Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Mix'n it up
So I inherited my dads AR about a year ago when he died, it is exactly the same as my base model from del-ton, without the add ons. I really don't need two tactical 16" EBRs so I am looking to build a designated marksman 20". We'll see where this leads, but I am looking at White Oak Armament CMP barrel and the ff sleeve.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
I really need to get better about posting to this Blog, but no one is reading it anyway. Last I posted I was looking for a 1911 style grip and had everything else. I found the grip and it was $15, I ended up paying ~$25 for the upgrade rubber and the molded finger insert; well worth the money. The last thing I need is a front picatinny sling mount, but that can wait until I get to Parallax Tactical here in San Diego.
Some long awaited photos of the finished project.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Latest update
It has been awhile since I have updated this. Here is where I stand with the EBR. To direct the bullet to the target I have a NcStar Mark III 2-7x32 Tactical Scope with quick release mount on top of a 1/2" Picatinny rail riser, backed up by Magpul Back-up sights (MBUS). I took this set up to the range and it worked out pretty well, I wasn't able to get a real good sight in session but the bullet hit the target in the general area I wanted it to. I need to get to a good range to do things right. At the range I noticed that the rails on the handguard were pretty uncomfortable so I picked up three sets of Magpul XTS rails in Black, Flat Dark Earth, and Olive Drab. This made a huge difference in comfort and looks cool too in a "camo" pattern. I probably need one more set to complete the look but it is functional. I had a forward grip I got from an armorer during a deployment that I stuck on, it works well and folds to get out of the way. Last item that I put together is a single/double point bungee sling I built from looking at pictures and reading other peoples builds, it works well, is fairly comfortable and was about 1/4 what a commercial rig would cost. To transport I built a maple case using some curly maple that I had laying around, it is a bit heavy but looks great and gets attention when I bring it out. That's all for now, I still intend on putting a light/laser, and possibly a bipod. I would eventually like to replace the grip, I found a 1911 style grip adapter that looks really nice and is pretty inexpensive ~$15. As soon as I find someone that has one in stock I will get it.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Douglas Adams quote
The designer of the gun had clearly not been instructed to beat about the bush. 'Make it evil,' he'd been told. 'Make it totally clear that this gun has a right end and a wrong end. Make it totally clear to anyone standing at the wrong end that things are going badly for them. If that means sticking all sort of spikes and prongs and blackened bits all over it then so be it. This is not a gun for hanging over the fireplace or sticking in the umbrella stand, it is a gun for going out and making people miserable with.'
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Finished???
It is true that an AR build is never finished. I have had the "completed" rifle for a couple of months and am still looking for stuff to upgrade/accurize/make it better. I got a set of two-piece four-rail UTG handguards from the AR-15.com Equipment exchange for $40. Not a bad price considering everyone else is out of stock.
I still have to pick up the optics, I am all but committed to a NcStar MKIII 2-7 scope. The dealer that I am getting it through is throwing in a small double rail mount that goes on the scope for $6 bringing the total to $96 shipped. I don't know if a better deal exists out there. I just need to hurry up and buy the dang thing.
As far as ammo, I have about 600 rounds. I know I need more but with the crazies in California there is none to be found in the stores that is less than $.75 a round, I was having issues paying $.50 a round a few months ago. I am working on a reloading setup but that will take some time.
I still have to pick up the optics, I am all but committed to a NcStar MKIII 2-7 scope. The dealer that I am getting it through is throwing in a small double rail mount that goes on the scope for $6 bringing the total to $96 shipped. I don't know if a better deal exists out there. I just need to hurry up and buy the dang thing.
As far as ammo, I have about 600 rounds. I know I need more but with the crazies in California there is none to be found in the stores that is less than $.75 a round, I was having issues paying $.50 a round a few months ago. I am working on a reloading setup but that will take some time.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Build
I received my mid-length kit from Del-Ton yesterday and have to say the quality of what I received was way above what I expected. Additionally the Essential Arms lower was perfect as well. I had made a cursory inspection and things looked good, but when putting the LPK into the lower I discovered how good it really was. The fit and finish was flawless, there was no filing, grinding, reaming, or adjusting necessary.
Total time it took to put everything together was around 2 hours including gathering the tools I would need. I was prepared to get a punch set, detent installation tool, vice block and all the other stuff that is recommended; I didn’t and was able to get it together with little or no drama.
I followed the guide on AR15.com With the exception of the Cal compliant bullet button it was step for step easy to follow. The Bullet Button was actually easier to install than the standard mag release so there was no drama there. Below is a step by step summary.
Tools.
I found the only tools needed were:
A hammer – I used an adjustable face mallet I got at Harbor Freight for $4 with a coupon, it has four different faces that can be used in varying hardness, for the most part I used the hardest plastic face and the metal face.
65516-0VGA Central Forge
4-in-1 Quick Change Multi Head Hammer
$6.99
Three piece nail punch set
41988-0VGA Central Forge
3 Piece Nail Punch Set
$3.99
This was used in place of the roll-pin punches, it has tapered tips that fit nicely into the roll pins and worked very well.
A hemostat – basically a small locking clamp. Harbor Freight carries them but you can also pick them up anywhere small tools are sold.
12" Locking Clamp 94952-0VGA
$4.99
This was extremely helpful when installing the small detent pins.
Locking pliers (Vice Grip®) – I used a set of needle nose locking pliers but pretty much any configuration will work as long as it can open larger than 1”. The larger you use the more leverage you have, but don’t go over about 10”.
10" Curved Jaw Locking Pliers with Wire Cutter Irwin Vise-Grip 3294-0VGA
$5.47
The pliers were used to press in the roll pin when installing the mag catch release and the trigger guard. VERY helpful.
Small flat piece of metal – I used a small screwdriver that I had ground flat, but a small metal ruler or other thin flat piece of metal will work. This is to hold the front takedown pin detent down while inserting the pin. A tool is available for this purpose, but unless you are building multiple lowers it isn’t worth it.
¼” hardwood dowel or metal rod – used in the installation of that pesky front take down pin, holds the detent down while you push in the pin.
Large clear plastic bag – I used a 1 gallon ziplock bag to put over the lower while installing the front take down pin to keep the detent contained when it launches (yes it will).
Electrical tape – protects the metal parts from scratches.
#10 flathead screwdriver for installing the grip
Gun oil, eye protection, pad for assembly, block of wood (1”), patience…lots of patience
Overall, the build is very simple and only requires a few cheap tools. Make sure you tape up the lower and the locking pliers to keep from scratching things up and things will go fine.
There are a couple difficult steps that take some time and finesse; the bolt catch release and the front take down pin.
The bolt catch release:
FIRST, TAPE UP YOUR LOWER SO YOU DON’T SCRATCH IT!!! NEXT, TAPE UP YOUR PLIERS SO YOU DON’T SCRATCH YOUR LOWER. Put a small amount of lube on the end of the roll pin and if necessary you can squeeze the end down a little. Using your hemostat or small needle nose pliers line the pin up with the hole and squeeze it in a little using your locking pliers. DO NOT PUSH THE PIN IN MORE THAN A COUPLE MILILMETERS. Insert the spring and buffer, line up the release and carefully squeeze the pin in the rest of the way. You may need to tap the pin in to seat it fully, but by then the hard part is done.
The front take down pin:
DO NOT LET THE DETENT LAUNCH ACROSS THE ROOM. WHILE COMPRESSING THE SPRING PUT THE BAG OVER THE RECEIVER AND WORK INSIDE THE BAG. The technique I used was to insert the 1/4” rod into the holes from the left side of the receiver, then gripping the detent with the hemostats, guide it into the hole compressing the spring as far as I could. Using the rod and flat piece of metal together press the detent down and the rod forward until it is held down by the rod. Finally, carefully press the rod out with the takedown pin allowing the detent to transfer over to the pin. If you get this the first time you are amazing, it took me about five times to get things lined up right, but when it worked it went smooth.
Everything else is cake and with a little patience should be easy. There are many other hints out there, read all of them, take notes, and have fun. My build took all of about 1 hour and when it was done I was left thinking “that’s it?”.
Total time it took to put everything together was around 2 hours including gathering the tools I would need. I was prepared to get a punch set, detent installation tool, vice block and all the other stuff that is recommended; I didn’t and was able to get it together with little or no drama.
I followed the guide on AR15.com With the exception of the Cal compliant bullet button it was step for step easy to follow. The Bullet Button was actually easier to install than the standard mag release so there was no drama there. Below is a step by step summary.
Tools.
I found the only tools needed were:
A hammer – I used an adjustable face mallet I got at Harbor Freight for $4 with a coupon, it has four different faces that can be used in varying hardness, for the most part I used the hardest plastic face and the metal face.
65516-0VGA Central Forge
4-in-1 Quick Change Multi Head Hammer
$6.99
Three piece nail punch set
41988-0VGA Central Forge
3 Piece Nail Punch Set
$3.99
This was used in place of the roll-pin punches, it has tapered tips that fit nicely into the roll pins and worked very well.
A hemostat – basically a small locking clamp. Harbor Freight carries them but you can also pick them up anywhere small tools are sold.
12" Locking Clamp 94952-0VGA
$4.99
This was extremely helpful when installing the small detent pins.
Locking pliers (Vice Grip®) – I used a set of needle nose locking pliers but pretty much any configuration will work as long as it can open larger than 1”. The larger you use the more leverage you have, but don’t go over about 10”.
10" Curved Jaw Locking Pliers with Wire Cutter Irwin Vise-Grip 3294-0VGA
$5.47
The pliers were used to press in the roll pin when installing the mag catch release and the trigger guard. VERY helpful.
Small flat piece of metal – I used a small screwdriver that I had ground flat, but a small metal ruler or other thin flat piece of metal will work. This is to hold the front takedown pin detent down while inserting the pin. A tool is available for this purpose, but unless you are building multiple lowers it isn’t worth it.
¼” hardwood dowel or metal rod – used in the installation of that pesky front take down pin, holds the detent down while you push in the pin.
Large clear plastic bag – I used a 1 gallon ziplock bag to put over the lower while installing the front take down pin to keep the detent contained when it launches (yes it will).
Electrical tape – protects the metal parts from scratches.
#10 flathead screwdriver for installing the grip
Gun oil, eye protection, pad for assembly, block of wood (1”), patience…lots of patience
Overall, the build is very simple and only requires a few cheap tools. Make sure you tape up the lower and the locking pliers to keep from scratching things up and things will go fine.
There are a couple difficult steps that take some time and finesse; the bolt catch release and the front take down pin.
The bolt catch release:
FIRST, TAPE UP YOUR LOWER SO YOU DON’T SCRATCH IT!!! NEXT, TAPE UP YOUR PLIERS SO YOU DON’T SCRATCH YOUR LOWER. Put a small amount of lube on the end of the roll pin and if necessary you can squeeze the end down a little. Using your hemostat or small needle nose pliers line the pin up with the hole and squeeze it in a little using your locking pliers. DO NOT PUSH THE PIN IN MORE THAN A COUPLE MILILMETERS. Insert the spring and buffer, line up the release and carefully squeeze the pin in the rest of the way. You may need to tap the pin in to seat it fully, but by then the hard part is done.
The front take down pin:
DO NOT LET THE DETENT LAUNCH ACROSS THE ROOM. WHILE COMPRESSING THE SPRING PUT THE BAG OVER THE RECEIVER AND WORK INSIDE THE BAG. The technique I used was to insert the 1/4” rod into the holes from the left side of the receiver, then gripping the detent with the hemostats, guide it into the hole compressing the spring as far as I could. Using the rod and flat piece of metal together press the detent down and the rod forward until it is held down by the rod. Finally, carefully press the rod out with the takedown pin allowing the detent to transfer over to the pin. If you get this the first time you are amazing, it took me about five times to get things lined up right, but when it worked it went smooth.
Everything else is cake and with a little patience should be easy. There are many other hints out there, read all of them, take notes, and have fun. My build took all of about 1 hour and when it was done I was left thinking “that’s it?”.
Monday, October 26, 2009
On it's way
Things are really moving now. I was billed for the kit on Thursday and it shipped Friday. I don't have an ETA but I will be gone this week anyway. I have everything I need except the four-rail hand guard which isn't absolutely necessary, and optics. I do have a red-dot but it isn't the best quality, it will work for now.
Ammo supply is low but more is on it's way and I have enough for sighting and op-testing.
As a final note before I get to building, Del-Ton has been extremely professional and the customer service has been superb, there was an issue with my fathers order and they took care of things without any drama. At this point I highly recommend Del-Ton.
Ammo supply is low but more is on it's way and I have enough for sighting and op-testing.
As a final note before I get to building, Del-Ton has been extremely professional and the customer service has been superb, there was an issue with my fathers order and they took care of things without any drama. At this point I highly recommend Del-Ton.
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