Jgun

I have to tell you, the differences between the Springfield Scout and the other AR type weapons is substantial. I didn't go back and review the other posts on your thread so please bear with me if I missed something important. Your title says your looking for a reliable .308. There are many different opinions as to the reliability and durability of the M14 type rifle vs the large platform AR type rifle. I have read of some quality control issues with the new from the factory Springfield rifles, the good news about that is that the company give a lifetime warranty, only problem is that you have to box it up and send it back to them. I haven't heard many complaints with the POF rifles, or the Armalites for that matter, but the price of a POF is substantially higher than the Springfield , isn't it? That issue aside, I think that comparing them is kind of hard to do because they are really very different. The Scouts lighter, but is harder to mount optics and accessories to. Most agree that out of the box the AR will be more accurate than the Scout, although, with work they can be made to shoot pretty well. Some say that the M14 platform is a more durable and reliable battle rifle but I have not personally compared them in this respect. It's funny, most people seem to be very opinionated when it comes to these two rifle types, many of the M14 guys hate the AR's and some of the AR guys say the M14 is an out dated design. You seem to be one of the only people that I have heard that at least sounds like your just looking for the best tool without any emotional attachment to one design over the other. I think that the modularity of the AR is a big plus, because it allows you to make many configuration chamges to the gun as your mission needs change. You can even have a second upper with an AR that can be installed in about a minute by pulling two pins. This is not the case with the Scout. Another thing I find is that the amount of aftermarket parts to upgrade an AR are greater than with the M14. If you want a 2lb trigger in your AR it's not going to be a problem, in the Scout, not going to happen. This can go on and on, but most end up going one way or the other because they just like the way one looks or feels better than the other. I think you should buy one, and then next year buy the other.

Seeing the compact 300 setup makes me feel like I "need" one too. I'd love to try one of these barrels out. I'm just torn, do I start buying parts for a different project, when I still need to get a trigger, buffer and bolt carrier for my currant .308 build, or do I feed my family? Hmmm...... maybe I could just buy the barrel to hold on to, Yeah thats the ticket.

Good looking build there, hoping to hear a report on that LOKI barrel soon. Almost seems a shame to cover up that nice fluted barrel. Looks like you cut it pretty close with that front sight block, any further forward and I think your comp might have been working on the bottom of the sight block.

ipsick, the second, smaller picture in your original post appears to show some marking (nicks/roughness) on the dia behind the lugs. Is that correct, is it marked up as it appears? If so, thats something I have not seen on any AR bolt before. I'm not a professional smith, or an armorer, and I'm sure many on here have built more, shot and seen many more AR bolts than I, but I'm thinking that the most likely way you'd get marks like that would be from the barrel extension. Have you taken a close look at that? Can you tell us who's barrel your using? Certainly, you ought to check the headspace, even if you weren't seeing these marks. I don't know if you reload, but if your finding that the shoulder of you once fired brass has moved much from that of a loded rd, you could have excess headspace.

I have been told that this is how it was intended. Now Mexico can sue us in international court, and it will happen anyway, without him having to take any responsibility, as has been his MO since Illinois.

I was asking the question rhetorically, I also understand, it's just so underhanded that I felt the need to post it.

I'm trying to figure out by what logic a high cap magazine restriction amendment belongs in a cybersecurity bill? http://thehill.com/video/senate/240657-cybersecurity-bill-includes-gun-control- measure

For those of you that might be interested, I just saw a new, unassembled Mega 5.56 rifle length monolithic upper listed for sale on the M14 forum. Seller wants $625 (what he says he paid for it) If your interested you'd do well to act quickly.

I think I need to get a life. And the scariest thing is that this isn't the only site i spend time on, and I think I probably spend more time emailing than I do on the sites. Wonder how many hours I've spent brushing my teeth over the years?

What I was referring to when I asked if they sold the MA TEN uppers (non monolithic) seperately from the lowers was that some guys like to build a couple of uppers in different configurations, that they can switch out on one lower. As I recall, when I bought my MA TEN set when they were first released, Mega was only selling them as a matched upper/lower set. I wouldn't mind picking up another upper to build a .260, 6.5 X 47, or similar cal. without incurring the expense of building a complete new gun.

Ive got a 5.56 gun with a Vltor MUR upper on a Mega lower, with the DD Lite rail, and as 98 says, it uses a rock solid mounting design, maybe the strongest that I've seen. An added bebefit to the seperate components over a monolithic upper is that, should you decide that you want to go with a different barrel rail configuration, you have the ability to do it. I'm wondering, do they sell non monolithic MA TEN uppers seperate from the lowers? Another potential benefit, is that, should your rail become damaged, you could replace the handguard without having to switch the whole upper, and finally, a benefit (for me) with the seperate components, is that I can buy the parts one at a time so i don't take such a big financial hit all at once. I was looking at the Mega mono uppers, and to buy one is (was) a decent piece of change.

If you measure the outside dia of your buffer tube, in front of the movable butt stock, according to the other post, the mil spec buffer tube should measure between 1.145" and 1.150" and the commercial should measure between 1.163" and 1.173".

I hadn't considered the bolt catch, I wonder what could be done to reduce that, I wonder if an extra power, or slightly longer spring, might reduce some of that extra travel? I wonder if a stronger spring might keep it from traveling the full 5/8" further back? I guess this warrants further thought, that is, if he decides that he doesn't want the tube.

I've posted pics of this one before, but it's the most fun to shoot of all that I've put togethr so far. I had a magnified optic on it, but I've found that I can hit 12" steel plates at will at 200 with the little mini red dot mounted at 45. I'm actually finding that for fast shooting to center mass, I like having the gun canted like that better than upright.

Aside from the XH buffer, which should help with the felt recoil I would be thinking about an effective brake if you weren't running the AAC can. Do you have their one of their blackout muzzlebrake/mount combos on it?

So, if SS has a tube that is 5/8" longer than a standard carbine tube, aside from the possible added LOP, I wonder what that extra buffer travel could do do for you? maybe slow down cycling which might aid in ejection? Or maybe you might have issues with the gun not having as much energy to load the rd and lock the bolt. Sounds as though it might be a fun part to play around with. Survivalshop, if you decide you don't want it because it's out of spec, and your not interesteed in experimenting with it, I'd be interested in buying it from you to see what it does in one of my AR's

Maybe you guys can clarify this for me. I see in the drawing, (and I was under the impression that it was true) that both the mil spec and commercial tubes share the same 1 3/16"-16 thread that attaches them to the lower. After all, there is only one thread specefied in all of the lowers, right? If this is so, the 1.170" and 1.185 " refer to the OD of the tube behind the thread, where the collapsing stock slides on, no? Am I also correct in understanding that all of them are supposed to have the same inside dia, since I've never seen a buffer refered to as mil spec or commercial. Unless I've gotten some of the above wrong isn't the only difference between the two supposed to be the outside dia, and maybe the OAL?

Sorry about that, this one just kind of took on a life of it's own.

I agree with you 100% on this. I have wanted to try my hand at turning a barrel for a while now. Obviously, I'm not able to rifle my own blank so at the minimum, I would have needed to buy a rifled blank, but that would have still required me to buy or rent a .50 BMG chamber reamer, whic eguals more cost. When I found this deep chambered blank for $175, I decided that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. besides which, I'm thinking that at that price, if I should screw it up (since this is me first attempt at trying to contour and thread a barrel), I won't be out quite as much as if I contacted one of the big names for a chambered blank. I've been told that these barrels are not bad accuracy wise, so I'm hoping that my results are similar to yours with the Green Mountain blank.

Festivities? Is that code for summit meeting to go over strategy, in your combined efforts to lead the rest of us easily influenced members into poverty?

I think that $2,500 for that mag fed upper sounds like a bargain. Of course, I'd bet that the 5 rd AI mag is not included in the price, so that brings it up to $2,700 ready to mount on your lower. I really like their design. If I were looking to buy something off the shelf I'f be taking a good look at this one. Funny thing about the tank brake, I see it's a $300 upgrade when you order the upper, but it's listed as $250 in the accessories section? I have seen similar brakes on gunbroker, for more reasonable prices, but your advice on getting the most effective brake I can, is well taken. I'm doing this for the challange of building a gun from scratch, more than for the purpose of obtaining a 50 bolt gun. Incidentally, The barrel blank that I have is the same Mossberg barrel that they are using on their base ultralite model. I had considered buying a more expensive, finished barrel, but the great price of the blank is what had originally motivated me to get started with this project. A finished barrel would have added $300-$500 to the price. I figure that if I'm happy with my creation, but not with the barrel, I'll spring for a high end finished barrel, later on. Thanks for the link.

I have no ID info to offer on this, but, if the outside measures the same, aside from the length, and the bore dia is also OK, my question to you is, if the knock off is 5/8" longer outside, is it also the same amount longer inside? What had occured to me was that depending on the answer to my question, the longer extension might be useful for changing the way that a gun cycles? Even if the ID matched the mil spec tube, if the extra length on the knock of is between the first stock adjustment hole and the receiver, your picking up an extra 5/8" of LOP at every position. Might be a useful thing to fine tune your collapsing stock, not to mention the possibility of playing with the cycling of the carrier, by adding or subtracting length inside with spacers, if in fact the bore is 5/8" deeper as the OAL is longer.

As a conspiracy theorist, I can't help wondering if 98 and Robocop go over their posts together before posting on the open forum, in order to have the greatest impact on those of us of weaker moral character, that are easilly influenced (like me apparently). Kind of like a timed coordinated attack?

That's funny, I was thinking of you and robocop as the leaders of the mob when I made that last post?

I've done nothing on this since my original post, no preliminary drawings, no mock up bolt and receiver, nothing. My excuse is that I've been working on another large platform AR, along with my ongoing M1A project, but the truth is that it's been so hot that I can't get motivated to get started on it. I'm thinking that it's probably going to be something I'll work on over the winter. Thanks for the lead on the brake, I'll have to check them out.