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i have decided to get one. but have read about adjustable gas systems and not sure if that is a necessity, and if so, who's works the best? i have also read that you need the pistol length gas tube, but the ones i see for sale dont tell you. how much shorter is the pistol length tube than that of a 16" barrel?
basically if someone here knows the scoop on what to buy, or more importantly what NOT to buy, please help me out.
thanks
If you are going to shoot supersonic and subsonic then an adjustable gas block is worth it. If not, then pick what you are going to shoot and run with it.
You do need a pistol length gas system. It makes things much easier if you shoot any subsonic ammo. They will work with a carbine gas system, but can be more picky.
If it was me, I would get a 16 inch Noveske barrel and build the gun up around it. I have a 9.5 inch Noveske AR and a 16.25 inch Lilja on a bolt gun.
Ping me when you get around to doing it. I can walk you through it step by step.
i have been looking around and so far havent found much. a noveske barrel is 5 bills! wow! i would rather find a complete upper than build one, but even if i build one i cant seem to navigate websites to find all the parts. i can find complete uppers but only ones with carbine length gas systems. who besides SSK sells complete uppers? i really wonder if a noveske barrel is really worth that much more, i am the first to agree with the "you get what you pay for" sentiment, but not without limits. my computer skills are probably limiting me on this one, but even when i go to noveske's site i cant find anything but the barrel.
Noveske barrels come with a gas block and gas tube. So that is where a little of the $$$ comes in.
And Noveske barrels have a very good reputation for running out of the box. Some others, not so much...
Other than a stripped upper and free float tube, that is about all you need.
If you need help putting it all together, let me know. Only takes a few minutes and I have all the tools. If you are a Denver type, Alan Samuel at Machine Gun Tours can hook you up.
i talked to the guys at noveske today and was getting ready to order all the stuff i need to build a 300 fireball upper. looked like it was going to be about $850 in parts. then this evening i checked gunbroker again and there it was. a complete upper in 300 fireball. 16.5" shilen stainless select match barrel, pistol length gas system, full length float tube, charging handle, and bolt carrier group. it was $500 minimum bid with a buy it now of $700. needless to say i jumped on it, it had only been listed for 3 hours. barrel is 1 in 8 twist, upper is FN, gas system was custom done for that barrel, bolt is matched to the barrel. the only thing it doesnt have that i want is threading for a can. no biggie, i can get that done. it is used, but the guy says i worked great. $700 shipped for a complete 300 fireball upper in the configuration that i want!
Here's the part list that i used to build my upper from scratch:
DS ARMS Complete Upper at the time 100$
DS ARMS BCG at the time 100$
Yankee Hill rifle quad rail - buddy game me his
Shilen #5 Contour, 1 in 8" SS, cut down to 16.25" (bought the bbl from http://thebarrelman.com/) - at the time 210$
PRI Low Profile Adjustable Gas Block - at the time 60$
DPMS Gas Tube 7" Pistol Length AR-15 - at the time 12$
The bl runs .750" for the first 8", then my smith turned it down to .600 to the muzzle. Threading is standard 308 threads...5/8"x24tpi to support any type of can attachment gizmo.
I'll post pics later when i'm at home. I shot 40rds through it for bl break-in and functionality testing with the adj gas block and absolutely love it. My smith has it right now working on getting his whisper "cloned" from mine. I'm still waiting for my bolt whisper to get done...sigh
Here are the pics of the whisper build vs normal ar's...(taken w/a droidx)