New AR in the herd...I think I'm getting closer to one I like!

[iamkris]

After loathing ARs for a good chunk of my early adult life, I tried one around 6 or 7 years ago and now they've kind of starting breeding like bunnies...

Whenever I take my kids to the range (12, 10 and 8 years old), they tend to steal my M4-gery and shoot it with the .22LR conversion unit. I finally decided I was going to build them an AR of their own, then I thought, "HEY! Why am I building them a new gun when I could build ME a new rifle spec'd like I want?" Then they can just "inherit" one of my old ARs.

So, I've been acquiring parts over the last several months. This week I've been in Brazil on business...my flight got in at 6 am this morning and when I walked in the house the Big Brown Truck of Happiness had left a package from Midway. The last pieces!



Here's what I put together:

• DPMS 5.56 lower receiver
• YHM T-marked upper receiver
• Sabre Defense BCG
• Bravo Company 18" SS SPR barrel with Rifle Length Gas System -- had Steve at ADCO turn it down to Gov't profile
• RRA 2-stage NM trigger
• Magpul enhanced triggerguard
• VLTOR eMod stock
• Ergo grip
• YHM FF rifle length smooth customizable forearm
• Vortex FH[/li]
• YHM flip up hooded front sight - gas block
• Brownells HK-style rotary diopter BUIS
• EoTech 511

I wanted an 18" barrel to give the little 5.56 bullet every chance to keep its velocity so it could do its work, but I also wanted a lightweight rifle. No one seems to make a pencil thin 18" barrel. So I had ADCO turn this one down (good price...only $65 for the work)

The rifle weighs only 6.5 lbs unloaded. It is actually slightly lighter than my M4-gery. My similarly configured 6.8 SPC rifle with the full SPR barrel weighs around 7.5 lbs...full pound more. Also, I really don't use the rails that much...only for a VFG and a light so I'd rather have a nice smooth handguard than a hand-chewing set of sharp teeth. Looking tacticool while your hands are bleeding is hard.

Took it to the range today at lunch to sight it in...success! Flawless function and it was shooting right around 1 MOA with my crap "bulk" handloads of 55 gr FMJ and IMR4064. I like it!

The AR and AR-derivative herd is getting big. Funny how buying just one about 7-8 years ago grows to this.



AR-15 based rifles

• BOHICA A2 upper on DPMS lower, .50 BMG
• J&T 24” varmint upper on DPMS lower, 5.56x45mm
• WOA DCM upper on Rock River lower, 5.56x45mm
• CMT upper, 18” WOA barrel on AeroPrecision lower, 6.8x43mm SPC
• BCM 18" on DPMS lower, 5.56x45mm
• J&T M4-gery upper on DPMS lower, 5.56x45mm
• Olympic Arms upper on DPMS lower, 9x19mm

 

[Quentin]

Nice write up on your new AR. Nice herd you've got there, too! One a year...

I'm still on my first which I built a couple months ago. I keep saying it'll be the only one but if I'm anything like you...

 

[Eightball]

Any chance you could get a picture of the barrel profiling work under the handguard through one of those slots? I'm waiting on a lightweight profile barrel from RRA, but am getting sick of waiting since June; getting a look at ADCO's work might change my mind and my options a bit.

 

[iamkris]

I really wish I took a picture before I stuck the handguard on...ADCO did some really impressive work. I'd call the diameter somewhere in between "pencil" thin and a typical gov't profile. Also wish I woulda miked it.

I don't want to take the FF tube off again as I put a spot of blue locktite on it. However, the first handguard was YHM lightweight and I tood a shot thorugh one of the big holes. Its a bad picture but if you look carefully at the left hand side, you can see the step downs of the barrel at the chamber end.

 

[12131]

Beautiful!
Nice family portrait.

 

[snakeman]

Very NICE!

 

[Big Russ]

Very nice collection you have there, I've been playing around with the thought of building my own AR from ground up, as an alternate to my MP-15... It can't be as difficult as I think it is, is it?

 

[iamkris]

It can't be as difficult as I think it is, is it?

WIth the right tools, it takes maybe 3 hours to build one from individual parts...and thats if you take a lunch break in the middle.

AR15.com has an excellent step by step assembly guide. Brownells has videos. It is dirt simple...this is the 3rd I've built from parts and all of them have at least been assembed from complete uppers and lowers assembled by me.

None of those in the pic were bought as complete rifles.

 

[Big Russ]

Ok I'll look around AR15.com sometime tonight and do some research. One more question for you then - is it cheaper to build them yourself vise buying the rifle from a store?

 

[iamkris]

Depends...if you are talking about a bone stock rifle in standard config...maybe if you are very very careful in parts selection. With the glut of ARs now, though, you're probably just as well off buying a complete rifle.

However, I build now mostly to get exactly what I want the first time.

 

[benzy2]

Nice rifle. Those guys at ADCO really know what they are doing and do it for a decent price. I am lucky enough to live within an hour of them and they are a great place to shop.

I also really like the DCM build. I have been itching to start one, just need to sell some other stuff to afford it.

 

[RudeMood]

Nice collection ...

... but the thing that really makes me happy in the thread is that the .50 has a peace symbol on it. =D

 

[Eightball]

Oooooh, that barrel work looks exceptional. I don't see any errant marks, it's all uniform......nice work.

Thanks for that picture!

 

[iamkris]

Oooooh, that barrel work looks exceptional. I don't see any errant marks, it's all uniform......nice work.

Agreed...especially at $65. I'm going to put my 18" SPR barrelled 6.8 SPC on a diet by sending the barrel in for some of ADCO's machining.