FaRKle!

There's a rifle in that pic? Where? ;)

I don't know... this wouldn't seem to invoke "The Rule" to me. The context and format of the question itself doesn't lend itself to having little base knowledge about the product and asking for more technical information to base a purchasing decision on, but rather asking general opinions to see if they align with the OP's.

That's the problem with those guys! They make EXCELLENT products, but if you happen to be that unlucky minority, it's hell working with them! Reminds me of H&K USA from the 90's till 2010 haha.

The H&K is without a doubt the best out of the box. If you want a rifle that'll just shoot from the start it's great. That said, most of us here are tinkerers, and in that regard the H&K is the worst. Many proprietary parts and not much aftermarket support. It's also a heavy pig!

So you're saying the BCG doesn't lock back correctly? Is the hard part of cycling the action the initial unlocking of the bolt from battery, or is it difficult the entire pull through? When the BCG is taken out of the gun are you able to move the bolt in and out of the locked position on the carrier or is it really difficult? Are you using the LR-308/AR-10 rifle buffer and spring in your PRS?

You jammed an out of spec round into the chamber with the FA? Why?

Yes, the original firing pin retaining pin had a flat head and looked more like a golf tee. It was changed to the cotter pin as part of cost reduction (IIRC same time they went from full chromed carriers to just the inside).

Damn that sucks! How was the bolt out of spec? I'd try giving SLR a call. Heh, he's a fast learner! <laughs> BTW, there are ways of getting around "The Rule," just got to word it the right way <thumbsup> . Good work!

Welcome to 308AR! Sorry about your wallet!

I assume you're using a rifle or longer gas port (anything shorter would be lunacy!), therefore there's no reason to go to an adjustable gas block. Adjustable gas blocks are primarily for short barrels/gas systems that are overgassed (and much more so when run suppressed).

Because light =/= cheap. And beaters are cheap by definition. Just because your barrel is cheap, doesn't mean the other lightweight parts will be...

Talk about conflicting requirements...

Like I said before, they removed more material than other barrels between the chamber and gas block journal. It gets SUPER thin just before the gas block journal. You should lose about 1.5oz going from 16" to 14.5," but I wouldn't advise cutting down that barrel unless you use a step up bushing. Notice how the diameter near the muzzle is flared? If you cut it down you'll remove that and there won't be sufficient shoulder on the barrel to torque the muzzle device against.

ELW barrel weights from www.militarymorons.net: BCM also makes a good .625 block. Pretty cheap too! I have one. It weighs in at what it's advertised at. Good stuff.

I'm tempted, but I need to check to see when my mom wanted my brothers and I to be around (since it's pretty much the only time we'll all be free) to re-do some family trusts and what not.

It's legal (all muzzle devices are). You already have a collapsible stock so therefore you're not going for a featureless build...

So they pay you to take it? The BCM Comp Mod 1 MSRP is only $94.95.

Rainier's RA308 handguard is a slightly modified Fortis Switch. Looking online, it requires a 3-prong AR-15 barrel nut wrench.

Actually... About 3-4 years ago SRC popped up on LF.net and asked members about improvements that could be made to the AR platform. They specifically mentioned their planned bolt redesign as well as redoing parts of the lower. At the time they only had regular forged lowers, and some well-trusted members got their hands on them and had good things to say (attention to detail). When the Reliabolt got released it was in the $120+ range IIRC, however they lowered that price to $80 (same as a trusted and quality mil-spec bolt) when they decided to go to direct sales instead of using a distributor. To date I've only seen two bolt failures, and both were on the same gun, a 10.5" suppressed gun with no adjustable gas block. That's not quite convincing enough to write them off for me. Apparently the first bolt I bought from them was in the initial "improperly heat treated" batch and they shipped me a new bolt ASAP. The bolt I originally had doesn't show any signs of abnormal wear, and I plan on using it further in my 16" gun to see if it does fail or not (the new bolt is going in my 11.5" Shibi-blaster). Their CS has been fantastic in terms of response time and ease to deal with.

Their stuff looks nice, but there's ridiculously little information on them out there (and their website sucks!) I guess you'll have to tell us about it after you buy it :D.

"Ounces is pounds" as BAD likes to say... Removing weight further down the barrel will have much greater dividends than removing weight closer to you due to mechanical advantage. That said like 98Z5V said, it depends on what your intent for this rifle is. Specifications are driven by customer requirements. My requirements were a lightweight carbine that weighed in at <6lbs without sacrificing reliability and ability to change parts out on my own. That drove the specs for a 16" barrel, VLTOR A5 system, and standard BCG (not one of those gamey LW carriers) I have on my gun that certainly aren't lightweight. They never made a mid-length gas system either ;).

I don't like 14.5" because I change things up on my guns too regularly. Muzzle devices, handguards, maybe even gas blocks... If you plan on trying new muzzle devices in the future I highly recommend 16". As for the Faxon, the paper specs look good. You can tell they reduced the weight over the others by removing more material from between the chamber and gas block (tradeoff). Their gas block journal is .625" and the barrel tapers slimmer than that just before it. Doesn't give me a great feeling. Their gas port is sized appropriately, but something about them just doesn't feel right... That said, you're still on the hook for "The Rule" on it ;). Look, I even found it for you at a better price ($125). Makes me wonder even more how they can sell them that low...

Barrel nut wrench multi-tool? If that's what you're referring to, then generally no, it won't work since the .308 AR barrel nuts are larger in diameter (and if you get a railed handguard they generally have proprietary barrel nuts).

Actually you can use the standard AR-15 carbine receiver extension. There are two formats to the buffer system (AR-10 and LR308/DPMS patterns). As long as you use all components from one of the patterns you can use either on any .308 AR. a thread that goes over most of the details.

Are you going for a complete lightweight build? Or just a few parts lightweight? I use a Sionics lightweight barrel on my lightweight build. It's 4150cmv,and melonited. Other good options are BCM's ELW and ELW-F, and Odin Works' ULTRAlite 16 SS barrel. My lightweight rifle weighs 5lbs, 15.9oz unloaded, but with accessories and optics. I broke it in at a carbine class recently and it handled fantastically.