NEW AR15 thread

john5036 said:

OP, you forgot to list what uppers/lowers/add-ons/accessories/optics you be running. Well, maybe not uppers/lowers (no sense in starting a pissing contest) but what optics do you run mostly? Are those Aimpoints, or the Aimpoint clones/step-brother e.g. Vortex Strikefire?

Click to expand...

OK - there's STILL some interest in AR's AFTER all!

My bad on not listing more - it was late. So here we go.



From left to right:

#1 - STS Arms lower, DSA A3 flattop upper (The Tactical Toolbox did the cerakote work and assembling of the upper - the barrel is 14.5" with a p/w PWS556 Comp. Barrel specs are here - I went with melonite on this project). I had Kevin Johnson of Johnson Tactical Rifles build the lower - mainly because I DIDN'T want to screw up the cerakoted finish Sadly, Kevin took a PAYING job in Seattle last September; he did outstanding work, as you'll see; G&R Tactical LPK, although the funky bolt drop paddle was something I'd had laying around for a while. I think it might've been made by DPMS.

Rail is a SWS made free-float rail for Noveske (marked thusly), that I bought off a local friend who needed the cash. That's really how the whole project got started; I decied, "the rail looks SO good, it needs a little rifle to go WITH it!" I drink the Magpul kool-aid; it's delicious. Other gear includes;

- Magpul ACS stock
- Magpul MOE grip
- Magpul extended trigger guard
- Magpul rail ladders
- Magpul AVG foregrip (I'm a BIG believer in these, as I switched to them after my first training course - they improved my grip GREATLY on the front of the rifle!)
- Magpul PMag with Ranger floorplate
- Palmetto State Armory Premium BCG (this is an experimental rifle for me in MANY respects - wanted to give their gear a try)
- Troy FDE folding battle sights, front & rear
- Troy/VTAC light mount
- Surefire G2 Nitrolon (LED)
- Gear Sector FDE 2 pt. sling with QD connectors
- Gear Sector FDE QD rail mount
- ADM68 FDE 30mm optic mount (absolute co-witness)
- Aimpoint Comp M2


#2 - BCM HBAR 16" Midlength gas system A4 Carbine. Built it with SEPERATE BCM components though! Bought the complete BCM upper (including BCG) used - bolted it to a complete BCM scratch 'n' dent lower from G&R Tactical. Other goodies include:

- Magpul CTR stock
- Magpul MOE grip
- Magpul extended trigger guard
- Magpul rail ladders
- Magpul AVG foregrip
- Magpul PMag
- Troy folding battle sight, rear
- Troy MRF 9.0 drop-in rails
- Gear Sector 2 pt. sling with QD connector (front) web (rear)
- Daniel Defense QD rail mount
- ADM68 30mm optic mount (absolute co-witness)
- Aimpoint Pro with rubber armor
- Gear Sector offset light mount
- Surefire E1B light


#3 - Johnson Tactical Rifles custom built 18.5" SPR (Mk.12) This was THE last rifle built by Kevin, before moving west. I ended up buying a nice little chunk of his shop afterward (tabletop sander, band saw, custom work table, vise, AR15 upper vise block, etc.! ). From his website, back in the day;

Features Overview

• Comes standard with a 1/8 twist, 18", Medium Profile 416SS barrel. Available with a number of other barrel options (See Below)

• Full Auto Carrier, High Pressure Tested and Magnetic Particle Inspected Bolt properly staked and lapped flat carrier key. Chrome lined Young National Match carriers available!

• Barrel chambered with matched bolt

• Standard with Troy Extreme 13" Rail. (Mine utilies the 15" Troy tube!)

• Available in Rifle or Intermediate, or Mid gas lengths

• 11 degree target crown

• Low profile gas block

• A2 Flash Suppressor

• Polished M4 feed ramps

• Mil-Spec Forged 7075 T6 upper receiver with T-markings, forward assist, hinged dust cover, and M4 feed ramps.

1. These uppers feature my Limited Life Time Warranty.

2. High Pressure Testing followed by Magnetic Particle Inspection assures a rock solid bolt.

3. 223 Wylde chamber increases accuracy and works with 5.56 NATO or .223 SAMMI spec ammunition.

4. Every upper is built by one person from start to finish.

5. I guarantee that every SPR Upper will hold sub-MOA groups and prove that by sending you a picture of the test!

6. I custom fit the rail/upper, chamber/bolt, gas block/barrel, and comp/flash hider interfaces to insure a highly accurate build.

7. We align our barrel blanks to 2/10000 of an inch bore alignment before threading or chambering!

8. These are uppers are built for pushing the 5.56 to ranges unheard of before. I use the Gritters or Two Line method to chamber my SPR barrels. It adds UP MOA to the shot allowing you more elevation at distance.

Quality Assurance

Every single upper that Johnson Tactical produces is fully tested before delivery to the customer. We feel your paying for quality and our job is to insure that is what you are getting! We start by manually inspecting every part, then as the build progresses it’s fit with the other components. Some parts are hand fitted to ensure tighter tolerances. A good example of this is the gas block to barrel fit. This needs to be precise to eliminate gas leaks


Barrel specs

This is my stand alone nitrided barrel offering. Available configurations include:

-Only available with a .223 Wylde chamber currently.

-Includes a Headspaced, HPT/MP bolt with extractor upgrades

-Carbine, Mid, Intermeidate, or Rifle length gas systems with a .750 gas block seat that is 2" in length

-Single set screw seat indexed to the gas port

-Barrel lengths in 12.5, 14.5, 16, 17, 18.5, 20, or 24 inch

-18.5" lengths and longer are chambered using the two line method and timed up

-Available in a 1/7 or 1/8 twist rate (traditional rifling)

-My base profile is a modified medium contour.

-Comes standard with a 11 degree crown

-Threaded 1/2-28 at the muzzle

Click to expand...

Other specs on this rifle include;

- Magpul ACS stock
- Magpul extended trigger guard
- Ergo ambi-grip
- Vltor MUR-1A upper
- BCM, G&R Tactical LPK
- Giselle SSA-E trigger
- Young National Match BCG - chrome
- PWS556 Comp
- Troy folding BUIS, front & rear
- LaRue SPR-EE109 scope mount
- Leupold Mark AR 3x9x40 scope
- Daniel Defense offset mount
- Optima 2000 eletro-dot offset sight
- Troy TRX Extreme 15" free-float handguards
- Harris Bipod
- CAA bipod mount (yeah... I cheaped on THAT... )
- Magpul 20 rnd. PMag
- Noveske QD endplate
- Troy TRX mount-n-slot QD mount

I put a basic 2-pt web sling on it, mainly so I can TOTE it around! You'd be AMAZED how LIGHT this build is!


#4 - Addax custom upper, 14.5" mid-length gas system Carbine. Chris, at Addax Tactical in Los Angeles, built this custom upper for me a few years ago, for my primary HD rifle. Features include;

- Vltor MUR-1A upper.
- 14.5" Sabre Defense 5.56 1: 7 twist MPI/HP tested chrome-lined, M4 profile barrel, with p/w Phantom Comp
- BCM F/A BCG
- Magpul CTR stock
- Magpul MIAD grip
- Magpul extended trigger guard
- Magpul rail ladders
- Magpul AVG foregrip
- Magpul PMag
- Troy folding battle sights, front & rear
- Daniel defense 12.0 Lite free float rails
- Vltor low-profile gas block (not mentioned, but I pretty much use those across the board)
- Tactical Link Z360 mount and 1pt. sling
- ADM68 30mm optic mount (absolute co-witness)
- Aimpoint Micro T-1 optic
- ADM T-1 mount with SOCOM riser (absolute co-witness)
- Vltor offset light mount
- Insight HX Proxima light

This is my go-to around-the-house rifle.


#5 - Tactical Solutions dedicated .22LR tactical trainer. Bought this upper from Addax as well. Didn't like the M4 handguards, becase I don't use 'em on anything else I own! Got a set of DD 12.0 FSP Omega-X rails used, and put 'em on here!

Lower sits atop a Precision-Aero complete lower, with Ace ARF-X fixed stock. Came as a package deal with the lower, which I bought off another gunboard. Always wanted to try one of their stocks, and while NICE, doesn't really fit with anything else of mine, so I keep it on my trainer. Other features include;

- Ergo amb-grip
- Magpul Gen.1 rear BUIS
- Magpul extended trigger guard
- Magpul rail ladders
- Magpul AVG foregrip
- Vltor CK light mount
- PentagonLight X2 with TacStar remote cap & tapeswitch
- TacticalLink 2 pt. sling, with QD connector (front) we connector (rear)
- TacticalLink QD rail mount
- Aimpoint Comp M (1 - that FIRST comp series, that has about 12 hours of battery life, but is otherwise identical to the Comp M2 and M3 externally) in QRP mount with absolute co-witness riser.
- BlackDog Machine 26 round magazine
- ARMS 41B Shilouette folding front sight mount... sort of...

It's actually Airsoft!

Since this is a .22LR upper, with NO gasblock, you can pretty much stick ANYTHING with a sightpost up there. For $38, what ELSE could you stick up there, that wouldn't cost an arm & a leg, and would utilize that FSP rail hole? I believe this is ONE place & time, you can legitimately cut a corner, AND get away with it. So I did!

I built this to be a legitimate Tactical Trainer in every respect. The nice thing is, should it all hit the fan, I can pop the .22 upper, slap a 5.56 upper on it, and you're ready to go with another fighting carbine.


Any questions?