School me on ARs

[Biggerhammer]

There you go. How many guys are mounting a PEQ-2 on their AR's on this web site?

I don't feel that a Key-Mod or a M-Lok handguard is going to make a difference in groups size when it comes to "Punching paper" and a Coyote sure isn't going to know the difference between the two when he gets his junk smoked!👍


But I will bet my life on the junk I assemble, that's a fact. ☠️

[lamrith]

Biggerhammer, didn't you do a 22 Nosler AR not to long ago, how is that working out for you?  I'm kind of kicking around the idea of a 22 Nosler but still on the fence about it.

Yep... It's alright but I prefer a chambering I can hunt big game with. Hands down the .243 LBC is the chambering for that. The Grendel/.264 LBC is great but I can launch a 95gr Berger Hunting VLD from a 22" .243 LBC at 3000 fps and do it with a solid 1/2-3/4 MOA. Wicked chambering at distance! The 6mmx6.8 SPC is a close second due to the length of the 6.8 SPC case, the shorter Grendel case/.243 LBC case is better suited for the longer high BC bullets. On the other hand a 6mm-6.8 SPC is very impressive on deer with the 90gr Accubond and the 95gr SST. Taken Mule deer with both combo's both BANG/FLOPS out to 287 yards both bullets exited the animal, complete pass through with serious trauma.



200 yards

BiggerHammer How is the recoil on the .243 vs 308 since it requires the larger AR frame?

[Biggerhammer]

Biggerhammer, didn't you do a 22 Nosler AR not to long ago, how is that working out for you?  I'm kind of kicking around the idea of a 22 Nosler but still on the fence about it.

Yep... It's alright but I prefer a chambering I can hunt big game with. Hands down the .243 LBC is the chambering for that. The Grendel/.264 LBC is great but I can launch a 95gr Berger Hunting VLD from a 22" .243 LBC at 3000 fps and do it with a solid 1/2-3/4 MOA. Wicked chambering at distance! The 6mmx6.8 SPC is a close second due to the length of the 6.8 SPC case, the shorter Grendel case/.243 LBC case is better suited for the longer high BC bullets. On the other hand a 6mm-6.8 SPC is very impressive on deer with the 90gr Accubond and the 95gr SST. Taken Mule deer with both combo's both BANG/FLOPS out to 287 yards both bullets exited the animal, complete pass through with serious trauma.



200 yards

BiggerHammer How is the recoil on the .243 vs 308 since it requires the larger AR frame?

I run a adjustable gas block on most. It's easy to tune them to shoot smooth along with a quality comp/brake. Most of the recoil from a AR/AR10 is from bolt thrust. Running the gas system with a adjustable gas block is less complicated and smoother than playing the buffer spring / buffer game.

The .243 LBC is based on a AR-15 platform? I wouldn't waste my time assembling a .308 AR. The 6.5Creedmoor walks all over it.

[SGTDuffman]

There you go. How many guys are mounting a PEQ-2 on their AR's on this web site?

I don’t know. That’s why I asked what it’s being used for. There are lots of LEOs on the site, and dog hunters will drop serious coin on NV equipment, so it’s not horribly far fetched to think it may be a consideration. I pointed out some advantages to why I’d consider mlok over keymod. For whatever reason you seem dead set against mlok. That’s fine. The OP asked for opinions so I threw one out there. If you don’t like it, then disregard it. Unless you think I’ve given some sort of false or erroneous information, then correct me if I’m wrong. I just said it was stronger. And corrected you when you said mlok was proprietary.

[Biggerhammer]

Great on your correction, guess I'm not up to speed on M-Lok. I don't use it but I'm not against it. I just prefer other systems along with carbon fiber. Let me know how many law enforcement dept get tossed PEQ-2's in WA State. It's not something that's stashed in the average patrol vehicle trunk. You know as well as I do in the civilian/ state side world their use is limited to special tactics and it is a small fraction of the whole, if  at all.

[jdb]

what I have in mind for the rifle is a lightweight compact .223 mostly to carry while shed hunting and checking trail cameras. I shoot most factory ammo

[Alchase]

what I have in mind for the rifle is a lightweight compact .223 mostly to carry while shed hunting and checking trail cameras. I shoot most factory ammo

There are many factory rifles that would fill this need for less then $600 out the door.
If you want to build your own, there are a few people here who will point you to what you need.

[SGTDuffman]

what I have in mind for the rifle is a lightweight compact .223 mostly to carry while shed hunting and checking trail cameras. I shoot most factory ammo

There are tons of local companies that manufacture AR uppers, lowers, and fore ends, or complete rifles, if buying local matters to you. We're sort of lucky around here, in that a lot of the machine shops who did contract work for Boeing have put their manufacturing capabilities (AERO Precision, Mega Machine, Fortis, etc.)  to work manufacturing AR parts. Depending on how lightweight you're looking to go, building it yourself is probably your best bet. For an AR15, there really isn't much to worry about as far as the fit of the parts. Any decent quality parts should fit and function just fine for your intended use. It would be fairly hard to find something comparable to one you purpose build in terms of weight. If the prospect of building your own makes you uneasy, I'm sure there are plenty of guys who could put one together for you. Or you could spec out an upper and just build the lower yourself. It really isn't that hard to do though, and only requires a couple of special tools, and they aren't terribly expensive. Depending where you're at I could let you borrow them.

Or you could just buy a complete rifle. That's part of the appeal of AR's. You aren't locked in to whatever you get. If you decide there is something you don't like about the one you got, you can swap that part out. Probably best to stick to solid colors that are readily available in that case. If you end up wanting to shave some weight, or increase the barrel length you could do it yourself later on.

This won't really apply to you because you stated you'd like a .223, but for anyone else following along, .308 AR's are a different story. There is no standard specification for them. You have to get specific uppers and lowers and pair them accordingly, make sure you're using the correct kind of bolt carrier group, correct magazines for the bolt and lower, etc. Because the 5.56mm/.223 became the military standard, it's specifications are set. The only real difference there are the trigger pins (large or small [thanks Colt], 98% of what you see will be small) and commercial or mil spec buttstocks. .308 AR's came down to the commercial producers, and they're all over the place. DPMS, SR-25, AR10, etc. had different standards. I believe they've more recently began solidifying some of the specifications and more or less falling into just 2 groups anymore, but it's something to be aware of. .308 AR's won't just go together like AR15s will.

[Antlershed]

What would you guys recommend for a more affordable trigger for a Coyote hunting rifle, built with an 18-20” barrel? Would love to drop the coin on a Giessele, but trying to build this one a little more budget friendly.

[Biggerhammer]

What would you guys recommend for a more affordable trigger for a Coyote hunting rifle, built with an 18-20” barrel? Would love to drop the coin on a Giessele, but trying to build this one a little more budget friendly.

Rock River Two stage. Great trigger with gloves on. Smoked a bunch of coyotes with them over the years. Great trigger for dawgs on the run. Used to get them for $75.00 bucks on E-Bay Shipped. Once I tried the CMC 2/2 flat trigger Drop in, I never went back. I really like flat triggers!

[hunter399]

What would you guys recommend for a more affordable trigger for a Coyote hunting rifle, built with an 18-20” barrel? Would love to drop the coin on a Giessele, but trying to build this one a little more budget friendly.

These give ya 4lb trigger ,not a drop in , not a 2 stage,but a lot better than stock trigger ,alot cheaper than you will find anywhere.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/436860/jp-enterprises-fire-control-system-trigger-spring-kit-ar-15-4-1-2-lb

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/407819/ar-stoner-enhanced-trigger-group-ar-15-lr-308-small-pin-154-single-stage

I buy both and install both.

[Antlershed]

Thanks guys, I’ll check them out.

[lamrith]

What would you guys recommend for a more affordable trigger for a Coyote hunting rifle, built with an 18-20” barrel? Would love to drop the coin on a Giessele, but trying to build this one a little more budget friendly.

Rock River Two stage. Great trigger with gloves on. Smoked a bunch of coyotes with them over the years. Great trigger for dawgs on the run. Used to get them for $75.00 bucks on E-Bay Shipped. Once I tried the CMC 2/2 flat trigger Drop in, I never went back. I really like flat triggers!

Can get them brand new from this site for $80.  They have both the 3.5# and 4.5# versions.  I have one of each.  really really nice trigger (Not a Giessle, Timney etc, but nice) specially for the price.  I used to spend $60ish on the ALG Combat trigger(Another decent "milspec" trigger), as they were so much better than parts kits triggers, but with this price the RR has become my Std trigger for new builds.
https://www.righttobear.com/searchresults.asp?Search=rock+river&Submit=

[skeeter 20i]

A lot of good info here guys thanks for sharing 

[SGTDuffman]

What would you guys recommend for a more affordable trigger for a Coyote hunting rifle, built with an 18-20” barrel? Would love to drop the coin on a Giessele, but trying to build this one a little more budget friendly.

I like LaRue MBT's, but only when they're on sale (3-4 times a year). They're usually $99 w free shipping. LaRue will typically send you a little "free" swag too whenever you buy something. A hat or Armadillo "beverage entry tool" or whatever. Got a Geiselle in one, a milspec in another, and the LaRue. Really like the distinct stages in the LaRue, though the blade of the trigger is a bit wider. Not an issue, just something to be aware of. It feels a bit different than most other triggers that are the standard milspec width side to side. They ship with a 4.5# spring "installed" and have the 6# spring in the tin if you wan't something a bit "safer".