My Weekend Project

[wrmiller]

Thank you Old Iron.

That particular Magpul, the UBR, has it's own buffer tube that is of carbine length. I just had to buy a spring and buffer for it.

 

[rdhem2]

I am collecting parts and pieces for my own AR10 build so am following your build. Please pass on any and all suggestions. I have not selected a barrel yet as most advertised are of the 16" and 18" variety. Being raised shooting rifle and the .308 in particular I am of the belief that I need at least a 22" or longer barrel to get the true worth of the cartridges ability. Beyond 26" is a little ludicrous in my mind.

Being stuck in my old ways what do others think?

Around here the .260 Remington is getting quite a following. Especially as a second upper option.

Ahhh! The time, money, and effort we expend on our toys!

 

[wrmiller]

Looking at 308 ballistic data, you really don't derive much down-range performance in a barrel longer than 18" until about 400-500 yds and beyond. My eyes and fine motor skills (or lack thereof) are such that I seriously doubt I'll be shooting at anything over 300 so the 18" barrel will work fine for me.

Also, I will eventually have two different configurations for this rifle: one, will be like you see with the 4-18 power scope for bench shooting/fun and another with a holographic/red-dot sighting system and a vertical front grip for shooting closer in. With this in mind, I didn't want to go beyond a 18" barrel and even considered a 16".

And yea, we do spend a lot on our toys. Problem is I have too many hobbies that I have to buy toys for.

 

[wrat]

I have not selected a barrel yet as most advertised are of the 16" and 18" variety. Being raised shooting rifle and the .308 in particular I am of the belief that I need at least a 22" or longer barrel to get the true worth of the cartridges ability. Beyond 26" is a little ludicrous in my mind.

Being stuck in my old ways what do others think?

Being an old .308 shooter from way back, and not wanting to start a gun debate right here and now (that's what man-caves are for!) I'll take the risk and heartily agree.

Now I'll agree with Bill when he says

Looking at 308 ballistic data, you really don't derive much down-range performance in a barrel longer than 18"

but only to a point. A kinda academic point, at that. There's "not much", true, but is that 'not much' any more than 0.300"? or 100fps? Indeed it is! It slows and drops with every inch of barrel below 24". For my world, 22" is a sweet spot.

But then, it entirely depends on the kind of shooting you're gonna do. A good 18" bbl. will dial right in at about any range. That's a given. Even a 16" will dial in to a given range. And a good quality one will hold respectable groups at that range. But is the increase in muzzle flash and report a factor? Or is agility a factor? Or is shooting quickly at very different distances a factor? See, I'm definitely not a highspeed-lowdrag kinda guy. So my priorities may be different.

If you're gonna punch paper (or 2 liter bottles) at 200-400yd distances -- basically .223 chores -- then any length will do just fine. But if you're gonna reach out there for max range/power, and maybe work your handloads out to 4-digit distances, plus pull it back and knock out some 250 yd. hunting, then I think 20" is a bare minimum with 22" being optimal.

But hey, you asked for an opinion.

Back on the build -- i gotta question: What does this mean?

When I milled the lower, I kept it a tad undersize so I could hand fit the upper and lower.

I thought the entirety of the forces between upper and lower transferred between the two pins. Is that the idea? Gang ream the pins? Make the pins more collinear/concentric? Just curious.

Wrat

 

[dave2176]

Why not chamber the barrel yourself? With a .308 AR you could also do a .243 barrel and reach a couple hundred more yards without changing anything but the barrel. I believe the .308 is more of a long range gun so agree with the longer barrel thoughts. gmriflebarrel seems to make great blanks at good prices. Pacific tool and guage has overstock clearance on a .308 reamer today. I chambered my 5.56 x 45 and it turned out awesome. I took some photos of the process so will try to post them soon. How about a 300 AAC for a close quarter shooter? Maybe apply for a stamp to make it a SBR.

BTW very nice looking build Bill.

Dave

 

[wrat]

BTW very nice looking build Bill.

Hey, WHERE are my manners?
Yes, I meant to mention that, too. Good looking build!
I'd sure be proud of it, anyway.
Probably, in all reality, the finished anodizing looks even richer in real life than through flash photography.

Wrat

 

[wrmiller]

Thanks guys. Juggernaut calls the anodizing 'sniper gray' and it does look a lot better in real life, although not as 'gray' as I'd like.

Wasn't trying to start a discussion of ballistics here as those can get rather invigorating sometimes. No offense Wrat.

I just consider the 308 more of an intermediate range/tactical (first shot it when I was handed a M-14), cartridge and am not looking for max performance at longer range. I'll pull the 300 Win or 338 for that.

Now being an old school kinda guy, who can help me figure out these newer tactical sling configurations? I'd like to be able to sling the rifle on my back muzzle down like I have seen some guys do but have no experience with these newer slings and attachment points?

Thanks again guys.

 

[brav65]

Thanks guys. Juggernaut calls the anodizing 'sniper gray' and it does look a lot better in real life, although not as 'gray' as I'd like.

Wasn't trying to start a discussion of ballistics here as those can get rather invigorating sometimes. No offense Wrat.

I just consider the 308 more of an intermediate range/tactical (first shot it when I was handed a M-14), cartridge and am not looking for max performance at longer range. I'll pull the 300 Win or 338 for that.

Now being an old school kinda guy, who can help me figure out these newer tactical sling configurations? I'd like to be able to sling the rifle on my back muzzle down like I have seen some guys do but have no experience with these newer slings and attachment points?

Thanks again guys.

Hey Bill check out Ares Armor here: http://aresarmor.com
All the equipment these guys sell is designed by retired military guys. They have a a cool looking sling who's design makes sense to me, although I am just a plinker, not a trained shooter. I have purchased a couple of different items from them and have been very impressed with the quality.

 

[wrmiller]

Thanks Brooks.

 

[Bamban]

Not to steal the thread. You guys building AR10s and still have not decided on a barrel, if you are interested I have a Whiteoak Precision M110 barrel, part of the short run John Holliger made. Don't think he offers these as off the shelf items. I was going to shoot the AR10 at the 1000 yard matches, but I find myself shooting the 14 more, my preferred 1000 yard service rifle.

The barrel was never installed, opened the box to take some measurements when I chambered a 16 inch AR10 barrel from a re-purposed bench rest barrel. I will sell Whiteoak barrel for the invoice and I will carry the shipping. Send request for any pictures of the barrel and the invoice to my email nez.rongero@gmail,com.