Built a budget AR

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Took a drive today with my boy west, out into the desert and found a place to shoot. Put 200 rounds through this AR and was pretty pleased with the results. I had 100 reloads made from the remains of a old can of AR223 and some cheap fmj that were midrange loads from my manual. Apparently they weren't hot enough to cycle reliably. All factory ammo cycled flawlessly, PMC, American Eagle etc etc ran with no issues. Single fire, rapid fire, 10 round mags, 30 round mags, all worked great. Reloads just need to be closer to the max I guess. The action feels a little rough and I may polish it a little with a dremel, or just put another few hundred through it and let it polish itself out :D. Almost ran out of windage adjustment getting on target but we got it on target just fine with iron sights.

Also got to fire my Stag 6L for the first time, it was super windy but I still got quarter sized groups in between the 20-30mph gusts using cheap 55grn ammo. I'll load up some 62grn or 69grn target rounds for the next time we go out... I have no doubt it will live up to the half moa guarantee.

Fun day out shooting. Set up gongs I bought off ebay at 100 and 200 yards. My 13 year old drilled them every shot with his 7mm08 using steady stix, even in that miserable wind. I was proud. If we were antelope hunting we'd have had tags filled!

We finished off shooting 50 reloads though my LCP and another 50 out of my XD40. Fun day, haven't fired a gun since Thanksgiving so I figured we'd take advantage of the good weather and go burn some ammo.

-DallanC

PaulS · Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 7:27 pm Post subject: Re: Built a budget AR

Recoil therapy is always good - even better when shared with family.

Good job! Glad you got a chance to spray some lead together.

Vince · Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 8:29 pm Post subject: Re: Built a budget AR

Great work Dallan. Bump those reloads up a little and go have some more fun with your young fella mate. He sounds like he is gonna be a great shot as grows older...he might even come to outshoot Dad. Not a bad thing as you should always have a full freezer.

If you have a little Varget in your powder safe, give it a whirl in your .223 mate, we found it to be extremely accurate with the 55gr projectiles at half a grain below max.

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Vince wrote:

If you have a little Varget in your powder safe, give it a whirl in your .223 mate, we found it to be extremely accurate with the 55gr projectiles at half a grain below max.

I have 2 full cans of varget, and am planning to work up a load for 55grn sierra spbt's.

-DallanC

Aloysius · Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 12:44 am Post subject: Re: Built a budget AR

Someone here talked me into Sierra's 63 grs SMP (semi-pointed) for hunting in my .222 Rem. Well the Sabatti likes them (the Baikal single shot and the Mauser-rebarreled, don't groupe at all with such a heavy bullet!). But when you get a tight groupe with this 63 grs SMP, try it for hunting. It makes a .222 a class higher.
I'm now using a heavy barreled Parker Hale in 7 mm RM, because that's the first 7mm that gave me a tight groupe with the 160 grs Barnes X and till now I didn't shoot any game with Barnes X, so I want to try it. Roebuck opened on May 1st and yesterday I should have known the first results, but the buck offered himself yesterday evening at to close distance. He came by at 10 m to stand long time broad at 60 m, but I couldn't convince my mind to use such a canon at such a short distance. Buckseason goes till 14th September so my friends or me should be able to get another chance on this buck. I already put my cross on him, but it's not because I can that I also have to do it. A mind is a funny thing Smile

And sorry I started about buckhunting and 7 mm RM in this thread. You better only remember to try the 63 grs SMP for hunting in your AR...

Elvis · Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 1:58 am Post subject: Re: Built a budget AR

AR 2206h is my go to powder in .223
can you guys still get the norinco fmj in the yellow packet???? if so grab as much as you can get..simply awesome stuff and not just on little critters either it works as the 5.56 was/is meant to by tumbling on impact.

slimjim · Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 2:37 am Post subject: Re: Built a budget AR

DallanC wrote:

The action feels a little rough and I may polish it a little with a dremel, or just put another few hundred through it and let it polish itself out.

Let the gun work itself out

slimjim · Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 2:40 am Post subject: Re: Built a budget AR

DallanC wrote:

Fun day, haven't fired a gun since Thanksgiving so I figured we'd take advantage of the good weather and go burn some ammo.

Boy you needed recoil therapy bad!

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

slimjim wrote:

Boy you needed recoil therapy bad!

Yea work has us in mandatory overtime again. Luckily they aren't requiring Saturdays... yet (they keep hinting they would "like" people to work Saturdays ... I keep hinting I'd like to be a "millionaire" but nothing has come of that, so no way in hell am I working a Saturday that I don't have to).

-DallanC

Pumpkinslinger · Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: Built a budget AR

Dallan, sounds like a good trip! I know what you mean about not shooting any. With our mandatory weekends/OT I've been twice this year. That means my range membership has cost me $62.50 per trip so far, not including ammo and gas ...

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Update: This plinker has now surpassed the 500 round mark and is running great. The only issue I had with it were some initial low to mid powered 223 reloads that couldn't cycle it. Switched over to a stronger load using H335 and its been flawless.

Been pleased, my boy is ringing gongs easily at 100 yards with it, but I'm strongly tempted to stick a 3x scope on it and play with the more distant gongs (I dont have the eyesight to hit'em with open sights that far anymore).

-DallanC

Victorian · Member Joined: Jul 07, 2014 Posts: 29 Location: Melbourne

Our government doesn't trust ordinary Australians enough to let us have those

PaulS · Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 8:19 pm Post subject: Re: Built a budget AR

Victorian,
They say that a government that doesn't trust their populations is a bad government.

People should never fear their government - rather the government should fear the populace. It keeps the government in line and the people happy.