jrtMA

I'm sure you're right about the weight issue. I like the weight of the rifle right now and will try another pad next time I go to the range but I have a very generous offer from another member here for a PRS and will likely jump on it next month. I am still surprised at the plastic components w/i the pad though, which seems to be a horrible design flaw (IMHO). This thing will be a moose next year when I add the scope so what's another pound or so anyways? I definately love the ACE and just hope that it's a fluke defect because I still plan to buy one of their minimalist stock next year for a build. This will not happen if the second pad cracks like the first.

Are you even allowed to shoot cheap ammo using that Ferrari on your rifle? lol. That sounds like a day I would have. I'm sure you'll have a much better day next time. Good luck.

Apparently the answer to that is yes. I will be capping myself at 4 though. The MAG TACT., Seekins (the standard and SP223), and a Double Diamond LE AR carbine lower. See, at least I have an organized compulsion...lol. 2 out of 4 have already been "captured."

Thanks for the input. Maybe I just got a defective product. It seems that ACE wouldn't be so popular if this were a common problem.

I thought it was solid from my initial once over. The bottom screw went first and 10 rds later the whole thing broke and fell off. I was just a bit pissed off, as I'm sure you guys can guess. The look of it really grew on me too. I will make some calls Monday and see what happens. Looks like that Magpul PRS might be back on the "to get" list. The good part is that the friend that I brought is in love with the rifle. I may have converted another. I think that he'd get one tomorrow if he didn't have a newborn at home. I love how this gun fires. It was only a bit more recoil than the S&W AR-15 that he brought

I wanted to put this in a separate thread from my build one and see if any of you guys have had any issues with the Ace Skeleton Stock. I now have about 100 rds through my AR-308 and this seemingly popular stock has already broke, wtf?!? I have attached 2 pics that might give you an idea of where it broke. Also, I did not overtighten the screws and I applied a small amount of blue locktite to prevent the screws from loosening. I have shot all my rounds from the bench and have never abused the rifle or stock in any way whatsoever. Should I be complaining to the company? It was purchased through MIDWAYUSA, if that would even be worth it to begin with. A closer look at the pad makes me think that the quality behind this product is subpar. Why would there be any type of cheap plastic in the rubber to begin with?

Does anyone have any suggestions for which adjustable gas block I should go with? I have the PRI now that I want to replace and see if there will be much of a difference going to an adjustable.

Ok. Why do I feel like I'm going to have to join a 12 step program over the next few years? I'm sure before long I'll have so many lowers I'll need a seperate safe for them.

I like the engraving on it in the pic. I found a company that does nice work on receivers where there's room to do it if you don't already have something like that. That lower does look like a rabid Seekins on steroids. I think it's by Tactical Innovations but I didn't see it on their website. On GB they want 350 for it stripped. The Seekins that I told you about is no more than $270 and it is not completely stripped. That 350 is way overpriced just because it looks different. No way I'd pay that.

Good price on that when I looked it up. Check this unique one I came across recently....I think I like it but its waaaaaaay overpriced on GB. It would be nice on my imaginary SBR.

7 months? Hopefully you'll get it soon. I only know one person, personally, here in MA that has bothered to go through the process. Most friends that I know that regularly shoot don't want to deal with the additional hassle. I'd still like to do it on a 300 blk build. I let another mega set slip through my hands from joeboboutfitters. These notification emails are still a cruel temptation.

I stripped my bolt down completely. I added the .002 but did not have a caliper to confirm that number. That's when I had issues with the go gauge. My rifle has now safely fired .308 WIN and has done so incredibly well. I will not currently fire 7.62 for the previously stated reason. I will fire another 150 + rds out of it before I will recheck headspacing for 7.62. I think everything will be fine in the long run and a few hundred rds may have absolutely no impact. I will likely take it to my local GS to confirm before I start the 7.62 testing. I think the worse case scenario is that it will fire but have extraction issues...another more experienced member might be able to add to this guess.

I'll keep that in mind. The lightweight AR build that I would do is a ways away so no rush there. That link was nice to look at. Very nice ARs.

Yes, it's a ACCU-SHOT ATLAS Bipod with ADM 170-S Lever. It's way more money than I should have spent on a bipod but I couldn't help myself. I didn't want to keep buying cheap one after cheap one. It was backordered for over a month, but that's not a long wait anyways. You can definately tell a big difference from the quality over a more basic one. This will probably go with me whenever I shoot now. I just want to get a difference leg base attachment set for it that can take more of a beating than the stock rubber ones will likely endure.

Looks like I'm going to be saying goodbye to those shitty sandbags that are a quarter of the size of a standard one at my local gun range.

Ha, OMG...there is no cheating with something like that. I think you just added one of those to my future shopping cart. That's until I looked up the prices on their firearms. I'd rather build my own for a lot less. The carbon fiber barrel would raise a flag for me too. How are they over the long haul compared to other proven and cheaper barrels? Would it even be worth the cost versus the weight loss?

Impressive. Nice rifle.

Thanks, I'll look into that. I want to run a few different lubricants through it as well. I did keep my word though and will not fire 7.62 until I have quite a few more rounds through it. I also noticed that the 1 inch pad for the ACE stock was an overkill. I know I'll use it on another build so I'm not worried about it going to waste. I figured having long arms (being 6'4) would mean that it would be a good fit for what I felt I needed. It looks sharp but I'll be going back to the stock one.

Initial Range Report: I'd like to get some member advice on how things went. First off, I'm very happy with the rifle and how accurate it was with its mechanical zero. I chose not to zero the rifle. I fired about 50 rounds with it and cleaned every 5 or more rounds. I was surprised at how much lube it took. The interior maintained a decent amount of lubrication on the upper receiver but my one and only misfire seemed to come when the last round in a mag didn't properly feed. It looked like the bolt needed more lubrication but I don't know how much more I could have added without going overboard. That was the only feeding setback. I used 3 different types of ammo which happened to be the only types I could get my hands on and they are as follows: Winchester 308 WIN. 150 Grain Power-Point Federal Fusion MSR 308 WIN. 150 Grain Hornady 308 WIN. 150 Grain SST Interlock All my experience with ARs is with M16s and M4s and this was a fun and a new experience. The recoil was minimal which I think was due to the brake and high-end buffer and spring I went with. The Winchester ammo struck me as cheap and the Hornady fired very different. It was more accurate and the rifle just fired it in a way I can only describe as more smoothly for a failure of a better word. I can't wait to get a scope on this rifle. Due to the fact that I didn't zero it, I decided to just have fun and shot all groups at a distance of approximately 70-80 yards. Below are the pics. I think the groups were good considering I wasn't wearing my (reading) glasses and it was with Troy iron sights. A few things that troubled me were the small dents on the brass. I know other members have had this issue in the past. Also, the brass seemed to eject with such force that the deflector's coating is getting worn prematurely. Do you guys feel that this can be easily resolved with an adjustable gas block? Everything else is top notch so I'd be disappointed if it's anything but that. The FA barrel currently has a non adjustable PRI gas block. Note the pic of the dented brass. This is the same location and size that all the brass had their damage.

If I were a business owner in the firearms industry and it was financially beneficial in a number of important areas to relocate than I would do so. However, leaving a state based on political pressure is not the answer. I think an important point is how large is the supporting populace? Is the local legislature and/or a certain number of political hacks making things unbearable? Basically, how strong is the opposition because so many supportive citizens are being forgotten about and matter. Here in MA, fighting gun legislation is an uphill battle nearly every time. However, a few nationally recognized companies like Smith & Wesson and Troy Industries have thrived. I wish this were a longer list and I'm sure I might be leaving out some more but it is what it is at this point. I just don't think consolidating these companies in certain states is as beneficial as it seems. The fight still needs to be maintained in states like mine. If companies move and opinions flex further left than legislation will likely only worsen and this could impact bordering states over time. I see this in other areas, beyond gun control, and it's a discouraging pattern. A gripe of mine, as a MA resident, is residing in a smaller more restrictive gun market state that a lot of companies can't be bothered with. Excellent firearms companies like Kimber don't want to make a bigger effort to move sales into "Taxachusetts" because of the obstacles that are met. Obstacles that can be worked around for a company like this.

So much to look at on that one...very nice rifle. Congrats.

I always feel a bit of comfort when I read this thread and see that there are people here that spend even more money than me on all this stuff. You guys have a problem. I say that in a completely light-hearted way...I'm jealous. My backorder for an Accu-Shot Atlas Bipod with ADM 170-S Lever (BT-10-LW17) just got filled and is in route. It actually wasn't that long of a wait...maybe a month.

Thanks for the info. I have been looking for that stock for a long time and many don't let you know it's out until you submit for the order. I never tried LaRue though. I'll try the ACE for a bit. The good part is I like the stock and if I feel it's not a good fit for this AR than I'll probably use it on my ultra light AR-15 build next year. I like the look a lot better than I thought I would. It was a little bit of a pain in the ass to install but it's worth the investment and was very reasonably priced.

Well.... Finally finished and ready to fire. Range report to follow. New pics of it complete (for now). I'm definately happy with how it has came out. ...I had to get a pic of it unloaded but with a 10 rounder so some of you can see how our "balls" are cut off here in MA.

It sounds like all of us with this BCG are seeing similar "issues". I would imagine that the facts being that it is new going into a new rifle and having the coating are making it exceptionally tight. I am not firing 7.62 out of mine until I have a few hundred rounds of .308 fired out of it. Things might break in a bit. As of right now it will not turn on no go .308 gauge and will not turn on go gauge with .002 added to it. It is very tight turning on a 7.62x51 M80 round...very tight in deed. Only time will tell.