308 side charger upper ???
- Thread starter arnie19
- Start date
Crosshill Technologies is making the side charging upper for the 223 so I'd imagine the 308 isn't far behind if it's not already being made. I purchased the 223 side charging and it is very nice ... so far. It's different!
Scott
Scott
JP has arguably the "best" design for a CH based on my experience with them due to the NON-RECIPROCATING left-side CH mechanism.
There are also companies like Fulton Armory which makes their "Titan" series rifles (and stripped uppers, side-charge BCGs, etc.). They are nice, but really are nothing special beyond come nice work on milling out a slick-side LR-308 pattern upper. There are also some "other" folks on the market who have taken to machining slick-side uppers on their own...one company out in AZ but I can't for the life of me recall their name. Anyway, they are out there, but few and far between.
ETA: At one time...American Spirit Arms (ASA) also was in the side-charger large-frame AR market, but they have been pretty sketchy at best in the past, so tread carefully if you begin to lean in their direction and do your due diligence BEFORE you jump off that cliff.
There are also companies like Fulton Armory which makes their "Titan" series rifles (and stripped uppers, side-charge BCGs, etc.). They are nice, but really are nothing special beyond come nice work on milling out a slick-side LR-308 pattern upper. There are also some "other" folks on the market who have taken to machining slick-side uppers on their own...one company out in AZ but I can't for the life of me recall their name. Anyway, they are out there, but few and far between.
ETA: At one time...American Spirit Arms (ASA) also was in the side-charger large-frame AR market, but they have been pretty sketchy at best in the past, so tread carefully if you begin to lean in their direction and do your due diligence BEFORE you jump off that cliff.
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LWRC REPR, but you have to use the whole weapon, there uppers won't go on just any AR-10 lower
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American spirit arms if you don't mind the armalite style... Lifetime warranty and built in the us.
ASA 16 Inch 308 Side Charger AR-15 M4 Carbine - American Spirit Arms
American Spirit Arms 308 Side Charger with 20 Inch Barrel AR-15 Rifle
ASA 16 Inch 308 Side Charger AR-15 M4 Carbine - American Spirit Arms
American Spirit Arms 308 Side Charger with 20 Inch Barrel AR-15 Rifle
Cross Hill says they are planning on one . I want one for a DPMS compatible lower .I have one of Cross Hill's side charger for my AR15 lower and it is really nice . I might just buy the carrier drilled and tapped with a side handle and mill out a smooth side 308 upper .
Hi,
I'm brand new to this particular forum and stumbled on this thread. I perform this modification on AR15s and AR10 a few times a week for customers.
The most important thing that I can recommend to anyone is the use of a carbide tap and all tooling when performing the mod. The use of HSS tooling often results in a substandard threaded hole.
JS
I'm brand new to this particular forum and stumbled on this thread. I perform this modification on AR15s and AR10 a few times a week for customers.
The most important thing that I can recommend to anyone is the use of a carbide tap and all tooling when performing the mod. The use of HSS tooling often results in a substandard threaded hole.
JS
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i'm doing a side charging .223 at the moment. It took me a little while to find a gunsmith who would drill / tap my bolt carrier (mil spec bc are hardened steel). I finally found one, and sent the bc out last week. I'm having it installed on the left side, and then I plan to mill a slot myself in my own upper receiver.
I can provide feedback once i get the BC back from the gunsmith.
I can provide feedback once i get the BC back from the gunsmith.
I thought about trying to drill and tap a carrier but the cost of carbide drills and especially the tap is really high .I have a lathe and mill and experience but if I could get a drilled and tapped carrier ,it would be easy to slot the receiver for it .
Ask and ye shall receive:
Bolt Carrier, .308 AR, Side-Cocking, Chrome with Staked Chrome Key
I referenced Fulton Armory above, but neglected to provide any links. The above is in stock and ready to roll. The "Titan" parts are DPMS through and through but for the mods made to them by Fulton for the cocking handle and they are of very good quality in my experience. They don't appear to have any side charging uppers in stock at present, but if you shoot them an e-mail, they may be able to give you an ETA on them if you want to skip the milling/hacking up of your upper and go with a factory part. Here's a link to their "Titan" main page with links to parts, etc.: Fulton Armory | FAR-308 "Titan"
Good luck!
I have a JP LRP-07 & an ASA side charger... The JP is 10 times the rifle the ASA is, in my opinion.
Can you give me/us a side be side of why you like the JP over the ASA. Also are both LH chargers and RH where a handle is attached to the BCG. I want to build a .308 AR for steel comps and I want a side charging version. Looking at Pro/Cons of the LH or RH version.
In you mind is there a compelling reason to go with a left hand charging handle? It seems much simpler/cheaper to do a RH set up.
The benefits of the Left-side, non-reciprocating handle should be fairly obvious (at least for righties). You can maintain positioning on the rifle, including keeping your sight picture/view on target and manually operate the rifle as needed without altering your position much at all unlike a traditional CH which generally requires you to contort yourself at least somewhat around the rifle. Your dominant hand maintains control over the rifle the entire time, including positioning on your grip/controls for the rifle/trigger/etc. Also, with respect to the JP design, the folding lever/latch of the handle is nice because it gets the handle out of the way where it isn't as prone to snagging on everything coming and going. The handle on the ASA also folds and is non-reciprocating, but it is not quite as flat/streamlined as the JP.
As to the right-side, reciprocating designs like the Fulton Titan, etc., they are, again for righties, strong-side only which requires you to come off the rifle with your grip hand/trigger finger thus giving up some positioning on the rifle. Furthermore, because the CH is a fixed prong sticking out of the side of the rifle's carrier that doesn't fold or attempt to get out of the way, it can get hung up on stuff, jammed into your back/side/etc. when carrying, as well as moving back and forth during battery which could, in rare instances I can't generally see happening, pose problems for some folks.
Finally, and while I've tried to be nice and not say anything too negative re: ASA...they don't have the most stellar track record. The company has changed hands a number of times I believe and sometimes...for the worse. They seem to have their @#$% together in more recent past, but for a while at least, the quality, reliability, accuracy, etc. of their products was lacking and their support/CS was...well...non-existent. That left a bad taste for them for many folks and only time will tell if they are on the straight and narrow now. They certainly have some innovative designs/products coming to bear in 2014, but again...only time will tell.
As to the right-side, reciprocating designs like the Fulton Titan, etc., they are, again for righties, strong-side only which requires you to come off the rifle with your grip hand/trigger finger thus giving up some positioning on the rifle. Furthermore, because the CH is a fixed prong sticking out of the side of the rifle's carrier that doesn't fold or attempt to get out of the way, it can get hung up on stuff, jammed into your back/side/etc. when carrying, as well as moving back and forth during battery which could, in rare instances I can't generally see happening, pose problems for some folks.
Finally, and while I've tried to be nice and not say anything too negative re: ASA...they don't have the most stellar track record. The company has changed hands a number of times I believe and sometimes...for the worse. They seem to have their @#$% together in more recent past, but for a while at least, the quality, reliability, accuracy, etc. of their products was lacking and their support/CS was...well...non-existent. That left a bad taste for them for many folks and only time will tell if they are on the straight and narrow now. They certainly have some innovative designs/products coming to bear in 2014, but again...only time will tell.
Neither the JP nor the ASA use a conventional (redundant) CH nor do they have provision for one...ONLY the side-charger.
Each company does their own thing in terms of closing off the portion where the traditional CH would be, but they are enclosed/capped off/etc. for both mfgs.
Each company does their own thing in terms of closing off the portion where the traditional CH would be, but they are enclosed/capped off/etc. for both mfgs.
Actually, JP now has dual charging uppers with both side charging and standard top charging. The PSC-11 is the .223 platform, the PSC-12 is the .308 platform. Both PSC uppers will also fit on standard lowers (DPMS-pattern in the case of the PSC-12) unlike their SCR and LRP side charging only uppers which really only fit & blend properly with the matching JP lowers.
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I was looking at that. I would kinda prefer if it only had the side handle. I do like that it works with the DPMS pattern.
You are absolutely correct. I always neglect the PSC offerings in JP's lineup as the LRP series is by far their more "abundant" platform, but I suppose if you want/need both, the PSC has it.
Thanks for the clarification, Kiba.
