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After running out of Retro builds, I been think of building a retro service rifle. The range that I shoot at is only 100 yards. I don’t think I need an A2 rear sight for longer ranges. The upper and lower will of course be NoDak. A type E stock with a 2 stage trigger in the lower. The rear and front sight will be competition sight parts.

The retro service rifle has to look stock. I going to free float the barrel. I made the triangle handguards fit the free float tube. I need to find a barrel to use. I would like it to look as close to stock with a bird cage flash hider. I may end up turning down the barrel a little at the sight base and up to the flash hider.

I’ll post some photo when I have time.

Any suggestion on the barrel?

GVS

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since your using a type E stock if you use a heavy barrel you could always put some lead in the stock to balance things out

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After you weight up the butt stock, if you find it's still a little light in the front end to balance for you, do this:

1.  Remove both handguards.

2.  Wrap float tube with three or four layers of Saran wrap, any plastic kitchen wrap will do, making sure to cover the gas tube and barrel nut.  This to ensure removal of the handguard later.

3.  Put one handguard back on.

4.  Using a disposable styrofoam or plastic bowl, take bird shot, as small diameter as you can find, and mix with enough clear silicone caulk to get the little shots to stick together.  Then cram as much of this goop as you can into the cavity between the handguard and float tube.  Use a small stick or toothbrush handle to compact the goop and force it into the cavity, because it will not flow well into the cavity without help.

5. You will find it difficult to force goop all the way to the front of the hand guard, so don't obsess about packing it full length.

6. Kinda "sculpt" the goop around the ventilation cut-outs in the hand guard, for appearances.

7. Lay horizontal and let dry a day or two.  Then remove the first hand guard, and do the other side.  Best to cut the Saran wrap before removal and re-wrap the tube and nut before doing the other side.

8.  If you're anal about appearances, maybe you could use black paint on the exposed filler that's visable thru the ventilation holes, if you can get it to stick to the silicone.  Or maybe you could use some other form of adhesive instead of silicone.

9.  While the bag of shot is open, be damn careful to keep from tipping it over.  You will never find all the shot that spills out, those little ba$tards will go everywhere.  They will even roll up-hill and into closed containers.  It's truely phenominal.  Do not ask me how I know this.  On second thought, ignore this warning.  Everybody needs another hobby.........

Just using a standard weight barrel, I ended up with a rifle somewhere around 13 pounds after filling the butt trap with shot and filling the handguard cavity as described above.  Somebody asked me about heat build-up, but of course the rifle really doesn't get hot enough in SR competition to cause problems.  I did not "goop" the shot into the butt cavity, just dribbled it in dry, and used a piece of duct tape to keep it in place before putting the butt plate back on.  I did use an A2 front sight post because the sight picture looks better to me with it, and did use a RRA 2-stage trigger.  Still using the regular rear sight and using a sight tool for adjustments, but not finding I have to move the sights much for reduced range matches anyway.  All and all I'm happy with the arrangement, it shoots better than I can.  Unfortunately, I built it just about the time the club I shoot at greatly curtailed the reduced range matches, so it isn't getting shot all that much.  We're mostly "across-the-course" now and of course this arrangement wouldn[t work for that.  If we shot more reduced range matches, I'd do something about the size of the aperture in the rear sight and use a heavier barrel, but for maybe two matches a year, this works.

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I was kicking around the idea of mounting an 18" White Oak SPR barrel up on an A1 upper for a NY legal rifle - it would look similiar, although not as much work - the job you did on the FF tube is great! Good job - let us know how it does in competition.

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morg have you been peeking through my window?

mine is a Superior Barrels 18" SPR with a White Oak float tube and front sight.

here it is with a 604 but I haven't made a final decision on what upper to use yet
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s147/crackedcornish/IMG_0231.jpg

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Looks like a good start. What handguards are you going to use?

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I picked up some cheap handguards off of GB when I was playing around with the mid length 607 idea (which I haven't given up on yet)

I'll just gut a set of them for this.... and if I can't get a set to work I'll fall back on a set of A2's that are already modified to fit this tube
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s147/crackedcornish/IMG_0158-1.jpg

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Are those USGI? I never seen ones like that under the heat shield.

Edit to add***     Those don't look like they came with heat shields.