SmallCaliberCentral

My Son decided I needed an AR 15 as he enjoys shooting and building them. At first I was reluctant to do so because I thought they were not very accurate. When I was with the 101st Airborne Division we used the spray and pray method. When I was in the National Guard's we only qualified with them. Army ammo is made to function and is not the most accurate ammo.

For personal reasons I neither want or desire an M16 A-2 or A-4 look alike Rifle in 5.56mm. Whenever my Son came home he brought me parts to build an AR 15. After looking at the upper and lower receivers I started to think what rifle would make both of us happy to build. Then he told me Brownnel's had DPMS 204 Ruger barrels. Now I was happy and all the pieces would come together. He then ordered two barrels for us. We decided to build heavy barreled varmint rifles.

For those who are not familiar with AR 15's, parts can be bought from many business's and dealers. That is why I will list all the parts makers of each part.

The lower receiver is made by Superior Arms. I used a DPMS lower parts kit. A Rock River Arms national match trigger and winter triger guard. The stock is an Armalite green buttstock assembly. The Ergo grip is OD green and C Proudcts 20 round magazine. I also purchased a Tubb chrome silicone buffer spring .

The upper receiver is a DMPS Highrider.The barrel is a DPMS heavy varmint barrel in 204 Ruger. DPMS alumimnun free float hand guard. Lewis Machine and Tool carrier and bolt assembly. Badger tactical latch.Burris 4.5x14 Fullfield scope with one inch Burris Tactical Rings. The rifle was head spaced with the 204 Ruger guages and test fired.

My most accurate load in my Savage VLP with 39 gr Blitzkings was used to ckeck accuracy. From a concrete bench with a solid rest I shot six shots. The six shots at 100 yards gave a 1/2" group.

So far I am very pleased with my AR 15 in 204 Ruger. I just worked up some loads with the 34 gr Dogtown bullets shot under an inch at 200 yards. Some cheaper practice ammo.

I will post some pictures when I learn how to do it

Grayfox

Hey! Good luck with your AR, I love my DPMS .204. What powder were you using with the Blitzkings?

Now you need to enter the 204 postal shoot with that black rifle. Last time I looked there was only 5 in the black rifle class. Good luck.

Jimmy

Verminator2

My load is 25.1 gr Rel 10x
Fed GM205M primer
39 Sierra Blitzking
WW brass
col 2.260"
velocity 3673 fps

Grayfox

For those who don't know, Grayfox has done a lot of good with his .204s and his data, which is posted in a sticky someplace I've freely stolen his data and used a lot of it, and it seems to work extremely well in my rifles. Thanks for all you've given us, Grayfox, and quit being a stranger around here!

I recently purchased the same barrel from Brownells, which free float tube did you use?

richnmib. I have a DPMS vented aluminum free float tube that is 12 5/8" long. It sells for about $80.00 retail. If you buy one and install it you must tighten it to the barrel nut, back it off and retighten it at least twice.This is done to take all the streatch out of the threads. Only then do you mark the tube on the bottom for a sling swivel stud. The tube will screw on a little more the second time.

If you have the resources to buy a more expensive Free Float Tube ( $160 )get the Yankee Hill FF YHM-9432A one in the DPMS catalog. This tube you can index so all the vents are aligned where you want them to be. They also sell swivel studs for the pre drilled holes. My next rifle will have this free float tube on it.

Grayfox

Where do you drill the hole for the sling swivel stud?

Verminator. I went an 1 1/2" in from the front of the tube. This fits the Harris bipod really well. My Son and I used this method to get it centered on the tube. Have the rifle upside down. One person holds a pencil on the top of the tube 1 1/2" in from the front. The other person looks from the barrel end and aligns the pencil straight up and down with the center of the magazine well. Working together you can get it really close. The other person can always double check the spot to drill. Putting a piece of masking tape on the tube works best so you can see your marks. Take off the tube. Center punch the mark and drill a small pilot hole first. Then drill the right size hole for the stud.

Good luck
Grayfox

How do you take off the tube?

By hand or with a strap wrench.

Thanks.

Thanks

Grayfox wrote:. . . My next rifle will have this free float tube on it.

Grayfox

People do not realize how contagious Black Rifle Disease is. There is a BRD support group and 12 step program. I am now starting my 3rd build in 2 years and insurance won't cover the treatments.

Ethan

I can cure that BRD, join the Army, and work in a company arms room for six months, that'll cure it, it certainly cured me, or, should I say, made it dormant for 30+ years......................... Believe it or not, I had the serial numbers of 160 M16A1s (all seven digit numbers, too) memorized by rack number, now I have CRS and couldn't tell you what day of the month it is!