waiting for the the T91 rear site to come in.

My Wolf Gas Piston Upper came in on Tuesday, and since yesterday was Veterans Day, I figured it was a good day to go to the range and then stop by Applebee's for a free Veterans Day meal. I didn't use a scope, and I wasn't shooting prone, but I'd say that's about the accuracy of my upper as well.

IMG_5109.JPG

IMG_5110.JPG

You can see in the photos that the slots in the flash hider are not lined up symmetrically. There are 4 slots in about half of the circle, and the other half is solid. I originally thought the solid half would be on the underside to keep from blasting dirt up when shooting prone on the ground, but the slots are positioned about 40º off from that position. That appears normal, as that's what the photo at AimSurplus.com shows as well. Maybe someone here knows why.

The rifle came with a light coating of oil on it. The bore looked shiny, but I ran a jag with a patch through anyway, and it came out the other end with just a very slight amount of dirt on it and not a lot of oil. From the first round fired, the upper smoked quite a bit... enough that I had to wait a few seconds before I could see to fire again. Oil continued to burn off for about 15-20 rounds, but by the time I got done firing 35 rounds, it wasn't smoking anymore.

When I got to the range, I installed a carry handle from an AR-15 and attempted to use the front sight that came on the upper. All of the ammo I shot in this review was PMC Bronze 55 grain FMJ-BT, and after firing 10 rounds I walked down to look at the target, and none of them had struck paper. I believe that was the fault of my carry handle, though, because it has never been used on a rifle and never zeroed.

I didn't have a lot of time, so I didn't really want to mess around with that, and instead I attached the optic I plan to use, which is an Aimpoint PRO. I fired these rounds seated, but I didn't have bags or a good rest, so I wasn't as stable as I would have liked. These were my first 10 shots. At least they were on paper!

IMG_5139.JPG

Unfortunately, it had been an embarrassingly long time since I'd been to the range to shoot rifles, and I didn't have any written instructions or memory about how to adjust the Aimpoint, so I just guessed on how many clicks, and I grossly underestimated. Even so, it did move my point of impact approximately an inch in the right direction. I was running out of time, so I shot these last 20 a little faster, and it looks like 4 of them went into the same elongated hole.

IMG_5140.JPG

The first group was centered around the outside of the 6 ring, and now it's centered around the outside of the 7 ring. I had to leave at that point, but I should be able to adjust the Aimpoint PRO at home, and the next time I shoot it to verify my zero, it should be very close to dead on.

I used a 30-round PMAG and a 20-round Colt mag, and they both fed flawlessly. There were no malfunctions of any kind.

I still don't have a dedicated lower for the Wolf upper because I need to buy a stock, so I used the lower from my long-range rifle for this testing. I shot these 5 rounds before I switched over to the gas piston upper, and even though any mistakes on this target are due to the "loose nut behind the butt plate," I didn't expect the Wolf upper to be as accurate as this match upper that I paid more than twice as much for:

IMG_5138.JPG

BTW, this Wolf upper from Aim Surplus came well-packed inside another shipping box, and when I opened it, this is what I found inside:

IMG_5107.JPG

I hope you guys had a good Veterans Day too!
 
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Thanks for the info!



My Wolf Gas Piston Upper came in on Tuesday, and since yesterday was Veterans Day, I figured it was a good day to go to the range and then stop by Applebee's for a free Veterans Day meal. I didn't use a scope, and I wasn't shooting prone, but I'd say that's about the accuracy of my upper as well.

View attachment 410522

View attachment 410523

You can see in the photos that the slots in the flash hider are not lined up symmetrically. There are 4 slots in about half of the circle, and the other half is solid. I originally thought the solid half would be on the underside to keep from blasting dirt up when shooting prone on the ground, but the slots are positioned about 40º off from that position. That appears normal, as that's what the photo at AimSurplus.com shows as well. Maybe someone here knows why.

The rifle came with a light coating of oil on it. The bore looked shiny, but I ran a jag with a patch through anyway, and it came out the other end with just a very slight amount of dirt on it and not a lot of oil. From the first round fired, the upper smoked quite a bit... enough that I had to wait a few seconds before I could see to fire again. Oil continued to burn off for about 15-20 rounds, but by the time I got done firing 35 rounds, it wasn't smoking anymore.

When I got to the range, I installed a carry handle from an AR-15 and attempted to use the front sight that came on the upper. All of the ammo I shot in this review was PMC Bronze 55 grain FMJ-BT, and after firing 10 rounds I walked down to look at the target, and none of them had struck paper. I believe that was the fault of my carry handle, though, because it has never been used on a rifle and never zeroed.

I didn't have a lot of time, so I didn't really want to mess around with that, and instead I attached the optic I plan to use, which is an Aimpoint PRO. I fired these rounds seated, but I didn't have bags or a good rest, so I wasn't as stable as I would have liked. These were my first 10 shots. At least they were on paper!

View attachment 410528

Unfortunately, it had been an embarrassingly long time since I'd been to the range to shoot rifles, and I didn't have any written instructions or memory about how to adjust the Aimpoint, so I just guessed on how many clicks, and I grossly underestimated. Even so, it did move my point of impact approximately an inch in the right direction. I was running out of time, so I shot these last 20 a little faster, and it looks like 4 of them went into the same elongated hole.

View attachment 410538

The first group was centered around the outside of the 6 ring, and now it's centered around the outside of the 7 ring. I had to leave at that point, but I should be able to adjust the Aimpoint PRO at home, and the next time I shoot it to verify my zero, it should be very close to dead on.

I used a 30-round PMAG and a 20-round Colt mag, and they both fed flawlessly. There were no malfunctions of any kind.

I still don't have a dedicated lower for the Wolf upper because I need to buy a stock, so I used the lower from my long-range rifle for this testing. I shot these 5 rounds before I switched over to the gas piston upper, and even though any mistakes on this target are due to the "loose nut behind the butt plate," I didn't expect the Wolf upper to be as accurate as this match upper that I paid more than twice as much for:

View attachment 410542

BTW, this Wolf upper from Aim Surplus came well-packed inside another shipping box, and when I opened it, this is what I found inside:

View attachment 410543

I hope you guys had a good Veterans Day too!
my friend is not exactly a good shot, he also bought the upper for the free ammo. When that deal was around. i could not find a vendor with the free ammo deal that would ship to mass before i lost interest.
That said 2 moa ish is good if your not shooting constantly.

 
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I adjusted the Aimpoint PRO at home and went back to the range this morning. I was still off, so I had to retrace some of my adjustments. I believe the PRO is 2 MOA, and my aging eyes actually see two red dots instead of one. The dots are large enough that they entirely cover the black portion of the target at 50 yards, and if I turned down the brightness just one click, I couldn't see the dot at all, so I had to estimate a bit.

Unless I went prone with a good sling or bought shooting bags, I think this is about as good as I can do with this upper/optic combination, and I'm okay with it as a CQB rifle:

IMG_5225.JPG
 
I adjusted the Aimpoint PRO at home and went back to the range this morning. I was still off, so I had to retrace some of my adjustments. I believe the PRO is 2 MOA, and my aging eyes actually see two red dots instead of one. The dots are large enough that they entirely cover the black portion of the target at 50 yards, and if I turned down the brightness just one click, I couldn't see the dot at all, so I had to estimate a bit.

Unless I went prone with a good sling or bought shooting bags, I think this is about as good as I can do with this upper/optic combination, and I'm okay with it as a CQB rifle:

View attachment 413434
IIRC M16/M885 ammo was good enough for GI 1.77" at 27 yards
 
I think this will be the last part of my review for this upper.

Up until now, I've just been shooting the Wolf upper on the lower I took off another rifle, but I've since assembled one of the lowers I had in my safe with one of parts kits I got years ago from somebody in The Mill. These were bought as an investment sometime around the Obama administration that in case everything went to hell could be used or sold, and I just never got around to doing anything with them, but when I saw this upper that started to change. I also had a Geissele SSA trigger in the safe that a friend (member here) convinced me to buy because it was on sale, so I wanted to get that into a rifle, and I finally have.

You may recall that earlier in the thread I asked for stock recommendations, and I had questions about buffer weight. I ended up going with a Magpul UBR Gen2 stock, and I also bought an H2 buffer and spring from them. This is what it looks like fully assembled:

IMG_5323.JPG

The hardest part of the entire build was getting the Cheek Piece off the stock because you need to disassemble it before it can be fitted to the lower. The included removal tool, got it started, but it was very hard to move it after that. I watched a couple of YouTube videos of guys pulling them off easily by hand, but mine was stuck! I ended up bracing it against a piece of weightlifting equipment, using a large steel socket from my toolbox to protect the end of the tube, and hammering it off. Even pounding on it, I thought I might need to get a bigger hammer, but eventually it came loose, and after that everything was a piece of cake.

Of course, I had to function check the assembly because up until then all I'd done was zero the optic. I went to a different range this time, so I'm not positive on the distance, but at 50-75 yards, I was able to easily hit remnants of orange clay birds someone had shot on the berm, so I knew the optic was still zeroed pretty well. After that, I fired some XM193 5.56 NATO and some milder .223 with metal 20 and 30-round mags and also a 30-round Magpul mag. In all cases, the bolt locked back when the mag ran dry. Then I did some mag dumps of 20 or so rounds, as fast as I could pull the Geissele trigger, and I was able to easily stay on target. Recoil was light, and there were no malfunctions, so I think the H2 buffer was a good choice.

Thank you, mac1911, for your help on that!

I also bought a Magpul sling swivel, and attached a single-point sling that I won years ago at The Summit in Pelham, NH. I'm sorry they don't have those weekend-long training sessions anymore, but I got a lot out of them when they did. In case you're wondering, it's not an accident that I put the sling into the shape of a heart in the pic above because there's a lot to love about this rifle!

Have a safe and Happy New Year, everyone, and let's hope 2021 is better than 2020. I have big plans to make it so!
 
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