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Bender's Big AR-15 & Semi Auto Shilling Thread

546,684 Views | 2919 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by robstrom
DatTallArchitect
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In reply to DatTallArchitect • 12:32p, 1/29/20
AG
Which one of these 3 definitions from Merriam-Webster would you like to use? As I said before, by definition you are still building the AR. All of the definitions below fit my builds perfectly. Those definitions were taken straight from the link provided.

1: to form by ordering and uniting materials by gradual means into a composite whole : CONSTRUCT

2: to cause to be constructed

3: to develop according to a systematic plan, by a definite process, or on a particular base
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claym711
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4:15p, 1/29/20
AG
Is the DD M4A1 $500 better than the BCM RECCE MCMR?
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BenderRodriguez
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In reply to claym711 • 4:28p, 1/29/20
AG
claym711 said:

The sons of liberty build your own option is interesting, but learning enough about each component to make good selections seems a bit daunting for where I'm at with current knowledge.


It's hard to learn exactly how you like your AR set up until you have one for a while and get some time shooting it.

If I could only have one, these would be my priorities (in order).

Quality, lightweight barrel
Quality trigger
Lightweight mlok free float rail
Ambi parts
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HUEY04
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9:49p, 1/29/20
AG
After 5-6 years of shooting AR's in practice / 3-gun / local outlaw matches I finally "built" a 3-gun / general purpose / home defense rifle to meet my needs and desires. My priorities were a good multi-purpose trigger, medium weight barrel to absorb recoil and reduce poi shift under long strings of fire and overall soft shooting gun. My build was as follows:

Aero Precision M4E1 builder set with 15" m-lok hand-guard in FDE
Aero Nickel Boron BGC
Criterion 18" chrome lined HBAR contour barrel with head spaced bolt and rifle length gas
Superlative Arms adjustable gas block
Radian Raptor ambi charging handle
Mission First minimalist stock
Magpul MOE K2 grip
Hipertouch Reflex trigger
Aero enhanced buffer kit with H1 buffer
SJC Titan muzzle brake

I topped it with an old Burris XTR II 1-4 scope (I'm currently in the market for a good 1-8x or 1-10x option) in Larue mount and after adjusting the gas block and clocking the muzzle brake this is absolutely the softest shooting AR I've ever handled. Doing a "Bill Drill" the only limiting factor is how fast I can slap the trigger, the rifle just stays on target without any effort. I was able to unload a 40 round p-mag at 25 yards as fast as I could pull the trigger into an ipsc target with 75% in the a-zone and the rest in the c-zone repeatedly. I couldn't be any happier with this build

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SMM48
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In reply to claym711 • 9:59a, 1/30/20
AG
To me personally Yes and no.

Both will shoot straight and run without hiccups. So no.

The Daniel defense is the rifle chosen by Socom. So if you want what the pros use to defend our country.... then yes.

The fit and finish on both are superb. So no.

Daniel defense makes their own barrels. Bolts. Rails. So yes

Bcm and Daniel defense customer service is superb. So no. .


Either way ask for the absolute rock bottom price that both can be had for.

Remember I am not knocking putting together your own. But that requires tools and tools aren't cheap.
But for your first rifle. Buying one complete is not a bad way to go.

Can't go wrong with either.

https://danieldefense.com/ddm4rv7rslw-02-128-15049-047.html
Or
http://shop.bravocompanymfg.com/BCM-RECCE-14-MCMR-Carbine-AR15-p/bcm-carbine-780-750.htm

Texas park and wildlife just picked Daniel defense.

https://danieldefense.com/wire/texas-parks-and-wildlife-adopts-daniel-defense-ddm4v7
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reddog90
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10:18a, 1/30/20
AG
Can you guys tell me pros cons of getting a headspaced bolt for my 6.5 grendel build?

Faxon offers it when you buy a barrel. I bought the barrel on black friday and they were sold out of bolts. Now I'm wondering if I should mail the barrel back to them and get a headspaced bolt for it, or order a BCG and take it with my barrel to a gunsmith to check headspace. My last build I just ordered a Ballistic Advantage barrel and BCG and didn't worry about it.
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claym711
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In reply to SMM48 • 10:22a, 1/30/20
AG
Thank you for taking the time to share all of this info.
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SMM48
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In reply to reddog90 • 10:41a, 1/30/20
AG
1. Pros you know it's gonna work without having to worry about over pressure or manuf specs being a little off.

2. Cons it costs a little more.

I had one assembly 300 blackout where I used three different manuf. bcg. Upper and barrel. Damn thing was over pressured

Not knowing what the cause was (could have been bolt. Could have been upper. Could have been barrel) was a pain. And it ended up being I set the upper and bolt to the side (wasted money). I didn't want the thing to blow up in my face.
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SMM48
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In reply to reddog90 • 10:46a, 1/30/20
AG
No problem.

Could you put together your own rifle for a little less money and have all the parts you want? Certainly.

With the budget you stated, without including optic. And wanting a good solid rifle as your first rifle.

https://m.imgur.com/a/hzBZ99O

https://imgur.com/a/hzBZ99O

Above is a radian lower geissele with Daniel defense complete upper 11.5 inch barrel. It probably cost more than a cole te rifle from Bcm and Daniel defense. But that's the way it goes

It doesn't have the same velocity as a 14.5. And that's ok

Most here have multiple rifles in various lengths.
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jpb1999
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1:35p, 1/31/20
AG
O.K., weird question... is it even possible to "accidentally" make an AR shoot 3 round bursts?
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TopFlightReject
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In reply to jpb1999 • 2:35p, 1/31/20
jpb1999 said:
O.K., weird question... is it even possible to "accidentally" make an AR shoot 3 round bursts?
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jpb1999
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In reply to TopFlightReject • 3:14p, 1/31/20
AG
It's not me!!!

I was reading a discussion on it and figured it would take specialized parts to do this? Not sure if they knew what they were talking about.
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BenderRodriguez
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In reply to jpb1999 • 3:35p, 1/31/20
AG
There are malfunctions that can result in several rounds fired. They usually mean something has gone really wrong and the gun needs to be worked on.

Sounds to me like the usual bs you hear though...next they'll probably tell you they can convert one to full auto by filing down the firing pin.
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SMM48
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In reply to jpb1999 • 4:42p, 1/31/20
AG
could throw a binary trigger in......and just beg for bad stuff to happen.
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lexofer
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In reply to jpb1999 • 2:41p, 2/1/20
AG
Yeah the JP trigger on my first 3 Gun rifle wore out. If you released the trigger slow it would fire an extra 1-3 rounds. Fun stuff. Disconnector engagement surface wore out.
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Jethro95
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4:01p, 2/1/20
AG
Just finished building my second lower. So much easier and faster this time.
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reddog90
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8:36a, 2/3/20
AG
Someone school me on AKs. I want an entry level one to learn the platform and for plinking. The PSAK GF3 is getting great 3k and 5k round reviews. It has a forged front trunnion, bolt, and carrier. Rivets are good and rifles are straight. What's the catch at $650?
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gibberish
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In reply to claym711 • 9:42a, 2/3/20
AG
claym711 said:
Is the DD M4A1 $500 better than the BCM RECCE MCMR?
The M4A1 specifically, no not IMO. I prefer the mid-length gas system over carbine.

Now the DDM4 V7 SLW that SteveMedina linked above, possibly depending on your expectations. Both are solid.



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BenderRodriguez
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In reply to reddog90 • 4:10p, 2/4/20
AG
reddog90 said:
Someone school me on AKs. I want an entry level one to learn the platform and for plinking. The PSAK GF3 is getting great 3k and 5k round reviews. It has a forged front trunnion, bolt, and carrier. Rivets are good and rifles are straight. What's the catch at $650?

It's still an American made AK is the catch.

It will hopefully/probably keep working.

But American made AKs apparently lack the magic that slavsquatting, vodka, despair and communism infuses into Warsaw Pact country factories that made their AKs slightly more durable disposable guns to arm conscripted illiterate peasants and child soldiers with.

If I was buying something right now, I'd look towards a WASR. Romania is still pretty depressing, which should help.

Keep in mind AKs are not as feature swappable as ARs. If you want a folding stock or underfolder (you probably don't actually want an underfolder), cheapest way to do that is buy one with a rear trunion already equipped for the furniture you want.

If you can buy in person, great. Make sure the bolt carrier rides smoothly on the rails and that everything looks mostly straight (especially the front sight).

If you have any specific questions I'll try to help. I used to be pretty heavily invested into AKs.
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reddog90
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In reply to BenderRodriguez • 4:54p, 2/4/20
AG
Thanks. After another evening of reading, I decided I'll get a WASR-10 first. I'll either refinish the ugly color furniture myself or get surplus furniture. I will probably just change the grip and add an ultimak gas tube and call it good. PSA did just release their enhanced AK which adds a chrome lined barrel. It will be interesting to see if that satisfies what everyone wants in an entry-priced US made AK.
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BenderRodriguez
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In reply to reddog90 • 4:59p, 2/4/20
AG
Ultimak and a t1 (or clone) isn't a bad option.

Are WASRs coming in with side rails? Just for balance I prefer midway/rs regulate rail mount options to putting optics on the gas tube.
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reddog90
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In reply to BenderRodriguez • 8:21a, 2/5/20
AG
BenderRodriguez said:
Ultimak and a t1 (or clone) isn't a bad option.

Are WASRs coming in with side rails? Just for balance I prefer midway/rs regulate rail mount options to putting optics on the gas tube.
Yes, they do have a side rail. I was leaning towards a gas tube mount because I thought I would lose zero any time I took the rail mount off to get inside the weapon?

Have you noticed a substantial difference between any of the cheap steel case ammos? Wolf, Wolf WPA, Tula, Red Army, etc? Just get whatever is cheap and available?
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BenderRodriguez
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In reply to reddog90 • 2:28p, 2/5/20
AG
reddog90 said:

Yes, they do have a side rail. I was leaning towards a gas tube mount because I thought I would lose zero any time I took the rail mount off to get inside the weapon?

Have you noticed a substantial difference between any of the cheap steel case ammos? Wolf, Wolf WPA, Tula, Red Army, etc? Just get whatever is cheap and available?

It's possible to have zero shift, but the Midwest/RS Regulate mounts should hold zero pretty well. I've done the gas tube/forward mount stuff, and it just makes an already front heavy gun more front heavy IMO, which is the only real reason I prefer using the side mount.

If you're worried about it, don't clean it so much.

Ammo wise, I don't really know. When I was shooting AKs a lot I was in college. Noise and fun were more important than practical accuracy. Back then IIRC what was available was mostly just wolf and brown bear. Never saw much difference between those two, but I wasn't exactly looking for one either.

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BenderRodriguez
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2:33p, 2/5/20
AG
Well, spent an hour today on the phone with USPS trying to track down yet another package of gun parts that is god knows where.

I'm mostly a handgun shooter when it comes to competition, but signed up for a carbine match this October.

Ideally the plan is to shoot that match with the SBR lightweight Grendel project I'm trying to get done some time in the next few months....if I can ever get all the parts actually shipped to me.

Considering how well that build/parts accumulation is going, decided I should probably work on a back up gun for that match, so I stripped the light and red dot off my lightweight 14.5" 5.56 AR, dropped a PA 1-8 variable on top and I'm going to start working with it and getting ready for that match.

Which means I needed a different HD gun, so my 11.5" MCX pistol got the nod and I swapped the light and dot over to it.

The 14.5" AR with a heavy 1-8x on top weights in at 7 lbs flat.
Surprisingly, the MCX only weighs in at a little over 8 lbs, even with the light, dot and buis.

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reddog90
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In reply to BenderRodriguez • 4:31p, 2/5/20
AG
Can you explain the squadding mentioned in that post about the match? I'm either overthinking it or just not understanding because I haven't shot a match before.
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BenderRodriguez
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In reply to reddog90 • 8:38p, 2/5/20
AG
Matches almost always consist of multiple stages. If every shooter shot each stage at a time together as one big group it would take forever.

Local matches around here are usually split into squads of 8-15 shooters per squad, with 2-3 squads. Each squad starts on a different stage and rotates through each stage as a group.

Some people like to squad up with friends, some like squading with the best shooters to see how they do things, some people don't care where they are as long as they get to shoot.
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reddog90
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In reply to BenderRodriguez • 9:34a, 2/6/20
AG
Got it. So the gist of that post was trying to get all the cola bros into squads together.
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BenderRodriguez
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In reply to reddog90 • 10:26a, 2/6/20
AG
Yep. Did you sign up? Looks like about 10 of us so far.
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reddog90
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In reply to BenderRodriguez • 8:57a, 2/10/20
AG
BenderRodriguez said:
Yep. Did you sign up? Looks like about 10 of us so far.
Not yet. Don't know what my fall is going to look like yet. Also not sure if I am cut out for that match because I really don't know what's going on? I've only done one CW but I did fine there.
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SmithAg18
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3:03p, 2/12/20
AG
Not sure if this interests anyone here, but I had a heck of a time trying to find sand PMAGs. I finally tracked some down at Charlie Cooper's. They show 82 in stock, that number went down when I ordered mine. Haven't used them for anything before or received my order yet (only ordered this morning)

https://www.charliecoopers.com/magpul-magazine-pmag-m3-223-remington-5-56x45-nato-30-round-ar-rifles/
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BenderRodriguez
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In reply to reddog90 • 4:13p, 2/12/20
AG
I haven't shot one this format before either.

As long as you're safe and can follow directions, you should be just fine. Cola should be good prep for a match like this.

Come shoot!
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BenderRodriguez
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4:21p, 2/12/20
AG
So I think I'll make a separate thread on this one eventually, but my lightweight Grendel build is finally done with the parts accumulation stage. Was taking inventory/documenting some stuff today and weighed what I've got.

Teaser:



If my numbers are right, this is going to be a 5 lbs gun (empty and w/o optic).

Goal was something similar in weight to an old school CAR15/XM177 even with an optic. If the base gun is 5 lbs I should be able to hit that or damn close.

This is going to be a really neat project.
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SMM48
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In reply to SmithAg18 • 6:11p, 2/12/20
AG
Wow thanks.
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maverick2076
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In reply to BenderRodriguez • 8:38p, 2/12/20
What optic are you planning to use?
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BenderRodriguez
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In reply to maverick2076 • 10:42p, 2/12/20
AG
While I get it wrung out, probably the PA 1-8x I already have.

Eventually? Maybe the new Vortex 1-10, maybe something really dumb and crazy like a fixed power and an offset red dot if that is lighter than a variable and still works well.

Not sure yet.
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