View Full Version : AR-10 build cold feet
I just received my Noveske N6 lower and LPK and now I'm questioning my decision to build a AR-10.
Since I ordered the lower I've read a few threads which imply that the AR-10 platform has some problems
not inherent to the AR-15 platform. So what if any problems are inherent to the AR-10 and not the AR-15?
Mike
from what i have "heard" and i have not had this happen to me yet. some people who use under powered ammo say the bolt wont cycle but that is standard on any weapon. also ammo that does offer enough pressure is expensive, that is what i know about DI. my 20inch P.O.F doesnt seem to have this problem. Im not sure why it may be because its a piston or bc i dont shoot cheap amoo through it, either federal match or M118LR
...believe 1/2 of what you see and none of what you hear.
Some may be true, most of it isn't. Simple fact about EVERYTHING on the internet.
Why not do it and judge for yourself. It really can only go one of two ways....
so school me on the issue people have with them(not trying to be a smarta!@) i really want to know for future problems. i have never had an issue but my dads armalite does time to time and we always but it on the ammo because he was using mid grade ammo. i treat my weapons like a ducati, i wouldnt go racing on low grade fuel only 105 octane.
Why not do it and judge for yourself. It really can only go one of two ways....
Yes it will either work or I'll spend $3K and be unhappy. I can't shrug off $3K and say "oh well".
99% of the stuff I've read is unspecific:
"it's unreliable and not robust"
"could never get it run reliably".
Buying the lower was an impulse. I really didn't do my homework and sort thru the internet BS.
I will more than likely continue with the build but I was hoping to get a little honest feedback here.
well anyone want to school me
Yes it will either work or I'll spend $3K and be unhappy. I can't shrug off $3K and say "oh well".
Honestly, I can't say I've heard of Noveske, or ArmaLite, leaving a paying customer high and dry in regards to things that don't work. Have you? If so, were the stories from a reliable source? Or a faceless & nameless screenname on the internet?
The failure stories I can attribute to reliable sources number less than 10. One of those stories was from an EXTREMELY reliable source who said ALL .308 AR's are basically fragile pieces of crap. However, the AMU seemed to use AR-10's without that much drama. So....
Buying the lower was an impulse. I really didn't do my homework and sort thru the internet BS.
I will more than likely continue with the build but I was hoping to get a little honest feedback here.
If you are scared and already believe the project is destined to fail, it most likely will. Any little "bump" -- like a bad lot of 1970's surplus ammo -- will result in you regretting the project. Which results in angry posts on the internet.
So just dump it and move on. Seriously.
AR-10's are not Glocks. Though John Noveske certainly knows how to make them run like Glocks.
FromMyColdDeadHand
07-03-08, 19:42
Send the lower to GA Precision and have them finish and build an upper for you, that's what I plan to do. Something like $2200 buck for a complete rifle, and you already have the lower. About the same price as a DPMS or Armaline SASS rifle. I don't know for a fact, but I can't believe that with the reputation they have that they will put out a crappy rifle.
There is always an M1A.
FMCDH
Yes it will either work or I'll spend $3K and be unhappy. I can't shrug off $3K and say "oh well".
99% of the stuff I've read is unspecific:
"it's unreliable and not robust"
"could never get it run reliably".
Buying the lower was an impulse. I really didn't do my homework and sort thru the internet BS.
I will more than likely continue with the build but I was hoping to get a little honest feedback here.
I promise, if you get unhappy at any point, you will have no problem getting your money back out of it.
I can't speak for every AR-10 but I have an Armalite SuperSASS and it runs great. Surplus, commercial, reloads....it just runs. I took it out and shot it today using some old Radway Green surplus. Love it.
Armalites aren't really designed to function optimally with the lighter surplus stuff. It's not their market, and they've said words to this effect. They'd have less "reliability" problems if they said this out loud in their literature. Some rifles seem to be more problematic with surplus ammo than others, I know some people that have had zero problems, and others that were ready to throw the gun in the sand (dpms and armalite).
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=2&f=27&t=160364
Like shivan said, the current off-the-shelf .308 AR's aren't built to be a glock. There's no reason a lot of them couldn't be glock-like, the original AR10's were, but they'd need to go on a severe diet and the gas system set up to run on the more common 147gr stuff. The .308's should be much more in line with the M16A1/A2 and M4 carbine in weight, unfortunately the lightweight trend just hasn't hit this scene yet.
One thing that might be of value for the original poster is a gas system that can be adjusted. I've been looking into getting a .308 AR back into the safe, and I'd definitely go adjustable.
As the original battle rifles and their parts keep going up in price, I think you'll see the .308 AR market start to take off. They can be made to run like a raped ape. If the Portuguese didn't notice any reliability difference between the AR10 and G3, then that's a good measure of how well you can make a .308 AR run.
So if this thread is a good indicator the only issue, if you want to call it that, is that the AR-10 is particular to ammo selection.
Everyone, thanks for you input.
Mike
I built my AR-10, and I have never had an issue. I always feed it atleast 168 grains of protein every feeding. I have shot quite a bit out of it, and never a FTF or FTE.
They were built to feed on heavier loads, yes there are bullets that can be loaded onto a 7.62x51 case and stuffed in a magazine, but you can cause issues with "custom" loads.
I can attest to people buying a $5000 rifle and calling us and complaining that a 1/2 MOA rifle that was tested by us, but "won't shoot better than 1.5 - 2 MOA. , and I KNOW HOW TO SHOOT, so I know it ISN'T ME"
Question #1. Sir, what are you shooting out of it?
Answer: " I got some 1962 reloads that were loaded in Bulgaria I got them at a gun show in 86' , and when I got them out of the cellar, wiped them off, and de-linked them........"
Don't skimp on the ammo, then blame the system.
Like shivan said, the current off-the-shelf .308 AR's aren't built to be a glock. There's no reason a lot of them couldn't be glock-like, the original AR10's were, but they'd need to go on a severe diet and the gas system set up to run on the more common 147gr stuff.
:eek:I'm in the process of putting an AR-10 together. I bought an upper half from them and just have to get the lower half. Are you saying that I can't expect my rifle to run with NATO spec 147gr FMJ?
If it doesn't, I'm sure you can browbeat them into fixing your rifle.
It might be a little late in the game for this, but you could possibly abandon your current project and get a 6.5 Grendel in an AR-15 platform. The ballistics of the Grendel are very similar to a .308 although you are using a lighter bullet. But you get less kick, muzzle blast etc, and the overall package is lighter then the AR-10 platform. Also, Wolf ammo should be coming out with some steel cased ammo for the Grendel shortly and that should be cheap.
I was also stuck/sold on a .308 gas AR and after going back and forth as to what to get I believe a Grendel AR15 is a better choice for me.
I've been hemming over this for years, settled it today-carbine is enroute!:cool:
I love my AR-10. Had a few issues with some mags when I first got it. I just needed to disassemble them, work out some rough edges inside the mag body and everything has run smooth since then. I've used pretty much nothing buy surplus NATO stuff and never had problems.
I think some people don't get past the break in (should a rifle need a break in period? Out of the box factory rifle, I don't mind myself) before they start saying bad things about it. And of course, people love to complain, but rarely take time to say good things once the bugs are worked out.
I waited and waited and finally got the carbine. I put the Armalite recoil check on it along with a Night Force 1-4/ADM mount. Have a GG&G BUIS set coming in.
No regrets, love it!
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