The SL8 Mods, Info and FAQ Thread

I tried Freedom Ventures. He told me about Gravel Agency and also to try Wild West in AB.

I haven't called Wild West yet but I will tomorrow.

I contacted Gravel and according to them, they don't deal with Hera Arms. They don't list Hera on their website either. Is it possible that this has changed recently?
 
Still can't get the bolt catch to work properly. Does anyone know of alternate bolt catches that are longer than the SL8 one that will work with the rifle?
 
Bogaty said:
I broke down and filed down the top bits of my trigger assembly on my lower in the hopes that doing so would make it fit more snugly and allow the bolt catch to latch on to more of the bolt (right now, it just barely grabs the bottom of it by about 2-3mm). I sanded off about 1/16" as recommended but it didn't make any difference. The bolt catch still just barely grabs the lower edge of the bolt head by about 2-3mm. I note that your trigger assembly and mine are slightly different in that you seem to be able to fully detach the stock from your via a screw or pin system. On mine, it's all one piece of plastic (same as the one the guy's selling in the photo above.) so sanding down the rearmost portion isn't really an option. The screw holes for the hex nuts and the pin hole for the mag-well retaining pin already line up perfectly so I'm not sure what else I can do at this point. I thought about maybe throwing in the AR-15 mag adapter but I fear that I'll just end up with the same problem and that bolt catch won't properly engage either.

Any ideas?
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That's unfortunate that it still won't function properly. I didn't realize that you had a BCK conversion, I'm not sure whether or not those require the removal of 1/16" (i'm guessing that they don't). Mine is converted using a HDPS stock block which uses a factory HK G36 pistol grip which does require the modification. I should have looked back at your pics and saw that we had different conversions before i recommended removing the material, could have saved you some time. So long as the holes for the pins and screws line up as they should, the alignment of the lower and the receiver shouldn't be an issue unless something was manufactured out of spec.
 
I don't believe it's out of spec. The dealer I purchased the converted rifle from ended up sending me all the components of his rifle (which he said worked for him) and I tried swapping out every part. I replaced the bolt catch with a new one and pretty much ended up using his entire rifle in the end but the bolt catch sits too low regardless of what I try. I thought it might be the magazines but I've got Spear mags, a G36 mag, and a PMAG and the bolt won't lock back on any of them. There's an RC at my range who has a converted SL8 using the Hera lower and he was kind enough to let me try his rifle out with my mags. They work as intended with his rifle so I know it's not the mags. I can see that his bolt catch grabs the bolt about 3mm higher than mine does. I've already sunk enough money into this thing that I don't want to go the Hera route. Not sure what else I can do at this point other than a custom bolt catch.

If I remove the mag-well and the retaining pin, I can push the lower up with my thumb to the point where it seems to grab more of the bolt so filing down things won't do any good as it's the position of the retaining pin that's the limiting factor right now.
 
Anyone know of a slightly longer bolt catch that will work with the SL8? (longer on the upper portion that engages the bolt, not the lower part that protrudes into the trigger housing.)
 
Bogaty said:
Anyone know of a slightly longer bolt catch that will work with the SL8? (longer on the upper portion that engages the bolt, not the lower part that protrudes into the trigger housing.)
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My bolt catch on my SPUHR magwell catches the bottom 2 lugs on the bolt. It stops just below the ring that the base of the brass case sits in. How high is yours sitting?
 
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It catches about 2-3mm of the two lowest lugs. If I remove the retaining pin from the magwell, I can push the lower assembly up with my thumb so that the catch sits in the middle of the solid ring that the lugs protrude from.
 
I've been looking up all the canadian online stores for sl8/g36 parts and they're always out of stock or not listed. Do you guys know if I get better success emailing the stores, asking and or putting myself on the waiting list? Will they spwcial order parts if i request or do I just have to wait around for them to become available again if ever?
 
supersuk said:
I've been looking up all the canadian online stores for sl8/g36 parts and they're always out of stock or not listed. Do you guys know if I get better success emailing the stores, asking and or putting myself on the waiting list? Will they spwcial order parts if i request or do I just have to wait around for them to become available again if ever?
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Wolverine supplies can order it, but it can take a long time to arrive from HK. It's not wolverine's fault, it's HK's parts service that is terrible.
 
Hi all, I've been watching this site for a while, trying to gain knowledge while I saved cash. I think an SL8 is in my near future so I have a practical question to pose. I don't think it has been covered in the previous 95 pages, but I might have missed something. Sorry, if so.

Background: Purpose for the gun is primarily coyotes and shooting practise at the range. Most shots will be between 100-200 yards, some much closer. I'm not a competition shooter but I like to punch cloverleafs in paper when I can.

2 part question: 1) Is there a reasonable way of mounting a scope (6.5-20x50) AND either a red-dot or iron sight setup? I don't want the scope mounted so high I can't get a cheek weld. Is the 45 degree offset picatinny mount a viable option?
2) Red-dot or iron sights? No close quarters combat, just looking for something that will be quicker for target acquisition if too close for the 6 power scope. Price seems close for good irons compared to cheap red dot

Any insights much appreciated. Looking forward to being one of the cool SL8 guys soon.
 
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I don't think you need the accuracy the SL8 provides for the hunting you plan to do, however you also state that accurate target shooting is in the cards and so the SL8 will do you well there. To answer your questions.
1) Just mount the scope as low as you can and use 45 offsets like your thinking. I have a 6.5x20x44 on mine but don't find the 6.5 too much power for close shots, so I don't have a back up.
2) Check you eyes. How are you doing with irons? My eyes are getting old so I would opt for a red dot.

Moe
 
Moe said:
I don't think you need the accuracy the SL8 provides for the hunting you plan to do, however you also state that accurate target shooting is in the cards and so the SL8 will do you well there. To answer your questions.
1) Just mount the scope as low as you can and use 45 offsets like your thinking. I have a 6.5x20x44 on mine but don't find the 6.5 too much power for close shots, so I don't have a back up.
2) Check you eyes. How are you doing with irons? My eyes are getting old so I would opt for a red dot.

Moe
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Thanks Moe, I picked it up today. Totally stock SL8-4 with the long rail. The seller was kind enough to throw in some folding iron sights to I'll fool around with those while I wait for the rings to mount my scope. I'll grab some cheap factory ammo instead of burning through all the handloads i've accumulated.

You are probably right about 6.5 being OK for closer shots. I have to admit I've always thought the red dots look like fun but this is the first rifle i've ever owned that a red dot wouldn't look 100% dorky on.

Once I have the scope mounted I'll play around with some 45 degree options. Eyes hit 50 next year, suspect that a red dot will be the only option.
 
Ok. First day to the range with the new-to-me gun. Holy crap that was a lot of fun. I went through clip after clip without an interruption to my giggling. Then I realized I was rapidly eating through my stock of handloads. I had never shot with irons before, which was half the fun.

In the end, I never did end up getting the irons properly adjusted. As I measure it, there is a slight uptick on the long rail and the sights I was given when I bought the gun wouldn't adjust low enough.

I'm going to need to start buying ammo just for plinking. My single stage press is pretty slow compared to how fast I can pull that trigger. The 55 gr Bergers are a bit expensive too.

Would somebody please save me going back through the preceding 96 pages looking for a cheap ammo recommendation? I have searched using a couple different terms and the only advice I've seen is buy a bunch of different and see what works. I'm a couple hours away from the nearest ammo source so it would be nice to narrow it down before I go in. I will go through a proper load development for handloading, I'm just looking for something I can stockpile for plinking.

Thanks.
 
Question regarding the long rail.

Is it an optical illusion or does it slope upward on the barrel end? A level on mine indicates it is not parellel to the barrel and I could not get my front iron sights adjusted low enough. I'm still 5" high at 100.

I have a short rail, plus rings for my scope, plus a red dot all on order so this will eventually become a moot point but I plan to buy 1000 rounds of AE from a sale tomorrow and my parts won't be here until Monday/Tuesday.
 
All,

I PMed Moe asking a couple reloading questions and he graciously answered, then pointed out the proper place for the questions is here, so that everone can benefit so I'm re-posting my questions and his answers below.

My questions were:
1) I'm getting some dents on the spent casings, just below the shoulder. Is that normal and does it affect reloading?
2) Progressive or single stage? To date I've done everything on a single stage press but I feel like the SL8 can really gobble up the ammunition.

Moe's answers (plus a recipe that I didn't dare ask for!)
:
I too get some dents just behind the shoulder of the case. I reload them anyway unless I detect a crack after resizing. I don't find any accuracy is lost from the small dents. Not an uncommon thing with the half dozen AR15's I have owned either. I use a single stage press. I prefer them over progressive because as I load and each round is going through a single step, the odds of me detecting something going wrong is improved and better quality ammo is produced. As well I don't tend to shoo that much ammo in a day when I shoot my SL8. the most I ever shot in one day was about 100rds. I use the SL8 as a DMR and shoot precise groups which take time. I find the SL8 group size opens up from a temporary zero shift when the rifle warms up at all. Because of this I keep my groups down to 4 shots and taking my time I rip about 1 round every minute and then let it cool about 5 minutes between groups. This makes the difference for me. Doing this and measuring each powder load out on a digital scale to .1Gr, keeps me to a consistent 1 MOA. Shoot faster and I am at 1.5 MOA.

My pet load is 23.5Gr of Accurate Arms 2230, CCI Primers, Nosler 60Gr Ballistic Tip, 2.260 OAL, Hornady brass. By no means does the Primer or brass make much difference but consistent brand used does.
 
Glad I could help. Lots of the knowledge I learned about getting the SL8 as accurate as possible came from cr5 and hogie. Just paying it forward.

Moe
 
I don't suppose has the instruction manual and DVD/CD for the HERA Arms BCK gen2 conversion kit online that they could email or link to me? My gen 2 kit seems to have come with a gen 1 instruction manual and no dvd/cd. Not sure if that's the norm or what. The instructions has no mention of cutting springs which I've been reading about online.

I'f i'm posting this in the wrong section, i apologize in advance.
 
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