So I though I had my first .308 AR figured out. I had all of the parts picked out and come to find out that the Seekins SAR rail I wanted to use would not align with my Aero Precision upper which is apparently a high-profile upper. Can anyone make any suggestions for a high profile rail or handguard. It doesn't seem like there are many options.

Almost every .308 rail is offered in high profile.  I'm not seeing Seekins .308 offerings available anywhere but on their complete rifle.

SLR Rifleworks

^^^^^^

Was going to post this.

YES!!

I just got mine put together using SLR's SOLO rail. Love it!

that's why it is important to use the correct brand names i.e. AR10 for Armalite, 308 AR DPMS, Knights, Larue OBR etc.

Okay that SLR rail is BAD ASS! Looks a lot like the URX rail I'm running an another gun. It's between that and the Centurion CMR.

So what's the difference between the Solo and Solo Mid Series? I can not tell.

Bah, fuck that. Everything in the ar15 world is still called an ar15. Even though AR stands for Armalite Rifle. The Armalite ar10 is not different enough, especially now with them taking pmags.

Sure, they use a different thread pitch for their barrel nut, but upper  receiver height is still SR25 style. Anything that follows the Armalite/SR25 pattern should be called an ar10.

That means, anything that uses the same mags, same upper receiver height, and can swap OPERATING parts. Why not?

The odd ball is the DPMS low receiver And the GII, these vary too far from the original design, it's not worthy of the ar10 moniker.

Anything that remains close, is deserving of the name. Just with the ar15. All variants at called ar15s, except things like the ARAK, Rob Arms xcr, to name a couple.

Further complicating things by claiming one sr25 type rifle can't use the same designation as another simply because of a company owning "rights" too a few letters and numbers is just complete bullshit.

Armalite lost their reign, it's high time you people realize that. If i build a 308 using all Armalite parts except the receivers, is my gun not good enough to be called an ar10?

Is just a group of numbers. I've seen too many arguments come up here about damn letters and numbers. The customers being so prissy and snobby is part of the downfall of Armalite, and a big reason they stopped renewing their membership here. All it did was cause people to bicker back and forth over bullshit. That ruins your brand image.

My Aero M5 is an AR10 in every sense of the designation.

It's not about "you people" or brand snobbiness. It's so that people building 308 ARs know what parts to use.
Why is that everyone gets offended about Armalite? Why is it such a sensitive issue? I know AR15 platforms are interchangeable but when it comes to 308 ARs, AR10, Larue OBRs, DPMS, MATEN, everyone has different parts.
I came across the same problem when I wanted to build a 308 AR platform. This uses that and that uses this.

The Solo Mid does not have the short section of picatinny rail on the bottom.

the Solo has small section of Picatinny rail on bottom and Solo Mid Series doesn't.

All those companies can use the same parts with the except of the barrel nuts. Larue has a different upper design, but the rail is the same style as Armalite and sr25, or old dpms.

There are a few things that need to be ironed out, but overall, they are pretty much the same gun. You could reverse engineer each gun separately, and in the end, use alot of the same parts between them.

My main point is, it's a moniker. Everything should be called ar10, and these damn companies need to get together on this shit.

I only get worked up when people say your cant call this that because that is only used for this, even though that and this are basically the same thing.

I truly think the entire industry would benefit best from standardizing on the Armalite/sr25 platform.

Armalite operating parts,  sr25 magazine, rail height and barrel nut threads. Then it really just comes down to pivot and take down pins.

The differences are minute, but are there. And not all parts play nice together, it is best to pick a brand and build with that. Too many bargain bin companies trying to put out 308 stuff is a major problem.

The problem is not the differences between the 308 ARs, the problem is these small timers not making shit to spec. Not having good quality control, outsourcing too many operations, it's s nightmare.

That's where Armalite used to shine. Had great quality control, and 9 out of 10 rifles ran perfect. Then shit got hairy, owner said some stupid shit, and ruined the credibility Armalite worked so hard to maintain. Then to add, you had a slipping online following, which consisted mainly off snobby assholes that did nothing to promote the design except say "mine is better because fuck you". Which is just bad all around for business.

Armalite had made some very good design improvement that got shadowed by the v assholes hanging up on a magazine design. Which further tarnished Armalite's brand.

Now, more than ever, with more 308s coming into the game, you can see just how much Armalite's key features really make a difference. Only Armalite and KAC have truly progressed the design. Everyone else has merely made things work.

Armalite and kac made them work very good. To close, i see no good option except for everyone to just make one design. Kac And Armalite have the best, why do you think LaRue choose to use their design as opposed to dpms?

Ahhh, I see it now! Thanks guys

Your ignorance is showing...


It's a lot more than just the barrel thread pitch - also include the barrel extension and bolt, the buffer, buffer spring and extension tube length, the reciver profile, the gas tube length, gas ring diameter, mag release length, bolt catch design and likely a few other parts that won't fit or work with DPMS gen-1 style receivers. I'm not so sure the rail heights are the same as DPMS Gen-I... Go ahead and buy a railed hand guard for an AR-10 and see how well that fits to your Aero Precision. The reason there are 2 main designations (AR-10 & SR-25) is because there are several parts that are specific to each design, and if the terms are used interchangeably, people who don't know any better will buy the wrong parts and some of them could be dangerous to interchange. Then there are all the variations from each manuf. withing the LR308-SR25 design and also the DPMS Gen-II which is a beast of its own.





So it DOES matter which design designation are used. Not because some company owns the name but becasue is makes it clear what system of parts one is talking about. I use AR-308 or sometimes LR-308 as a generic term but that's just my choice.




Ever notice how using SR-25 doesn't generate the same type of comments? I'm not a fan-boy of any particular type.





 

Barrel extensions are the same. Bolts are nearly identical, enough so you can use a dpms bcg in an armalite, it's just advised to use the whole thing, and not mix and match parts due to tolerance stacking.

Old dpms and Armalite uppers are the same rail height, different thread pitch. Many companies made forearms, and only difference being the barrel nut. PRI, SWS, SLR, Badger back in the day, to name a few.

Gas tubes, Armalite made a longer one, which all 308 ARs can benefit from. It provides a better engagement of the gas key.

But your point on the designations is very valid, i personally think it would be less confusing if the "AR10" designation was used more widely, and the focus on differences be stated by manufacturer.

For handguard for instance, if they make the rail specs to the SR25, the rail portion will line up with Armalite, Old Dpms, and everyone that goes according to those specs. Which is Aero, BRO, Rainier, Mega, etc etc. In that instance, armalite is the odd ball with their different barrel nut threads.

So, theoretically, an SWS rail can be made one way, and have different barrel nuts for the different threads, which they do.

Having the numerous nomenclaturers furthers the confusion. Aero calls their's the M5, now people aren't sure if parts for an LR308 or AR10 will fit. Or the PSA PA10. Then you have the M&P10, with more proprietary parts. The mfgs seem to be purposefully complicating the 308 market. As well as small timers peddling out of spec parts, or just not holding good tolerances. Which is where you get uppers and handguard that don't line up perfectly. Or very badly.

This is why there will never be a standard, atleast not for awhile. Too many companies trying to capitalize on the market by putting out stuff that's proprietary. Leaving them the sole source for parts. Which really sucks.

The recipe for a good standard is already out there. But the mfgs week not agree on anything because no one wants to share their pie.

We seem to be in complete agreement on this aspect of the subject.





 

APEX was my choice. You can get the top rail in high or low, or none at all.

I wish Diamondhead made the high

Midewest Ind makes a good high rail.

Just installed a Mlok on a Windham 308. Armalite rail, DPMS barrel nut.