COBrien

Is it sad that I was slightly relieved to read he used a shotgun and a .38?

Welp, shite. I've decided on the Griffin 30SD. I also have a handful of Black River Tactical Covert Comps on hand, and had planned to run those with the 30SD can. After contacting Griffin about the specs for muzzle devices the 30SD and M4SD families are compatible with, their reply was "any NATO-spec A2 device will work." So I contacted Black River Tactical, asking if the Covert Comp was compatible with the "SD" family of Griffin cans. Their reply? "No, it's not compatible with their gate lock system." So now I'm looking for some sort of brake or comp (that's not a $100 part from Griffin) that will work. I'm not opposed to an A2 on the 5.56 rifles, but my LR-308 is going to need something more brake-like. I've looked at the KAK comp, the Cav Arms (which I don't believe is available in 5/8-24, but other similar devices are), and that's about it. Any suggestions?

That's what she said. ...but I suspect she's just saying it to make me feel better.

Long story short, AR-pattern rifles (both small- and large-frame) like to be run wet, anyway. When they're new, it's even more important -- you have to allow all the new parts to "wear in" to one another over anywhere from 100 to 300 rounds. When I started breaking in my DPMS LR-308, I literally soaked the BCG and the charging handle (sans the handle itself) in Mobil 1 15W-50. As in, poured oil into a gallon Ziploc bag and let the parts sit in it while I cleaned the rest of the rifle. After everything else was done, they were allowed to drip a bit, the bolt face was wiped dry, and it was all re-assembled. Not one hiccup has been had from a rifle broken in this way, in my experience.

Are you looking for a fixed or collapsible stock? I have a MagPul fixed rifle stock, in black, just lying around... https://www.magpul.com/products/moe-rifle-stock

Wait, so you're saying I can use my LR-308 to keep my beer cold?

Not trying to be a jerk, but did you stick an Allen wrench in there and try to hit a locking screw? Because I don't see any other way for the threads on that adjustment screw to be that FUBARed.

No worries. Just a little editorializing... Lol!

Hornady's press release was issued 4/23. It's weird that this went largely unnoticed for 10 days. Y'all are slacking...

Aaaand...

If you’re alluding to “well, I have these pins sitting around, I might as well do something with them (I.e., build another rifle...),” I’ve already had that thought.

In the interest of being cautious, I went ahead and ordered a set of 5.56 NATO Go-No-Go gauges from Brownell's. Of course, that requires removing the extractor and ejector, so I thought, "What the hell, the bolt disassembly 'vise' is only $24 -- I'll get that, too." So I have those headed my way. Oh, and a new set of punches for gas block roll pins. And a dozen gas tube pins. And a dozen ejector pins. I'm amassing quite a collection of AR-specific tools here. Many of which the PD's armorer doesn't even have...

Meh. OK changed all our tag numbers since that pic was taken (new plate design “to generate more revenue”). No worries!

I installed Rigid SR-M diffused LEDs in the backup lights on my Jeep last year. Amazing.

The LaRue MBT comes with a nice set of trigger and hammer pins, so that should fix any issues you have. However, if you continue to have issues with the hammer and/or trigger pin sliding around, you can always fix it for good with a set of anti-walk/anti-rotation pins, like the ones from KNS Precision. I've put them in both of my builds just for a little extra insurance. $30ish is worth it, to me.

It's hard to tell -- she's not the excitable type. But she did tell all her coworkers about it when they came over Saturday evening for a cookout, so that should say something. Lol! I think she still secretly wants an SBR, but I'll let her decide that when she quals with this rifle. As an aside, you should have seen the neighbors Saturday evening. 6 POVs in the driveway, plus 4 marked units -- including a K9 unit -- idling at the curb (the guys who were on shift stopped by for hot links and burgers...). I got no fewer than 5 phone calls yesterday asking what was going on. "Oh, not much, just had some folks over for a cookout and Cards Against Humanity. Why?"

Thanks for the kind words, fellas! As much as I'd wanted to wait for the SLR gas tube to arrive, I wanted even more to get this rifle in running condition. So I ordered a WMD nitride gas tube from Primary Arms, and it was delivered Sunday. I went to install the gas tube and, much to my dismay, my barrel nut was not aligned as well as I'd thought it was -- 1/2" off at the end of the gas tube -- definitely enough to not want to force it. I fought that barrel nut for an hour or more the other night. It was just a hair off at 35 ft-lbs., and I couldn't get to the next hole by 80 ft-lbs. A touch more torque and it would've been there. A touch less than 30 ft-lbs. and it would have been perfect. I thought I had it, but no dice. Fortunately, my receiver lapping tool and 600-grit lapping compound arrived from Brownell's on Saturday. A couple of passes with the lapping tool, and she was dead-nuts at 73 ft-lbs. Also, I'm glad I ended up with a couple of extra gas tube roll pins. I FUBARed two of them right out of the gate. Then I FUBARed my roll pin punch (cheap Wheeler Delta set) installing the third one correctly. Time for better tools! The rifle is all together, except sights. Ordered her some ScalarWorks Peak sights from OpticsPlanet, using a 7% off coupon code I got for reviewing some products. OP says they should ship within 7-18 days. I'll update this thread once I have them in hand.

I think it’ll be getting a set of Scalarworks Peak sights. She has an EoTech on her personal rifle, and never has shown much interest in it. I think fixed irons will be the way to go for her.

Welp... It’s done. Except the gas tube. Important, I know, but I’ve been told by SLR that it should be shipping out next week. Fortunately, the SOCC handguard is easy enough to remove and not LocTited in place at this point. First impression: This MFT Minimalist is really stuff to adjust. I’d imagine it will ease up over time, but man! Also, the SOCC handguard is much narrower on the rifle than in the box.

These are designed with the sole intention of being able to be broken off by a cleaning rod. I'm with mrmackc -- I'd spend the little bit of money and get the right tool. Plus, they come with 6 different diameters, for different port sizes. You can (ideally) do 6 rifles.

https://hbindustries.net/store/shop/ar15-gas-block-aligner-7-62mm/

As far as I can tell, it’s not going any-damn-where!

Long evening, and I’m gonna be sore in the morning, but I got it done.

Alright, I got tired of waiting for her to decide. So I'm going to build it the way I'd originally planned. If she decides she wants to change anything, I'll gladly change it. If she decides she wants an SBR, I'll build her another upper. Here's the breakdown so far: FA Lower, FA LPK, LaRue MBT (w/ 4.5# spring), FA Mil-spec RE, MFT Minimalist, MagPul MOE or MOE K2 grip FA complete Upper, Criterion 16" Hybrid Mid-Gas, Troy SOCC 12.5" M-Lok HG, PSA Nitride BCG, FA micro clamp gas block, SLR nitride gas tube (eventually...), and a BRT Covert Comp. I just hope she likes it...

Getting closer to being done with this little project... I got my 3/4" sheets glued together on Sunday -- clamped them and let them sit until last night (I know that's longer than necessary, but that's how long it took to get back to it...). Went to cut them down to size, only to find I'd purchased the wrong size blade for my circular saw. What I wanted was a 40-tooth blade, what I had was a worn 20-tooth blade. Dammit. Not being one to wait (and working on a shortened schedule -- more on that in a bit), I went ahead and made do with what I had, I just took it slow. Came out great, fits perfectly. Also drilled the holes in the bench and drilled pilot holes in the plywood. Marked my vise location and have it ready to drill those holes, but I had to pack it in for the night. All this work is being done while the wife is in SC handling some family matters. So it's just me, the kiddo (17 m/o), and the dogs at the house. Which means no work gets done (with saws, screws, etc.) until the youngern is asleep at 8:30. My goal is to have the bench completed and her rifle mostly assembled (sans gas tube -- SLR needs to hurry up) before she returns Thursday. So the bench gets completed tonight, and the rifle work begins tomorrow.