This might sound strange but when your job is building AR’s for a living it is possible that the whole thing gets stale. We add rails, we paint cammo, we have short barrels, long barrels, barrels that are in between but the format stays the same.
So every now and again I spend a few weekends concocting something that does not fit the mould.
This is my coyote gun, 6.5 grendel, barrel is a chrome lined fluted 18" unit with a gill brake from Sabre defence. The idea was based on the bipod from Vltor and the gill brake. After that the only consideration was that the gun was a prone gun. No other design requirements.
So I put a pistol length rail onto a mid gas tube barrel as there was no need for a handguard, used a Vltor stock to be able to easily pack the gun and set the stock for eye relief with differing clothing (summer in NM, Winter in Minnesota) on a 6-24x50 Bushnell scope and assumed that the result while functional for what I wanted would look and handle like a concrete gas oven.
I am posting this because I am so pleased with the result. The gun sits beautifully between the hands and balances and moves quickly. With the bipod folded the gas tube is well protected and the stubby TG grip places well for control. Set up prone the bipod is exceptionally stable and the gun tracks easily and smoothly. Shoots with next to no recoil.
Anyway let the laughter begin, but my thanks to Grant at G&R, Eric at Vltor, Steve at Falcon Industries and Bushnell for helping me get the bits I needed in a pile.
Sounds really cool. Is there any way you can post higher resolution pictures. The thumbnails you attached make it nearly impossible to see all the cool details.
Now that is really cool. Why did you mill out the receiver and attach a bolt handle?
I’ve been kicking around the idea of building a very similar upper in a 6.5 but eliminating the gas system altogether. Semis are illegal for hunting here in PA.
I’d love to see details of the receiver and bolt handle. I love the short handguard/bipod setup.
Nice work sir. Let’s see some groups! Or some dead coyotes.
Kinda reminds me of that movie, Escape from L.A. with Kurt Russel where the guys were carrying around M16’s without the handguards to make the guns look more “futuristic” only more practical.
Thank you for putting the pictures up, I think Windows is conducting low level insurgancy operations on my computer.
The upper is the billet unit that I make for my sniper grade guns. It was intended to provide a really stiff foundation for building long barrel stuff so it is rather a waste on an 18" fluted barrel but it does have the side charging handle built in, which was something I wanted for prone use, so I used an old scratch and dent because I knew it was going to get painted.
Gas tube damage was the immediate concern, for regular use but this gun was initially only going to be used for hitting coyotes (groundhogs in Summer) from a prone position. When you are carrying it the bipod legs shield the tube so you would need to hit it hard enough to break one of the legs off and I would then be worried about the optic and the barrel.
I suppose the other thing about the build was that I was simply trying to set something up that did not follow the same patern. What was supprising was how well the set up worked. The bipod from Vltor set up short on the handguard is a worth trying for a varmint type gun.
Here is something, would it be possible to take a 4-way rail, like a LaRue for instance, and simply mill out the 6,3, and 9 o’clock rails past the first few inches, leaving the vent area around the gas tube and 12 o’clock rail intact to protect the gas tube? (and hopefully still providing a stable mounting platform)
It would have been possible to either mill away the rails of a regular hand guard or to just add a few short rails to a free float tube but I was trying to do something different than the regular build mainly for fun but also to see the strong and weak points of the changes.
One of the things I have found is that the skinny barrel has a lot less visual signature than a handguard so it is easier to blend the rifle into the background.
I may not be going to SHOT, but it depends upon the workload and if the TULA design engineers are going. I have another big ammunition manufacturer stepping up. If they announce I will be there.
Sure it performs even better.
I like the bare-barrel look. The pistol fore-grip is cool, but what abourt using one that hinges/folds? That way you have a bit of flat forend if you want it.
