Well as I have posted I am doing a multi caliber build. I am doing a 6.8 and 5.56 build as m4 clones.I will post all my questions in here as they come up but here is a list of what I am thinking of going with.
Spikes lower with pirate
spikes enhanced lpk
Not decided on buffer tube, buffer, or stock as of yet but thinking of lmt sopmod, rra operator, or magpul moe or ctr.
BCM upper either 14.5 or 16"
BCM or cmt mpi auto bcg
BCMgunfighter medium charging handle
Arms 40 lp buis
comp m3 or m4 not sure yet and not sure if qrp or other mount. Maybe a magnifier with Larue pivot
Need advice on rails. I dont need free float and want fairly easy removal. How does the DD eazy car compare to MI #17 gen 2 and kac?
Some sort of vfg like the graphite or kac
Might do a tao1nsn for the 6.8
Need a single point sling and maybe a qd backplate.
I am open to suggestions and could use some advice.
what is your intended use for this gun(s)? What is your prior experience with the AR15 family of weapons? What other firearms do you have experience with and in what applications? How did you arrive at this list of parts?
Prior experience was 10 years in combat arms mos and 1 year with civilian with several deployments. Other firearms I have experience with includes all us small arms and many others due to MOS. I have experience with ccw and usually choose sig p220 carry, p229, h&k usp compact 45, or springfield xd 45 and 40.
Reasoning for this would be practice and 3 gun and personal defense. I am considering picking up another contract but 2006 was last deployment and bit rusty in shooting. Last civilian ar was a rra entry tactical.
I did a bit of research for the list but not extensive for the lpk. The upper parts are as close to what I am familiar with and within my budget. I wanted to build this ar and that is why I chose not to go with colt. I will be purchasing the parts from Bravo company, Brownells, gunbroker, and maybe a few more places. I dont have all the tools to build the upper and that is why I am purchasing a bcm upper.
Awesome. As you can imagine quite a few people post an extensive list without any idea what/why and zero background.
I know you said you don’t need a free-float, but IMO it’s the way to go. Not because of any benchrest reasons but because it allows you to brace the gun against barricades, walls, etc. without impacting the barrel and therefore impacting the POI.
If this is your one and only AR, I would suggest the 16" mid-length over the 14.5" unless you’re willing to register as an SBR to save the 1.5". Pinning the FH, or whatever you put out there, isn’t worth the trouble IMO.
Take a look at the Aimpoint PRO, best value out there in an RDS.
Noveske receiver endplate single point sling mount. One goes on all my guns now. But I wouldn’t use a single-point sling on a 16" AR either.
Not a fan of ARMS anything. Take a look at Troy if you want the best folding site, or Magpul MBUS if you want to save some coin.
Would you recommend a 3 point for a 16" for transition drills? I used a 3 point extensively in my prior experience but found it got in the way at times. I was thinking a 1 point clipped to my chest rig or plate carrier would be a bit easier and not get in the way like the 3 point did. If you have a different suggestion for this I am all ears.
As far as free float I will consider it, but never needed it in the past at 400 meters and closer.
I will look at the aimpoint pro and compare it to the m68 and tao1nsn we used and figure out if it is comparable. Would a 3x be a better solution than a tao1nsn or other acog? I will be using the 6.8 to hunt and around here in Texas a long rang shot is not likely( Fort Hood area) Just moved here within past few months.
I used the arms 40l on my rra and had no issues and actually liked it. I liked the spring loaded aspect and never had an issue with shifted zero or quality. I wish the magpul was metal but I will take a look at it. What makes the Troy better than the arms?
I will look into a 2 point sling. I did not even think about Larry when I though about slings. He is over off Ramsey street in Fayetteville. I will drop in and say hi next time I am at Bragg to see my Daughter. Is it pretty easy to use qd on the Vickers? Would you recomend one over the other? Mount a qd on the endplate and one on the rail.
The pro looks like a winner. Comes with a qrp mount. Hopefully I can find it when it comes time to purchase optics.
I will pick up the vcas as well as a tapco sling and figure out which I prefer and how I prefer to mount for drills and stick with it. Probably give the other away or use it for wifes build. Apreciate the advice and will keep everyone posted in this thread as build goes along. I need to loose some weight before I accept a contract again as I am pretty out of shape and wife wants me back in reg and tip top before deploying again.
Go to GG&G for optic/mount packages. They usually have some pretty good deals.
As for slings, I use a 215 Gear single point sling. The quick detach mechanism is amazing. I would recommend checking it out.
As for barrels… I find myself fighting this battle quite a bit anymore. I use a 14.5" on mine. There is no difficulty installing or removing anything due to the use of a two-piece gas block. I don’t know what people in general hold against them but I’ve had zero issues. Changing rails and barrels are very fast and a snap. It didn’t really take any brain power to line up the port holes either. I say get what you want to suit you. There are parts out there to make it possible.
Lots of good words about http://www.gandrtactical.com on this forum. Probably the first place I’d go to for anything, being G is pretty damn active on here, and looking at his replies, one hell of a stand up guy also.
Also, the whole ARMS ordeal sight wise is hit or miss. Just like some people on here hate Troy sights, BUT, ARMS has one more variable to screw up on than Troy does, and it’s their spring system. Although they were basically the company Troy Arms and Magpul jacked the design from in the beginning. Not a bad design, but you will realize you can just flip a troy up easier by hand, than pushing a button on some Magpul sights or ARMS sights.
Wondering why your so set on your Spikes lower though. Unless you already have it, there are much better companies to purchase from (such as BCM). Remember it’s not about the deal or anything, it’s about supporting people who truly make this industry better, and I have to hand it to BCM on this one.
LPK for me is DD (just due to their customer service), but from what I’ve seen LMT holds up with Colt in this arena. Don’t think I’ve seen one bad thing about the LMT stuff on here.
GG&G is outdated and obsolete in general. With companies like Larue, ADM, and Bobro around there is zero reason to use GG&G.
As for barrels… I find myself fighting this battle quite a bit anymore. I use a 14.5" on mine. There is no difficulty installing or removing anything due to the use of a two-piece gas block. I don’t know what people in general hold against them but I’ve had zero issues. Changing rails and barrels are very fast and a snap. It didn’t really take any brain power to line up the port holes either. I say get what you want to suit you. There are parts out there to make it possible.
possible? yes. two-piece gas block? major trade-off.
Having a 14.5" barrel with a pinned device makes it harder to change handguards and (real) gas blocks than having a 16" with an un-pinned device. This is a statement of fact.
I chose the spikes lower because it is milspec, like the roll marks, and has a lifetime warranty. It was already ordered and will suit my needs. The lpk was thrown in for free so I thought I would give it a try.I can replace parts if I need to later on. My goal right now is to get it up and running for as little as I can with quality parts.
Unlike many here I think you’ll be fine with the Spike’s. I’m not a fan of their marketing, or their rollmarks, but that’s got nothing to do with the quality of the product.
These days a lower is a lower. Years ago we had to worry about cast lowers, lowers with pin holes out of true or in the wrong places, etc. Today those concerns are virtually non-existent. Many people don’t realize that lowers are only coming from a very few places with forges big enough to make them. Then they go to companies that actually machine them down to 100% lowers and there are relatively few of them as well.
Your Spikes lower, and parts, should do you fine and if something is wrong with either you’ll know either upon assembly or within the first couple of hundred rounds. People around here need to get over the Spikes thing already.
Please substantiate your statements of “fact”. First, on the gas-block, what trade off? I’ve found none. As a matter of fact, I’ve found it to be more useful than any single piece because, well, I have more options especially when it comes to pinned/welded muzzle devices. Period.
And as for GG&G, unless you’ve had some god-awful experience with them, why would you discount the company entirely? You said nothing regarding optics or mounts. You merely pointed your finger at the company. So, unless you really have a valid point on either topic…
I think he was getting at since the muzzle device would be pinned on a 14.5" barrel if you don’t SBR it, then there is virtually no way to remove a single piece gas block/fsb/whatever from it, also complicating issues with hand guard installation/removal. If I want to remove my FSB from my barrel, I have to remove my muzzle device, no other way to get it off.
Are you posting to help someone else with their new project or to defend your own?
pinned gas blocks are more secure than set-screw, clamp on, or other methods requiring threaded connections. This, again, is a statement of fact. If yours is secure enough for you, then by all means motor on. But it’s not the most secure. You’ve presented your argument for the OP (if you use a less secure gas block mounting system you can negate, to some extent, the difficulties in changing handguards with a pinned-on muzzle device) and I’ve presented mine (you can avoid all that nonsense entirely and have a more secure gas block mounting simply by going with a 16" barrel and non-pinned device).
GG&G products on the whole are outdated designs, and their new(er) designs are… odd to say the least. There are better (more secure, more easily removed, lighter, less expensive, etc.) options available from other companies. GG&G, last time I checked, doesn’t make the optic so all we are evaluating form them is mounts in this case.
Anything written in forums should always be about helping others. I was merely asking you to define your statements for that purpose. I couldn’t care less if you like what I do with my builds. And the follow on write-up were just what I wanted to see. Very good cases. Thanks for adding that.
Thanks for your service. Always cool to see someone who has been there done that and is still humble enough to ask questions. FWIW rob_s has a squared away approach to evaluating gear.
Have you done much 3 gun? Is this something that is going to really be a 3gun rifle that may be called upon for self defense.