Working on a PSA PA-10 build

98Z5V · October 17, 2014

Go with the Aero Precision, but run their M5E1 upper - the enhanced upper. Then you can run their rail, too. Inner diameter of that handguard ia 1.8" - suppressor ready.

crimsonfalcon07 · October 17, 2014

Fantastic. They said the handguards will be ready for sale in a couple weeks, which is right about when my next paycheck comes in... :)

crimsonfalcon07 · October 19, 2014

Well, AP had a sale going this weekend, 20% off combo sets. So I bought the upper and lower and pivot and takedown pins. Now I just need a few more assorted small parts, buffer tube and buffer, and the barrel, etc. Then I have to save up for the Teludyne job, and get it all assembled.

98Z5V · October 19, 2014

Did you pick up the M5E1 upper, or just the M5 upper? You need the Enhanced upper to mount the rail directly to it. THe M5 is a standard setup. Might wanna call them on the phone and change your order, if that's necessary.

The difference between the two:

D.R.D. · October 19, 2014

Does this enhanced upper only work with their rails or can it be used with Apex / MI / Fortis handguards too?

crimsonfalcon07 · October 20, 2014

I just ordered the regular upper, cause that's all they had available. If it turns out not to be compatible with the rails they're releasing, I can update my order. But they don't have the enhanced uppers available for sale at the moment.

crimsonfalcon07 · October 20, 2014

Aero Precision says they'll be making barrel nuts for their handguard so it will fit the classic style uppers as well. So I don't need to change anything around.

D.R.D. · October 20, 2014

Looking at the image, I don't see how that will work. Curious to see what they come up with an if it will still benefit form the "enhanced" concept.

crimsonfalcon07 · October 20, 2014

It looks like the way the enhanced upper works, you just screw the handguard via those 8 screws into the attachment point that's machined in. I would guess that the barrel nut will have a similar shape and will function in a similar fashion. I'm picturing that front part unscrewing. It won't exactly be the enhanced concept, because the enhanced means you don't have anything that can torque around--it's just a monolithic attachment point.

98Z5V · October 21, 2014

There's a metric $hit-ton of info out there - with pics - on the AP M4E1 version - the 5.56 gun. Look into it if the concept doesn't click with you right away.

That upper can run their (different versions of) rails, and the Seekins/Spikes BAR and SAR rails.

More details here:

http://aeroprecisionusa.com//aspx/product/m4e1upper.aspx?categoryid=6

crimsonfalcon07 · October 28, 2014

Got most of the parts installed today.

The Aero receiver set is very nice. Just need barrel, charging handle, buffer, and handguard now.

crimsonfalcon07 · December 2, 2014

Well, made a few changes, thanks to Black Friday. I ended up ordering the M5E1 upper with handguard, which arrived today. It's very nice, and appears to be really solid. The only movement is between the upper and lower receivers, and that's no more than you'd expect from any AR build. Ordered a 20" Rainier Ultramatch on their fantastic BF deal. I think it was nearly 150 off. Paid under 400 shipped, anyways, and got the bolt shipped out to them today for free headspacing. I ordered the SLR gas block and rifle-length gas tube, and MechArmor charging handle instead of the Raptor, which I'm not sure if it will ever come back in stock. So now I have every necessary part to complete the actual rifle build except for muzzle brake, and just need to get an optic. I plan on shooting it some stock, so I can have a before-and-after comparison when I get the Teludyne Tech SJBS mod done. I do now have a spare standard-style Aero upper receiver that I don't need, so may end up selling that.

blue109 · December 2, 2014

spare parts have a tendency to sprout into new guns around here. you have been warned.

looking forward to seeing your 14.5" 308 build pop up in the next few months.

Edited December 2, 2014 by blue109

D.R.D. · December 2, 2014

Sweet specs. I hope its shoots as good as it sounds. I'm taking it you'll be swapping out the stock trigger? Let us know the total cost at the end of the day. I'm always curious to see how low one can go and still get great performance.

crimsonfalcon07 · December 2, 2014

I didn't get a stock trigger. I got a Geissele SSA-E. I'm not sure this really counts as a budget build. I bought everything on sale, but very few, if any, of the parts are stock parts, excepting a few screws and springs and the like here and there.

Final parts list is:

Aero Precision M5 Lower

Aero Precision M5E1 Enhanced assembled upper with Aero Precision 15" Keymod handguard

Aero Precision takedown and pivot pins, DPMS takedown and pivot springs and detents

Aero Precision bolt catch, DPMS bolt catch plunger, spring, and screw

Geissele SSA-E trigger

Troy Ambidextrous magazine release, Seekins Precision magazine release button, DPMS spring

Battle Arms Development BAD-ASS safety

ATI Scorpion grip, DPMS screw, lock washer, safety selector detent and spring

DPMS Receiver Extension buffer tube

JP Enterprises Silent Captured Recoil Spring Assembly (308 version, obviously) (I bought a buffer spring and retainer, but those aren't necessary for this buffer)

LUTH-AR MBS stock, which came with a screw, although I bought an extra.

MechArmor Tacops Sniper charging handle

Radical Firearms 308 BCG with WMD NiB coating

Rainier Arms Ultramatch 20" barrel in .308 WIN for DPMS

SLR Sentry 7 Premium Set-Screw gas-block with melonite coating

SLR black rifle-length gas tube

Still will need keymod bipod attachment and bipod, and possibly some other gadgets, and maybe an extra muzzle brake. Also an optic. I think I've settled on a Vortex Viper PST 6-24x50 with an Aero Precision ultralight scope mount for that.

I got all the small parts separately, rather than buying a lower parts or build kit. There are really quite a few parts that go into one of these things!

So I may still get a muzzle device, but will be getting one with the Teludyne SJBS. I would get the gas block and gas tube with the mod too, but I wanted to shoot this thing first and see how important it was to me to have them mod it, and get a before/after comparison for myself.

Also, I'd like to mention that Aero Precision's customer service was stellar. I ordered the M5E1 receiver combo set and evidently had something wrong with my address, and they called me up and sorted it out and shipped it within about 36 hours of placing the order (I placed the order really late at night). Quick shipping too, and they've been very responsive to all of my questions. I just got impatient and didn't want to wait for them to release the handguards... Also they had really good deals.

I don't really want to think about how much this rifle has cost me in total. I got what I think are pretty good deals on almost everything; most every purchase was at at least a 15% discount off of normal pricing. But that's still a lot of premium parts, with an extra upper receiver thrown in the mix. I might have to put that, and maybe some blades, up for sale to help defray some of the cost. At the end of the day, I want a rifle that I will be happy with, and I don't want to feel like, once I've spent a few grand, that I cheaped out on something and end up having to buy it later anyways.

D.R.D. · December 2, 2014

NIce

crimsonfalcon07 · December 3, 2014

Well, I got a email notification that Rainier has shipped my barrel...before the bolt got there. It's also impossible to reach them via phone, and I have yet to hear back from the emails I sent. Evidently they didn't read the notes in the order, although that was the process they told me to follow since they removed the bolt headspacing option from their site. Sigh.

crimsonfalcon07 · December 6, 2014

So, got in touch with Rainier finally, and they just had me reject the shipment, and so I'll hopefully get those parts in another week or so. I also received my SLR Sentry 7 gas block today, but the gas tube I ordered was not in the package, so I need to find out what happened to that. Also got the MechArmor charging handle in. It's pretty easy to use, although it does make contact with the cheek riser on the LUTH-AR MBS when on full extension. Now that I've got that part, I was able to install the BCG and see how the JP captured RSA works. Seems to work fine for normal manipulation, although we'll have to see what sort of issues I have, if any, once I get the rest installed and such.

So, I need to figure out what sort of tools to pull together if I do the barrel install myself. Since I have that extra upper sitting around, and if I hang around here, it seems pretty likely that I'll end up doing another build, it may just be worth my while to invest in a good vice block and do it all myself. Anything you lot recommend over the DPMS Claw for barrel installations?

FaRKle! · December 7, 2014

So, I need to figure out what sort of tools to pull together if I do the barrel install myself. Since I have that extra upper sitting around, and if I hang around here, it seems pretty likely that I'll end up doing another build, it may just be worth my while to invest in a good vice block and do it all myself. Anything you lot recommend over the DPMS Claw for barrel installations?

You'll need the following for a barrel install:

-Knight's barrel extension wrench

-Barrel nut wrench (adapter to go on torque wrench)

-Torque wrench (10-100ft-lbs range)

-Molybdenum (moly) grease (make sure no graphite in it), aeroshell 33ms is popular

-Breaker bar

crimsonfalcon07 · December 7, 2014

I've got one of those AR-15 multi-tool things. Will that cover any of these?

FaRKle! · December 7, 2014

I've got one of those AR-15 multi-tool things. Will that cover any of these?

Barrel nut wrench multi-tool? If that's what you're referring to, then generally no, it won't work since the .308 AR barrel nuts are larger in diameter (and if you get a railed handguard they generally have proprietary barrel nuts).

crimsonfalcon07 · December 7, 2014

Good to know. Thanks. I'm not sure if the AP handguard is proprietary or not because they don't seem to even sell a 308 barrel nut wrench. Experimentation must happen! Thanks very much for your help.

Edited December 8, 2014 by crimsonfalcon07

FaRKle! · December 7, 2014

Good to know. Thanks. I'm not sure if the Rainier handguard is proprietary or not because they don't seem to even sell a 308 barrel nut wrench. Experimentation must happen! Thanks very much for your help.

Rainier's RA308 handguard is a slightly modified Fortis Switch. Looking online, it requires a 3-prong AR-15 barrel nut wrench.

crimsonfalcon07 · December 8, 2014

Thanks for the help. I realized I misspoke just now, since I actually *don't* have a Rainier handguard. I was thinking Rainier because I just spoke to them about my barrel. It's actually an Aero Precision handguard, on the AP M5E1 enhanced receiver.

98Z5V · December 8, 2014

Thanks for the help. I realized I misspoke just now, since I actually *don't* have a Rainier handguard. I was thinking Rainier because I just spoke to them about my barrel. It's actually an Aero Precision handguard, on the AP M5E1 enhanced receiver.

They give you the barrel nut wrench with that one.