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Posted: 4/22/2026 8:24:14 PM EDT
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Yes, the oxymoron, an SBR for poor people, the type of people who decided to try the NFA game since the tax went to zero for however temporarily. Engraving ain't cheap, apparently - there seems to only be 4 people in The Phoenix Valley are doing NFA engraving. But cost of everything including engraving and assembly, (I lack the vise/block to put a stock on), came to under $900. Heck, the base pistol was under $400, which is why I bought the dadgum thing...disposable income, meet impulsive gun buyer. But in its original form, it was almost unusable, even with the Troy Battlesight. Attached File So here we are, with an AR15 based SBR for poors. Base is a Palmetto State Armory PA-15 pistol. First try for add ons, Daniel Defense vertical foregrip, Magpul sling, Magpul MOE carbine stock, ye olde standard SIG ROMEO5 red dot, and of course, the MOE forearm that I snagged right before I picked the rifle up from the engravers. Folding rear sight is a left-over CZ sight. Attached File OK, now I'll go be poor somewhere else...not. Gonna sight it in tomorrow, see if this setup works, and if it does, I'll add on the flashlight side mount with MOE Picatinny rail adapter. THEN I'll go be poor somewhere else.  
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I have that same pistol upper. Got the same Magpul handguard for it but haven't swapped it out yet. I think I paid $169 for the complete upper with bcg back in 2019 during the salad days. Haven't SBR'd it, yet. Just got the SBA3 brace on there, which of course never gets shouldered  . Solid little gun for the money.
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FJB FBHO
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Originally Posted By OwO: NFA engraving for poors I have never been involved in this game before, so I thought I might do it right before I start playing around with cutting corners. |
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Originally Posted By jaqufrost: If you look at the top pic, he has a pistol receiver extension that doesn't fit regular stocks. I see that. I still dont understand the need for a vise to slide a KAK blade on a pistol tube. |
"Life is Hard, its Harder if You're Stupid" - John Wayne
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Originally Posted By laxman09: I see that. I still dont understand the need for a vise to slide a KAK blade on a pistol tube. That wasn't a pistol tube, wouldn't work with regular stocks, it was a proprietary tube only for the brace attached. Or, I can say, don't worry about it, it's in the script. Zeroed everything today, 50 yard zero. This is NOT a tack driver by any means, more like 6-8 MOA, except with one handload it showed a lot of promise. But I didn't buy it to win long range events. If it will hit a man-sized object at 100-200 yards, I'm good. Of course, this also let me see what parts could be swapped out, like the fact that the foregrip was a pain, and removed it. Will add a flashlight and mount so it will be useable for home defense. Also, need a flat wire spring - the SPROIIIIIINNNNNGGGG is back. But so far, I'm good, just need to tweak. |
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I bought one of those PSA pistol kits back in 2018 or so. It has gone through several iterations since then, but it is now a Norinco CQ-A Commando clone (which is itself a Chinese Colt 933 clone) and FRT/SS host. I have been trying to burn down that nitride barrel via enhanced-semi-auto for a while and can't get it done yet. Attached File The inspiration: Attached File |
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So, I got it sighted in at 50 yards this morning...this gun will never win any accuracy contest. Ever. I have ONE handload that gave good groups, but the majority was at least 2-3 inches...at 50 yards. Off a rest. But I didn't buy it to compete in long range matches, and when I shot it off hand at 200 yards, I was able to keep everything in a roughly man-sized area. Very roughly. Did a few changes already - that foregrip wasn't really helping and it kinda got in the way for how I like to mount a flashlight. Not much real estate on those carbine forearms. Attached File The cool thing is, as mentioned by many people, I am not limited to what one cheap upper can do. I already have a few ideas, not GOOD ideas, but ideas. Yeah, I know, you have suggestions - whatcha got?
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Yeah...no, that's the cost of everything including buying the rifle, flashlight, mount, red dot, the work done, etc. The whole enchilada. All that at once, even though it was over some time - I only bought the original pistol because it was so cheap I couldn't help myself. I know there are Arf millionaires who drop thousands on SBRs here without thinking of it - not QUITE to that stage yet, and never inclined to lie about it, either. |
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I like it! Here is my $199 PSA nitride upper on a DSA lower I got years ago on sale. Attached File |
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Well, when I FIRST looked them up, I thought $45 was reasonable to get it done right, to exactly ATFE standards...but when demand kicked into high gear, so did the price. Wright Armory is now charging $75 for two lines. I said to hell with it, they might as well put the stock on, too, and that was another $50. You live, you learn. It's still neat, and I can always buy any pistol upper I want for it. |
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For DIY engraving, I'm tempted to have my (wife's) Cricut cut out a template that's a stencil of the engraving, so I just follow the lines of "no sticker" with a dremel engraving tip. Like this but in a less curvy font and the text would be the NFA info not Happy Birthday. Poorly trace it with an engraving tip for free then remove the stencil decal. 
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Originally Posted By mattdoc: For DIY engraving, I'm tempted to have my (wife's) Cricut cut out a template that's a stencil of the engraving, so I just follow the lines of "no sticker" with a dremel engraving tip. Like this but in a less curvy font and the text would be the NFA info not Happy Birthday. Poorly trace it with an engraving tip for free then remove the stencil decal. https://cms-assets.tutsplus.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=360/uploads/users/2806/posts/92940/image-upload/22_Cricut_Design_Space_resize_stencil.png If you're already thinking about doing stencils, why not go all-out and do electrolysis etching? https://www.ar15.com/forums/General/Kitchen-Table-Science-Project-80-Lower-Electro-Etching/5-2438914/ |
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Attached File The LarP 18. Started life as a PSA pistol. Yes, engraved. Does everything it should. |
You can't change yesterday, and tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Get your head together.
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Originally Posted By jaqufrost: I stamped a bunch of guns during the FreeBR run. That way I didn't have to engrave them or pay the taxes. I, for one, thinks it is cool as hell to have multiple "factory marked" Anderson SBRs... 
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And then, he arrives at the last item on his bucket list...
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Originally Posted By armoredman: Nice. Kinda what I have, but nicer and more expensive. I will upgrade the buffer spring and maybe the red dot, might get an actual AFG to try.Holosun 510c, about 225, and the Magpul SL forend. Plus, a surefire with the Mlok mount. Otherwise, probably very similar. I do have a nickel boron bolt carrier, and a PSA trigger, but I've been building this since 2020 or so. Oh, a BRT covert comp. But basically the same. Out of all the things I would recommend, the BRT Covert Comp is probably tops on the list. It does a lot to mitigate blast and concussion out of a 10.5 barrel. |
You can't change yesterday, and tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Get your head together.
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Originally Posted By OwO: NFA engraving for poors In the past, I made proper sized letters with a label maker, stuck it on the gun, and then used a spring loaded auto center punch to dot matrix the letters. I had hand cramps when finished. 
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Preferred pronoun: MARINE
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Attached File Are we posting shorties? |
“It’s only treason if you lose.”
-George Washington
-George Washington
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I really didn't notice any blast or concussion with this little guy, even under a cover. Nobody nearby complained, either - I must be doing it wrong.
The other thing to get changed next payday is the grip - I don't like the A2 grip, so a MagPul is on the order sheet along with the AFG and Strike flat wire spring. |
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Originally Posted By armoredman: I really didn't notice any blast or concussion with this little guy, even under a cover. Nobody nearby complained, either - I must be doing it wrong. The other thing to get changed next payday is the grip - I don't like the A2 grip, so a MagPul is on the order sheet along with the AFG and Strike flat wire spring. The K2 grip is "MOE" betta. |
You can't change yesterday, and tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Get your head together.
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