First AR-10 (WIP)

I haven't posted here much but the information in this forum has been very helpful as I've researched which AR-style .308 to purchase. So...thank you!

I traded someone for this AR-10 today and am so excited to start modifying this beauty!




The trade I did came with a stripped upper receiver that I do not plan to use so I'm hoping you all can help me with the value. I'm wanting to take this money and put it into some upgrades on the AR-10. If this isn't the forum for those types of questions I apologize and will definitely post it in the right place. There are a couple scratches but it looks to be unused. Thanks for your help!

Will turn this into my WIP thread (3/7)

Congrats on the new rifle.

You need a 24 inch T upper to go with that.

BTW, that factory brake on that one (it was apparently made during the AWB) is very effective but does have a bit of a side blast.

Good to know, I'll make sure to have my friend stand beside me when I shoot it for the first time!

Can you help me out with the value of that stripped upper?

New ones are $277 from ArmaLite. They have some non-forward assist ones on sale for $199.

Somewhere around that figure.

Nice rifle. Congratulations.

Thanks!

I'll be turning this thread into a WIP and would love to hear your feedback along the way.

First item will be a Magpul UBR (OD Green) I traded for with someone on this forum.

Also, just placed an order for the following:
Troy Industries 13.8" TRX 308 Extr ARMALITE (Black)
Troy Industries .875 Low Profile Gas Block
Magpul MBUS Front/Rear Sights (Black)
Magpul Angled Foregrip
OD green rail covers
UTG Low Profile Picatinny Bipod

Will be posting pictures as this beast gets put together.

I called Armalite today and asked what size gas block I would need for a heavy barrel and they said .875" Should I cancel my order tonight and change it to .75?

Not an entirely complete listing of gas blocks but more complete than any other I've seen and worthy of posting.

http://www.762sass.com/store.php?cid=23&session=096e14a42b64714d0bac8dda82c4968d

That website is sooooooooo going to make you open your wallet.

sigh.

https://danieldefense.com/components-parts/upper-half/gas-blocks.html

You need a .750 for that barrel.

The terminology around AR barrels got screwed up when the barrels that were heavier than the A1 barrels were brought out and called HBAR.

Those barrels on both a 5.56 AR and a 20 inch .308 AR (except the thin "infantry weight" barrel that ArmaLite tried for a while and still use on the AR10 carbine) are in reality medium weight barrels.

Heavy barrels would be like those on an M15T (for 5.56), the 10T, 10NM, and 10 SuperSASS along with many aftermarket heavy barrels.

Will the standard .750 Troy Low Profile Gas Block work or is there one I need to get specifically work for the AR10?

Another question for you experts...

DaveS has been very helpful and informed me that the muzzle brake will need to be removed/discarded due to the AWB welding job. This means I get to buy a new compensator/flash suppressor thingamajiggy.

Is there a big difference in the performance of the YHM Phantom .308 5C2 Comp - Flash Hider VS the Vltor Compensator, 308 Long (VC-301). If you have experience with either one I would love to hear it.

Thanks again.
Tom

We only have 2 sizes of gas blocks, .750 and .875. The .875 OD journal is for our SST barrels (with the exception of the 10TCBNF that uses the .750 SST gas block). All of our chrome lined barreled rifles have gas blocks that are .750 OD at the journal.

TR

Thanks- All of you have been a tremendous help online and even over the phone.

I've changed my order to the .750 and have a YHM Phantom Flash/Comp on the way. DaveS pointed me to a thread on removing the muzzle brake so I should be good to go for now.

The next step is for me to deal with the muzzle brake. Dave sent me a link to the split and pry method which is one option. I was wondering if it would also work to use my drill press on the welded pin area as long as I'm careful not to go too deep. Would that break it loose?

As deep as you're getting by modifying that upper assembly, why not just keep it as is and build what you want on the other upper? You can be shooting and practicing with this one while you collect your parts and pieces for the railed upper. When the new upper is complete you can sell this one off or keep it as a backup.

I only had a stripped upper receiver and ended up trading it for a Magpul UBR.

I'm pretty sure that brake is pressed on and there are NO threads at the muzzle. I would leave it alone.

Some of the earlier ones had the threads. As I recall, it seems that the 3 slot brakes had the threads and the later pressed on brakes only had 2 slots.

OP, can you take a picture of the bottom side of that brake? And it's a BRAKE, not a break.

So I figured out yesterday while googling that I've been spelling brake wrong!

Here's the photo from the top:


and the bottom:

Yep, that one has threads.

I got one like that off by carefully drilling out the pin, making sure there were no burrs, and unscrewing it.

Pinned and welded muzzle brakes will have a 3/8" faint light circle at the 6 o'clock position and are threaded underneath.

Pressed and pinned muzzle brakes will have 1 or 2 outward showing pins running through the lower section of the muzzle brake and they will be unthreaded.

TR

I screwed up

I was trying to take off the muzzle brake with the drill press method and ended up drilling too big of a hole in the threads and I still can't get the muzzle brake off.

Is my only option to have someone cut the barrel to 14.1" and put an extended comp/flash suppressor to meet the 16" length?

Here's a picture of the beauty.

No. You should be able to have someone do the split and pry method along with cleaning up the threads.

Send this to ADCO http://adcofirearms.com and see what Steve has to say:

http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=62&t=201048

See, that's what you get for not listening and just leaving it on.

Yes, yes, I know. It's my rifle though so it'll end up the way I want it

I ended up getting it off but the hole in the barrel is to big to keep the accuracy the way I would want it (do you agree?). It looks like I'll need to cut and re-thread.

I can fix it, and I wont even charge you extra for goobering it up.

www.heavybuffers.com/services

Tom!!!

Listen to Slash.

Gaff him off at your own peril.

This is a good example of why I think Dremel tools should be regulated, not guns. ;)

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Ok, ok, I've emailed him.

I did mine back in 1994 with a grinding wheel. I located the pin and was able to grind the weld loose on two sides of the pin. I was able to save/spare my muzzle brake though it's got an ugly grind mark through the bottom of it.

I managed to find a die to chase the original threads on the barrel and clean them up a tad for the vortex I put on it.


/edit major edit...

Posted my response before reading the rest of the thread.

YIKES!

Next time, please use more caution and based on this experience do more research into what you are looking to learn and what you are looking to do.

For what it is worth, my pin in my muzzle brake was installed across the threads such that it bisected or made a tangent contact to the surface of the barrel threads. If I hadn't used a grinding wheel and gone slowly I would have never seen the dissimilar metals and the hairline gaps showing the direction of the pin as it crossed the barrel threads and contacted the barrel. Truth is I was able to grind the pin out without ever coming in contact with barrel threads, once the weld was broken on the pin/flash suppressor I was able to pry the pin loose.

This wasn't a pin that is installed similarly to what you would see holding a barrel extension onto the barrel for installing/locating into the upper receiver.

Flash Hider finally came in the mail so it's going out to Clint today.

Although I messed up, I don't regret trying this on my own b/c:
1- It's my rifle
2- I'm ok with paying for my mistake (which is actually about the same price as Armalite was going to charge me to do the original job I failed at)
3- It's going to look better to me with a little shorter of barrel.

I can't wait to see Slash's work and I appreciate everyone's commentary/help along the way. This thing is going to be sweet!

Slash will get you fixed up..........

Slash is the man.

It's going to stay like this for a while until I can afford some nice optics. I have a bi-pod I can put on the end when necessary. Thanks again for all your comments along the way!

Looks great! We knew Clint would hook you up!

She turned out nice! Where in GA are you located? Maybe we could meet up and shoot sometime. I have the AR10T with the 24" SST Barrel

Rookies.

And proud of it!

lol....sage advice right there!

Slash is a generally all around good guy as well.

I'm in Duluth. I plan on going out with some friends in a couple weeks to Gun Site Hills on the other side of Athens. They have a range out to 800 yard and it cost $20 for the day.

I'm now in the long list of people to recommend Slash. The buffer he sells for the AR10 works wonderful and he is very responsive to all emails.

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