It's comming together. It's running/new pic

AR/M4 Custom Build Forum
1

Ive had the lower since '07 with a quad railed hb middy upper and thought it was time for something lighter and less railed. UPS dropped off the first of my upper parts today, stuff so far:
RRA Lower
CTR
MIAD
ML3 LT mount
LT rear buis
DD front buis
X300
Apex rifle handguard
AFG2 w/MOE rail section
RSA(not shown)

Should be getting the rest of the upper tomorrow:
DD M4 upper, DD 14.5" LW middy, VLTOR gb, BC 1.5(All from Grant)

Never had my hands on an AFG before, right now I have a so-so opinion of it just messing with it bolted up to the hg. No quality concerns, just not sure it will be for me.

2

what’s the co-witness with the dd buis and aimpoint?

3

That should be a terrific shooter. Post a full report of that Apex rail after some use if you don’t mind. First I had an AFG, then I had a VFG, now I just ride the HG. YMMV

4

Lil’ snafu… Upper came unassembled and no barrel nut. Communication error I guess.

Down side: I wont be shooting it this weekend for my birthday, I don’t own the tools to assemble it, and I need a barrel nut.

Upside: I wanted to get the tools and build an upper myself in the first place, but I was in a hurry to get the gun going.

So as it stands:
The barrel(Very nice BTW) is with a good friend/machinist getting dimpled for the VLTOR gas block screws. Should have it back tomorrow.

Brownells shipped my Armor’s wrench today, should have it next Tuesday

Bravo Company USA shipped my barrel nut and upper rec. vice block today. Should have it this Saturday.

My heart sunk a bit when the box of parts showed up, but the silver lining is that I wanted to do it myself in the first place and this is the kick in the pants I needed to be able to enjoy building it and the reward of pride I will get when its running. After thinking about it I am glad it happened this way.

@connorh: As far as I know the DD front buis will give the same height as a standard front site and give me the same lower 1/3 co-witness that the rifle had before.

@MookNW: Will do and the more I play with the VFG and the AFG on my M&P 15-22 the more I think I may just do something small for an index point/handstop on this rifle. I already have something low proflie and sturdy mocked up to try out.

5

Man I just did the same thing I actually had my lower in my house and called back to Spikes and asked if they could send my lower completely assembled…totally forgot the stripped lower was sittin in my closet…:smiley:

6

Tools and bbl nut should be here when I get home from work tomorrow, can’t wait.

7

Mocked up, waiting for bbl nut wrench.

8

Its done, it runs

Ran out of daylight after putting only ~40 rounds through it. Battle Comp and H2 buffer shoots damn flat. Everything feels good. I’ll give a better update on the components once I put a few hundred rounds through it. Five hours later and I’m still smiling.

9

Just wondering what is on the bottom rail?

10

I am trying out different types of index points. VFG, AFG, ect. This one is just a short rail section with a Magpul XTM panel on it. Soon I am going to try out a regular handstop.

11

Nice build - you said the barrel has been dimpled? Is it just dimpled under the HG?

How much does the whole thing weigh?

12

Thank you
It’s not dimpled like you are thinking. I had my friend put two small dimples in the bbl for the VLTOR gas block set-screws to lock into.
IIRC as pictured with two loaded mags it runs about 8.5lbs on my fish scale. BTW that is about 1.5lbs lighter than it was empty previously and a lot more balanced.

13

Nice gear, I have the Redi-Mag too, I’ve been contemplating taking it off though, to save a little weight. I have the AFG also, actually I have 2. After using it a little while I got hooked on it. I like it so much I put one on my Remy 870. Sounds (and looks) kinda wierd, bit it is actually the. Most comfortable thing you could imagine! Lol, it actually feels better on my 870 than it does on my M&P15-T

14

Also, have you seen the index/grips set from Larue? They seem decent. Check’em out

http://stores.homestead.com/Laruetactical/Detail.bok?no=463

15

Picked up my first pmags yesterday and headed to the range with about 200 rounds today.

I am still really impressed with the BattleComp even at 50yds one can still go pretty fast while keeping rounds on target, and when you get closer it only gets better. Mind you I am still a rookie by most standards, but even I can really tell its there. I’m sure the H2 buffer helps as well. This setup allow my to reach a speed that brought me to the conclusion that the RRA 2-stage trigger will very soon be holding me back, if not already.

The Apex Machine handguard is really comfortable to me and my grip style. Way better control and comfort than stock and quad-rail handguards. I am glad I went with the rifle version as I almost went with the middy one. The rifle version is just right for my body structure/grip. I shot both gloved and bare, the surface is grippy without chewing you up. Obviously 200 rounds is not a ton like you would see in a class, but I have no doubt that even after a couple of days in class I would not have any complaints.

My buis setup gives me the lower 1/3 co-witness that I am used to and like.

This is my first time with a Redi-Mod and I am still learning it, but I’m really starting to like it. The RM does add some heft, but for me the trade off is worth it. As I stated before, this configuration is lighter and better balanced than I am used to. God forbid, but if I ever have to grab-n-go with my rife having 60 rounds vs 30 gives me a warm feeling and it that situation I doubt anybody would notice the weight. Another plus is the fact that you have a mag right there incase you need to dump the one in the gun due to a malfunction.

When I first set this rifle up I was a little worried that the X300 lens would get covered quickly with soot, but after 200 rounds today it had next to no build-up on it. Half a mag out of my Glock 19 covers it worse.

I am still fussing with the whole VFG/AFG/Handstop thing. Here is what I am certain of: I need something there. The handguard alone is not enough for me. VFGs seem like a waist of material/bulk for my grip style. The AFG just doesn’t feel right no matter how hard I try to like it. What I have now is close, but not quite there. So, I have ordered a Mount-N-Slot Weapon Control handstop. I am pretty confident it will be the ticket for me.

Pmags are pretty neat. Loaded with 30 rounds they lock in better than any downloaded USGI I have ever tried, where flawless today, and are generally more comfortable to handle/manipulate than USGI. I will be stocking up on these.

The combo of DD upper, bbl, and BCM BCG have been perfect so far. Not much to report there other than the Gunfighter Mod 4. As long as it proves durable I am sold.

I know that was long, but I think I covered it all. I just ordered up 500 rounds to run through it. It will be interesting to see if I still feel the same when that stuff is gone.