? on .308 barrel, horse before cart?

B

brad

Guest
I have just retired and have been gathering(have all) parts for a .308 ar build. My question is: does anyone have any information or experience with the 24" SS Red-X barrels? I have not been able to find the name of the Manufacture. I started this project last summer. I test fired 2 rounds yesterday and it does go bang.I had to load singles as the bolt would not close when fed by the magazine. Back to the barrel. I have an adjustable gas block and and muzzle brake to install but before I do this I would like to have more information about the barrel. Any information would be appreciated be it positive or negative.:confused:
 
Brad,
While I am sure there are probably a few guys that post here that have experience with AR's, the fact that no one has replied is indicitive of the fact that this is primarily a Benchrest forum. I would suggest that a better place to ask this question is at AR-15.com site. there are a plethora of gents that will probably have an immediate reply to a request for info on the barrel your seeking information on.
 
reply regarding 308 barrel

Sorry about being in wrong site. AR sites seem to be more involved in going bang bang. I am setting this rifle up to shooting benchrest, out to 1000 yds Iwant to see how accurate with long distance if possible. I will go to a bolt action if I am not satified with the results. I have pins in my back, shoulder and knee so benchrest shooting is all that I am capable of, so I thought gunsmithing in this forum may be of help.
 
Hey Brad, you're welcome to ask here it's just that few people here can help you...... some can and hopefully will, especially if you put "AR10" or "308AR" in the title but for the most part it's not avoidance of you it's just lack of knowledge. I've never heard of a 'Red-X' barrel, and I actually own a Stoner SR25 (McGowen bbl??) so I'm a teeny bit more AR'ish than most on this site :) At least I know some AR guys....The guys I personally know who've rebarrelled AR's have used Krieger and Shilen bbls...or else the mainstream barrels with company names on them. Some companies like Rainier and Lewis seem to indicate "their" barrels are just the schnizzle but I donno's they actually make their own.

I recognize your dilemma, and there are a couple guys here who may help you. A poster who goes by 'stool' has some AR accuracy background.

good luck

al
 
ar-308

Thanks for the reply. I should have researched barrels more earlier. the red-x barrel is sold by brownells but red-x does not manufacture them. I'll just go forward with the muzzle brake and adjustable gas block and see how the barrel shoots. I can always order a new barrel from a quality supplier. being retired Time is not an issue, perhaps money is but that is another story. Thanks again for your input and have a nice evening.:)
 
If you want a specific barrel on an AR platform, I think you are better off using a smith that will do the work vs. a pre-made. I've used some Krieger, couple Brux, Douglas and Shilen in 17 and 20 cals, and a lot of Rock Creek 30's. Given a good barrel and proper chamber, the AR's will shoot extremely well. Well enough to compete against bolt guns...not sure about that, but they have their place and the barrel is where you want to put the $ along with a good trigger IMO.
 
thanks

:cool:
stool said:
the one good thing about ar15.com is they have a few threads on NAME vs actual maker.
i had not heard of that name so said nothing....use kreiger and hart myself.
Click to expand...

I have attempted to contact Red-X, no response. I have attempted to contact brownells whom carrys the Red-X label and they only told me they get their barrels from Red-X and did not any other information. I will check ar15.com out and in the mean time look into a few of the better known barrel manufactures. I do not plan on 1000yd competition but a barrel that will get me in the 18" x 30" would be nice (maybe I am just dreaming). Once again thanks
 
barrels

msalm said:
If you want a specific barrel on an AR platform, I think you are better off using a smith that will do the work vs. a pre-made. I've used some Krieger, couple Brux, Douglas and Shilen in 17 and 20 cals, and a lot of Rock Creek 30's. Given a good barrel and proper chamber, the AR's will shoot extremely well. Well enough to compete against bolt guns...not sure about that, but they have their place and the barrel is where you want to put the $ along with a good trigger IMO.
Click to expand...

What would be an approximate price difference between have a smith v.s. pre-made barrel. (24" SS Hbar 1:10 twist). Cost is a factor as I have just retired, but then again, what is another bucket of water to a drowning man.:)
 
brad said:
What would be an approximate price difference between have a smith v.s. pre-made barrel. (24" SS Hbar 1:10 twist). Cost is a factor as I have just retired, but then again, what is another bucket of water to a drowning man.:)
Click to expand...


yeahh

bail.jpg
 
I give up,well sort of

msalm said:
If you want a specific barrel on an AR platform, I think you are better off using a smith that will do the work vs. a pre-made. I've used some Krieger, couple Brux, Douglas and Shilen in 17 and 20 cals, and a lot of Rock Creek 30's. Given a good barrel and proper chamber, the AR's will shoot extremely well. Well enough to compete against bolt guns...not sure about that, but they have their place and the barrel is where you want to put the $ along with a good trigger IMO.
Click to expand...
With the money it would cost to change out the barrel on my 308 I am going to put towards a bolt action. I have sunk enough into my Ar projects and have decided to go another direction. I am planning on going with the Remington 700 5-R. I have not decided on the caliber yet, but thought this was be a good place for a beginner, like myself to start. Thanks everyone for their input.
 
Dont give up just yet!!

Brad, many times the fix is simple. I am just the opposite of the distinguished crowd that frequents this board. I started building Ar's and caught the br bug when a couple of friends said "here, sit down and shoot this". Mr Rivers just chambered it a few weeks ago and it still sits a virgin thus far.

Any how, if you are interested in figuring it out, i need to ask a couple questions.

JP
 
JamesP said:
Brad, many times the fix is simple. I am just the opposite of the distinguished crowd that frequents this board. I started building Ar's and caught the br bug when a couple of friends said "here, sit down and shoot this". Mr Rivers just chambered it a few weeks ago and it still sits a virgin thus far.

Any how, if you are interested in figuring it out, i need to ask a couple questions.

JP
Click to expand...

Ask as many as you like, hopefully I will have the answers.
 
Alrighty then.

Right off the top of my head, i'm thinking you're ar is short stroking. Not uncommon with a new build so lets figure out where the problem is.

How many rounds have you put through the rifle so far? Sometimes its as simple as shooting it in.

Using the charging handle, does the rifle cycle as it should? Can you chamber a round and extract it with the charging handle with an unfired round? On aftermarket barrels the chamber is usually tighter than mil-spec and can be sticky. These will usually shoot in after a bit with factory ammo. If you are rolling you're own, check you're sizing. Pull the rear pin and cycle the bolt carrier with you hand. Does the gas key strike the gas tube. Look at the gas tube as you move the gas key into the tube and see if it flexes. If so, tweak the gas tube just a little.

The most common would be gas restriction.

1- Be sure there are no restrictions at the gas block and gas tube

2- Are you using a set screw or taper pin gas block? If you have an aftermarket barrel, you prolly have the set screw type. Be sure the port on the gas block is indexed over the barrel port.
If you are using a taper pin gas block, is it native to the barrel? Not often will a taper pin gas block work on a barrel it was not drilled with. If so, you can either enlarge the hole in the block if it is close to
encompass the barrel port or replace with a set screw block.

I will stop here as this covers most of the issues. Check these out and see what you find out.

..jp
 
last 48hr update

List of events to date: After completing the build. Barrel is .308 24" ss. loaded magazine engaged bcg. would not fire. I believe bolt was not engaging. loaded with single round, fired, no problem. Removed bcg,took apart cleaned oiled and re installed. I manually engaged bcg20-25 times. Installed dummy rounds in magazine and cycled. everything seemed to work but when pulling the charging handle back manually the bolt carrier seems very tight. Also on occasion the bolt is not engaging. That is where I am. Thanks for the questions.
 
stool said:
look at the gas tube alignment with the carrier/key.
with the upper upside down will the carrier slide on its own weight to a closed position..if you to;t he muzzle down?
Click to expand...

I will check it out tommorow. Thanks for responding
 
Stool's right on the first place I would check. Take the bolt out of the carrier and with the upper up-side down, slide the carrier into the upper. You'll be able to tell if the gas tube is hanging up. Using flat screwdrivers, and an open-ended wrench works for levering the tube upwards, tweak the tube up/down/left/right as needed so the carrier slides in w/ no effort. After that re-assemble and that part should be fine.
 
Jp stool and mslam

Ok once again I stripped and cleaned. I did adjust the gas tube and now the bcg slides in and engages. I loaded some dummy rounds, they chambered and ejected fine, The bcg seems to be tight when I manually pull it back. I am going to go forward and take it out and try live ammo. I have a ss barrel and was thinking I should order some tubbs break in rounds, or should I just load it up and fire? Thank you very mych for your help. This thing is driving me crazy. It was a lot easier when I was in the Corps and just turned myrifle into the armory.:) Once again Thank You
 
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