Newest AR15 Build

[FCB1616]

Lower:
Palmetto State completed lower reciever
CMC 3.5lb single stage trigger
Bad Lever
ACS-L Magpul Stock

Upper:
Aero Precision upper reciever
Rainier Arms Ultramatch barrel 18" 223 Wylde Rifle length gas system
BCM flashider
Slr Rifeworks 16.5" Solo Lite M-Lok Handguard
Rainier Arms Ultramatch BCG
BCM Charging Handle
American Defense Recon 30mm 20 Moa scope mount
Vortex Viper HST 4-16-44 Moa

Sweet Shooting rig! Shoots about a 1/2 at 100 yds with Black Hills 50gr Vmax factory new ammo!!

 

[budlight]

what is your twist rate? How much is a build like yours without the scope?

 

[FCB1616]

Budlight, My rig all together costs about 1750 and barrel twist is 1/8. Barrel is a 18" Rainier Arms Ultramatch barrel with the spr contour and rifle length gas block they use shilen blanks with ratchet rifling. I highly recommend that barrel! Shoots great

 

[budlight]

My best barrel is a 223 {not wylde or 5.56) 24 inch match grade heavy contour with a .936 gas block recessed crown 1:9. Forged 7075 T-6 everything & Nickel boron BCG

I hand load So I quit buying 75 grain match grade ammo

I have a few 18 and 20 inch SS fluted rigs in 223 Wylde all 1:9 and they like 55 and 62 gr BT's

 

[Deleted member 48126]

Budlight, My rig all together costs about 1750 and barrel twist is 1/8. Barrel is a 18" Rainier Arms Ultramatch barrel with the spr contour and rifle length gas block they use shilen blanks with ratchet rifling. I highly recommend that barrel! Shoots great

Are rainier arms barrels good quality? My buddy put one on his custom built noveske, but hasnt shot it yet since he had to move to Italy for his job. My SW MP 15 is at the smith now and its getting a 20inch SS Shilen 1:7 twist medium weight barrel on it. I'm going to install a giesselle trigger as well. I hope it shoots well.

 

[budlight]

Are rainier arms barrels good quality? My buddy put one on his custom built noveske, but hasnt shot it yet since he had to move to Italy for his job. My SW MP 15 is at the smith now and its getting a 20inch SS Shilen 1:7 twist medium weight barrel on it. I'm going to install a giesselle trigger as well. I hope it shoots well.

Is it to late to cancel? I own a 1:7 20 inch and would not recommend it. It forces you to shoot only heavy expensive bullets. I bought bulk 55 and 62 grain and they were going through the paper sideways at 100 yards. At first I tried reducing the powder to get the velocity down to 16 inch and 14.5 barrel lengths 2800 or less with 55 grain. So then I just bit the bullet and started buying 75 match grade ammo. I realized it was all a mistake because against my better judgment I listened to the wrong people. 1:7 is fine for 16 and shorter rifles 18 inch can get away with 1:8

Then I got smarter and just started buying 1:9 barrels that shoot high speed 55's over 3200 fps and 62's at over 3100 fps in 18 - 20 inch barrels. just fun cheap paper punching I can also shoot up to 75 match bullets if I feel the need to show off a tiny group

 

[Deleted member 48126]

I have read your discussions before on barrel lengths and twists. It was pretty interesting. My smith was swearing up and down to do the 1:7 in the 20 inch. He's a long range fanatic so he said he's going to work up loads in the 75 grain + category. He got my buddies AR shooting in the .4s with his hand loads. That's why I chose him. But yeah, I definitely think I limited myself looking back at it. another consideration is that I hope the longer rounds will feed appropriately I might have to go back to the drawing board.

 

[budlight]

I bought bulk lots of 3000 75 gr match Noslers or Hornady back when they were about 12 cents each. The problem is when you get up into the 75-80 or 90 grain bullets that they become horribly slow and it is self defeating in a small 223 case. I shot a 26 inch 22-250 for many years


But anyway I shoot a lot and always have fun Oh my 24 inch Match is almost to heavy to carry!

 

[Kansaswoodguy]

I would not be scared of a 1-7 twist barrel not really necessary a 1-8 will stabilize bullets up to around 80 gr but in 223 I do not think you can push a light bullet fast enough to come apart. I've shot 35gr vmax's out of my 1-8 twist with great accuracy I inhearited those 35 gr from a guy that was loading them in a 22-243 wildcat and he was turning them into dust as they left the barrel but that is a different animal entirely. I shoot 75gr match bullets most of the time but that's because I rarely shoot under 400 yards and heavy bullets buck the wind much better than the little guys. I have around 2000 50gr zmax bullets on the shelf that shoot better than MOA out of two 1-8 twist AR's and have never tumbled one yet now on the flip side I have a 1-12 twist that will not stabilize the 75gr bullets and they really do go threw the target sideways at 50 yards at 100 yards I couldn't even hit a 3'x4' sheet of plywood so I had to move it to 50 yards. My brother has a 1-7 twist 18" that shoots 3/4MOA all day long with 55gr bullets. I suspect that budlight's bullet issues had more to do with the "bulk" bullets than twist rate. I too have fallen pray to the allure of cheap bulk bullets and regretted it for anything other than plinking ammo for my kids

 

[budlight]

My brother has a 1-7 twist 18" that shoots 3/4MOA all day long with 55gr bullets. I suspect that budlight's bullet issues had more to do with the "bulk" bullets than twist rate. I too have fallen pray to the allure of cheap bulk bullets and regretted it for anything other than plinking ammo for my kids

I don't think that you understand the relationship of barrel length, increased velocity and twist rate.

I was able to reduce the powder amount to where the velocity out of my 20 inch 1:7 to 2800 fps which is a typical 16 inch 55 gr velocity and the bullet groups were manageable. The bullets went correctly through the paper So I bought 75 grain and it shoots very well. It is kind of stupid to dumb down velocity just to shoot a lighter weight bullet so I retired that 1:7 upper and just started buying 20 and later 24 and 18 inch 1:9. they shoot very small groups using those same bulk 55 gr HP's, Soft points, and FMJ

 

[FCB1616]

Group I Shot last night with the AR pictured in this thread! Factory ammo. Im excited to start reloading to see what she will do! gun)

 

[jonthomps]

Wicked nice build! Congrats man.

 

[joseph]

Is it to late to cancel? I own a 1:7 20 inch and would not recommend it. It forces you to shoot only heavy expensive bullets. I bought bulk 55 and 62 grain and they were going through the paper sideways at 100 yards. At first I tried reducing the powder to get the velocity down to 16 inch and 14.5 barrel lengths 2800 or less with 55 grain. So then I just bit the bullet and started buying 75 match grade ammo. I realized it was all a mistake because against my better judgment I listened to the wrong people. 1:7 is fine for 16 and shorter rifles 18 inch can get away with 1:8

Then I got smarter and just started buying 1:9 barrels that shoot high speed 55's over 3200 fps and 62's at over 3100 fps in 18 - 20 inch barrels. just fun cheap paper punching I can also shoot up to 75 match bullets if I feel the need to show off a tiny group

There should not be any bullets going side ways in the targets from a 1 in 7" twist barrel. Mine is an 18" varmint fluted barrel from WOA and shoots 55 gr. 62 gr., 69 gr. and 75 gr. bullets and they all group 5 shots less than 1/2" at 100 yds.

joseph