Jgun

beautiful rifle. As I attempt to educate myself about these rifles,I'm finding that there seem to be a lot of traditionalists out there that have very strong opinions with regards to what parts are appropriate to use when building one. It would appear that the old timers feel very protective about these guns. I've had people go so far as to tell me that it's sacrilegious to install one of them in anything other than a USGI stock.

I took another look at one of the BAD levers on one of my guns, and I stand corrected, I see that I had confused and incorrectly remembered the lever as being attached to the back peice of the BAD and not the front. What your suggesting may work, if possible I might try to get a small nut on the back if there's enough room. Good luck.

That might work for you, the only problem I can think of with that plan is that, since the lever part of the BAD is the part that goes behing your stock bolt catch pad, the front cover of the BAD usually isn't the problem, but if you buy one and test fit it behind the bolt catch and it makes it you should be good to go. One of the nice things about fitting these to the .308's vs the AR-15's is that the .308's(at least all of mine) have a threaded pin holding the bolt catch in place, so it's easy to take the catch on and off while fitting. With the roll pin of the AR-15's I made up a pin so that I could do the same on new builds, but when trying to fit one to a gun that already has the catch secured with the roll pin, you either have to drive the pin out or work around the catch while it' s in place (a PITA)

It's the J Allen Enterprises stock for the M14/M1A

I just ordered one of these stocks, but it will be a long time before I actually see it.

basonjerndt, Don't know if you noticed the post in .308 parts,from majorjim. But apparently chrome plated .308 bolt carriers with the FA serrations are currently available from Young's Mfg. even though they have not yet posted them on their site, and the bolts are supposed to be available in the near future.

Raygun, The Magpul BAD is made of aluminum and the bolt release is cast steel so your not going to be able to solder or weld them. You might be able to epoxy them together. I have tried the BAD lever on a couple of .308 AR's and find that the problem often is that the part of the BAD that the bolt release pad fits into is often too large and prevents the bolt catch from operating because of interference with the upper. With a couple of exceptions I've been able to modify the BAD levers to work. I have the same problem with my Kaiser KR7 .308 receiver. he BAD will interfere with the upper enough that it's not an option for me. I picked up one of the Phase 5 EBRV 1 clamp on bolt release levers, and although I can't use it as a clamp on because of the back clamp part interfering with the upper, since it is made of steel I can grind it as needed and weld it to the standard bolt catch. If you can TIG weld, or know someone that can, that might be you best option. When I get around to doing mine I'll post a couple of pictures of it. This doesn't have anything to do with the .308 AR's but might also be useful to someone so I would mention that, on my most recent AR 15 type build, I used an L 15 lower from Lancer systems, The BAD would not work because the lever contacted the receiver on the bottom edge and there was not enough material on the BAD to relieve it for clearance. I picked up one of the levers from Model 1 sales (which is made of steel) and modified it as pictured. I'm sure it will function , I just need to refinish it.

That Smith looks like a nice comp, I may want to test one of them also. I tried that bullet drop calculator and got a drop of 7.5" at 200m with my 145 bullets. I played around with the velocity a little and see that if I can get even a little more muzzle velocity out of my load it will really help to reduce the bullet drop at 200m. It will be interesting to see if real world results actually turn out to be similar to the table. Thanks for the link. I'm thinking that for my purposes 7.5" bullet drop might not be a deal breaker for me, because in my experience the 200 yd shots in the matches are always on steel so all I have to do is hit the target to score. I'm thinking that if I sight in for 100 yds, the hit's will probably be close enough to point of aim out to 100-150 yds to work for me. Sounds like I might have a workable competition setup, as long as I can get the round to make the power factor.

Called up Geissele today. The guy I spoke to was very friendly and didn't act like I was bothering him with stupid questions. I always hate it when I call up a company and unless I'm ordering something from them the person on the phone acts like I'm wasting their valuable time. Anyway, I was told that the Super dynamic 3 gun trigger cannot be adjusted. He said that they use the same hammer spring in all their triggers for reliable ignition, and that if I want a super lightweight pull, one of their other triggers would be a better choice. He told me that the SD3G was factory set to be a 3.5 lb trigger, and that the trigger was designed based on the input from 3 gun competitors. The main feature desirable for 3 gun is the single stage with short reset. He said that he personally can get better groups off the bench with one of their 2 stage triggers because you have warning of when the trigger will fall, while the single stage is more designed for rapid fire. He also told me that I could lighten the trigger pull slightly by bending the legs of the trigger spring a little bit, but not to expect it to turn a 3.5 lb trigger into a 2 lb trigger.

Is the magpul fairly new, did you try any other magpul mags? I was told by someone that swears by metal mags, that the magpuls can wear out in the mag release notch and sit lower, Although I've yet to have a problem with either the .223 or the 308 magpuls in my guns, same thing for the SR-25 mags I have, they've all worked 100%. The only mag I've had problems with in my AR's has been an extended DPMS that for some reason locks back with one rd left in the mag every time.

I meant to mention, the SD3G trigger feels really nice. I like the single stage with no pull increase before the break. I did notice that it's got a heavier pull than any of my other AR triggers. I don't think that it's so much a matter of this one having a heavy pull as it is of the Gold triggers and the Jard trigger having such light pulls that this one feels heavy by comparison. I'd like to put a pull gauge on it to see what it actually reads. 98, do you know if there's any adjustability to these by changing springs or anything? Since I've never been in combat, this statement may be misguided due to my lack of experience, but this trigger feels to me like it would make a perfect combat trigger. I really like the way the flat trigger feels, probably because I'm used to it from my pistols. I also added that grip spacer from Brownells to experiment with the trigger finger placement. I don't really like the way it looks, but it locates the pad of my trigger finger perfectly on the trigger. I haven't had a chance to try it out to see if I like shooting with it that way but as soon as I find time to load some more 300, I'll get back out to test it.

Last time I had mine out, (using a different lower since mine wasn't finished) I was at the range with all of my friends that had their light weight comp 223 AR's, and I got a chance to shoot the 300 and then pick up one of the comp 223's and try it, and there was a noticeable difference between the two as far as recoil is concerned. When I compared it to a standard tactical type .223 AR (also available to me that day) the difference in recoil was minimal. I attribute this to the fact that they are all loading light loads in their comp guns, while I, in order to try to reach the desired power factor, am loading hotter. the different comps that they were using might also have had some effect on perceived recoil. I'm planning to test out a couple of different comps to see if I can feel any difference, I kind of like the feeling that I'm actually shooting something that has a little push to it, so the added recoil doesn't really bother me, The only thing that may cause me to rethink this rd for competition, will be if the bullet drop at say 200yds is so excessive that I can't get reliable hits. If it's just a matter of practice I'll be OK. It looks as though this may be an interesting year of experimentation for me with the 300.

Just to muddy the waters a little further, I thought I'd post this new chassis I came across. www.xlrindustries.com

NL7CO, Maybe you can answer a question about the Troy release. In the pics it looks as though the tab on the left that you depress to dump the mag, works like a lever, using the side of the receiver as the fulcrum to "pull" the mag release. while the Norgon is fully self contained and has the lever built in to the release button. If this is correct, can you tell me if you've noticed any wear on the side of the receiver where the lever bears on it to pull the release? I was just wondering if I should expect that I will end up with the hardcoat worn off the receiver over time if I were to run one?

I should clarify the point that I'm not suggesting using one address to legally apply for the tax stamp for a SBR and then using it in a different state, I was just wondering what the BATF position is on having a legal SBR in a state where you have a vacation home, and only storing and using it in that state. Anyone know if your required to have the SBR registered in the state where your primary residence is?

survivalshop, I picked up one of those Hornady COL gauges, and sent a couple of my fired 300 cases to them to drill and tap for me. Now that the guns done, I figure I'm going to see if my COL is limited by my chamber, the amount of purchase that the case has on the bullet, or the front of the Pmag. I've got an assortment of bullets ranging from 110 to 220. I've been told that I should try to see what results I can get with the 175's but I have some really nice Lapua 155's from one of my friends. I presently have enough powder to load maybe another 100rds. So I figure I'll try some more of the 145's upping the charge in 1/2 gr increments till I see signs of excess pressure. Along with that, I plan to load some of the 155's, 168's and 175's just to get a starting point for load development. Having never done this before, I'm a little bit confused about working on a load for power factor vs for accuracy. I assume that I can't really sight in with one of the bullet weights, check the chrono figures AND do the same for a different bullet without having to resight in for the other weight bullet. Would that be correct?

Unfortunately, Where I presently live, SBR's and suppressor's are not an option. I've been giving some thought to the idea of looking into a second place, in FL. but I'm not sure how that works as far as going for a SBR using an address that is not your primary residence.

Now that the trigger showed up, My 300 is essentially finished, with the exception of refinishing the bolt lever and trying out a couple of comps to see if one is noticeably better than the others. I still have to figure out what I'm going to do for optics, but I guess it's time for me to get back to work on trying to find a load to make major power factor. I realize it's not very pretty but it was purpose built to shoot the matches with no consideration to any other uses.

The Rainier Ultra match that you've listed looks a lot like the Noveske Afghan I used for my .223 Mega carbine, but for a much better price. I think that Noveske uses the same Shilen blanks for their barrels. The Rainier branded parts seem to be as good or better than the big names but for much better prices. I hear that the Rainier AR 15 uppers are also excellent.

The Mega monolithic AR-15 upper,I think, matches the squared off contour of the GTR-3H upper that you are using on the 10mm build. The GTR-3S, on the other hand, is designed to match the contour of the mil spec uppers, so it (in my opinion) matches up aesthetically to the MUR. You really have the option of either one depending on what your preference is, separate rail or monolithic upper.

98, I see that AR 15.com is now selling these lowers stripped. I'm tempted to go for one, but unfortunately they're marked 5.56 and not multi and so don't work with what I'm considering for my next project. Good looking lower though. If I had the extra cash, I'd buy one, just to put in the draw for some, as of now,unknown future build. Maybe I'll tell the wife I want one for Christmas.

Gonna make a hell of a build. What are you doing for a barrel?

I'm sure you already know this, but if you decide to mate a Mega lower to the MUR upper, the GTR-3S will blend better at the back than the GTR-3H that your using in this build, because it's not squared off at the back and matches the MUR profile better.

Beautiful lower ROBOCOP, I used one of the pre ambi Mega lower receivers to build a .223 AR. That was before Mega had even announced the MA TEN. I was so impressed with the quality of it that I pre ordered the MA TEN from Rainier as soon as they announced it. I also found that it really fit the Vltor MUR upper well. I see that you have the Troy pistol grip, I've been wanting to try one, do you like it compared to the MAGPUL? I also see that you have the CMC flat trigger. I just got the Geissele SD3G trigger for my 300, I think I prefer the flat trigger to a curved, what about you, Have you noticed a difference? What is your opinion of the CMC trigger? Do you know the pull weight?

Hunterco, Can you tell me what the negative comments were on the MA TEN receiver? I don't recall ever reading anything negative about it, other than one member I believe said the hammer/trigger pin holes were tight on his. Addressing your question about whether you should pay to have your gun assembled, as 90Z5V suggested, it might be cheaper to pay someone to check your headspace than buying the gauges and doing it yourself. The same applies to assembly, if you don't own any of the tools needed to assemble an AR-15 ,plus the specific tools for your build( barrel nut wrench I'm thinking) it will be cheaper to pay someone to do it. That is of course assuming you don't expect to be doing any more builds in the future. You know how it is with mechanical things, the first time out it always costs more because your buying tools.