DIY AR10's

[docsherm]

It’s weird how DIY is always synonymous with poverty choices.

Like KAC /LMT, IS the 308 game.


Buy in price is nearly irrelevant when you’re actually putting rounds down range in any substantial quantity, even more so when they’re 7.62. Not saying you OP you guys actually shoot.


So buy once cry once and all that Jazz


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From your post I can tell that you nave no experience with the 308 KAC or LMT or any other on the AR platform as you are wrong. There are options out there for those that ACTUALLY shoot.

[docsherm]

I highly encourage buying a complete gun from a reputable manufacturer.

The large frame gassers can be pretty frustrating if not done right. People look at them as bigger AR15s, but they're not. They're a totally different animal.

Just because parts fit together doesn't mean they'll work together. At least not to the performance standard that we would hold a better brand to.



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I agree with this statement 100%

[Firefly]

From your post I can tell that you nave no experience with the 308 KAC or LMT or any other on the AR platform as you are wrong. There are options out there for those that ACTUALLY shoot.

As someone who built his own SR25 with 95-98% KAC sourced parts; I feel I can way in here with some authority.

The Good:
KAC can be fairly accurate with the right measure of barrel and barrel nut attention. Stringing and less than stellar accuracy have been linked to these two issues.

KAC uses a fairly standard magazine pattern.

They can be rather robust given the proper assembly.

The Bad

If you arent willing to go aftermarket; it can get expensive for no reason.

They DO have weak points. I book mine and keep an eye on the bolt release. The one I made has a factory bolt release but it is a known failure point just being 308.

You are essentially "stuck" with URX, legacy FF tubes or PRI.

God help you if you shear a bolt.

If you arent spending your own money; you don't see the flaws. I have an HK 762 that gets some things right KAC doesn't (NOT PISTON). It will be a while before mine hits that particular point. I cannot speak to a Larue but everyone who has one and is legit likes them but they aren't exactly cheap either.

LMT is the most solid direction to go but for the money and time of making one's own....Aero or an older MATEN kit.

Honestly I am looking into ways to convert all to 6.5 when the time comes.

308 ARs are somewhat more trickier to cobnle together than a 5.56. Chamber pressure alone shortens your margin of error and a catastrophic failure becomes more catastrophic.

I like my KAC stuff but sometimes I do the whole "masterrace" spiel to take a bit of piss. SR25s do have some flaws. But....thats like saying Space Travel has flaws. We are way further along than we were but we aint got our asses to Mars YET.

[noonesshowmonkey]

Or you can get a complete Colt for $1400...

Even after a rebarrel, you're ahead.

Barrel & BCG are the lifeblood of any AR pattern weapon. The rest are controls, and a Colt lower is likely to just work.

I'm not suggesting that an LMT or KAC rifle isn't worth the investment. But, in absolute terms, they are at LEAST twice as expensive.

Building is a rat's nest, given the variations in AR10 patterns. That said, companies like Aero Precision have their M5 line built around offering parts known to conform to pattern and function. Personally, I'd be a lot more interested in getting a high quality barrel and risking gremlins with a Colt or AP setup than dropping $4-5k.

I say all of this second hand, having no AR10s in inventory, and knowing only what acquaintances have done, two of whom have already contributed to this thread.

[wetidlerjr]

Or you can get a complete Colt for $1400...

OOS with no back orders...

[mark5pt56]

I've had factory Armalites, SW, Aero, LMT and DD .308's. A well known trainer told me to sell the off shoots before they break, which I did. I liked the LMT, just a tad to heavy for me for what I wanted. I have (had) 2 DD5's gave one to my son(lucky) and the other 18" is new in the safe. I'm trying to figure out what to do with that one, inclined to hang on to it until it's worth 2x next fall.

The Aero-had to do the 2 quarter trick until I got the Sprinco spring for it. The SW was ok and the Armalite, same same. The LMT and DD just work, like they should. I wanted to look at the small frame offerings but just don't trust them. Not the concept, just the quality.

[RobertTheTexan]

I’ve had both. I first built a precision 308 using Aero Precision receiver set with a Ballistics Advantage SS 18” barrel and I later purchased a 16” rifle gas LMT MWS upper (20” SS barrel cut down to 16”) that I mounted to a Mega MATEN lower. As far as “out of box” functionality the LMT MWS was pure beast. It ran every single thing I fed it and was beyond reliable. The Aero/BA build was more accurate than the LMT, but I had some initial issues getting it to cycle correctly. Granted the issue turned out to be a faulty adjustable gas block, but the issues were issues regardless. After replacing the adjustable with a standard GB, I had zero issues and it was rock solid.

There is no doubt that buying an LMT MWS, SOLGW, or LaRue is a turn key solution and besides getting a quality AR-10, you also have “one throat to choke”, which is another positive on the complete rifle choice.

PB, I think you have to decide where you are on risk scale. For certain there is increased risk when building a 308 that just isn’t there when you buy a quality complete rifle. But are there ways to reduce that risk on the home build? Absolutely - but it requires you doing your due diligence in research, and by purchasing quality, proven parts. I will say that there is more to it than different takedown/pivot pins and the mag catch lever length. There is definitely more to it than that, but I believe you can build a rock solid 308 that you can run hard. You just need to do your part and build it using proven quality parts and there’s a few different paths for that. I’ve got a buddy who I helped with his 308 and he went the JP Silent Capture Spring and JP low mass BCG route. He tells me that it shoots almost as soft as his 5.56. My way isn’t that way, but my point is if you are patient and do your homework and have a clear path you can build a 308. The build sheet isn’t in some nebulous cloud that you have to answer 3 questions at the Bridge of Death to pass over to AR-10/308 nirvana. You do your part and I believe you build a solid rifle. That’s what me and a whole lot of other people have done.

I do like Sinister’s LMT idea. That’s a good approach and less risky. SOLGW also offers the LMT AR-10 BCG, which I was really impressed with. As I mentioned I used a Mega MATEN lower on my MWS, and believe me it’s quite a bit cheaper than going the KAC or even LMT route, and it was a very nice lower. Well machined.






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[tehpwnag3]

Selfishly, I feel this thread would be a whole lot more interesting if you decided to roll your own. I'm pretty much in to see how it all turns out. Good luck.

[turnburglar]

Personally I feel that in 2019 its no longer a 'crap shoot' in building your own AR10. Sure; in 2015 I wouldnt be saying the same thing. A look around youtube will show dozens of aero builds running for a couple hundred rounds. As other posters have pointed out Aero sets are affordable and relatively standardized. You just REALLY have to be willing to do your research for parts compatibility, unlike an AR15 where everything on the market will basically work together. EVEN PSA seems to be able to deliver an AR10 that works out of the box. Teething issues in 2016 for sure, but they seem to be worked out now.

Firefly said what most people are thinking in relation to building an AR10 vs just buy SR25. ALOT of parts from KAC are expensive for absolutely no reason, other than they do small runs as a boutique manufactuer. I'm sure if KAC offered BCG's and barrels ala carte; you would see a rash of 'KAC heart in AERO body' builds. It's simply human nature to optimize performance AND cost.

Now to make it even harder to pick; the consumer has: "spend bukoo dollars on KAC/LMT" vs "spend maybe less and DIY" and NOW: "buy a small frame for the same price as a good AR15". DPMS, Savage, Smith and Colt all offer a small frame 308 for less than $1500. These are factory built rifles, that have been COMPLETELY re-engineered, and offer a waranty. While these are the newest rifles to the 308 market, LOTS of people have reported a good experience. James Yeager (sic) ran over 2k rounds through a DPMS G2. There's a whole thread on the Colt small frame on this site with multiple happy campers. I personally bought a savage MSR 10 and the first 80 rounds all cycled flawlessly.

[rpoL98]

So, I have built more at home AR15's than I care to share. Never built an AR10. Not smart enough and with me being an LMT Fanboy, I just bought LMT's. For those of you that built Aero's etc, how happy are you?

I've built 2 Aero M5 lowers (1 black, 1 FDE), and about a dozen M5 308 uppers to go with those 2 lowers. Barrel lengths range from 14.5" up to 24", all in 308 (7.62x51). I'm very happy with how it all turned out.

I use the Slash/Heavy Buffer 308 carbine spring in both lowers, with either the Slash or KAK 5.3oz 308 carbine buffer (2.5" OAL), AR-15 M4 buffer tube. Geissele HS-NM triggers in both lowers now, used to be SSA-E. Kinda settled on Aero BCGs, nitride or NiB, although I've tried several other brands; and SLR adj GB's. I always check the headspace.

Since I'm assembling these with various vendors' barrels, etc, it is incumbent on me to sort it out and make it all work, part of the exercise. Like I said, I'm pleased with how it all turned out.