[ARCHIVED THREAD] - some assistance please

Posted: 5/2/2007 9:57:33 AM EDT

i am new to these forums. i have been reading a lot and am starting the build of an AR. I do not own one but have had 4 different AR type service weapons in my military career so far so i am familiar. I want to build a varmint/mid range AR based on a 20" barrel that is not too terribly heavy.
I have some questions, thanks for your help.

Lower: I want a POF lower. Im not sure what generation, i cannot tell the difference from the site.

Internals: RRA with 2 stage trigger.

Upper:
RRA 20" stainless varmint setup complete
J&T 20" bull barrel fluted complete
prices are similar
JP gas block?
Badger rails

Bolt/Carrier: Im not positive if I should go with an included bolt or get the bolt alone. Are the ones included with these uppers matched or just a cookie cutter mass produced?

Ill start with this.

Posted: 5/2/2007 10:41:34 AM EDT

[#1]

Being that POF lowers are billit and there is a good discussion on the differences of billit and forged lowers you may want to re-think that decision. If you like the bullet marks instead of the words "fire" & "safe" on the lower then take a look at Spike's Tactical forged lowers.

As for the barrel I would stay away from the bull barrels and go for a 20" H-BAR/DCM that's fluted or not. A 20 Bull even fluted is going to weigh quite a bit, enough you won't want to walk too far with it. Just in case you didn't know Stainless and Chrome Moly barrels will net you a bit more accuracy, so they say. While chrome lined will improve function and durability at the cost of accuracy. And a Wylde Chamber would be your best bet since you can still run 5.56x45mm in it, but a .223 chamber would net the most accuracy. It's generally accepted that you shouldn't shoot 5.56x45 ammo in a .223 chamber. Rock River Arms has Wylde Chambers in some of their barrels, BTW. Also a 1in8 twist would allow you to shoot a bit heavier bullet than a 1in9 rifle twist if you're going for distance.

For a bolt carrier I would go with an enhanced unit that has the shrouded firing pin or better yet just get a M16 carrier, a lot of the DCM shooters run M16 carrier groups because of their added weight. Take a look at the industry forum at the top right of the page to find a bunch of great dealers for carriers.

These are just my opinions so take them with a grain of salt.

BTW, Welcome to the BRD club!

Posted: 5/2/2007 6:32:34 PM EDT

[#2]

thanks for the reply. i am going to stick with the bull barrel for sure. It seems that stainless/1-9 twist and the wylde chamber are the norm for this style. I like the RRA setup that is mostly a complete upper. I just wanted to hear what people had to say about the ones they have. weight is an issue, but not that critical. i plan on mostly bench firing with some occasional movement. im sure it will still be lighter than my SAW. this will be a personal improvement over my service weapon. they are reliable, but could def be improved. im trying to build just that.

I have been trying to read up on the other components so I can avoid double posts and repeat questions.Getting hold of an M16 bolt/carrier is not a problem so ill check that off the list. Im gonna see whats at the show this weekend.

It seems from what I read that lowers are really not that critical on operation. Mostly the trigger component and the upper assembly is what i need to focus on. thanks for the links. spikes might do nice after all.