This rifle is not a standard SPR style rifle in regards to the barrel length, but it was my take on an accurate Ar platform rifle that was tweaked to my liking. This is just my twist on a good shooting AR. This is my only magnified optic AR platform rifle. For long range precision shooting I pick up my bolt rifles with a little higher magnification. But I still wanted to have something I could consistently hit a silhouette plate target at 600 yards. I started this project with a Noveske Afghan 13.7 stainless barrel. (Excellent and accurate barrel, and figured why not) I sent it off to be ball mill dimpled from Mr. Pitts. I wanted to keep the weight down a bit, and the OAL of this rifle with suppressor on the smaller side and went with a SOCOM 5.56 Mini suppressor. And still be able to get out of my truck and Polaris Ranger. As taking a 18 inch rifle with a suppressor in and out of a truck inst the easiest task. While I still wanted to be able to use this quickly inside 100 yards with 1x power, I opted for the Bushnell Elite Tactical 1-6.5X SFP with BTR-2. This rifle shoots under 1moa at 100 with Mk262 mod 1s and is just as much of a performer out to the longer distances. I have not yet been able to shoot over 600+ yard mark, and while the effectiveness of the round is not that great at that distance with the 13.7, I have no doubt that I will get hits at that range. More of just for fun over 600. This rifle has seen only a few hundred rounds so far, and have been very impressed. I’m interested in suggestions for a bi-pod that can maybe direct attach to M-lok? If there are any? Going into this build I knew what I was giving up in the 13.7 length in velocity, but it does not make this set up any less accurate. Just had to make little more adjustments at further distance. Parts list and pictures below.
Lower:
BCM Complete Lower with A5. Form 1 SBR
Geissele SSA-E trigger group
Noveske QD plate with Magpul MS4
Battle Arms Ambi selector
Vltor A5H4 with Vltor spring
BCM Gunfighter grip
Magpul SL stock
Upper:
Vltor MUR-1A
BCM BCG
BCM Mod 4 CH
Noveske 13.7 Afghan Mid length gas, stainless barrel, Ball mill dimpled
Noveske Low pro gas block and tube
Geissele MK8 13" SMR M-Lok
Surefire SFMB-556 Muzzle Brake
KAC micro 600 rear sight
KAC Taupe 99051 Front sight
Bushnell Elite Tactical 1-6.5X in SFP with BTR-2 rectile
ADM Recon QD mount
Surefire M600U 500 lumen scout
Surefire SR05 switch
Comments, (good or bad), questions, any feedback is welcome. Enjoy.
I have considered a similar rifle with the Afghan barrel and a Saker K. My goto precision AR now, is an 18" Rogue Hunter(intermediate gas; not dimpled) and 5.56 Specwar, and I really like its accuracy, but not so much its length and weight. It wears a Vortex Razor 1-6, and I think its magnification is just right for this type of rifle. I use the same BAD-ASS levers on my SPR, just opposite sides. It is the only rifle that I like the long crank lever, but it feels right for some reason.
You produced a good looking rifle with quality parts. I like it, and may have to get my rear in gear to copy it.
Thanks! This is also the only rifle I have the crank lever on. Weird… The afghan and Saker K would be a great setup in my opinion. Also, Copy away. I’ll feel honored The ball mill was strictly for weight savings. Nothing else. I know it has that “cool” factor to some, but the barrel was a little heavy for my taste. I know slapping a suppressor on the end kind of reverses the weight thing… Going the 13.7 route really makes it a more compact package but still has the accuracy that I wanted. The Surefire mini keeps the length down quite a bit, and feels like my standard 16 inch middy in length. I was ok with the velocity lost and what goes with it. I love my 11.5s and 12.5s for inside 300 mainly, but wanted something just a tad longer and mid length gas system. This thing is such a soft shooter. Overall the performance and accuracy exceeded my expectation, and the 1-6.5 does its job well enough for the distances I need. I wouldn’t hesitate to build this exact same rifle over again.
I love the Geissele rail. Just solid as can be. Its not as wide as the MK4 but a little wider then the MK1s I have. Just wanted to go M-Lok to try it out, and 13 inch MK1s are impossible to find. I’m a Geissele fan. Running the 13.7 barrel, anything longer then a true 13 inch rail will obstruct the suppressor from mounting. And I like that “no-gap” look.
Thank you. Ill have to take a look on my computer to see if I have one. I think I took one before the light went on the rifle. Or Ill take one when I get home this evening.
You’ve literally read my mind or me yours! This is EXACTLY what I envisioned for a Recce/SPR build for my birthday.
Thanks for the recent info on OAL, btw!
So I need to order an Afghan and have it fluted underneath the handguard or reprofiled a bit to get it to 25 oz as I think the Afghan is ~35 oz (IIRC).
I really like your build and could EASILY be a sole rifle. I like that.
“One cannot awaken a man who pretends to be asleep.”
No worries on the OAL info. I almost had a moment of “I wasted 200 bucks” on the sbr stamp after I put it all together. Measured with a dowel and it was in fact still about .2 or so short. I wish I measured the weight before I had the ball mill dimple work done.
I went into it fully expecting to SBR the lower. But when it was all said and done, I was just curious to the OAL. That’s where I had my little moment if you will. If it was over 16, I don’t like pinning really anyway, especially on almost a 700 dollar barrel all said and done, and still would have just run it how it is as a SBR.
This is an awesome build brother! If I was to critique one thing it would be ditching the SL stock for a BCM Gunfighter as magpul just seems out of place on this excellent build.
Sweet build, about the only thing I personally would change is go to a 45 Bad-Ass selector and an ambi CH as im a lefty. How are you liking the Bushnell so far?
Many seem to like the Magpul SL over the BCM Gunfighter, having had both I feel the same.
First off I appreciate the compliments from everyone.
Having owned both the magpul, and the BCM, I feel the magpul is a better stock for me. I now own 4 SL stocks and 0 of the BCMs. While I do love some BCM gear, the stock just doesn’t do it for me. Especially the QD sockets!! Magpul stocks have been solid performers for years and years and I feel that they don’t take away from even the most rugged and we’ll built rifles. Just my opinion. If a magpul wasn’t on there, it would have been one of my B5s. I would say in my opinion that if the BCM was on there, it takes away from the rifle.
I have played around with the 45 Ambi and I can’t for the life of me get used to it. It’s almost like when I go back to safe, the lever is not there with my trigger finger. While the 45 is simple to use with your thumb for both directions. All my rifles are set up with 90 ambis and going back to safe happens with my trigger finger. I’m sure I could get used to it over time, but switching all my rifles to that would be a hard cost to justify.
The Bushnell with the BTR-2 and in SFP is really nice. Glass is very clear as you can expect from the elite series. And at 1x is almost as fast as my aimpoints (T1s AND M4S’). I really didn’t need anything with more powerful magnification for this rifle. I get constant hits 500 plus with this optic at the 6.5 power. Silhouette target mind you. I have only used the illuminated rectile a few times in low light shooting, but it does work well. I have not used the NV settings on the optic yet. I bought this same scope in FFP and it was absolutely horrible. I don’t know how anyone can use a FFP on 1x power with any optic. It was pretty much useless, unless on 6.5x. And you lose all ranging capabilities as the rectile is so small and looks just like a red dot. On the FFP, the brightness is not bright enough to see the dot in the sunlight on 1x even on the brightest setting with a fresh battery. The SFP is where it’s at. Plenty bright even in the sun. The rectile is big enough where you don’t need it illuminated to see clearly. And to me feels like an eotech with the circle around the dot. FOV is nice and the eye relief is forgiving. You need to mount it pretty far forward in the mount and the last upper slot before the rail. I haven’t banged it around yet, but I don’t doubt it will hold up to some hard use. ADM mount return to zero was right on the money the 3 times I took it off, shot with irons, and returned the optic back to the rifle. I did not notice any shift.
Here was my initial grouping with the rifle. This was the rest of Mk262 mod 1 rounds in my mag with the last clean target up before I left the range. This was right under 100 yards. 90 something, as the shooting benches were moved up for cleaning/maintenance. Off of sand bags. It was somewhere in the 15 ish shot group. With the Socom mini attached. I thought the bottom round and the left most rounds went in sideways/kinda keyhole when first looking at it. But the hole was perfect, just the way the shoot-n-see target ripped. But its a great shooter!!
Very nice build. I really like everything you did. Grab an ATLAS bipod and rock on. I went with a 14.5 afghan noveske with g rail and AAC MINI4. I’m running an ACOG, but I think your bushy is a good choice.
Thank you PB. Your set up sounds like a great one also. I’m Looking for an Atlas as we speak. Sounds like its the best choice at the moment. Headed down to TX in a few weeks and I’m hoping I can tally up some hogs with this thing.
That is so amusingly similar to my idea (and BuckJay’s) of a stubby-can Recce type unit. With QD capability the ATLAS would be money on there, I’m consistently impressed with just how good the 6x at the top end is from supported prone.
And yeah - what’s not to love about a double stamp carbine that’s still under 16" effective bore length with the can included?
The ball mill was strictly for weight savings. Nothing else. I know it has that “cool” factor to some, but the barrel was a little heavy for my taste. I know slapping a suppressor on the end kind of reverses the weight thing… Going the 13.7 route really makes it a more compact package but still has the accuracy that I wanted. The Surefire mini keeps the length down quite a bit, and feels like my standard 16 inch middy in length. I was ok with the velocity lost and what goes with it. I love my 11.5s and 12.5s for inside 300 mainly, but wanted something just a tad longer and mid length gas system. This thing is such a soft shooter. Overall the performance and accuracy exceeded my expectation, and the 1-6.5 does its job well enough for the distances I need. I wouldn’t hesitate to build this exact same rifle over again.