I want a decent <$2,500 "SPR" type rifle.

General Firearms Precision Rifle - Semi-Auto
1

No stranger to long range shooting, ARs, reloading, etc.

I want this rifle to shoot from the prone at 3", 8", and 10" steel circles at 600 yards and humanoids at 800 yards.

I’m not hunting or doing varmint control.

It must shoot .223 and preferably be in the AR platform.

I’m looking at the BCM 18" SS410 15" KMR Upper, a BCM lower w/ Geissele SSA-E, bipod, and a Vortex Viper PST 2.5-10. With the mount, bipod, etc it comes out to about $2,300 before shipping and FFL fees. ETA: I just saw BCM has a 20" SS410 and 15" KMR. This is an option as well

I’m mainly looking for ideas how to save money on certain items (i.e. building a gun with a Noveske barrel?) and optic choice. Remember, the entire package (gun, bipod, trigger, scope, mount, muzzle device, owner’s manual, sales tax, shipping) needs to be under $2,500.

I’m open to suggestions, but please don’t be the douchebag that suggests buying a $2,100 Noveske or a $1,600 Night Force or a bolt gun. I neither need, nor really want, a $3,000+ plinker.

2

Sounds like you have shopped around and put together a pretty decent package within your budget. Not really sure of ways to save you much money. A couple small options you could consider:

Consider the SWFA 3-9 ffp scope. will save you $200
What stock are you planning on using? May be a way to save some cash there
Another option would be to consider buying the BCM upper without the KMR rail and put a MI 15" rail on it. Will save you about $70 or so roughly

3

I came in to suggest vortex and bcm. Turns out you already selected those. You can cheap out on several things, but what you’ve selected is what I would select, although I prefer the sd-e over the ssa-e.

4

I did a similar set up but used a little better barrel. If I were to use a BCM barrel, I would have been in the price range you are looking for. If this is solely for punching paper I don’t think you will benefit from the 20" barrel over the 18". Vortex is good stuff for the money. Also look into the Weaver Tactical line. It’s quite impressive for the money.

Here’s my set up with an 18" Lilja barrel and a 15" KMR. I went with the Geissele SD3G because I had one laying around…

Untitled by Cory Fluck, on Flickr

5

I did an almost identical build myself except a 16" Reece build. I went with a Rainier Arms Match barrel tho I only have 20 rds through it after sighting in, and it’s more accurate than me for sure. Im confident it will get better with more rounds through it. Going with the Rainier would save you $50 over the BCM

6

I got a KAC LPR on the EE, it’s got an 18" Krieger barrel. It has a 1-4 Accupoint, which is not a great fit, but overall for a factory gun it is fantastic.

7

I would opt for a Rainier Arms build (or at least their barrel) as they have proven accuracy and sub moa guarantees on their stainless offerings. I really wanted to do a ss410 but kept getting conflicting reports on their accuracy. Some were getting sub MOA , some weren’t, and BCM offers no guidelines or expectations as to what they SHOULD shoot.

With that being said…I can’t recall finding anyone experiencing accuracy issues out of the Rainier "match "(ss410 comparable). Even if they did Rainier would swap it out due to gauarantee/warranty.

8

What are people’s thoughts on the Leupold VXR 3-9?

Especially when directly compared to a Vortex Viper PST 2.5-10? I have owned several PSTs so any direct comparison would be appreciated.

9

I forgot to add also, my LPR now sports a Geissele High Speed DMR trigger, which is great, if you like a fully adjustable trigger.

10

The barrel is definitely the most important piece of the puzzle here. I have two uppers, each with an 18" Rainier Ultramatch barrel (one is intermediate and the other is rifle gas) and they both consistently shoot very well (.5moa) with my handloads. Slap the upper on a Geissele trigger’d lower and you’re set. The rest of the parts don’t ‘need’ to be top-tier.

11

I have a VX-R patrol 3-9 with mil dots, in a LT-104 mount. I would like it with the rotary adjustment for dot brightness more, and am considering the SPR-E mount. It’s held zero bouncing around in my trunks, and tracks true through its adjustment. Glass is clear, dot is handy. My BUIS are earliest MBUS, the scope clears the rear. Base gun is an LT 16"/11 Stealth.

12

Your initial idea is what I came here to recommend… I had a BCM SS410 in 18" for a while in a very similar configuration and it was a tack driver!

I also highly recommend the rainier stainless barrels both of mine have performed perfect with amazing accuracy.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

13

I had basically that exact setup. 16 inch BCM SS410 with 13 inch KMR topped with a PST 2.5-10. Truthfully though I recently switched rails and put a Geiselle SMR Mk1 rail on there and the gun feels a lot more solid when shooting prone. I ended up using the KMR with a ELW barrel for my general purpose/defense rifle and its great for that application. But the KMR just felt a bit to light for bipod use. Thats purely my subjective opinion though.

The PST line has served myself and several friends and coworkers very well. For the price, quality, and features it is hard to beat. I love my 2.5-10 FFP. Its like Vortex made a clone of the awesome Nightfore 2.5-10 for half the price.

14

That’s interesting. I googled reviews of that optic and saw your post on here from years ago. Glad to see you’ve still got a good impression of it.

15

what I would get

Vltor VRA-RA5 lower $395
Vltor Mur upper $170
BCM bolt carrier group $170
Rainier Arms 20" ultramatch .223 wylde $500
SSA-E trigger $240

1500 bucks leaves plenty for furniture and a scope

16

Some parts I threw together for ideas. Barrel and scope are going to be the most expensive equipment and it’s kinda personal preference. The $250 Mega barrel guarantees sub MOA accuracy or you can spend another $200 for a Krieger, Compass Lake, and anywhere in between. Low magnification would go well with a “recce” or “SPR” concept if you’re actually using it in that capacity but I would go with higher power scope if you’re mainly looking to shoot small groups or targets. You can always use the scope on other rifles down the line as well.

You could get a cheaper stripped lower receiver to save about $50.

Check out SH vendor forum for a better price if you really want the SSA-E right away. For my close range precision shooting I’m OK with using the ALG ACT since it’s so smooth and repeatable.

The VLTOR MURs are currently on sale at Midway right now if you don’t want to use the Aero combo. The Harris Bipod is on sale too.

The Burris scope retails for $1149 but there’s a $100 MIR on their scopes until 08/31.

$90.00 Aero Precision Stripped Lower Receiver, Gen 2 - Anodized Black http://aeroprecisionusa.com/ar15-stripped-lower-gen2-anodized-black.html
$70.00 SIONICS Weapons Systems Lower Parts Kit (Enhanced) - Complete http://sionicsweaponsystems.com/store/product.php?id_product=161
$47.00 VLTOR A5 Receiver Extension Buffer Tube 7-Position Mil-Spec http://www.midwayusa.com/product/348370/vltor-a5-recoil-system-carbine-receiver-extension-buffer-tube-7-position-mil-spec-diameter-ar-15-aluminum-black?cm_vc=ProductFinding
$57.00 VLTOR A5 Recoil System Spring and Buffer Kit AR-15 Carbine http://www.midwayusa.com/product/148116/vltor-a5-recoil-system-spring-and-buffer-kit-ar-15-carbine?cm_vc=ProductFinding
$76.00 Magpul STR Carbine Stock Mil. Spec http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?groupid=2394&name=Magpul+STR+Carbine+Stock+Mil.+Spec

$296.00 Aero Precision M4E1 Enhanced Upper Receiver and M-LOK Handguard Combo - 15" http://aeroprecisionusa.com/m4e1-handguard-combo.html
$150.00 Vltor MUR with Shell Deflector Only http://www.midwayusa.com/product/478529/vltor-mur-modular-upper-receiver-with-shell-deflector-only-assembled-ar-15-matte
$165.00 Vltor MUR with Combination Forward Assist / Shell Deflector http://www.midwayusa.com/product/2300638838/vltor-mur-modular-upper-receiver-with-combination-forward-assist-shell-deflector-assembled-ar-15-flat-top
$165.00 ALG Defense 15" Ergonomic Modular Rail (EMR) V3 M-LOK - Black http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=XALG05323B&name=ALG+Defense+15"+Ergonomic+Modular+Rail+(EMR)+V3+M-LOK+-+Black&groupid=4492&fprdct=1
$256.00 Mega Arms 5.56 18" SPR Match Barrel http://www.megaarms.com/ar-15/ar15-barrels/556-barrels/
$275.00 WOA Special Purpose Rifle (SPR) Barrel, Rifle Length Gas System http://www.whiteoakarmament.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17518
$169.00 BCM Bolt Carrier Group (MPI) - Auto http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-Bolt-Carrier-Group-MPI-Auto-M16-p/bcm-bolt-carrier-group-auto-mp.htm
$94.00 Harris S-BRM Bipod Leg Notch Sling Swivel Stud Mount 6" to 9" Black http://www.midwayusa.com/product/155546/harris-s-brm-bipod-leg-notch-sling-swivel-stud-mount-6-to-9-black
$1,049.00 Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 4-20x50 SCR Mil Scope 201042 http://www.burrisoptics.com/scopes/xtr-ii-riflescopes-series/xtr-ii-riflescope-4-20x50mm

17

The Vortex or Burris would be where I’m looking.

16" or 18", especially if there’s any possibility of a can. I’d go 20" if I was trying to make a more precise re-imagining of a SAM-R or SDM-R (let’s be honest, between those it’s the SAM-R), but that’s an oddly limiting platform choice.

I have a pair of really nice SS match 16" and 18" units (HighCaliber and Centurion, respectively), and I’m really torn about which one to use a lot of the time - usually comes down to how much optic I want (the 3-9x Leupold on the 18" makes the SPR lean towards longer stuff, the 1-6x on the recce means it usually gets the nod).

18

I’m in he same boat as you. I really want to build a SPR but other stuff keeps getting in the way. Thanks for starting this thread. I wanted a Larue or Noveske barrel but they don’t make a 18" with rifle length gas. I may look at Rainers.

On the Vltor uppers, what makes them significant? Aren’t they supposed to be stiffer or something? I seem to remember reading that but can’t remember and might pick one up for my SPR build.

19

They look cooler. :slight_smile:

The MURs are made from forgings vs machined billet and VLTOR says they are more rigid and have better tolerances (vs a normal forged upper). I don’t know if anyone has done a long term side by side test but I’ll take VLTOR’s word for it. There are plenty of sub MOA rifles out there using non MUR uppers.

I like that the forward assist is shorter on the MUR if you use an ambi charging handle like the Raptor. I can get a whole finger joint on their instead of just a finger tip since the FA isn’t directly underneath the handle.

20

Thanks for all of the replies guys.

A few things I’ve noticed:

  1. If I don’t buy a Noveske barrel, I will go with a complete BCM upper for a few reasons. They are good people, I trust their product, and they are priced right. If I get a Noveske barrel, I will get a MUR Upper. Nothing against Rainier.

  2. I originally wanted (still want, actually) a complete factory lower. this is why I was looking at a BCM from G&R. Again, good people and I trust their product. However, I really want this to have an A5 or a PRS after thinking about it and I’d rather not pay full price for a BCM lower just to remove the RE and install an A5 leaving leftover $$ wasted. I’m not sure what brand of lower to go with, however.

  3. I’ll be suppressing it, so most likely I’ll go with 18" but since I am buying this mainly to shoot at 600 yards plus, I want as much barrel length as possible. I’ve played the 12.5" barrel long distance game and while it works it certainly is optimal to go as long as practical.