PhotonSD Posted November 22, 2013 Report Share Posted November 22, 2013 Greetings all. Just joined and will be posting questions as I stumble along. Looking to build a DPMS pattern .308 AR over the next few months. I hope to take advantage of the Black Friday sales. One thing that I have found that has me a little confused, no real help from the sales rep, concerns a Black Hole 18" barrel for sale at Surplus Ammo and Arms. It states the barrel was designed for an Armalite mid length gas tube. ??? Visited Armalites page and their mid length AR15 gas tubes are listed as 11.75, same as everyone elses. Could not find any references to an Armalite Mid Length .308 gas tube. So is there any difference in mid length gas tubes? Might just give this barrel a pass unless someone here can help me. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgecrusher Posted November 22, 2013 Report Share Posted November 22, 2013 No difference, good job doing your homework! Only rifle length tubes are different Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancer1 Posted November 22, 2013 Report Share Posted November 22, 2013 Photon, only the rifle length gas tubes are different. A bona fide ArmaLIte rifle length gas tube will be 15-1/2 inches long. The DPMS LR 308 platform (rifle length) will use a standard AR 15 rifle gas tube which is 15-3/8" long. Even though all my parts were advertised as DPMS compatible, the 22" barrel I got from Fulton Armory had to have the actual ArmaLite rifle length gas tube. I understand you are not concered with the rifle length, but just make sure everything fits correctly, or you may have Failure to Feed, Failure to Eject problems. Also, I had to install the stiffer 5 coil extractor spring, and the rubber o-ring in my bolt carrier. The standard spring would not hold on to the brass hard enough to extract/eject the fired brass. You may have some tweeking to do with any build. These 308 AR type rifles are dealing with a lot more pressure than the 5.56 rifles, so there is more opportunity for problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotonSD Posted November 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 Thank you edgecrusher and Lancer1 for the response. I believed I was right but was seeking word from more experienced builders. Thanks. Have since been distracted by an 18 inch barrel from Core 15 systems for the same price. Still leaning towards the SSA barrel. Will continue to price around and will let you all know how my build goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaRKle! Posted November 23, 2013 Report Share Posted November 23, 2013 Have since been distracted by an 18 inch barrel from Core 15 systems for the same price. Still leaning towards the SSA barrel.Core 15 isn't known for being a quality AR manufacturer so I wouldn't put much faith in them. I saw a documented case where they incorrectly put together AR-15s bought by a police department that had the FCG springs installed wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotonSD Posted November 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Thank You FaRKle. Always appreciate any warnings. Went with the Blackhole Weaponry barrel after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbasks Posted November 30, 2013 Report Share Posted November 30, 2013 Even though all my parts were advertised as DPMS compatible, the 22" barrel I got from Fulton Armory had to have the actual ArmaLite rifle length gas tube. I understand you are not concered with the rifle length, but just make sure everything fits correctly, or you may have Failure to Feed, Failure to Eject problems. ? Ive got the same barrel and use a std length tube. Is this a known issue with that barrel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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