IMO a thing of beauty

[Little gator]

JG custom AR-15

shilen SS HBAR 20" .223 wylde 1:8 twist ratchet rifling.
JP enterprises forged upper.
Vortex PST 4-16x50mm FFP MRAD
Daniel defense carrier group with bolt matched to barrel.
Troy 15" alpha rail.
Atlas BT10 Bi-pod
Spikes tactical forged lower.
Magpul PRS butt stock.
JP enterprises buffer spring, DPMS buffer.
Geissel SD-E trigger.

2 fingers right in front of the mag well it balances perfect.

well there she is, i had to show her off...ill be sighting her in next weekend(depending on this damned Ohio weather )

 

[Scotts556]

Looks awesome man!!!!!!

 

[ORD]

View attachment 30390

JG custom AR-15

shilen SS HBAR 20" .223 wylde 1:8 twist ratchet rifling.
JP enterprises forged upper.
Vortex PST 4-16x50mm FFP MRAD
Daniel defense carrier group with bolt matched to barrel.
Troy 15" alpha rail.
Atlas BT10 Bi-pod
Spikes tactical forged lower.
Magpul PRS butt stock.
JP enterprises buffer spring, DPMS buffer.
Geissel SD-E trigger.

2 fingers right in front of the mag well it balances perfect.

well there she is, i had to show her off...ill be sighting her in next weekend(depending on this damned Ohio weather )

Your list of components looks pretty good. I have had excellent results with the 20" Shilen tubes I've used in the past (both traditional and ratchet-rifled models). I have also only more recently come to enjoy the SD-E trigger despite running SSA-Es for some time now. You'll LOVE IT!!

That said...color me confused on a couple of points of your build thus far:

1) Is that a REAR BUIS or some sort of level mounted on the riser/extended picatinny rail just under the mag ring/eyepiece of your optic? Is it TOUCHING your optic? If it IS a BUIS, what specific FRONT sight are you envisioning being able to run in conjunction with that rear sight since its now well above the same plane that your rifle's receiver and handguard share? If you aren't going to be running some sort of weirdly adapted front sight in conjunction with it...why not remove the BUIS altogether and then get rings that sit a fair bit lower, allowing you better positioning on the rifle, a lower height above bore with your optic, etc.? If its a level, why not move your riser rail forward a few positions on your rifle's receiver (looks like you have a few more spaces for the forward mounting bolt to engage on), and then install the level (or the BUIS) on the rifle's receiver rail instead, then opt for at least somewhat lower rings.

2) Are you planning on actually installing the forward assist assembly? Looks to be just a hole in the upper at this point based on that pic (I see no button present at this point). If you don't want the FA, I would advise you to at least get an FA plug for the hole because if you don't, you'll get at least SOME blowback through the hole which you really aren't gonna want, especially if you will ever be shooting lefty/weak side/etc.

 

[Little gator]

Your list of components looks pretty good. I have had excellent results with the 20" Shilen tubes I've used in the past (both traditional and ratchet-rifled models). I have also only more recently come to enjoy the SD-E trigger despite running SSA-Es for some time now. You'll LOVE IT!!

That said...color me confused on a couple of points of your build thus far:

1) Is that a REAR BUIS or some sort of level mounted on the riser/extended picatinny rail just under the mag ring/eyepiece of your optic? Is it TOUCHING your optic? If it IS a BUIS, what specific FRONT sight are you envisioning being able to run in conjunction with that rear sight since its now well above the same plane that your rifle's receiver and handguard share? If you aren't going to be running some sort of weirdly adapted front sight in conjunction with it...why not remove the BUIS altogether and then get rings that sit a fair bit lower, allowing you better positioning on the rifle, a lower height above bore with your optic, etc.? If its a level, why not move your riser rail forward a few positions on your rifle's receiver (looks like you have a few more spaces for the forward mounting bolt to engage on), and then install the level (or the BUIS) on the rifle's receiver rail instead, then opt for at least somewhat lower rings.

2) Are you planning on actually installing the forward assist assembly? Looks to be just a hole in the upper at this point based on that pic (I see no button present at this point). If you don't want the FA, I would advise you to at least get an FA plug for the hole because if you don't, you'll get at least SOME blowback through the hole which you really aren't gonna want, especially if you will ever be shooting lefty/weak side/etc.

damn you....i was hoping no one would see it didn't have the assist thought I had one, got the last parts in today, put it together and no effing forward assist. im heading to the store tomorrow to get one. by the by you get credit for the barrel I picked, so THANK YOU for your input and advice.

its a picatinny mounted level I impulse bought. and no its not touching...its like 1/32" apart. truthfully i might scrap it and get one you mount to the scope(if i even get one) and i tried to do what you suggested 1st, worked SOOO much better as far as its visibility went. but if the riser is moved fwd at all it will begin to clamp onto to rail...and im not to keen on 2 mounting surfaces for a scope.

also the riser rail isn't for height. i couldn't get a good check weld/eye relief with it mounted to the upper, so went with the rail instead of the Cantilever rings. more adjustment availability IMHO and i think it looks cooler and thanks to the PRS the height is NO issue. shouldering/aiming is freakishly natural. I know its not news to you guys but yeah.

only thing that worries me is I had to torque the barrel nut to 80ish ft/lb to get the gas tube crap lined up...iv NEVER had to do one past 60. I know its recommended not to go past 70-75 but the only other option was finger tight...I spent an hour messing with it. maybe its just how troy makes em, maybe im being to anal...

 

[ORD]

damn you....i was hoping no one would see it didn't have the assist thought I had one, got the last parts in today, put it together and no effing forward assist. im heading to the store tomorrow to get one. by the by you get credit for the barrel I picked, so THANK YOU for your input and advice.

its a picatinny mounted level I impulse bought. and no its not touching...its like 1/32" apart. truthfully i might scrap it and get one you mount to the scope(if i even get one) and i tried to do what you suggested 1st, worked SOOO much better as far as its visibility went. but if the riser is moved fwd at all it will begin to clamp onto to rail...and im not to keen on 2 mounting surfaces for a scope.

also the riser rail isn't for height. i couldn't get a good check weld/eye relief with it mounted to the upper, so went with the rail instead of the Cantilever rings. more adjustment availability IMHO and i think it looks cooler and thanks to the PRS the height is NO issue. shouldering/aiming is freakishly natural. I know its not news to you guys but yeah.

only thing that worries me is I had to torque the barrel nut to 80ish ft/lb to get the gas tube crap lined up...iv NEVER had to do one past 60. I know its recommended not to go past 70-75 but the only other option was finger tight...I spent an hour messing with it. maybe its just how troy makes em, maybe im being to anal...

If I didn't notice the missing FA...TRUST ME...someone would have! We're a pretty picky/type-A bunch of folks around here!

As for the optic/base setup...it isn't ideal, but provided it fits you and allows you to get settled properly on the rifle...I wouldn't sweat it too much. I'm not wild about getting optics up any higher than absolutely necessary and your scope appears to be up there a ways (like a 3/8" or higher riser along with AR high rings). I would NOT recommend cross-mounting your riser between the receiver and handguard as that's usually a recipe for problems on anything BUT a true monolithic rail.

As to the ~80ft/lbs required to get your barrel nut squared away...while I think Troy's recommended range is between 30-60ft/lbs, they have also indicated that going as high as 90ft/lbs is "ok" if absolutely necessary. Out of curiosity, was that ~80ft/lbs WITH any type of anti-seize/moly grease/etc.? If so, its possible that you are a fair bit beyond the 80ft/lbs you THINK you have torqued the barrel nut down to. Shoot it and see how she runs. If you run into any accuracy woes, etc., then maybe break her down and check things out, but no reason to worry or fret for the time being.

 

[lte82]

80 ft-lbs isn't going to damage that upper or barrel, hurt accuracy, etc. Nice build by the way. I've got a Shilen 20" on a service rifle build as well.

 

[Little gator]

If I didn't notice the missing FA...TRUST ME...someone would have! We're a pretty picky/type-A bunch of folks around here!

As for the optic/base setup...it isn't ideal, but provided it fits you and allows you to get settled properly on the rifle...I wouldn't sweat it too much. I'm not wild about getting optics up any higher than absolutely necessary and your scope appears to be up there a ways (like a 3/8" or higher riser along with AR high rings). I would NOT recommend cross-mounting your riser between the receiver and handguard as that's usually a recipe for problems on anything BUT a true monolithic rail.

As to the ~80ft/lbs required to get your barrel nut squared away...while I think Troy's recommended range is between 30-60ft/lbs, they have also indicated that going as high as 90ft/lbs is "ok" if absolutely necessary. Out of curiosity, was that ~80ft/lbs WITH any type of anti-seize/moly grease/etc.? If so, its possible that you are a fair bit beyond the 80ft/lbs you THINK you have torqued the barrel nut down to. Shoot it and see how she runs. If you run into any accuracy woes, etc., then maybe break her down and check things out, but no reason to worry or fret for the time being.

I torque, then add bit-o-anti seize and torque again. so pretty sure it was like 82.

as for the height, I was worried about that, my obj lens sits a hair over 1/2" above the rail. I had a nice talk with the guy who sold me the rings. he actually talked me into the extra high rings over the high(high rings are the smallest I could have gone) the reason he suggested them was I was more comfortable with it slightly higher he was nice enough to set some rings up on a show model AR they had...comfy=less strain=more relaxed=better shooting. made sense to me...

have you ever gotten one of shilen's barrels with the matched bolt?
I ask because the bolt I received is VERY tight in the carrier it "popped" into place rather than slide in snug. the problem is the small "band" right behind the extractor pin. iv had tight ones before but this is tight enough to create cycling issues when working the action by hand. the 1st round I chambered I had to put ass into it to pull the charging handle back. I rechecked my work, swapped out the shilen bolt with the original(from Daniel defense) and a DPMS one. both bolts functioned properly... so I "know" its not me.

 

[ORD]

have you ever gotten one of shilen's barrels with the matched bolt?
I ask because the bolt I received is VERY tight in the carrier it "popped" into place rather than slide in snug. the problem is the small "band" right behind the extractor pin. iv had tight ones before but this is tight enough to create cycling issues when working the action by hand. the 1st round I chambered I had to put ass into it to pull the charging handle back. I rechecked my work, swapped out the shilen bolt with the original(from Daniel defense) and a DPMS one. both bolts functioned properly... so I "know" its not me.

I've had ONE of their HBAR barrels that came with a matching bolt. It was tight, but not excessively. If I recall...and its been a while so don't quote me on this...mine was tight around the gas rings/tail of the bolt and not up on the body at the raised band/edge behind the extractor pin like what you seem to be talking about. Lube the snot out of everything before you hit the range for your initial T&E and see if you have any issues under live fire (alternatively, and of course following necessary safety measures to ensure the rifle is unloaded, etc., you can also lube the snot out of it and manually cycle it MANY times and see if that ultimately helps some before you hit the range for live fire). I'm guessing it'll probably be fine and the tightness on it will likely dissipate with normal use/firing of the rifle. If you are concerned that something may be way out of spec, grab your calipers and take some just quick/dirty measurements of that portion of your DD bolt and compare those to what you get from your Shilen matched bolt.

 

[lte82]

I torque, then add bit-o-anti seize and torque again. so pretty sure it was like 82.

as for the height, I was worried about that, my obj lens sits a hair over 1/2" above the rail. I had a nice talk with the guy who sold me the rings. he actually talked me into the extra high rings over the high(high rings are the smallest I could have gone) the reason he suggested them was I was more comfortable with it slightly higher he was nice enough to set some rings up on a show model AR they had...comfy=less strain=more relaxed=better shooting. made sense to me...

have you ever gotten one of shilen's barrels with the matched bolt?
I ask because the bolt I received is VERY tight in the carrier it "popped" into place rather than slide in snug. the problem is the small "band" right behind the extractor pin. iv had tight ones before but this is tight enough to create cycling issues when working the action by hand. the 1st round I chambered I had to put ass into it to pull the charging handle back. I rechecked my work, swapped out the shilen bolt with the original(from Daniel defense) and a DPMS one. both bolts functioned properly... so I "know" its not me.

My shilen matched bolt is tight, but not excessively tight like you describe. My recommendation is to call Shilen to send you another bolt (really the 'matched' bolt isn't going to be much different in spec, if any at all, than a standard milspec bolt), or you can polish it up with flitz or an even more aggressive polishing compound, then re-oxidize it. You can buy a small black oxide kit for < $20.

 

[N2SndngLd]

I like it. Similar to my CCR CRP-18. Which I love.