Ok I built my first ar from a delton kit (excepts responsibility for ignorance I did not know about bcm at the time)
I paid no attention to the barrel since my original plan was to replace the barrel with 6.8, So I have to replace the barrel anyways so I ordered the mid length hbar and am feeling the weight
After owning the ar I have gained new appreciation for the 5.56 round, so i have decided to finish the gun right. let me know your opinions on this shtf gun for general purpose, occasional coyote hunt.
My goal is a light weight very accurate gun that can shoot as accurate as possible for shtf conditions from close range to far, with xm193 or ss-109, doubt mk262 will be available when shtf since civvies can’t buy it now and soldiers seem lucky to get it in battle)
Spikes st15 lower
magpul moe stock
Delton bcg (will get bcm when I can afford it)
BCM bolt
nordic lilja stainless 16" midlength 1:8 wylde chamber 1.85lbs.
YHM diamond free float mid length
Spikes st-t2 buffer
burris 332 optic
standard front site post with magpul buis rear
I am not afraid for you guys to be brutal cause it will help me learn and I am on somewhat of a budget though lol (no noveske)
I would prefer a CL barrel over stainless for hard use and long life much more over stainless. Preferably CHF. Im not sure what that SS barrel costs but Lilja’s aren’t cheap. You could probably get a good CL barrel from BCM or DD + a quality BCG without raising the cost any. Probably be cheaper.
I would also use a standard H1 buffer.
Also get a better optic.
Its always better to save, and get quality stuff from the start than buying cheaper components, and then telling yourself you’ll upgrade down the line. You’ll end spending more money in the long run buying cheap with the intention of upgrading later.
I’m pretty sure the lilja chambers are all .223 or wylde, because they are made to be as accurate as possible. By upgrading for a 5.56 you’ll give up some accuracy, but have more reliable feeding. If this is a SHTF rifle, that’s an allowance I’d make.
Also, I think the Lilja barrels are all a pretty wide cut, and as such are HEAVY. I’d hate to lug around an HBAR or Bull barrel in the post-apocalypse.
And I don’t like the YHM rail because of the width - it’s like holding a roll of paper towels. Plus the edges are very sharp, you’ll need ladder covers for it. I like the smaller, lighter rails you can get now much better.
The lilja barrel was 289, just slightly more than a woa and cheaper than the bcm hammer forged. its also 5 oz. lighter then the woa
I read my hbar is 2.7 lbs. so I am taking almost a lb. of the front
I did spend extra trying to go to cheap I am trying to make up for that lol.
I should also mention that I live in the country so for me in a true shtf I would be more concerned with saving ammo then unloading thousands of rounds in fire fights. I prefered the wylde do to if I am needing to make clean kills on deer or large animals It should give me the best accuracy.
For one gun true shtf I also plan to buy a .22lr upper
This is what I wanted to know keep it up. Since I am making two guns out of one I would like to hear some opinions about a good trigger?
If you’re looking for a .22LR you may save yourself some money by just getting a BCG conversion and mags like the one made by CMMG, that way you could use the same upper instead of having to buy another.
ok my nordic components barrel came in today and its pretty nice, I had a question though, I would like to install my existing front sight base which is a standard base with two taper pins, unfortunately the nordic barrel is not cut for anything, does anyone know of someone I can send the barrel to to get the reliefs cut into so i can use a standard taper pin front site
I will just tell you that your build is absolute trash.
With all that stuff you are just better off buying a Colt 6920. You can get these for around $1200 out the door if you look on gunbroker or sturmgewehr.
The BCG is trash, so is the barrel for your application. The rail is one of the worst besides the made in china UTG stuff.
You are way over your head with all this.
You don’t need the MOE stock right now or even an optic.
Scotty, he does have at least one decent essential component. Keep the BCM bolt and build around that with more BCM/DD/Colt/Noveske/LMT parts. Are you getting the picture OP.
PS Lilja good stuff but unneeded as already pointed out. For a real SHTF scenario, MOM is far more important than 1/2 MOA at 200m… Not to mention reliability and wider range of ammo selection you can feed a 5.56 chamber/barrel.
I would recommend getting a good optic and mount and save cash until toy can get a better upper.
Personal preference: Aimpoint H-1 or C-3 in a LaRue or Bobro mount.
At the end of the day, if your gun is shooting it will probably be good for the relatively few shots needed for a situation that can be competantly handled by an inexperienced individual. It is what it is.
If you want to train to a level beyond that it will require high round-count, and your gun will have a higher probability of failure during said training. That’s not saying that it definately will fail within any given round count, simply that there could be much more done to reduce those odds.
The optic is a different matter. No matter what you stick it on, it’s going to do it’s job, for a long damn time, and can be switched from your “starter/training” rifle to your good to go rifle, and after a rezero it will work for longer than the gun will.
This will get you a top notch complete weapon and sling for just under the $1000 mark. The configuration I laid out for you is perhaps one of the most versatile and useful AR configurations possible.
Next I would buy at least 5 or 6 Pmags and 1000 rounds of ammo and SHOOT THE GUN. Then I would give a serious look into training with a reputable trainer (Larry Vickers, Magpul Dynamics, Pat Rogers, ETC)
From there I would mount a Surefire weapon light onto the hand guard or front sight (plenty of options…I prefer the Surefire M600C scout), Purchase an Aimpoint Micro H1 in a Daniel Defense mount.
Long term purchases may include a free float rail, upgraded furniture, etc.
My goal is a light weight very accurate gun that can shoot as accurate as possible for shtf conditions from close range to far, with xm193 or ss-109, doubt mk262 will be available when shtf since civvies can’t buy it now and soldiers seem lucky to get it in battle)
so you want to be able to utilize 5.56x45mm ammo, but yet your buying a barrel chambered for .223 ? Am i missing something here ??
Lilja sure makes a purdy barrel, but their HBARs are intended more for competition and less for lugging around. I’d be awful tempted to have it fluted under the handguards and recontoured in front of them, but for your application the chrome-lined barrel would probably be best. Bravo Co., Centurion, Daniel Defense, and Noveske are the best bets there.
Lower’s likely fine, stock’s fine, carrier should probably be upgraded but you got the right bolt (more important part). Reconsider the buffer, optic, and definitely the handguards (YHM parts are heavy). Daniel Defense and LaRue basically own the railed handguard market. A slightly lighter and less expensive option are Troy/VTAC handguards, but I don’t think they’ll take a beating the way traditional railed handguards will.