Arts and Crafts

So now that I am in the middle of building “Kyle,” I am planning my next build: “Gaston.” It should take me a couple of weeks to finish Kyle, counting parts delivery, assembly, and the holidays interfering. My object with Kyle is an accurate, lightweight AR pattern rifle in 5.56 that has no identifying marks on it, no engraving. Just a sterile, all around defense rifle.

Once Kyle is complete, I will start getting parts together for Gaston.

Gaston will, of course, be a Glock compatible handgun. I am patterning it after a Glock 19, using an 80 percent lower. Cost: $150

I have selected a Gen 3 slide with RMR cut from ninex19. The slide costs about $325. I won’t be mounting an optic on it yet, but I want the option if I decide to do so later.

I am looking at using a Faxon barrel again. (Can you tell that I really like their barrels? I use them almost exclusively) The one I am looking at is extended and threaded for a suppressor. I am really considering Chameleon PVD like this one. It costs $210.

I want something that will not only be high quality, but will look sharp. I will finish it off with the internals and a set of night sights. My budget for this build is $850. I know that this is more than an off the shelf Glock 19, but one of the advantages of building your own is not just privacy, but getting a handgun that is higher quality and better looking than a factory made one. If I was looking at making a stock 19 knockoff, I could do it for less than $550. I want something unique.

Disregard my request for barrel recommendations. I found a Faxon barrel over at Joe Bob Outfitters*. They seem to have stuff when no one else does. They had magazines for my Shield Plus when those magazines were as rare as a Bigfoot sighting, and they don’t make their stuff outrageously expensive while trying to convince people that their prices are lower than dirt.

So with this purchase, I begin yet another build. Meh, it gives me something to do on my days off.

Here are the specs:

• 5.56mm
• 18 inch
• 1:8 twist
• GUNNER profile (Government to the gas block, pencil from there to the muzzle)
• Rifle length gas block, 0.625″
• 1.44 pounds

Remember my post on the meaning of twist rate. Since most of my ammo is either 55 or 62 grain, my builds have been in the 1:8 version. I like the heavier bullets, as they are more stable at longer ranges.

I’m having fun building these rifles, and I think that I am getting quite good at it. The wife doesn’t even shake her head anymore when another rifle shows up in the gun safe. I may have to sell a couple of my serialized ARs to make room.

To track my expenses, I’m going to start naming my builds. I thought about numbering them, but that would allow someone to track how many I am building. That is no one’s business, unless I sell any of them. So, with that in mind, the name of this build will be the “Kyle.”

* I have no relationship whatsoever with Joe Bob Outfitters, other than being a customer. Their prices are pretty low, and they seem to have things that other dealers are out of stock on.

When I do an AR build, I really like Faxon barrels. The problem is that all of those are out of stock. I am thinking about doing an AR build and would like recommendations on a quality barrel. Please let me know your thoughts in comments.

The new 80 percent lower arrived over the weekend. Before I even began, I checked the magazine catch slot to ensure it was the proper size. I began the milling operation at 7:30 this morning, and the entire rifle was ready to go by 10:00.*

The upper

• The barrel is an 18 inch Faxon Pencil Barrel. Lightweight, accurate, good heat dissipation. $270
• The BCG is a low mass operating system with JP Enhanced bolt. $450 Let me tell you, Big Country was enthralled by this BCG when he saw it at the blog shoot back in March.
• Extended charging handle, $53
• The upper receiver is an Aero precision from Brownell’s: $170
• A WMB Nitromet gas tube. $18
• An Edge Carbon Fiber handguard from Brigand Arms: $394, plus the sling swivel, which added another $30 to the order.
• The gas block was a spare adjustable one I had lying around the house. I think it cost in the neighborhood of $50.

Total cost for the completed upper was $1435.

The lower

• 5D tactical 80 percent AR-10 lower, $140
• The buffer tube assembly caught on sale from Righttobear.com $80
• Kyntec 3.25″ Hydraulic Recoil Buffer, $130
• Geiselle SSA two stage trigger, $228
• Stainless Steel Buffer Spring, $29
• Miscellaneous pins, springs, etc., $50
• Geiselle Stainless Steel Magazine catch $22
• Daniel Defense buttstock $71

Total cost for the completed lower was $750.

The Glass

• I decided to go with a Low Power Variable Optic for this rifle. I got a 1 to 8 power LPVO scope from Primary Arms. It has the ACSS reticle. Cost $390.
• I mounted that scope on the rifle with a 30mm Quick Disconnect mount from American Defense. $190.
• I also got a throw lever to make power adjustments faster and easier. $20

The total cost of this rifle without considering the optics was $2185. If you count the cost of the scope and its mount, the total project cost was $2,785. The rifle with the scope mounted weighs in at 8.85 pounds.

I headed out to the range to test fire it. If functions fine, with the brass coming out at the 3 o’clock position, so I have the gas block tuned correctly. The first target was at 25 yards, five shots to get a 25 yard zero. The first shot was the one that is the lowest, most rightward one.

Once it was dialed in at 25 yards, the target was placed at 100 yards. I fired two five round groups. The first group is the five holes to the upper left. That group measured in at 6.25″. Some adjustments were made. The second group is the one to the lower right, which measured at just over 3.5″.

This rifle isn’t a tack driver, but it isn’t meant to be. Then again, the loose groups are probably because I haven’t had much range time for about a year. I think some more range time is in order.

I have no relationship with any of the vendors or manufacturers mentioned in this post, other than me being a customer. The prices paid and any discounts I received were those available to the general public.

*The rifle is ALMOST done. When I was assembling it, I realized that I was out of roll pins for the bolt catch. I went to the range without a bolt catch installed. That will be rectified once the new pins arrive.

This man built a submarine during lockdown and took it to the bottom of the lake near his home. He had no engineering knowledge and didn’t even graduate from high school. My guess is that after being locked in his home with his wife for a year, he was tired of listening to her and built a submarine to escape.

California was sued by gun owners because they passed an “Assault Weapons” ban in 2018 which required all owners of the weapons to register them, but then the website for doing so was broken. At any rate, the parties have reached a settlement whereupon they agreed to reopen the “Assault Weapons” registry for 90 days and not punish gun owners for being “late” in registering their previously legal firearms.

How gracious.

Now Joe Biden and his communist cronies are looking to do the same thing on a nationwide scale. Did you know that you can make your own lower, free from government knowledge? Here is a great example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=791_LafOw4A

You can get the jig, the tooling, and two 80% lowers for just under $625. After that, you can finish as many 80% lowers as you want.

I am posting this here without further comment.

First create a home made aluminum foundry:

Then make aluminum bullion:

Then you can create a rough aluminum casting of almost anything.

Or you can do a sandcasting