New 16" primary carbine

[cohiba]

Why just last night while admiring my new upper, I assembled it after installing the UBR, racked it and.....voila!!..instant screw up. Do you know that the buffer tube assembly holds a spring and buffer? Do you know they have to be actually in the tube and not on the bench to work? Do you know what a nightmare it is to fix? Well I do now. You never know it all and never take anything for granted.

So I've taken all of what I've learned and tried and attempted to make the perfect carbine...for me. There probably is no such thing but I'm trying. Even this one needs a couple of changes but at least I know what they are. The upper took awhile but was was worth the wait. So, this is what I've decided on and why:

LOWER-

LOWER RECEIVER: To me a lower is a lower as long as it's to spec. My AWB restricts me somewhat in that I must find pre-bans to put the evil features on. I've settled on PWAs. They are well made and I have never had an issue with them.

LPK: Colt. It is a bit of a pain in the ass and not cheap to get all the parts as you usually have to buy them all separate. LMT and Stag are easier options but the quality of the Colt parts is superior. I am waiting for the SSA Geiselle trigger to come out some day.

GRIP: Magpul MIAD. The TD is a little narrow for me. I actually like the old pre-production MIADs with the grip tape cutouts but I need a FG MIAD for this rifle. The Magpul feels right for me hands. Curious to try the MOE with the rubber backstrap.

STOCK: LMT, Magpul M93B, Magpul CTR, Vltor E-Mod, Magpul UBR. And the winner is....the Magpul UBR...just barely. I'm not totally sold yet, I love the SOPMOD. The UBR is solid but heavy. It is comfortable. The sling swivel inserts for some reason allow full rotation of the swivel which is a pain. I don't know if this is going to make it long term but we'll see. I use an H buffer in the stock.

MAGAZINES: Aluminum with Magpul followers, HKs or PMags. And the winner is.....aluminum. The ones I have (Colt/Okay) with the Magpul followers (I forgot which ones, more come out every hour) are totally reliable and inexpensive. My experience with P-Mags is that any color besides black will not drop out of my guns. I don't know what they are dated and I know you can send them back which is nice but no thanks. I brought some back and the ones I kept so seem to get better with use so I'll keep using them at the range.

I love the HK mags and they have been nothing but reliable. They are however heavy. And, as it is now evident to all, the original high price of $50-$60 a mag was because of the cost of the microchip they embedded in the mag well that counts the ammo and has them detonate at 1000 rounds, killing everyone in a 3 block radius. THAT is why they won't sell you replacement springs. They don't want you looking inside. Sneaky German bastids.

UPPER-

UPPER RECEIVER: LaRue Stealth. As a lower is a lower, is an upper an upper? Maybe. CMTs, Colts, LMTs...all good. The LT is a machining masterpiece. Probably overkill for a non-SPR/SAM-R upper but a great starting point of an upper build. The Vltor VIS and MUR are excellent as well but I prefer the more traditional LT look.

CHARGING HANDLE: PRI Gasbuster. Mandatory for a can unless you do the USMC03 blue silicone thing. But seriously PRI...if you are out there...$90!!!!....for a freaking charging handle? Put down the pipe, I'm begging you.

BARREL: Noveske. There are probably more good barrels for ARs than any other single part. Almost all of them will outshoot its user. A Colt M4 SOCOM HB, not too long ago one of the most wanted parts around, is a great barrel for 99% of the users out there. But, I just love John's barrels. This is my 12th and they all without exception have been excellent shooters. My recently retired Afghan barrel clocked just over 10k of rounds and still shoots near 1 moa. My Crusader 12.5 is frighteningly accurate and is IMO his best all around barrel.

This is a Noveske 16" lightweight, 1/8 twist, 5.56 match chamber with a pinned 17-4 gas block. It has been ion bond coated. This is the first lightweight contour Noveske I have used and you can feel the difference whipping it around from target to target.

BCG: Young NM M16 carrier and Noveske bolt. I usually use Colt M16 BCGs and bolts because you know they are made and built right. MP tested, shot peened, etc. You should pay a bit of attention to the bolt and carrier you run. They sound simple but boy do people **** them up, especially the staking. The Youngs is another work of machining art. The BC, the bolt and the firing pin are all ion bond coated.

RAIL: Don't rat me out to Mark until you have over 13 feet of LT rails at your house OK? . I'm still on Team LaRue but I went with the KAC URX II. I've always wanted one. It is very well made and very solid. It does provide a monolithic look if that excites you. Still waiting for URX Dust for BBQ though.

SIGHTS: Troys are very good but KAC sights are my favorite. And I would have used them too but for the set of HK MP7 sights you see here. I worried they wouldn't work because of the caliber difference but their is enough adjustability built in. As you can see, they are VERY KAC 300m rear/folding front-like. Great sights.

FLASH HIDER/SUPPRESSOR: SF556K. Again, before you call Kel, I traded for this. It is a nice rig, very well made with a simple attachment system. It is short and light. It is however not that quiet compared to say my Gemtech M4-96QD. Side by side it is easy to tell, that is how much quieter the Gemtech is to my ears. If it makes anyone feel better, I bought a Gemtech HVT today..so there.

OPTICS: I prefer EoTechs to everything else. For my needs, I shoot 100yds and in 90% of the time because IF, God forbid the day comes I need to use it, that's going to be the way it is around here. I feel comfortable with the 557 out to 300 yds even without the magnifier. I saw the thread and I too have broken an EoTech but that was my fault. I think they are more than rugged enough for my usage. As to the magnifier, even with the trick LT mount, I don't know if I need it. It's a lot of extra weight but it does work as advertised. Jury still out on this.

LIGHT: I like the lumen/weight ratio of the SF M600 scout light. The M960 and M950 series are great lights but heavy. LT mount of course. The SR07 tape switch is awesome and easy to manipulate.

VERT GRIP: TD for now. I have something in the works that I hope to have soon. I actually like the KAC but I'm hoping my little project works out. I have it far forward as BL and others have suggested and it just flat out works there. Give it a try.

SLING: BFG Vickers 2 point. Simply the best. May have to try the padded version.

So, there's my take. I'm sure you can pick and choose and change a few things. Hell, you might even start with a piston gun. I like the 16" so I don't have to SBR or pin and weld. Actually using my RDIAS or Colt M16 lower is a pain because most ranges around here don't even want them on the property even if you don't use the happy switch, so the PWA lower works great.

Many thanks to Wes at MSTN for the upper. We picked out the components and he assembled them with the perfection he is known for. He is a gentleman to do business with.

Now...on to bolt guns. I'm all done with these things...

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[jwalk84]

Nice carbine! I have a LaRue Stealth upper as well and can't say enough good things about it.

Justin

[mudrock]

C, great intro to your post, and thanks for taking the time to do a bit-by-bit rundown :)

I also live in a restrictive state. Off-the-shelf is not an option. Your post is a good boot in my butt, to not settle for completed uppers that fall short.

I'd like to think I have a good idea of what you're trying to achieve in the "perfect carbine" just by reading and looking at the pics. But I'm new to the AR and don't like to assume too much. Could you say something about your needs and goals?

[cohiba]

Mud,

My needs are pretty much the following. As a civilian, I would say that should I need a weapon, 99.99999976% of the time, I'm not going to have a carbine. I will have a pistol. I unfortunately know this first hand in that the two times in my life I needed a weapon, it was a pistol that was available. Would I have preferred a carbine? Of course, who wouldn't.

But, like for a lot of folks here, it's a hell of a lot of fun running and gunning with the carbine. For too long, I have been experimenting with all sorts of configurations from 7.5" to 20" in 5.56. 6.8 and .300 Whisper. Good part is that it is fun. Bad part, if you want to look at it one way, is that you become a jack of all carbines and a master of none to borrow a phrase.

However, despite knowing there is nearly a ZERO chance of me "deploying" a carbine in a serious social encounter, my personality demands that I really, really attempt to master any thing, chore, job put in front of me. So while I probably will never need the carbine, I decided after all of the trial and error to stick with one the way I wanted it and use it until it was nearly second nature. That is what I hope to accomplish with this rifle.

Thankfully, I joined a new gunclub where the black rifles are not only wanted but encouraged so I will have a new place to shoot. After all of the T&E I personally expended on ARs over the past four years, starting with my first taste on Grant"s old GandR Tactical board (ah, the good old days <sigh>), the above configuration is perfect FOR ME.

Look around, take info in and ask questions. This is a really good place to do that. There are some contributors here that I have "internet known" for years and you would do well to listen to what they have to say. There are some that have agendas of some sort but that does not necessarily discount what they have to say. And there are assclowns as well but they will make themselves readily apparent. In the end, you decide what's good for your needs. Don't let anyone else do it for you.

[docsherm]

It does not matter what forum you post this on, I still hate you. ;) Great blaster. Why doesn't your TD Vertical Battlegrip and MAID match the rest of the colors? I mean come on, you spent all of that time and money on that thing, you could at least have the colors match. :D

[Dave L.]

Nice stick, how much does it weigh with a full mag?

[NightFighter]

I was looking at your rifle and wanted to know if that was a dual laser aiming device on you rifle? Very nice rifle BTW.

[warpigM-4]

:eek: thats better than porn:D nice set up

[cohiba]

I was looking at your rifle and wanted to know if that was a dual laser aiming device on you rifle? Very nice rifle BTW.


Thank you and yes, that's a real DBAL A2 with a LT mount. I have to replace the pressure tape switch that I broke.

Dave, some other guys have asked about the weight so I will check it this weekend.

[SuicideHz]

I've done that with the buffer spring many times...

I've also had a lot of 9mm jams where a casing gets stuck inside the upper and I have to disassemble the rifle with the carrier (bolt) halfway stuck between lower and upper. By lower I mean complete with receiver extension ;)

All it takes is the removal of two pins! They are tight at that point but it's doable. If it wasn't, I would have ended many range sessions early and more pissed than usual.

Nice rifle!

ETA: I just noticed, with all that "useless junk" on top, you can't take advantage of the H&K sights (fully!)

Also I'm glad to hear that the sound of the M4-96 is a little quieter. I just paid for my G5 the other night. Don't worry, it won't fail. It's already been torture tested and opened up and examined. Good to go.

[cohiba]

OK, the weight in the set up I would normally run it in is 8.95 lbs. This would be what you see minus the DBAL, magnifier and can but with a full mag. Adding the other three would be an additional 2.2 lbs.

The rifle is well balanced with the majority of the weight nicely centered and the barrel length and can set off by the UBR. It actually feels lighter than my 14.5 but is really slightly heavier.

The design of the URX II makes it lock up very tightly and it about as "monolithic" as you can get with a two piece (upper and rail) system. You do need the expensive tools to assemble/disassemble though unlike a LaRue. You would lose nothing but gain convenience by going with the excellent LT rails.