I hate to here that about the AP Uppers.

I bought a couple of the 308 uppers & lowers a few months back when Brownell's had them on sale just to stick on the shelf.

I have tried their regular M5 and the Enhanced. Neither has been consistent, but .001" will cause a fair amount of play. They are well within spec(used loosely), but combine the top end spec of the bore and the low end of the spec on barrel extension and you magnify the problem. I have several of the Enhanced uppers on hand, I really like their Gen 2 Handguard and the fact it is so rigid once installed on the M5E upper. I am going to build a 243 and a 7mm-08 with the remaining two and be done altogether with the large frame AR builds. I will have 7 then, 243, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, three 308s and the 358. Although, in my 458 Socom thread, someone here steered me towards the 45 Raptor and it is definitely on the radar, I might need one more.

Short of machining my own barrel extensions, I have few options. Being a former machinist, I have always thought that a taper fit of just 1-2 thousandths would help eliminate this issue. But then, so would standardizing the LR308/SR25/AR10 platform.

I bought the .338 Federal 16" in the sale and put it in an Aero M5 upper. I tapped it in with a rubber mallet because it was just tight enough not to seat the last quarter inch. I was tempted to go .358, but I've wanted a .338 since they came out and missed the bolt actions when companies were clearancing them out.

Finished the 358 Winchester AR upper, for now put it on the lower from the last PSA rifle I bought here. I have an M5 lower in the safe that I am going to build for this rifle. I am hoping to get to the farm and shoot, I have 4 new AR builds that need to be set up, gas blocks and buffer systems tuned and scopes/sights zeroed.

Aero M5 Enhanced upper
Aero M5 Enhanced 15" handguard
Toolcraft DLC BCG(in route)
BCM/VLTOR Gunfighter mod 3 charge handle(in route)
Wilson Combat 16" 358 Winchester Ranger Barrel
Wilson Combat Q-Comp
Wilson/SLR Adjustable Gas Block
Warne Skeletonized 30mm mount

Scope will be replaced with a Swarovski Z6 1.7 - 10 x 42mm in the near future.



For reference L-R 30-06(bolt rifle), 308, 358 and 458, with the 6.5 and 6.8 not pictured, I think I have all the AR bases covered.


I have a couple more M4 slick sides and a couple more M5 Enhanced uppers, trying to decide what to build next. I am thinking 243 and a 7mm-08, possibly a 338 Federal or a dedicated thermal 308. There are so many choices and parts are ridiculously cheap right now.