Hanover Armory AR-10 platform?

[bigdummy30]

I have a stripped AR-10 lower from Hanover Armory and I'm looking to piece together an upper.

I believe they told me when I bought that Palmetto State uppers are not compatible and I know there are a zillion different Ar10 platforms so just wondering if anyone knows if Bear Creek or any other patterns will work with this lower.

Thanks

 

[brianns]

Ask them if it’s truly the Armalite pattern or DPMS pattern. Then ask the other manufacturers about which pattern they follow. Armalite has a slanted rise from the top of the lower to the buffer tube where as the dpms pattern has a curve.

 

[Rocinante]

This AR10 guide I made should come in handy:
Post a picture of the lower from the RIGHT side and I can tell you what parts may be compatible to give you general direction if Hanover will not disclose. I did not see any 10s/large-frame ARs on their website.

 

[bigdummy30]

 

[Rocinante]

Correction: Found these on their gallery page:

If this is what you have, this is an Aero M5. Use an M5 upper and lower parts kit. M5s use DPMS high upper tangs so any DPMS high .308 rail should be compatible. Bolt carrier and barrel are also DPMS type.

 

[Rocinante]

View attachment 369473

Yep, Aero M5.
EDIT: A Bear Creek BCA-10 upper should work with this. M5s and BCA are [mostly] cross-compatible (there may be come receiver gap at the buffer tube mount), PSA definitely will not.

 

[Dingo222]

This AR10 guide I made should come in handy:
Post a picture of the lower from the RIGHT side and I can tell you what parts may be compatible to give you general direction if Hanover will not disclose. I did not see any 10s/large-frame ARs on their website.

This guide is amazing. Thank you for posting. I’ve been toying with a build as well, and it gets a bit confusing.

 

[bigdummy30]

Yep, Aero M5.
EDIT: A Bear Creek BCA-10 upper should work with this. M5s and BCA are [mostly] cross-compatible (there may be come receiver gap at the buffer tube mount), PSA definitely will not.

So you're semi confident a side charging Bear Creek would work?

I appreciate all of your knowledge and info. I have a PSA AR10 and the bcg height is different for sure.

 

[Rocinante]

So you're semi confident a side charging Bear Creek would work?

I appreciate all of your knowledge and info. I have a PSA AR10 and the bcg height is different for sure.

I preface this by stating I'm an apprentice gunsmith as a side job, but have already 6 years experience working on ARs. I may be a novice in the trade but I know what I'm doing when it comes to AR pattern rifles (see above AR10 guide as some proof if you need it).

I recently worked on a large-frame AR for a customer that had overgassing issues. I wasn't able to confirm exactly the upper make, but he had a VERY cheaply-manufactured pre-built side-charging .308 upper (which I suspect was BCA based on how crudely machined the interior of the carrier was, and it had the signature 8-bolt free-floated rail that BCA/AR Stoner uses) slapped on to an M5 lower. The gap at the receiver curve was about 0.11in at its widest, but everything was within tolerance. It didn't look pretty, but it functioned after I was done tuning it, solution below if interested.

Customer build: 20in rifle gas, rifle buffer DPMS M5 .308 win, [suspected] BCA side-charging upper + stainless fluted barrel.
Problem: FTE, FTF- bolt cycling too fast, bouncing off buffer tube- overgassed
Solution: install adjustable gas block, tune rifle for standard M80 ball with 15-degree looser tolerance than perfect, customer is running Wolf ammunition
Upon removal of the original gas block, barrel gas port measured 0.113in. Correct tolerance for .308 rifle gas is 0.093-0.096


EDIT:
On further thought, I'm pretty certain BCA and Aero use the same takedown pins for their lowers- possibly even the same LPK. Easiest way to verify compatibility without getting burned: just bring the lower to a local gun store that has either a BCA-10 or M5 complete rifle or upper in stock and ask to check the fitment to your lower. Also note your fitment tolerance will change once you coat the lower.
Hanover Armory is also on Reddit if you use that. https://www.reddit.com/user/HanoverArmory
Last post was 18 days from today.

 

[bigdummy30]

I preface this by stating I'm an apprentice gunsmith as a side job, but have already 6 years experience working on ARs. I may be a novice in the trade but I know what I'm doing when it comes to AR pattern rifles (see above AR10 guide as some proof if you need it).

I recently worked on a large-frame AR for a customer that had overgassing issues. I wasn't able to confirm exactly the upper make, but he had a VERY cheaply-manufactured pre-built side-charging .308 upper (which I suspect was BCA based on how crudely machined the interior of the carrier was, and it had the signature 8-bolt free-floated rail that BCA/AR Stoner uses) slapped on to an M5 lower. The gap at the receiver curve was about 0.11in at its widest, but everything was within tolerance. It didn't look pretty, but it functioned after I was done tuning it, solution below if interested.

Customer build: 20in rifle gas, rifle buffer DPMS M5 .308 win, [suspected] BCA side-charging upper + stainless fluted barrel.
Problem: FTE, FTF- bolt cycling too fast, bouncing off buffer tube- overgassed
Solution: install adjustable gas block, tune rifle for standard M80 ball with 15-degree looser tolerance than perfect, customer is running Wolf ammunition
Upon removal of the original gas block, barrel gas port measured 0.113in. Correct tolerance for .308 rifle gas is 0.093-0.096


EDIT:
On further thought, I'm pretty certain BCA and Aero use the same takedown pins for their lowers- possibly even the same LPK. Easiest way to verify compatibility without getting burned: just bring the lower to a local gun store that has either a BCA-10 or M5 complete rifle or upper in stock and ask to check the fitment to your lower. Also note your fitment tolerance will change once you coat the lower.
Hanover Armory is also on Reddit if you use that. https://www.reddit.com/user/HanoverArmory
Last post was 18 days from today.

I have asked them before in a roundabout way and then in a more direct manner and they have never answered.

I got the " PSA won't work " when I was in store and talking to one of the younger guys and he brought it up because a customer was upset that they bought an upper that wouldn't work with lower.

I bought the lower on a whim because I thought a 6.5 CM would be cool. Then ammo prices spiked and a faster way to spend money wasn't nearly as cool.

 

[Rocinante]

I have asked them before in a roundabout way and then in a more direct manner and they have never answered.

I got the " PSA won't work " when I was in store and talking to one of the younger guys and he brought it up because a customer was upset that they bought an upper that wouldn't work with lower.

I bought the lower on a whim because I thought a 6.5 CM would be cool. Then ammo prices spiked and a faster way to spend money wasn't nearly as cool.

PSA uses a proprietary LPK, (VERY short rear takedown pin as well) I would assume proprietary fitment as well but have read it can be done through various forums- have yet to see it done. Unfortunately, the only time (so far) I was able to handle a PSA-10 I did not have access to another DPMS type to check compatibility, only my Stag-10.

Just looking through some more pictures on Hanover's gallery, I noticed this one:

It's another HA-10, but the lower is a different forging than yours and their desert camo HA-10. This is closer to an actual LR-308 forging than an M5, and an M5 and BCA-10 are currently the closest you can get to an original LR-308 nowadays (the newly-revived PSA-owned DPMS LR-308 is just a rebranded PSA-10).
The upper that's on this lower is a Guntec (https://guntecusa.com/product/ar-308-cal-stripped-raw-billet-upper-receiver-gen-2-unfinished/) which I know for a fact is cross-compatible with M5 and BCA-10 lowers.

Just a hunch, but perhaps Hanover Armory just doesn't want to admit they sub out their .308 lowers and don't have in-house machining capabilities for HA-10s and just build them on whatever they can get? Purely speculation based on your posts about your interactions and their pictures.

 

[Bigstacks]

I have a hanover armory HA-10 and put a psa upper on it. Works fine.

 

[slsc98]

This guide is amazing. Thank you for posting. I’ve been toying with a build as well, and it gets a bit confusing.

+1 - what a wonderful reference and awesome contribution!!!!!

 

[GuitarmanNick]

I will never purchase anything with a barrel from Bear Creek, again. Got an upper that was supposed to be 5.56 but the barrel had NO FREEBORE making it very dangerous, even when shooting .223 factory ammo. Scoped the barrel and found the chamber problem.
Buying from them is a crap shoot. Sometimes you get a good one, sometimes not.