Dear Mr. Rawles,
The five examples of PTR91 rifles in my “collection” are all fine pieces of work by Scorpion Arms (PTR-91) with numerous aftermarket and military accessories to make them more tactically friendly to the end user. I will agree that there is some ammunition that they do not like though not many (mine are early rifles with match barrels all).
An important addition to Panhandle Ranchers comments regarding the ejection system is that you should NOT shoot from the driver’s side window of any vehicle with an HK family rifle. Each and every piece of brass will make a big impact star on your windshield. It cost me $300 US to replace the nicely beat up windshield of my 1988 Ford Propane Conversion Pickup later that week after firing a single magazine out the drivers side window. I didn’t hear or see it happening until the deed was done.
Most dents in the fired cases caused by my particular sample of these fine rifles are not terribly case destructive and are small enough that upon loading them again and firing them in another rifle, you will fire-form the case back to normal. Only damage by extractors to the base or damage so severe that a resizing die fails to remove should exclude them from further service. A dimpled case neck should come out with a case neck expander. At any rate, one or more reloads should be safe with most of the case damage I have observed from these rifles and I load professionally every day. Your damage may vary but a general rule is, don’t reuse a case that has been creased, dents without creases are fixable but sharp lines weaken cases. – F.B., 14 Miles From Asphalt
Sir:
I would like to second the view held by Pat, your reviewer of the PTR-91. I had the identical experience with failures to feed and extract. I sold the PTR and firmly feel that they could have done much better. But if you have an HK91 [or an HK clone that functions well.] there are great magazines available from Allied Armament. They make 50 round drums for about $200. However, they are slow to load and cannot use stripper clips for quicker loading. JB in Tennessee
Jim,
RTG International sells a “port buffer” for the PTR91 rifle. It is a rubber bumper that mounts to the rear of the ejection port and helps eliminate the ding in the brass, as well as moderate the ejected distance (about 30 feet in a 2-o’clock direction,without it). I have shot Federal, Prvi Partisan, and Remington hunting and FMJ ammo through my PTR91 with no issues, as well as my own handloads. I have not found any ammo it does not like but have not shot Winchester or Wolf in it yet. I recommend using an RCBS X-Die for full length sizing all semi-auto brass since it reduces the need for case trimming and you get many more reloads per case. The PTR91’s profile is not as smooth and trim as the M1 Garand or M1A, but it is built very robust, is accurate and the mags are cheaper than AK mags! I have dozens of the used aluminum and steel mags and have had no feeding problems with any of them. – Jeff in Oregon