Guardiola

iTrader: (1)

Anyone have any experience with Faxon AR-15 barrels? Saw them on Brownell's for under $200.
Having a hard time finding a 20" melonite (QPQ) treated barrel for a decent price. They seem to stay out of stock at most places.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

I've had a revelation lately as my AR15 purchases have moved from being simple tools for self-defense and impending zombie invasion to an actual hobby. I've got 6 lowers and 4.5 uppers (soon to be about 8 uppers). Unless you're moving up into the $300 range and getting an actual "match" barrel with custom blah blah small-batch blah blah... then a barrel is a barrel. And bench-rest guys wouldn't touch a $300 barrel if it worked and it was free because it wouldn't have a name like Kreiger/Shilen/Lilja/PacNor/Bartlein/etc... on it.

I have a $70 unbranded 16" PSA barrel that shoots exactly 1" groups (one flyer in 6-8) with my ragged 55gr handloads off a rest. The only real "accuracy" upgrade is an ACT trigger which feels about the same as most of the 15minute DIY trigger jobs I've felt. I have shot those exact same handloads side-by-side with Hornady match through the gun with exact same results. My buddy with an 18" Rainier Arms ultra-match manages .75" with the Hornady but no better with my handloads.

SRSLY, I used to think that the barrel was 90% of the accuracy of an AR... but now I understand that only matters if you're talking about a complete mass-production mil-spec gun and an average shooting tacticool'er. My recent experience with long-range (1200-1400yd) precision guns has led me down the road of knowing that the barrel is an equal player in the overall equation with many other components (even at 100yds). Spending lots of cash on a Kreiger Barrel for your Plum Crazy might not get you the results you want.

Honestly, before I spent a dollar more on a target barrel, I'd get one of these:
https://www.classicfirearms.com/ar-b...twist-threaded
Shoot the ammo through it that you'd shoot through a $500 barrel if you had one and see where it goes. If you're not happy, awesome. If you're not, another $100 probably won't fix it. THAT IS ASSUMING you've got a decent trigger and know how to shoot.

My .02.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

Part of my "revelation" is due to the ongoing build of 2 identical beater guns. These will be "rainy day" units that I'm hoping will fetch $10k each about 6 months after Hillary's coronation. The lower specs are listed a few posts ago, and the uppers will be Anderson receivers, no-name 16" Brownells mid-length barrels with ebay gas parts, cheapest BCG's I can find, and $40 handguards. Optics will wait until a ridiculous deal-of-the century because after test-firing, these will sit in the safe, literally, for a rainy day.

In the next few months, I've also gotta grab a youth rifle for my firstborn who is already bugging me to go shooting... I'm looking at a camo Savage Rascal because I just can't stomach a pink Cricket cop-out like all the other Dad's do. And I really need something for ankle-carry when the wife insists we go out and I have to tuck in my shirt.

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

The only thing with the bottom of the barrel barrels is quality. I know there's no way a $200 upper comes with a $150 barrel. Its a $60 barrel, and its a $60 barrel because its either bent slightly, slightly out of tolerance bore diameter on the large size, oversized gas port, slightly undersized OD at gas port, and/or no dimples for gas block setscrews.

pusha

iTrader: (5)

Sam tell me about .22 bolt guns. I need a suppressor host for rodent removal.

Savage MK II in a Boyd's stock?

Monk

iTrader: (3)

Sam, why not get a supertuck holster of something like it?
I carry with my shirt tucked in often without printing.
My favorite tuck-carry holster is a bianchi modified with Velcro hooks from crossbreed that holds my lc9.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

There can be only one... Savage MKii FVSR. I think I posted a whole series of photos here late summer with results of various ammo... but also a good excuse to join RimfireCentral to see my thread there:
Ammo accuracy... 12 brands tested - RimfireCentral.com Forums

They're currently $237 at Centerfire, but Savage has their perpetual $25 rebate on Rimfires. They were $200'ish just a couple years ago, but recent shenanigans with Class3 attachments has threaded barrel options at a premium. They've been creeping up in price anyways.
Savage Mark II 22LR 5+1 Rifle - 28702 | CenterfireGuns

CCI Standard Velocity was **** and generally considered the "best" choice for mass-quantities of suppressed bolt-gun shooting. I'm currently sitting on about 12k of .22lr and buy whenever I see .06 or less. My local Dicks has sporadic shipments of Federal Auto-Match and Rem GoldBull that I snag.

The only other real choice is the Ruger American Rimfire... they have a threaded model but it's $50+ than the Savage and no more accurate.

Above $300, it starts making sense to build a dedicated .22lr upper for your AR. For shots inside 50yds... it already makes sense to just get a CMMG conversion bolt and use a .223 upper. A few months ago, I traded some stuff for a phosphate CMMG bolt and a couple Black-Dog mags... am practically foaming to see if it's worth a ****. Some guys swear by them, other swear at them.

Scope choice for rimfire hunting is overrated. I found that with my Nikon Prostaff 3-9 Rimfire AO, I shot the same groupings at 50yds at 3x and at 9x. I didn't do a lot of testing, but the initial results were enough to convince me that you don't need a lot of scope at .22lr ranges. SRSLY, at 50yds, a Crossfire 2-7x for $100 is an excellent choice. However, I feel that in a few months, I'm going to be kicking myself for not getting in on this deal:
https://www.slickguns.com/product/ni...fle-scope-8999
Only $115 shipped for non-members, which is more than I paid for my 3-9.

My current "kitty" is $500 and $175'ish of that is going towards the Savage Rascal for my kid. I'M ******* LOSING SLEEP OVER ANOTHER FORM1... but I gotta have something for ankle carry, and I've seen LCP's for $200... plus I gotta finish off my beater uppers before it looks like Hillary really might win. AND, I need to keep it all secret from the wife even though she needs a $150 haircut every 2 months. Did I mention my Boost Mobile bill is $40mo, but her Verizon bill is $140mo... at least I'm getting laid once a month if I'm lucky.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

Great advice... what I really need is the gun first, and THEN decide how to best carry it. An LCP, Bodyguard .380, 2" .38spl, .22mag NAA Guardian... I'm not gonna be picky, just looking for a deal and not waffling because I want something else more.

Virginia is famous for not giving a **** about carry, especially in Hampton Roads. The VCDL swings a big dick in the state legislature, and despite the Governor being a Bloomberg disciple and hoping to court Hillary for a VP nod, we're a VERY pro-gun state outside of certain parts of Northern VA in the DC area (Arlington, for example, where Braineak lives coincidentally).

I'm a military officer, 6'4" 240lb white guy who gets told how to dress, which means nobody gives me a second look for any reason... except the wifes friends who say "Wow, Sam looks nice"... which is why I don't dress myself. I could completely care less about printing when I'm wearing a **** untucked because I could have LITERALLY, A BAZOOKA tucked at 3 o'clcock and nobody would notice. The problem is access with a tucked shirt. I keep swinging from "ankle" to "pocket" carry options because I've tried drawing from under a tucked shirt and I'm not sure I could do it when it counted.

Monk

iTrader: (3)

I carry strong side just behind my hip usually, but occasionally I will apendix carry.
It takes some practice, but it's not that much slower for me.
It's certainly faster than reaching for my socks.
At least I can keep my head up the entire time.

GeneSplicer

iTrader: (14)

Bought an urban carry holster for my xds.... my fat fold still gets in the way :(

Guardiola

iTrader: (1)

So I took a chance on Classic Firearms and ordered a no-name BCG. I don't like that they are not very specific with the descriptions. I am going on a limb and assuming when they say Mil spec that it is indeed Carpenter 158 steel.
I took Sam's advice and found the cheapest barrel I could find with the finish I wanted. Ended up with a no-name barrel from JSE Surplus. Never done business with them so we will see how it goes.
Last thing I need is a rail. I have gone kinda cheap on this rifle, but I did spend money on a nice Magpul grip and stock. Think I might splurge for an ALG EMR.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

They have sales a few times a year on blem rails if you can wait. I have their 13" V0 on my 20" ARP 6.8 upper... it's really sexy, although as a dedicated hunting upper, it'll never get more than a bipod attached.

I've also got a 12" V1 MLOK on my "go-to" 16" 5.56 upper... no complaints.

However, if sticking with the "budget" concept... I'd keep scouring slickguns and various forums until you find a handguard you like for under $50. I see a ton that are on my "watch-list"... just can't stomach an aluminum barrel nut, so that's a sticking point in my search. A lot of the cheap ones only have that one complaint ever attached to them.

This is my winner right now for a mid-length:
Omega Mfg Inc AR-15 12" Rifle Length Super Ultra Slim Keymod Key Mod Handguard Rail

If I can find the same thing in an MLOK, it'd be in the mail already.

pusha

iTrader: (5)

I stopped in a LGS that I hate and ended up purchasing a SiCo/SWR Specwar 556 with mount for $575 OTD. It's NIB and they'd just been sitting on it for a few years.

I didn't want a 5.56 can but the deal was too good to pass up.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

I did not know this was being planned... apparently brand new deal, QVC for Guns:
https://www.guntv.tv/watch-now

Currently hawking a Taurus 709 for about $50 OTD more than it would cost me. They charge shipping and tax, but NO FFL when you pick it up. Your CC gets charged 20% at order, and you pay the remainder when you pass the background check at the FFL... forfeit your deposit if you don't pass is my guess. You select your FFL in your cart... only a couple bottom-feeders in my local area, but one place I'm familiar with who is a generally respected gunsmith about 30 minutes away that I'd use.

The show isn't too bad. Clearly the hosts are playing a role, but it doesn't come across completely patronizing. Obviously there is a target audience that I'm not a part of the demographic, but I know people who will eat this shiz up and not care that they're overpaying by about 15%.

Me and PT Barnum wish the show much success.

elesjuan

iTrader: (11)

Billy Mays here back from the dead... I bought one of these CMMG phosphate conversion bolts with one BlackDog magazine from the CMMG booth at a convention around 8 years ago for about a hundred bucks. Only issues I've experienced personally is the little bastard empty casings will get stuck up between the bolt top and the charging handle. CMMG (I think) makes a dedicated charging handle for 22lr conversions, or you could fill in the groove in a spare charging handle and make your own. Ended up building a dedicated .22lr AR so the conversion bolt was on loan to a buddy for quite some time. He recently returned it to report the occasional instance where the sear wouldn't catch the hammer and it would follow the bolt home, sometimes resulting in a 2nd shot fired. Magazines are annoying to load as there is no way to relieve the spring pressure, so I recommend the Christie Products Black Dog Machine AR15/M16 - .22LR Magazine Loader which works very well. Wasn't happy with the .22lr AR I built for some reason, so I sold it and bought a Ruger 10/22 takedown with threaded barrel. It's a lot more accurate, but not nearly as mall-ninja.


Unrelated: Host gun for moderated plinking.. S&W Announced a few shot shows ago they were coming out with an M&P Compact .22lr. Bought the first one I could find. It's a fantastic little pistol, sans the plastic front sight.



I've killed 5 possums in my yard with that host. AAC Element II and CCI Quiets.


Another unrelated: I have a gently used Specwar/OMEGA 762 muzzle brake in 5/8x24 that I'd sell for like $65 shipped, if anyone is interested.

petrolmed

iTrader: (8)

My turbros, I need some input. In moving to the freedomest state of CA, my 11+ round AK magazines will turn me into a felon if I bring them. For those with experience, is it feasible to make them into 10/30 magazines or should I just sell them as is to the likes of you all? 7.62x39 AK surplus and Promag stuff. I'd like to hold onto them for psychotic SHTF premonitions which makes me think 10/30 modification but I'm on the fence here.

AlwaysBroken

Why move to CA? Everything cool is illegal there, taxes and cost of living are super high.

petrolmed

iTrader: (8)

I know right? Not my first choice, but the fiance has gotten her dream job in the wine industry there. It makes life more difficult for my cool hobbies, but not impossible so I'm OK with it. Shouldn't be a permanent move anyway so I'm not hung up on it and can deal in the meantime!

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

Decent 10rd AK mags are $10, and you won't need more than a couple because you won't shoot the thing very often. Keep your 30rd'ers in a box in the attic or something. Unless you plan to get raided, in which case a few mags is the least of your worries, then why get rid of them. Load them into a moving box and just don't take them out. Tell her that you're gonna take $500 bucks out of her first "dream job" paycheck to cover the costs of moving your firearms hobby to Kommiefornia.

Also... you're not ******* married yet, so consider before you completely alter your life how awesome it will be if she calls it off in a few months after you've sold all your cool toys. Just sayin'.

Monk

iTrader: (3)

Just swing by Indiana on your way to the Soviet empire, and I will keep all of your toys safe here in America.