Been 16 years, guess it's about time...

[J.Baker]

Was digging through the "spare parts" cupboard the other day and stumbled across something I totally forgot I even had - a DPMS Hi-Rise left-hand upper receiver from my very first AR build back in 2004/5. Along with the DPMS upper receiver it had a Mega lower, standard A2 buttstock, DPMS free-float, a second hand Shilen 26" fluted barrel I got off Fred with one of his muzzle brakes (not shown), and IIRC a Rock River Arms Varmint trigger. A Mueller Eraticator 5-25x50 was what it usually wore for an optic (if I wasn't "borrowing" it to use on a review gun as I was still scope-poor back then).

8534

About a year and a half after putting it together, Pat (82boy) talked me into trading it off to him in exchange for a 4" Colt Python. Naturally Pat wasn't interested in the LH upper and bolt since he's a righty, so we just switched all the bits over to a standard A3 RH upper that he picked up and did the deal. I wasn't much into wheel-guns back then, but knew Python's were sought after and I didn't have a lot invested in the AR so I figured there was no way I would lose money on this deal. If only I could have known how the snake guns would explode in value a decade later, I could have made a LOT more money on this deal - but alas I sold the Python a few months later to fund another project. Still came out well ahead on the deal, so I can't complain too much.

Anyway - back to the present...

So stumbling across this upper and not having done much gun-wise the last couple years due to the pandemic and associated supply chain issues, I decided it was time to finally get it assembled back into a functioning firearm. I already have most of the required AR parts laying around to put together another complete rifle so the cost incurred won't be too bad.

Parts List:
Upper Receiver: DPMS Hi-Rise LH
Lower Receiver: Spike's Tactical Crusader
LPK: Anderson (not the greatest quality by any means, but I'd picked up a couple kits a few years back for dirt cheap)
Trigger: Geissele SSA-E that I found in my stash
BCG: Stag LH
Gas block: Troy Ind. Low Profile
Barrel: DPMS 18" Mini SASS Heavy fluted (1-8 twist)
Charging Handle: Mil-Spec (for now)
Buttstock: Magpul's new PRS Lite
Handguard: Midwest Industries Lightweight 10.5" M-Lok
Grip: Magpul MOE

One thing I never liked about the first build was the fact that the DPMS design used a standard RH bolt carrier with their custom LH bolt with the extractor/ejector relocated for LH ejection. While it worked fine, this left the gas vent ports on the side of the bolt carrier facing the solid wall of the receiver rather than out the ejection port which made for a very dirty running rifle. The Stag LH BCG should remedy that.

Not sure what I want to do for an optic yet, but I have a Nightforce SHV 4-14x currently sitting on the shelf that needs a home so that's an option.

[Robinhood]

Sounds like a plan. Do you plan on BUIS's? Sounded a little heavy at first, the chosen buttstock and handguard may help the balance. Can't wait for one of you well written article and range report.

[celltech]

For a DMR scope I think the next one I will try is the Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 2-12x42. Very compact and fairly light...

Throw some 77gr pills down it and show us the results!!!

[J.Baker]

Sounds like a plan. Do you plan on BUIS's? Sounded a little heavy at first, the chosen buttstock and handguard may help the balance. Can't wait for one of you well written article and range report.

I may do a review on the new Magpul PRS Lite buttstock since it could easily be fit to the Savage MSR's and some of the chassis rifles, but that would be about it since it will be the only relatively "new" thing on the entire rifle. Everything else has been out for a while, and several components have even been discontinued for several years now (DPMS barrel and upper receiver for example) so there's no real point. If I go with the NF SHV scope, I already have a review on it posted on the site so doing another would be redundant - especially since it's literally the same scope from that review.

And that's a negative on the BUIS. Would need one heck of a tall front sight to line up with the rear on that elevated rail of the upper receiver.

[J.Baker]

For a DMR scope I think the next one I will try is the Athlon Helos BTR Gen2 2-12x42. Very compact and fairly light...

Throw some 77gr pills down it and show us the results!!!


Not considering this as a DMR rifle by any means. As noted, this barrel is a pig which is why I pulled it off one of my other rifles and replaced it with an 18" Gunner profile barrel from Faxon a couple years back. it's just too stinking heavy for anything more than a bench or "sit and wait" beanfield gun. The stripped upper receiver, barrel, barrel nut and gas block/tube are a touch over 4.5 lbs. Figure the complete rifle will probably fall somewhere in the 12-14 lb. range when all is said and done.

As for the optic, if I were to get another Athlon it would be from the Ares ETR or Cronos lines as I'm a bit skeptical of their cheaper lines after a so-so experience with one of their Argos BTR Gen II's.

Given how the rifle will be used, I doubt I'll ever run any 77's through it. Mostly it will be handloads with 50-55gr varmint bullets since 95% of my shots on groundhogs around here are inside 300 yards. I have my 22-250AI and 6x47 Lapua bolt guns for those rare occasions where I might get an opportunity for longer shots. I do still have a few hundred rounds of the old Hornady 75gr steel cased match ammo on the shelf though, but shooting it at 200-300 yards would be a waste of high BC bullets IMO.

[J.Baker]

Well, apparently Brownell's is in no hurry to process and ship the order I placed last Thursday morning as it's been sitting at "pending" all weekend. Called them this morning to find out what the holdup was and the lady said they've been having some computer issues and she'd get it send down to the warehouse to be picked and shipped. Just checked the status again - still sitting at pending. Sure glad I paid that extra $12 for faster shipping. :rolleyes:

So to compensate for that aggravation I called one of the LGS's today and ordered me a new Tippmann M4-22 Elite. Been wanting another AR in 22LR ever since I sold my M&P15-22 6-7 years ago. Of course now I need to bite the bullet and get myself a rimfire can to go with it.

Should prove to be just the ticket when a herd of groundhog pups decide to amass and launch a counter-offensive from under the barn. :thumb:

[J.Baker]

Finally got my order from Brownell's, and it reminded me why AR's seem to be my nemesis. As modular and standardized as they are, I have a knack for always ending up with parts that simply aren't compatible. Case and point....

1. Purchased a Brownell's A2 Single-Point Sling Adapter (p/n 080-000-658) to put on one of my existing AR's. Simple install, no issues there, but the design isn't what I thought it was as it's designed for clip-on attachment rather than QD attachment. Error on my part for not reading the full description of the part, but one has to ask why they would design a clip-on mounting point to look EXACTLY like a QD point (QD actually locks in perfectly when off the rifle btw)? Grrrr...... guess I'm keeping the standard A2 sling loop for the time being.

2. Ended up having to swap some parts around on other rifles to finally come up with a combination that was compatible with the new Magpul PRS Lite butt stock. This stock will only work with a standard mil-spec carbine receiver end plate. Any kind of end plate that's much thicker or has any kind of sling attachment point on it is a no-go. One would think Magpul would have made it compatible with their own end plates with sling attachment points at the very least.

3. The Midwest Industries handguard I ordered has no chance in hell on working with the DPMS Mini SASS barrel. I.D. on their proprietary barrel nut measures 0.910", whereas the O.D. of the barrel is 1.050". As such, it looks like I'm going to have to do some more parts swapping between rifles and use this MI handguard on my pencil barreled carbine and use the 13" Troy rail from it on this build. This barrel used to be on that rifle so I know that barrel/handguard combination works (we did have to open up a mil-spec barrel nut about 0.010-0.015" to get it over this hog of a barrel contour though). Thinking I should have thrown this PITA oddball barrel in the river when I pulled it off the last rifle.

4. Got the Stag LH BCG in and discovered I'm going to have to do a little milling on the upper receiver to be able to use it. DPMS designed their LH uppers to use a RH bolt carrier and their proprietary LH bolt. As such, their bolt basically just had the extractor and ejector re-clocked to correspond with an ejection port on the left side. The bolt still rotated the same direction as on a RH gun so the relief cut inside the receiver to allow clearance for the rectangular head of bolt cam pin is on the left side like any RH receiver. Since the Stag LH bolt is a true mirror, it rotates in the opposite direction and thus I need that relief cut on the opposite side of the receiver. Question is whether there will be enough meat there to mill in said relief on that side. I would imagine so, but we've seen how my luck's been running as of late (see 1-3 above) so probably not. :noidea: Worst case scenario I end up having to buy a Stag LH upper receiver.

Other than that everything's gone smoothly! :stupid:
(that's sarcasm)

[Smokey262]

With enough leftovers you can start the next build :) Whatever happened to 82boy? Ever see him?

[J.Baker]

Pat's still around. He pretty much had to give up centerfire benchrest due to shoulder issues. He runs both the Northwest Ohio Benchrest Shooters Association (NWOBRA) and Automatic Benchrest Association (ABRA) matches here at my local range. He got really into shooting GSSF matches several years back and then progressed into IDPA type matches. He also started dabbing his toes into cowboy action matches a few years back, but don't know if he's still doing that. Been quite a while since I've seen him here on the site, but we cross paths at the range or talk on the phone semi-regularly.

[wbm]

Really new to AR shooting so I hope this thread keeps going....after going to ar15 a few times ya realize there must be a better way.

[Blue Avenger]

Really new to AR shooting so I hope this thread keeps going....after going to ar15 a few times ya realize there must be a better way.
Large sites have exceptional people among them. genie ass's are more notable then geniuses when you ask a learning question.

:( Lucked out on the small incompatibilities Jim is running into. Bought parts after Clinton ban ended. When all the back-orders were filling and surplus parts made them cheap again. Managed to assemble a few with a very small educational fails. Reading ahead so if I hit some of those snags, I was aware they existed.

[J.Baker]

Really new to AR shooting so I hope this thread keeps going....after going to ar15 a few times ya realize there must be a better way.
If you can build a Savage, you can easily build an AR. There are a few things you have to pay attention to - not so much in assembly, but rather in parts selection.

1. Gas system length - when you get a barrel, make note of the gas system length (carbine, mid-length, rifle) to make sure you get the proper length gas tube. Been there and made that mistake before.

****Don't know if it's still the case as I "think" it's pretty much been standardized now, but back in the day there was no "standard" for what a mid-length gas system was. Typically most mid-length barrels will have the gas port at 9", but check the spec's to make sure and if it's not at 9" you'll probably have to get the gas tube from the same manufacturer. (Pistols @ 4"; Carbine's @ 7"; Rifles @ 12")****

2. Gas Block Size - Another thing to note when buying a barrel is the gas block size. 0.625" and 0.750" are the most typical you will find, but I do believe there one smaller (0.550" maybe?) and like the Mini-SASS barrel I'm using here there's a larger 0.936".

3. Buffers, Tubes & Springs - What you get here will depend on which style of buttstock you want to run. There are two pistol length tube options that I'm aware of, then you have carbine and rifle. Springs are specific to each to match the length of the tube. Buffer's are also somewhat specific to tube length/stock style, but there are weight variations for carbine and (maybe?) pistol as well. Some will go to a heavier custom buffer to slow down the cyclic rate of the bolt for a more precision oriented rifle.

As far as tools go you don't necessarily need much, but you will need some specific tools and there are a few things that are extremely handy to have to make the job a lot easier. For a new person just getting into the AR building game, I'd probably recommend this kit just because it has everything you need, it's pretty decent quality, and it has a case to keep it all together and organized. There's better stuff out there, but it'll cost you a lot more and will get you the same result - an assembled rifle.

https://www.realavid.com/product/ar15-armorers-master-kit/

[J.Baker]

Happy day! The new build is done. Thanks to Fred for the mill work today on the upper receiver so I could get it finished up. Spec's changed a bit since the first post due to some compatibility issues so here's the rundown:

DPMS Hi-Rise upper receiver
Mil-Spec charging handle
Stag LH BCG
DPMS 18" Mini-SASS barrel
Troy Ind. low-profile gas block
Carbine buffer tube/spring/buffer
Mil-spec receiver end plate
Magpul PRS Lite butt stock
Spike's Tactical Crusader lower receiver
Anderson LPK
Magpul MOE grip
Troy Ind. 15" Alpha Battle Rail (had to grind off the rail indexing tab on the rear)
YHM Bipod rail adapter
NF rings
NF 4-14x50 SHV F1
Weight as pictured w/ full 30rd mag = 13.0 lbs.

Only thing left to do now is get it to the range to do a function check and get it zeroed in. Will definitely be upgrading the trigger at some point, and need to pick up a CMMG ambi safety selector as well since I used the last one I had stashed way on the Tippmann the other day.

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[Dave Hoback]

I like it. Only thing…. The ejection port is on the wrong side:confused: LOL! I will say, those Lefties sure seem odd. No wonder the military made everyone use a Right hand rifle. :redface-new:

You used the Spikes Crusader Lower, nice. I was big into those when they first came out, around 2014-ish. Bought several, until I started machining my own from 80% Billet Lowers. Before using the Crusaders, I used the standard forced Lowers from Spikes Tactical exclusively. I can’t even say how many I purchased, going back from when Spikes Tactical first started. I was among their first patrons. And I remember in ‘05 people rebuking me online for getting one of those “New” lowers from that “New” company Spikes Tactical…because they weren’t “proven”. That was the magic word with AR build community back in ‘04/‘05…. “Proven”. Everything had to be PROOOOOVIN! LOL! :rolleyes:
Can you even imagine NOW, a time when Spikes Tactical was considered bad? Or UN-proven? Crazy. They are one of the largest parts suppliers now.

Here’s one of the Crusader Lower ARs I built in 2014-ish
https://i.ibb.co/1vdLBvq/AC071-E33-7-BE9-4448-BDDB-3049-F21-F85-CE.webp (https://ibb.co/HFxVRFz)

[wbm]

If you can build a Savage, you can easily build an AR. There are a few things you have to pay attention to - not so much in assembly, but rather in parts selection.

Thanks. Right now I am ready to buy tools I need.

[Dave Hoback]

Thanks. Right now I am ready to buy tools I need.

Let me know about those. I can steer you to good choices for not a lot of money. And a couple tricks to make things easy.

[Blue Avenger]

Thanks. Right now I am ready to buy tools I need.


Ii like these, although it can be done without them.

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/9685708795934580901?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=ar+detent+pin++tools&prds=epd:991617330563044298,eto:991617330563044298 _0,pid:1301038706736361155&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYo8-76bf4AhUipIkEHftsBMQQ9pwGCAU

[wbm]

Put those on my list...spent more than a few minutes looking for a detent spring.

What I want to learn to do first is barrel removal/replacement.

[J.Baker]

The extended take-down pins can make takedown a little easier, but I don't have them on any of my AR's. I typically just cut a couple coils off the detent springs to make them a little easier to push out with just my finger tip.

As for the Crusader lower, I'd purchased a couple back in 2015 when they were on sale "just incase" and they've just been sitting on the shelf since. Still have one left I need to do something with at some point.

If I hadn't already had this upper sitting here I would have just gone with a standard A3 upper receiver. Needed to buy a BCG either way, so going this route saved some $$.

So far I'm liking the Magpul stock. It's not crazy heavy like the standard PRS stock, but it does require an allen wrench to adjust the LOP and comb height. The balance point still heavily favors the muzzle end with this hog of a barrel though.

[Dave Hoback]

No take down pins for me. Standard profile Billet or Titanium.

WBM, AR barrel is “redonculous” easy! Buy a cheap Clamshell or Pin Style, Upper vice jig. Depending on what handguard you choose(I found a company that makes skeletonized Hybrid Rails from 7075, instead of the normal 6061 Aluminum), the handguard will come with either a proprietary wrench, or it will have flats for 1–1/8” or 1-3/16” Crows Foot. (I’ve got both). Coat the Upper threads with some Moly grease, then torque the barrel to 35ft.lbs & loosen x3 times. This was is to stress relieve the threads. On the last go, Torque the Nut to 35-50ft.lbs. May need to shim the nut to align handguard if it’s bolt on. (The handguard rails I use, which I mention are bolt on)

Thats it for the barrel. Honestly, the most difficult part is installing the Flash Hider with crush washer. Crush washer needs a good bit of Torque to start it to crush. Easy with a barrel vice(that’s what I use). Can be difficult with just a standard vice block. But I did a whole bunch of ARs with just a clamshell vice block. Barrel can get uncomfortably twisted though. Barrel vice wins.