New AR build

[expatriot98]

I started this build a while back and finally had time to finish it. Built on an Rguns lower with a 2 stage trigger, a 20" 223 wylde stainless barrel and Vortex 6-24 optic. Out of the 20 or so AR's I've built, this may end up being a favorite.

[svandamme]

Built one an OG military rock&roll Colt...
To be fair, Apart from the headspacing bit, it's barely more complicated then a box of Lego right?

You built 20??? surely it get's a bit boring after a while?

[Arizona_928]

Headspacing is done within the barrel. Non adjustable.
Little more tricky than legos. I would put it on par with a brake job and wheels bearing with the old skool 2 piece bearings.



That said i think they're fun to build, but a bit boring now for myself. I'll help out some friends that are interested in building, but I've moved on to part kits. More challenging. More unique.

[red-beard]

I picked up a 7.62 x 39 upper for my next build. I need to make sure the receivers are marked for the ammo they take. Like the Britts did to the American Enfields in WW2.

[expatriot98]

Originally Posted by svandamme

Built one an OG military rock&roll Colt...
To be fair, Apart from the headspacing bit, it's barely more complicated then a box of Lego right?

You built 20??? surely it get's a bit boring after a while?

Headspacing hasn't been a problem with any of the builds so far. I've had a few that had FTF or FTE issues until broken in and they worked themselves out. Most have been for friends and family and the process of a build is cathartic for me. I built the upper on this and a couple others - that's satisfying as well.

I've amped up the difficulty by milling some 80% lowers for some builds. Takes some time but it's rewarding.

[expatriot98]

Originally Posted by red-beard

I picked up a 7.62 x 39 upper for my next build. I need to make sure the receivers are marked for the ammo they take. Like the Britts did to the American Enfields in WW2.

That's on my list as well.

[Fast Freddy 944]

Looks awesome, hope you never have to use it...

[sc_rufctr]

The rifle looks cool but the optic looks really big (6-24).

What's the effective range? With a heavy barrel like that I'm guessing beyond 500 meters.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Arizona_928

Headspacing is done within the barrel. Non adjustable.
Little more tricky than legos. I would put it on par with a brake job and wheels bearing with the old skool 2 piece bearings.

Never had a big Lego Technics box yet? they can get pretty complicated.


Well headspacing is done in the barrel in pretty much all fire arms. That's besides the point.

But if you assemble a new firearm, new bolt and barrel combination..
You should check it, and if it's short, you must ream out the chamber
if it's long, you can't fix it without another barrel.
Short is problematic because it won't fully go to battery
Long is problematic because it will blow out the necks on your brass
Not a problem in itself, but those cases will require more resizing to fit back to standard ammo that fits all your rifles.. brass will wear out faster.

Obviously if you buy the right barrel and bolt, all will be well.. But You'de be a fool not to check it after building.
That's why there are G-NG gauges.
It is a technical check you really should do on a gun before taking it to the range.

Now if you buy a build kit and trust your supplier.. I guess you gotta make sure it's a good supplier for upper parts. One that never ever makes any mistakes .

[expatriot98]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

The rifle looks cool but the optic looks really big (6-24).

What's the effective range? With a heavy barrel like that I'm guessing beyond 500 meters.

The optic was originally on my 6.5 Creedmoor which was more appropriate. It's likely overkill on a 223 but it's one that I had.

[sc_rufctr]

6.5 Creedmoor? Rather nice.

[id10t]

Originally Posted by red-beard

I picked up a 7.62 x 39 upper for my next build. I need to make sure the receivers are marked for the ammo they take. Like the Britts did to the American Enfields in WW2.

I've solved that issue by selling my last 223 upper - all I have left on ARs at the moment are 9mm and 762x39 ....

Prior I kept them easily separated because each upper is vastly different - 223 was "standard", 762x39s have side chargers on the receiver (FAL style), and the 9mm is a pistol barrel w/ forward charging (HK style)

Next thing for ARs and me is a Form-1 SBR tax stamp, then sell off pistol lower, and then maybe get one of the no-buffer-tube-needed Foxtrot Mike 223 uppers

[svandamme]

To be fair..Bigger magnification rarely gets you out further.
if anything, the bigger magnification is way more usefull close up for smaller targets and groups.

I much preferred my 10x40 fixed Mark 4 out to 1000 yds with 308, much easier to figure out your dope and hold over them fancy variable bigger magnification scopes.
Better light in odd conditions, better eye box, less paralax to worry bout Just zero it at 400 and know your ballistics.
Past 400 your wind reading ability is way more important then magnification.

spend money on ammo and shoot a lot of varying conditions for your log book instead of big expensive chit and bender scopes and what not.

[matthewb0051]

Don't tell my wife, but I'm putting together an AR with 11.5 inch barrel these days.

From time to time I get pistols awarded to me by the courts as part of compensation for fees in criminal cases. Usually in unlawful carry cases. Yes, it is still possible to unlawfully carry in Texas even though you don't really need a license since last September.

I picked up an S&W SD9VE from the police property room a couple of weeks ago. Sold it last week to gun shop to fund this build. I wasn't really interested in keeping it from the outset and nothing changed when I held it. Very ergonomically imbalanced.

[id10t]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

Don't tell my wife, but I'm putting together an AR with 11.5 inch barrel these days.

From time to time I get pistols awarded to me by the courts as part of compensation for fees in criminal cases. Usually in unlawful carry cases. Yes, it is still possible to unlawfully carry in Texas even though you don't really need a license since last September.

I picked up an S&W SD9VE from the police property room a couple of weeks ago. Sold it last week to gun shop to fund this build. I wasn't really interested in keeping it from the outset and nothing changed when I held it. Very ergonomically imbalanced.

Found one of those S&W pistols at the end of my driveway... it didn't survive whatever impact with the pavement it had....

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by id10t

Found one of those S&W pistols at the end of my driveway... it didn't survive whatever impact with the pavement it had....

I'm surprised that the MSRP on these is a bit over $400. I have a Taurus G2C that is less than $300 and feels so much better.

[Jeff Higgins]

Cool stuff. Talk about polar opposite ends of the spectrum, though, contrasting your build with my latest. I think it's fantastic that we can still do this kind of thing, at any level.

Just a couple of thoughts. First and foremost, I cannot imagine firing any modern high pressure centerfire that I assembled from a variety of manufacturers' components without verifying headspace first. We are unleashing 60,000 PSI inches from our ugly mugs, and I see no need to risk making them even uglier. There are a myriad of easy to use gauges available, get one you like and learn to use it.

The failure mode of too much headspace is not up at the neck as Stijn suggests. If it was, it really would not be all that dangerous. The point of failure is, however, back at the case web, right in front of the solid base. It happens like this:

The firing pin drives the case forward in the chamber (since the case is shorter than the chamber in an excessive headspace condition). The case stops moving forward when its shoulder contacts the front of the chamber. When it stops, the firing pin continues to drive into the primer, setting it off and firing the cartridge. When it fires, the thinnest part of the brass - the forward part of the case - expands to grab the chamber, which it does with authority. The part of the case that cannot expand to grab the chamber, the solid head and the web just in front of it, then get driven rearward by the high pressure in the chamber, stopping when the case head meets the bolt face. As a result, all of the stretch happens at the web, the thin part right in front of the solid head.

If this part stretches enough to fail, unlike if the failure occurs up at the neck, the brass no longer seals the chamber and hot gasses can escape. This can damage both the rifle and the shooter. Some rifle designs vent this hot gas better than others, but it's never a good thing regardless. It's best avoided.

Verification of headspace is so cheap and easy I cannot understand why anyone would risk this. And, well, I would rather not have a shooter risking this if he is shooting on the bench right next to me. This kind of sloppy carelessness should never manifest itself as a risk to other shooters.

Then there are scopes. I see all manner of "boosted" or "bumped" scopes at my range these days. 40X and more. Great for shooting teeny groups at 100 yards, maybe 200, but absolutely useless in the field. Especially on any kind of warmish to hot day, with any indication of mirage. You just cannot see through them clearly enough. Coupled with their extremely reduced field of view, well, they are almost impossible in the real world. My highest magnification scope goes up to 20X, but I am rarely able to use much more than 12X-15X in the field.