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80 grain SMK .224 The weapon is AR15 5.56 chamber run of the mill CMMG chrome barrel 1/8 twist 18" cases are lake city pre-processed scharch brass full length sized and trimmed 1.75" +/- .003" Winchester small rifle primer Winchester 748 powder I'm not trying to work up a load for 80 grain bullets for this gun. I just wanted to try the FF system out and get these polishing bullets down the bore without blowing anything up.

I had a completely unsuccessful day at the range today. I took the bullets that I loaded, dropped one in the chamber (too long to mag feed), dropped the bolt on it, and just to check, pulled the bolt back to see if the round sits correctly in the chamber. Slight resistance on the way out. That didn't seem right. There were some marks on the bullet. So I put that bullet aside, and chambered another one. This time, the bolt wouldn't come back to me. After considerable effort, I yanked the bolt back, and I got a case and a lot of loose powder with a bullet stuck in the barrel. I decided to call it a day and ask questions before I go blowing up perfectly good equipment. The OAL I loaded to was 2.550" like every manual I've checked specifies for the 80 grain SMK. I think I went 2.545 just to leave a little bit of room. I'm pretty new to this, but I know bullets are supposed to jump to the rifling and bad things happen if they do not. Any things I should double check? I'm a bit confused. On a side note, I was sad to hear all the commotion of the Bay Bridge charity match happening on the other range. It sounded like tons of fun, but my IPSC membership package just arrived in the mail today, so I wasn't able to register in time.

I duracoated mine to try to be tacti-cool. . . but it's a California legal configuration, so it's never going to be really really tacti-cool. It'll be more weird than cool. I guess I'm never going to be able to sell the scope Thanks for all the tips. I bought the scope/mount used on the classifieds here, and it's worked out real well. I figure it's better to buy the right one the 1st time. Now I have to learn how to shoot straight. I could have used the SPR mount instead of the SPR-E mount that I have because the scope is pushed all the way back on account of the weird stock, but it works, and it's not like I can trade the mount now

I'm trying to set up and make some .223 for the 1st time, and my small powder bar only goes to 22.6 gr of W748. Is this typical? I read here that a lot of folks if not most folks use the small powder bar for ball powders. Should I even attempt to mod the powder bar? Or just switch to the big one and run it? This is a brand new powder measure. I bought a complete conversion from Frank for my 550 in his latest GB.

Found some load data. . . I pulled the 1st bullet and backed it down to 21.3 grains W74 and 2.550" OAL and verified that they are the 80 grain SMK bullets. I think I should be good to go.

So I decided to give Dave Tubb's final finish bullets a try. . . it seems to me they are 80 grain bullets, and I'm trying not to blow up my rifle (just getting started loading). I have some pre-sized/trimmed brass and W748 that I was planning on loading a ton of 55 grain Hornadys with. The Lyman manual says I should load 80 grain bullets to 2.550" OAL. After loading one to that length, I'm thinking it's awefully long. The suggested starting load was 21.8 grains 748 2.550 OAL, so I loaded 21.9 grains 748, but the load is ridiculously longer than a factory bullet. I didn't want to run it through the gun and risk anything before asking. These don't need to fly worth anything I guess. They don't even need to cycle the action. . . just get the bullet out the other side of the tube.

well, we got the gun running just in the nick of time, and had a great time at our rifle class. This school probably isn't optimal for learning the game, but we picked up some basic skills and the price (free) was righteous for 4 days of practice. We had a great time and hope to attend some local matches.

UPDATE: I believe the issue to be resolved. . . Randall called this evening and I'm feeling much better. Gauging the port hole revealed that is was indeed under-sized for the barrel length. It was taken out to a diameter that should be proper (from his data), and that should resolve my short stroking issue. I'm glad it was a measurable, definitive problem and not "chasing ghosts". I'll drive a bit further south to pick up the rifle on my way to rifle class w/ my wife, and hopefully, all will function well! Also, the finish on the barrel was preserved in the process because he was able to perform the operation by rotating the FSB 180 degrees instead of sliding it forward. Now, not only will I be able to shoot a rifle that works, but I can look cool doing it

Nothing but frustrations today. . . Went to Irvington Arms early. . . they didn't seem very helpful. I explained my symptoms, and the AR15 tech just kindof stood there and shrugged his shoulders. . . They did not have any parts available for purchase. The owners there have taken care of me a bit better in the past, but Frank and Big Mac weren't there today. They did have some XM193, so I bought a couple of boxes to see if the other ammo I had was too light to cycle the gun fully. I had an extra buffer spring w/ me and my big wire cutters, so it was off to the range for me to put at least another 80 rounds through the offending rifle to finish breaking it in and re-asses. Off to Chabot RGC . .. closed tues. Off to Richmond RGC . . . closed tues. Off to Bullseye in San Rafael . . . frangible ammo only. Lots of driving around, and I've gotten nowhere. I didn't know there are known problems w/ Randall's work. Please PM me details offline. Not perceiving that I had any other viable options, I sent my complete upper to Randall Express next day delivery to diagnose the gas system and gauge the port. I meet up on Thursday on my way to Nevada to pick it up. He's been extremely responsive so far and seems to be the best option at the time. Otherwise, I think sending it back to CMMG would have been another option since both the upper and barrel are from them, but there's just no way I was going to get the upper back in time. Well, hope I haven't made a mistake. About the DNTC, I don't have any frame of reference, so I'm the wrong guy to ask (it goes bang?). I bought it because I have to have a brake (flash suppressor is a banned feature), and I heard rumor that the DNTC was not as obnoxious to people on the side as some other breaks. If someone in the area wants to try it, they can be my guest

It just occurred to me while reading a posting on AR15 gas system, over gas symptoms and under gas symptoms that the buffer weight and mass of the bolt carrier group have much to do w/ short stroking. I have M16 bolt carriers. Switching out to a standard AR15 bolt carrier might resolve my issues by itself. The other option I've found is to stop by Randall's place from ar15barrels.com on the way to class and have the gas port re-sized. That seems to be the best way to resolve this and get the gas system in spec. I have an extra buffer/spring set from one of the lowers as I purchased it as a complete (at the time, there was an extreme shortage of AR15 lowers particularly in California). I can chop that spring and should be able to run yet still have my original spring. Tomorrow my mission will be to find an AR15 carrier somewhere in stock early. . . or through a private party. Then, hit the range and test again.

So far, I am using PMC bronze 55 grain FMJ factory ammo and Winchester white box 55 grain FMJ. Same symptoms w/ both ammo types. My 6000 Hornady FMJBT's have not arrived yet in the mail, so these are what I have to work with right now. I'll check the gas keys. I bought them from Denny at Global Tactical supply because he torques and stakes them. I wanted to avoid gas key problems, but I did swap the 2 carrier groups, and both rifles behaved the same after the carrier group swap. I think my group shooting is a bit lousy being the 1st time I've fired a rifle. I don't know if I was fatigued, restless, or just could see well enough at 100 yards, but here's some 50 yard groups. I could still see good w/ 4x Meopta at 50. Pink Rifle w/ eotech 10 shots on top, re-adjust and 5 shots on bottom Multicam rifle (jam-o-matic) 5 shots

I got out to the range Sunday afternoon and Monday afternoon to try and sort out the 2 builds. Unfortunately, I have what appears to me to be a serious function issue on the multicam rifle. I suspect it is short stroking. The slide very seldom locks back on an empty mag (new 10 round C-products w/ Magpul follower). About once every 20 rounds, the bolt locks back on empty. It also sometimes induces crazy jams. Sometimes, it fails to strip a round, sometimes, it partially strips a round and makes a huge dent in the top of the casing. I wonder if the bolt is not travelling back far enough. The wife's rifle runs great. I have all day tomorrow and tonight to try and sort this thing out. Then, I work all of Wednesday and leave for rifle class w/ the wife on Thursday Is there anything else I can do to diagnose? Is there anything I can do at home to adjust the gas on a fixed front sight base? I'm very concerned at this point due to time pressure.

I'm kindof new to scopes in general and purchased a used Meopta from the classifieds. Looks like it's an earlier model w/ 1/2 MOA adjustments. I have a paralax question. I read the FAQ at the top of the page to try and see if i have parallax. 1st, I adjusted the eypiece as per FAQ article instructions by setting it all the way out, look at sky w/ eyes relaxed, move scope in front of eye and adjust 'til the crosshairs are just black and clear. Then, I set the scope on a table and look at something far far away ~ 1/2 mile for me. And I'm not sure, but it seems when I move my head, the recital moves slightly. . . well, actually, there's a bit of lens distortion and i can't completely tell if it's my brain playing tricks on me because the recital lines "bend" a bit when I move my head. Also it seems to me from reading the article that it's physically impossible to have 0 parallax at all distances, and the Meopta doesn't have parallax adjustment. . . . or does it?

Hey, Well, it looks like mine and my wife's rifles are built. The problem is, I don't have experience w/ setup. I was wondering if anyone in the Bay Area is available maybe Sunday 30th or for that matter any dates close to that to help get 2 rifles sighted in and ready to go. 1 is running Meopta K-dot on Larue w/ BUIS the other is running Eotech w/ BUIS. I pay range fees and lunch and can compensate for any materials that may be expended. . . (targets, test loads, etc.) I need to sight in, test for proper function, and do initial break-in. The 2 rifles pass dry function tests and can cycle rounds by hand. I'm asking for help because I need to correctly and quickly identify any problems because we're going to take a rifle course Oct. 5 and I need these 2 puppies sorted out by then. I don't have much time to muck around more, and experience would be very very helpful. It occurred to me that I may or may not be able to see the holes in paper @ 100 or 200 yards. Also, being in-experienced, I have no idea about my group shooting capabilities. Please PM. I'm in the East Bay, but can travel to all parts of the Bay Area.

I put grease. . . does that count?

Are these hold-over's at 4x? or are some of them at 1x?

Does anyone else find a strap wrench to be absolutely useless on a Clark FF tube install? I used 2 different strap wrenches Klein and Craftsman, and they both slipped hopelessly well before decent torque was achieved. I bent one barrel nut actually w/ one of the strap wrenches and was kicking myself. I end using my giant 16" channel lock pliers and biting/gripping into the aluminum to twist to a hole (~2/3 distance between holes). Bit of a bummer experience since the replacement nut ended up costing me $35. . . and the 2 useless strap wrenches ended up costing another $40. Mabe the stap wrenches will work on removal after the tube is glued on. I'm thinking instructions should specify this method instead of the strap wrench. But I have the wrong upper receiver block to utilize this method. Oh well, live and learn. Build it yourself is ending up not being very economical. Maybe after my 5th build or so, I'll make up some for my mistakes .

Left picture is CMT as supplied by Denny at Global Tactical Supply. I believe he stakes them in shop. Right is from CMMG Inc. taken out of a complete upper. Cheers.

4.2 grains titegroup 125 grain Zero JHP haven't had a compelling need to look to another combo so far. It's consistent ~1058 out of wife's guns. . . 5" Springfield 1911 and XD9 subcompact. It runs clean compared to Winchester white box.

Thanks for the quick replies. . . I emailed to change my barrel order, so there's a good chance they'll get the message tomorrow morning 1st thing. I think I'm going to keep my wife's gun same. . . lightweight 16" barrel. She'll have a funner time at shooting school with a lighter gun, and if we wants to get more serious, we can share mine at a match. Although she won't be happy about that because she requested pink camo, and I'm obligated to accomodate that request. So, 1 pink 16" hoser gun, one more proper 18" scoped gun. Oh crap. . . she'll probably just tell me to paint mine pink also. I changed to CMMG's 18" SPR barrel w/ full length gas 1/8 twist chrome lined. It was the same price as their 16" offerings. Good thing I hadn't ordered the ff tubes yet

Hmmm. . . sorry about the repeat thread. . .seems like this is a topic that goes round and round and round and round. I'm out west. I do do photography so I immensely enjoy good optics. I'd rather shoot the crappiest cheap manual camera with a $2000 lens than the other way around, but it's not like I'm going to be out there scrutinizing my targets after I take a shot like you do a photograph. And the probability of my having to sneak around at dusk firing at barely visible targets through the fog is almost zero. That being said, a used meopta/larue combo just popped up on the classfieds, and my wife has ok'd the funds to buy it. Plus, I picked up the EOtech for her used as well so I managed to squeeze it in. Czech is probably not as good optic wise as german or japanese, but oh well. I'll give it a go. I like to do it once, do it right. I just ordered the barrels today from Cold War Shooters, but I think there is still time to go back on it if I call in 1st thing tomorrow. It was towards the end of the business day, and I'm almost certain they have not placed the order with CMMG (16" mid gas). So, I'll have to go do some research about barrel lengths now with the amazing search function. I know the concensus here is 18" or 20" stainless for the game. And there seemed to be concerns about full length gas on shorter than 18" barrels. I was thinking for overall utilitarian purposes of our family's gun adventure, we'd start with handgun, move to short/handy rifle (present), then shotguns, and then move to bolt action long range (later, for which I DO anticipate spending upwards of $1000 for mid-range functional glass). And we'd be a good, well rounded bunch of folks and have something appropriate for most conceivable shooting needs.

Hello, I'm doing 2 AR builds (wife/mine) and am trying to figure out the details. These will be our multi-use 16" rifles, but I'm hoping they will work ok for some matches in the future. These are Cali builds so I'm using the U-15 stocks and Stag lowers. For uppers, my research so far has pointed me towards CMMG for price/value at least for the barrels, and I'm adding Clark ff tube for wife's (lightweight) and maybe same or JP V-tac on mine. Haven't bought any upper parts yet, but I'm pulling the trigger this week to get things moving. Budget is semi-tight, so I purchased 1 Eotech 512 for wife's rifle Figured it is bullet proof and probably the most use-friendly setup available . . . and not too heavy. I'm wondering if I should get another Eo or try the Millet DMS for mine. . . or, just run the iron sights and save for a good optic like a Meopta in the future.

You wouldn't mean the 185gr. BEB by any chance? 230 grain FMJ

I was wondering if anyone here has used a Clark carbon free float tube .. . I'm trying to do a lightweight build. Can it be chopped to mid-length on a chop saw . . . w/ finish wood blade without ruining it?

They do still make them. But I wouldn't recommend them for this application. They don't hold on so well while running and crouching kneeling etc. In fact when they come off the sock they have a tendency to snap up towards a very sensitive area. Ouch. I guess the only other option then is to get one of those bobsleading uniforms. I wonder if they're on discount because it's summer