Built my "perfect" AR

[Troy9749]

I guess it's been about 2 years now that I've had AR fever. I'm going to guess that about 8 have been through my hands in that time. I've had A2's, A3's, a Dissipator, M4's, a Reece setup, one in 7.62x39. Some I bought, some I built, most I rebuilt and rebuilt like an expensive version of Big Boy Legos. I loved them all, but there was something missing in all of them. So I set out to take all the things I'd liked and disliked about all of them and figure out what I wanted in a rifle. I'm no professional anything related to firearms, so this is a general purpose civilian rifle for range time, possible home defense, or a SHTF situation.

What I decided on was a light, compact rifle that would be easy to shoot. Something that was easy to carry that I could start training my wife and boys with that they could handle easily. I wanted to try a compensator and an adjustable gas block to see what kind of recoil management and muzzle control I could get. I don't like quad rails and vertical grips, I prefer a round hand guard and I love the Magpul AFG. Also, as my boys are 9 & 10 and my wife is 5'1" the forened diameter needs to be on the small side to allow them to grip it more effectively.

It needs ambi controls because I'm left handed and the rest of my family isn't. I also wanted to go with a red dot on this one as it's not intended to be a long range rifle, though I do plan on zeroing my Burris 332 scope to this gun as well just to have another option.


Unfortunately I decided to undertake this project about 2 weeks before Sandy Hook, so it's been a bumpy road. Fortunately I had a stripped lower, stripper upper, lower parts kit, stock kit, handguard, and a few other little odds and ends already. Unfortunately I didn't have a barrel or a BCG.

SO HERE SHE IS.

She weighs in at 6 lbs 2 oz unloaded without the Aimpoint, 8 1/2 lbs loaded with the optic.





Here's the specs

C3 lower, BCM blemished upper.

Spikes 1:7 pencil profile 14.7" barrel, middy gas system. I've owned carbines and middys before, and I felt the 9" gas system's softer recoil impulse would better fit the project. PWS FSC556 pinned and welded (You should try that sometime without a drill press or a welder. It's a good time. And don't let anyone tell you that you can't arc weld with a car battery charger. You can. It's not fun, easy, or pretty, but you can.) Spikes wasn't my first choice of barrels, but it was the first "in stock" email I got when I signed up for notifications for every 14.5 lightweight mid-length I could find online.



Syrac adjustable gas block. I want to be able to tune the gas down as low as possible. Hopefully between that and the FSC it will be a soft shooter despite the light weight.



Troy TRX Extreme 11' full float handguard with limited rotation sling swivel and Magpul AFG. I think the Troy handguard has done time on at least 3 rifles, but I'm pretty sure it's found a permanent home. I will probably modify the AFG to mount directly to the handguard at some point to get a flusher fit.

Troy ambi safety. I love these because you can choose what side you have the short lever on.



Rainier Raptor charging handle. This and the Troy safety are two must haves for us left handed shooters IMHO.



WMD Nibx bolt carrier group. I would have rather had a full auto carrier, but this was the best I could do given the current parts situation.



PSA lower parts kit that was in the parts pile from before the panic. Would like to upgrade to a higher end single stage triigger with an uber short reset somewhere down the road.

MFT grip, because I had it already.

Doublestar commercial stock kit, because I already had it. High end Krylon finish. My initial want was a VLTOR A5 stock system, but I want to shoot it before I drop that cash. I'm hoping the gas block and comp will smooth it out enough that I can just throw a Magpul CTR on it, maybe an ACS.

Daniel Defense sling plate, Magpul MS2 sling.

Aimpoint M68 backed up with Magpul MBUS sights.

I'm curious what you guys think of the selections of parts, the design concept, what I could have done better or different, etc. Because while it's my "perfect" AR today, tomorrow I'm likely to be trying to figure out what I'm going to change on it next, and you guys have a lot of knowledge I'd love to take advantage of.

Thanks

[usmc2014]

Looks good. I looked long and hard at that rail system before I purchased the 12" tube from MI.. Well I THOUGHT I purchased it.. I recieved a freefloat quad rail in the mail instead.. Evidently it was the wrong pic up on the website.. I went with it anyways as it it still a quality rail system and looks good.

Nice build and congrats! I just posted mine on here too. its a few threads below yours.

You ought to check out the VLTOR EMod stock as well. I really like the cheek weld it offers.

[MistWolf]

Nice setup.

Car battery welding- I like your style of WECSOG

Anyone who doesn't think welding can be done with car batteries hasn't been around off-roaders. More than a few off-roaders have gotten home by the grace of a couple of borrowed batteries, some jumper cables and a few bits of welding rod!

There is even a battery powered wire welder, the Ready Welder

[Troy9749]

Nice setup.

Car battery welding- I like your style of WECSOG

Thanks.

WECSOG, I had to google that one, and laughed my ass off when I saw what it was. That's exactly what it was. 12v wouldn't hold an arc , but with a 1/16th rod I finally got enough arcs in close enough succession to get a drop right in the hole (and one just behind it that I'll grind down one day.)

It was still easier than trying to explain to the wife why I was ripping the batteries out of the cars at midnight.

[ramairthree]

I like your build and I like how you got 'er done.

[Sentaruu]

good lookin' rifle

[Brahmzy]

OP, just a note. I run Syrac blocks and WMD BCGs. Ask yourself why you think you want a full-auto carrier? You don't - you have adj. gas. Good adj gas. I specifically run the semi-auto carriers. Extra carrier weight serves no purpose if you have adj gas, it's actually unneeded weight. So, IMO, you've got the preferred setup. Now you just need a VLTOR A5 setup and you've got one heck of soft, reliable shooter.

[RMiller]

OP, The VLTOR A5 is worth it.

Don't worry too much about the BCG, it'll work. Besides it could always be upgraded later.

That aimpoint will serve you well.

[Troy9749]

OP, just a note. I run Syrac blocks and WMD BCGs. Ask yourself why you think you want a full-auto carrier? You don't - you have adj. gas. Good adj gas. I specifically run the semi-auto carriers. Extra carrier weight serves no purpose if you have adj gas, it's actually unneeded weight. So, IMO, you've got the preferred setup. Now you just need a VLTOR A5 setup and you've got one heck of soft, reliable shooter.

I hadn't looked at it that way until you said it, but you are 100% correct. The only purpose of the FA carrier in a semi would be to slow the carrier with the extra weight, and I have other means of controlling the carrier.

Thanks.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[offroader1006]

How do you like that comp?

I had the RA XTC and it was incredibly loud and shot gas out the sides that would make females wet themselves(which I knew it would, just did shoot alone enough to ignore it).