Hueblerking

d.wilson Manufacturing BCG is on it's way, and so begins my next build! :banana:​ ...I mean, honest, baby, I just got this one in case the other one breaks... <dontknow>

d.wilson Manufacturing BCG is on it's way, and so begins my next build! :banana: ...I mean, honest, baby, I just got this one in case the other one breaks... <dontknow>

Copy, paste, copy, paste copy paste. Ah, eff it. Enjoy all of these. One repeat as best I recall after enjoying all 26 pages of this thread. Please tell me y'all are familiar with this chick! http://thebrigade.com/2015/03/09/paige-wyatt-and-her-guns-37-photos/

That's a womp womp. Thanks for sharing Chase, been looking for feedback on them.

Thanks, SS.

HAHAH^^^^^STFU Blue I'm still signed up for the 2-5x/day emails for Ares, and i've been watching that NiB 308 BCG. Anyone else watching their "steeply discounted" price gradually creep up? 98 had me scared for a day or two, but i think I'm going to pull the trigger on one next time i get that 20% off coupon before the good price evaporates to cover lost business. I miss Dimitri...that dude was a take no shite wordsmith of the highest order. I could not believe the ATF ars kissing delivered by the suit...

Welcome from Plano, formerly from Lubbock, and always a Red Raider. Sun's up, guns up. Thanks for your service!

Sendit, In Lubbock this weekend and shooting out at rustic on Saturday. It is private now, but I'll get some details for you on membership, etc. The buddy I'm shooting with is a member and teaches long range classes out there...he got my simple ars out to 1220 last time I shot with him. Glad the city has another place now; it's not like we're short on open space! You working on your degree at TTU? Happy shooting!

Nice rig, Tom! I don't have 200 rds through my first build and I'm already imagining the second...it's a sickness. Curious what you think of the ares BCG? It's a great price and seems to be nice quality.

Drove from Dallas to Lubbock yesterday. Greenest I've ever seen it coming up on the cap...beautiful country.

Some of us are teaching, and I've seen it a lot more from my circle of friends in the last few years. I think the social & political environments today are giving us a unique (I pray this doesn't become norm) opportunity to teach our kids about personal responsibility, the value of our rights,independent thought, and the importance of what is going on around you. So many good examples in the news of ignorance/stupidity. ...Not to mention how good it feels to drill your target right where your aiming.

Hi Wash, Neighbors indeed. I'm a little north and east of you near legacy & custer. Top Gun looks like a nice facility. We'll have to catch a beer this summer...then maybe plan on shooting when swamp a$$ is less of a problem :D

Hello gents, in Plano here. I explored the site a while back for help with my first build, and it was a huge help! I'm just now finding some time to dig in to some of the rest of the site, and found this thread. Glad to see TX represented! I have a 100 yd range set up on my parents property, and that's where I've done most of my shooting recently. I've shot pistols at the Bullet Trap in Plano...not a big fan of in door ranges. I've shot at Elm Fork in Dallas, mostly thier clay courses. A friend of mine recently joined the ETTS Gun Range near Waxahachie, and they have a 1200 yd range. Hoping to get out there later this summer. I grew up near Lubbock, and did all of my shooting there at Rustic Range about half way between Idalou & Slaton on FM 400. That's private now as well, and they're set up for long range shooting (I think out over 1500 yds). I'm headed there after the July 4th to stretch out the rifle I finished a couple of months ago. I'll post some pics over in the build section this weekend. Happy shooting!

SCIENCE!! And at 11:30 too. Damn, crimson, you know a helluvalot more than I do (or probably ever will) about this. It's a good read, though! I still don't know "the rule", but I have a new one: never ever ever ask me to consider looking up trig concepts on a Saturday night again. :-) I wonder if Belzer feels like we hijacked his thread?!? Belzer, are you still tuned in?

I'm no physicist; I don't know if the difference between mass and weight matter when we're talking barrels. I am curious, though, if someone here does know. From my lay perspective, the article I posted and crimson are basically saying the same thing on rigidity. With similar weight barrels, the fluted barrel will be more rigid. A heavy barrel loses some of its rigidity when flutes are cut into it. A light weight barrel cools faster than a same weight fluted barrel, but that fluted barrel will cool faster than a bull barrel with the same outside diameter. Finally, some cool space age $hite will probably and may be already offering the best of both worlds.

D.R.D., that's an awesome article. Here's the one I was referencing: http://www.snipercountry.com/articles/realbenefitsbarrelfluting.asp Robocop, I'm just gonna try to build something to prove him wrong. I have my work cut out for me. That's his rig on crimson's PSA build thread, and he shoots at that range 3-6 times a month. It's a 6.5x47. Mineralman, great point. Never had to address that because I arrived at a rifle length barrel. I only recently learned (on here) that the carbine length can have cycle problems.

I did a fair amount of research on barrel features as I progressed towards my build. I'm an obscenely long way from an expert on this topic, but here is some of what I picked up. My primary goal was accuracy, which I would guess is yours as well if you're talking bench gun. I thought a long bull barrel would be the way to go, but I actually want to hunt with this thing. Weight was an issue for me, so fluting was something I was interested in. I ran across research paper that compared fluted to same diameter non fluted barrels. The non fluted won out on accuracy. They then shortened the barrels and did the same test. Same result. Rigidity was the key, and some rigidity was lost from fluting. If I can find the paper, I'll post a link. All that said...I still think fluting looks pretty sweet. There is a debate that will probably outlive us over which is more accurate - long or short barrels. I think there is a reasonable argument on both sides. The longer the barrel, assuming same diameter, the greater chance of barrel whip (think traditional rod vs. fly rod in fishing). The shorter the barrel, the shorter the powder burn. That results in lost velocity and that (I gathered) could have an increasingly negative effect on accuracy as distance to target increases. I'm told the .308 is an "inefficient" round, so I went with a 20" to squeeze a little more out of it. How far do you want to shoot? I opted to go with Fulton Armory after deciding I wanted to buy a complete upper. Their reputation impressed me, and they offered just about every feature I was looking for. I would have loved to buy a JP Riffles barrel, but they are pretty proud of them. If I had contemplated it in time, I might have gone for a proof barrel. Wait would have mattered though. I doubt they're anywhere close to 16 months these days, but waiting for this stuff is a special kind of torture. My upper shipped today...that may be why I can't sleep tonight. :-) What's your budget, by the way? On the barrel & the whole build? Now add 30%. Now double it (for your second build). Hahahaha. Fulton has a nice FAQ page, and one of their topics is barrel manf techniques. In the end it's your rifle; that's the beauty of building one. Make a list of wants and questions. Then google the hell out of it. A lot of what you'll find is opinion, but so far, the guys on this forum have been pretty even handed about verifying or providing sound reasons to exercise caution about any topic I've wandered into. Have fun. Post pics. Sorry if I droned on too long...

Thanks, Robocop. I met Mike Degerness at the Dallas Safari Club show. He seemed like a solid guy running a solid business,and I'm glad my spidey senses weren't off. He mentioned that 5 companies merged to form Proof, and that they're working on studies to prove their barrel concepts - accuracy, durability, heat dissipation. Can't wait to read more on them. One of these is definitely high on the list for build two.

No poop it was. I had to hold on with my Johnson.

Anyone bite the bullet on a Proof Research barrel? Or any other carbon wrap barrels? I haven't even finished my first build (Fulton armory 20" upper on an 80% lower), and I'm planning my second. I thought one of these might be fun to try. Anyone have a couch? My wife thinks I'm crazy...:-)

The shot I mentioned earlier. Damn happy & damn lucky to hit steel at that distance, but I'll take it! Hope everyone had a good weekend. WTF Pete Carroll?

If you want to step up in quality/price? I've shot a Schmidt and Bender on a buddy's rifle. I've mentioned him in other posts - the long range shooting guy. It was a sweet scope, especially liked the turret for dialing in hold over, I think each turn had 34 moa, and the second rotation was color coded so you knew where you were on really long shots. I shot out to 1,220 with it...can't brag without a pic, so that'll be below if I can figure out how to attach it. I think he said it was around $5,500, so for me, his is the only one I ever expect to shoot :'( A few of my clients that like to shoot are fans of Nightforce. I've not shot one, but they have a great reputation. I've read that you pay more for their durability than you get out of their glass, but that's a third hand (at least) comment. If you decide to go fixed, SWFA has a good reputation and lot of options (and a couple variable options). They're based near Dallas, and give a discount to members of the Texas hunting forum. Also, they sell damn near any brand on the market. I've bought from them and had a good experience. Those are in the $1,500 to $2,500 range I have a Ziess Conquest on a Tikka Bolt riffle. I've been happy with that even as one of their base model scopes. I picked up a Viper PST FFP EBR-2c at the Dallas Safari Club conv a couple of weeks back. Found a deal that I couldn't pass up. The scope is sweet, sir, and I can't wait to finish my build to put it to use. Bigger and bigger fan of what Vortex is putting out there. I entertained spending more, but I think I'd rather pick up a Kestrel Ballistics Calculator and learn how to work with what I've got. Crimson, are you in Texas yet? If you get to Dallas or Lubbock let me know. We can hit the range. Sooooo...can anyone direct me to instructions on how to upload that pic?

Ray, are both 80% lowers from the same manufacturer? I've finished milling one, but I'm waiting on my upper. You have me nervous... Happy to share details on how mine fit together when it all gets here.

Ray, starting a similar build and straying from the manf of my lower to find an upper. I may hate myself for it...and I may console myself by building a second riffle. I like a dust cover. Meh on the forward assist as a must have. I'm concerned with a solid fit as well. 80% arms lower. I've pretty much landed on a complete upper from Fulton Armory. For fit, I'm thinking I may require an acuwedge or JP tension pins. 382, any thoughts on the use of those for fit? A friend of mine is an avid long range shooter. His first advice was to buy a bolt gun. After that long discussion, his second advice was to not skimp on trigger or barrel (he liked both of JP's products, but those took too much of my budget). Lastly, he's a big believer in the adage of spending as much on glass as you do the gun. I'll fall short of that, but my rough budget at this point is apx 1800 on riffle & 700-1000 on scope. Good luck!

McCannicalBob is correct on pricing. I asked Santa for the FFP, but I threw that effing elf in frustration yesterday. I'm hoping to catch Midway/Opticsplanet/whoever running them on sale post holidays.