AR-10 Build questions

[RevFisch]

I want to get an AR-10, thinking about building one. Will it be cheaper? Also, any tips?

I saw Aero precision has some parts. Never built one before so I have no clue what things to research.


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[Snake-Eyes]

Building your own AR is usually cheaper than buying prebuilt. Also allows you to build your stripped lower as a pistol first, for all that legalese headache insanity. Also allows you to go straight to the components you want or can afford now, versus instantly stripping unwanted parts off a prebuilt gun.

Some AR-15 components are compatible: triggers, grips, receiver tube with some buffer and spring combos, stocks/braces.
Most are not: mags, takedown pins, bolt catch, BCGs, uppers.

When sourcing your build parts, just confirm it's compatible with an AR-10 upper/lower built by whatever company you bought from.

There are other caliber options than just .308 WIN for an AR-10. I'm sure other folks who use those calibers will chime in on uppers, BCGs, and mag considerations.

 

[FrommerStop]

As snake eyes mentions, the right parts and I will state you should know what you are doing. I have hit this whole AR15 thing with the easy button. The lower is easier to do right than is the case for the upper. I hope to eventually tackle an AR15 upper on my own. I am not going to the AR10 because I own other 7.62x51 rifles and I think I can cover what needs to be done with AR15 cartridges.
good luck with your build.

 

[RevFisch]

To those that have built, did you find any online resources helpful?

I want to know which BCGs are good, trigger set ups, lowers, uppers, barrels etc.

Hoping to keep this build under $1000 (not including optics, a guy can try or at least that’s the budget I’ll give the wife)


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[Bowhntr6pt]

Cheaper is subjective. Lots of various parts and manufactures out there to choose from with prices just as varied.

What do you plan on doing (mostly) shooting wise?

Tips...

- Stick with the DPMS pattern as there are lots of options out there reference barrels, BCG's, and hand guards.

- Stick with one manufacture for the key components which are upper, lower, lower parts kit, and bolt carrier group (BCG).

When it comes to barrels, Ballistic Advantage offers very affordable performers in just about ant configuration you might want. Then there are more expensive manufactures as well.

Hand guards, I love SLR. They are a Florida company that makes HG's whose fit and finish are second to none in my opinion. They also make a great adjustable gas block, a plus for getting an AR10 dialed in, especially if shooting suppressed.

Trigger, all mine have Velocity 3-lb. triggers. They are affordable and perform well.

I recommend you look at the Aero M5 offerings for a solid base from which to build a rifle. Keep in mind, gassers are hard on brass when you're trying to extract the best from a particular cartridge, guys trying to run the 6.5 Creedmoore have found this out. I got out of the 6.5C gas game because of this.

No sense in picking a cartridge that shines at the top end when the top end can't be achieved easily. Likewise, small bore to chamber cartridges, like the .243 Winchester or .22-250 generally don't fair well in a gas gun function wise and can be problematic, that's why they are not as popular. I know some think the .308 Winchester is boring and lacks sex appeal, but it's easy to get it to run in a gas gun... and will do what you need done out to 700-800 yards easily.

 

[RevFisch]

Cheaper is subjective. Lots of various parts and manufactures out there to choose from with prices just as varied.

What do you plan on doing (mostly) shooting wise?

Tips...

- Stick with the DPMS pattern as there are lots of options out there reference barrels, BCG's, and hand guards.

- Stick with one manufacture for the key components which are upper, lower, lower parts kit, and bolt carrier group (BCG).

When it comes to barrels, Ballistic Advantage offers very affordable performers in just about ant configuration you might want. Then there are more expensive manufactures as well.

Hand guards, I love SLR. They are a Florida company that makes HG's whose fit and finish are second to none in my opinion. They also make a great adjustable gas block, a plus for getting an AR10 dialed in, especially if shooting suppressed.

Trigger, all mine have Velocity 3-lb. triggers. They are affordable and perform well.

I recommend you look at the Aero M5 offerings for a solid base from which to build a rifle. Keep in mind, gassers are hard on brass when you're trying to extract the best from a particular cartridge, guys trying to run the 6.5 Creedmoore have found this out. I got out of the 6.5C gas game because of this.

No sense in picking a cartridge that shines at the top end when the top end can't be achieved easily. Likewise, small bore to chamber cartridges, like the .243 Winchester or .22-250 generally don't fair well in a gas gun function wise and can be problematic, that's why they are not as popular. I know some think the .308 Winchester is boring and lacks sex appeal, but it's easy to get it to run in a gas gun... and will do what you need done out to 700-800 yards easily.

I plan on using this as my other hunting rifle. And for fun. Have a Ruger precision for long distance. This would be more for hunting/hog gun.


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[FrommerStop]

Cheaper is subjective. Lots of various parts and manufactures out there to choose from with prices just as varied.

What do you plan on doing (mostly) shooting wise?

Tips...

- Stick with the DPMS pattern as there are lots of options out there reference barrels, BCG's, and hand guards.

- Stick with one manufacture for the key components which are upper, lower, lower parts kit, and bolt carrier group (BCG).

When it comes to barrels, Ballistic Advantage offers very affordable performers in just about ant configuration you might want. Then there are more expensive manufactures as well.

Hand guards, I love SLR. They are a Florida company that makes HG's whose fit and finish are second to none in my opinion. They also make a great adjustable gas block, a plus for getting an AR10 dialed in, especially if shooting suppressed.

Trigger, all mine have Velocity 3-lb. triggers. They are affordable and perform well.

I recommend you look at the Aero M5 offerings for a solid base from which to build a rifle. Keep in mind, gassers are hard on brass when you're trying to extract the best from a particular cartridge, guys trying to run the 6.5 Creedmoore have found this out. I got out of the 6.5C gas game because of this.

No sense in picking a cartridge that shines at the top end when the top end can't be achieved easily. Likewise, small bore to chamber cartridges, like the .243 Winchester or .22-250 generally don't fair well in a gas gun function wise and can be problematic, that's why they are not as popular. I know some think the .308 Winchester is boring and lacks sex appeal, but it's easy to get it to run in a gas gun... and will do what you need done out to 700-800 yards easily.

I was looking at loads the other day for my 6.5 g in the AR15. And I will not be loading them hot. Basically coming to the conclusion in a gas gun that going high pressure is not a good idea once the cartridge gets bigger than the 5.56 round. I will try to get a 6.5 G 100 grain bullet to 2700 fps that seems to be good for what I want to do. The creedmore can go heavier and perhaps faster too.
Below is some googled velocity for the 6.5 Creedmoore. Seems to be a real hot load for sure.

 

[BamaFan]

I started a budget .308 last year and wow things add up quickly.
16" Aero Precision

 

[Bowhntr6pt]

I plan on using this as my other hunting rifle. And for fun. Have a Ruger precision for long distance. This would be more for hunting/hog gun.


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As you might already know, the AR10's are heavier.

If you're going to hunt with it, I'd highly suggest a 16" barrel with a Mid-Length Gas system. In addition, to help keep the recoil down, hand load, or have someone trustworthy, hand load you some lighter weight bullets in the 125 to 130 grain weight range. That, coupled with a MLG system should provide for a nice shooting rig... at least I think it does.

Ballistic advantage makes a really nice 16" bead-blasted stainless steel barrel. I have two builds with those barrels and they are both sub-MOA shooters with handloads. Below is a pic of one of my builds.

The 16" build is relatively compact, not too heavy to carry, and can be moved nicely in a tree stand or blind. Plus adds the power and punch of the .308.

 

[Bowhntr6pt]

I was looking at loads the other day for my 6.5 g in the AR15. And I will not be loading them hot. Basically coming to the conclusion in a gas gun that going high pressure is not a good idea once the cartridge gets bigger than the 5.56 round. I will try to get a 6.5 G 100 grain bullet to 2700 fps that seems to be good for what I want to do. The creedmore can go heavier and perhaps faster too.
Below is some googled velocity for the 6.5 Creedmoore. Seems to be a real hot load for sure.
View attachment 88045

I had a 24" bull barrel and could not reach bolt gun velocities before extreme ejector swipes and extractor gouges. Basically, I was killing my brass and said F-it.

I have a Ruger PR for my 6.5C desires.

 

[Bowhntr6pt]

I had a 24" bull barrel and could not reach bolt gun velocities before extreme ejector swipes and extractor gouges. Basically, I was killing my brass and said F-it.

I have a Ruger PR for my 6.5C desires.

ETA- now is a bad time to try to build. Visit the Equipment Exchange AR10 section on ARFCOM for possible deals.

 

[RevFisch]

I started a budget .308 last year and wow things add up quickly.
16" Aero Precision

That’s awesome dude! Specs? And how did you decide on your parts?


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[Raven]

At least consider the 350 Legend caliber in a AR15 platform. Good solid 308-style heavy hitting performance in a lighter weight AR15

 

[Bowhntr6pt]

That’s awesome dude! Specs? And how did you decide on your parts?


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Aero upper, lower, BCG, LPK, Velocity 3-lb. trigger, SLR adjustable gas block, SLR rail, Ballistic Advantage 16" BB SS barrel, MagPul stock/grip, Harris Bi-Pod, Leupold 1.5-5 MK IV.

Liked it so much it has a twin LOL.

After looking over a friends M5 build with the SLR rail and BA barrel, I decided on Aero as the base. After reading about various parts mixing problems, I stayed with Aero for the core parts. Ballistic Advantage is affordable AND offers an MOA guarantee, which they delivered on concerning a MK12 Mod 0 build I have where their barrel did not measure up. With an MOA guarantee, how can you go wrong?

Another M5 build, generally the same specs, but suppressed and wearing an ACOG.

 

[Raven]

At least consider the 350 Legend caliber in a AR15 platform. Good solid 308-style heavy hitting performance in a lighter weight AR15

Not an 800 yard cartridge like 308, or even a 500 yard cartridge, but is a good 300-400 yard cartridge. And who cares about 400 yards if you're never shooting past 200 yards? This way you're still getting all the same projectile weight as 308 without the AR10 platform weight

 

[FrommerStop]

At least consider the 350 Legend caliber in a AR15 platform. Good solid 308-style heavy hitting performance in a lighter weight AR15

The 350 is about the same as the old .35 rem if it were handloaded with lighter bullets, in fact in a 336 the 35 rem could loaded up a bit. The 350 seems to be a 200 yard hunting cartridge

 

[Bowhntr6pt]

Not an 800 yard cartridge like 308, or even a 500 yard cartridge, but is a good 300-400 yard cartridge. And who cares about 400 yards if you're never shooting past 200 yards? This way you're still getting all the same projectile weight as 308 without the AR10 platform weight

Yep, no need really in hauling around the weight of an AR10 platform, although my 16" rifles really are not bad, when other chamberings are effective.

I have rifles in 6.5 Grendel and 6.8 SPC that are lighter and do fine out to 400 yards. The Grendel loads I shoot are in the 123gr range whereas the 6.8 SPC is in the 120gr range. They kill deer, hogs, and yotes nicely.

But damn... when that .308 hits, especially when suppressed, hearing it hit makes you giggle.

 

[FrommerStop]

Yep, no need really in hauling around the weight of an AR10 platform, although my 16" rifles really are not bad, when other chamberings are effective.

I have rifles in 6.5 Grendel and 6.8 SPC that are lighter and do fine out to 400 yards. The Grendel loads I shoot are in the 123gr range whereas the 6.8 SPC is in the 120gr range. They kill deer, hogs, and yotes nicely.

But damn... when that .308 hits, especially when suppressed, hearing it hit makes you giggle.

What velocities are you getting form those 123 and 120 grain wt bullets on those two chamberings?

 

[RevFisch]

Aero upper, lower, BCG, LPK, Velocity 3-lb. trigger, SLR adjustable gas block, SLR rail, Ballistic Advantage 16" BB SS barrel, MagPul stock/grip, Harris Bi-Pod, Leupold 1.5-5 MK IV.

Liked it so much it has a twin LOL.

After looking over a friends M5 build with the SLR rail and BA barrel, I decided on Aero as the base. After reading about various parts mixing problems, I stayed with Aero for the core parts. Ballistic Advantage is affordable AND offers an MOA guarantee, which they delivered on concerning a MK12 Mod 0 build I have where their barrel did not measure up. With an MOA guarantee, how can you go wrong?

Another M5 build, generally the same specs, but suppressed and wearing an ACOG.

Sent you a PM


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[Bowhntr6pt]

What velocities are you getting form those 123 and 120 grain wt bullets on those two chamberings?

6.8 SPC with 120 gr SST is about 2560ish FPS is giving great accuracy.

6.5G with 123gr SST is about 2540ish FPS is giving great accuracy.

I've gotten great accuracy with little load development so I've never chased velocity with either cartridge. I'm sure there's room for a little more speed for those so interested.

When hunting coyote or hogs, I won't shoot at anything past 400 yards, with under 200 being the norm. Therefore the accuracy is more important for me vs. speed. Deer, I won't shoot past 300 yards. with almost all my shots being well under 100 yards. I've only killed two deer at 300/350 yards and they were both "now or never" shots.