Some times you start a build with direction and focus. Life happens and you lose some of that focus. Its not too big of a deal. In fact some times life takes you in unexpected directions that end in interesting ways. The Super Dissipator build was one of those unexpected changes of direction.

It started out as a companion to my go to Dissipator. You know, the one I posted about before and the one I tend to talk about all the freaking time. Its the gun that breaks the internet’s rules. The Dissy was reliable, soft shooting, and the thing flat out shreds. There was one downside though. That HBar barrel is heavy as hell.

If you read my post on my Dissipator, then you know that it has gone through a handful of changes. The most major of which was a handguard change to lighten the front end of that rifle up as much as possible. Did it work? Yeah, it is definitely lighter out front. Not nearly light enough though. Especially once you put a light and other stuff on the end of it.

I used this project to get some hands on time with an LPVO and offset optic on an AR. Typically I’d run an EO-Tech and a magnifier on a gun like this. I’d be interested to see how the new EO-Tech 5x magnifiers stack up to a setup like this.

Birth of a new project…

My Dissipator is awesome. I’ve trained with it, have more rounds than I can count through it, and I know that gun inside and out. It really does only have the one major short coming. How does one correct it? Well, the way I looked at it there were three options. I could either take that barrel down and have it reprofiled, rebarrel it altogether, or build a new dissipator.

Reprofiling the barrel would have been like major surgery. Its doable and its really not a big deal to tear my gun down, but it would be down for some time while I waited for a gunsmith to do it. People who know me might point out that I have access to a lathe and I could do the work myself. This is very true, the problem is time. I have very little time. At the time when making such considerations, I was traveling for work.

Rebarreling the Dissipator would have been an option, but the thing shot great, especially with hand loads. It surely would have been the cheapest option though. Curiosity often gets the better of me. I tend to spend money and build things just for the simple reason of comparing and contrasting two different things. For example, if I wanted to compare two different optics setups, then I could buy the setups and then swap them on the same gun… or I could build a totally new gun to test the second setup on. Some times I prefer this method because I can compare things side by side. Its just not always possible due to money… but who doesn’t like an excuse to build a new gun.

Needless to say, some times I do goofy things. I decided that I wanted to keep a perfectly good rifle up and running.

Time Travel…

With all that said, I decided to build a sister rifle to my Dissipator. The plan was to build a light weight dissipator and to not skimp or cut corners any where. It needed to be as reliable as possible. This decision was made a couple years back…

It started out with a BCM lower, a BCM upper, Midwest Industries G3 Mlok handguard, and a Spinta Precision light weight dissipator barrel. Essentially the plan was to build something that was mostly BCM. I figured that I might have to make a few tweaks, but in the end it would have nothing but quality components and end up reliable as my other Dissipator.

That’s when life happened. Lets just say life got really expensive and I got laid off from my job all at the same time. The build got tucked away and forgotten about. It literally sat in my parts bin for over 2 years. During this time a lot of stuff changed. Eventually I went back to work doing what I do, but the project remained fairly forgotten and I built other things instead.

Rediscovering the project.

I’m the kind of guy who has to have a project of my choosing going at all times to be happy. I like to work on what I want to work on and it makes me immensely happy to finish up a project and move right onto the next project. Granted, I’m not made of money and I cant always do this, but I try. I decided to take a little break from cloning all the things and to build something different.

I found my pile of parts for the light weight dissipator when I was planning out another build. The decision was made to build those two guns in tandem. They are, in a way, very fitting to one another. While I’m not going to discuss the other build until I’m ready to debut it, I will say that its awesome. The light weight dissipator had a slight change of direction though.

While I still found a substantial amount of value in a light weight gun, I decided that I wanted to try a few other parts that I was curious about. One of which was the BCM Mk2 upper. Ultimately, this was what drove the biggest change in direction of this build. I also wanted to to a Vltor A5 on this build. I was kind of curious if this would further smooth the gun out.

Little did I know that I had just opened up the biggest can of worms known to man.

Some times the little details make the build and the build was full of little details.

A hard right turn…

I knew that running an A5 buffer might cause me some issues as it was deviating from my formula that I use to make my Dissipators run like tops. Knowing that people run full length rifle buffers to great affect in their dissipators and that they might even be more smooth, I decided that I an A5 would be worth a shot. For those of you who dont know, an A5 is a longer buffer tube and buffer combine with a recoil spring from a rifle length system.

It might take some playing with to make run correctly, but it also might run perfectly fine. A lot of people say that an A5 system will smooth out your recoil impulse. If it can tame an already tame gun, then that is even better. There are other things on the market that are supposed to do similar things. I do feel compelled to try out both Armaspec’s buffer system and JP’s Silent Captured Recoil Spring in some of my other guns.

One way or another, if the A5 doesn’t work, then I have a couple backup plans. One is to change weights in the buffer itself. This might take some custom work and ingenuity. I’m okay with that. The other option is to switch back to a carbine length buffer tube and either try the aforementioned systems or just use what I know works. I’m okay either way. I have a home for this A5 system that I know it will run on if it doesn’t pan out on the Super Dissy.

I don’t regret my decision to try new parts, but one part caused me an unforeseen issue….

Changing everything…

The BCM Mk2 upper looks great. In all reality with the changes made in this upper, it should perform great provided all the other parts are also up to par. There were some issues that I certainly didn’t expect though. Let me preface this by saying that BCM makes some really great parts. There’s nothing wrong with this upper, but there are some things you should know about it before buying one.

I already had a hand guard for this build. Its safe to say that Midwest Industries is my go to manufacturer for light weight hand guards. They do a lot right. With that said, my handguard did not fit the Mk2 upper. The anti-rotation tabs would not fit as the upper was much more thick than milspec receiver. Upon further research I found that my options for handguards were few and far between. That’s not to say that you’ll have the same problem, but not many companies like building free float handguards around a rifle length gas system and a FSB. Its just not a popular configuration these days.

My best option was looking like it was going to be a BCM QRF. BCM handguards all fit their Mk2 upper. I wanted Mlok though and there just weren’t any good options. After making a post on IG about this, not more than 5 minutes later some one tagged Chop Boss and said I should talk to him. Shortly after that I had a DM from a guy who I wasn’t very familiar with…. but who had all the answers and skills to turn my project around and make it into something truly unique.

The man with the plan.

Cy, aka Chop Boss is an amazing human being to say the least. The man has vision, he does amazing work, and hes an all around great guy. Hell, he put up with me and my OCD, so hes definitely got some patience. We started out by discussing my issues and he definitely had solutions. As in more than one plan of attack that would work. The only issue was my OCD.

I love chopped handguards. Honestly I had never seen a dissipator with a chopped free float handguard. Why not be the first? Thus my journey began. We went over handguards that would and wouldn’t both physically work and work with my OCD. My stipulation was that there could be no open holes or mlok. It took awhile, but I settled on a Geissele Mk13. It would allow Cy to chop the handguard without leaving any open holes or mlok slots as well as physically install the handguard onto my gun with the FSB. What I mean by that is the holes in the rail need to line up to drive the taper pins in for the FSB.

Cy masterfully chopped my handguard. The thing is an absolute work of art. He not only chopped it, but also fit the upper and handguard together as they would not work together without modification. On top of that, the cerakote was perfect. I had him coat the Mk13 in Patriot Brown to give it more of that DD brown handguard feel. He did even more work to include pinning my FSB.

If you cant find a handguard in the length you need, hit up Chop Boss. He can do more than just chop handguards. His work includes, but is not limited to, FSP chops, chopping handguards, chopping barrels, pinning FSB’s, cerakote, ect. If you need or are considering custom work, then don’t hesitate to hit Cy up. You can find him on IG at @chop_boss_official.

This time around I decided to deviate from my normal sling and run an Edgar Sherman Designs sling. Spoiler alert, its awesome.

It never ends…

The custom work didn’t end there. Some times the little details matter. This gun is one of those cases. So I hit up a semi-local friend of mine that does chopped KAC vfg’s. I had my buddy @WhiteRhyno692000 chop a vfg for me, but not only that, he took that old KAC piccatiny vfg and made it work with my Mlok handguard. It was like it was originally made for Mlok. I highly suggest checking him out if you want to chop your KAC vfg.

Remember when I said that I some times would consider building a totally new gun/platform for comparison sake? Well, I had originally planned on putting an EO-Tech on this gun. My shooting partner proceeded to ask me what good it was to have a bunch of guns all setup for the same thing and in the same way. I do own a…. handful…. of EO-Techs. So I decided to branch out in to LPVO’s.

Thus the direction of the build changed yet again. Instead of being a light weight dissipator it turned into something slightly more heavy. Then it kind of changed into something more akin to a DMR. I’m fine with this because where I live there are lots of opportunities for longer shots. Shots far in excess of what this dissipator is capable of.

With the basics of the story told, lets move into what every one is really here for… a parts list…

The Upper

  • Upper Receiver: BCM Mk2
  • Barrel: Spinta Precision 16″ Light Weight Dissipator Barrel
  • Handguard: Geissele Mk13 chopped, cerakoted, and fit to the upper by Chop Boss
  • BCG: Colt C-Stamped BCG (will be replaced with either BCM or LMT later to free the BCG up for a clone build)
  • Gas Block: BCM F-marked FSB
  • Muzzle Device: Surefire SOCOM Brake
  • Charging Handle: BCM Gunfighter Mod 4B
  • VFG: Chopped KAC VFG by WhiteRhyno692000
  • Light: Cloud Defensive Owl in FDE
  • Rail Wrap: Burn Proof Gear Rail Wrap in Multicam.

Optics

  • Scope: Vortex Razor HD-E Gen II 1-6x24mm with throw lever
  • Scope Mount: American Defense AD-Recon-H
  • Rear Sight: Griffin Armament
  • Offset Optic: Trijicon Type 2 RMR 3.25 MOA in FDE
  • Offset Mount: Arisaka Offset RMR mount set at 35 degrees and 1.93″ height.

The Lower

  • Lower Receiver: BCM
  • Trigger: Hiperfire Reflex with lightest springs (2lb pull)
  • Buffer: A5 system with A5H0 buffer (3.8oz)
  • Take Down Pins: Battle Arms Development
  • Safety: Troy 45 degree ambi safety
  • Magazine Release: BCM
  • Stock: BCM Gunfighter Stock
  • Grip: BCM Gunfighter Grip
  • Sling: Edgar Sherman Designs Sling in Multicam

So whats next?

A keen observer might have taken notice to the fact that I haven’t gotten this gun out to shake it down and work the bugs out. That is in fact the case thus far. Why? Because of COVID-19. Its not that I’m stuck at home in quarantine, but more so the rush on guns and ammo. Ammo is scarce. That’s not to say that I don’t have any ammo. I have plenty of ammo to take care of my family and myself should something go really side ways. I just don’t want to use it all up while trying to shake down new guns. It has also cut into my practice/training as well.

What does this mean as far as the blog and this gun? Well, essentially it means that as soon as I can snag some ammo and get out to my super secret secluded shooting spot, then this gun will get zero’d and run hard. I’ll report back on how that goes. If by chance there are issues, then that is another thing that I plan on covering. I’ll go over how I fix things and get it running reliably in depth. I don’t foresee any issues, but the potential is there.

Until then, its going to sit in the safe with the other projects I’m working on bringing to the blog…. Oh and there are… projects.