Building a Versatile AR, by Bulldog

Living the prepper lifestyle for many decades has fas its perks…well, sort of! It typically means there are mounds of extra supplies, boxes of spare parts, jars of both home and commercially canned foods, dry-canned foods, buckets of grain and beans in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, and shelving anywhere it can possibly be built. Yeah, I’ve probably left out a few things, but you get the idea.

It also generally means you are often versed and proficient in tasks the average person has never even considered. This of course can be a hindrance when you and your wife are watching the action scene of a movie. You immediately recognize the scene just depicted is quite anachronistically impossible…or that the weapon just presented is a SIG 226, Benelli M4, or the now quite obscure Beretta 38/42 with its finned barrel. The latter, now all but lost to the tides of history. Recognizing these things is not what gets you into trouble. That occurs when you blurt such information out loud, resulting in an almost immediate scowl!

Yet another benefit of entering the ranks of the prepper/survivalists Union 239, is that you recognize certain writers as having the knowledge to add to your repertoire of talents and ideas. Okay, you also need to know where to look for those people, which is where survivalblog.com comes in.

Thankfully the SurvivalBlog site has been blessed with numerous presenters. Persons with both the knowledge and talent that I always look forward to. The recent article by Tunnel Rabbit (he has many excellent articles) titled Top Priorities for Surviving the Coming Civil War is just such an article. I frequently find ideas on Captain Rawles’ site to do things better, cheaper, or in some way give my wife and me a further tactical advantage.

Having said that I would like to add to Tunnel Rabbit’s bits of wisdom. To be clear, I do not disagree with his views of the AK platform, particularly in some of its iterations. There were many excellent variants produced. From the old Valmet, to the early Zastava M70 series, the M92 Krinkovs, or M77s, et cetera. To be blunt, it’s a great platform. However, regarding the almost sibling rivalry of its younger sibling, Eugene Stoner’s AR platform, I would point out that the ARs almost profound versatility, as well as the almost unbelievable number of parts and options, along with the unbelievable number of these weapons in “common” use/circulation (at least in CONUS) are just a few of its many attributes. As such, having at least one in your stable has significant benefits.

I bought my first civilian Colt AR carbine in 1979. My first issued M16A1 was a Harrington & Richardson variant, in 1981. (Yeah, the Colt would have been nice…but those organizations don’t give you an option. You get what they  issue you.)  Since that time, I have long lost count of the number of ARs that I have built, or rebuilt. Although I have a “few”, I do advocate building at least one with interchangeable uppers. For me, such a build needed to focus on the most prevalent existing cartridges for that platform.

Keep in mind, in a total collapse of society, and correspondingly a complete failure of rule of law (ROL), or without rule of law (WROL), and if you are successful…which is the opposite of dead and taking a dirt nap, you will likely acquire multiple weapons for spare parts, along with the corresponding ammunition within weeks of a Stuff Hits The Fan (SHTF) collapse, if not before. Thus, we can begin to see the wisdom of at least keeping one AR platform capable of multiple cartridges.

Personally, I would suggest the 5.56 NATO/223, .300 Blackout, and 7.62×39 cartridges for such a role. To be clear, I am not saying that others do not have value. There are several very interesting cartridge possibilities for this rifle, But in my corner of the world, I am fairly certain that I will rarely run into the 6mm Grendel or  6mm ARC ammo, after the SHTF. The lack of circulating ammunition for rifles in these other chamberings, makes them non-starters.

I own a “few” different ARs, built for certain roles. (“They are more specialized tools!”) However, my criteria for this particular build was:

• that it be light,
• very portable and compact, and
• to the extent possible, maximum interchangeability and familiarity of parts,

Regarding the upper receiver, the three barrel lengths and contours, flash hiders, handguards, and blast diverters should all be the same. Likewise, your preferred optics should be the same for each upper. My goal was that the weight and feel of the three uppers was as close to identical as humanly possible.

Although I personally prefer the 5.56 NATO over the .223, having the ability to use both types of ammunition in a worldwide WROL collapse was a preference. As such, the following barreled uppers were needed;

• 10.5 inch 5.56/223 with a Wylde chamber
• 10.5 inch .300 Blackout barrel (other names for the cartridge still continue to be used)
• 10.5 inch 7.62×39 barrel

[JWR Adds:  For the sake of versatility,  I would recommend getting a fourth upper, if you can afford it. This would be one with a 20″ barrel (also with a .223 Wylde chamber), scoped with a Low Power Variable Optic (LPVO).  With the scope set to the high end of its magnifcation range, this upper would allow you to reliably engage targets at 400+ yards.]

Although it might be said the Smith Enterprises Vortex flash suppressor is the benchmark, due to the need for interchangeability I would suggest the military bird cage with the closed bottom for the flash suppressor. In this way, I could best achieve my third criteria for this part. By doing this those components also interchanged with components on other ARs. Likewise, I would suggest the BFD design from indiancreekdesigninc.com for the blast diverter. Here I will point out that more expensive is not necessarily better.

Regarding handguards, although I have several with the older quad rail Larue handguards, my preference today is the Midwest Industries Combat T-series rail. Although they are a bit heavier, this is what I am used to and prefer. Whatever you use, I encourage you to keep the three handguards identical or nearly identical between all three uppers.

You will also need at least two bolts (the 5.56/223 and .300 Blackout have the same bolt face);

• One for the 5.56/223, and the .300 Blackout
• One for the 7.62×39

My preference is to likewise have two bolt carriers, but technically you can get by with just one.

Note that for reliable functioning, you may also need a different weight buffer, to match particular calibers.

For the lower, I suggest you also consider the Sylvan Arms 5th generation, SA5 PRO folding device that was just recently released. I would also suggest one of the newer “silent type” buffer spring setups (there are several). Again more expensive is not always better. If you decide to retain more of the original design, then go with one of the flat-type coiled springs.

I would also suggest the Franklin Armory BFS III AR-C1 rather than the traditional mil-spec trigger/hammer setups. Now for the disclaimer: Keep in mind things like the binary triggers and the silent buffer spring systems do not seem to hold up quite as well as mil-spec parts. Also, depending upon the winner of the U.S. presidential election in November, binary triggers could be the next component on the ATF’s hit list.

Obviously, for my compact build, I would have to use an arm brace rather than a stock. Here I would stress that you know the laws in your area. What is legal, or considered illegal in your state or municipality. We live in some crazy times! I still believe I must color within the lines…at least for now. Likewise, you need to know any legal considerations regarding barrel length and arm braces in your area.

Here the naysayers might point to the resultant lower velocity using shorter barrels. They are of course correct, which is why I have several other lengths of ARs. They might also suggest such a barrel is ineffective at 500 or even 600 yards.

At that point, I would have to disagree! I would counter that with an experienced shooter, I have witnessed: On more than one occasion weapons with 10.5-inch barrel lengths and chrome-lined military bores making one-shot or two-shot (with the shooter adjusting after the first round) hits at these distances (500+ yards) on 8-inch plates.

Last, test each of these with a variety of loads. It may be necessary for you to have different buffer weights to reliably cycle all your preferred loads in all three uppers. As an alternative, consider using an adjustable gas block to help alleviate differences in cycling. Look to both its cycling, as well as the discharge position of spent brass.

[JWR Adds: Your choice of magazines can also be crucial for reliable feeding.  This is particularly true when using a 7.62×39 upper. Sadly, the majority of 7.62x39mm AR magazines on the market are unreliable junk that won’t feed more than few rounds without a jam. Reportedly, both the C-Products Duramag and ASC 7.62x39mm AR magazines feed reliably, but most others do not!  A dedicated set of magazines for .300 Blackout are also a must. Be absolutely sure to prominently mark your .300 Blackout magazines, to avoid a dreaded caliber mixup “kaboom“. It is wise to make them all a contrasting color, to match your .300 Blackout upper.  Thus, something like: “The green-painted .300 Blackout magazines go with the green-painted .300 Blackout upper”, just to make it all foolproof.]

Last, if your wife is as talented as mine in the craft room, a denier or canvas roll-up pouch can be configured. This should be able to hold the extra barrels, bolts, and extra buffers, if needed, with a few key spare parts.

At the end of the day, and certainly before a major upheaval in this country begins, be intimately familiar with both the AK and AR platforms. Your life just might depend on it!  Shalom.