Some build questions

[Kaldor]

Hey all!

Ive been lurking on these forums for quite awhile, picking up some knowledge, contributing when I have something worthwhile to say, but now I have a couple of questions.

I plan on building a 300 BO upper for my son to hunt with next deer season, and to do some plinking every now and then for fun.

As the primary purpose of this will be for my 10 year old son to hunt deer with, I wanted a light, easy to handle rifle, that has a mild recoil, and can get a fast follow up shot if needed. I have almost no interest in running this rig silenced at this point in time. Finances simply dont allow for $1000 for a can and the tax stamp. I do reload so the skys the limit on that providing I can find the powder. 120ish grain bullets for dear, whatever I can find for a decent price to plink with.

Here is a short build list:
Aero M4E1 w/ Aero Handguard - Question here is length. Id like to go with a 14.5" barrel with a pinned/welded brake. Any ideas what version would give me the minimal amount coming out the front of the handguard? Id like to only have the brake coming out the front.

Rainier Arms Select 14.5" barrel - Being that Im going to pin/weld the brake, I want a buy once, cry once barrel. I cant say Ive ever heard a bad word about their barrels, ever. Still on the fence for length though. A 16" would be nice for the simple reason I dont have to screw around with pin/weld. Accuracy is a given with a quality barrel but FPS between a 14.5 and a 16 is minimal correct? 1 in 8.5 twist should be fine for supers?

Comp/Brake - This is a real question for all of you. I was thinking about a Lantac Dragon (buy once, cry once) as its an excellent brake. The availability of the BMD shown at SHOT Show, later this year also piques my interest as when shooting at the range, a device like this definitely helps with shock wave/noise. What are your thoughts on the Lantac?

Gas block - Is it necessary to use a adjustable gas block if all I plan on shooting is supers? Or an I better off just sucking it up, and spending the cash?

Lower will be from my current AR15. Aero lower with a Geissele SSA-E, Spikes heavy buffer and spring, the rest doesnt matter. Will the Spikes buffer/spring combo be OK? If not, what should I be looking at for spring and buffer?

If you think of anything else I missed, let me know.

Thanks

[BodySnatcher]

Any ideas what version would give me the minimal amount coming out the front of the handguard? -- Look for Rifle Length as these tend to be @15"

Although you will be shooting supers out of it, this is for a 10 y.o., so I would get an adjustable gas block and tune it down to get the "mild recoil" you are seeking and cycle smoothly with a Nosler 125 gr ballistic tip for hunting. The Lantac will also help tame recoil.

[ThreeHundredTraveler]

For a yungun perhaps a single shot would be very appropriate.

This would be perfect.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.ph ... 72430.html

[farm use]

I would use a 16" in barrel for hunting the added velocity may come in handy and a pined flash hider is just more expense. For hunting I would not use a brake without ear protection, I would just use a thread protector. The blkout really doesn't have much recoil at all, and really doesn't need a adjustable block unless you just want one. With a 16" barrel you will probably need a regular carbine buffer "C" buffer for cycling. The blkout makes a great hunting rifle for young kids. My daughter loves mine and has shot it since she was ten and never had a complaint about recoil. 125gn bullets are great for hunting out to about 250 yards. Don't over think the build keep it simple. Just my opinion.

[bangbangping]

Rainier Arms Select 14.5" barrel - Being that Im going to pin/weld the brake, I want a buy once, cry once barrel. I cant say Ive ever heard a bad word about their barrels, ever. Still on the fence for length though. A 16" would be nice for the simple reason I dont have to screw around with pin/weld. Accuracy is a given with a quality barrel but FPS between a 14.5 and a 16 is minimal correct? 1 in 8.5 twist should be fine for supers?

Comp/Brake - This is a real question for all of you. I was thinking about a Lantac Dragon (buy once, cry once) as its an excellent brake. The availability of the BMD shown at SHOT Show, later this year also piques my interest as when shooting at the range, a device like this definitely helps with shock wave/noise. What are your thoughts on the Lantac?

If it were me, I'd go with a 16" and an STD (Simple Threaded Device). Pinned/welded is an added expense, and limits your options should you decide to change something up. I don't see the point to save 1.5". Muzzle breaks tend to be loud and unpleasant; I wouldn't subject my youngster to one, and recoil is trivial anyway. The STD adds only about an inch, and directs blast away from the shooter. Cheap, light, effective.

Yes, 1 in 8.5 is fine for supers.

For a yungun perhaps a single shot would be very appropriate.

This would be perfect.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.ph ... 72430.html

Probably the best idea.

[Kaldor]

Heya gents,

Been awhile since I been over here. Was away from home for work, and didnt have much time for internet related stuff like lurking on all the various gun forums.

The upper is built.

Talked to a buddy, did a bunch of reading, asked some questions a few other places, made some decisions. All the parts trickled in while I was away from home, so I put it together Friday night with my son standing by with a big s__t eating grin on his face, and a friend who wants to re-build his AR15 this year, and has never done any tear down and or assembly.

Went with a Rainier Select 16" barrel. The thought of having to potentially destroy a brake to remove it from a 14.5" barrel was a turn off, especially a Lantac. Just used a normal gas block, SSTL carbine gas tube. Also used an Aero M4E1 upper with a 13" hand guard. Also shown are a set of Magpul poly sights (good enough for BUIS) and a 10 round Lancer mag.



Kind of a crappy pic. Ill snap a few new ones with a real camera, and post them when I have some time. Fitting I take the pic on top of my freezer, because thats what this rifle will be used for, filling my freezer.

Fit and finish on Aero stuff, top notch as expected. Rainier barrel was a tight fit, had to heat the upper in front of the space heater in my garage. The barrel was about down to about 10 degrees after I let it sit outside a few minutes here in Wisconsin. I still had to give the barrel some light persuasion with a rubber mallet to get it to seat. The lower is pretty solid, Aero lower, SSA-E trigger, Spikes heavy buffer, etc. Not sure If Im going to shoot this rifle more than a few hundred rounds a year, but I may build another lower for it sometime this summer depending on how I want to divide up my play money the warden (wife) allows me to have.

Any thoughts on a scope? Was thinking about a 1X4 scope as most shots around where I hunt are 150 yards or less. Was thinking a Vortex Strike Eagle once they become available.

Range report will be later this month. Need to get one of my scopes on it, likely my 4X12 Vortex Crossfire that I float around to different rifles. I have 500 150gr Hornady FMJs on hand for plinking. Powder should be available sometime this week. Will look for hunting bullets later this year.

And yup, my son is a spoiled little SOB. Actually, hes a great kid, and hes a damn fine shot for a 10 year old.

[BadKarmaZeroSix]

As far as optics, i have had great experience with Primary Arms for many of my builds...they have a 1-6 that i really want after shooting my buddy's 16" AAC-barrelled build...with his reloads i put 6 shots in a half-dollar size grouping at 85 yds, and i had never used his rifle, so i was impressed...Vortex makes some great glass tho too, so be sure to check em out side-by-side if possible...

[ScottB70]

If I was taking a shot on a game animal out to 150 yards, I'd want a 6 power at least. I have a 12x scope I use for that sort of distance. I just want to be able to put the shot where I want it. a 1-4 could work, just not for me.

[firefuzz]

For what you've posted as the primary purpose of the build, a light hunting rifle, I'd find a quality 2-7x or 3-9x matte finished scope with some type of stadia marks at least on the bottom/vertical post. Although a 4x is plenty for hunting at the range you described, the high magnification makes sighting in much easier. With the stadia marks on the lower post, and a little range time, it would be easy for your boy to learn the ranges for the built in "hold over" marks. 30mm tubes provide better light gathering with smaller objective lens, but add weight both in the scope and rings. To me it would be a worth while trade off. Whatever you choose be conscious of the height of the scope.

After looking at the Vortex Strike Eagle, it has too busy a reticle for me. I've been playing with a Weaver Kespa 1.5-6x for about a year now on a .223 AR. For the price it's a pretty decent little scope. You might beat the price elsewhere, I just put this link up for reference. I actually like the mil-dot on the 22.5-10x better, but haven't tried that one yet.

http://swfa.com/Kaspa-Tactical-C4065.aspx

Rob

[Kaldor]

Gun shot great. Bolt catches on last round. Consistent 3 o'clock ejection. No pressure signs on handloads. 150gr Hornday FMJs over 15gr Win 296. Will post better pics later.