First Ever Build Plans

[MedicMan218]

I'm not new to guns but I have always just gotten them off the rack and made small mods here and there.
This will be my first build from the ground up.
The only part I have as of now is a Spikes lower on order from a guy on a hunting forum I'm on.

Here is what I'm looking to accomplish and what I want it for.

I plan on using it for hunting. Most shots probably won't exceed 200 yards but if I can have the extra distance with the same "thump" then why go with 300BLK or 6.8SPC?
Besides, it'll be fun to hit the 1000 yard range once in a while.
Given that info I don't know if I would be ok with an 18" barrel or not but I'm kind of leaning towards a 20" stick.
Are there many different twist rates out there like with the 5.56? All I have seen so far is 8, 8.75 and 9.
I have seen talk and am liking what I'm hearing and seeing from the people at Satern.
I have a feeling I would like to buy each individual piece and put it all together myself but is there really anything wrong with buying a complete upper from AA or Precision Firearms? Are they quality? Spending this kind of money I don't want to make any mistakes and want to make sure I get top notch stuff the first time.
Is Les Baer any better?
Any benefit to .264 over 6.5?

I don't care about having a quad rail but I would like a full length upper rail and the option to add on or take off small sections of 1913 as I see fit for various lights, lasers, bipods, etc....
Of course it has to be a free float and light weight.

I'm still researching but I don't want to skimp on the trigger. Suggestions?

Does the upper and lower small parts(springs and such) matter much our would I be ok going with a DMPS or RRA kit?

I read some post on here about DI vs gas piston and it seems that the majority prefer DI.
Would you agree?

I'm sure I'm forgetting something and I'll update if something else comes to mind but after the beating we took at work last night my mind is shot right now.

Thanks for your input guys!

[pestilence]

I don't think you'd go wrong following my build, but substituting a lighter stock and scope and leaving off all the other heavy precision equipment. My gun weighs 15 pounds, so it'd suck for hunting, but the core parts are light weight except the barrel.

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?2405-My-precision-rifle-AR-build

[Schwag173]

You might be asking too much of one rifle to be both a handy 200-yard hunter AND a 800/1000-yard precision piece. You might want to consider having two different upper groups to swap back and forth for that. I'm building an 18" barreled rifle that I expect to give me about 400 yards for hunting and out to about 600 for 2-legged wolves. The upside of building your own is you get 'what you want' vs. 'what they want to sell.' It's also very cool to have a unique setup.

[badgerlb]

Geissele SD-E.

I'm not new to guns but I have always just gotten them off the rack and made small mods here and there.
This will be my first build from the ground up.
The only part I have as of now is a Spikes lower on order from a guy on a hunting forum I'm on.

Here is what I'm looking to accomplish and what I want it for.

I plan on using it for hunting. Most shots probably won't exceed 200 yards but if I can have the extra distance with the same "thump" then why go with 300BLK or 6.8SPC?
Besides, it'll be fun to hit the 1000 yard range once in a while.
Given that info I don't know if I would be ok with an 18" barrel or not but I'm kind of leaning towards a 20" stick.
Are there many different twist rates out there like with the 5.56? All I have seen so far is 8, 8.75 and 9.
I have seen talk and am liking what I'm hearing and seeing from the people at Satern.
I have a feeling I would like to buy each individual piece and put it all together myself but is there really anything wrong with buying a complete upper from AA or Precision Firearms? Are they quality? Spending this kind of money I don't want to make any mistakes and want to make sure I get top notch stuff the first time.
Is Les Baer any better?
Any benefit to .264 over 6.5?

I don't care about having a quad rail but I would like a full length upper rail and the option to add on or take off small sections of 1913 as I see fit for various lights, lasers, bipods, etc....
Of course it has to be a free float and light weight.

I'm still researching but I don't want to skimp on the trigger. Suggestions?

Does the upper and lower small parts(springs and such) matter much our would I be ok going with a DMPS or RRA kit?

I read some post on here about DI vs gas piston and it seems that the majority prefer DI.
Would you agree?

I'm sure I'm forgetting something and I'll update if something else comes to mind but after the beating we took at work last night my mind is shot right now.

Thanks for your input guys!

[Whelenon]

That quite a laundry list but issues you need to address for a good build.

I built a hunter with the same thought as you, 200-400yds range. I bought an 18" barrel but don't think I'd like a 20". That's adding more weight and would affect the handling. If anything for a hunter I might even go back the the 16" barrel I originally had on my Grendel. I put my first Grendel together, scoped and a 16" barrel was 7.5lbs. Now I went to an 18" barrel, a different scope and mounts and it's just over 8lbs. I don't want any more weight.

I like the 8 twist because I lean toward the heavier bullets, 120's and up.

Don't think you can go wrong with buying an upper for AA or Precision, seen good reviews for both, Loki would be another option. But, you get a lot a satisfaction building one. Buy quality and your good to go.

If possible buy 6.5 Grendel barrel instead of one of the 264's. It's a standardized chamber by SAAMI so you know what your getting. The others are not.

When it comes to handguards with attachable rails, there's a lot to choose. AA, YHM, Midwest, Loki, J&T just to mention a few.

Well there's my .02 hope it helps, I'm sure other will chime in about your other questions and their build experience.

Good luck,

[MedicMan218]

I don't think you'd go wrong following my build, but substituting a lighter stock and scope and leaving off all the other heavy precision equipment. My gun weighs 15 pounds, so it'd suck for hunting, but the core parts are light weight except the barrel.

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showt...rifle-AR-build

I saw yours earlier today and really like the rail you have but when I looked at the Troy site all they had were 13" models.
Do you remember where you got yours from?


Also, thanks for all the other info guys!

[Variable]

My votes are:

No longer than 18" for hunting (I actually prefer a 14.5", or a 10.5" if legal in your area). 20" gets ungainly IMHO, and any longer is definitely no fun. If you are tossing pills at the 1k mark, then you can casually do it with an 18" tube for fun, but if you are serious then you'd be much better suited with a heavier (non-hunting friendly) rig with a longer barrel.

Trigger: Geissele if the budget allows, and a RRA two stage match if not.

Direct impingement both because a piston isn't really necessary, and also because of weight considerations in a hunting rig.

Twist? I'd probably run around a 1:8

I'd also go with a double fluted barrel to keep the weight further down.

Free float tube? The G10 float tube from AA would probably be nice for what you are considering.

Good luck with your build!

[MedicMan218]

Geissele SD-E.

I was actually looking at this one.
I'm just not quite sure how I feel about a flat trigger.
Could just be that I've never used one and am afraid of change or something. lol
Who knows...could be cool.

[Schwag173]

I've been very happy with my JPFC trigger packages from JP Rifles. http://www.jprifles.com/1.4.8.2_fc.php. I put a JPFC-2 (.169" pins) into a Colt lower several years ago and have had zero problems with (thick-primer) military 5.56 ammo. Fabulous trigger and by far the smoothest AR trigger I've ever personally used, though I've heard good things about the Geisseles. I liked the JP trigger enough that I purchased a JPFC-1 (.154" pins) for the Noveske lower of my Grendel build.

[pestilence]

I saw yours earlier today and really like the rail you have but when I looked at the Troy site all they had were 13" models.
Do you remember where you got yours from?


Also, thanks for all the other info guys!

http://www.calssportingarmory.com/Troy-STRX-ELI-15BT-00-15-TRX-Extreme-BattleRail-p/trystrx-eli-15bt-00.htm

Looks like they are out though. Here's another place:

http://www.cmcgov.com/store/pc/TROY-15-TRX-EXTREME-BTL-RAIL-BLK-p11363.htm