Long Range build.

I recently built a AR/SR 25 308 style rifle and I am wanting to get involved in long range shooting/ hunting. I bought the criterion stainless bull barrel
1x10 twist 24" long.
any advice on starting out would be great. I only run Nikon scopes on I'll my hunting rifles so any recommendations on glass would be appreciated also, somewhat budget friendly would be great

Gas guns are a little different than bolt guns for long range. You definitely need a great trigger . Depending on your budget you can't beat nightforce glass for there durability . The shv line is not bad for the money then the nsx or nx8. Not a big leupold fan for a gun with adjustable turrets .trijicon ten mile is a good scope also . If you check the classified section you can usually find a deal . Second most important thing is the ability to adjust the Gas system so the gun runs smoothly over Gas and the bolt will hit the back of the tube and throw your shot typically high.

LickerBox23 said:

I recently built a AR/SR 25 308 style rifle and I am wanting to get involved in long range shooting/ hunting. I bought the criterion stainless bull barrel
1x10 twist 24" long.
any advice on starting out would be great. I only run Nikon scopes on I'll my hunting rifles so any recommendations on glass would be appreciated also, somewhat budget friendly would be great

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What kind of distance are you wanting to shoot? What is your budget for glass? What caliber is the barrel?

These guys taught me that you never start with one component, you make your decisions as a whole.

You are on the right path. If you want to stay with Nikon quality optics, take a look at Tract optics. Two of Nikons engineers left the company when they saw the writing on the wall that they were dropping there rifle scope division. They make great glass.

Look at Rise Triggers. I really like the one I have. It's very crisp and a single stage 2.5# trigger pull. The Iconic is a great option for precision shooting. The biggest concern with AR's are to have tight fitment between the upper and lower. Make sure the barrel is free floating in the hand guard.

Testing AR's I have to keep in mind there limitations in the precision world. They are definitely minute of man to 1000yds with the right ammunition. Definitely hand loading will help this endeavor. Run 155's or tipped 168 grain or heavier bullets. The 168smk is great out to 800yds. 175smk's will take you to 1000. With a 24" barrel you'll get the velocity that you need to reach out.

crazymonkey said:

Gas guns are a little different than bolt guns for long range. You definitely need a great trigger . Depending on your budget you can't beat nightforce glass for there durability . The shv line is not bad for the money then the nsx or nx8. Not a big leupold fan for a gun with adjustable turrets .trijicon ten mile is a good scope also . If you check the classified section you can usually find a deal . Second most important thing is the ability to adjust the Gas system so the gun runs smoothly over Gas and the bolt will hit the back of the tube and throw your shot typically high.

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The Sr 25 is good gun 800 and under 1000 n beyond had trouble with it, and you definitely need to look at other options in scope. I'm a ffp guy , org sr25 had 12 power leupold, if you want good optic with lots if elevation look at the tract 160 moa , I got a Lil more than 160 out of mine. As other guy stated good trigger is key cmc flat 2.5 drop in palmetto state has them on sale for $99. Hope this helps !

I agree with liltank about Tract scopes, no middle man, buy direct and very good glass. I have four. One other thing I've started doing is to square the face of the upper receiver to the bolt bore. Brownell's and Wheeler make a tool for this. I tried it on a new Aero Precision upper I just got in and it was pretty far off which means the barrel would be canted relative to the bolt bore. It is not as precise as indexing on a good lathe but it is better than not doing it and something easily done at home. Be sure and get the correct tool for your platform, AR10 and 15 are different.

I like the Geissele DMR, Trigger Tech, CMC. I haven't used Rise so I can't comment on them but I do see them at good discounts pretty often and their materials are good.

I also have been using the Vltor A-5 buffer system, Bravo Company makes basically the same thing and the JP Enterprises buffer is very good. Combining one of those with the aforementioned adjustable gas block would make for very nice platform in an AR10.

I've built a few myself. One time I was building a 308 for a client. I used a 30 cal 1-10 Hart blank put barrel extension on it profiled it, and put in a gas port. Headspace came out absolutely perfect. The whole gun was flawless. I expected it to shoot 1/2 MOA like mine with a Rock Barrel. But it shot just under 2 MOA. The only thing I found suspect was the firing pin hole was slighter larger than mine. I swapped just the bolt with the one in my gun and the clients gun shot better than 3/4 MOA. So now I keep several bolts on hand and when I cut a new barrel I'll swap bolts till I find the most accurate one and then I send the gun out with that bolt. By the way, I sent that bolt back to DPMS and they reported that it was with in specs, but sent me a new one for good measure.
So,….if the gun doesn't shoot like you think it should try a different bolt. It can make all the difference in the world.

I'm nowhere near as experienced as some here, but for AGB's I've only ever used Superlative parts, and I see no reason to try something else.
My default precision upper's BCG is a Lantac NiB assembly. When I can find one. They just seem to work right from the start, never had to break in a rifle using one of them.
I wish that I got to shoot the Calvin Elite in one build often enough to have a solid opinion about it. Sure is fancy looking, but not terribly budget friendly. I've got one of Jard's single-set triggers waiting for me to decide what lower to try it in.

LickerBox23 said:

I recently built a AR/SR 25 308 style rifle and I am wanting to get involved in long range shooting/ hunting.

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Getting 'involved in long range shooting' needs some parameters in order to attempt to answer your question.

As suggested above, what are the distances that you feel are appropriate for your long range desires?

Entering into long range target shooting and hunting usually involves that money pit which pushes most of us to spend a lot more than we anticipate. Long range shooting usually requires your better than average components if you want to achieve some modicum of success.

Gas guns are not known for the best accuracy at longer ranges. It would help your understanding if you would look at the groups and distances of some of the long range competitions which feature bolt action rifles then compare those to any of the similar for gas guns. You'll find that the gas guns lack the precision and accuracy of a properly built bolt action rifle. But that doesn't mean you can't use a gas gun for some of the long range shooting, just understand the limits.

There are quite a few variables for achieving accuracy when assembling an AR platform. It's not the erector set simplicity that many try to convince you. There are few rifle builders who actually understand this and can back it up. Most others simply don't although they think they do... DIY builds usually fail to achieve longer range goals.

And, as noted above, an excellent trigger can be the make or break component. Most AR triggers are not worth using on a long range rifle but the best triggers are insanely overpriced.

In my estimation, 600 yards for large frame AR platform is a good goal. If you're thinking of longer like 1,000 yards and out, get a bolt action rifle, it'll save you money and aggravation.

Enjoy the process!

sable tireur said:

Getting 'involved in long range shooting' needs some parameters in order to attempt to answer your question.

As suggested above, what are the distances that you feel are appropriate for your long range desires?

Entering into long range target shooting and hunting usually involves that money pit which pushes most of us to spend a lot more than we anticipate. Long range shooting usually requires your better than average components if you want to achieve some modicum of success.

Gas guns are not known for the best accuracy at longer ranges. It would help your understanding if you would look at the groups and distances of some of the long range competitions which feature bolt action rifles then compare those to any of the similar for gas guns. You'll find that the gas guns lack the precision and accuracy of a properly built bolt action rifle. But that doesn't mean you can't use a gas gun for some of the long range shooting, just understand the limits.

There are quite a few variables for achieving accuracy when assembling an AR platform. It's not the erector set simplicity that many try to convince you. There are few rifle builders who actually understand this and can back it up. Most others simply don't although they think they do... DIY builds usually fail to achieve longer range goals.

And, as noted above, an excellent trigger can be the make or break component. Most AR triggers are not worth using on a long range rifle but the best triggers are insanely overpriced.

In my estimation, 600 yards for large frame AR platform is a good goal. If you're thinking of longer like 1,000 yards and out, get a bolt action rifle, it'll save you money and aggravation.

Enjoy the process!

Click to expand...

I agree with what sable tireur has stated and will add some extras, from trying to do this as well. With the gas guns, depending on what load and distance you are going for you will encounter over-gassing and other issues associated with the operation of your gun, including variables such as type of brake or suppressor you have. You really need an adjustable gas block to help compensate for these issues (especially if long range is your goal), it took a very long time to get my 6.5 creedmoor AR10 build to where I wanted it. I actually gave up for a while and bought a 6.5 creedmoor Bergara HMR bolt gun(which shoots certain box ammo through the same hole at 100 and 200 yards). That being said my AR10 now is very accurate (very close to my bolt gun now) per optimized loads per setting of my adjustable gas block. The adjustable gas block is just another variable you will have to tweak adjust besides bullet type and weight, powder, seating depth, etc. I bought a Seekins adjustable gas block, and my AR10 now is about 3lbs heavier than my HMR setup using the same atlas bipod on both but when I pull the trigger on an optimized load the AR10 it barely moves on the bench when it cycles a round. Have fun and enjoy,

Ditch the gas gun and the Nikon!!! The scope especially. I'll admit that the first time I read this I stopped at " I only run Nikon" and immediately judged. I had t go back and re read before I posted. Your gas gun with a 24 tube is capable of 600 and shorter, yes it CAN go farther but in all reality it shouldn't!!! Scopes. Nikon is not known for producing decent scopes in the last decade or two so go to a sheels or a bass pro/ cabelas see what you like then find an on line retailer that offers it cheaper than those price gouging sob's. The .308 will work on just about anything 500 and in and plenty of factory ammo so you'll be fine there.

LickerBox23 said:

I recently built a AR/SR 25 308 style rifle and I am wanting to get involved in long range shooting/ hunting. I bought the criterion stainless bull barrel
1x10 twist 24" long.
any advice on starting out would be great. I only run Nikon scopes on I'll my hunting rifles so any recommendations on glass would be appreciated also, somewhat budget friendly would be great

Click to expand...

As far as glass, a very reasonably price scope with all the features look at Arken https://www.arkenopticsusa.com/

I used a 80% lower I had machined on a drill press a few years ago. Went with full JP upper 20 inch 308 and adjustable