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All,

I have 2 AR-15 builds I would like your input on. I know a lot of this is personal preference but I have been browsing for a while and I have seen a lot of nice builds floating around here and I respect your guys (and gals) capabilities!

Okay to set up the premise of this let me make a few assertions:

1. I have 2 stripped lowers
2. I would like to have one CQB weapon
3. I would like to have one long range weapon
4. I can't go NFA on anything right now so the CQB has to be 16 inches etc
5. I know .308 is better for long range work but I can't afford to get there right now. Later I hope

I am not looking for detailed advice like this exact part plus plus plus etc however, if you want to provide I will take it! but what I am looking for is some suggestions to push me in the right direction like for the CQB weapon try this combination of upper, barrel and sights or for the long distance try a rifle length gas tube and this hand guard and an ACOG.

Just looking for some help getting my builds going because there are sooo many options it is head spinning! Thanks for any and all info you send my way and I will try to keep the thread running and post pictures as I build.

I already have 10 pmags and a KCI 100 round mag. So I have that part covered

What kind of range are you thinking for the long range rifle?

C-dub wrote:What kind of range are you thinking for the long range rifle?

I would like to see if I could get it to run from 100-300. I figure 300 is probably max with my capabilities and the AR15 platform itself. Another piece of info I won't be hunting with it unless TEOTWAWKI happens so I am just target shooting. Also I can never be competitive so this is for personal pleasure but because its personal doesn't mean I can't be good at it

IMO, if you're only wanting to reach out to 300 yards a 16" or 14.5" with a 1.5" flag hider should get you there just fine. Beyond 400 yards, from something I've recently heard, an 18" or longer barrel is needed to attain the velocities required to push a heavy enough bullet fast enough to have reliable ballistics at that greater distance. So, build yourself one rifle now and then later when you can, get the tax stamp and build one with a 8"-10" barrel and add a suppressor for CQB.

So, I can think of several ways to go........

1. First idea:
   1. lightweight carbine with M4 profile and MOE furniture, flat top upper, with AimPoint Micro H1
   2. flat top upper, good variable power mil-dot scope in the 4.5-14x range, VLTOR E-Mod stock, quad rail, 20" HBAR chambered in 6.8 SPC (will mate to AR15 lower)
2. Second idea:
   1. Same as A.1.
   2. 20" HBAR upper in 5.56, flat top, good variable power scope, quad rail, A2 stock
3. Third idea:
   1. Same as A.1.
   2. old school "replica" of original M16A1/M16A2 with carry handle
4. Fourth idea:
   1. Same as C.2.
   2. Modern M4 with ACOG

I could go on. Hope this helps. BTW, any of these would be good out to 300 yards.

Hey bud. You might find this useful....

MK12 Mod0/1 Thread: This is basically a collection of "reach out & touch ya" pictures/builds on AR15.com--
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_118/520524_.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

M4 Thread: This is a collection of your typical modern M4 type high-speed rigs--
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_118/5416 ... hread.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just an idea...save one of your lowers for a dedicated long range build later when funds will be available. Build 2 uppers to run on a single lower, say a middy & a carbine length upper to hold you over till then.

Modern Sporting Rifles are so easily interchangeable, that would be my recommendation. Throw a 4.5-14x scope like TAM suggested on the middy upper and an aimpoint or eotech on the carbine length upper.

OR.. build a multi purpose rifle now, and save funds for a really sweet long range piece. That's basically what I'm doing....

Really one rifle could do both...

All you would need is a removable bi-pod and variable power tactical optic like the Leupold CQ/T. I would also get a B5 or LMT Sopmod stock, a CTR with Larue's Riser, or a Larue Rat stock, which would serve both roles well.

Depending on what you are looking to spend you can offset a RDS and run a full power optic, but a 16" barrel will serve both your requirements perfectly.

If you want actual role specific guns, then I would do an 18" SPR build for precision with full power optic, and offset RDS just in case. For CQB, I would opt for a 10" barrel, and Surefire shorty can attached under a 12" daniel defense MFR rail system with an Aimpoint Micro.

C-dub wrote:IMO, if you're only wanting to reach out to 300 yards a 16" or 14.5" with a 1.5" flag hider should get you there just fine. Beyond 400 yards, from something I've recently heard, an 18" or longer barrel is needed to attain the velocities required to push a heavy enough bullet fast enough to have reliable ballistics at that greater distance.

My AR-15 carbine with a pencil barrel (the same one you shot a couple of weeks ago) will consistently put a 77gr bullet into a dinner plate at 500 yards.

That was from sand bags, with that little 4x ACOG, and this old guy on the trigger. I was shooting at a steel gong that day. When the ammo supply eases up a bit more, I plan to go out and put holes in paper so I can see just what size the grouping really is.

C-dub wrote:IMO, if you're only wanting to reach out to 300 yards a 16" or 14.5" with a 1.5" flag hider should get you there just fine. Beyond 400 yards, from something I've recently heard, an 18" or longer barrel is needed to attain the velocities required to push a heavy enough bullet fast enough to have reliable ballistics at that greater distance. So, build yourself one rifle now and then later when you can, get the tax stamp and build one with a 8"-10" barrel and add a suppressor for CQB.

Hmmmm Hadn't thought about that... So a 16 incher will go out to 300-400 yards? Thats probably the max of my capabilities with an AR platform. I think I might be able to get further out with a traditional bolt action rifle. I don't mean this to devolve into an NFA discussion but am I correct that if I get the stamp for an 8" barrell I have to register that with a particular receiver and I can NOT use it with another receiver? Just wondering...

Pawpaw wrote:

C-dub wrote:IMO, if you're only wanting to reach out to 300 yards a 16" or 14.5" with a 1.5" flag hider should get you there just fine. Beyond 400 yards, from something I've recently heard, an 18" or longer barrel is needed to attain the velocities required to push a heavy enough bullet fast enough to have reliable ballistics at that greater distance.

My AR-15 carbine with a pencil barrel (the same one you shot a couple of weeks ago) will consistently put a 77gr bullet into a dinner plate at 500 yards.

That was from sand bags, with that little 4x ACOG, and this old guy on the trigger. I was shooting at a steel gong that day. When the ammo supply eases up a bit more, I plan to go out and put holes in paper so I can see just what size the grouping really is.

That was explained to me by someone wanting to some Rocky Mountain 3-gun thing where there is supposed to be shooting out to 500 yards. They said an 18" barrel was needed for the velocity and that they would use a 20"+ except that they wanted to keep it from getting too long so they could still use it in some close quarter stuff. IDK for myself, but it sounded reasonable. I haven't shot my own past 50 yards yet.

I guess my memory is worse than I thought. I don't remember shooting any AR's that day. What length is your barrel?

The Annoyed Man wrote:So, I can think of several ways to go........

1. First idea:
   1. lightweight carbine with M4 profile and MOE furniture, flat top upper, with AimPoint Micro H1
   2. flat top upper, good variable power mil-dot scope in the 4.5-14x range, VLTOR E-Mod stock, quad rail, 20" HBAR chambered in 6.8 SPC (will mate to AR15 lower)

Hmmm now theres an idea... I have never thought about 6.8 or 300 Blackout. Have you shot 6.8? I know ammo is all around hard to come by but do you know if 6.8 is any worse than everything else in order to get?

I like those ideas! Thanks TAM

Syntyr wrote:

C-dub wrote:IMO, if you're only wanting to reach out to 300 yards a 16" or 14.5" with a 1.5" flag hider should get you there just fine. Beyond 400 yards, from something I've recently heard, an 18" or longer barrel is needed to attain the velocities required to push a heavy enough bullet fast enough to have reliable ballistics at that greater distance. So, build yourself one rifle now and then later when you can, get the tax stamp and build one with a 8"-10" barrel and add a suppressor for CQB.

Hmmmm Hadn't thought about that... So a 16 incher will go out to 300-400 yards? Thats probably the max of my capabilities with an AR platform. I think I might be able to get further out with a traditional bolt action rifle. I don't mean this to devolve into an NFA discussion but am I correct that if I get the stamp for an 8" barrell I have to register that with a particular receiver and I can NOT use it with another receiver? Just wondering...

Well, let's let some of the experts chime in with the reliability of that information. I only just had this explained to me this past weekend and am relatively new to the AR platform myself.

gigag04 wrote:
If you want actual role specific guns, then I would do an 18" SPR build for precision with full power optic, and offset RDS just in case. For CQB, I would opt for a 10" barrel, and Surefire shorty can attached under a 12" daniel defense MFR rail system with an Aimpoint Micro.

Now there is a path. I could afford to go ahead and build the 18" SPR then when I get a little more money I could build the 10"...

I am begging to coalesce some ideas here. Thanks guys!

[quote="snatchel"]Hey bud. You might find this useful....

MK12 Mod0/1 Thread: This is basically a collection of "reach out & touch ya" pictures/builds on AR15.com--
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_118/520524_.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

M4 Thread: This is a collection of your typical modern M4 type high-speed rigs--
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_118/5416 ... hread.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

/[quote]

Oh you had to give me those links... 500+ pages of options

Syntyr wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:So, I can think of several ways to go........

1. First idea:
   1. lightweight carbine with M4 profile and MOE furniture, flat top upper, with AimPoint Micro H1
   2. flat top upper, good variable power mil-dot scope in the 4.5-14x range, VLTOR E-Mod stock, quad rail, 20" HBAR chambered in 6.8 SPC (will mate to AR15 lower)

Hmmm now theres an idea... I have never thought about 6.8 or 300 Blackout. Have you shot 6.8? I know ammo is all around hard to come by but do you know if 6.8 is any worse than everything else in order to get?

I like those ideas! Thanks TAM

I was thinking about a 300 Blackout upper for hog hunting, but the prices of that ammo are sky high right now. $2.75 a round! You can buy uppers in several different calibers.