Building an AR-15 from Scratch

I've had a Stag Arms stripped lower receiver sitting in my gun safe for about two years, and I finally decided to build an AR on it.  I have an A3 and an M4, so I wasn't sure how exactly I wanted to build it.  I thought it would be neat to build one that could do some precision shooting, maybe out to 250 - 300 yards or so.  Not a "sniper rifle" exactly, more along the lines of what a squad designated marksman might use.  I started looking on Gunbroker and eBay, and it wasn't very long before a tidal wave of packages began arriving at my house.  I tried to save a little money here and there, but I was determined to only use quality parts.  If the rifle was a patchwork of good parts, than so be it.  I found a stripped Noveske upper receiver at a good price.  I found a really nice 18" spiral fluted heavy barrel on eBay, believe it or not.  I found a like new Bushnell 1-4x scope and an SWFA mount.  I found a good buy on a Hogue floating hand guard -  at less than half of what it would normally go for.  It was like a scavenger hunt for about three weeks.  I admit, the rifle's a mutt.  There's probably at least one component in it from any major AR brand you would care to name.  I kept thinking of that old fast food chicken nugget commercial, "parts is parts."  Also, the Johnny Cash song about the car he put together from stolen parts over a couple of decades kept playing in my head as I assembled this pile of springs, pins, and forgings.  Gee, I hope this thing works. 

My first range outing with the rifle was somewhat disappointing, because I had apparently not bore sighted the scope properly and couldn't even get a hole in the paper.  The good news was that the rifle functioned perfectly - that was indeed welcome news.  After correcting my hasty mistake, I took the rifle back to the range and managed to get it zeroed first at 50, then at 100 yards.  Then I settled down and tried to see what I could do with the rifle.  I was very pleased with the results.  Again, the rifle functioned flawlessly, and it produced some reasonable groups when all aspects of its composition are taken into consideration.  Allow me to elaborate on this.

The first thing I noticed was that the 1-4x scope I had put on the rifle was barely adequate.  At 100 yards with four power dialed in, you can see a big black circle, but not enough detail to do anything except aim for the center of mass.  It's a big improvement over iron sights, but that's about as far as I'd go.  I am absolutely convinced that the rifle could shoot better groups with a more powerful scope.  A 3-9x would probably be about right, but I think it could make good use of a 12x or even an 18x scope.   The rifle is certainly steady enough to use most of that magnification, with its bipod and rear monopod. 

The other aspect that seemed to cry out for improvement was the trigger.  I built the rifle with a stock Stag Arms single stage trigger.  There's nothing wrong with it, mind you.  It's actually a really nice service-rifle type trigger.  It lets off very cleanly, with no discernable creep.  However, after firing a few groups, it occurred to me that a good, national match, two stage trigger would probably make a world of difference in what the rifle could do.  It would afford that small but very important improvement in the ease of release, and would probably tighten those groups up noticeably.

 Fortunately, these two issues are both easily fixed.  At some point in the future I will undoubtedly mount a scope with greater magnification.  I like the Bushnell drop zone AR scope that is on the rifle, and I'll probably replace it with another scope from the same line.  Bushnell offers a 3-9x, but they also have a drop zone scope that is 4.5-18x that is very intriguing.  Do you really need all that magnification?  Maybe not, but you can always back it off.  It would sure be interesting to see what the rifle could do with it, in any case.  Similarly, two stage match triggers are readily available and easily installed.  I'm not familiar with all of the brands that are available, so I'll have to do some research on the internet before I settle on which one I want to put in the rifle. 

While I was cleaning it, I reflected on the two year lapse, and then the furious three week parts acquisition frenzy that culminated in this great rifle.  A year ago I would have probably built it differently.  Two years ago, perhaps differently, still.  Nevertheless, as AR shooters are fond of pointing out, AR's are like Barbie Dolls for men:  if you don't like what it looks like, it's easy to change it.  Despite the shortcomings of the scope and trigger however, I'm very happy with the way my AR turned out.  It functions well, shoots well, and most importantly, it's a lot of fun.                    

Seecamp: King of the Mouse Guns

A couple of years ago, I went on a "guns I've always wanted to have" kick.  One of the guns I acquired during this shameless binge is a Seecamp .32 automatic.  I remember reading about them back in 1985 when they were introduced.  All the gun writers who reviewed them mentioned the obvious quality of the guns, pointing out that they were hand-fitted nearly to the level of a custom gun.  They immediately came to be regarded as the "Cadillac" of the pocket guns, and there was a waiting list of over a year to get one.  I really wanted one.  The idea of a high quality pocket pistol made sense to me.  Anyone who carries concealed regularly will tell you that it aways comes down to a compromise between effectiveness, concealability, and convienience.  There are times and circumstances when a small pocket pistol is the best (or sometimes only) option. 

These excellent guns are basically built around a single cartridge: the Winchester silver tip hollow point.  That's what they're tuned for, and that's what Seecamp recommends you shoot in them.  I couldn't locate an silver tips locally, so I bought a box of UMC 71 grain FMJ rounds and decided to see what would happen.  The first thing that happened (or more correctly, didn't happen) was the inability of the rounds to be loaded into the gun's magazine.  They were too long, and would not fit.  It dawned on me that the silver tips are 60 grain bullets, and I theorized that the 11 grain difference in bullet weight - or more precisely, the accompanying increase in bullet length - was the real culprit behind the ammunition limitation.

 

While I was thinking through all of this, I remembered another odd thing I noticed when I first received the used Seecamp.  A part of the magazine was loose in the box, and the magazine had been assembled without it.  The part is a sort of "L" shaped plate whose long side fits vertically along the spine of the magazine. It's main purpose is to retain the magazine's floorplate.  I recall thinking that was sort of strange, why would someone take that part out of the magazine and leave it out?  In one of those eureka moments, I disassembled the magazine, and reassembled it without the L-shaped plate.  Sure enough, without that part, it is possible to load 71 grain cartridges into the magazine.  I guess the gun's previous owner had figured that out, and just left it that way.  So, the thickness of that particular part was essentially the reason for all 60 grain ammo recommendations.  But would it work without that part?  A trip to the range showed that, yes, while the magazine would function without the part,  without it, there was nothing holding the floorplate in place.  If you're not careful, the floorplate will slip forward and dump the spring and follower - along with all of your cartridges - onto the ground.  A solution?  Sort of, but not a very good one.  Especially so as the Seecamp is a self-defense pistol. 

I should point out here that I'm perfectly happy to load my Seecamp with silver tips and carry it that way.  By this point, the question had become just a "can it be done" sort of thing that shooters sometimes indulge in.  There was nothing really to gain from taking this any further except information, and maybe a little bit of satisfaction.

With that understanding, I did a little experimenting.  I found that my gun will function perfectly with the heavier bullets - no problem.  I went along like this for a while, because the cheaper factory ammo is almost invariably 71 grain.  I just didn't feel like spending nearly a dollar a round to shoot my Seecamp.  So, I took the part out of the magazine before each trip to the range, then put it back in.  

I am a long time reloader, but I never seriously considered reloading .32 ACP because the Seecamp is my only gun in that caliber, and I just don't shoot it enough to justify keeping an inventory of the additional components.   By pure chance, I found a deal on a good set of Hornady dies, and bought them in case I wanted to start loading .32 auto.  I haven't loaded any, but having the dies gave me another idea.  What if you bought the cheaper 71 grain ammo and simply seated the bullets the thickness of the L-shaped plate deeper?  I tried it.  The magic number ended up being about .020" and the rounds loaded easily into the magazine.  They fed, fired, cycled, ejected perfectly.  So I had found two ways to use cheaper ammo in my Seecamp:  take the magazine part out, or seat the bullets more deeply. 

Does seating the bullet deeper increase the pressure of the cartridge?  Sure it does.  Does it increase it dangerously so?  Not even close.  Remember, we're only talking about seating the bullet about two one-hundredths of an inch deeper, and the .32 auto is not really a fire breathing, high-pressure cartridge to begin with.  There was no discernable difference in blast, report, or recoil.  A very careful examination of the primers of the spent casings showed no hint of the flattening or cratering indicative of excessive pressure.  The only thing that seemed to suffer a little bit was accuracy, but my perception of that is purely subjective since I did not include that variable as part of my experimentation.

So what does all of this prove?  Well, not a lot really.  It confirms that the Seecamp pistol was designed around a specific cartridge of a specific bullet weight.  That's hardly a news flash, the Seecamp website explains that very clearly.  Like most shooters and reloaders, I like to tinker and experiment in my hobby.  I guess it just presented me with a challenge, and I wanted to see if I could figure out a way to solve it.                                       

Challenging Yourself: Shooting with a purpose

In May I finally got around to doing something I should have done years ago. I took an NRA course and got certified as a pistol instructor. That, in itself, is really great, but during the class I learned about a program co-sponsored by the NRA and Winchester for self-paced, honor system, marksmanship. I started reading about it and it looked like a lot of fun. Well, it's been the focus of my shooting for the last several months. It's not only fun, but I really like it because it gives you specific goals to try for each time you go to the range. It has forced me out of my comfort zone, and made me attempt shooting skills that I probably would never have otherwise tried. It's sort of like golf. You get excited challenging yourself to do better than you did the last time. It's really added a lot of enjoyment to my range outings.

I made it a little harder on myself by doing all the shooting at 7 yards (21 feet) rather than the specified 15 feet. I also used a variety of handguns, revolvers and automatics, in numerous calibers. Moreover, I made it a rule to fire the revolvers only in double action mode, thereby making it a little more realistic and challenging. I achieved the Sharpshooter qualification today using a S&W model 649 .38 special revolver, and a Glock 21 with an Advantage Arms .22 LR conversion unit on it. My best target so far has been a 98/100 using a 1974 manufactured S&W model 59 9mm auto that I bought a couple of months back. That old war horse is a real tack driver! I think the extractor is worn out, so I'm going to replace it, but the gun is a keeper for sure. I also shot some very good targets with my Springfield Armory TRP Operator 1911 with a Marvel .22 conversion slide. I've re-learned that autos are easier to shoot well than are revolvers (when fired double action), and single action autos are easier to shoot well than DA autos. This is hardly news, but I've found that when you're actually scoring all of your targets, you really pay attention to every little detail of how the gun handles and shoots. I think this program has really improved my marksmanship over the last couple of months. It has motivated me to pick my game up every time I shoot. If your range outings are starting to get stale and repetitive, you should look into this program.

I Finally Got One!

I remember reading about Freedom Arms .454 Casull revolvers back in the early-mid 1980s. Even then, they were very expensive revolvers and I never really held any serious hope of having one. Well, twenty-five plus years later, I finally decided to dig deeply into my gun safe and make a trade for one.

I traded a Wilson Combat CQB .45 automatic, which is no small change gun, I assure you. What I got was a solid old soldier of a revolver, that I later found out was completed on May 31, 1990. It locks up like a bank vault, and is unquestionably the most accurate handgun I've ever owned. It came with an older Leupold M8 2x scope and Leupold mount. I sort of thought I'd have to replace them, but they seem to be working just fine. I took it to the range on two consecutive Sundays. On the second one, as I was finishing cleaning it, the trigger spring broke! I figured my new pet would be out of service for at least a month or more, but I decided to take the opportunity to send it back to the factory, get an action job done on it, and have all the springs and internal parts replaced. To my amazement, Freedom Arms had the gun back to me in exactly one week, and as nice as it was before, now it's like a new gun.

I took it up today for the first time since the work was done. I had to remount and re-zero the scope, but I had the foresight to carefully record where the zero was on the boresight. I must have done pretty well, because the first round was in the black, and only a few very minor adjustments to nail zero. This gun is amazingly accurate, far more so than I am as a shot. A really good shot could hit bullseyes all day long. Me, I'm just happy to shoot such nice groups and the plentiful bulls are a nice bonus. FA set the trigger at three and a half pounds, and it breaks like a glass rod. Once I got it zeroed well, I blew the black out of the target at 25 yards, so I moved it out to 50 yards. One of the range officers told me one time that I was just about the only guy they ever see shooting at 50 yards on the pistol range. I do it with all my scoped handguns, even my .22 Ruger Single Six Hunter.

I felt really good about how I shot today. Using both the Freedom Arms and my new Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum, I was able to keep every round (of the ammo the respective guns were zeroed with) in the black at 50 yards. That's quite an accomplishment for me. I'm shooting better than I think I ever have. It also makes me feel very confident about my ability to take a coyote at 50 yards or so, too. Shooting in the field is a lot different than on a range, but any hit in the black would be a kill on coyote sized game.

Just about all my shooting today was with .45 Colt and .44 Special. I did take a few .44 magnums and .454 Casull rounds, but I made no attempt to re-set the sights or scope, so I didn't really count hits or misses with that ammo. My standard .45 Colt load is a 250 grain rnfp lead bullet with 7.8 grains of unique. The Freedom Arms REALLY likes this load. I also tried another load with 5.3 grains of Clays pushing the same bullet. This also proved to be a very accurate load in the big .45 For the Ruger, I was shooting 200 grain rnfp lead bullets over 4.5 grains of bullseye. This was also a very accurate load. I had 50 rounds of 240 grain Lyman 429421 "Keith" bullets that I had really high hopes for. None of my guns have liked these bullets, and the new Ruger was no exception. But it liked the cowboy loads, so I zeroed with these and, despite a 4-5/8" barrel, it too could keep all these loads in the black at 50 yards.

I couldn't be happier with the the Casull, and the Ruger for that matter. I think some Western Maryland coyotes are going to be in for a really tough time very soon!

NASCAR!!! Martinsville, VA October 24, 2010

I finally decided to go see a Nascar race in person, so my daughter, Jennifer, and I set off on a road trip to Martinsville, Virginia last Saturday. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the race was awesome. I had some real, quality time with my little girl, and we had a blast. My man, Jimmie Johnson, placed pretty well, and I noticed a lot of number 48 caps and shirts, even though a lot of people booed him when he roared by. Jen was rooting for Dale Earnhardt Jr. (we'll have to have a talk about that - kidding). So I think we'll definitely have to do it again sometime. Probably to Dover, DE or the Poconos, because Martinsville - at 5.5 hours - is just kind of far. Nevertheless, we had a great time and I wouldn't trade the time with Jen for the world.

The Strider family continues to grow!

These Strider knives are kind of addictive. I finally added a folder, an SMF with "gunner grips" in green (of course). It's in the bottom of the picture, right below the Zero Tolerance knife that gets into the picture because it was a collaborative effort with Strider.

Reggie Jackson: Baltimore Orioles

A lot of people don't know this, but besides playing for the Atheletics and the Yankees, Mr. October also played one season with the Baltimore Orioles. The Bicentennial year, 1976, Reggie donned the bird's orange, black, and white uniform, batted .277 with 27 homers, 91 RBIs, and won a lot of votes for league MVP. Reggie wasn't finished - 76' was not the twilight of his career. His two best home run seasons were still ahead of him, so he was hardly a "has been" when the O's acquired him. Still, his season with Baltimore is now little more than a footnote in his glorious and distinguished career. The youthful, rookie, Jackson is associated with Atheletics, while the older, seasoned, Jackson is always associated with the Yankees. But he was one of ours, once!

I've had an autographed 8x10 photo of Jackson in an O's uniform for years. I bought it at a baseball card show back in the early 1980's, when it had no particular premium value. I've been offered up to $100 bucks for it, but I kinda like it. Recently while browsing ebay, I ran across a game used jersey card of Jackson - an Orioles jersey! Needless to say, I bought it and it will have a special place among my other Orioles game-used jersey cards. I suppose it's just a little bit of Baltimore history as well as MLB history, but I still think it's kind of special.