COBrien

I cringed a bit when he told me to torque it down dry... I’ve got some Aeroshell (got it cheap), and will apply it just as I have on previous rifles. The way SLR’s handguard mount, I don’t see any way for the barrel nut to loosen (assuming that’s why he’d recommend dry torque). Handguard clamps to nut with 2 clamp screws, plus an anti-rotation insert over the gas tube. She ain’t goin nowhere.

Any updates on the bipods? My new rifle is coming together quickly, and I’d love to have an MLok ‘pod to break it in with.

I’d love to buy a couple of these in both 5.56 and 7.62. Unfortunately, Armalite’s checkout process doesn’t seem to be mobile-friendly. I can fill everything out, but when I click ‘Submit,’ nothing happens. Not even a blank page. Just nothing.

I’m sure at the time you dropped $1,100 for it you thought you needed it. LOL!

Let's be honest, though. The quality of a Nightforce still must be substantially better than that of Bushnell -- especially the mid-priced "tactical" Bushnells.

What, you don't want Bushwacker fender flares on your '69 Charger? All the cool kids are doing it...

...and I waited to mention this until I had it in my hands... I only paid $300 + shipping ($10). Midway has the lowest price on them right now, at near-as-makes-no-difference $500 for the FFPs.

Gibbz says they've seen this a couple of times before -- something about SLR's barrel nuts being threaded "too tight," and that another, identical barrel nut fixed the issue. I shot an e-mail off to SLR and asked about this issue. After e-mailing some pics to Todd at SLR (per his request), and a brief phone call from him, I have 2-3 new barrel nuts on the way. I have the correct DPMS (1 7/16"-16) barrel nut, but variations in anodizing thickness (and, of course, variances in manufacturing tolerances...) can make the difference. Todd agreed to send me a couple more barrel nuts to try. If one will thread on by hand, great. If not, he suggested I apply grease to the threads and work one nut on until it bottoms out, then remove it, clean and de-grease, and do my final install with one of the other nuts, dry. Also... Dropped my FIL's receivers off at a local (ish... 40 minutes away...) 'smith for Cerakote. I also took this SS Criterion barrel with me to see if he'd bead blast it to knock the shine off. While I was there, describing what I was wanting on the receivers, he threw the barrel in his blasting cabinet and gave it a quick once-over with some 120-grit aluminum oxide. It came out looking like light gray primer. After rubbing it down with some WD-40 (all I have on hand at the office), it turned out a nice mid-gray. The pic doesn't do it justice.

Scope showed up today. I can't say I've ever purchased a scope that came with more packaging. Outer sleeve, inner box, bubble wrap to protect the 'quick start' guide, custom-cut foam insert, bubble-wrapped and plastic-bagged scope. Good lord! Having said that, I've never bought a scope with an MSRP of over $300 before, either. But still, if this is how Bushnell packages a $600 scope, do you get a custom-fit Pelican for a Nightforce, U.S. Optics, or Swarovski?? Planning to get this scope mounted up in the next week or so (SLR is sending me a couple of new barrel nuts for the CSASS...). Will take pics and give more info after that.

Alright, so I bellied up and bought a Gibbz G10 side-charging upper. It came in, and it's glorious. However, I think I've hit a snag... I tried threading the SLR barrel nut onto the upper, got it about 1-2 threads deep, and it stopped. I e-mailed Gibbz to see if their uppers (which are advertised as being DPMS-compatible...) accept DPMS/SR25 or Armalite barrel nuts. Assuming they say what I expect (DPMS), my next stop will be to SLR. Perhaps someone mistakenly tossed an Armalite or DPMS GII barrel nut in with my handguard...

The MBT I ordered on 10/12 shipped out yesterday, and should be here Friday.

This one’s for you, @98Z5V...

Turns out the girl who sold this to me buys "abandoned" personal property from rentals. Picture 'Storage Wars,' but with rent houses and apartments. This particular scope came from the top shelf of a closet after the renter had been evicted from their apartment and didn't come back to pick up their sh1t...

Gibbz upper came in today. My only gripe is that the finish on it doesn't match my FA lower. But that's not Gibbz's problem... I don't even know if I want to Cerakote/Gunkote any of this stuff -- I'll just let it be an ugly FrankenRifle with mis-matched parts. Function >> Form with this one. Well, except for the fact that I'm going to be bead blasting the SS barrel...

Should be here Thursday. We'll see what "BNIB" means to this person...

Man, things sometimes just come together. I had just discovered the new Nitro line of scopes from Bushnell, and was asking about them on a "DMR/SPR" group on Facebook. Then, one of my real-life friends (who sold me my LR-308T and turned me on to building and modifying ARs) e-mails me a link to a Craigslist ad in Kansas City. So I bought it. Just waiting for the seller to drop it in the mail. Review to come. https://www.bushnell.com/Products/Riflescopes/Nitro/RN2104BS3/?sku=RN2104BS3

Nah, I emptied out one of my bottom desk drawers. No need to "slum it" under the desk, my rifle parts have a proper home now -- with locks and everything. ?

So... The Gibbz website shows the G10 uppers are on perpetual backorder. Out of curiosity, I sent them an e-mail shortly after I placed my order, asking how long the expected lead time was. They advised they were sending another batch to the anodizing shop next week, with a 2-week turnaround there. Then, last night, I got an e-mail saying my order had shipped. UPS tracking number checks out. Delivery scheduled for Monday.

I just ordered a Gibbz G10 side-charging upper, with the Gen 3 charging handle. Found a code online for 10% off -- gibbz10. That covered the cost of the charging handle upgrade. No idea when this upper will show up, but I'll be posting pics, etc. when it does.

Anybody received an MBT purchased on this sale yet? How long was your wait? I just placed an order today for the FIL's rifle project, and am curious how long the wait might be... Doesn't really matter, so long as it's before Christmas.

Just to be clear, I wasn't meaning to accuse or belittle you in my post. I guess that was just the attorney in me coming out... I'd call Armalite and ask for a refund of the difference between what you ordered (and paid for...) and what you received. That would help cover the cost of actually having your barrel Cerakoted. A good Cerakote applicator will also sand/bead/media blast your barrel before application, which has the added benefit of removing that corrosion.

^^THAT is clearly a stainless barrel that's been Cerakoted (taken directly from Armalite's website...). I'd be on the horn with Armalite (like, now) about a partial refund -- you paid for SS w/ coating and got phosphate. And now you're going to be out more for a good Cerakote job. Of course, you bear some responsibility here, too. Let's be honest, you knew it wasn't coated when you put it together. Should have called, gotten an RA#, and sent it back or asked for a partial refund at that time.

Welp, DVOR strikes again. Criterion 16” rifle gas Hybrid barrel, SS, 1/10 for $269. Couldn’t resist. Now I just lack an upper. Then I’ll have TWO rifles to inform my wife about one of these days...

If you’ve got a couple hundred bucks to spend on a set of 4, 5, or 6 reamers for this specific job, it would be cleaner. But damn...

I'm just leery of polymer lowers, especially in a large-frame. I'm sure there are lots out there that run perfectly well, but I just don't know. Having said that, I may buy one just for S&Gs and see how long she'll last.