McCannicalBob

I have the 14" M-Lok Solo. I love it. It fits perfectly, is very light, and looks great. Mine has the rail sections at the front end which are perfect for my bipod. I'm about to order another for an AR15.

It fits well in the Aero upper. The only thing I don't like about it is the latch on mine feels and sounds like it is full of sand. I've blown it out with brake cleaner and lubed but it still sounds gritty. Otherwise, it's pretty nice.

98Z5V, I don't know if I'd do it again myself. I ordered the barrel, THEN read all the bad stuff about the company (specifically, Woody), and worked myself up into a tizzy. If I would have just let it go, and had no conversations with him, everything would have been just fine. In reality I got the barrel in 2-1/2 weeks. While waiting, I had to verify a few things with him, like gas block size, etc. Every conversation left me feeling like my chain was getting jerked. It did end well for me though. I learned a lot.

Vartac was originally their varmint/tactical hybrid 5.56 barrel and they later applied that concept to a line of .308 barrels. Fairly heavy contour but with a .750 gas block journal. Mine is 18", rifle length gas, 1:10 twist, 410 stainless, which I don't believe is the same as LW50 stainless. If you have questions about dealing with LW, pm me.

Barrel is Lothar Walther Vartac 18" rifle gas, and handguard is 14" SLR Rifleworks Solo.

This is the wrap up of the gun I built and chronicled in the Rocky Start threads. This last week I finally got my UBR stock mounted and my Bushnell Elite Tactical 3-12 x 44 scope. I've been having some break-in issues, specifically not locking back after the last round in the magazine, though today it wasn't a problem on the last three magazines I fired. Total invested was about $2100 (not including scope and mount), and looking back I could have done better. For example, I bought a LPK, then also bought a Geissle trigger. I bought a buffer/tube/spring kit, then bought the UBR that comes with the tube. I bought the BCG, then bought a barrel that comes with a bolt. I bought the adjustable gas block, and now it looks like it is borderline undergassed so I run the block wide open and could have gone with a standard gas block. Regardless, this one shoots on par with a friend's Larue, and cost a lot less, and I didn't wait a year to get it. Target shown is 5 shots at 100 yards from bipod rest on a bench, with factory ammo. I think it turned out pretty good. Looks good, soft shooting, not scary-loud, and accurate. I really love it.

I've heard the ffp models have much clearer glass than the sfp models. I have a sfp model and it is ok, especially considering the price.

I recently purchased the subject scope after a lot of back and forth trying to make a decision. I thought I wanted the Elite Tactical 3.5-21 with the G2DMR reticle but changed my mind when a saw how big and heavy it is.I did like the reticle though and took a chance on the 3-12 model. I mounted the Scope on a .308 I just built , replacing a Vortex PST 2. 5-10 that I took off a different rifle. What a difference! The Bushnell is VERY clear , much more so than the Vortex. Shooting, I found the adjustments to be dead-on. .1mil adjustment equaled.1 mil movement. Clarity was excellent at all magnifications. This isn't a full-blown test and time will tell how it holds up but So far I love it. Plus, Liberty Optics has them for $716 delivered.

I've had good luck with my Lothar Walther 18" rifle length gas. It arrived surprisingly fast and comes with a bolt. If you order a stock, off-the-shelf barrel and avoid talking to the guy who answers the phone, but doesn't answer questions, the barrel is a good one. Just this morning I shot a 5-shot, 1" group with $58/box of 100 Ventura 150g reloads at 100 yards, and a .73" 5-shot group with better factory ammo, also at 100 yds. That one was one hole, .383" until I pulled the last shot. I'm not seeing the "attach" button or I'd attach the photo of the group.

I bought some Aero stuff from Schuyler Arms. You might check to see if they have any pins in stock. I know they have the LPK and buffer/tube/spring kits. Good luck!

Thanks Farkle. Do you have a feel for how often an adjustable gas block needs to be cleaned? I wouldn't think much more than a normal gas block, though it is a smaller hole and I guess could be more prone to plugging.

Got to shoot it today for a little while until the rain became too much. Started out with 150 FMJ ammo from Ventura Munitions to see how things would work. I had moved my Vortex 2.5-10 scope over from another gun, and since I have a LaRue QD mount that was quick and easy. I started at 25 yds to make sure I hit paper and only had to move it about 1-1/2" left to be dead on L-R and about 2" low (about where it should be at 25 yds). I had followed SLR Rifleworks instructions for setting up the gas block, starting 6 clicks out from closed. The first round did not eject. I gave it 2 more clicks, fired, and it ejected but did not lock back on the empty magazine. While getting the gas right I also tried some other ammo, which in hind sight was probably the wrong thing to do, but anyway I was able to keep the Ventura ammo in one hole at 25 yds. Moved out to 100 yds shooting at a black Shoot N See target. This is where the Vortex's illuminated reticle really pays off. If you don't have dead batteries. :'( I found it pretty hard to see the reticle against the black target background. The first groups were with Outback 168g SMK ammo. It was cheap so I thought I'd try it. I only shot 3-shot groups as I was trying to see how the gun would operate. This ammo shot pretty good, around 1 to 1-1/4" for 3 shots. The bolt still did not lock back on the last round. I opened the gas up another click and went to Federal 175g GMM in 7.62 x 51 (as opposed to .308 Win). My first two shots were touching, then just as I was pulling the trigger the guys down to line from me started a mag dump that made me pull my shot high, but with a called jerk it was still 1-1/2" for three shots, and the bolt locked back as it should on the last round. Then I tried some stuff Ventura is pimpin' called Eagle Eye ammo. 175g HPBT. 3 shots in just under an inch. Bolt locked back properly. Final group was Wolf Gold 150g soft points. I really like their .223 Gold ammo, and so does my LMT. But the .308 ammo wasn't doing it for this gun. About 3" 3-shot group. Bolt did not lock back on the empty mag. Next time I'll either use a target I can see better, or make sure I have good batteries for my scope. I think that made a significant difference in how I shot. All in all though, the gun seems like it will be quite accurate. Accurate enough to warrant a pretty nice scope. As far as function goes, I was shocked at how little recoil there was, especially with the gas turned down. As I opened up the gas block the increase in recoil was noticeable, but still not bad at all. My 13 year old daughter could shoot this without a problem. The Griffon 762 compensator looks great and works great. From behind the gun the noise was not an issue. Recoil was low. I asked the guys down the line if the gun was excessively loud and they said they didn't notice anything. This was my first time shooting a Geissele 2-stage trigger. Wow. It is the $hit. The SLR handguard is really nice. It is pretty small in diameter where you grab it, but does have the machined in rail section on the end where I mounted my bipod. It worked out great. The SLR gas block is pretty cool, too. I put fewer than 30 rounds through it, and did not do the shoot 1-clean 1 ritual, per Lothar Walther. Woody said just shoot it and clean it when I'm done. Dealing with him was an experience, but I think I'm going to really like this barrel. With good glass and some load development this thing ought to be really accurate. I have a feeling once things break in a bit I'll be able to turn the gas back a couple clicks and have it lock back after the last round with about any ammo. Things are still kind of tight now, I have it working right with most ammo, and recoil is low. I think it will only get better from here. I'd like to thank all of you on this forum for the suggestions and tips about what parts to buy and where to buy them. While this is by no means a budget rifle, I did save some money by taking advantage of some sales and tips from you guys. I came in just under $2k, and I have a spare bolt since my barrel came with one. And while it turned out heavier than I wanted, almost entirely due to the VarTac barrel, I'm completely satisfied with it. Since it's already pretty heavy I think I will go with either a UBR or PRS stock, and probably the Bushnell Elite Tactical scope. I'm past the point of making this a lightweight hunting rifle. But I bet it'll blast steel from a long way away! :banana:

I've pretty much finished it up, only lacking a permanent stock and a scope. I had the local gunsmith install the barrel and muzzle brake; I wanted to make sure that was absolutely correct. Final spec's are as follows: Aero Precision stripped upper and lower receivers Aero Precision LPK Geissele SSA-E trigger Ergo grip Aero Precision receiver extension/spring/buffer Lothar Walther VarTac 18" rifle-length gas match barrel and bolt SI-Defense QPQ BCG MechArmor Defense Tac Ops Sniper charging handle SLR Rifleworks 14" Solo M-Lok handguard SLR Rifleworks Sentry 7 adjustable gas block Griffin Armament 762 tactical compensator Final weight without scope is 9.5 lbs. With shown Vortex Viper PST 2.5-10 about 11 lbs. I was waiting to see what it would weigh in at upon completion before I bought a scope and stock. I figured it would be on the heavy side with that barrel, but I figured if it's already heavy there's no sense in getting too crazy in finding a really light scope. Right now I'm kind of leaning towards the Bushnell Tactical Elite 3.5-21. It's a tank--about a pound more than this Vortex--but I think it would make a nice scope for this rifle. Same goes for the stock. I may go with the UBR, though I haven't decided yet. If I go with UBR and the Bushnell, it'll probably come in close to 13#. I'll shoot it tomorrow and report back. The gunsmith test fired it and said it worked perfectly. I've got a variety of ammo to try with it. We'll see how she does. Bob

I have one I just finished. It seems to be well built, and well worth the money I paid. I bought a matched upper/lower set, and while I wouldn't call it a tight fit, it is acceptable. Assembly was easy. I'm not thrilled with the Aero takedown and pivot pins. The takedown pin is a little loose and the pivot pin seems like the groove for the retaining detent is short. When I push it in all the way it will back up just a touch so the detent stays in the groove. That's not a problem with the lower though. The finish on the lower looks very good, as does all machine work. I have all the parts for this rifle at my local gunsmith's shop. He is doing the barrel/gasblock/gas tube install for me. With any luck I'll have a range report next week.

You can find it for closer to $1200-$1300, and it is first focal plane. At $750 the PST is probably the second focal plane model. FFP on the Vortex will be a grand or so. I do have a Vortex Viper PST 2.5 - 10 that I like very much. I bet the 6-24 is quite nice too.

Crimson, I too was interested in the PWS PRC but bought the Griffin Armament 762 tactical comp on the advice of another member here. I haven't installed it yet, but it is a beautiful piece of work. While researching the PRS, I started leaning towards the FSC30 after reading that the PRS is REALLY loud. The PRS does get a lot of favorable reviews though. I too am looking for a scope. One I keep coming back to is the Bushnell HDMR 3.5-21 Elite Tactical. It can be had for not a lot more than the PST 6-24 but has what I think is a much better reticle. You should take a look at that one.

SI Defense bolt is 2.936"; LW bolt is 2.926" overall

Yes, I measured overall length, end to end. I'll post real numbers later.

One other thing I noticed with the bolt that came my barrel is it's a little (.010") shorter than the SI-Defense bolt I have that came as part of a BCG. I've tried every search I can think of but can't find what the length dimension for a DPMS-pattern .308 bolt should be. Does anybody here know? Or mind measuring one of their own? Since it has room to move within the carrier it probably isn't that important, but I don't know for sure.

I'm almost there! My barrel came in yesterday, and I've been holding off on ordering my hand guard and gas block until the barrel arrived. The barrel is a Lothar Walther Vartac 18" rifle length gas with matched bolt. I ordered it based on friend's reports of great accuracy. After I ordered I found all the horror stories of their customer service. Fortunately things appear to have worked out ok, assuming it shoots ok. Since that came with a bolt, I now have a spare bolt, trigger, grip, and muzzle brake. Half way to a second 308. I'll get my gas block and handguard after Christmas and report back in January. Oh, I happen to have access to an xray metals analysis tool. The LW barrel I received is 410 stainless. I don't know if that's what LW50 is, or if they use something else for the Vartac.

I already have the receivers. I guess I could buy the M5E1 and the handguard, and sell the upper I have now, or just build two rifles... :))

I found out the color AP uses on their fde parts is Magpul Flat Dark Earth, H-267.

Now my rifle is looking more like a real gun. I've installed the entire lower parts kit but swapped out the grip for an Ergo grip I had sitting around, and ended up getting an SSA-E trigger. The upper receiver now has its bcg, ejection port cover, and charging handle. I'm planning to put a plug in the FA hole. With those parts installed the receivers fit together much better than they did before. There is still a little slop, but not bad at all. I even tried the o-ring trick to tighten things up a bit more, but with the ring in place I couldn't get the pivot pin back in. I guess that's tight enough. I'm still leaning towards the SLR Rifleworks handguard. I would get the Aero Precision handguard, if it existed. They don't know when they'll be available. They also don't know what color they Cerakote their receivers. They just say look at the Cerakote site for flat dark earth. Cerakote has a BUNCH of different versions of FDE. AP suggested taking the receivers to a local Cerakote shop to try to match the colors, which I guess is what I'll do, but they sure are making this harder than it needs to be. Once I figure out the color I'll have SLR Rifleworks Cerakote the handguard. Stay tuned.

I'm seeing the exact same thing with my "matched" set. Really loose. I've called and emailed AP but no response yet. I will say that after installation of the bcg and charging handle it is quite a bit better, probably good enough that it won't bother me (too much). I hope they take care of your problem. I do understand that some slop between receivers should have no effect on accuracy, but I also have read of so many people getting great fitting Aero Precision sets, and kind of feel like I got stuck with a bad set.

So I found some good deals the last couple days that put me a few steps closer to finishing. Found an ejection port cover assembly from ARstuff.com for $12 + $4 shipping, got the Mech Armor charging handle, and used the SKDTac black friday discount for the Griffin Armament 7.62 Tactical Compensator. I was kind of torn between that one and the PWS FSC30, but went with the Griffin. Then this evening, I was out an noticed a new gun shop had opened near me, so I stopped in. Talked to the guy about building a .308 and he asked if I had a muzzle device yet. I told him I had just ordered it and got a great deal, then he pulls out a giant plastic tote bin full of PWS FSC30s! At a price I couldn't turn down. Now I'll have two to compare, and can easily sell the FSC30 for twice what I paid if I don't like it. If I do like it, I'll still be ahead if I sell the Griffin. Or just use it on the next .308.