Show Off You Ars

[dave2176]

Here's a picture of my 5.56. It has a 16" barrel, 2.5-10x40 scope, the scope came with a laser, there are offset peep sites. I made the muzzle break and chambered and profiled the barrel myself from a Green Mountain blank. I included a collage of the barrel turning.



Dave

 

[wrat]

Thank you.

Like I said, I'm not sure what I want to with the AR-15 yet. I need to do more reading about this 300 blackout I keep hearing about.

I don't know where this thread is gonna go, but I'm hoping it leans mostly toward hobby machining. So whatever caliber a guy chooses, the operations are all similar or identical. Chambering, crowning, threading, etc.

That little snippet of preaching over, .300AAC (or .300BLK, or .300whisper, or whatever) is, IMO, what really brings the AR15 platform home. To me, it's a perfect match.

See, the 7.62 x 39 commie round was all the rage for a while in the 80s. Heavy slug. Extra gas. Track record of reliability in a rifle that was part farm implement. So popular that the AR, Mini-14, and similar carbines tooled up for that caliber.

Then along comes .300AAC. It was initially sold incorrectly as ".30 caliber performance in an AR". It's not even close (compared to .308 - which is what most folks think of in ".30 caliber"). But it's a darned fine competitor to the commie round. Better yet in that it's not as tapered, the mags are the same. Plus, it shoots an ordinary .30cal bullet, available in a dozen sizes.

It also gives lots of people the all-over fidgets because when you find an ordinary bullet in >200grain, then it's subsonic. And subsonic is something the AR platform is woefully lacking in the .223 setup. Subsonic means suppressors and that means even more fun. So by changing only the barrel (aasy), a guy can go from long range varmint to short range silenced subgun, and everything in between, all using standard AR mags.

The other praise i'll sing about .300AAC is that it uses re-purposed .223 brass without special tooling. Shoot all the .223 you want (yes, 5.56, i know, it's just .223 is easier and quicker to type) then re-form them into .300AAC and pop in a .30cal pill of whatever size you like. All the loads are out there. All the everything is out there.

I like things simple -- or at least i say that to myself. 6.5, 6.8, and some of these other calibers are fine and have many good points. But IMO going .223 to .300 and back is pretty cool and covers an awful lot of ground. Besides, it creates the old "chips and salsa" problem with your guns and that suits me fine.

Wrat

 

[wrmiller]

I thought this forum was for guns and gunsmithing and everything pertaining to.

Nels: is this thread violating the intent of your forum?

EDIT: This is copied right from the main page of this forum: "Show us your gunsmithing & firearm projects and accessories here. Discuss any topics regarding gunsmithing here."

So I think we're ok.

 

[derf]

I'm not much into "black" rifles, but here's my version:


The gas tube is buried under the forearm, transferring gas through a hollow collar back up to the bolt carrier.

The screw is an adjustable gas valve.

The charging handle is "latchless" and uses a ball bearing detent.

 

[wrmiller]

Derf, did you make these modifications? Curious as to why you routed the gas tube under the barrel?

 

[Cheeseking]

Derf thats a neat looking gun!

 

[Holescreek]

Rick knows I'm not an AR guy but I have some old photos of the first one I made. The lower was machined from a forging and the stock from a block of aluminum

 

[Rick Leslie]

These are great posts and exactly what I was hoping for. Ditto on the 300 BKO/Whisper. I built mine for all the reasons listed plus Georgia now allows suppressed hunting. So, look out Bambi!

The wood furniture is awesome! I really like the 'down under' gas system. How did you get it back up top at the barrel nut??

And yep, Holes ain't no AR guy, but you can't tell it from his work. I think he uses voodoo or magic because every time he puts a hunk of billet on a machine it turns into an incredible work of machinist artistry.

And lastly, I did't see anywhere in the thread (so far) that may violate sire rules. I'm not sure I understand.

Anyway, please keep it coming...

 

[wrat]

I'm loving these mods. Gives me fresh new ideas to get the juices going.
Okay, some of them I'll copy, but STILL.... it'll be fresh and new to me, anyway...

Wrat

 

[derf]

Derf, did you make these modifications? Curious as to why you routed the gas tube under the barrel?

My main purpose was to utilize a 2-1/2" beavertail forend. Instead of trying to attach it to the normal 2" free float tube, I needed less diameter tube for more wood. The float tube started out as a piece of 1" black iron pipe silver brazed to the barrel nut. I didn't like the idea of the gas tube being exposed, so I devised a way to run it under the float tube to protect it. The gas collar (That thing that would almost pass for a delta ring) is actually made in 2 pieces. The main piece has a circular groove cut into the face to transfer the gas to the top, then there is a cap that has been silver soldered to the front that seals it off. There is a small length of gas tube that is threaded into the back side that engages the bolt key like the standard set-up. The gas adjustment screw will seat on a taper into that tube for for a complete shut off if needed.

The last One I built, I left the gas tube on top, but protected it with a cover made from a shelf bracket.