First AR-10 Build, advice / questions

[danieljmaunder]

Building my first AR 10, looking for any helpful advice cause I know they can be hit or miss. Specs are Armalite AR 10B 18" complete competition upper w/ armalite BCG and CH and factory adjustable gas block. Noveske N6 AR-10B pattern stripped lower with Armalite AR-10B lower parts kit, geissele SSA trigger, Armalite AR-10 A2 buffer, spring, and receiver extension. Waiting on the upper to arrive so I haven't shot anything yet, any suggestions for what to look for as far as ejection / extraction pattern, this is my first venture in to the 308 gassers so my knowledge is limited, goal is to build a reliable gun that runs like a champ with defensive and hunting ammo. Any tips, tricks, and suggestions are appreciated.

[markm]

So .308 and not 6.5cm? Ejection is similar to 5.56. Fast bolt speed tends to toss brass forward.

If I were doing an AR10 I'd make sure it was a gun that BRT gas tubes are made for as an option for fine tuning the gas/ejection. AND.. get a good buffer system with real internal weights. Bolt bounce is real with the bigger carrier groups on an AR10.

[czgunner]

I'm a big fan of running a rifle buffer system on the big frame guns. Not as compact, but they shoot smoother.

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[markm]

I'm a big fan of running a rifle buffer system on Tue big frame guns. Not as compact, but they shoot smoother.

And that's everything. I've only spent time on the LMT MWS which is a heavy gun. Smooth as possible makes the gun shootable. My other reference is the SCAR H, which is completely miserable to shoot.

[danieljmaunder]

So .308 and not 6.5cm? Ejection is similar to 5.56. Fast bolt speed tends to toss brass forward.

If I were doing an AR10 I'd make sure it was a gun that BRT gas tubes are made for as an option for fine tuning the gas/ejection. AND.. get a good buffer system with real internal weights. Bolt bounce is real with the bigger carrier groups on an AR10.

Correct. 308, the upper has a rifle length gas. The Armalite buffer tube kit uses a standard A2 style buffer, so the weights shouldn't be an issue. @cz gunner, I'm right there with you. The large frame guns I've fired with carbine buffer systems are pretty snappy, and I want this gun to be pretty smooth

[danieljmaunder]

I called armalite and spoke to their technical support line and asked some questions, they also recommended running a rifle buffer system for a number of reasons, reliability, recoil etc

[Pappabear]

Once you get down the road, if you need to change buffers reach out to Slash’s Heavy buffers. You can give him specs and he can recommend something. It’s his specialty. You said your running Adjustable gas block so maybe you won’t need a BRT tube, but if you don’t go that route, try the BRT’S.

Good luck on your build.

PB

[danieljmaunder]

@PB, and MarkM, do you happen to have any gas port data for the armalite barrels? I'm trying to avoid having to use the adjustable gas block if possible and switch to a PRI front sight. Any Data would be appreciated as far as what size the gas port should be. I'm also going to call clint at BRT and see if he has any data and if I might possibly need an ez tune gas tube. I really want to remove the adjustable gas block. Its not going to be run suppressed at all so I'd like to be able to set it and forget it and just have it run

[Pappabear]

Yea, we don't know the AR10 armalite barrels so much. But Clint should be able to square you away. And if you don't run suppressed, it should be no problem to get it to run smooth with little effort. Keep us posted on your progress.

PB

[pinzgauer]

I'm reading this thread and scratching my head a bit...

When I decided to try an AR-10 type build, the universal input was to make sure and use the same manufacturer receivers and ideally BCG.

Turned out to be easy to do with the local dealer carrying AERO full line at very competitive prices.

Ended up with a 16-in upper and a carbine (non rifle) buffer system lower.

The thing has been flawless, digesting hertenberger NATO surplus non-stop.

It's not a bench gun, was never intended to be. More of a 200 yd plate blaster.

It just works as designed. No excessive recoil, less than other MBRs like M-14s and HK 91s.

Everyone loves shooting it, largely because it's different than typical m4geries.

Maybe I just got lucky or maybe AERO did a good job with barrel gassing and buffer weight.

But my take away was that many AR-10 problems are self-inflicted by people mixing and matching trying to over optimize.

Then again, I see the same thing with m4geries and also 1911s.

The one clear input from the AR-10 community is that the AR-10s are not nearly as standardized, and mix and match can be problematic.

So I see no need for adjustable gas blocks and exotic buffers and that type of thing if you go with mainstream components, especially if they are known to work together.

I can see a different approach if you were trying to build a super competitive long distance bench gun, though you likely would not be trying to build an AR-10, at least in my area.

I'm an LMT fan, and would love to have an MWS. But the expense and the weight makes that non-attractive for me, and this basic AR-10 build scratches that itch.

[sinister]

I love Armalites.

I don't like A1 or A2 fixed butt-stocks -- they're too long with the longer big-frame / big-caliber receivers.

I prefer the Armalite or Vltor extended receiver extension with an XH buffer.

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/18978/DSC01969_JPG-2600822.JPG

[danieljmaunder]

I'm reading this thread and scratching my head a bit...

When I decided to try an AR-10 type build, the universal input was to make sure and use the same manufacturer receivers and ideally BCG.


The one clear input from the AR-10 community is that the AR-10s are not nearly as standardized, and mix and match can be problematic.

So I see no need for adjustable gas blocks and exotic buffers and that type of thing if you go with mainstream components, especially if they are known to work together.

I can see a different approach if you were trying to build a super competitive long distance bench gun, though you likely would not be trying to build an AR-10, at least in my area.

I'm an LMT fan, and would love to have an MWS. But the expense and the weight makes that non-attractive for me, and this basic AR-10 build scratches that itch.

Agreed, most common problems are induced by mix and match. I got lucky and found a complete upper that matches the noveske lower I have and then used armalite appropriate pattern parts for the rest. What I'm trying to do now is ditch the adjustable gas block. I have never been a fan of them and have seen them induce problems on several guns. Beyond that its pretty straight forward, called armalite and asked how they set the b pattern guns up from the factory and ordered those parts. With luck it'll run right out of the box. I tried to minimize mix and match as little as possible with the only non armalite parts being the noveske lower. The end goal is a very reliable hunting, pest control, and who knows what else.

[danieljmaunder]

For anyone else who's curious, Armalite 18" rifle gas stainless barrels are .0935 gas ports. Going to try it with the armalite ar10 buffer and spring and see how it runs

[Jsp10477]

The gun should run fine with a standard gas block and an Armalite Carbine RE kit. The only large frames I see having problems are running the shorter DPMS style 308 carbine RE kits. The armalite kits are the easy button.

[danieljmaunder]

Waiting for the lower parts kit to come in and then it'll be ready to shoot. Minor changes to the upper included getting rid of the 3 chamber factory brake and replacing with a surefire 3 prong, armalite ar-10 carbine receiver extension, buffer, and spring. Probably going to be replacing the handguard in the future with a PRI and upgrading the glass. Pic in link below

https://imgur.com/a/V3gr2yX