COBrien

Well, after amassing quite a parts spreadsheet (I'm an Excel junkie...) and finding the best possible prices on most of them (and waiting for Fulton Armory to have a site-wide sale...), I've decided to do the simple thing: I'm going to give my wife the lower tonight, and open a conversation about parts she'd like on this rifle. I'm sure she'll talk to her coworkers, find out what they're running, and give me ideas. Having said that, I think I know what she's looking for. And I think what I have in mind would be perfect for her. But at the end of the day, it's her rifle. And, as much as I'd like to surprise her with it, I'd rather only have to build it once. Also, as an aside, I finally got some decent (above 30°) weather to install one of her Christmas gifts in her work car. Unfortunately, she told me no, she did not want the locking version of the rack, that the regular old rack would be fine. [In best Maury Povich voice] "Policy says....that's not true." So the lock kit is on its way from Condition Zero now.

That, too. Slash buffer and Armalite spring (available from Slash...) made a world of difference on my DPMS 16" carbine gas rifle. I don't pay that much attention to ejection patterns, but the recoil impulse was greatly reduced and the buffer no longer feels like it's slamming the aft end of the buffer tube.

I have yet to see a gas block that is built specifically for one platform and isn't suitable for the other. Not to say there isn't one, but if there is, I haven't stumbled upon it yet. A gas block is a gas block, as far as I can tell. So long as the I.D. matches your barrel O.D. at the gas port, it should work. I say if you like the SA block, run it. Worst case scenario, you can offload it here for close to what you paid for it.

I don't have a dog in this fight, and I'm not arguing for or against either side here, but... How many times does it have to happen before we're willing to consider that there may actually be a defect in the product? Based on that article, it sounds to me like Savage has known about issues for years and has actively engaged in attempts to hide other cases from at least one court. On a related note, I wonder how many people were injured or killed by Rem 700s before folks started thinking that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't user error but, rather, a flaw in the design or materials.

Alright, alright. These are terrible pics (lighting and weird shadows...), but you get the idea. I tried copying and pasting PhotoBucket links, but my phone isn’t letting me. Probably the new PB rules mucking things up. So the pics are attached. I have no idea how they will show up, so here goes... 1. What’s in the box. 2. Flush (9-round) mag inserted. 3. “Extended” (13-round) mag inserted. 4. Pearce grip extension on flush mag. This is probably the way it’ll be carried IWB. 5. Holsters. Left to right: AlienGear Cloak Tuck 3.0, DeSantis SOB, and Blackhawk SERPA.

In the video, you can clearly see what appear to be female breasts. The voice was androgynous, but the officer says "identifies as male." No freakin' telling, especially in this day and age. I love everything about this video. Trying to bait a shop owner into using slurs to refer to Jewish people? Check. Showing your complete lack of education regarding American history (i.e., flags)? Check. Asking whether the bibles are Old Testament or New Testament, then whether or not it's a Christian bible (no, you dolt, the other holy book with old and new testaments...)? Check. Offering to burn said bibles? Check. Being the only hostile person involved in an altercation, while all the while claiming it was perfectly calm? Check check.

I've never had an issue with one. And the wife's department issues Bushmaster M4s that have lots and lots of mileage on them -- they're pretty damned reliable, from what I can tell. Perhaps those particular rifles are just aberrations...

Ditto. @Sisco I don't know what happened, but I'm not seeing anything in your OP...

The best part is she tolerates (sometimes just barely...) my holster habit that goes along with daily carry... 1. Range/IDGAF-if-you-see-it OWB (Blackhawk SERPA) 2. Work/“sensitive place” tuckable IWB (AlienGear Tuck-something-or-other) 3. Cold Weather/I want to be comfortable and IDGAF OWB (DeSantis SOB — Judge all you want. I love SOB carry...)

I believe the Armalite AR-10 gas system is .25" longer than the DPMS LR-308 (which, IIRC, is mil-spec AR-15). The only way to make it work is to lengthen the handguard or fab a spacer. Unless you want to re-barrel to a mid-gas, run a low profile gas block under your triangular handguard, and setup a faux gas block at AR-15 rifle length. But that's a lot of work just for "the look."

My wife rolled her eyes when she saw my Christmas list this year. Jeep parts, Trans Am parts, spotting scope, tools, and, wait. A pistol? "No way can I get you that," she said. I realized that, and didn't really expect anyone to get it. People don't buy me guns -- I'm too picky, they say. But if you don't ask, the answer is always no, right? As an extreme stretch, maybe she and her parents would go in halves and call it Christmas/birthday/anniversary/etc. all combined. I'd be totally cool with that. Christmas day comes, I unwrap pert-near everything I'd put on my list. No pistol, but no problem. It was a shot in the dark anyhow. Then my wife disappears into the guest bedroom, comes back, and drops a black plastic case in my lap that says Springfield Armory on the front. "Are you $hitting me?!" A new Springfield XD Mod. 2, 3.3" .45 ACP. Exactly what I'd asked for. I know it was a stretch for her to buy that pistol. And that's exactly why I want to build her her dream rifle. Cost be damned.

Thanks for the heads up, Robo. That looks suspiciously like the coffee table I had in law school... I was looking at a Beyer dedicated barrel, and just using the CMMG BCG. I've heard great things about Clint Beyer's barrels for 10/22s (my first accuracy obsession is 10/22s...). I'm wondering now if TacSol or Taccom's BCG is similar enough in design to work with one of Clint's barrels.

Got the Troy SOCC Battlerail in. Seems like a substantial piece, even though it's lightweight. What I wasn't expecting (but am not upset about...) is that this handguard tapers down just forward of the barrel nut, ending up in a slim profile. It also uses a mil-spec barrel nut, not some proprietary abomination. I'm still a but unclear about the clamping system, but I'm sure how it works will become evident once I get around to installing it. I like it so much I bought another one. Considering starting a dedicated .22 LR upper with a Beyer barrel and CMMG BCG. I think this will be right at home.

Well, we shall see. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on one last night...

That’s the one — the MLok version. I should have been more specific... At 7.8 oz. with all the hardware, it’s awfully light. Pair that with a Criterion ADM/Lightweight 16” middy (1.5ish lbs.), and I think it’d be a pretty slick setup.

I've got exactly what you need -- the A2 birdcage off my DPMS LR-308T. Oh, wait... I've got an SLR SR30 (single-chamber) brand new, in package sitting in my safe. I bought it just before deciding to swap all my rifles to SIG SRD QD brakes in preparation for my can... I paid full price ($54.99) plus shipping, I'd part with it for $50 shipped. Once I swap on the SIG brake, I'll have an SEI "Good Iron" laying around, as well...

I only see two advantages to a detachable box magazine on a shotgun: 1. Capacity is whatever you want it to be (once Remington and the aftermarket catch up...). Tube magazines are, for all practical purposes, limited to barrel length. With a detachable box mag, a company can produce a 3-, 5-, 10-, 15-, etc. round magazine. 2. Once a person becomes proficient with mag changes, it certainly shouldn't take longer to swap to a loaded mag than it would to reload a tube magazine.

The wife has already decided she needs one, 18.5" "basic" shotgun. ...and I already have my gun shop owner buddy on the lookout for one... Anniversary or birthday is already covered!

If you've followed my other "[...] for the Wife" thread, you know I've realized a light(er) patrol carbine in 5.56 is what my wife wants for a duty rifle. In the process of putting a preliminary parts list together (which is always subject to change depending on her preferences...), I've come across the Troy Battlerail. Primary Arms has them on sale for $119.99 (MSRP $199.95). Does anyone have an opinion about these handguards? I know PRI, KAC, etc. handguards are preferred here. I'd prefer one of those, too, for a rifle I'm building for myself. But they're also at least twice the cost and twice the weight of the Troy. Are they that much better, in a LE patrol rifle context?

Thanks all for the input, fellas, but I think this project is getting shelved for now. I may pick this back up as a build for her (...or myself?) later on. After talking it over with the wife (which I should have done in the first place...), she's decided she'd rather have a nice, light(er) (than the Bushmaster A2-uppered carbine she was issued) patrol carbine in 5.56 NATO for the time being. Her first response was, "well, I have this Carbon-15 I could use," but, truthfully, I'm not comfortable with her relying on that rifle on the street. I appreciate her dad buying it for her, but... Not saying anything negative about Bushmaster, Carbon-15s, or carbon fiber/polymer receivers in general, but when it absolutely, positively has to go 'bang', I'm not 100% sold. If removing and/or retorquing a barrel nut can render a Carbon-15 upper useless, I don't want my wife behind it in a firefight.

@ARTrooper I have discussed this potential project with the department's armorer, who is tasked with inspecting and approving personally-owned/built weapons prior to in-service use, and who also happens to be a personal friend of ours (in a department of ~20 officers, everyone knows everyone personally...). He has advised me that anything which will reliably run department-issued ammo and group sub-MOA at 100 yards is acceptable. I am converting all of our personally-owned rifles with threaded muzzles to Sig SRD QD muzzle devices (to use with the suppressor I intend to purchase in the coming months). I was intending to use the same Sig SRD QD Brake on this project. The department does not currently possess or field any cans, though now that the SRT guys have been issued RRA (that's what they say, but I've yet to see one in person) 10.5" SBRs, they are considering it. Of course, and again, I realize I'm a bit premature in considering this build at this point. I will speak with the SRT commander (who's also the armorer I mentioned above) this evening about the status of the sharpshooter program. The actual build won't start in earnest unless/until my wife is selected, at least as an alternate shooter. Will I pick up small pieces and parts as they go on sale? Absolutely. But no "big ticket" components will be purchased yet. In the event she changes her mind and/or is not selected, this lower will languish in the box under my desk at work until the time is right. I also have a Fulton Armory small-frame lower in that same box, which may be built into a 5.56 patrol carbine for her instead. Or maybe I start collecting parts for an SBR upper (12.5" or 10.5"?) and furniture for her to throw onto one of those LESO lowers... I realize I can build a personally-owned SBR, but thinking about the possibility of a personally-owned SBR being used by a LEO for a LEO purpose, and being carried around in a car day in and day out (OHP recently had one of their cars broken into and guns stolen out of the racks -- don't ask me how) makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I'm an attorney by day, so I see liability and lawsuits everywhere.

@Robocop1051 I appreciate the input. You make excellent points. I've been wondering if a 3.5-10x scope would be too much glass for this purpose, and you hit the nail on the head. At any expected engagement range, that will be too much magnification on a man-sized target. I'll look into the buttstocks you suggested. Saving weight on a 9+ lb. rifle will be an added benefit. As for grips, I'm a huge fan of Hogues. My wife doesn't mind them, but she does seem to prefer MagPuls. Thanks for the insight into the size -- it's not everything, but it does matter... Re: BUIS, I hadn't thought about it in those terms. I'll definitely reconsider that.

@StainTrain your points are well-taken. I understand this is a niche rifle, which will likely (and hopefully...) only ever be used for training/qualifying. I'm collecting ideas at this point -- if I'm honest, this lower was purchased as "insurance" right after Las Vegas -- and I realize I may be a bit premature in even considering a build. They haven't even got the rifles to send their sharpshooters to school with yet. Would you suggest building her a custom 5.56 patrol rifle instead, at this point? She currently has her as-issued Bushmaster A2 carbine (literally nothing done to it, as it's, well, an A2 upper and owned by the department...) riding around in her car with her. She also has a Bushy Carbon-15 in the safe -- it was a Christmas gift from her dad right after Newtown. She has also expressed an interest in turning in her Bushy, getting one of the LESO M16s the department has, and putting together an SBR upper for it. (For the record, I know... She's all over the place...).

I think I'm pretty well settled on the ADM/ Criterion 16" Hybrid (rifle gas) barrel. I think a HBAR on this rifle would just be too much... Should I be at all concerned running rifle gas on a 16" .308 barrel? I know all the talk of 5.56/.223 "Dissipators" and their unreliability (still haven't got mine totally together yet...), but it seems to me a .308, with its substantially greater case capacity and gas output, wouldn't have any problem cycling the BCG. Hell, ADM runs this exact barrel -- well, the HBAR -- on their UIC-10 (.308) "DMR" rifle. I wouldn't imagine they'd be running that setup if it resulted in a finicky rifle. After thinking about it some more, I believe a 15" handguard would be better for this application -- get a bipod out further and give her more "rail estate" for whatever she may need. Not to mention it'll give some additional sight radius for BUIS.

They are currently accepting applications for sharpshooters (looking to select 3, with 2-3 "alternates"). She has expressed a serious interest (both to me and the SRT commander) in this position. She's already a negotiator, so if she is selected she would be an alternate (for when the other negotiator is on-scene, I would imagine). Those selected will be trained on Rem. 700s in .308, and my understanding is that they will be allowed to qualify with any rifle that will accurately and reliably fire department-issued rounds (think TAP 168s). I'm trying to understand what you meant here. Are you saying she will be held liable if she's not the sharpshooter? If so, then yes, I understand that. This is a small-ish department (40ish officers at full strength, currently approx. 20 officers), so when fertilizer meets ventilator, it's all hands on deck. If I'm honest, I think I'm just looking for an excuse to build her a rifle... This seems like a good one. 6 months ago, I was looking for a good excuse to buy her some IIIa soft armor with IV plates in an external carrier. Unfortunately, one arose 3 months ago. She'll have her plates and carrier by Christmas.