My PWC piston rifle runs flawlessly. I did a 4 day tactical rifle class with it and shot almost 4800 rds. in desert conditions without so much as a wipedown. I love my DI guns but none of them would perform like that. It's all in what you do with it and how clean you keep your guns. Even at a normal class I'd clean every night but I wanted to see how it did knowing I had a backup at the ready. I actually brought it home and put almost another 1500 through it before I finally cleaned it and it still didn't need the cleaning but I just couldn't bare to look at it. I've got a real OCD issue with dirty guns.
I have to agree. My 2 LWRC Piston guns are a joy to maintain. At my age gun cleaning is becoming more of a PITA. With a piston weapon it is effortless. The whole reason for them is they run cooler and cleaner. I put them into the same category as today's cars that run on unleaded fuel. Spark plugs last longer, the whole vehicle is more dependable because of it, and it runs many times cleaner. Are they worth the extra money? I would say yes, but it is up to each individual.
I think one of the biggest issues with piston AR-15's is that there are so many out there that are not well designed. This gives them a bad name. Carrier tilt, and many other issues usually come along for the ride with these cheaply designed conversions. If you buy one, get one from a manufacturer that builds nothing but. POF and LWRC come to mind, but there are others with good solid weapons as well. Ruger appears to be making a good one now after correcting some issues with the first batch. A good piston gun is something that is not totally necessary, but is damn nice to have! Bill T.