Optics - if you want the RDS and magnifier, go for it (I have a UTG combo for that and it works great) but I would suggest a Primary Arms 1-6x with ACCS reticle - you can use it as a red dot or run it up to 6x to reach out and touch something with a decent degree of accuracy.
New AR Build in Progress!
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
Oddly, I haven't had that problem with my ARs - my first one has a PA 4x prism, the long one has an insane 4-14 PA FFP, and the pistol has a 30mm PA red dot. The only one that's worn anything else was the pistol and that just because I found a screaming deal on that red dot and bumped the TRS25 to another gun.My suggestion for optics is to do what I did. Change it out 12 times and still not have a decision.
This is the first time I haven't been 100% sure what type of optic to stick on a rifle. I kinda want to build it as a semi-lightweight race gun that still remains a good practical shooter, since one of my local ranges is doing two-gun stuff now.
4
So the first parts I ordered showed up today. Barrel, upper, handguard.
![]()
Lubed the receiver threads with Aeroshell 33 and torqued to 30 ft-lb. Loosened and retightened to 30 ft-lb. Then spent a bunch of time figuring out how many shims to use before locking it down at just over 35 ft-lb with the right shim combination:
![]()
Installed the gas tube and the roll pin for the gas block. Have I mentioned how much I hate roll pins? At least once I was done with that, it's just a matter of slapping the handguard on. The mounting hardware for the Atlas S-ONE is a bit weird. The handguard has a spring-loaded detent on the receiver side that acts as a pawl on the gear-like center of a dual-threaded torx bolt. That ratcheting torx bolt is threaded into two lugs that engage the base of the handguard and lock it to the barrel nut:
![]()
Anyway, the upper is pretty much done:
![]()
Huge shout-out to the Magpul Bev-Block. What a great tool for barrel installation. Also very handy for doing muzzle devices.
Lubed the receiver threads with Aeroshell 33 and torqued to 30 ft-lb. Loosened and retightened to 30 ft-lb. Then spent a bunch of time figuring out how many shims to use before locking it down at just over 35 ft-lb with the right shim combination:
Installed the gas tube and the roll pin for the gas block. Have I mentioned how much I hate roll pins? At least once I was done with that, it's just a matter of slapping the handguard on. The mounting hardware for the Atlas S-ONE is a bit weird. The handguard has a spring-loaded detent on the receiver side that acts as a pawl on the gear-like center of a dual-threaded torx bolt. That ratcheting torx bolt is threaded into two lugs that engage the base of the handguard and lock it to the barrel nut:
Anyway, the upper is pretty much done:
Huge shout-out to the Magpul Bev-Block. What a great tool for barrel installation. Also very handy for doing muzzle devices.
Me too - fortunately, I have a good frame of reference for what a budget rifle shoots like (three of them, even!).
Funny! I've got one budget rifle and a couple of blown-budget rifles....(you know, when you start off with a budget in mind, then can't leave well enough alone...that's how I really ended up with the true budget AR...spare parts...)Me too - fortunately, I have a good frame of reference for what a budget rifle shoots like (three of them, even!).
Me too, to be honest.
I will have a spare AR pistol grip when this is done. It's a BCM MOD 3 in Wolf Grey and will also include a Wolf Grey trigger guard, so keep an eye peeled on the Pay it Forward thread later this week if that's the kind of thing you'd be interested in.
EDIT: Lower is here! Sadly nothing else is yet.
3
A whole bunch of boxes arrived today!
Basically everything I needed to finish the rifle sans a way to aim it accurately - shopping for optics deals now.
Put the flash hider on - that thing rings like a tuning fork even when just pulling the bolt back:
![]()
Then assembled the lower - used the pistol grip from the DD furniture set, so I'll be posting up the BCM one to the PiF thread in a bit. Also grabbed a Strike Industries enhanced bolt catch:
![]()
And of course, pinned it all together:
![]()
The whole thing currently weighs 6 pounds, 4.5 ounces and balances just behind the pivot pin. Crazy pointable.
Basically everything I needed to finish the rifle sans a way to aim it accurately - shopping for optics deals now.
Put the flash hider on - that thing rings like a tuning fork even when just pulling the bolt back:
Then assembled the lower - used the pistol grip from the DD furniture set, so I'll be posting up the BCM one to the PiF thread in a bit. Also grabbed a Strike Industries enhanced bolt catch:
And of course, pinned it all together:
The whole thing currently weighs 6 pounds, 4.5 ounces and balances just behind the pivot pin. Crazy pointable.
I'm a fan. Easy installation and silly light and slim. Finish is as good as you'd expect from an Aero product. I also like that they omitted the pic rail from the majority of the top of the handguard.
1 - 20 of 31 Posts
