Should I wait for DPMS gen 2 standard to catch on or go ahead and build an AR10? There's a receiver set I like on sale, but I don't know if I should hold out and see if the gen 2 standard takes off and gets a lot of support not.

Same question I have been asking myself.  Thankfully, it's temporarily been answered by a realization that everything I am doing, and probably will be doing, can be done with an AR15.  I don't expect that to last forever, though, so tagging along for advice.

I have a GII MOE and recommend you do not wait. My AR-15 is gathering dust...

I have both DPMS Gen1 and Gen2 Hunter. The Gen1 is going bye bye and I will not miss the bulk and weight. I'm waiting for DPMS to catch up on production and make the 260 available. Then I'll have two.

To put it bluntly....the Gen1 style has nothing on the Gen2.

Well I guess to elaborate I'm looking at the Aero Precision receiver set.

I plan on using light weight parts such as the MFT minimalist stock and Midwest Industries SSM

I said fuck it, and just bought the ARMALITE DEF 10

paid $938 at grab a gun dot com

I'm VERY HAPPY with it



Added an M.I. rail, JP trigger, and BCM furniture

What are you looking for?  Here's how my AR15/AR10 use and purchase history has gone:

1988: Colt Sporter II for getting familiar with the AR15, marksmanship practice, blasting

1994-2003:  US Army 11B, used FN M16A2 in OSUT, M16A1, M16A2, M4, M4A1 out of the AR15 family on active duty

1995:  Bushmaster XM15E2S 11.5" HBAR with 5.5" FH, C7 upper  (for GP/blasting/300yd carbine)

1997:  Bushmaster XM15E2S 11.5" HABR with A2 upper

2001:  J&T 16" M4 for blasting, CQM training, 3-Gun

2002:  Eagle/ArmaLite Inc. EA10T .308 Win 24" w/Leupold Mk 4 LR/T for semi-auto sniper system ( I had wanted an AR10 since childhood, and always felt better with semi-auto sniper systems for practicality in the 3 Scout Sniper Platoons I was in, even though the M24 was very accurate and easy to shoot from the prone.  I just didn't ever want to get caught with my pants down carrying one.)

2003:  Bushmaster 11.5"

2004:  More AR15 carbines

2006:  RRA 16" HBAR, with VTAC FSP cut 12" HG for carbine blasting

2007:  MGI QCB Gen I upper on RRA lower
         DPMS LR-308 24" for team Sniper Competitions
         GA Precision .308 AR built on DPMS AP4 receivers, 22" Obermeyer barrel for team Sniper comps

2008:  DPMS LR-260 Rem for team comps again

2009:  More AR15 carbines, 16" and 14.5" pinned for blasting, supervised my wife as she assembled her own HD AR15 from parts she bought
         Built a 16" 6.5 Grendel

2010:  GA Precision .260 Rem AR built on DPMS AP4 receivers, 22" Bartlein barrel for team comps, long range comps

2011:  Plans for 16" .308 carbine are shelved due to performance realized from 6.5 Grendel Carbine
         More AR15 carbines in 5.56 NATO for blasting

2012:  More AR15 carbines " ", Grendel continues to grow on me, definitely no more plans for .308 carbine, sold .308 brass, bullets

2013:  More 6.5 Grendel work, started taking it to DM Courses that Spring, started getting parts for more 6.5 Grendel builds, started to see my .260 Rem shot less due to factory Grendel ammo cost and availability
         More 5.56 blasters for CQM/General Purpose

2014:  More 6.5 Grendel's built, mainly 18" for my lightweight multi-purpose stick

2015:  More 6.5 Grendel's, with a 22" in the works to mostly replace what I was using my 22" .260 Rem for, since supersonic reach difference is 90-150yds, well past 1400yds with both.

I also have the parts for a 300 BLK for CQM and CQB to reduce overpressure issues associated with high volume training, by using subs/suppressed.  

In addition, I'm looking at a 12.5" SBR 6.5 Grendel using a BHW barrel, suppressed with a lightweight Titanium can as a general purpose carbine.

My interest in the GII would only be in a custom build, different caliber, starting with stripped receivers so I can Cerakote them.

So if I build this off of what's in my head right now and having built four AR15s,  but not a 10.

Aero Precision gen 2 mk5 receiver set, 16" or 18" barrel of some kind leaning 18",  MFT Minimalist stock, Magpul MOE grip,  Midwest industries SSM 15",  Lantac dragon,.

What do you want to accomplish with this rifle?  What need is it going to fill?

That's slick right there.  Weight with optics and 20rd Brownell's mag?

Kinda thinking  light weight medium range DMR. For use outside of just wanting one,  I'll probably use it on hogs and coyotes.

So in that case, you're looking at:

* Reliability
* Lightweight
* Accurate
* Well-balanced

Those are hard to do in the 9" long AR10/AR308 receiver set-based guns.  Reliability will be the first hurdle, as the AR10 has always been more finicky than the AR15 for some reason.  Not sure why, but this has been a problem since the 1950's.  The new ArmaLite Inc. has ironed out those bugs very well with their rifles, and I can't say I've ever seen them choke.

Wilson Combat has actually been testing their new .308 relentlessly before putting it on the market.  KAC has re-designed the SR-25 countless times, with the latest SR-25's having several features focused on addressing the problematic issues of the 7.62 carbines, mainly the gas system and recoil system.  They went to a RLGS with the 16" carbines, a longer carbine RE tube, optimal buffer weight, optimal spring length and rate, tight controls on the reamer specs so they don't get screwed over, gas block sealing to the barrel, and other little tweaks.

As a DIY'er in the AR10/SR25/LR-308 world, there are a lot of things to think about before committing.  Most people get lured into a low-priced receiver "sale", but this can pull you down a bad path, as we've seen lately with some of the new arrivals on the parts market.

If 6.5 Grendel didn't exist, I would personally just buy a GII and put the handguard on it I wanted.  The AP4 and MOE have way too short of a gas system for a .308 AR, and I would want a MLGS at the least, if not RLGS.  You could get the Hunter, and have the barrel cut to 18" if you felt the 20' was too long, or get the Compact Hunter with an 18" barrel already and ~6.5lbs weight overall for the gun.

I've been wanting an AR10 so the sale of a receiver set I've been considering isn't  drawing me in as much as possibly pushing my plans forward.

I also prefer building my own rifles as opposed to buying something off the shelf.  I am more than competent with building AR15s, I'm sure I can build a functional AR10.

The biggest challenge of building a functional gun is parts commonality. There really isn't such a thing with the after-market in the .308 world unless you stick with one company.

Trying to source this and that from all over the place can become a trying experience.  

To ask for a lightweight gun on top of that will require some finesse, and usually custom barrel work to reduce weight, if you don't go with one of the pencil barrels.

I'm the same way with rifles, in that I prefer to build my own and be the QC department, starting with a quality barrel and BCG from trusted vendors that I've vetted over the years.

With .308's and .260's, I've gone to custom shops, although I do have the tools now to do the larger guns, and have worked on several.

The main thing out of most people's control is the chamber specs.  You either get the right one or you don't.  This is where reliability and accuracy conflict with each other.  Reliable gas gun chambers like to be loose.  Accurate ones like to be tight.

If you've watched the variants section over the years, as well as other forums, the trail of tears of problems with .308 builds is substantial.  Most problems fall into two main camps:

* Chamber is too tight, among other problems

* Parts don't work together

For the guns that people get to fit together eventually, or right off the bat, they then usually have these main problems:

* Gas system is driving the action way too hard, causing stove pipe malfs, or FTEject due to extractor slip

* Early component failure, mainly broken extractors from garbage, non-QC'd parts

Biggest things that don't fit together:

TD and Pivot pins are of different sizes depending on the brand.
Buffer and RE tube configurations, even when done right per mfgr recommendations
Bolt carrier rails too long for another manufacturer's lower receiver RE tube threads, causing impact and damage
Handguards too low or high for the upper
Improper headspace of bolt and barrel when sourced from different vendors
Bolt catches
Not enough length on the mag catch shaft for wider receivers on .308 guns
Charge handles not clearing the RE tube thread boss
Gas tube lengths different for MLGS and RLGS between different brands, mainly ArmaLite Inc. are longer, and several barrel makers don't know which one they are making their gas system length to, because they claim one, but it's really the other.
FCG parts bottoming out in the FCG pocket in the lower, like Geissele in PSA PA-10.
Pivot pins too short in some receivers

Several people have pulled it off, but it is nothing like sourcing parts for an AR15.  It looks like it initially, but can get out of hand very fast.  I have just used DPMS receivers and BCG's on my custom builds, but had GAP do them like I said.  If I were doing one right now, I would use ArmaLite BCG, ArmaLite LPK, and quality receivers from someone who is compatible with ArmaLite LPK.

I would use the A5 length RE tube, and a JP SCS.  I would have a custom profile barrel done for me by Precision Firearms, or get a Lilja 18" AR10740 drop-in with RLGS.  I would probably consider a adjustable gas block with the JP LMOS or similar, to reduce the recoil impulse, using the JP high pressure bolt and firing pin if I didn't use the ArmaLite BCG.

I would most likely use the Mega MA-TEN receiver set for the build.  They are just a great billet receiver set from a top-notch company.  Go carbon fiber or MI on the handguard, choice of stock and pistol grip per your preference and anatomy.  Slap on a NF Unimount and optics of choice.  Then sell it since I would never shoot it, as I have lightweight 6.5 Grendel's that blow the .308 away in this form factor, with half the recoil, much less cost, all the ammo works in them because it was meant to work in a gas gun.

Well if I get aero precision receivers I can get the barrel and such from them as well and that should resolve any fitment issues. The receiver set I've been looking at comes with the bcg so I would need the barrel and gas block from Aero as well.

cardio

fully loaded with twenty 150FMJ handloads....between 10 and 10.4lbs, using my wife's bathroom scale

really doesn't feel that much bulkier than my old 16" 6.8mmSPC carbine

Minus the weights of the buffer tube assembly, LPK, gas block, gas tube, and muzzle device. My Aero AR10 build is currently at 7.2lbs based on manufacturer listed weights.

Wait for the GII standard to catch on?  The wait I'd be more worried about is the wait for DPMS to fix the issues with it.  It is far from a foregone conclusion that the GII will be a new standard that others will emulate.  I'd day don't waste time waiting for something that will likely never happen, and get something that you can have right now with an established reputation for reliability, like an Armalite.

well I ordered the aero precision set...so I won't be waiting on gen 2

I am still awaiting all my parts, but I have accepted that I can never achieve exactly the perfect plan for a bigger bore.  I settled on .308 as I have a good amount of experience with that round and it is available.  I would like a 6.5, but NEVER see that ammo on the shelf.
I am going the Aero Precision route with a 18"  CMMG SS barrel..  I could wait forever for the perfect combination but I'll settle for the here and now and instead of perfect, I'll have Pretty Darn Good.

Kinda planning the same.  I want to make a black with stainless bits build. Haven't done one before.

The GII may not become the standard overnight, but there is no doubt in my mind that a fully functional rifle (F/A, ergos, etc.) coming in at under 8lb will become the new standard. I have an Armalite build, great rifle for 1000 yard shooting at 14 lb. but not so much for anything else.

Actually going to pick up my Adams Arms SF-308 here in a bit. Cannot wait to get that bad mofo to the range!

Just build one.  Or...............buy a good used one.  I wasn't fast enough to find a used one, so I put together a PA-10, which I doubt will ever be worth less than what I paid for it.  I can always sell/trade up.

The new ARMALITE DEFENDER-10 is 7.9 lbs

https://armalite.com/shop/defensive-sporting-rifle-10/

Anyone know if the Aero Precision M5 upper takes a standard forward assist?

I bought a shiny new hi-speed forward assist for my stripped receiver, but even though I ordered a stripped one, it came with forward assist and dust cover so I'll save parts for next build.

I was planning on just using a "Normal" one not being smart enough to ask if their was a difference.

Is Adams Arms shipping their GII .308s?  They seem to be absent from here after announcing the new rifle & uppers for sale.

I sold my Gen 1 DPMS SASS recently and may sell my Bushy ORC in .308.  I was disappointed that Midwest chose the Gen 1 DPMS platform for MI's new .308.
The Adams Arms .308 interests me, but there isn't much feedback on them.

Picked it up and made a very quick range trip. First impression - great fit and finish, very reasonable weight and all the coatings make everything very nice.

Mine is the Patrol Battle Rifle so it came with the free float forearm, a couple rail sections and a QD sling point already attached to the modified Samson rail. The rifle also came with a 20 round black Lancer L7AWM magazine which is easily the best 7.62 mag on the market (sorry Magpul). The BCG is a piece of artwork. Very nice. The gas system has three settings - open, suppressed and off. With the two rail sections removed and the QD left on the bare rifle weighs 7 lb. 15.5 oz. With a Leupold MK2 4-12 in a Larue mount and the Lancer L7AWM with 20 rounds of FGMM it comes in at exactly 11 lb. Not too bad for a piston gun with a medium contour barrel!

I ran a bore snake through the bore, mounted and boresighted a Leupold MK2 4-12 in a Larue QD mount, then fired one shot on paper before moving the scope to center on the target. The next four shots of FGMM 168 HPBT made a nice MOA-ish group at 100 yards which I think would have been even better with a new trigger. No problems, bolt locked open, accurate and recoil was basically nil due to the very effective comp.

Ordering a Geissele and a mount for a more permanent optic here in a few minutes, will post larger review soon if I can.

Im not real sure but to make my build more reliable my receivers will be built out using aero parts minus the trigger. Barrel, HG and stock will be of  different company.