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Aero M5 .308 Build " Tail Dragon"


Leaflike92

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Greetings all. I am new to the forum and wanted to share my build in progress on a gun I'm building as a tribute to my late grandfather who served during WWII on the pictured B-24 that was nicknamed "Tail Dragon". I am planning on laser engraving the upper with the image below.

I've built a few AR15s in the past without problems, but I've been apprehensive about getting into an AR10 style build for years because of the issues I knew I would likely run into with reliability and compatibility.

What I have so far:

Aero Precision M5 upper and lower

Geissele SSA-E FCG

Griffin Armament maritime receiver extension (AR10 length)

AR-SOB 4.9 oz buffer and 17-7 AR10 CAR wire spring

Criterion 16" stainless steel nitrided barrel, rifle length gas system, 15.25" gas tube, .094 gas port size, .750 gas block journal, ~3.03" from center of gas port to end of barrel

JP Enterprises High Pressure EnhancedBolt Assembly in .308 headspaced from Criterion Barrels

Magpul MIAD Gen 1.1 Grip

Magpul SL-S Stock

Strike Industries Anti-Walk Trigger & Hammer Pin Kit

On the way: 

JP Enterprises FMOS Bolt Carrier (heavier than a standard LR-308 carrier)

Planned parts:

Aero Precision 15" M5 Atlas S-One M-Lok Handguard

Wojtek Weaponry ARKTO .750 Set Screw Adjustable Gas Block

Radian Raptor Charging Handle (AR10)

Precision Armament EFAB .308 Hybrid Muzzle Brake

Ultradyne C4 Iron Sights (.308/7.62)

I've been reading a lot on these forums about properly balancing my recoil system with my gas system, and have tried to avoid mistakes to save myself the aggravation. I won't know whether there is an issue with my build until it is all put together, but I realize that given this set-up my rifle will likely have cycling issues due to the extra weight in the bolt carrier and the small size of the factory drilled gas port. Coming from the AR15 side of things, the rifle length 16" barrel seemed like an odd choice at first, but I have read of others who reported better reliability with that particular combination, so I figured I would give it a shot.

Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

Taildragon-large.thumb.jpg.48082dd2ef45164e3a2d4c3413baf10c.jpgTail_Dragon_Alternate.thumb.jpg.d06010869690b9b19ce2be17c52509dd.jpg

16532505743521377429346323519078.jpg

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Thank you for making this thread, man - well done.   Great parts selection, too.  :thumbup:

Word of caution - Geissele only recommends using their own trigger and hammer pins, so you may not need those anti-walk pins you have.  I can tell you from personal experience with enough Geissele triggers - never had one of their pins come out, or even think about it.  You'll be okay with the stuff Geissele sent you with the trigger.

On that gas system...   That SOB buffer is adjustable.  4.9oz is light - but your gas port in the barrel is small.  Try the gun like it is, first.  With the parts you have already - see what it does.  Document how it does, pay attention to what it's doing, if it's not doing what it's supposed to do.  Bring that info back here, and we can figure it all out.

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2 minutes ago, 98Z5V said:

Thank you for making this thread, man - well done.   Great parts selection, too.  :thumbup:

Word of caution - Geissele only recommends using their own trigger and hammer pins, so you may not need those anti-walk pins you have.  I can tell you from personal experience with enough Geissele triggers - never had one of their pins come out, or even think about it.  You'll be okay with the stuff Geissele sent you with the trigger.

On that gas system...   That SOB buffer is adjustable.  4.9oz is light - but your gas port in the barrel is small.  Try the gun like it is, first.  With the parts you have already - see what it does.  Document how it does, pay attention to what it's doing, if it's not doing what it's supposed to do.  Bring that info back here, and we can figure it all out.

Sounds good. I will change the pins out to the originals and see how it goes. 

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  • 1 month later...

Update: I got the gun together and it runs great. The gas block allowed me to adjust for m80 ball and the bolt locks back on the last round without a problem. It seems to run Winchester 7.62 NATO, German surplus 7.62 NATO, and .308 Tulammo steel case with no issues.

The Aero Precision rail is clamp style unfortunately, and shifted slightly after the first time out. I decided to add a sling mount between the rail and the upper receiver to have two points of contact to prevent it from shifting. Took it out again and it ran the Tula and surplus ammo without shifting. The sling mount looked tacky there so I decided to try something I'd never seen before and I added a second sling mount and made a 750 paracord carry handle out of them. The gun weighs in at just over 9 1/2 lbs unloaded, which is acceptable for me. Still figuring out where I'm going to do the engraving. 

20220626_091050.jpg

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