COBrien

Welcome aboard -- you've come to the right place. First thing we're going to need is a parts list -- every part you put into the rifle. If you bought an upper or lower complete, be sure to mention who built it. Next, we're going to need to know what steps you took in assembling this rifle. Specifically, in this case, installation of the barrel. You said you went back and torqued the barrel nut to 50 lb-ft., what was it torqued to originally? Agreed with jtallen83 -- double-check your scope mount and, if you haven't already, put some LocTite (at least purple, but I prefer blue) on the screws/bolts that secure the scope in the mount.

This is why we all have to be careful with what we order and how we refer to our rifles. So many aftermarket manufacturers and retailers think "AR-10" is a generic term for these rifles, just like "AR-15" is for small-frames. In fact, "AR-10" is a very specific specification, as is "LR-308", "GII," "SR-25," "PA-10," the list goes on. So many manufacturers, in the interest of "standardizing the industry," have gone and created their own unique versions, which just muddies up the water even more. Bottom line, no matter what a website says (or even a person on the phone, unless they're extremely familiar with the nuances), expect there's a good chance the parts you order won't fit.

For some reason, it sure looks longer than that. Maybe I'm just used to dealing with 16" or 18" barrels. I'm setting these up, wondering who's gonna knock 'em down...

Bejaysus, look at the length of that barrel! What is that, 24" or 26"?

PM inbound re: Armorer's Course Manual -- I'd like one, if any are left.

I can see the writing on the wall -- I'm going to be buying a rimfire can... So this rifle is getting a Griffin 3-Lug (should show up tomorrow). Kids' .22LR uppers will get the same treatment, as soon as I can find the Griffin 3-Lugs on sale somewhere, because they ain't cheap ($70 MSRP, I paid $67 shipped for this one).

...of the truck.

True story. I actually found a company called Cameron Packaging that designed and sells boxes specifically for shipping AR-15 receivers, as well as complete rifles. Pretty cool setup!

Complicated by the "better" FSB I just had to run. It's a clamp-on, vs. the DTI, which was pinned in place. I'm pretty convinced that, had I opened up the gas port and re-installed the DTI FSB, she'd have run like a top.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... I pulled the gas block tonight. Lined up “by eye” from my range trip (using the casting line on the front of the FSB as center line), it was clear the gas block was just catching about 2/3 of the port. Gas Block Genie in block revealed the casting line up the front of the FSB was a RCH less than 1/16” off center. [Adam Savage voice] “Well, there’s your problem!” 0.125” port in FSB. 0.110” port in barrel. That leaves 0.0075” of “wiggle” either direction to still get 100% of the gas port. I was off by 0.031”(ish). More math leads me to believe the port in the FSB was only “seeing” 0.086”(ish) of the gas port. DTI drills their ports to 0.088”, so it’s perfectly understandable that the rifle ran worse with this FSB vs. the DTI pinned FSB. Got ‘er all lined up and back together. Gonna try and get her out to my buddy’s place this weekend.

Just ordered up a Griffin 3-lug "HK" adapter and installation tool. Next up (in the coming months...), a Griffin Resistance 22 and 3-lug kit for it. I reckon that'll be nice on the RART .22 WMR. Then a couple more 3-lug adapters, and the kids' rifles will be set to host the can, too.

It was my ring -- carbon fiber and titanium -- cost $250ish. Not worth pawning!

Finally located a box suitable for mailing an upper. Living in a small(-ish) town is nice, but not having any office supply stores is frustrating. She'll get packaged up and sent off this week, along with a check for $109.95. I'm still not super happy about it (more a pride thing -- "Dammit, I can fix it," but I know I can't...), but they'll get 'er running.

Yup. Even though one side of the sink has holes too small for the ring, and the other side has a garbage disposal. I just had to satisfy myself that it absolutely wasn’t there.

I certainly hope so. Didn't work out that way for my PatchWorm, though. Maybe they're hanging out together, having a beer, with the half-dozen 10mm sockets, spark plug gapping tools, feeler gauges, zip ties, pivot pin detents, and that one wedding ring I've lost over the years. The wedding ring -- seriously -- was sitting on the counter next to the kitchen sink for 20 fvcking minutes, while I was at home, alone, and disa-gotdam-ppeared. I'm still pissed about that... ...and she still hasn't said anything. Perhaps she's waiting for the perfect opportunity to bust me out. Or maybe she's waiting to see just what else is lying around the house that she doesn't know about... That is an excellent idea. Unfortunately, my wife "gets" guns. I've never owned a rifle with OD green furniture (Dissipator). Nor have I owned an AR-pattern rifle with a stainless barrel (CSASS)...

Alright, so I was planning to pull the A.R.M.S. FSB last weekend, double-check alignment (with my Gas Block Genie), and re-install it. Went and dug through my tool bag, couldn't find my Gas Block Genie. I turned my house and garage upside-down. The damned thing must've grown legs. Ordered up a new one, and it came in yesterday. This weekend gas block alignment will get double-checked. As an aside, I think the wife knows about this rifle now. It's been sitting on my work bench the last couple of weeks, half-hidden behind my tool bag. She never goes out there ("my side" of the garage, blah blah blah), until yesterday. She needed something out of my toolbox (right next to the work bench), and called me to ask where it would be. So I told her. And she got it. But she still hasn't said anything about the rifle...

Before I go buying more parts, which will leave parts lying around in a drawer (and we all know that parts lying in a drawer get lonely and bored, so they start breeding more parts...), I'll try this Armaspec SRS I have on-hand (H2, 4.7 oz.). I figure it's 0.7 oz. lighter, so surely it has to work at least a little bit better, right? Also, since I've decided to send the CSASS upper off to Criterion for "hand-fitting" of a bolt, I'll start digging into the Dissy diagnosis. Last night, I pulled her apart. Pulled CH and BCG, and decided to run the BCG by itself, by hand, back and forth through the upper. There's a bit of "grab" just aft of the ejection port, and a corresponding mark inside the upper. As it was, uhh, 0100 when I was doing this, I don't have any pics to show. I also pulled the buffer and spring and checked them, as well as the inside of the buffer tube, for any interference. None to be found, so I re-oiled the spring with some Mobil 1 15W-50 and re-installed. I'd planned to pull the gas block and get it all aligned with my Gas Block Genie, but ran out of energy (2 y/o + 2 m/o + exhausted wife = wore out Daddy). I'll get around to that tonight. Or, at least, that's the plan. I'm also contemplating going back to basics. 98Z5V's words ring in my head -- "Don't complicate shiit with complicated shiit!" The rifle ran better with the DTI pinned FSB and .088" port than it did with the A.R.M.S. folding FSB and .110" port. So, maybe I swap back to the DTI FSB, leave the A2 buffer and spring in place, and see what she does with a .110" port. If no joy, then swap in the H2 SRS. If still no joy, then I'll start piddling around with carbine buffers and springs. EDIT: I just remembered, I have a handful of aluminum buffer weights sitting on my bench. Before I decided to hog out the gas port, I thought I'd just lighten this rifle buffer, one weight at a time, until she ran like I wanted. That is still an option, at this point...

I'm interested in this, as well. I'm all for carbon fiber and whatnot, but unless they're supremely accurate barrels, I don't know how I feel about paying that much to save a handful of ounces over a traditional steel barrel. For example, I used a BA Modern 16" .308 barrel in a friend's rifle, and it's more accurate than he'll ever be. I picked that barrel up for $163.18 from Optics Planet, and it weighs 35.90 ounces. A similar barrel (length and bore) from BSF would set me back $600 to $650, depending on fluting, and would weigh 28.4 to 30.6 ounces. That's a 15-20% weight reduction at almost 4x the cost...

See, I thought I remembered you running a rifle buffer. No, I didn’t run the .030” gas block shim — I have a handguard cap for that. Lol! Your experience is leading me to believe I have something else going on...

I have a standard CAR buffer, but no spring. I suppose I could “borrow” the one from the wife’s patrol rifle (she’s on maternity leave til September, so she won’t miss it for one range trip). Or I could just drop the Stealth spring in it...

Y’know what... I’ve got an Armaspec CAR to A2 spacer lying around (planned to run a Stealth recoil spring) that should do exactly that...

IIRC, it was .088” originally. Fulton Armory A2 recoil system (buffer, tube, and spring), PA NiB M16 BCG. ...got a link to the butthurt?

Yes sir, true Dissipator. At Br. Blue’s suggestion, I opened the gas port to .110”. It ran worse after that... What’s this about “not a gunsmith?” Have I missed a dramatic thread somewhere??

So... I got out to the range on July 4. Wasn't pretty. Running American Eagle (Federal?) XM193. Short-stroking, wouldn't even eject spent casings. Having no other ideas except to re-position the gas block, that's what I did. Fiddle-fvcked around with it for 30 minutes or so, and finally got it ejecting. But it was still short-stroking and wouldn't pick up the next round in the mag. Got annoyed (and hot... 102°ish that day) and packed it up. This rifle, along with my CSASS which turned out to have headspace issues, was all I'd brought. I'm focusing on the CSASS now, will dig out the green Diss(appointment)y once the CSASS upper is shipped out to Criterion. Thinking a combination of gas block alignment and a "tight spot" in either the upper or the buffer tube is to blame here. There's always been a bit of a rub when cycling the BCG by hand, so I've always just kept the BCG wetter than I'd like, hoping she'd clearance herself out...

My BMA-II adapters came in today. Not sure why (given the dimensions of an AR-15 magazine...), but I'd pictured them being larger. These must be the smallest, lightest objects I've ever paid $43.95 a piece for, but they seem to be slick little gizmos. I tried one in one of the 80% receivers I have (still as-yet untouched), and a think this is gonna be a damn fine setup. That does it for parts for these matching rifles. Now it's up to me to put in the work...