Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles AR Build Questions & Critique

I bought an AR (Palmetto State build, Carbine) about a year and a half ago and like it A LOT more than I though I ever would. I put a few nicer components on it and worked up one good handload (65 SGK's and TAC)and while I've not managed to whack a coyote with it yet, I've enjoyed carrying it around. It also shoots as well as I can, which is all I can ask.

My Dad is at a point he'd like an AR, and I've come to a point I'd like to build my own. I figured I'd keep the more expensive components I've bought, put good, serviceable components back on, give it to Dad, and build my own.

What I've got:
Magpul ACS Stock (Really like the way it feels)

15" Troy Alpha Rail(I like it, but it may or may not work with what I want to do)

Geissele Super Dynamic Enhanced Trigger (LOVE IT!)

Leupold Mark AR 3-9x40 Mil/Mil (works well enough so far)

What I want to do:
-At least consistently MOA for five round groups @ 100 (I need to shoot the challenge with my current rifle and see what it'll do for 10, just ain't had time)

-Run suppressed

-Be very soft shooting yet reliable

-It's not going to be a duty rifle or a match rifle. Just a REALLY fun coyote-truck-plinking a pretty good ways out there- kind of rifle.


Selected components:
-Probably run Spikes lower and upper receiver mostly because they aren't terribly expensive, and are available locally.

-Green Mountain 18" Stainless, Fluted, Wylde, Rifle Length Gas

-SLR Adj. Gas Block (not sure how well it'll work with the 15" Rail)

-Voodoo innovations Low Mass BCG and Bolt (looks a little "overdone", but cheaper than the JP and will work with the fwd assist, any other recommendations?)

-JP Silent Captured Spring (this may be more of a luxury, just wonder what folks on here though of them)

-MagPul BAD Lever (seems convenient, just wonder how well it works)

Sorta figure I could buy the tools, a set of go/no go gauges (just to be sure), and "interweb" the thing together without too much trouble or expense (and I'll always have the tools!).

Any ideas, opinions, recommendations, places to look, etc. would be very much appreciated.

Spend the money on the barrel. The rest is just fluff.

My idea... flat top upper whoever has blems....

Any float tube thats cheap enough.

Top line barrel, or at least a Wilson SS 8 or faster twist. Iv'e had pretty good luck Green Mountain barrels on MZ rifles, never used them for anything other though, no clue on AR ability. Personally 100 or so more bucks for a top barrel sure makes nice groups.

Trigger of your choice, makes it easier to shoot, but not more accurate.

Suppressed sub sonics, the only real quiet ones, will still have the action noise and have a rainbow trajectory. So long shots are out IMHO.

I shot alot, and know a bit, my 300 Whisper, is good to about 150ish yards and I have to dial every 25 of those to be safe... its quiet though, and as such its a bolt gun.

If you are going to shoot supersonics through a can, thats a bit different, but I"d suggest you go hear that before buying, still worth it to me, but not what most expect.

Bottom line you probably want a good repeatable adjustable gas blcok fro this project.

I should've mentioned I don't plan on running subsonics through it. Right now I'm looking at a SilencerCo Omega for running on it and my .25-06. I realize it won't make either one "quiet", just "quieter".
Green Mountain always has built a wicked muzzleloader barrel for the money. I can't find anything bad about their AR barrels, granted, there's not a whole lot of detail on the positive reviews on their site or anywhere else. Thought I'd try one......

Potsy - I've got a Ice Arms - Green Mountain - barrel if you want to try one.

What are you hoping to gain with the low mass BCG?

Honestly, your list looks like a shopping cart full of stuff to spend money on without a clear vision of how to accomplish your goal.

Your Palmetto build, with an adjustable gas block, suppressor mount, and a bunch of Pmags, will do everything you're asking; that's actually a pretty reasonable setup. Beyond that, if you want better accuracy, spend the money on a good barrel, like White Oak, Benchmark, etc; although if you have trouble putting 5 rounds in an inch with your current setup, it's probably not the barrel's fault. (No offense intended.)

That 65gr GK and TAC load should do very well if you've got it dialed in right.

I like the BAD lever devices, although I like fabbing stuff so I make my own.

If you have realistic expectations for the suppressor, you'll probably be very happy. With the gas adjusted right, it can be very comparable to an unsuppressed 22 rifle, maybe slightly louder, but quieter than a 22 pistol.

The idea is that the low mass BCG will cut down on the "recoil", which is what they are advertised to do. From everything I've read, those that have them like them, and those that don't have them don't see the need. It didn't look a whole lot more expensive that a regular BCG so I though why not. I'm willing to listen to any opinions for, or against (which is why I posted about all this to begin with).

The Palmetto build will be going to Dad (hence the new build for me). It'll do better than an inch (pretty consistently around .75" with handloads), but I hate to talk about how well an AR will shoot on here as it seems to be a touchy subject for some. No offense taken, the rifle acts like it would shoot even better with a different "nut behind the butt".

I have been looking at the White Oak 18" SPR. The fact they'll send a headspaced bolt (for a nominal fee) hasn't been lost on me either. They do have a sterling reputation.

That said, Green Mountain has been building stellar barrels for Muzzleloaders and 10-22's for a LONG time and military barrels for a while. I've certainly not read anything bad about their AR barrels. Really wondering if anyone on here has any experience with them (or low mass BCG's, for that matter).

I don't know enough about the low mass carriers but I do know they are part of a system, a call to JP or whoever might be worth the time to see exactly what you need.

Another way is VLTOR's A5 system, you can buffer it how you need it and using the rifle length tube and spring is a lot smoother than any carbine. It's probably cheaper too.

On the no go gauges, all you need is a field gauge to check an assembled barrel.

Check with Bluedreaux on here, about setting up for least felt and soft recoil, he had a good thread here on that a while back.

-Upper and lower doesn't matter. Whatever the cheapest mil spec you can find. PSA Blems are always good.


- Barel. While I agree with Rost and would go with a known barrel, you probably will be ok with a Green Mountain. What I would highly suggest is skipping an 18in barrel if you're running suppressed. Especially for your stated uses I would go to at least a 16in and would personally go with a 14.5in. Have had them all from 26in competition rifles to 6in permanently suppressed- AMU built SDM's, MK12's, 16in Recce's, 14.5's, 13.7's, 12's, 11's, 10.5's, etc. Excepting playing off sandbags, everyone chooses shorter. The more guys use AR's/M4's the less they want anything to do with 18+ inch barreled versions. You lose so little when it comes to range and gain so much in handling.


-I'm ambivalent towards adjustable has blocks mostly. Even suppressed.


- If I'm going low mass anything then I use the JP. The complete setup. Just know that as you start playing with these components reliability will go down.


- Spring is a luxury.


- BAD lever works though most use it incorrectly/sloppily.



- You do not need a Go/No-Go gauge. Buy the barrel assembled with the BE and you're good. You don't have to headspace anything.

I don't think there would be anything fun, much less REALLY fun, about a 42" truck gun that weighs 11#. I get in and out of a vehicle quite a bit with a 16" AR and it's a huge pain. You're talking about adding 9" and several pounds to that. Just something to consider. Once it's suppressed, it's gonna be a beast. Even not, it'll be a lot of gun.





Couple of things on a "smooth shooting" AR....

You can get there without an adjustable gas block. But if you're planning on running suppressed it can't hurt and would keep you from wondering how your barrel is ported.

Once you get into the realm of LMOS you're VERY quickly getting into the realm of diminishing returns for your money. For most people the juice just isn't going to be worth the squeeze. It's a specialized modification for use in a specialized role. If you're going to be firing very fast repetitive shots at the same target or need to track shots across multiple targets while firing offhand (completely unsupported) then it can be of use. If that's not going to make up a lot of your shooting, I'd avoid it.

A LMOS can be reliable, but you've gotta understand that the gas port-carrier weight-buffer weight-and the suppressor you add are all part of a system. You've got a lot of moving parts to get working together and it may be more trouble than it's worth to you.

I'd avoid the VooDoo and stick with JP. They've been doing it long enough to have it right.

If you're gonna do LMOS I'd check out the brianenos forums for advice on what's working best for people.

I have a 16" mid-length AR with a VLTOR A5 system (H3 buffer) and it's ridiculously soft shooting. Most people can't believe how soft it shoots. I'm sure an adjustable gas block and LMOS would help, but it's DEFINITELY not necessary for what you want to accomplish.

Here's a GoPro video of my 16" gun, firing offhand at 100 yards. The video doesn't show exactly what you see in your sight picture, but it definitely gives you an idea of how smooth it shoots.



You could get an accurate 14.5" barrel with mid-length gas and if you direct threaded that Omega and used the flat end cap come out at around the same length as my 18" gun with a brake. And that's as long as I'd EVER want for a truck-plinking gun. BCM, Noveske and Rainier all offer accurate SS barrels in shorter lengths.

There's nothing wrong with what you're planning, I just think that it's gonna be an expensive fun that you're not happy with in the end. And I think you can get a gun that you'll be happier with, cheaper. That's coming from a guy who's spent a lot of time chasing smooth shooting ARs.

Potsy, I'm kind of new to AR building but I'm happy to share my thought with you.

I'm another person who likes Blems. Right now AIM surplus has blemed uppers for $40.00.

For bolt carriers, I've gone the opposite direction as you and opted for the full auto carriers. Think of the physic involved in shooting a handgun. The mass of the handgun acts to absorb the recoil. Same thing with a heavier bolt carrier in a well balanced system. Also, I've already been burned with a discount BCG, so I'd probably go with a Bravo Company and call it good.

One build is a 18" bbl with rifle gas, and upgraded buffer spring and an H2 buffer, and a Bravo company Mod 0 compensatory. It's simple but smooth shooting setup.

Another build has an 16" ultralight barrel with midgas. Currently running an H3 buffer with it but still doing some tuning. It weight in just over 6.5 pounds with optics, so it makes for a really nice, handy rig.

For extra's, I like the BCM Gunfighter charging handle and the BAD lever. Both of these items greatly enhance the function and make and AR more fun to handle.