Hooz

So it's been quite a while since my last update. I have made some progress, but I changed the plan a bit so there is more waiting to do. I decided to build the gun in 6.5 Creedmoor instead of .308 as I orginally planned. So I sold my .308 barrel and I'm in line (6-8 weeks) for a Kreiger 6.5 Creedmoor barrel. But here is how everything sits right now. McMillan Tan Cerakote is done and all the parts (sans barrel) are here. I'm just not in a hurry since the barrel is still more than a month out. Also... I finally took delivery of my Spike's Tactical MRS-2 suppressor yesterday (after 7 months of waiting for the stamp). Since I mentioned it in this thread, here is a picture of it on my 300 Blackout SBR. Sorry for the crappy cellphone pics. It's all I had handy.

I guess when my MRS-2 stamp comes back I'll have to do a build thread in the 300 BLK forum. ;D I also have another 300 BLK build in progress, but I need to finish this 308 first.

So that I could do this... I really like the way the reflex cans suppress without adding as much to the overall length of the gun. The MRS-2 is about 7" long, but it only adds ~4" to the overall length. I have an 11.3" barrel and a 10" rail on my 300 BLK SBR, so it'll look a lot like the Compressor (pictured above), just a couple inches longer (I think they use an 8" barrel and 9" rail). I also have a McGowen Precision built CZ 527 chambered in 300 BLK, two 6.5 Grendel ARs and a couple 5.56 ARs that I'll be setting-up with the MRS/LRS mounts so that I can use the can(s) on multiple hosts. It just made sense to have this build done now instead of redoing it later. Once the two stamps I have pending now (MRS-2 and 9mm Multimount) are back, I also plan on getting the titanium LRS-2 which is more ideally suited to a .308 build. The LRS-2 uses the same mounting system, so either way I'm good-to-go.

I have paperwork in proccess to pick-up my Spike's MRS-2 that should be back any time now (5 months in on the wait). http://www.spikestactical.com/new/z/suppressor-mrs2-30-cal-p-787.html I bought the MRS-2 to use mainly on my 300 BLK SBR but it's rated for .308, so I figured I'd get this gun setup for it too. Once the MRS-2 stamp and another stamp I am waiting on (9mm Multimount) come back I'll start the proccess of buying a Spike's LRS-2 which will be a bit more appropriate for this gun. It also uses the same mounting system as the MRS-2, so I'll already be good-to-go there. Spike's worked with OPS Inc to develop the MRS/LRS suppressors, so they use the same sort of muzzle device/alignment collar mounting system.

Heh. Yeah. He is going to lap the receiver, shorten (from 20" to 18") and rethread the barrel, reprofile the barrel for my suppressor mount, Cerakote and assemble the whole upper.

My quest for a reputable Cerakote outfit somewhere in Ohio has led me to Mark Gordon over at Short Action Customs. I contacted him via email to discuss options and pricing, and things kind of snowballed out of control. Now I'm looking at "a few" modifications in addition to the Cerakote... This is going to cost me, but I figured I might as well do it the way I want to out of the gate. :)

People who run lightweight carriers and buffers in their ARs typically run extra power action springs. Since there is less mass slamming the bolt home, the spring helps, and it also mitigates bolt bounce. The JP captured spring is designed to run with their carrier, so you'll be fine. But like I said earlier, you adjust the gas to your operating system. There is no "over gassing" or accelerated carrier velocity because you tune it to your setup... Stuff only moves as fast as it needs to. I have low mass systems in two ARs, and I'm putting one in my LR308 build too. I like them a lot.

Well, you could. But, the other benefit of using the LMOS system is that it reduces the reciprocating mass and reduces the "felt" recoil when shooting the rifle. The lower the reciprocating mass also keeps the gun flatter during recoil. That's why 3-gun guys almost all run low mass systems (and adjustable gas blocks)... Less recoil and less muzzle rise lead to faster follow-up shots. There was a great thread on this subject over at Sniper's Hide. One post there does a better job of explaining than I do.

The whole point of the LMOS systems revolves around having an adjustable gas block. If you adjust the gas correctly, the carrier won't have any more velocity suppressed than it will unsupressed... Because you're restricting the gas to the point that it only cycles the action, regardless of the setup. If you're running unsuppressed, you adjust the gas so that the bolt just locks back on an empty magazine. If you're running suppressed, you turn the gas down until the bolt just locks back on an empty magazine. Either way, the end result is the same bolt velocity. In a nutshell - You'll be fine shooting suppressed with a LMOS system as long as you tune the gas block correctly. That's exactly what they designed the system to do.

Well. It turns out that the health issues are worse than I knew. I got the full scoop today from the guy's wife... as she was returning my unpainted parts. Turns out he is going to be laid-up for a while. :( Anybody know any decent Cerakote guys? Mid-Ohio area would be nice.

The nurses busted me for trying to smuggle in the blast cabinet disguised as a food cart. <dontknow>

Yeah. So... I got all my parts out to my Cerakote guy a few weeks ago and he ordered the color I decided on. Then he proceeded to get sick to the point that he was admitted to the hospital. :o I've got boxes full of parts waiting to be painted and assembled. Still in a holding pattern. In the meantime I got in on the preorder for the Rainier Arms AXTS 7.62 Raptor charging handle. I have a few of them on 5.56 guns, so it was a no-brainer for me when they announced the 7.62 version.

I pre-ordered mine! I've got 3 of the 5.56 version handles. They're seriously stout. I'll probably (eventually) replace all my Gunfighters with Raptors since I'm trying to make sure all of my ARs are as ambidextrous as they can be.

Yep. Same Hooz. ;)

I am hoping this barrel likes bullets in the 155-168gr weight. My 1:10" twist bolt guns like the heavier stuff, but my 1:11" guns seem to like the lighter bullets. I won't know for sure until it's done and I get a chance to shoot it, though. As for the "how long is long" question: A couple ranges that I go to regularly have 300-400 yard rafle ranges (not very "long"), but there is a place a little further out where you can shoot out to 1200 yards. A few of my buddies have been making the 2 hour roundtrip recently to watch (and eventually participate in) some informal long range matches. We're getting a group together to try to make that a regular thing. For the Cerakote... I took all my stuff out to the painter's last week and went through the entire Cerakote sample ring, trying to pick out a color that matched one of the colors in the Multicam. The two closest were Desert Sage (light green) and McMillan Tan (medium brown). I think the light green would stand out more in my AO, so I opted for the McMillan Tan. He didn't have the color in stock, so it'll probably arrive this week and he'll spray my upper, lower, receiver extension (buffer tube) and barrel as soon as he gets it.

Using my Akorn or a B.U.D. smoker, I can keep the temps to +/-10° for 14 hours or more with just charcoal and wood.

I have one on a 6.5 Grendel AR and it works very well. I went a different route for my LR-308 build, though. I got an SLR Rifleworks adjustable gas block. It's very similar to the Syrac block (spring loaded detent), but there is no "button" to push to change the gas settings, so it makes things a little easier to adjust.

Grilling and guns! My two favorite hobbies! I'm a hardcore charcoal guy, so gas and/or electric smokers just seem wrong to me. ;) I have a couple different grills, but my latest toy is a Kamado-style cooker (Char-griller Akorn). Some of my recent projects include... 20lbs of pork butt for a birthday party: The old standby - Beer Can Chicken Boneless turkey breast(s) Split chicken breasts Meatloaf Ribs (of course) Some cedar-planked salmon And, most recently, about 40 bone-in chicken thighs for another birthday party! I don't seem to have any pictures at all of my briskets, and I also noticed that I have a lot of "before" and "during" pictures, but not many "after" pics. Must've been too busy eating! ;D

I did a bunch of research before I settled on a barrel. Originally I was looking for an 18" barrel with rifle-length gas system and a medium weight profile, but there aren't many options for that configuration. I wanted a 1:11" twist (for 155-168gr bullets). That limited my choices. I also wanted something that was "in stock" so I wouldn't be waiting 4-12 weeks for a barrel. That REALLY limited my choices. My searching pointed me towards... A company that shall not be named here, I guess... I found that people reported excellent accuracy with this company's "3R" polygonal rifled barrels (and I'm a HUGE fan of the 5R polygonal rifled barrels that I have), and this same company is who builds the "Select" barrels for Rainier. The price is lower than some of the other barrels out there, but the quality and accuracy seems to hang with anyone. Rainier even offers a 1 MOA or better accuracy guarantee (people are reporting much better than that), so I figured I couldn't go wrong. Since the 18" Select barrel has a mid-length gas system, I decided on the 20". The "Ultra Match" barrels from Rainier are built on Shilen blanks. While Shilen makes nice barrels (I own a few), I haven't been impressed enough with them compared to other barrels I own (from various other manufacturers) to justify the $200 price premium over the "Select" barrels. I'm going to have to send the barrel to ADCO to get it reprofiled a bit for my suppressor mount. Since I'm sending it out anyway, I'm thinking about having it shortened to 18", since that's the length I wanted from the start.

I've started down the path of .308 AR enlightenment and as is typical of my builds on the various gun forums that I frequent, I thought I'd document it all here. I've built quite a few ARs in various calibers, but this is my first "large frame" build. I'm not quite done collecting the parts yet... But I'm getting close. ;) I'm kind of building this as a no-holds-barred, long range gun to see if it can/will replace my .308 bolt guns. What I have so far: CMMG Mk3Mod11 Lower DPMS 308 A3 Upper Receiver w/Charging Handle DPMS LR-308 Lower Parts Kit Troy Industries Ambi Mag Release Spike's Tactical Billet Mag Release Button DPMS Mil-spec 6-position Receiver Extension w/End Plate and Castle Nut Magpul ACS Stock (Multicam Dipped) Magpul MOE Grip (Multicam Dipped) Rainier Arms 20" Select Barrel SLR Rifleworks Adjustable Gas Block Rifle-length Gas Tube JP Enterprises Low Mass Carrier w/Enhanced Bolt JP Enterprises Silent Captured Spring Troy Industries 13.8" TRX Extreme (Multicam Dipped) Magpul 20LR PMAGs (Some Multicam Dipped, Some Black) Bushnell Elite Tactical ERS 6-24x50 (Mil/Mil, FFP, G2DMR Reticle) Spike's Tactical MRS-2 Suppressor (w/Alignment Collar, DynaComp HVS, Thread Protector, etc) Blue Force Gear Padded VCAS (Multicam) Phase 5 Tactical EBRv2/308 BAD-ASS KNS Gen 2 Mod 2 Pins Jard 3# Adjustable Trigger w/Weighted Hammer AADLAND Engineering AADMOUNT ADM RECON 30mm, 20MOA Mount Nada! It's all here! I think that's about everything except for lots of Cerakote. ;D Here's a picture I snapped with my phone the other day that shows what the Multicam stuff looks like. Except for the suppressor (only 3 months in on the wait for the stamp) I'm thinking I should have the rest of the parts in the next week or so, then I'll have to cart the whole mess over to my Cerakote guy. He is usually pretty quick, so it should only be a couple more weeks before I'll be ready for assembly. I can't wait!

I just wanted to post a note since I've been lurking here for quite some time and finally, now that my LR-308 project is well underway, registered an account. I've been scratch-building ARs for years now (over 30 built for myself, friends and family) and, since I have several .308 bolt guns, a .308 AR seemed like the right thing to do. Now I guess I'll head over to the tech section and start a build thread. <thumbsup>