Quoted:

I didn’t buy any more ammo, since no one around here has the Black Hills I was told was good. I am going to order it off the net.

Quoted:
You need an excuse to stop a Cabela's? I live about 6 hrs west of Sidney and stop in every time I drive by. Even if if adds about 2 hrs. to the trip. Then I stop at the store in Kearney, where my sis lives.

Quoted:
You need an excuse to stop a Cabela's? I live about 6 hrs west of Sidney and stop in every time I drive by. Even if if adds about 2 hrs. to the trip. Then I stop at the store in Kearney, where my sis lives.

Quoted:

Hey Johnny? You going to the freedom machine gun shoot in Kearney?

I recently decided that it was time to get a gas gun.  I had given serious consideration to an M1A, but I like to shoot a lot, and .223 is much less expensive and much less punishing than .308.  I like accuracy, however, and the standard off-the-shelf AR isn't really known for that, unless you buy a target model and load 70 grain rounds one at a time.  At least, that's what I've read.

So, after reading all the good things people had to say about Clint McKee and Fulton Armory, I decided that I would like to have him build me
something that would meet my particular  desires.  We exchanged e-mails from January 28 until February 14 (and had one extended phone call to clarify details) in order to work out what I wanted versus what I was able to spend.  I shipped him a stripped Bushmaster lower on March 15, and he shipped me an assembled rifle on April 29.

I got a modified version of Fulton's Designated Marksman Rifle - Compact. It is equipped with a 1x9 twist Douglas Premium 16" bull barrel, with a standard bolt, carrier, etc.  in a flat-top upper.  It has a Jewell trigger, an ergonomic pistol grip, a standard buttstock with a QD side swivel, and a Quad-Rail forend tube with a QD side swivel and a Harris bipod.  No iron sights.  I also got two used aluminum 30-round magazines and a 10-round DPMS mag.  

To this I mounted a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10X Police scope.  With the ocular lens located directly above the charging handle (for correct eye relief) this put the adjustment body directly over the end of the Weaver rail on the upper.  However, the Weaver rail on the Quad-Rail forend was perfectly in line, so I put one scope ring on the upper, and one on the forend, and off to the range we went!

I had purchased some South African 55 grain ball, but I also picked up a box of Ultramax 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip commercial reloads, just to see how they would compare.  On my first trip out to the range I had some initial feeding problems that I traced back to the magazines.  Once I cleaned up the magazine feed lips, all feed problems went away.  The DPMS magazine worked flawlessly.  The rifle also doubled on me twice in the initial 300 rounds of testing, so I adjusted that marvelous Jewell trigger for a bit more pull and that problem went away.  The rifle then functioned perfectly, but accuracy was, well, disappointing with the SA stuff.  I got 6-7 shots into 2.5" with the remaining 3-4 opening the group up to about 6" at 100 yards.

Then I tried the Ultramax.

Ten shots into a group I could cover with a quarter!  Over and over and over again!

Subsequently I took the rifle back to the range twice more and repeated the experience.  SA ammo, all over the place, Ultramax reloads, little tiny groups.  However, I noticed that I had developed a "wandering zero" problem.  I pretty much decided that it must be because the scope was mounted half on the upper and half on the forend, so I put both rings behind the adjustment body and on the upper.  This seems to have solved that problem.

I also started handloading.  My first attempt - 55 gr. Sierra HPBT GameKings over 26 grains BL-C(2).

10-shot groups I can cover with a quarter.  Perfect feed and functioning.
I'm really going to enjoy this rifle!