Building an AR

[Lariat]

Anderson calls their bolts "oil free" and don't require lube to work. Now I don't know how true that is, but with any metal to metal contact it will wear quicker. I'd imagine with some lube on them you'd be ok.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Anderson calls their bolts "oil free" and don't require lube to work. Now I don't know how true that is, but with any metal to metal contact it will wear quicker. I'd imagine with some lube on them you'd be ok.

The RF85 stuff is its own thing.

You can get regular parts and RF85 parts from them. To have an RF85 gun I think just about everything (at least the upper anyway) has to be treated with it. It is supposed to be some special treatment... I didn't buy into it and got just regular parts. It sounds plausible enough, I don't mind cleaning my guns (heck, most are blackpowder) and wanted to be able to mix and match my parts to a degree so I went with plain dark phosphate.

Here is my BCG, in the reviews two people ask if it is RF85 and they reply no. I caught it on sale for $85 IIRC when they first started putting the logo on them last summer.

http://www.andersonrifles.com/product/m16-2235-56-bolt-carrier-group-with-anderson-logo/#reviews

I can't even find a loose RF85 BCG on their website, looks like they like to sell them as a complete upper. If you poke around on their website they have RF85 in a different section from the "normal" parts... and they have a lot more "normal" parts.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Stripped the bolt down (did the ejector too) to check headspace.

And that is a pass!

The BCG for Lariat:

Broke it down and oiled it Saturday morning and went out last Saturday afternoon to shoot it. Wasn't bad by the house but out in my field it was brutal, my "range" shoots to the north. Pull the gun up and sight down the barrel, lungs lock up and eyes water (and I swear started to freeze as it ran down my face). Had one mag with 1 rd, one mag with two rds (to check for run away) and one mag with 5 rds. Performed flawless.

8 rounds and 7 holes, not bad for just aiming at the blue blur thru running eyes and not being able to breathe at 20 yds. The last one was a lob. I am beyond thrillled at that.

Beat it back to the house, 8* with 20mph NNW wind... -10 windchill.

 

[hoosier1104]

Now you just need to step up to 30 cal. I replied to your PM about that as well.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I saw that before I saw this.

I love this one enough I would like to add another to the herd over time.

I just really enjoy picking out what parts I want and putting it together. It was a riot to do.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

What is out there for neat bang for buck lowers?

I like my Anderson but for #2 something different would be nice to mix it up some.

I don't see anything close to the same price range, even a blem PSA is $30 more (I like the cannon rollmark) Aero is $40 more...

I don't want plastic or anything like that either.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

1:8 vs 1:10 rifle twist for 7.62x39... how do they compare?

For a rifle aimed more at hunting that plinking but will do both?

 

[hoosier1104]

Here is the barrel I have.

http://www.shop.masdefense.com/16-762-x-39mm-1x10-HBAR-CHROME-MOLY-BARREL-16710HBBL.htm

I have yet to really reach out and test its limits. I will be doing that soon.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Here is the one I found:

http://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...rels/ar-15-m16-7-62x39-barrels-prod79472.aspx

All over people bash on 7.62x39 AR's because the .300BO AR's are more accurate (among other things). I have done some investigating, the .300BO runs rifling similar to a .556 whereas the 7.62x39 AR usually runs the typical Russian 1:10. Both the .300BO and 7.62x39 run similar weight bullets.

I just discovered barrel a few days ago and have done poking around in what little free time I have (spring is busy) and I can't find much negative press on them.

I was looking at MAS's melonited 16" and it isn't far off in price ($15) from the Faxon either. And Faxon makes their own barrels, MAS doesn't make anything they sell.

 

[hoosier1104]

I look at it from the cost of ammo and supply of ammo; x39 0.23/rnd and plentiful or 0.45/rnd and can be scarce at times.

I will have a 300 BO SBR upper though.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Yeah, the BO doesn't pencil out to me. For regular hunting rounds the price is in line with the '39 but there is no cheap option.

I was cross-referencing to see what their 120+/- grain .30 cal slug used for a rifle twist (since it is similar in weight and caliber) and it was similar if not the same as what Faxon puts in their 7.62x39 barrels... so I would think that performance would be more similar too... maybe... I don't know

 

[hoosier1104]

I have shot both with a full charge load and to me they shoot about the same. I have a reloading book at home so I will compare the 2 tonight.

 

[Will]

I carried an M16 in govt service for a lot of years. I have a Ruger Mini-30 now. I like the 7.62x39 more. And I like the Ruger more than the Armalite. I wouldn't build an Armalite.

The Ruger is loose like an AK. It can shoot no matter what. See all those notches in the side of that AR bolt? Those are for the forward assist to engage. That rifle still jams when it's dirty. The forward assist doesn't help. It's just too delicate of a weapon for me. I remember squirting bottles of CLP into it and working the hell out of the bolt and whamming on the forward assist.

The Mini-30, I shoot cases of cheap Russian ammo through it. Steel casings, smokey powder. It doesn't care. It doesn't look sexy like an Armalite, but if I had to go to war again, its what I would want to take.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The Ruger Mini's are cool looking rifles, don't sell them short on that.

They remind me of an M1 carbine in the looks dept, I fondle one every time I run into one at Sheels. Every one I have ever seen was pushing a grand new though. My current spreadsheet has this rifle at about $700 before scope and scope mount (which I haven't done much research on yet)

Another neat thing is I can focus on the upper and end up with a 7.62x39 rifle before the rifle is technically complete by using it on my current lower.

The intent isn't to have a rifle to feed the cheap crap to by the pallet like most people do with a 7.62x39 gun.

I want something accurate .24cal+ to hunt with that if I have an itch to target shoot with I am not stuck with $30/50 premium stuff.

And building them is a riot.

 

[Will]

We had full-auto Mini-14s when I worked for the State Dept. They were called AC-556 or something like that. Got hot, though--no cooling provisions. Not a good weapon. Like last resort full-auto and then throw it away.

One of my grandpas was in WW2. The other one was drafted, did recruit training, but the war ended and he was allowed to go home. But my whole childhood, we were allowed to believe he had done more service than he did. He had an m1 carbine that he claimed came from the army. I got it from my dad 15 years ago. It was not an army carbine. It was assembled by some company, Alpine, that bought a bunch of old guns and parts and assembled these guns. I shot it until the bolt actually flew out of the receiver. The receiver was blued new, like the bolt, but turned out to have had a million rounds fired through it and was never inspected before being paired with the new bolt. It was a piece of crap rifle and I cut it up and recycled it. You can buy a new M1 carbine. The Ruger is better. But I liked that rifle a lot.

I still don't like ARs.