eightmd

OK thanks guys. I had not disassembled the bolt carrier group. I'll do that and check it. It sounds like it is working correctly, I just want to make sure. I'm also new to the ARs so I'm figuring out how it works at the same time.

I'm talking about two different things. First is the gas tube fits into a cylindrical hole in the bolt carrier assembly. Is that suppose to go in effortlessly? I'm wondering is mine is lining up well enough. The second is the bolt rotating into battery. There doesn't seem to be anything that actually rotates the bolt. Is it just the force of the bolt going forward that causes the bolt to rotate into battery?

Well I'm putting together my DPMS LR 308 style rifle, and I'm trying to fit my gas tube to my bolt. I mean it fits in there but the last 1/3 or 1/2 of an inch it takes a little push. Is that normal? I have been bending the tube a little to get it going in as easy as I can but it doesn't just fall in. Of cource when it is put together and the bolt slams with the force of the buffer spring it closes and is not a problem. Is this ok or should the bolt just drop completely into the gas tube? Also is it just the force of the bolt slaming home that rotates the bold into the barrel? And how can I make sure that my bolt is rotating all the way and completely in battery? Thanks for any help, this is my first AR style weapon.

I hear about timing the installation of the freefloating handguard to get it on straight. How do you go about doing this? Does it have to be done by a shop/gunsmith? Is it easy enough for someone to do it in there home shop?

MONEY IS NO OBJECT! Not really of course. But I like to consider it after I look at most options. I'm not going to scrimp but I'm probably not going to buy the top-of-the line in most components. I'm building a gun that will probably be used mostly for poking holes in paper, but I want it to be light enough to carry. Given that's it a 308, I could see myself hunting with it. Thanks for the replies.

I want to be able to hit the paper at 300 before I dream loonger. :-)

I'm looking for a barrel for my project also. There seem to be a ton of places that manufacture them and half of them are out of stock. Rainier, Fullton Armory, Blackhole, Krieger, DPMS of course, and others. Some are more pricey than others. I'm also asking for advice on barrels. Good luck.

Hi, new to this forum and just starting my first 308 build with an 80% DPMS (type) LR-308. Never done any ARs before but have done several AKs. I know they are quite different. I'm getting all the parts to build this and now I need to make a decision on the barrel and how much to spend. The use is for target shooting but I don't want it to be too heavy. I don't shoot long distances but I would like to get out to 200 or 300 yards as I progress with it. I was thinking an 18 or 20" barrel with a muzzle break. Any opinions on the length? There seem to be a lot of manufacturers and the prices seem to range from ~$150 - $300+. I'm not sure of what makes one barrel that much better from another. Most seem to be 1:11 twist but some are 1:10. There are also some that come with gas blocks and some don't. If they don't come with a gas block I'm not sure if you have to drill the port? As you can see I'm new to this so I'm looking for any useful information you want to share about barrel features, manufacturers, places to shop, or anything else to look out for. I've been getting the other parts from Midway and Brownells. Thanks BTW, what exactly are the differences between a Armalite AR-10 and DPMS LR-308? I heard the parts are not compatible but I'm assuming it is probably a small subset of the parts.

I have access to a mill and will get some help with it to finish the lower to 100%. My big questions now are about finding the right barrel and all the other upper parts like gas block, tube, and bolt to fit together.

I heard about this forum from calguns.net. I am starting a DPMS LR-308 build and I don't know much about it. I was asking questions on calguns and someone pointed me here. I read some of the info about the projects so it seemed like a good source of information. I've never built an AR before but I've built several AKs. I know the builds are quite different as are the platforms. Since I already had a small calibur AK 74 (5.45mm) and I had a little money to spend, I dedcided to build a 308. The place where I got the 80% lower had DPMS (type) lowers so that's what I got. They had 80% lowers and uppers. I've bought a few parts and tools based on the articles I saw here and other places but I still need to decide on the barrel, free float grip, and get the bolt and barrel, gas block, tube, sights, etc... Next step is to mill the 80%, and decide on the barrel... This is going to be for target practice and once I get a feel for it I want to start pushing the distance out over 200, 300, 400 yds. I've never done that before but that's what I plan on working on. Hello everyone!