You ever have a build that just seems to have issues/problems at every turn, to the point where you move past frustration and into a state of resigned head-shaking?  I'm sitting here chuckling at my terrible run of bad luck with my current build, so I thought I'd share my experiences with you guys.  Perhaps my misfortune will help some of you feel a little better about your own builds if you've had a hang-up or two!

I won't dwell on the fact that I had to search through every "mom and pop" online firearm parts retailer in 20+ pages of Google results just to find each individual part for my build, because given the current social and political climate, I'm pretty sure everyone is feeling that frustration...  Anyway, after having the words "out of stock" burned into my retinas until I saw them when I closed my eyes, I was finally lucky enough to cobble together the parts I wanted.  Let's also move past the order I placed with Optics Planet for 2 "in-stock" parts that was "processing" for 3 weeks before I finally decided to cancel the order and find the items elsewhere.  While we're at it, let's also gloss over the order to a retailer that apparently feels that it's an acceptable business practice to allow customers to purchase items on their website that appear to be in stock, with no indication that they are actually out of stock or on backorder, and refuses to respond to weeks' worth of emails/phone calls to their customer service department regarding order cancellation until their customers file complaints with the Better Business Bureau...  

(Part 1 of 2, because of the 2000 character limit )

(Part 2 of 2 -- under 2000 characters, as required )

Ordering/shipping hassles are boring and commonplace, so let's move on to the good stuff!  All 3 of the brand new non-BLEM Aero parts that I purchased (lower, upper, and handguard) arrived with blemishes/anodizing defects that somehow made it past the QC process.  The BA Hanson barrel and Lantac E-BCG combo that I used failed the headspace check on 2 different brand new 5.56 and .223 "go" gauges.  After it was installed, the Phase V Tactical extended bolt catch lever that I purchased sat about 1/2" away from my flat-faced CMC trigger, such that my finger actually touched/rubbed against the bolt catch lever when it was on the trigger, and was thus unusable.  The ODIN Works XMR 3 extended mag release lever that I bought caused so much sideways binding of the mag release button in the lower receiver that it actually froze up solid in the lower and failed to depress 50% of the time that the lever was pushed, making it unreliable/unusable, as well.  Annnnd my brand new HoloSun HS510C red dot sight arrived with the left battery door screw cross-threaded in the sight housing.  

Needless to say, I am now extremely well-versed in the RMA process for a wide variety of manufacturers, and I drink a lot more now than I used to.  Isn't life grand?  

Well that sucks. Sounds like they all found rejected parts for you.

It's a bummer, for sure.  And ever since I ordered these parts, I've been getting about 3 spam/phishing texts per day on my phone, which I've never gotten before.  The texts even have my name included in them, and the only times I've entered that info lately has been when I've signed up for an account on a site that sells AR parts.  So I'm pretty sure that one of the parts sites I made an account on sold my information to some shady operation... I've tried to only use reputable retailers, but there's only so much you can do, and I've created so many new accounts lately that it would be practically impossible to figure out which site is the culprit. It is what it is, I guess!  Just another fun thing to add to the list of joyful moments with this build!

Sucks right now OP.  I can't even find a standard Aero upper.  I've been looking for weeks.  Nobody has one.  I was smack in the middle of my Gucci build when all this shit started and that added an additional 3 months. Took a close buddy of mine 4 months to get his 18" LMT based gun done, and he's not the slightest bit picky about parts.  I think it'll get a lot worse, if it ever gets better.....

Yeah, it doesn't look like things will be getting any better anytime soon...

By the way, I have a new little gem to add to the list:  my new SureFire WarComp flash hider won't thread onto my new BA barrel.  It starts smooth as butter, screws on 1.5 turns, and then freezes up so tight on the muzzle threads that it can't be turned any further by hand.  Both the barrel and flash hider are supposed to be 1/2-28 threaded.  I test-fitted the flash hider on another new BA barrel, and it screwed on perfectly by hand, with practically no effort required.  I thoroughly cleaned the threads on the flash hider and the barrel in question, applied oil to the threads, and re-started it on the barrel dozens of times -- no joy.  The flash hider looks dead straight on the barrel, and there is only one position in its rotation where it actually starts on the threads, so I don't think it's getting started improperly, but it sure as hell feels like it's trying to cross-thread.  Time for another support ticket to BA...  When it rains, it pours.  

Well, despite all the frustrating issues, I've got the lower built to my satisfaction, so at least there's that!  I also received my replacement M4E1 Enhanced upper from the RMA/warranty exchange department at Aero today, and it looks good.  BA is in the process of initiating an RMA for my barrel, and they were kind enough to provide me with a prepaid shipping label for it, so I'll be sending that out to them either today or tomorrow.  I think I'll end up putting the SureFire WarComp on a different upper that I'm building and try out a Precision Armament EFAB on the upper for this build, as I've heard good things about them and I was able to find one in stock recently.  Looks like things are finally coming together!  

I'm in the same boat with ya. Building my first .308 so I wanted to keep everything Aero to minimize issues, but no uppers. I've got the lower built and stocked, but I've been stuck at that point for a while now. I'm not averse to building the upper itself, but I'm struggling to find a barrel.

I'm sorry to hear that, man!  I haven't looked at much .308 stuff lately, but I was hoping that maybe those components would at least be a little more prevalent out there than their 5.56/.223 counterparts...  I guess not.    

The parts market just SUCKS these days.  With all the crazy panic buying, there's just nothing available anymore, and it's a real shame.  I know that manufacturers don't want to ramp up production because they're worried that the demand will fall off again and they'll get screwed, but it's just sad to have to search for weeks to find each little part for a rifle platform that's so wildly popular in this modern age of technological advancement and internet sales.  The situation is creating a free-for-all with the price gougers on sites like Gunbroker.  LMT enhanced BCGs going for $1,000+ and Aero upper receivers with "Buy It Now" prices of $400.  It's insane.  The other night I got excited because I found ONE site with an 11.3" BA barrel in stock, but then I noticed that it was listed at $399.95.  I actually emailed the company to ask whether it was a typo or if they were truly asking for such a ridiculous markup above the $210 MSRP.  I doubt I'll hear back from them...      

I hope you find what you're looking for soon so you can finish your build, bud.  I wish I had a spare .308 barrel so I could help you out!  My one piece of advice is that if you've signed up for in-stock notifications from Aero, don't stop checking the product page on their website for the item you want as often as you can.  Just in the last week I saw an upper receiver that I wanted (and signed up for notifications on) that came back in-stock on their website TWICE while I was looking at the page, and I never got a notification email from them about it.  I was lucky enough to snag them each time, but I would have never even known about it if I hadn't been checking the page obsessively.  These are the times we're living in, unfortunately...

Here she is so far, in case anyone wanted to see:



The spiteful bitch, in all her glory

She's finally done...  

Nice build! Feel you, trying to find an Aero or Vltor (OD) upper myself.
What’s the muzzle device?

Thanks! The muzzle device is a Precision Armament EFAB.

Finished out nice

Sh!t happens, mark this one a a life experience.

Bigger better news though, hard to get parts, BO's for months, is a very good sign people are getting ready. The commie scum in DC can do whatever they want in terms of EO's and stupid laws, but unless they change COTUS then there's nothing they can do to prevent what they are seemingly walking into blindfolded. But hey, you can't stop idiots from doing idiot things.

"keep on building" - John Marcus 1992.