New lower for my carbine!

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - New lower for my carbine!

Posted: 6/18/2016 10:39:43 PM EDT

I built my first retro a few months back, a XM177E2 and absolutely fell in love with the little critter. At first, the A2 lower I used was good enough, but, as this RBRD has worsened, it starting to stick out like a sore thumb.
Well, today the mailman dropped off a present from Braceman that will cure that problem!

Unfortunately, for the time being, I live behind enemy lines here in California and we have some very scary bills being pushed through that would require registration of all my toys. Since I would have a hard time trying to register it as a Colt, I had Braceman change the manufacturers name and location to my own, while keeping it as close to the original Colt style as possible.
Mr. Brace did an amazing job transforming a Tactical Machine 80% into my dream lower.

Now the scary part begins! This will be my first 80% build and I'm terrified of screwing it up!
I'm using the 80% Arms easy jig, which I've heard good things about. Wish me luck!

Posted: 6/19/2016 11:57:34 AM EDT

[#1]

That's some fantastic engraving. Go slow, and good luck!

Posted: 6/19/2016 1:21:07 PM EDT

[#2]

Good luck! (You'll do just fine...)

Posted: 6/19/2016 1:26:39 PM EDT

[#3]

Looks awesome!

Do the 80% lowers come with the magwell done? I need to look into these more.

Posted: 6/19/2016 1:32:47 PM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted: Looks awesome!

Do the 80% lowers come with the magwell done? I need to look into these more.

View Quote

Modern 80% lowers do, yes. Yes, yes you do.

Posted: 6/24/2016 12:41:54 AM EDT

[#5]

Looks good so far!

Posted: 6/24/2016 1:21:32 PM EDT

[#6]

Great job on the engraving! Good luck and post pics as you go.

Posted: 6/24/2016 3:07:23 PM EDT

[#7]

Looks great!! Braceman has done all my engraving too!

Posted: 6/24/2016 4:02:04 PM EDT

[#8]

Can anyone tell me if Braceman can receive and do engraving on completed lowers?

Posted: 6/24/2016 9:18:50 PM EDT

[#9]

Thanks guys.
Braceman's work is amazing. The detail is incredible. Even the little "circled R" trademark next to the Colt logo is crisp, and that thing is tiny!
Hopefully, I'll have a chance to get out to the garage tonight and fire up the router.

Rifleman111,

Unfortunately, no. Braceman does not have an FFL, so he can not work on finished receivers.
I wish he did! I'd send him all of my lowers to be converted!

Posted: 6/27/2016 6:35:33 AM EDT

[#10]

Well, my paperweight is officially a firearm!

I used the 80% Arms "Easy Jig" and a Makita 1-1/4hp compact router. I didn't have any cutting fluid on hand, so I used some old "Castrol Racing Oil" instead (the old stuff that was actually made of castor bean oil)
There's definitely a learning curve here as it didn't come out quite as clean as I had hoped it would.
Got a bit of chatter marks and some scraping caused by the chips getting in between the end mill and the sides. I think I went a little too fast and took off more than I should of for each pass (the Makita router is well built and very sturdy, but, it lacks the means for fine depth adjustment).

Also, the pocket (specifically up near the hammer) ended up about .017" wider than my store bought lowers (seems to be biased towards the right side). Due to this, the hammer can shift over to one side slightly. Probably won't be a problem, but, I'm going to shim the hammer and trigger once it's done just to be safe.
The plates that make up the top of the jig have a little bit of play side to side (you have to stack a spacer, router template, and router plate on top. Held down with four screws. Other than the screws, there is nothing else locating the stack of plates). I think they may have shifted on me at one point. I'll have to be more careful to make sure they are lined up better next time.

Even with the little errors, I'm still very proud of myself.
Upon completion, I had this primal urge to hold the finished receiver above my head and proclaim to the neighborhood
"I am an AMERICAN MAN!!!! I eat red meat, drive big cars that get lousy gas mileage, and build guns in my kitchen!!! This is what FREEDOM looks like!!!"

Posted: 6/27/2016 11:11:46 AM EDT

[#11]

Wow that came out real nice! Braceman's re-profiling & engraving are top notch also!

Posted: 6/27/2016 11:28:13 AM EDT

[#12]

Phenomenal work. Congrats.

Posted: 6/27/2016 8:20:45 PM EDT

[#13]

Nice Job!

Posted: 6/28/2016 10:51:41 PM EDT

[#14]

Bracemans work is stellar. He's engraved 5 or so for me and he has another in his shop for me.

Posted: 6/28/2016 11:52:45 PM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
Bracemans work is stellar. He's engraved 5 or so for me and he has another in his shop for me.

View Quote

Good to know. I'm sending one off to him in a week or so.

Posted: 6/29/2016 12:07:35 AM EDT

[#16]

Posted: 6/29/2016 5:32:30 AM EDT

[#17]

Here it is, fresh out of the oven....

I even had a smoke to celebrate. Nothing says "retro" like a 42 year old C-Ration menthol!

I'm not 100% happy with the way the Norrell's came out this time. I couldn't get the cheap airbrush I used dialed in right and it came out with a somewhat rough texture. Hopefully with time and being handled it will smooth out some.

I'm definitely going to have to re-spray the upper. It was my first time using moly resin and I laid it on too heavy and too cold, which resulted in a somewhat glossy finish. I'm going to nock it down a bit with a 3m pad then spray it again over the long weekend.

I think I might also use a little darker grey flat paint to touch up the fake sear pin so it stands out more.

I'll post some more pics when the whole thing is done.

Posted: 6/29/2016 10:53:29 AM EDT

[#18]

That looks really good! Did you blast the lower first? How do you get Norrels to come out smoother? I'm doing this soon and am looking for tips.

Posted: 6/29/2016 11:18:09 AM EDT

[#19]

The hotter the part is, the rougher and flatter the Norrells will lay out. I was heating to 300 f and the finish was like sandpaper. 200-250 seems to be ideal, but the part cools down quick since you're spraying cold air and liquid on it, so you need to get it on as quick as possible, and if need be after the first light coat, stick it back in the oven for 5 min to heat it back up. If the final result is too rough, you can take a cotton cloth and oil and buff it to the desired sheen/smoothness

Posted: 6/29/2016 2:20:56 PM EDT

[#20]

I use a hair dryer to heat up the parts in between coats.
With the airbrush set up for a very fine mist, I can usually get the Norrell's to come out flat, without the rough, sand paper like feel.
I do multiple thin coats and heat the part up with the hair dryer in between each coat.

I couldn't get the airbrush to spray last night without opening up the mixture, so when the larger droplets hit the hot aluminum, they dried like grit on sandpaper. Unfortunately, I didn't notice it until after I came out of the oven. I probably should have thinned out the Norrell's a little.

Posted: 6/29/2016 4:24:48 PM EDT

[#21]

Yeah I hate when that happens, the splats suck

Posted: 7/1/2016 5:17:36 PM EDT

[#22]

Well, I couldn't stand the "180 grit sandpaper" feel of the lower.
I tried the "oil it up and buff with a rag" method, but, that just ended up with me trying to remove chunks of shredded cotton from my receiver.

I ended up smoothing the whole thing with some OOO steel wool, then re-shot it with more Norrell's. This time, I thinned it out 3 parts Norrell's to one part MEK.
End results were much better. Nice and smooth. Dead flat, without the sandpaper feel.

Posted: 7/5/2016 3:40:25 AM EDT

[#23]

Didn't have anything planned for the 4th, so I finished up my XM.
Here she is.....

Now I just need to get a "no-tic" selector and proper lock ring for the buffer tube and she'll be done.
Eventually, I'll spring for an EA stock, but, for now my painted plastic version will do.

If anyone is curious about the "H" on the side of the trigger, it's a HiperFire EDT (Enhanced Duty Trigger). They are great single stage triggers, and pretty inexpensive, too.

Posted: 7/5/2016 9:17:17 AM EDT

[#24]

Loooks awesome. I have noticed if you handle the lower a bit the roughness smoothes out over time and then you get the colt hue. Either way looks great.

Posted: 7/5/2016 10:00:33 AM EDT

[#25]

Quote History

Quoted:
Didn't have anything planned for the 4th, so I finished up my XM.
Here she is.....

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6690_zpssgugnix6.jpg

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6691_zpsfqjcvuqf.jpg

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6667_zpsimylfjjp.jpg

Now I just need to get a "no-tic" selector and proper lock ring for the buffer tube and she'll be done.
Eventually, I'll spring for an EA stock, but, for now my painted plastic version will do.

If anyone is curious about the "H" on the side of the trigger, it's a HiperFire EDT (Enhanced Duty Trigger). They are great single stage triggers, and pretty inexpensive, too.

View Quote

That came out great! The stock is very convincing. Did you shim over the hammer like you mentioned? Have you had a chance to test fire it yet?

Posted: 7/5/2016 10:54:39 AM EDT

[#26]

Quote History

Quoted:

That came out great! The stock is very convincing. Did you shim over the hammer like you mentioned? Have you had a chance to test fire it yet?

View Quote View All Quotes

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Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Didn't have anything planned for the 4th, so I finished up my XM.
Here she is.....

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6690_zpssgugnix6.jpg

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6691_zpsfqjcvuqf.jpg

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6667_zpsimylfjjp.jpg

Now I just need to get a "no-tic" selector and proper lock ring for the buffer tube and she'll be done.
Eventually, I'll spring for an EA stock, but, for now my painted plastic version will do.

If anyone is curious about the "H" on the side of the trigger, it's a HiperFire EDT (Enhanced Duty Trigger). They are great single stage triggers, and pretty inexpensive, too.

That came out great! The stock is very convincing. Did you shim over the hammer like you mentioned? Have you had a chance to test fire it yet?

I multicoated a plastic stock. After a couple coats, the rough texture goes away and it really does look the vinyl acetate part after 6 six coats.

Posted: 7/5/2016 1:11:26 PM EDT

[#27]

Quote History

Quoted:

That came out great! The stock is very convincing. Did you shim over the hammer like you mentioned? Have you had a chance to test fire it yet?

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Didn't have anything planned for the 4th, so I finished up my XM.
Here she is.....

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6690_zpssgugnix6.jpg

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6691_zpsfqjcvuqf.jpg

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6667_zpsimylfjjp.jpg

Now I just need to get a "no-tic" selector and proper lock ring for the buffer tube and she'll be done.
Eventually, I'll spring for an EA stock, but, for now my painted plastic version will do.

If anyone is curious about the "H" on the side of the trigger, it's a HiperFire EDT (Enhanced Duty Trigger). They are great single stage triggers, and pretty inexpensive, too.

That came out great! The stock is very convincing. Did you shim over the hammer like you mentioned? Have you had a chance to test fire it yet?

Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to fire it yet (just finished it last night). The upper has been fired quite a bit when it was on the Del-Ton lower, so I know at least the upper is good to go.
I did shim the hammer a tiny bit. I picked up one of those kits from "triggershims.com" and used three .005" shims on the right side of the hammer. Everything lines up perfectly now, with no excessive side to side play.

Trigger pull, bolt stop, mag release and manually cycling all feels exactly as it did with the other lower.
It has passed all function and safety tests, so, I have a good feeling that it will work fine once I get to the range (hopefully this coming weekend).

Posted: 7/12/2016 1:17:51 AM EDT

[#28]

Got another step closer to completion today thanks to the package that showed up in the mailbox today.
An original H&R selector from boywonder777

Here it is, now with no tic. Also dug my DOD stamp out (it looks naked without one)

And here's the driver's side....I think I installed it upside down, as now it points the wrong way.

The hyperfire trigger is open at the back, so unmodified, the selector gives me the choice of safe/fire/fire.

Now, all that's left is to get the correct receiver extension lock ring.
Almost done!

Posted: 7/12/2016 9:14:56 AM EDT

[#29]

Looking good. If your lowers finish is too rough for you, try some oil and a fine scouring pad, the green ones. Go at it lightly till you have the desired texture.

I have one of these in the works as well. Makes me wanna get 'er done.

Posted: 7/12/2016 12:36:24 PM EDT

[#30]

I ended up knocking down the roughness with some steel wool then re-shooting it with another coat of Norrell's.
Came out much better than the first coat did.

Posted: 7/12/2016 12:58:09 PM EDT

[#31]

Quote History

Quoted:

Didn't have anything planned for the 4th, so I finished up my XM.

Here she is.....

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6690_zpssgugnix6.jpg

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6691_zpsfqjcvuqf.jpg

http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee450/kdwaddle/DSCF6667_zpsimylfjjp.jpg

Now I just need to get a "no-tic" selector and proper lock ring for the buffer tube and she'll be done.

Eventually, I'll spring for an EA stock, but, for now my painted plastic version will do.

If anyone is curious about the "H" on the side of the trigger, it's a HiperFire EDT (Enhanced Duty Trigger). They are great single stage triggers, and pretty inexpensive, too.

View Quote

What 80% did you buy? I like how that one looked machining wise?

Posted: 7/12/2016 2:27:50 PM EDT

[#32]

Hi there,

The 80% was just a standard A2 style that I purchased from Tactical Machining.
I sent it to Braceman, who did the additional machining to make it look like an A1 and the custom engraving.

Nodak Spud also sells 80% lowers that are already profiled like an A1.

Posted: 7/12/2016 3:55:43 PM EDT

[#33]

Looks great, I too am behind enemy lines in the P.R.K. as my primary residence, it sucks to have firearms that are totally legal at my second residence in UT, and as soon as I cross over into enemy territory, I can be an instant Felon.
I'm getting ready to send three of my TM 80% to Braceman. I was thinking of doing exactly like you did, one will be a full fence M16A so I will have it all Colt marked, but like you, the other two will be AR-15 variants, a 604 a GAU-5A so I was also thinking of putting something like your waddles, But I was thinking of going with FUCA Firearms LTD or something like that? Maybe I'll steel from you and go "FUCA RETRO ARMS"

Posted: 7/12/2016 7:03:36 PM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
Looks great, I too am behind enemy lines in the P.R.K. as my primary residence, it sucks to have firearms that are totally legal at my second residence in UT, and as soon as I cross over into enemy territory, I can be an instant Felon.
I'm getting ready to send three of my TM 80% to Braceman. I was thinking of doing exactly like you did, one will be a full fence M16A so I will have it all Colt marked, but like you, the other two will be AR-15 variants, a 604 a GAU-5A so I was also thinking of putting something like your waddles, But I was thinking of going with FUCA Firearms LTD or something like that? Maybe I'll steel from you and go "FUCA RETRO ARMS"

View Quote

I say go for it! "FUCA RETRO ARMS" has a nice ring to it.

Posted: 7/13/2016 3:45:13 PM EDT

[#35]

Do you have contact information for Braceman?

Posted: 7/13/2016 5:19:11 PM EDT

[#36]

Quote History

Quoted:
Do you have contact information for Braceman?

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[email protected]

Posted: 7/13/2016 5:19:49 PM EDT

[#37]

Quote History

Quoted:
Do you have contact information for Braceman?

View Quote

Check your IM's.

Edit: Mauser48 beat me to it!

Posted: 7/13/2016 5:30:05 PM EDT

[#38]

Quote History

Quoted:

Check your IM's.

Edit: Mauser48 beat me to it!

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

Quoted:
Do you have contact information for Braceman?

Check your IM's.

Edit: Mauser48 beat me to it!

. Im excited to get my lower back from braceman! The suspense is killing me!

Posted: 7/13/2016 6:44:14 PM EDT

[#39]

You are going to love it. John does excellent work!

What are you having him do?

Posted: 7/13/2016 7:51:18 PM EDT

[#40]

Quote History

Quoted:
You are going to love it. John does excellent work!

What are you having him do?

View Quote

I had him engrave a nodak partial fence lower with the proper xm16e1 markings. Not sure if I'm going to start an in progress thread or just a finished thread. Either way. It will be soon!

Posted: 7/17/2016 6:21:59 PM EDT

[#41]

SUCCESS!!!!!

Just got back from a good day at the range. I brought my newly finished XM177E2 clone and faux M16A1 with me (the m16a1 has been giving me trouble and I wanted to see if my "fixes" actually worked).

I only brought 200 rounds of .223 with me, but, the majority of it went through the xm177e2.

NOT ONE SINGLE HICCUP!

I am beyond excited. I built the AR carbine of my dreams and it actually works flawlessly (and looks pretty damn cool to boot)!

Thanks to all those arfcommers out there that gave me advice and steered me in the right direction when I needed it.
I hear a lot of people on other gun forums talk crap about arfcom and its members. I guess those people have never visited the retro section, 'cause you guys rock!

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - New lower for my carbine!

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