So LG is definitely out of the drums?

Mine did t come with one, but at the time it wasnt listed as coming with one. That said, i wouldnt let that be a make or break... My kit was worth the money. The mag would be nice, but thats not what you really want is it?if so... Just buy a drum mag somewhere....

I don't really 'need' the kit though. I already have 2 603s, so the mag kind of is make or break

no telling from the rack numbers whom they were issued to.

for a repair, if you have a large enough clamp you can give it a shot.  i would mix some jb weld and force it in the crack, then put some wax paper over it and a scrap piece of leather and clamp it tight and let it dry.  after it dries, remove the wax paper and scrape/sand off the excess jb weld.  it's not a high stress area so it shouldn't crack from normal use.

They also have this stuff at lowes its a plastic bonding agent and looks like epoxy. I used it and it works great as well. I clamped it topether using some clear packing tape and then removed it when it dried.

I'd usually say just trash it, but that butt has an unusual amount of character and should be saved.

My kit arrived Thursday from LG and was ordered Sunday. The kit is like many described with a lot of wear on the upper almost none on the internals. The butt stock rubber pad is cracked but the butt stock and hand guards are fine. It did ship with the Drum as well.


Finestkind

I ordered one.....I shouldnt have caved in DAMN RBRD!. Will probably sell the drum and the mags. Hope mne ships fast like yours!

Full fence lower...you could use dark gray rustoleum on your lower like I did to one of my kits or just wait for a nodak. Here is a kit I painted the upper and lower in rustoluem. Before and after! The link is below. Its really tough stuff and cheap!



http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-2089830-Stops-12-Ounce-Primer/dp/B000S0P76E

DuraCoated matt black LC kit. Once dried a couple days, oiled.

Many go with A2 lowers. There are very few true A1 lowers still out there other then the NoDak ones. Some have reprofiled there A2's, others have done the 80% with a reprofile and engraving. At the very least an A2 will get you by until the NoDak comes through in 10 or so months...

so would it be a sin to go with an A2 or is it worth the wait/money for the nodak?

No sin, unless you're gonna do something with it most don't want to know about.  NDS is top quality and few aren't happy with purchase.  Is any AR-15 lower receiver worth the coins or wait?  Probably.  Most all are very happy with their lower receiver purchases and personal builds regardless of mfg and that's all that matters at the end of the day.

If machinist / machine is up to par / spec you will never know a difference in actual receiver when shooting it.  The internals can and do make a difference.  If you believe ithe receiver is the beanstalk beans than it justifies your purchase if nothing else.  You don't see many NDS receivers at the matches but you see a whole bunch of RRA.  Boils down to niche market and what your niche is.  Full retail price for either is comparable.  Cool factor is very high on NDS for a retro build mostly because it's grey anodized and they offer a similar in appearance receiver to the original earlier models.  Retroland members support NDS and NDS supports retroland members.

Will retroheads give you grief about an A-2 lower?  More than likely.  Does it matter?  Not to me!  What matters to me is hitting with the bullet where I put the sight post when the trigger was squeezed.  If you have the time to wait and the coins then I think you will be happy but buying a lower tomorrow and to  be shooting tomorrow night should also make you happy.  Ice cream comes in different flavors for a reason.

I usually recommend ordering the NDS (getting on the list) or as many as your pocket will allow and building with what is available in spec for the least amount of coins and swapping out parts when it finally arrives.  For me a lower is 20 minutes to assemble but I've also been known to put a couple hours in a FCG to get it how I want it for the purpose it's intended.  Does usually take a few minutes more to disassemble but that's being very careful and anal not to mention I've assembled a few 100 more than I've disassembled.

NDS won't bill you until it's ready to ship and they are understanding if something comes up between now and then that possibly prohibits the purchase at time of your purchase availability.  They are good folks with a good reputation.  Plenty of others patiently waiting also at present time.  If it ever becomes a problem and they are stuck with a ton of lowers I'm sure we will be the first to know.

Dont forget a 6 to 12 month wait time.  That is something to consider. The wait is worth it, their lowers are awesome... But for a beater retro like this, youd be fine. Only the best clones here are gonna get knocked for something like that. For most of us, we use what we have and make the most of it. Thats often an a2 style lower.

You guys need to get crackin'.

Only 105 kits remain in stock as of this morning.

This effing thing has me thinking and i have way too many projects in various stages of incompletion already.

I beat that question pretty hard......

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_123/642522_Coating_Choices.html

I bought one of these kits a while back.
I was in the USAF in the late 80's. At the time I really wasn't into guns.
How could I find out what platforms were used in this period to make a clone?

Late 80's many platforms were still in use.   A1/A2 Franken guns, various GAU-5's, M16A2's and M-4's.

It depends if you want a rifle or a carbine.

The kits mentioned in this thread are for M16A1 rifles from 1974-1982

See Ekie's variation threads tacked in this forum or visit here.  http://www.retroblackrifle.com/



They had 742 lits when I got mine.......21 Kits left as of today

Ummm, 9 left so at this rate they will probably be all gone tomorrow...  My second one had a lot better (no cracks or broken teeth) handguards than my first kit but I would have been happy just the same.

They are SOLD OUT! no more temptation!

That is unfortunate.  I was going to buy one to build a rifle for my dad.

RTI has better condition kits now at $399 or advertised as very good condition with two Colt mags.  May be a sale if they don't move but I've bought kits from at least 5 different vendors and all but Centerfire Systems were in same IO label box.  Plenty more coming or so I've been told by someone who probably knows.  The LG kits were priced as such due to overall condition and bought as such  also.  Figure most every decent vendor is going to have a Memorial Day Sale.  Centerfire Systems still has kits for $299.00 but will probably need HG's , buttplate (Numrich Gun Parts $4.35) and some LPK pieces to make complete.  Most are gonna sell the FA pieces,  simply neuter or buy a semi kit anyway.

My buddy had me build his second kit exactly the same as the first. The only difference is the rack numbers. Bad lighting, but they are a perfect set of twins.

Did your kit come with the shorty hand guards or did you pick them up somewhere else?

The guards were not part of the kits. Both sets from the kits had broken teeth. My buddy wanted a 16 inch barrel and he found M4 barrels locally, new and cheap. He still wanted the triangle retro look, so he bought both sets from Model 1 sales. Go to the bottom of the page on the site in the link.

http://www.model1sales.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=447