compass lake nm rifle

[straitlegg]

Hi, i recently got a good deal on an AR. now whn i picked it up the guy mentioned it was a nm rifle and had a compass lake upper(it is a century lower), it is hevy as heck, has the heavy barrel, looks to be free floated with a wierd sleave in the handgard area(i assume to free float the standard handgard?), and a SP1 style bolt. the told me he picked it up to shoot at camp perry. ok so my question is, is there any way to identify some of this?. im new to rifle legnth ars and only involved with carbines for a few years. i think i got a good deal for 5 bills and i was gonna chop it up for a spr build.

 

[rskent]

You might want to rethink that idea. Compass Lake builds one of the best service rifles out there. If you aren’t interested in shooting service rifle matches,
you could probably sell it as a whole and do much better than breaking it up.

Take a look over at National Match Competition forum usrifleteams.com

Steve

 

[rtn]

Don't chop it!

Compass Lake Engineering makes top-shelf match equipment. Google them to find out more.

Either sell it, or keep it as-is. If the barrel is shot out you may need to replace it. Take it out and shoot it to find out how it does.

 

[chrome_austex]

The handguard will definately be freefloated, and the handguard and buttstock may also have weights attached, check for that, as you should be able to remove them. That may explain some of the weight.

 

[straitlegg]

thanks

Thanks for the replies, heres a pic of what i got when i pulled the handgards. would there be any way to identfy this was a real compass lake or just take the guys word. after reading about them i would prolly like to keep it together if that was the case, otherwise under the knife it goes, the weight of this thing is crazy. look at that chunk of metal for the free float part, no weight in the but stock this thing is way front heavy...came with a really nice leather sling too.

 

[WNTFW]

If you want to sell of trade some parts. . . . . . just saying.
That is a free float tube for a service rifle. They need to appear as issued and use the handguards

PM sent.

 

[rtn]

Call CLE and ask them how you can positively identify it as one of theirs.

The heavy front end is normal on a match rifle. Weight is good...it helps to attenuate body movement. Most highpower shooters add a buttstock weight and a balancing weight under the handguard. A 16 lb rifle is the norm.

 

[J.Boyette]

CLE is one of the best brands of Ar-15's in the market.

I only run there rifles in the Ar-15 family.

You can not beat the quality.

 

[straitlegg]

thats a nice looking rifle, exactly like somthing im looking to build. so on the side of the carry handle right past the sight theres a round circle, with crosshairs? and the letters AR and its all raised. Anybody know what that might be?

 

[straitlegg]

well as u might have guessed its for armalite...

 

[P-32]

I would not break the upper up intil you do a couple of things. Get some Black Hills blue box 52 gr. match and see what the upper does on paper. You might find out you have 1/2 MOA rifle. Find a High Power shooter and have him look at it. You might have a real steal on your hands. Heck, I might even give you 5 bills just for the upper.

 

[straitlegg]

52 grain huh? i was thinking 62 as i was told the barrel was a 1-8 twist and thought the heaver bullet might do a little better. i thought the faster rate twist barrels did better with heaver bullets. but of course i was just a hunter untill recently i started trying to educate myself a little more on ballistics and such.

 

[straitlegg]

anyone know some folks into HP or SR in the las vegas area?

 

[Howard Roark]

That looks like Frank's tube. You can tell if Frank built it by taking the bolt out of the carrier and looking for three numbers hand scribed on it.

 

[straitlegg]

frank?

not to sound totally ignorant...but who is frank?

 

[WNTFW]

Frank must be the guy at CLE. It seems customary in the HP crowd to mix brand names and the first name of the guy owning the brand. It can be a little confusing for a new guy to follow. I think Frank's last name is White. Which adds to more confusion as he is not the owner of White Oak Armament or Precision. John or Hollinger or John Hollinger owns WOA.

To make matters worse some guy bring up the names of shop workers or owner's wife.

As an example:
OP: What cart should I get X or Y?
Post #1 get X
Post #2 get Y
Post #3 yeah, Buck makes a great cart.

Bottom line ends up being stuff an envelope with money and send to one of them. Then show up with whatever gear and get beat by 13 year old girls and 80 year old men. Then figure out how much you loved it and you can't wait to come back to the next match.

 

[straitlegg]

lol

AWESOME!! ...im laughing out loud... thats cool every one is on a first name basis tho...ill check for the markins tho...im hoping its there. it is a m16 stlye carrier which was one of the features i looked for when i got it. that, the heavy barrel, and the price...i couldnt pass it up.

 

[straitlegg]

bolt

So i pulled the bolt to look for the 3 numbers...this is what i got...2 numbers and maybe a letter?? it says 23 one one side then a wired mark on the other side...what ya all think?

 

[Howard Roark]

I do believe that you have a CLE upper there. I asked Frank once what the number means but I forgot. Maybe it refers to a headspace dimension on that run of barrels?

The high power crowd does use the owners names often when refering to their companies. They most often are real competitors and paths cross. And yes I know his wife Teresa and his daughter Bunny (not her real name).

 

[hdbiker1]

The numbers on the bolt should match a number on the barrel. It' just used to identify a bolt that has been headspaced with that barrel. If you remove the NM free float tube, you should find some markings close to the barrel extension such as, CLE 10-02 1-8 and handscribed, some numbers that match your bolt. This signifies, Compass Lake Engineering -- date of manufacture --twist rate -- in house barrel identifier. Also, NM rear sight has a small aperture that may be hooded and may be pinned so that when the elevation is adjusted, the sight base does not cock. The front sight will also have a narrower sight pin and adjustable for windage ( noted by set screws instead of pins).
Also, last time I talked to Frank, the barrel is either a Kreiger or Douglas. I have two of his barrels (Kreiger), the oldest built in 2000 that was retired from high power comp. that will still put 10 rounds into .5-.8".

 

[P-32]

The reason I suggested the Black Hills Blue box 52 gr SMK's is because if it won't shoot that, it isn't going to shoot.

I have 2 White Oak Precision Service rifle uppers. The high milage upper is now used for practice and reduced matches. It has a 6 1/2 to 1 twist and shoots 52/53 gr SMK's very well. At first I was a little worried I might have a bullet blow up from being over rotated but it's not been a issue.

The other is a low mileage 7 to 1 Kreiger I use for full across the course matches and here I use 77 gr SMK's which fit the mags and then 80gr SMK's which don't fit the mag for 600 yard targets. Both of my uppers love the 77's and 80's.

John builds a heck of a nice rifle too. I like his pinned rear sights.

I would get a sling a couple of mags, a SLED and go shoot a match. Most high power shooters will loan you the gear you need and will offer pointers as needed. High Power makes you a better all around rifleman, not just some guy who only shoots off a bench. It also teaches you what it really takes to put a bullet in the bullseye when some goober says he killed that elk at 590 yards.

 

[straitlegg]

nice

ya i planned to yank the ff tube off and see what the barrel says but so far everything the po told me about the rifle seems to check out. it came with a nice sling so im covered there. i found out there is a practice at the end of this month and a nra match in feb both at a local range. im thinking ill go and see what its about talk to some folks and whatnot before i jump in and get a coat and glass, kinda check it out and get a feel for the procedures and how things run. im excited..always been more of a hunter/plinker.

 

[WNTFW]

Straitlegg,
Awesome. I am happy you got a deal. Even better that you will try shooting it as intended.
The CMP website has some link for articles from AMU members. You might get a heads up on what to do for standing, sitting and prone.

Don't let the distance intimidate you. If you can shoot well short range you should be able to do well mid range. The target's big and front sight is in the same place.

http://www.odcmp.org/archives07.htm

http://www.odcmp.org/0307/default.asp?page=USAMU_CASITTING

http://www.odcmp.org/1207/default.asp?page=USAMU_TC

There are some other good articles also. Practicing NPA/dry fire in all positions would probably be best to start with.


I can't wait to hear how you make out. You will meet some good people that will flat shoot.