New Build Finally Done

[Dave_H]

I've been working on this for a while. The upper fought me every step of the way, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I got it to the range yesterday and managed to get 50 rounds of Hornady Black through it. I spent the first couple of hours getting the gas adjusted and cleaning the bore after each of the first 6 shots. There were some other guys at the range that wanted to come over and talk, so I didn't get as much shooting done as I would have liked. My groups were nothing impressive by most standards, but I don't think any of them (all 5 shot groups) were over 1.5". My eyes aren't very good anymore and I'm really struggling with my bifocals and the scope. I'm going to talk to my eye doc and see if he can do anything for me. I'm anxious to get my son and one of his buddies behind the scope and see what they can do with their younger eyes. The only issue I had with the rifle was that the bolt didn't want to strip the top round from the magazine and feed it when charging the chamber with the charging handle. If the bolt was closed via the bolt release, I never had an issue. The only mags I have right now are some C Products 5-rounders. Black is the only factory ammo I currently have, but I've got 250 new cases ready to load and several different kinds of powder and bullets to experiment with. This thing wil primarily be used for punching paper and shooting steel informally at a friend's farm. We've got steel set up at 200 yds., 300 yds, 400 yds, and 525 yds. We can possibly get out to around 925-950 yards if we change directions and put targets on his brother's farm next door, but we haven't done that yet.


Lower:
Aero Betsy Ross Lower
Larue MBT trigger
Magpul UBR
Larue A-PEG
Spikes ST-2T buffer with Damage Industries enhanced spring
BAD-LW ambi-safety
BAD enhanced takedown and pivot pins

Upper:
Vltor MUR-1A receiver
Lilja 319 barrel (Cerakoted black)
Toolcraft BCG
Geissele Airborne Charging Handle
Geissele 15" Mk4 handguard
JP Low Profile adjustable gas block

The scope is a Leupold Mk6 3-18X44 w/TMR reticle in a Larue mount and the can is my Dead Air Sandman-S with a Burnproof Gear cover.

[Troutguide]

Looks great and that looks like a very nice range. Here's to good shooting.

[Kilco]

Wow top tier build!!! Looks awesome!

How do you like the MK6 scope?

[VASCAR2]

Great looking rifle and scope, I bet it’s a great shooter!

[Dave_H]

Wow top tier build!!! Looks awesome!

How do you like the MK6 scope?

Thanks very much. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. I about gave my son a heart attack when I took a dremel to a new Geisselle rail, but I had open it up to access the gas adjusment screw. It looks fine. Nice and smooth. You probably wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it.

The jury is still out on the scope. I want to like it. But, like I said, I really struggled with it yesterday. Getting older sucks. I'm fighting my glasses all the time behind the rifle. I've tried shooting without them, but I can't get the target and the reticle both in focus at the same time. I want to do as much shooting with the rifle as I can before the cold weather really sets in. This winter, I think the scope is going back to Leupold for a check up. I just don't think it has the clarity that it should. At first I thought it was just me, but I've had a couple of other guys get behind it and they thought the same. I have access to a couple of Nightforce scopes and a couple of Burris XTR IIs. I'm going to try to try them on the rifle and see if either of them offer a noticeable improvement for me. I'm not giving up on the Leupold by any means, but I need to look some comparable glass to see if something works better for me.

[Kilco]

I'm a big Leupold fan on alot of my hunting scopes. And the Mk4 reputation speaks for itself.

With that said, when I was shopping with a $1500 budget for a scope last year I handled ALOT of scopes. The two that really stood out for me were the Trijicon accu point, and the Nightforce SHV. I ended up going with the SHV F1 and man o man have I ever been pleased with that scope. LOVE the reticle and the center illumination is great for low light. Glass is beyond anything else I've looked through, but then again I've never had a scope in the field as expensive as this one... fwiw.

[Dave_H]

I've been a very loyal Leupold customer for a lot of years. I bought my first Leupold scope, a M8 12X, in either 1979 or 1980. I still own it. I don't believe it's ever been off the rifle since I mounted it back then. When I was looking for a scope for this rifle, I was trying to stay open minded and just find the best deal, on the best piece of glass, that I could find. I really hadn't planned to spend this much money, but I found this scope used in the Larue mount over in the EE on the other site. The price was fair and the condition was like new so I took the plunge. A friend of mine has two Nightforce scopes and a Burris XTR II that I want to compare this Leupold to. I've shot behind both of his NF scopes, but not with this one sitting next to it to compare side by side. The Burris scopes look nice at first glance too. The Vortex scopes are all the rage right now, and I really thought I'd go that direction (Viper PST Gen2) before this Leupold popped up.
I'd give anything to have my 25 year old eyes back. I'm not sure that any glass I choose is going to make enough difference as to be noticeable.

Like you, this scope is by far the most expensive one I've ever owned. I never dreamed 30-35 years ago that I'd ever spend this kind of money on glass. That M8 12X was around $300 back when I bought it. My buddies thought I'd lost my mind back then!

[StoneHendge]

Thanks very much. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. I about gave my son a heart attack when I took a dremel to a new Geisselle rail, but I had open it up to access the gas adjusment screw. It looks fine. Nice and smooth. You probably wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking for it.

The jury is still out on the scope. I want to like it. But, like I said, I really struggled with it yesterday. Getting older sucks. I'm fighting my glasses all the time behind the rifle. I've tried shooting without them, but I can't get the target and the reticle both in focus at the same time.

This is why I've bought my last JP gas block. Every other option out there that I know of has the adjustment in the front.

And if you think your eyes are getting bad, I only need reading glasses, but I can't even read the markings on the big honkin turrets on a Bushnell Elite when I come up off the scope. I need to figure out a way to mount a magnifying glass on the scope tube!

[Dave_H]

This is why I've bought my last JP gas block. Every other option out there that I know of has the adjustment in the front.

And if you think your eyes are getting bad, I only need reading glasses, but I can't even read the markings on the big honkin turrets on a Bushnell Elite when I come up off the scope. I need to figure out a way to mount a magnifying glass on the scope tube!

It's a long damned story on the gas block. I've used SLR Sentry 7 blocks in the past and bought one originally for this build. I had purchased another barrel for this build, but a cerakote shop screwed it up. So...I sold the SLR and bought a JP clamp-on. I was still pissed about the cerakoter's screw up, so when I found the Lilja barrel for sale I bought it. I didn't do my research well enough before ordering the JP gas block. It wouldn't fit under the Geissele handguard. So then I bought JP's "other" clamp-on style low profile adjustable block and used it. It took three damned gas block purchases before I managed to get this thing together. I do like the JP so far, but I haven't it had it long enough to give it a fair evaluation. I ended up with it 15 clicks open to get bolt lock back without the can. I didn't make any adjustments when I put the can on.

I'm really frustrated with my eyes and vision right now. Not sure what to do. I got a hint of what this rifle is capable of on Sunday with me fighting it behind the scope on every shot. If a guy that could see half way decently was on the trigger, I think it would be impressive.

[HowaGrendel]

You should always spend an equal amount on glass that you spent on rifle....you did good....I hate seeing a 700-1000 dollar rifle with a 200 buck scope.....lunacy....people have no idea what they are missing....when people look through my Bushnell Elite at the range they come off the scope and say how much ? when I tell them they say that it is 100 times clearer than the scope they have, but say I won't spend that much....I was at range on day and two guys showed up, one guy had a brand new Kimber in 6.5 Creedmoor that local shop had on the rack....one of the higher end Tactical Models, I think it was about $1200 rifle....he bought a 300 buck nikko scope for it....lol.....maybe you should try bi-focals, have a pair made just for shooting....I know people who have regular everyday glasses and another pair just for shooting and hunting.....

[Dave_H]

.....maybe you should try bi-focals, have a pair made just for shooting....I know people who have regular everyday glasses and another pair just for shooting and hunting.....

My problem (I think.) IS my bifocals. My head angle behind the scope and my bifocals are teaming up to kick my butt. I'm struggling with every shot. I just try wait it out and be ready on the trigger when and if the brief moment of clarity arrives that I have both the target and the reticle in focus. I'm wondering if I can get away from the bifocals with a pair of glasses made just for shooting. But I don't know what I need...something to help me see the reticle, or something to focus the target. I never wore glasses until I was 42 years old, but when my vision went, it went fast!

[Redomen]

Very nice!

[just_john]

Dave_H - you might try talking to a real glasses shop and see if they can move the split line up or down so that you won't have to be so contorded to see thru the scope. An alternative might be a different lense on each side, one for thru the scope and the other more of a "reading" lense to see the turret. Just a thought.