Doublestar ARFX Skeleton Stock

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Doublestar ARFX Skeleton Stock

Posted: 2/12/2020 10:08:17 PM EDT

Any opinions on the Doublestar ARFX Skeleton stock? I'm piecing together another AR-15 around a Stag Arms LH Varminter upper and am looking at different stock options.

Stag Arms outfits their complete Varminters with a Magpul fixed MOE LR-308 stock, which is fine, but I'm looking for something different. I'm not too concerned about the lack of storage, but I'm also not sure about how long the buffer tube foam rubber cover will last.

Posted: 2/12/2020 10:25:46 PM EDT

[#1]

One of my favorite stocks. Light, durable, simple and they look good too.

Posted: 2/12/2020 10:29:41 PM EDT

[#2]

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Quoted:
One of my favorite stocks. Light, durable, simple and they look good too.

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What he said!

Posted: 2/12/2020 11:09:34 PM EDT

[#3]

I really like the stock but not the rubber but pad on mine as much. Wish it was made out of a little less grabby type rubber. I bought a spare cover years back but have not had to use it.

Posted: 2/13/2020 4:43:19 AM EDT

[#4]

Spare foam things are about five dollars.

Those stocks have been around a decade or more and have a solid track record.

Posted: 2/14/2020 3:24:13 PM EDT

[#5]

Only non-standard A2 stock I like the look of. Ordered one last week (CDNN has a few left, they come w/ buffer tube but not buffer and spring - get buffer/spring from Primary Arms they had 'em cheapest), it arrived 36 hours later.

Not completely installed yet (meeting buddy to build up the lower, etc. tomorrow morning) but I've got the foam mostly on the tube. You are really gonna want to lube it well, or use the air compressor trick.

To make installing the foam easy, after lubing the buffer tube (I used CLP, a few vids I watched on youtube recommended water based sex type lube) get the foam started by pushing with your hands. The more foam that is on the tube, the more resistance, so after you have about half of it on it becomes really hard to do. What worked well for me is to do it vertically - put front of receiver or buffer tube down on a solid/stable table that can take a good push, grip the foam as little as possible and as near to the front as you can, and push down.

You can do all but the last inch or so with the buffer tube off the lower, but you need to have it screwed in to get the metal part all the way down to give the foam all the room it needs to fit in place.

Posted: 2/14/2020 3:25:42 PM EDT

[#6]

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Quoted:
Spare foam things are about five dollars.

Those stocks have been around a decade or more and have a solid track record.

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Since mine is new I've been considering just going ahead and wrapping it in paracord or similar now. Let the foam be an under layer to give some extra width for a cheek weld....

Posted: 2/14/2020 6:28:47 PM EDT

[#7]

Easiest way for me to put foam on tubes has been by using a dry dusting of talcum powder. Just have to be careful not to get it everywhere.

Posted: 2/14/2020 7:03:22 PM EDT

[#8]

If you have access to compressed air, it can work wonders when trying to put a foam sleeve over a buffer tube. Just try to shoot it between the foam and the tube — doesn’t really seem like it should do much, but it does.

Posted: 2/14/2020 9:32:50 PM EDT

[#9]

Thanks for the input. I ordered the ARFX. Along with a PSA EPT lower parts kit, I should have the Varminter making noise soon.

Posted: 2/14/2020 11:18:47 PM EDT

[#10]

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Quoted:
Thanks for the input. I ordered the ARFX. Along with a PSA EPT lower parts kit, I should have the Varminter making noise soon.

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The EPT trigger plus a $10 Kaw Valley "reduced pull trigger spring set" make a really nice general use trigger. I've got that combo in 3 of my 4 builds (the other has a 2.5lb Hiperfire trigger in it for accuracy games)

Posted: 2/14/2020 11:33:35 PM EDT

[#11]

Little bit of:
Soapy water on the extension.
Hand sanitizer on the extension.
Dish or liqud soap on the extension.

Super easy, and clean, to get that foam tube on. Same trick from handlebar grips and plenty of other things.

Posted: 2/14/2020 11:51:37 PM EDT

[#12]

Just use office air (computer duster) to put the foam on. Put the plastic tube between th foam and buffer tube, shoot some air and slide. You'll be amazed how easy it is.

Posted: 2/15/2020 1:06:04 AM EDT

[#13]

Bought my first ARFX in early 2014, put it on this rifle I built for 2g-ACM.

Still in good shape considering the dozens of matches and thousands of rounds downrange.

I have several more of them now, I use Windex to slide the foam on.

Posted: 2/15/2020 1:29:04 AM EDT

[#14]

I liked it enough that I designed my own version. I machined all the parts and cerakoted them. The black one uses a Doublestar oversize butt pad as it lives on one of my 450 Bushmasters. The blue/black uses a modified magpul recoil pad couple with an adapter I made and some carbon fiber I laid up and trimmed to size.

Posted: 2/15/2020 1:30:19 AM EDT

[#15]

One more pic..

Posted: 2/15/2020 2:19:58 PM EDT

[#16]

Those are gorgeous.

As an occasional stock-making lunatic myself, it’s clear that a lot of work went into them. Was there something about the original design that you were trying to improve upon?

Posted: 2/15/2020 9:11:54 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
I really like the stock but not the rubber but pad on mine as much. Wish it was made out of a little less grabby type rubber. I bought a spare cover years back but have not had to use it.

View Quote

Get/make aluminum or plastic spacer (grind to fit plastic spacers perhaps?) to just shy of the thickness that you want then find a closed cell foam that will work for you. I've used wood to extend a stock, made the lines match, painted it to hide the wood differences, and then glued on a neoprene mouse pad and trimmed to the edges. Worked great on the target rifle I was working with. I've also used flip flops to make a "grind to fit" butt pad.

Or spend the $ on one of the commercial ones.

And if you are gonna toss it, first try a quick coat of clear rattle can. It worked well to "stiffen up" the flip flop pad I made and lasted for at least the 2 years following I owned it.

Posted: 2/15/2020 10:33:21 PM EDT

[#18]

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Quoted:
I liked it enough that I designed my own version.

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Impressive work, inspiring too. I'm an engineer, CAD geek, workshop recluse and occasional waterjet abuser. Whenever I'm not happy with (or too cheap to purchase) commercially available stuff, I design and build my own. To this point though, I've not thought about making any gun parts, but Sebspeed has the gears turning now.

I bought the stock from Opticsplanet and is comes with the buffer, tube and spring. Regarding the foam installation, I'll be using compressed air If it turns out I'm not a fan of the foam cover, the nifty Hogue free floating handguard on the Varminter has a rubberized cover. Maybe I'll be able to duplicated that?

Posted: 2/15/2020 10:55:06 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
Those are gorgeous.

As an occasional stock-making lunatic myself, it’s clear that a lot of work went into them. Was there something about the original design that you were trying to improve upon?

View Quote

Thank you. You're right, it definitely took a few hours to get happy with a design and sort the details. Honestly the Ace dtock is a simpler design, I just wanted to make my own and wanted to see if I could come in under the cost of the Ace stock. I didn't quite hit my budget goal(not to make it profitable anyway).

While going through iterations of the brace, I did decide to give myself that small flat area at the bottom rear that the Ace stock doesn't have, making it easier to set on a bag for bench or precision shooting. I can also change the brace out pretty easily with another design cut from 1/4" flat material if I choose.

Posted: 2/15/2020 11:01:18 PM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:

Impressive work, inspiring too. I'm an engineer, CAD geek, workshop recluse and occasional waterjet abuser. Whenever I'm not happy with (or too cheap to purchase) commercially available stuff, I design and build my own. To this point though, I've not thought about making any gun parts, but Sebspeed has the gears turning now.

I bought the stock from Opticsplanet and is comes with the buffer, tube and spring. Regarding the foam installation, I'll be using compressed air If it turns out I'm not a fan of the foam cover, the nifty Hogue free floating handguard on the Varminter has a rubberized cover. Maybe I'll be able to duplicated that?

View Quote

Thanks. We have a lot in common. I designed my stock in Solidworks before cutting any parts. I blanked some of them with a waterjet - I have 20yrs experience with cad and waterjet, machining, welding, etc. Compressed air is absolutely the easiest way to manipulate the foam sleeve on and off the buffer tube.

Posted: 2/17/2020 9:18:23 PM EDT

[#21]

Quote History

Quoted:
If it turns out I'm not a fan of the foam cover, the nifty Hogue free floating handguard on the Varminter has a rubberized cover. Maybe I'll be able to duplicated that?

View Quote

Bicycle tire inner tube or Plasti Dip might work.

Posted: 2/18/2020 12:54:03 AM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:
To this point though, I've not thought about making any gun parts, but Sebspeed has the gears turning now.

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Jump on in — the water’s fine :-)

I’ve spent more time working on my rifles in the machine shop than I have actually shooting them. Some would surely scoff, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Posted: 2/19/2020 10:48:01 PM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:I’ve spent more time working on my rifles in the machine shop than I have actually shooting them.

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I'm the same way with my motorcycles, more wrenching than riding... ('05 Suzuki C90, '02 Bandit 1200 & '78 GS750 [basket case]).

Posted: 2/25/2020 1:55:31 AM EDT

[#24]

Sebspeed, those are dope.

I love mine.

Posted: 2/25/2020 9:23:07 AM EDT

[#25]

To the guy who was going to wrap with paracord, beware. You need to leave clearance for the charging handle. I wrapped mine with the stretchy camo bandage type wrap and had to remove most of it when it came time to load the gun.

Posted: 2/25/2020 4:56:31 PM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:
To the guy who was going to wrap with paracord, beware. You need to leave clearance for the charging handle. I wrapped mine with the stretchy camo bandage type wrap and had to remove most of it when it came time to load the gun.

View Quote

No issue with the side charging handle :)