OUTSTANDING!!!!!!

About 5 years ago, I built my son a retro XM177ish carbine (below).  He wanted the M16A1 flash hider on it, so I replaced it after the picture was taken.  We have shot it a lot through the years.  It does 1.5 MOA with iron sights.  It also has an original Colt Fiberite stock!  The stock set and 603 upper were both nearly mint






My son  was up for Thanksgiving.  He was admiring my M4gery build I had just finished.  He asked if I still had a retro AR, too.  I told him I did and showed him the 602 build.  As were talking, he commented "you sure do like your retro ARs!  I like my "Shorty" but wish I had a flat top with red dot."  BTW, all of his firefighter buddies have "golly gee whiz , tacticool M4geries" and he has a retro.  Seeing a golden opportunity, I said "Well, son I would be happy to trade guns (except lower receivers which are registered by SN to us in Kalifornistan)"  So he took this below and is sending me the above retro Carbine!  Life is good.  I also sent him with an A2 grip, and am getting the A1 grip back.  For now, I will probably run it as my featureless light weight KISS Carbine with pinned stock and hammerhead or Kydex paddle, so I can use my high caps.  I will keep the stuff to restore it to its 653ish self, though....

I wanted to do a retro build instead of the M4gery ,in the first place, but the real Colt Fiberite stock and 603 upper cost almost as much as my whole $389 M4 build!

God that is ugly.

I tell ya ... kids these days and their over-accessorized car-beans that weighs 15 pounds  I'll take the KISS car-a-bine any day of the week

Amen!  when I decided to build a carbine, I thought retro.  When I looked at prices for a VG to excellent complete 603 upper receiver, and Colt Fiberite stock, I had nothing left in the budget for the rest of the build!  I got the entire M4 kit for $389 including carry handle, so I went that way.  It will look a little off on the Anderson lower with forged trigger guard, but it will still be retro at the core!!!!

I still don't understand the whole California and no pistol grip thing, does a gun with a pistol grip kill a person worse than a gun with ping pong paddle or whatever they call those monsterman grips? Same argument can be made about a bayonet lug, can an AR/AK with a bayo lug kill you faster? I tell you what, have two guns loaded with simunition fired in your direction and please do tell which one had the bayonet lug. I could tell you that I could give a rat's ass about the bayonet lug.....my thought would be how the hell am I getting the heck out of here!

My six and soon to be eight year old boys both say they like my guns with the built-in in handles than the ones that don't have them...so they are off to a good start however the eldest figured out his name "Kal" is partially derived from Kalashnikov so he keeps ask about "those guns I'm named after" so I might have screwed up there in retrospect

Yea but not all of em. Was over at a (much) younger friends and he had a top notch DD/Bravo build with keymod rail, surefire 951 and an aimpoint micro. No bs, super simple... And absolutely incredibly lightweight. I was shocked. Hands down one of the best ARs I had ever handled. Everything was right for its purpose and no stupidness. So maybe theres some hope for the next gen yet.

I am seeing a resurgence of upper sans forward assist like S&W sport and some other makers now.  My M4gery had an M4 barrel, just because it came with the kit (and was a BFI chrome lined!).  

A retro KISS Carbine,  with a pencil barrel and a retro look is what I will be doing.  A1 upper, to go with pencil barrel with a MM16A1 FH looking brake, original CAR15 handguards, no optic, and the Colt fiberite stock with latch disabled. (I am still working on a way to be legal, without drilling the COLT stock for pins or screws.  Maybe I'll back off the latch nut so it does not disengage the stock on the tube, and hit it with locktite to keep it from backing off all the way. I will not drill the Colt stock.  That would be blasphemy) The Colt Fiberite is a couple ounces less than the M4gery stock.  

I figure the empty weapon will be under 6 pounds, empty.  I am not sure whether I will use a hammerhead, or the Kydex paddle to keep it featureless.  The Hammerhead works better, but the Kydex paddle is not quite as ugly!  It will be on my Anderson forged lower with integral trigger guard for now.  Later, I would like to get a NDS 603 lower.  Here is a similar build I did before I moved back to Kali