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Lightweight 2A Arms Xanthos 6.5 CM Build

I wish I could get to a season of life where I was boored. I haven’t had time to shoot mine since last summer. Ever time I think I see more free time coming in the near future to head to the range, something else more than fills that anticipated “void”. Have fun with that 4.9er. I wonder who makes that barrel for 2A? Faxon maybe?

I can confirm with near certainty its Faxon. I ordered the CM 2A barrel and it had the same paint marks and laser etching as my Faxon barrel. I compared it to my 12 inch grendel sbr Faxon barrel and they look near identical in color, extension marks and even profile. I also read on Faxons website recently a list of premium vendors who use their barrels, and 2A was on the list.
 
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I bought one of these 20 inch fluted 6.5 creedmoor barrels from 2a over a year ago. I got a bad barrel. I tried everything we discuss here on the hide to get it to shoot. It had a tight chamber that would blow primers and stick brass, and there must've been a burr in the bore because it would shoot a 3 foot group at 25 yards. 2a customer service was excellent and they exchanged it for a new large frame handgaurd at my request. They are selling a different batch of these barrels now because the barrel extension is a different color. I put a 22inch proof 6.5 creedmoor on it and it shoots as good as my jp lrp07.
 
Let us know how yours shoots breastroker. I am sure it will be fine. If not 2a armament will take care of you. I'm a fan of 2a armament and appreciate their light weight products. The stiffer carbon wrapped barrel fit my needs better since I can't seem to make myself go back to shooting a muzzle break.
 
I've not even shot mine yet, but your barrel story knuckleballz makes me nervous. Hopefully it was just a lemon. I had to look everywhere to find my 2A barrel at the time, but seeing my 7 year old pick up the build and laugh at the lightness was pretty rewarding.

I'm still waffling on an optic. The new NX8 2.5-20x50 Nightforce looks pretty sweet, but I'm budgeting at the moment and can't justify another 2 grand on this infernal hobby of mine. Maybe next year.

I also have an Aero precision build with a 22 inch Odin Works barrel, also in 6.5 CM I've not yet shot. That has a S&B PM II 5-25 on it. I need to get my priorities right!
 
I've not even shot mine yet, but your barrel story knuckleballz makes me nervous. Hopefully it was just a lemon. I had to look everywhere to find my 2A barrel at the time, but seeing my 7 year old pick up the build and laugh at the lightness was pretty rewarding.

I'm still waffling on an optic. The new NX8 2.5-20x50 Nightforce looks pretty sweet, but I'm budgeting at the moment and can't justify another 2 grand on this infernal hobby of mine. Maybe next year.

I also have an Aero precision build with a 22 inch Odin Works barrel, also in 6.5 CM I've not yet shot. That has a S&B PM II 5-25 on it. I need to get my priorities right!
 
Got my 6.5 Creedmoor with 20" 2A Arms (Faxon) barrel down to 4.9 pounds. I like the rifle length gas system better than the previous mid length gas.. Would cost a lot more $$$$ to get it much lighter.
 
I have had a lot of Faxon barrels and they have all shot great. Faxon makes that 2A Creedmoor barrel.
 
How's the recoil from yours? I built a pretty similiar gun. 308 with 18" BSF barrel instead though.
 
Also, these things are good eating!

If they are boars, make sure you haven't been running them with dogs, and kill them dead as a stone with the first shot. If not, they can be really nasty tasting. What you really want is that 100 to 200 pound shoat. Yummy!

By the way, I have a 2A Armament in .308 and 18" barrel. Under 7 lbs without scope. No complaints. It shoots about 1 MOA with Privi Partizan Match 175gr BTHP.
 
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If they are boars, make sure you haven't been running them with dogs, and kill them dead as a stone with the first shot. If not, they can be really nasty tasting. What you really want is that 100 to 200 pound shoat. Yummy!

By the way, I have a 2A Armament in .308 and 18" barrel. Under 7 lbs without scope. No complaints. It shoots about 1 MOA with Privi Partizan Match 175gr BTHP.

Mine is 6lbs 1oz without the scope. I haven't figured out what scope I want on it yet. Which do you have?
 
I have the XLR-18. I robbed the Nikon FX1000 Black from my bolt gun and mounted on it. Now, I have a good excuse to go buy some new glass for my bolt gun LOL!
 
The largest hog I’ve shot with it was a bit over 200, the rest in the low to mid 100’s and all very tasty.

Y’all will laugh, but I have a Athlon Cronus BTR on it right now, but when I’m hunting it will wear a old model Zeiss 3.5x10 with the 800 Rapid-Z reticle. Clear glass, light weight, and a reticle that is tunable and works well with a flat shooting 6.5 especially at reasonable hunting ranges and if the laser rangefinder batteries die, the MOA marks in the top of the reticle can be used to range with the scope on 10x. It’s one of my favorite hunting scopes and a real “sleeper” of a deal. For close range hog shoots, I use the RMO red dot.
 
Well I'm having an issue my Xanthos upper. The charging handle is jumping out when I fire.
Couple things to check, if you haven't already. Have you looked at the latch on the charging handle? Also curious as to the type/brand. Is the latch portion worn or the spring on it weak? Hopefully its just a bad charging handle. If the receiver and that indent/wall catch is worn that's a worse issue.
 
Couple things to check, if you haven't already. Have you looked at the latch on the charging handle? Also curious as to the type/brand. Is the latch portion worn or the spring on it weak? Hopefully its just a bad charging handle. If the receiver and that indent/wall catch is worn that's a worse issue.
Brand new Xanthos upper and Radian handle. I tried two other Hanes and got the same issue.
 
Brand new Xanthos upper and Radian handle. I tried two other Hanes and got the same issue.
I'd recommend you contact 2A then and describe the issue, see what they say. I found a guy on another site with a similar issue, and he proved like you there wasn't an issue with the charging handle. I didn't see the resolution but the discussion ended with the members thinking the receiver had an issue or there was a problem with the gas rings on the bcg.
 
I'd recommend you contact 2A then and describe the issue, see what they say. I found a guy on another site with a similar issue, and he proved like you there wasn't an issue with the charging handle. I didn't see the resolution but the discussion ended with the members thinking the receiver had an issue or there was a problem with the gas rings on the bcg.
I did. They send me a UPS code to send the upper back to them to inspect it. Do you maybe have a link to that other guy's post?
 
2A got the upper receiver. Just replaced it and is sending me a new one. I didn't have to remove the guard, barrel, etc. They handled that.
Kudos to them for taking care of you. Let us know if that fixes the issue.
 
Kudos to them for taking care of you. Let us know if that fixes the issue.
Well....they replaced the upper. The CH notch is deeper on this upper and the CH no longer jumps out!

BUT. The gun won't cycle now. It'll eject and the BCG will go forward, but it won't grab the next round.
 
Well....they replaced the upper. The CH notch is deeper on this upper and the CH no longer jumps out!

BUT. The gun won't cycle now. It'll eject and the BCG will go forward, but it won't grab the next round.
Make sure the magazine your using is sitting high enough into the lower for the BCG to grab the round. I've seen some weird mags that wouldn't work in my gun. All the Magpuls I have work. Make sure the mag is locking up good when you insert it. Insert a full mag with the BCG locked back, and then release the bolt and see if it grabs a round. (Make sure you're outside your house with the gun pointed toward the ground when you do this.) The reason I suggest you try this is because I had an old AR once that would fool you into thinking the mag was fully inserted when it really wasn't. It might pick up the first round, but not the second.
 
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Make sure the magazine your using is sitting high enough into the lower for the BCG to grab the round. I've seen some weird mags that wouldn't work in my gun. All the Magpuls I have work. Make sure the mag is locking up good when you insert it. Insert a full mag with the BCG locked back, and then release the bolt and see if it grabs a round. (Make sure you're outside your house with the gun pointed toward the ground when you do this.) The reason I suggest you try this is because I had an old AR once that would fool you into thinking the mag was fully inserted when it really wasn't. It might pick up the first round, but not the second.
I'll try it. I've only got Magpul mags.
 
Well gents, been over a year since anybody posted on this thread. I finally finished my 2A build, and figured I'd upload a photo or two. With the virus of unnamed origin, its taken quite some time for me to get ammo and decide on an optic, and even more time to gather those and shoot it! My end result won't win any lightweight competitions, but before I added a mag or optic I stood at 6 pounds and about 9 or 10 ounces. I could lose quite a bit more weight with a lighter muzzle device, titanium bolt carrier and grip, but I liked these and its still less than many of my AR15s.

I went with a Vortex Razor Gen 3, and then threw on a Steiner 34mm mount I had lying around for optics. I ordered the scope from Liberty Optics back in March. On day 165, I received it. I put an SLR adjustable gas block on the 2A 20 inch barrel, and went with the 2A 15" handguard. Muzzle device is a VG6 Gamma 65. Stock is an MFT minimalist, and buffer tube, bcg, castle nut and take down pins are all 2A. Trigger is a 2 stage MBT, safety is a Radian Talon.

I've only shot a few groups, using S&B 131 grain soft point. My groups were under an inch from a rickety table and bag, on a scorching hot summer day in Kentucky. Both my Creedmore rifles seem to love this stuff. I had some fun getting the gas block set, but seems pretty reliable now, although case ejection is a bit weak. I am using a POF P308 buffer with all the inner weights removed. I'll continue to tune as time and money allows.

I will say, I love this scope. I'd have several more if they weren't 2K (or much less from Liberty) a pop. Cheers!
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I found I'd saved one of my targets, this is a 3 shot group, taken at 100 yards on 6.5 magnification. About a .75 inch group. The bottom cloverleaf was trying to adjust the gas block at 25 yards. I'll take it, this is only the 2nd AR308/AR10 frame rifle I've built.
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Finished mine up and works great, recoil definitely more then my other 308s, probably due to the the sabertube stock but it cuts weight. 5lbs 14 oz without brake or scope.

2A Xanthos
BSF 16" barrel
SLR Sentry 8
V Seven Titanium BCG
V Seven Ultraligte handguard
Raptor SD Charging handle
Geissele trigger of some sort
6.5oz Heavy Buffer

Pricey but will be worth it for hunting with my Reap-IR at night.

Might try a lighter buffer later to try and reduce recoil if it doesn't affect reliability. Have it tuned with my Sandman L right now with no issues.

I tried a few different buffers with my V7 titanium BCG (also on a Xanthos receiver set), and ran the adjustable gas block from full open on down to where it wouldn’t cycle, but never could get it to run reliably.

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And God help me if I ran 7.62x51 instead of straight .308…it was ripping the heads off the cases:

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Runs like a top with a full-weight KAK carrier and a bolt with dual ejectors though. Can’t fInd a pic right now, but here’s a pic from online:

i-GKhNVdQ.jpg


Pretty sure I posted this same pic somewhere else on here a day or two ago, but I just put a new scope on and it’s still shooting great; just a 25-yd until I can get time to go out and shoot a real 100-yd zero, but quite happy with it. Final PoA after getting it close was the ‘8’ above the x-ring:

i-Vj4hcdS.jpg


What buffer/spring combo are you using with your V7 bcg?
 
Scale says around 8lbs like this. Have a TBAC Ultra 5 on order.
View attachment 6895076

ouch! My shoulder hurts just looking at that!

I initially started out with a saber tube too…but quickly realized that was a bad idea shooting .308, LOL

Only pic I can find right now with the sabertube still on…this is when I switched to a rifle-length cf butt stock from Smoke Composites…with the extra thick pad of course!

i-CP2cqMG.jpg


Shot it in that configuration for a couple years with a S&B 1-8 short dot until very recently; switched to the Night Force 1-8 in the post above.

i-mH4fKGj.jpg
 
Most of my posts on Ultra lite AR308s are over on the 6.8 forums and the ultra lite thread at ARFCOM. Using a Faxon 16inch pencil 308 barrel @ 28.3 ounces and an Xanthos upper receiver, JP VMOS aluminum carrier and JP bolt, and my own 11 inch custom CF hand guard @ 2.8 ounces with aluminum barrel nut, the entire rifle without scope weighs 3.9 pounds. Using a Tennessee Arms polymer lower.View attachment 7021359View attachment 7021360

damn!

and I thought I got light with my ‘no tax stamp’ ultralight AR-15 build!

i-6wpXRhD-4K.jpg


I got down to 3# 4.4 oz with an empty 10-rd mag, albeit with a full length butt stock and long hand guard to work with my apelike reach. Can’t imagine getting anywhere close with a .308, but you did it!

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3# 2.2 oz for just the rifle:

i-KRpJNf5-4K.jpg
Build was started on Zombie Squad before they shut down that board; most of it recaptured on the new far smaller board under ‘Aereus Lev’ if you search.


Edit: and while I won’t be doing any sustained strings of fire with this one, it is a shooter. I put the upper on a known good to go lower to get the gas adjusted, and the tiny little red dot close:

i-f3MB2Nv-4K.jpg


Then shot several 5-rd groups, as well as one 10-round mag dump (well, as much as 10 rounds can be considered a mag dump anyway) with the plastic fantastic lower configuration just to prove the concept:

i-DH6Fc27-4K.jpg
 
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And God help me if I ran 7.62x51 instead of straight .308…it was ripping the heads off the cases:
That's because, (contrary to some swivel chair experts beliefs) many 7.62x51 ammo has slightly larger dimensions than some .308 chambers. I have two rifles with .308 target chambers that will not chamber a 7.62 NATO round unless you use a hammer.

I also have a 2A Armament 18" barrel Xanthos .308 AR10 that comes in at 6.75 lbs without a scope.
 
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Hello everyone, I’ve had a xanthos lite and it cycles fine but had some issues with what I believe is the bolt catch. In the past only a LMT would actually hold the bolt to the rear and lock back after firing the last round. The issue I’m seeing now is if I have the bolt locked to the rear with a mag in it doesn’t pick up a round because the bolt is rest too far forward but if I rack the charging handle it goes back behind the round and picks one up flawlessly. The same can be said when cycling (firing normally). Any recommendations on what bolt catch to try or any other possible issues? I have had the same issue with a JP Low mass, jp full mass as well as a lantac bcg and lancer/ pmags thank you for your input
 
It should lock back on the bolt face when locking back by hand. If it isnt, your buffer tube tube/spring combo is wrong
 
It should lock back on the bolt face when locking back by hand. If it isnt, your buffer tube tube/spring combo is wrong
Ok, thank you for responding, I have a VLTOR a5 for an ar 10 with the Vltor a3 buffer. I believe I’m using a jp rifle length spring. Maybe the jp spring is incorrect ? Thanks again for any advice in advance.