| Author | Message | ||
     Buellinachinashop |
Hey D-Adams, you ok with a non-removable carry handle? Sorta a pita when it comes to mounting up optics I've always thought. | ||
| Ninefortheroad |
...not to get too far OT but, I guess I just don't get having to chamber around in my HD weapon to be able to engage a target? Shouldn't I only have to take the safety off? I also do not forsee having to be quite when I run out of ammo, the slide locks back, drop the empty, insert next mag, release the bolt, and continue firing. There may be very specific situations that would require quite chambering of a round. In my case and my M+P Sport, it is not enough to concern me. | ||
| D_adams |
Yeah, this one will be a 2 part build. Initially it will be the 5.56 with the A2 carry handle, intended use is short (200 yards or less) range and later I'll go with the 300 Blackout for heavier hitting and longer range. I know that the 5.56 is good for 600+ yards, but I don't want to build it that way to begin with. No optics to fail on iron sights unless they get broken off. Once it's set, it will be pretty accurate anyway, more than what I'll be able to hit without a bench rest. After it's done and I'm happy, then part 2 will commence with the ability to swap out uppers and reach out long range with some punch behind it. One of the guys I work with has the 300 blackout and he dings 15" steel plates at 800+ yards. It's something like a 33 foot bullet drop at that range, but it's still neat to be able to do it consistently. This part of it will be the longer range hunting option. I didn't want to just throw it all on a credit card and deal with it, I want it paid for when it's ordered and done. Somebody buy another exhaust system, I need more cash.  | ||
| Aesquire |
I prefer rifle length gas tubes, but you can easily put a floating hand guard on that, buy the tools any AR owner needs, and don't skimp. Even the best are affordable. (they have long made identical looking free float setups for match competition, it's a big improvement.) A Hand Guard removal tool. An AR multi tool. Or another companies.. read the comments when choosing. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/747639/tapco-mult i-tool-ar-15 One of the multi-tool-pliers AR specific tools is also a good idea. | ||
| Sifo |
Nice tool Aesquire. It's even got a bottle opener. "Tactical"!  | ||
| Bob_thompson |
If anybody is considering a self defense weapon for relatively urban use or a nice moderate range do all kind of gun this should be on your short list. It is for me http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/akdal-mka -1919-shotgun/ If you read all the text it looks pretty good. Shot for close range we know can be devastating and a slug that can hit at 50+ yards is great. Retails for about $759 and I just received a flyer from Cheaper then dirt with it listed for just $579. | ||
| B00stzx3 |
Has anyone purchased an 80% completed lower? I'm trying to figure out if it would be cheaper and have a buddy mill and anodize that than go through an FFL, or just buy stripped lower and pay the FFL costs. I'm not even sure if they transfer it as a pistol or a regulated long life here in the People's Republic of Maryland. | ||
| Aesquire |
If your buddy is an expert cnc guy, he could do the machining, ( if you have the blueprints.. ) but where do you get the forging/casting and is it serialized? The serial number is on the lower, No serial number, no paper trail, and gun illegal. Felony Illegal. I'd buy at least a completely machined lower, or a lower without a trigger. It's not that hard to stick in the mag release, etc. Fiddly in spots, takes a few tools and pin punches. It gets down to how customized you want. Going to change every switch and button? Buy a stripped receiver. Going to use mostly stock parts and only use a different buffer & trigger? Then a complete or partial lower makes sense. I'm pretty sure you can order one without buffer tube, and put on your choice. I do suggest keeping to mil spec across the board as far as drilled holes and buffer tube diameters. Triggers! the range of desirable traits in a trigger are broad. Some hate 2 stage triggers, some prefer them. Too light a trigger isn't good in a home defense gun, too heavy a handicap in accuracy at any range. Many good ones out there. The Bushmaster 2 stage competition trigger is what I run, and it's nigh perfect, for me. For fast shots on plates, it's smooth, and for bench rest you can easily take it right to the stage, and it makes a "tick" ( through bone conduction, no one else can hear it ) that on mine, sounds just like the clock tower in the movie "Quick and the Dead". ( a surprisingly decent western... Gene Hackman, Sharon Stone.... ) A lighter pull than that last pound would be unsafe in a carry around weapon...imho. http://www.midwayusa.com/product/947200/bushmaster -competition-trigger-kit-ar-15-matte The Bushmaster is also affordable, but the unit construction triggers ( like Timney ) can be much easier to install. Spare pins really help the install process on any trigger... ( and dang near everything else ) Others will have differing opinions. I haven't tried all the toys yet... Read the reviews, some otherwise awesome parts will have downsides,like custom pins that make the ones that you are replacing useless as spares, or other weirdnesses.. Spare pin & parts kit. Firing pin, cotter keys, extractor and trigger springs... all good to have. | ||
| Harleyms |
it's only illegal if you have your buddy do the machine work for you, If you personally build it and it's for your own personal use it's legal. I google'd "are 80% lowers legal" and here are a few of the hits....look around for yourself http://www.tacticalmachining.com/80-lower-receiver .html http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_4/559596_.html http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/02/robert-fa rago/gun-registration-the-80-solution/ http://www.acmearms.com/80percentfaq.php I have enough "black" guns around didn't need to buy more lol | ||
| Aesquire |
Hmm, so I can buy some bits, and make a gun I can't take out of state, ( probably ) can't give away, sell, or will to my kids? I can see that as a project, just for fun, or to make an "untraceable" weapon for imaginary James Bond purposes. It's be "fun". I'm surprised how easy it looks to do so. The critical dimensions are the fit of upper to lower, ( on high end guns like an Ed Brown, you almost can't see the seam, on cheaper ones with different brand uppers & Lowers, they just dont' fit together... the range in the middle is full of rattles and malfs, but mostly, if it's to spec, it works. ) And the position of the pivot pin holes for the trigger group. ( from really unsafe to not function at all ) The jig plates would make that easier. I will state that if you get stopped, for ANY reason, ( tail light out ) and a LEO sees an ( unusual, not serialized ) gun, and it isn't "normal" you have a very good chance of jail. You might indeed get off without going to a federal prison with a good lawyer. Because YOU didn't "do anything wrong". It might take years and hundreds of thousands of dollars, iF the ATF gets involved, you could easily be held without bail, for years, while your personal property is stolen, your life and job destroyed, and other things "that can't happen here" but, in fact, do. ( like the family gun shop owners who are being held because of the Fast and Furious debacle. Each family member is required to have a separate lawyer, the property is still seized, and Dad is still in jail....for years.... trial planned for after the election... ) I'd buy a stripped receiver with the proper paperwork...... unless I wanted something not on the books..... for whatever paranoid reason... like an oppressive Regime that hates guns in the hands of the Peasants. ( speaking hypothetically of course ) | ||
| Sifo |
Hey D_adams, that RRA lower receiver that you ordered... Was it on back order when you placed your order? I was just on their website and all their lower receivers show them on indefinite back order. A lot of other stuff claims 90-120 days lead time. | ||
| Aesquire |
There's been some discussion about safeties and the 1911. This is one of the gun geeks top discussions. With training and practice ( not exactly the same thing ) you can get used to pretty much anything. I personally like the Paraord LDA double action 1911 variants. All the same switches, except every trigger pull is a smooth 50's S&W revolver pull. No condition one, no hammer spur. Others wouldn't like it. But My training is with a safety you flip down to turn off. I'm adaptable to flip down to drop hammer styles used on "crunchentickers" first shot double/subsequent single action pistols.. There is a school of thought that prefers double action only no external safety designs like the Glock or KelTec, and some who prefer the newer "restrike" design from Taurus. In either case, pull, aim, fire, and no additional switches to throw. Easy. Simple. hard to mess up. Still on pistols.... I know that in competition a slide release is commonly used to release the slide to chamber a round after reloading. IMHO that's not what that is really for. To chamber a round you pull back and release the slide... that's training. Using the switch does require only one hand, but back in the dark ages when I learned, the switch was small, hard to operate, and used fine motor control I wasn't expected to have. If you are trained in using the slide release that way... it's fine. Training. The bolt release on an AR seems to be just fine.... to me.....as that's what I was taught to use. ( insert rant here against stock AR cocking handle...  | ||
| D_adams |
Sifo - yep, they said 3 months on anything ordered. | ||
| Aesquire |
Never heard a complaint about the RRA gear. I think you have approached the project with some good sense. I run a scope, so I'd prefer a flat top, but if you're running irons, the carry handle does do a decent job of keeping the rear sight protected. ( an issue with some folding sights ) As to "next upper/alternative" calibers. .300 Blackout seems a reasonable choice. If you figure deer hunting as a rational scale of effectiveness, you're good. With a .450 Bushmaster, you've got essentially the 19th Century .45-70 military load. ( with quite a boost in firepower vs. a Trapdoor Springfield ) Good enough for Bison, plenty for deer. The 6.8SPC is considered a good deer round, and the 6.5 Grendel just as good with longer reach. 7.62x39 just don't work right in an AR. ( there is a company making a modified lower that can take a curved mag. I still rate it as a waste of time. Get an SKS instead, IMHO ) I assume you're going to reload, as all of the non .223 ammo is going to be more expensive and hard to find. I don't expect to see .300 Blackout in a Walmart often. | ||
| M1combat |
Or you could just print an AR-15 with a 3D printer  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Do they make AR style guns in .308? | ||
| Darth_villar |
Yes Reep, they are called AR 10's. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Cool... so that would be like a 7.72x39 but with 75% more energy. Which would probably just be worse all around except for really long range work. It would probably require uprating a lot of parts as well, putting it closer to an M14 or an M1. I wouldn't want to fire it on full auto, that's for sure.  | ||
| D_adams |
7.62 mm. (Message edited by d_adams on November 20, 2012) | ||
| Reepicheep |
Doh! That really was a typo! (Though I almost called it 7.62x54R, which would be like a .308, but with about the same energy, which would make my whole point rather silly. Except that I wouldn't want to fire that full auto either!) | ||
| M1combat |
7.62x39 is a AK round. Non-nato. 7.62x54 is .308 Nato. The AR-10 (AR-10 style... to be correct, as AR-10's are NFA only as I understand) is .308. | ||
| Aesquire |
The .308 ( 7.62 NATO ) AR-10 actually predates the AR-15/M-16. It was developed as a replacement for the M1, but wasn't purchased by the military. ( other competition included the FN FAL... this was over a period of time in the late 40's and 50's, not a single competition ) The USAF, ( SAC in particular ) bought the original M-16 for it's guard force that watched over the Nuclear Bombers. General LeMay (SAC) was at a party and they had him shoot up some watermelons with the AR-15. He bought into the little bullet going really fast line, and the rest, as they say, is history. A whole bunch of parts are different on the AR-10 and AR-15. Bolt, Buffer & Spring, etc. the magazine well & ejection port has to be larger, so the lower & upper receiver are longer than the 5.56 version. A different gun. Operationally, the same. The issue with the AR-10 has always been magazines. Since it's not common military issue, there are no surplus mags to speak of. The original used a modified M-14 mag. ( Armalite will convert a M-14 mag for you, it has different cut outs for the mag release ) Other companies now make .308 AR-10 variants, and there are a couple of different magazines in use by different companies. Bushmaster very Briefly made an AR-10 variant that used FAL metric mags, but gave up that line to focus on the Carbon15 line of ultralight AR15 variant using a carbon fiber receiver.... So buyer beware, research magazine availability before buying. Oh, yeah, the AR-10 tends to be heavier than it's smaller counterpart... 8-10 lbs, usually. It really doesn't kick that hard, compared to a .308 Bolt action. I'm still kicking myself for not buying a used AR-10T for under a grand..... | ||
| Johnnymceldoo |
SCAR 17 ftw! | ||
| Ninefortheroad |
Best Bang for the black 308 buck.... FNAR in 16" | ||
| Ulyranger |
Best bang in 308 is still the M14/M1A IMHO....can even be had in the evil black these days with composite furniture. Heck you can even bullpup it. 308 win is actually 7.62x51mm, 7.62 nato. I did my part for the industry, ordered an upper kit the day before the election and bought my stripped lower locally right after i voted. A week later i had my new AR assembled in the safe. | ||
| Harleyms |
.308 NATO is actually 7.62x51 | ||
| Ninefortheroad |
Best bang in 308 is still the M14/M1A IMHO....can even be had in the evil black these days with composite furniture. Heck you can even bullpup it. Uly, I certainly will not and can not dis-respect the M14. It is a proven platform and a great design. Although the M14 offers way more factory and aftermarket options, the FNAR offers a few features that are very attractive to me and if you pick a light 20" barrel model, $300 to $500 less money. Pistol grip as opposed to conventional rifle. Adjustments on comb and LOP. Drawbacks- mags expensive and no real aftermarket goodies. I admit to not owning either, but have handled both on several occasions and I prefer the feel of the FNAR. My goal in the long run is to own one of each. | ||
| Ulyranger |
No worries Nine, different strokes for, you know... You can get fully adjustable stock on the 14 platform too, length of pull, spot weld, pistol grips, fore stocks......quad rails, etc.... And mags are still plentiful to boot. Plus an Op system designed by John Garrand, what's not to like? Have two in my stable, but i could make room for an FN too... | ||
| Rick_a |
I've had mine since the stupid Clinton bans. | ||
| M1combat |
CMMG's AR-10 lowers take HK-91 mags (Or the early ones did) and DPMS uppers. The mags can be had for about $5 for the 20 rounders. |
