Building a Highpower AR

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375Short
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Building a Highpower AR

Post by 375Short »

I’m not a AR guy so I may get some tacticool lingo wrong. Since submitting proposed rule changes to the NRA allowing AR’s I decided to build one aimed at silhouette for my own education. I selected parts based on price (cheap) and a guess, by looking at pictures, at what would work for the sport. The end product is likely not the Pharr or E Mac equivalent of the AR.

Lower receiver - had one on hand from Bear Creek Arsenal (BCA). To it I added a Rifle length buffer tube assembly. Single stage trigger and Luth-AR adjustable stock.
Upper Receiver - fluted 24” barrel in 6.5 Grendel 1-8 on sale (179.00) from BCA. Side charging upper and Grendel bolt carrier group from BCA (139.00), simple cheap tube type hand guard.

Took about 2 hours to turn the pile of parts into a rifle.

The end result is a rifle that weighs 10 pounds 11oz with a scope and 10 round magazine. This is a AR15 platform an AR10 will be heavier. No effort was made to build to a certain weight, I simply built from commercial parts found available.
When putting it to my shoulder and aiming at some local silhouettes in the yard it felt very awkward. It didn’t feel like my Smallbore rifle that’s for sure. The extra weight didn’t seem to keep it from darting about like a nervous humming bird.
I adjusted the stock placing the butt as low as it would adjust, raised the scope and the cheek piece. That made an improvement. For a seasoned 3P Highpower shooter warming up to a comfortable hold may be easy, for a bolt gun shooter it is awkward. The main culprit for me is finding a comfortable place or technique for the support hand and a comfortable grip angle for the pistol grip.

It will interesting to see what a silhouette AR looks like years down the road. Probably not like version 1.

I have loaded some 130 and 140 Nosler RDF bullets and a few Barnes 140gr Match Burners. These bullets have been on great sales lately. If the wind stops blowing enough we will see if the collection of parts will shoot minute of silhouette.

When approved the current records for the class will be easy to break, something more than 0 seems achievable, even if it does fell awkward.

There is a deep pool of shooters out there, decades in the making that find this platform of rifle, the rifle of choice. I hope it is a part of the equation to strengthen the number of competitors for Highpower silhouette.

** Important - This is a DRILL. This platform is not approved at this time. This exercise is for educational and recreational purposes only.
c4p6t7r188
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Re: Building a Highpower AR

Post by c4p6t7r188 »

Why not just make it along the same lines as a CMP National Match rifle? That way people who are already using their rifle can easily give silhouette a try?

I appreciate your push and wanting to get it more organized.
375Short
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Re: Building a Highpower AR

Post by 375Short »

The current rule “3.1.2 High Power Semi Automatic Military Rifle” would allow an open sight National Match rifle assuming it is 6mm or larger.

The submitted AR silhouette rifle rule changes would allow the same rifle, with an optic of any magnification, hopefully in .223 or larger and fully adjustable stocks.

The CMP rule “4.1.1 M16/AR15-Type Service Rifle” is to restrictive for our purpose. Off the top of my head it requires a forward assist and restricted to 4.5x optics. I also believe required is a conventional charging handle. For our purposes a side charge will be a desired option and there are many platforms without a forward assist, it’s not needed during a malfunction repealing an attack by metal animals or paper (humor).

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the committee. Having never done this before I have no idea what takes place at the sausage factory. I don’t know if the committee seeks input / opinions from others or just mulls over the concept then creates a version of rules. None the less setting the idea in official motion creates opportunity.

I think once approved and an effort is made to let the recreational and CMP Highpower folks know they have a place in Silhouette it will gain the sport a number of new shooters.
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