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What to build next in AR10?

a caliber?

  • .243 Win

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • .260 Rem

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • .338 Federal

    Votes: 2 28.6%

  • 7mm-08 Rem

    Votes: 1 14.3%

  • Other

    Votes: 5 71.4%
  • Total voters
    7
paul73

paul73

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as I still have an extra aero M5 lower in the safe, summer is here and time to think of what to do with it. i do not really want to sell it, so it will be a build.
uppers in .308 and 6.5CM i already got, do not need those.

what would be a most useful next build? so, a poll. :) if Other - feel free to humor me.
 
Last edited:
50wt said:
Great, another rifle that you'll waste 50lbs of powder and 5k primers during your ladder test on only to find out the barrel is loose.
Click to expand...
so sweet of you to worry bout my powder, i am really touched.
 
I read a lot of your posts because of the work you put in to load development and such, so my above post was in jest. But what caliber is out there , with readily available brass and barrels, that the 6.5 cant do ?
 
A few local target shooters were running a 6mm-250, which basically was a 243 but with less powder burning. They always complained of feeding issues.
.243 is ballistically almost a 6mmCM.

How about a 358 Winchester (308 necked up to 35). It's a hell of a short-mid range hunting round.
 
260 is too similar to 6.5. And the rest are just kind of hoe-hum cartridges that I would only get if I were already invested in that cartridge.

I’d say one of these three:

- 22 creedmoor
- 375 Raptor
- 8.6 BLK

I think 375 Raptor is a better option than 8.6, but 8.6 seems like it will have more industry support… if it ever actually comes out.
 
I think it would be cool to build an 8.6 Blackout on an AR-10 platform. I'm definitely going to build an upper for my PWS AR-10. It's probably better if you're a reloader, seems like an fun round and build.
 
22 Creedmoor: about the time you work up a load that it likes, the throat will be gone. Barrel life will be spectacularly, incredibly, gloriously short, but it would be fun while it lasts.
 
It’s kind of neat that a supersonic 375 Raptor load from a 12” is similar in energy to a 45-70, but retains energy farther.
07F683D1-1C72-4C19-8BFC-2D09784AFBF9.jpeg 741F3B01-7D5E-4B7F-8FB6-8A8190B6AA9D.jpeg
124364D8-D8D4-4692-92C4-51A4F6C72ECF.jpeg
B3243ADF-6300-46DB-9A94-B6DB42F5A5A6.jpeg
3954C45D-357F-4E06-967A-F92FC0057E7C.jpeg
It’s definitely a reloaders cartridge though, and I’m not sure if you’ll get a gas gun to cycle the subs without a silencer.

But Black Collar Arms says a major manufacturer is going to be selling 375 brass soon.
 
PatMcD said:
22 Creedmoor: about the time you work up a load that it likes, the throat will be gone. Barrel life will be spectacularly, incredibly, gloriously short, but it would be fun while it lasts.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Thanks for the heads up.
 
PappyM3 said:
Interesting. Thanks for the heads up.
Click to expand...
Just a ton of powder to move such a small diameter bullet. Probably similar to the 220 Swift in terms of barrel life: maybe 1000 rds.
Same reason the 22-08 never caught on. The 6-08 (243) was really on the edge of "practical barrel life" envelope in that 308 case family.

For a hunting rifle, I'd say anything goes because chances are, they won't get shot enough to worry about barrel life.
 
PatMcD said:
Just a ton of powder to move such a small diameter bullet. Probably similar to the 220 Swift in terms of barrel life: maybe 1000 rds.
Same reason the 22-08 never caught on. The 6-08 (243) was really on the edge of "practical barrel life" envelope in that 308 case family.

For a hunting rifle, I'd say anything goes because chances are, they won't get shot enough to worry about barrel life.
Click to expand...
Yeah, after a bit of research: 1,200 - 1,400 for 22 CM. Which would last most hunters at least a few years. Competition round it is definitely not. But I wonder what a good chrome lined version would get.
 
Something to consider, because you didn't specify what you have in form factor.

I own a bunch, but if I was gonna go build another I might look at form factor and not caliber.

For instance for me it'd be a lightweight with a 14.5 inch barrel (and hider pinned on or integral to get you to 16 inch legal).. but maybe for someone else it could be a dedicated bench rifle. Maybe a carbine in 6.5 Creedmoor if the only one of those you own has a 20 inch barrel and heavy scope. Etc etc. Or maybe something real simple with iron sights. There's a lot more to consider than just caliber.
 
teamRR said:
Maybe a carbine in 6.5 Creedmoor
Click to expand...
an ultralight 6.5CM in 14.5" may be reasonable too. plus i have enough ammo in that caliber.
8.6 BLK still sounds interesting to me...

i dunno if mid length 41.7gr R16 6.5CM load will cycle ok, that would need some research. it is not a too hot load in a gas rifle, and i do not want to alter it. from a 20" rifle it does 2667fps, a 14.5" barrel will have probably close to a mid 2400 something.

but a compact 10lb something ar10 in a short 6.5cm may be an interesting thing to play with. the 308 i have now is at 12lbs, or 11.5 lbs as i swapped a scope. and i still have a very light diamondback i can use for such a hunting rig. dunno what accuracy such a build would have, though.
i do not think i saw any 6.5CM pre-made uppers in barrel sizes shorter than 18", there may be a good reason for that. may be a potential pita to make it cycle well.
 
Last edited:
paul73 said:
an ultralight 6.5CM in 14.5" may be reasonable too. plus i have enough ammo in that caliber.
8.6 BLK still sounds interesting to me...

i dunno if mid length 41.7gr R16 6.5CM load will cycle ok, that would need some research. it is not a too hot load in a gas rifle, and i do not want to alter it. from a 20" rifle it does 2667fps, a 14.5" barrel will have probably close to a mid 2400 something.

but a compact 10lb something ar10 in a short 6.5cm may be an interesting thing to play with. the 308 i have now is at 12lbs, or 11.5 lbs as i swapped a scope. and i still have a very light diamondback i can use for such a hunting rig. dunno what accuracy such a build would have, though.
i do not think i saw any 6.5CM pre-made uppers in barrel sizes shorter than 18", there may be a good reason for that. may be a potential pita to make it cycle well.
Click to expand...

6.5 Creedmoor definitely flies well in 16 inch barrels. A barrel on the lighter side, keep the optic down to something light, could be a handy and nice shooting AR10. Same could be done in 7.62/.308 though.

Just throwing out ideas really. A lot of folks dismiss even a 16 inch AR10. I've got a couple in 7.62 with 2.5x fixed optics and I love them with 25 round mags, a basic, more powerful, carbine. If you are going to own a few is worth owning one like that.
 
paul73 said:
an ultralight 6.5CM in 14.5" may be reasonable too. plus i have enough ammo in that caliber.
8.6 BLK still sounds interesting to me...

…

but a compact 10lb something ar10 in a short 6.5cm may be an interesting thing to play with. the 308 i have now is at 12lbs, or 11.5 lbs as i swapped a scope. and i still have a very light diamondback i can use for such a hunting rig. dunno what accuracy such a build would have, though.
i do not think i saw any 6.5CM pre-made uppers in barrel sizes shorter than 18", there may be a good reason for that. may be a potential pita to make it cycle well.
Click to expand...

That would be very doable. My 16” 6.5 CM with Faxon barrel is 10.7 lbs with nearly 3 pounds of optic and bipod on it. Full mass BCG too. But the Faxon barrel is super light. The gun will gain a few ounces with a Criterion shortly. But the gun could easily shave 18 ounces by removing the bipod and going with a lighter optic.

2B426D64-1BC0-404A-A904-9FB8C24F6418.jpeg

As for factory short 6.5 CM uppers, the only one I’m aware of is KAC. 14.5” and 16”. But they haven’t actually sold them to the public yet.

But you could also do a light/short 8.6 BLK build. Since you’re not going into combat with it, a magnesium handguard from dark hour defense or a carbon fiber handguard would help keep the front end weight down.
 
PappyM3 said:
That would be very doable. My 16” 6.5 CM with Faxon barrel is 10.7 lbs with nearly 3 pounds of optic and bipod on it. Full mass BCG too. But the Faxon barrel is super light. The gun will gain a few ounces with a Criterion shortly. But the gun could easily shave 18 ounces by removing the bipod and going with a lighter optic.

View attachment 626619

As for factory short 6.5 CM uppers, the only one I’m aware of is KAC. 14.5” and 16”. But they haven’t actually sold them to the public yet.

But you could also do a light/short 8.6 BLK build. Since you’re not going into combat with it, a magnesium handguard from dark hour defense would help keep the front end weight down.
Click to expand...
i probably will go with an aero upper again, but, nice about that weight.
still, the 16" is the shortest faxon they have in 6.5cm.
i guess it is the one you have?

AR 10 Barrel | AR 10 Parts | AR 10 Upgrades | AR-10 (LR-308)

Browse our AR-10 (LR-308) barrels including .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor barrels. You can rest easy knowing your barrel is crafted by Faxon Firearms.
faxonfirearms.com faxonfirearms.com
 
PappyM3 said:
That would be very doable. My 16” 6.5 CM with Faxon barrel is 10.7 lbs with nearly 3 pounds of optic and bipod on it. Full mass BCG too. But the Faxon barrel is super light. The gun will gain a few ounces with a Criterion shortly. But the gun could easily shave 18 ounces by removing the bipod and going with a lighter optic.

View attachment 626619

As for factory short 6.5 CM uppers, the only one I’m aware of is KAC. 14.5” and 16”. But they haven’t actually sold them to the public yet.

But you could also do a light/short 8.6 BLK build. Since you’re not going into combat with it, a magnesium handguard from dark hour defense would help keep the front end weight down.
Click to expand...

As far as barrels, 14.5, not sure, but 16 inch I think is standard.

Criterion 16 inch 6.5 CM barrel. Slap that puppy on an Aero upper, gtg.

 
paul73 said:
i probably will go with an aero upper again, but, nice about that weight.
still, the 16" is the shortest faxon they have in 6.5cm.
i guess it is the one you have?

AR 10 Barrel | AR 10 Parts | AR 10 Upgrades | AR-10 (LR-308)

Browse our AR-10 (LR-308) barrels including .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor barrels. You can rest easy knowing your barrel is crafted by Faxon Firearms.
faxonfirearms.com faxonfirearms.com
Click to expand...
That’s the one. But my chamber is annoyingly tight and I’m switching to Criterion. I know I could get the chamber reamed out slightly or even polished, but I’d rather not bother.
 
PappyM3 said:
my chamber is annoyingly tight
Click to expand...
you get your shot brass, put it into drill, put some metal polish on it - and it is done in 10 min. it is super easy. just need to check for it not to be too off center to limit the vibrations and run it at slower speed.
i was just doing it - well, not to the barrel but to a seating die as it was biting into 105gr bergers. polishing is simple.
 
it is rather peculiar, it looks like a price of a .308 BCG went up at least $100 since the last time i looked. holey moley.
 

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