Eric.

With a 7 twist barrel, whichfavors a heavier bullet, the 55 might be at the bottom end range of what shoots well. Personally, I would buy/shoot a 20 round box first and see how your gun likes it, before buying a big order. Also, don't forget that the ammo you are looking at is accurate to 1 or 2 MOA, at best.

M33...$5 a pop...(hopefully, prices came down) Hey, you only live once. Nice bucket list pick up, Blake!

I run a McRee chassis w/folder too. It meets my needs, although its a bit on the heavy side. Then again, I'm not running across the course with it. If I were looking for something a bit lighter, I might go with a KRG X-Ray. IMO, the McRee is a great value in chassis. It's built like a tank and mounts the action very well (the main reason for any chassis). This is mine: http://imgur.com/T531DBb

Call Shore Shot too. Ive seen them in stock, in the past.

What everyone is hinting at is that its generally a bad idea to have anything attached to the barrel, unnecessarily. The foremost reason being that it changes your barrel harmonics, which affects accuracy. Also, welding a brace (pic rail section) can cause the barrel to torque oddly as it heats up. You could have a huge POI shift.

6mm Creedmoor is the current popular chambering with the PRS guys, but 6.5c is not far behind. While there is no doubt that the 6mm's/ .243's shoot a little flatter, it does come with a price i.e. Short barrel life. Typically, its around 1200 to 1500 rounds, or, half the life of a 6.5c.

Oh, I was gonna ask why you didn't re-barrel to a 6.5c right away. This way, you start to accumulate brass and put time in on the caliber you want?

Exactly right. If I had to guess, the trigger spring tangs were not properly clipped into the pin notches. Unless this was full auto fire, assembler error is prolly the cuprit.

I’ll second Tier 1 Defense/Mike. Mike did a great job on my custom 700 6.5 Creedmoor. I have pics on the forum. High points on the work, as well as customer communication. Located in Mountainside, NJ it’s gonna be a bit of a ride, BUT… no need to mail your gun parts. As far as .308 vs 6.5c, I honestly cannot think of a single compelling reason for me to go from 6.5c back to a 308. The 6.5c just makes everything easier, for the same money. Oh, the only significant advantage the 308 has is barrel life. Then again, that isn’t always a compelling argument. As far as your parts list, everything listed is a high quality part. Some of your choices wouldn’t be my choices but that doesn’t mean you won’t have a good shooting gun. The only item that jumped out at me was the Vortex Viper PST glass. While it’s a very good piece, it has some shortcomings as a long range scope (past 800 yds). Even at other ranges, the glass quality doesn’t compare to, say, a Gen I Razor, which you can buy for about $600- $800 more.

I think a magnesium device might increase flash signature a bit.

I didn't know XM855 was banned. If it is, I can't see the logic? If you are shooting steel, its gonna be your personal steel, so any damage is also your problem. All steel has to be set up at 200 yds, so fragments aren't an issue. As far as berm damage? Its a sand & dirt berm...

For me, I think of "Buy once, Cry once" as buying more than what is just barely adequate. Don't buy something that is just enough to get the job done because there is a high likelihood that you will trade up, in the future. Go up a notch (or three) in quality. This way, when the new hotness comes out, you should still be competitive with what you have.

This guy is great(!) You constantly demand that i provide detailed, scientific case studies, yet... you always use "your experience" as all the proof you need, for your opinions. I guess Vlad is just gonna Vlad.

Me too, as well as many others. Why? My guess is that since a gun and car engines are highly similar in lubrication needs and conditions, it only makes sense. With gun lubes, its possible that there may be some immaterial additional additives like dye, fragrance or a tiny bit more detergent, but I can almost guarantee you the base composition came from a certain group of refiners. The same refiners that sell primarily to the car industry being that the car industry is a big multiple larger (money-wise) than the gun industry. Its the same shit (don't tell Vlad G).

Same formula/blend. You're not mistaken (unless you talk to Vlad G).

I still suspect you have a lube issue, based on the photo. ARs like to be run wet. The other likely possibility is a gas issue, as many have mentioned. Here is my gas block/tube check: Buy a 1 foot length on a small vacuum line from the auto parts store. Pull you bcg out of the upper. Attach the vacuum line to the end of the gas tube, where it normally goes into the gas key. Now, blow into the hose that is attached to the gas tube. You should easily be able to blow a steady stream of air. Next, plug both ends of the barrel with a cloth rag. Blow into the tube again and see if it holds pressure and is much harder to blow into. At the same time, listen for air leaks around the gas block and gas tube connection to the block by dabbing a lil water at the seams. A tiny, tiny bit of leakage is ok. If leakage seems to be ok, perhaps you have a gas block alignment issue. If so, take the block off. Use a pencil and straightedge and draw a long, straight line on the barrel, througn the gas port. Then, do the same on the gas block, up the front lip of the block. Those are your alignment marks. Reassemble and check airflow with the vacuum line again. If that or lubing doesnt fix it, the only thing i can think of is garbage ammo. I have seen 1 odd, related issue with a bent upper receiver/ejection port issue caused by improper clamping techniques, but that shouldnt be the case, if you used an upper clamping block, to assemble. That can be checked by seeing if the bcg slides freely, without binding half way.

Marty, From the pic, it looks like you might be running your bolt/bcg dry? If that is the case, take you bolt and lube the gas rings and cam pin generously with oil. Next, put some grease on the bcg rails and a lil bit on the inside of the receiver where the bcg makes contact. Even hi tech coated bcgs need lube, despite the hype. If lube isn't the issue, I'll reply with a quicky gas system check up.

OMG, lolol..

And, i await with bait on my breath. You win.

Why not? Because a high quality synthetic motor oil blend is superior to Breakfree. Thats why not.

Why do you always do that? You know, when you dont know a whole lot about something, so you'll just say something condescending and goofy? With motor oil, the different numbers refer to the viscosity make up of the oil. It can be a straight weight i.e. 30w or it can be a multi weight where the first number denotes how the oil performs at cold temps and the second number is when the oil heats up. Motor oil has detergents and protectants in it too. Also, it is designed to survive in an environment of heat, rotating metal parts and metal/aluminum pistons that move at high speed, driven by an explosion that produces carbon residue. Nothing like a gun, of course. Theres more, but... Eh, i know, i know...why type all this to educate ya? You got me.

I've also used a synthetic motor oil for years. motor oil is designed to protect engines, in high heat, carbon laden environments. It resists shearing due to high speed metallic parts movements. It reduces viscosity breakdown in high temps and remains fluid in low temps. It has additives to prevent corrosion. I usually use a heavier weight, like a 5w50.

Hey, its just talk. You know, for emphasis. But, if someone wants to bet, i feel pretty confident about being able to hit a small car with a rock at 100 yds..

Totally agree about distance amplifying issues, but 100 yds?? I can throw a rock accurately, at that distance, lol.