Questions on an AR Build

[gadgetguy1288]

I've decided I'm going to start a build, and I want start it with a Sun Devil Stripped upper/lower set in the Nickel/Teflon coating.

Any thoughts on the Upper/Lower set? I was talking to the company earlier, and was told that the wait is relatively short(2-4weeks) if I place the order directly with them. so Im most likely going to place the order on Monday

What all do I need to finish the rifle? I know Ill need a LPK, Barrel Assembly, CH/BCG, and a stock kit. Anything else? Special tools that would be helpful?

Its going to be a varmint style(no fixed front sight, 20", FF hand guard) Im leaning towards an Ace Skeleton Stock.

Where would you recommend getting the rest of the parts?

- I want a LPK with a 2 stage trigger- Recommendations?
- For a barrel i was looking at a Lothar Walther 1 in 8" twist, Stainless Steel, ----20" with 1/2"-28 threaded muzzle, Wylde Chamber. and it comes with a matched bolt.
http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=137428589
- Hogue grip
-Yankee Hill 5005 FF tube

Any pics of such beauties would be awesome.
And any other advice for a relative AR Newbie Would also be amazing!

Thanks

 

[RP88]

I would personally skip the wylde chamber and just get a 5.56 one. That is all I can really say. Sounds like you got a really nice gun planned out.

 

[taliv]

almost all my ARs are wylde chambered. I have a couple, like factory colt 6920 that are 5.56, but I definitely prefer the wylde. lots of other mfgs have done the same thing and just aren't telling you. noveske does say when theirs are "noveske match mod0" or whatever, but others, like iirc LWRC, do something wacky and just label it 5.56 nato.

if you're going for a varmint gun, a regular 223rem chamber might be better

if you're actually going to shoot varmints with it, you might want a slower twist to use with lighter bullets

YHM makes OK FF tubes that are good value, but pretty dang heavy. good pick for something you're going to shoot prone, but if you're carrying it around, get something lighter

lots of good varmint triggers out there... it's pricey, but the trigger to beat is geissele's Hi-speed match, which will have a 3 lb pull.

hogue grip is fine

white oak makes a LPK out of quality parts for a very reasonable price. good bit better than the DPMS/RRA ones.

dunno why you want the nickel/teflon coating. if you're excited about wacky coatings, do a little reading on FailZero before you buy

make sure the upper and the barrel have matching ramps: i'm guessing they're both "rifle" and not "m4" feed ramps. but check before you buy.

ace skeleton stocks suck. they are heavy and not as strong as you'd think. if you will be shooting prone, they are totally teh suq. getting a cheek weld on that little foam sleeve requires some sort of yoga

look at magpul PRS, or if you want something a bit cheaper CAA makes an interesting adjustable stock.

doesn't sound like your gunbroker special comes with a gas block or tube, so you'll need one of those. find out what diameter the barrel is at the gas port. vltor makes a nice low profile SS gas block. YHM and others make decent but ugly cheaper ones.

you'll probably need a receiver extension tube (commonly called a buffer tube) in either rifle or carbine length depending on what stock you select, as well as a buffer (again, rifle or carbine length) edit: and an action spring, commonly called a buffer spring

and something to stick on those threads... a brake or suppressor or something

 

[gadgetguy1288]

Would you happen to know where i can find a WOA LPK?

And after looking on their site, i think i may go with one of their barrels instead.

 

[Crawfish141]

Anyone know what chamber BCM has?

 

[taliv]

gadget, just call them and tell them you want a lpk. they have all the parts separately and put them together when you ask.

they are quite backordered on barrels, but they're really good barrels.

crawfish, afaik, they're actual 5.56nato, but call and ask

 

[Big44mag]

I have a SD upper and the fit isn't the greatest with ANY lower including SD, RRA, TI, LMT, S&W or BM. There is a little bit of a gap between the two but hopefully if you order them together the fit will be a little better.

I haven't seen the color sets in person but if it's what you want, go for it.

Be forewarned, that barrel is going to be a tad on the heavy side. I'm not sure what the YHM rail weighs but if it's anything like their other forearms, it will be heavy as well.
The Wylde chamber is nice and allows you to use basically any ammunition that is plentiful whether it is .223 or 5.56. The 1 in 8 twist could give you a slight issue though, I have a 1 in 8 and anything below 69gr I might as well not shoot because the groups open up so badly. 77gr SMKs are pretty much the only thing I use in that rifle. The 1 in 8 is generally geared for heavier slugs but you may have great luck with 55gr through 69 as every barrel shoots differently.
The barrel you're looking at comes with a diameter of .750" at the gas block which is great because you will have the widest selection of gas blocks from any number of manufacturers including adjustables from PRI and JP.
1/2x28 is the standard pitch for .223 barrels, so again like the gas block you will have the widest selection to choose from.

The ACE stock is very light at 10.9oz, the PRS is 29.6. If you do use the ACE the rifle will be extremely front heavy, if you use something like the PRS it should give it a nice balance. As for the cheek weld on the ACE, it depends on how the scope is set. If you are using a raised base or higher mount then you should be ok. I'm using an ACE on a 24" Grendel with a Larue SPR mount and it centers nicely without any issues. Not sure what scope / mount setup you have or are looking for.

LPKs are pretty generic, the finish might be a little nicer from one to another and the pins might be rolled tighter between manufacturers but all in all they are not going to make or break the rifle. Same for charging handles, all in all, pretty generic unless you go for a PRI Gas Buster.

Adco carries the WOA "stripped" LPKs for $40, that is a kit without the trigger group or grip (out of stock at the moment). They offer the option for a couple of different grips including Hogue or Ergo. They also sell WOA match triggers as well as Geissele. It's hard to beat the Geissele as stated before but they are available in different pull weights so you'd have to figure out how light you want to go. They only list the 2 stage triggers but can probably get the single if you wanted. Nice thing about Adco is you could order them all from one place and not have to worry about shipping from multiple vendors.

Adco also carries all types of different barrels RRA, WOA, DD etc and if they don't have exactly what you want they'll cut it for you. If you order a flash hider or brake you can also have them time it so you don't need a peel or crush washer.

Other things you might want to consider are more accessories like rail covers of some type, a bipod and bipod mount, 10 - 20 round mags for prone or bench shooting if all you have are 30+.

As far as tools, these are the some basics that will need for your build.

Barrel wrench (PRI is probably the best one out. You should use this with a torque wrench and not a ratchet.)
YHM uses another forearm wrench to tighten their lock ring.
DPMS Multi-tool
Roll pin punches
Upper receiver block
Lower receiver block (not needed but it’s nice to have)
Vise
Anti seize lube
Strap wrench
Loctite
Allen wrenches
Standard wrenches

Hope this helps a little. I think I covered a lot of things but didn't want to post random pictures of things you might or might not be interested or concerned about. If you have anything specific in mind that you would like to see a pic of just let me know.