Looking to Build a Custom AR-15. Any Suggestions?

[r34skyline]

This question is entirely rehtorical because I don't want to send this thread off course, and while yes these are all documented issues eotech optics "may" experience, have you yourself ever experienced any of these problems or is this just other interweb operators sharing the same internet experience? The internet tells us that eotechs are junk, unreliable yadda yadda yadda, yet they're still in large scale use all across the globe and I have yet to experience any of these issues, nor has anyone I've ever discussed this with first hand.

Food for thought.

Also, here's a little 16" BCM inspiration for the OP.

Quite a few countries have dropped eotechs as well. There is also the limitations in the case of the horrible battery life and the weight of the optic when compared to it's rival optics. And they are as far as non magnified optics go fairly expensive. So really not that competitive an option unless you wanted it for that eotech look which, well nothing can really compare because only an eotech looks like an eotech. I honestly don't get the appeal behind them. Nor will I recommend them when you can get a mro or h1 or a pro for less for a lighter optic that has better battery life and if the nsw crane research is accurate more durable and less prone to issues. Eotechs retain that cool call of duty look though.

Nice build btw. Love the colouration

 

[FoxAlpha]

Quite a few countries have dropped eotechs as well. There is also the limitations in the case of the horrible battery life and the weight of the optic when compared to it's rival optics. And they are as far as non magnified optics go fairly expensive. So really not that competitive an option unless you wanted it for that eotech look which, well nothing can really compare because only an eotech looks like an eotech. I honestly don't get the appeal behind them. Nor will I recommend them when you can get a mro or h1 or a pro for less for a lighter optic that has better battery life and if the nsw crane research is accurate more durable and less prone to issues. Eotechs retain that cool call of duty look though.

Nice build btw. Love the colouration

See this is an arguement we can all agree on because it's factual across the board regardless of end user. I leave my aimpoints on year round where as my SU-231 gets shut off when not in use. Personally, I do love the reticle for CQB work over a 2 or 4 MOA dot but as we can agree that's all personal preference.
Simply put, if you want an eotech, get one. The internet isn't always right, it's told us for years that the AR15 is an unreliable platform and the mythical "stopping power" of 45 ACP.

 

[AB_blaster]

This question is entirely rehtorical because I don't want to send this thread off course, and while yes these are all documented issues eotech optics "may" experience, have you yourself ever experienced any of these problems or is this just other interweb operators sharing the same internet experience? The internet tells us that eotechs are junk, unreliable yadda yadda yadda, yet they're still in large scale use all across the globe and I have yet to experience any of these issues, nor has anyone I've ever discussed this with first hand.

Food for thought.

Also, here's a little 16" BCM inspiration for the OP.

Nice paint job! Not a fan of the inferior keymod but still a ###y rifle

The post about Eotech isn't "internet" chatter, it's hard fact as tested and proven by Eotech, NSWC Crane division and the FBI. Your experience with Eotech and that of anyone or everyone else has zero merit when the people who make them admit they're junk. I will admit that for short range rapid shooting(CQB etc) the issues of parallax and thermal drift will likely amount to nothing detectable. However, the fact the sights still have multiple issues and cannot maintain a zero, have horrible battery life, are heavy, cost a mint, and sold by a company that lied to it's customers for ten years about the problems, are simply facts one cannot ignore nor deny.

I hear many proclaim the circle dot is faster up close than a dot. I call BS. Aimpoint has been the leading reddot supplier/manufacturer since day one and I have yet to hear of issues regarding speed of engagement with their simple dot setup. In fact there are plenty of videos showing folks with LPVO's shooting drills as fast or faster than with a reddot, so the whole speed argument doesn't hold water. Add in the trend of people using simple single dots on their handguns and the argument becomes silly. circle dot for rifle but single dot for handgun?? I'm sure the excuse I will hear is that "the small optic on your handgun doesn't allow for a circle dot setup.... sure :Rolleyes:

 

[cr5]

I used to own a couple EoTech sights now I run Aimpoint for my dot sights. I never had any issues with my EoTechs but since I bought them used for less money than they were willing to refund I said bye-bye. Now I have an Aimpoint PRO and a T-1, both are fantastic and have been very reliable and are still on the battery they came with.
I never cared about any thermal drift with EoTech since I don't use my rifles for protecting life and limb, and I always have a chance to test fire before any serious shooting so making a one or two click adjustment at the beginning of the range session never made any difference to me. I always verify zero with the first magazine or two then the fun starts. I still think they are a good sight but now that I've used Aimpoint I'm sticking with them.
Anyone who tries to tell you an Elcan Specter DR is not much better than anything else hasn't used one. I have an older one and every person I let look through it outdoors usually starts off with a "WOW, this thing is so bright and clear" or something along those lines. They are expensive and they are kinda heavy but I think they're worth it even though I would never pay full retail for one. If I was a professional using my rifle for work or to protect life I would have a Specter DR on my rifle, as a casual shooter just playing around I could not justify the price but since I traded an Armalite 14.5 inch rifle for it I think I did pretty well and am glad I got the chance to experience such a great optic.
I traded rifles with a guy at the range one day and his rifle had a Bushnell AR series 1-4 and after one magazine I wanted to trade back and I almost had to take my rifle away from him. He was so amazed at how much more clearly he could see the target at 100 yards he told me he was going to start saving and the Bushnell was on it's way out of the collection as soon as he could afford to replace it.

Barrel length has nothing to do with accuracy but it has a lot to do with trajectory. I've owned almost every length available between a custom 6.5 inch 7 twist barrel to a custom ATRS stainless 20 inch heavy varmint barrel and even the 6.5 inch was capable of 2 moa with the right ammo. Velocity is the only thing that changes all other details being equal and a little more compensation will put your rounds on target. If you'll be doing a lot of long range shooting out to more than 300 yards then I wouldn't get a 10 inch or less but my 12 inch rifles were capable of consistently shooting right around 1 moa and ringing steel quite a ways out. 12 inch kinda became my favorite as it is extremely maneuverable and still gives you enough velocity to use ranging reticles. If I could only have one rifle I'd own a 14.5 as I think it's the best compromise between velocity and maneuverability. The two rifles I've owned with 20 inch barrels were almost boring at the range, especially the custom stainless from ATRS, it shot everything well and match grade was easily sub moa all day long. It was just too easy to hit what you wanted to hit.

Any quality brand milspec receiver set will do, they're all pretty much the same. You're paying extra for brand name, how nicely it's finished and the coatings they use. As a good quality brand without getting too expensive I've always liked Stag and Spikes but BCM and others are just as good and you really can't go wrong with any milspec forged receiver set. Stay away from Norinco and NEA/BCL and you should have no problems.

If you're trying to save a little money go with an ALG ACT trigger (parent company is Geissele), if budget is not a concern any of the high end brands will provide you with a great trigger.

 

[r34skyline]

The early spectre dr had issues with poi shift when you switched from 1x to 4x and back didn't they? Not a fan of the integral arms mount on it either. And they are fairly hefty. That being said the concept is phenomenal. I love that 1x for cqb urban style stuff, then a flick of a lever and you are on the 4x for gen purpose carbine work. If they do a gen 3 model with adm mounts and a fiber optic/tritium illumination and manage to cut a bit of weight off it, I would be over it like a fat kid in a candy store.

 

[FoxAlpha]

Nice paint job! Not a fan of the inferior keymod but still a ###y rifle

The post about Eotech isn't "internet" chatter, it's hard fact as tested and proven by Eotech, NSWC Crane division and the FBI. Your experience with Eotech and that of anyone or everyone else has zero merit when the people who make them admit they're junk. I will admit that for short range rapid shooting(CQB etc) the issues of parallax and thermal drift will likely amount to nothing detectable. However, the fact the sights still have multiple issues and cannot maintain a zero, have horrible battery life, are heavy, cost a mint, and sold by a company that lied to it's customers for ten years about the problems, are simply facts one cannot ignore nor deny.

I hear many proclaim the circle dot is faster up close than a dot. I call BS. Aimpoint has been the leading reddot supplier/manufacturer since day one and I have yet to hear of issues regarding speed of engagement with their simple dot setup. In fact there are plenty of videos showing folks with LPVO's shooting drills as fast or faster than with a reddot, so the whole speed argument doesn't hold water. Add in the trend of people using simple single dots on their handguns and the argument becomes silly. circle dot for rifle but single dot for handgun?? I'm sure the excuse I will hear is that "the small optic on your handgun doesn't allow for a circle dot setup.... sure :Rolleyes:

My point is this, 90% of individuals on this forum are not working professionals, therefore your choices won't ever be tested to the same degree Eotech, crane or the FBI will. It will likely sit a top a pretty rifle traveling back and forth to a gun range and nothing more. If eotech isn't your jam, go aimpoint, I doubt very many here will ever destroy either. Its no different than the MLOK vs keymod foolishness. Everyone's all "CRANE tested them and MLOK is way stronger bro!" yet maybe only a handful of people in the civilian world will actually use their rifle in a situation where that even becomes relevent.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing for either side. MLOK vs Keymod, aimpoint vs eotech, grab whichever gets you off (I own all of them fwiw and am happy with them all) I just can't help but chuckle at folks who always refer to these industry professional evaluations that test components to a critical, professional use level, but are afraid to scratch their own safe queens.

To close my point, when building a rifle a lot of the civilian market gets so wrapped up in gimmicks and "selling" features but they don't actually consider their own end use and purpose. I'm not disagreeing with the testing or the material put forth, I'm just saying it's largely irrelevant to average Joe Canada who can't do #### with his rifle.

A rifle and it's additions are a tool used to perform an intended task, not a means to stay relevant on the internet.
Just food for thought.

 

[cr5]

With regard to the EoTech sights, I'm not arguing that there is or is not a problem with temperature changes causing POI shifts but has anyone considered that if you warm up your ammo you get a POI shift regardless of the rifle and regardless of the optic?
I can take any rifle out and even with a Nightforce mounted on top my POI will shift a little if I shoot on a cool day compared to a hot day. Warmer powder in the cartridge burns faster causing more pressure causing higher velocity resulting in a POI shift. Some powders are more stable but they are all effected to a certain degree.
If your life or the lives of others are on the line I can understand wanting to eliminate as many variables as possible but for us hobby shooters who can simply take five shots at the beginning of a range session to verify and zero if needed is it really much of an issue? If you like the sights keep using them, if you want to get caught up in the internet hype and must only use stuff good enough for special forces then buy something else.

The early spectre dr had issues with poi shift when you switched from 1x to 4x and back didn't they? Not a fan of the integral arms mount on it either. And they are fairly hefty. That being said the concept is phenomenal. I love that 1x for cqb urban style stuff, then a flick of a lever and you are on the 4x for gen purpose carbine work. If they do a gen 3 model with adm mounts and a fiber optic/tritium illumination and manage to cut a bit of weight off it, I would be over it like a fat kid in a candy store.

That was mostly a case of guys not following directions (but maybe not entirely). You're supposed to zero it on 4 power then any shift when switching to lower power is minimal. I've never noticed any shifting with mine and there shouldn't be any as long as the mount is tight without any wiggle since nothing moves but the little lens the flips in and out internally.

Fiber optic or tritium would be nice but I've had my DR for a few years and even though I rarely use the illumination it still has the battery it came with and I was playing with it the other day and it's still bright.

 

[AB_blaster]

My point is this, 90% of individuals on this forum are not working professionals, therefore your choices won't ever be tested to the same degree Eotech, crane or the FBI will. It will likely sit a top a pretty rifle traveling back and forth to a gun range and nothing more. If eotech isn't your jam, go aimpoint, I doubt very many here will ever destroy either. Its no different than the MLOK vs keymod foolishness. Everyone's all "CRANE tested them and MLOK is way stronger bro!" yet maybe only a handful of people in the civilian world will actually use their rifle in a situation where that even becomes relevent.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing for either side. MLOK vs Keymod, aimpoint vs eotech, grab whichever gets you off (I own all of them fwiw and am happy with them all) I just can't help but chuckle at folks who always refer to these industry professional evaluations that test components to a critical, professional use level, but are afraid to scratch their own safe queens.

To close my point, when building a rifle a lot of the civilian market gets so wrapped up in gimmicks and "selling" features but they don't actually consider their own end use and purpose. I'm not disagreeing with the testing or the material put forth, I'm just saying it's largely irrelevant to average Joe Canada who can't do #### with his rifle.

A rifle and it's additions are a tool used to perform an intended task, not a means to stay relevant on the internet.
Just food for thought.

I absolutely agree with what you said. My only gripe is that paying for a product that doesn't work as advertised is foolish and pisses off everyone who's ever done it. Add in the shady business practice of Eotech/L3 and it's a no brainer to stay away from their wares.

Mlok vs Keymod, well again it's cut and dry, Mlok is superior. Regardless of the user will ever run it to it's limits or not, if a guy wants the "best" option available then Mlok is your winner. There have also been average folks who have ripped their Keymod rail slots by snagging their accessories during matches, training classes or other not so abusive situations. The other benefit to Mlok is that the accessories(and the handguards) are easier to make and often cheaper than Keymod equivalents.