Wednesday, December 18, 2013

AR pistol build is done...for now.



Here's where my long journey has basically finished.  The last things I will add this month are polymer backup sights which I should have by 12/19.  I do have the laser that is mounted on the bottom in front of the MagPul AFG2 sighted in to be 1.5" low at 25 feet.  With luck, I will be able to get to a range to get it properly sighted in over this coming weekend.

Current parts breakdown is as follows:

  • Smith & Wesson M&P 15 stripped lower receiver
  • CMMG Lower Parts Kit
  • MagPul polymer trigger guard
  • Pearce Grips 1911 grip frame adaptor and low profile grips
  • 'mil spec' sized six position buffer tube with Velcro loops cemented on
  • Standard mass Carbine buffer
  • Mark's Armory coated Carbine buffer spring
  • 1.25" cane tip cemented onto the end of the buffer tube
  • CAA Saddle with Velcro hooks cemented on
  • Sling attachment secured to end plate
  • Aero Precision stripped upper receiver
  • Detroit Gun Works bolt carrier group (will get changed out for a better carrier but it works ok)
  • Standard charging handle
  • S&W M&P labeled 10" free float rail
  • 11.5" 5.56 barrel (unmarked) with carbine length gas port
  • ICE Arms Carbine gas tube
  • Cut-down front sight base gas block (barrel drilled for the tapered pins on this, very sturdy)
  • Standard A2 flash hider
  • MagPul Angled Forward Grip model 2
  • Green laser that runs on C123 batteries (extras stored in Saddle's battery tubes)
At this point, adding a red dot and probably a x3 magnifier will be done at some point this spring.  The barrel had 'rifle cuts' in the barrel extension and the upper had 'M4
 cuts', so I carefully expanded the barrel extension's cuts to meet the upper receiver's.  This has greatly increased the feeding of 'dummy' rounds after the first as the tips are no longer getting hung up.  I will know for sure after I get to shoot live rounds out of it as to whether or not I will still have failures to feed, a problem that occasionally cropped up with the previous upper receiver.

ICE Arms will be where I source my next bolt carrier from and quite probably my next barrel for a rifle build.  Please check them out here via my affiliate link.

This build has always followed the answers I received back in July of 2012 from the ATF Tech Department Chief.  Feel free to ask any questions on any part of my build. 

Monday, December 9, 2013

Update on AR Pistol build



No major updates, but I did manage to carefully remove the AK-74-style brake that made the barrel 16"+.  I cleaned up the weld point and recoated the barrel with flat black 1000 degree F grill paint.  Cut down the front sight base to allow it to fit under a free-float hand guard and mounted the KX3 muzzle device. 

<<I have sold off the Noveske KX3 and have installed an A2 in it's place.  Pics of the build will be updated after I get the rail I traded it for>>

The rails I have on in the picture are just some of the 'Made in the US' repalcements from Leapers and are hand guard replacements.  I hope to get a 12" keymod hand guard from one of the more reputable manufacturers as I now have a green laser that I plan on mounting and it isn't overly light weight.  <<10" S&W branded Troy rails are en route to me.  Yeah, Troy...but I diodn't pay anything for them and they are used.  ;)  >>

I did get a SureFire M900A weapon light in the trade along with the rails shown above.  My build's OAL is over 26" so in theory based upon my Tech Letter it would be legal to mount but some buddies checked in with their ATF contacts and were told it was illegal.  They did not seem to know about the Franklin XO-26 which the Tech Dept called a 'firearm' as opposed to an AOW.  To cut out the possibility to run afoul of the NFA '34 and GCA '68 I am going to sell off the VFG and install the AFG2 that everyone agrees is 100% legal since it has a steeper angle than 90.

The plan almost changed to have this become a rifle.  I think that I'll build a rifle seperate from this one.  I will get a 300BLK barrel at some point for this one.

Also, thanks to ICE Arms for the quick shipping on the replacement gas line.  I'll be doing more business with them soon!

Ice Arms link here