New online class - building a fighting AR-15

[pangris]

Mike, IMHO it is a question of why complicate things? If you can use the irons anyway, why not just use irons? Why put yourself in an analysis mode if you don't have to... if someone is shooting at you, won't you have enough to think about?

If you practice with irons, they are fast.

Clear lens covers still fog up, scratch up, and get dirty and "cloudy" over time.


The DPMS Panther...

Everything on my gun is top shelf. While simple, every single part was purposefully selected.

ER Shaw 16" 1/9 chromelined pencil barrel - good barrel, lightweight, chrome since it is a heavy use gun

Hiperform ultra light foregrip - i think this thing is 5 oz - exceptionally strong, stays cool, allows you to mount a light anywhere ( 3 and 9 as on rails isn't necessarily ideal) free floats the barrel (side benefit)

Original Colt M16 upper - nuff said

A1 stock built to A2 specs - again, simple, can't screw it up, and it fits me - the chances of me wearing body armor are nil. If I am wearing body armor, the LOP difference is the least of my worries

The duckbill grip - good stuff, covers that little gap around the trigger

RRA two stage trigger, tuned by white oak armory, because I like two stage triggers, and if I need to make a precise shot it facilitates that

slickside hard chromed bolt and carrier (fulton armory) - easy to clean, good unit

D-fender ring on the extractor

etc, etc.

DPMS is out to make a profit and hit pricepoints, so I think any gun at $700 is going to have to cut corners somewhere. If I was going to bet my life on it, I'd want to know the history of the parts, and know that none of them were cast, batch inspected, etc.

I'd guess that they are decent guns, but I prefer mine built as such...

 

[1KPerDay]

I like this thread, simply because I have an original slickside and sort of felt like it needed to be more "tacticool." Maybe I'll leave well enough alone.

 

[dm1333]

pangris,
Have you benchrested the gun to see what ammo it prefers and what kind of groups you get? Have you thought about adding a Crimson Trace laser for use at night? Thanks for the specs on your rifle. I've been taking notes over the last few weeks trying to figure out what I want to use to put together a rifle.

 

[pangris]

The gun shoots 2.5" with Wolf 55gr , 2" with Georgia arms Canned heat 55 gr, and 1.5" with Black hills 69 gr.

That said, I've only benched it once. I zero'd for 75 yards with the Georgia Arms and called it a day. Since I am usually standing up/moving/shooting movers , .5" doesn't begin to justify the cost difference. I have never had a failure with any of the ammo. The current Wolf does seem notably "dirtier" than the other two. I do keep it stoked at home with the 69 gr BTHPs, as the POA/POI is virtually the same.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

RRA two stage trigger, tuned by white oak armory, because I like two stage triggers, and if I need to make a precise shot it facilitates that

The RRA two stage trigger has a bar joining the trigger with the disconnector that is shorter than the gap it fits into. As a result, it is possible for the pin to work loose and the trigger and disconnector to separate. If this happens, the gun will stop running and cannot be made to fire without tools. It rarely happens; but it can happen.

You can fix it by replacing the stock pin with a pin that is long enough to fill the entire gap so it doesn't have room to work loose. ADCO sells a modified version of the RRA trigger set up like this.

 

[pangris]

thats what I have - the unit modified by white oak, sold through adco. I called it white oak armory, was thinking WOA... it is White Oak Precision. I'm getting old and my brain isn't working as well.

This one

http://www.adcofirearms.com/itemdetails.cfm?inventorynumber=2259

Edited to add - but you almost got me

 

[Gordon]

I like a 20" lightweight barrel myself. If a .22 doesn't have velocity, what DOES it have? I shoot a Colt with a light 1-7" twist . I like the ACE Socom stock because I like the 'meat hammer' and run it at Sully length. The Aimpoint M-3 is Swan mounted foward of the carry handle sights and co witnessed and can removed instantly. The Surefire 600 forward handle is handy in close supporting the 8 pound weight. My lighter 14.5" M-4/CAR with the Sully weighs well under 6 pounds, but is only marginally better inside buildings IMHO.I'll take the extra 2.5 pounds with the bells and whistles!

BTW , the bolt and buffer spring seem the issues in my AR experience of 39 years of useage of the system.

 

[pangris]

Careful with the ACE stock if that is the one with the foam cheek rest - those can come off/a part/ etc in such a way that you can't run the charging handle.

Velocity... Since engagements beyond 100 yards are very rare, and the .223 maintains enough velocity for its basic wounding mechanism (rotate to 90 and fragment) with a 16" bbl out to 150 yards, I'd rather have the shorter muzzle.

If the 2.5 lbs is worth it to you more power to you, it's that "box of chocolates thing, man!

 

[dm1333]

Any one here using an 18 inch barrel?

I have been looking at CMMG and a few others to see if I can get a rifle length gas system with an 18 inch barrel. Ideally it would be with a pencil barrel to keep weight down, and a flat top or an A1 carry handle.

 

[pangris]

No experience with the 18 inch, other than to say I'd make sure you had enough length for the gas system to do its job...

 

[dm1333]

SGN Jan 01, 2007 edition

There is an article by Steven Matthews title "Building the Classic AR-15".