AR Sponsor
Posted: 5/10/2026 7:02:07 PM EDT
[Last Edit: BoiseG][Edited]
|
Original post below - eta: The rifle is a tribute to my 4G Grandfather who is a Confederate Veteran. I found his grave site last year and visited it this year and with it also being America's 250th, it's something special I thought to do. Now that I got the lower back from engraving & cerakote, I'm thinking of going a different direction with this rifle. Anyone have experience with Woox AR15 wood furniture? Attached File This my lower, the upper was also cerakoted to match, but no etchings. I edited out his name and other identifying information to protect his grave. Attached File Attached File -------------------------------------------------------- Original post I'm working on my first build and with it comes my first experience at buying parts, and dealing with parts suppliers, so I'm not sure what's the difference between a blemish, and what is typical, expected condition of a new part. The part in question is a Geissele Super Modular Rail MK16 in DDC. You can see the mark at the front end of the rail. Another thing that has me curious about its condition is the Geissele box that it came in was pretty hammered. I realize I'm being a little nick picky, and admittedly if this were to be just a regular duty rifle, it would be fine to me, but the reason I'm iffy about it is this rifle is meant to remember a Civil War veteran great grandfather. I'm having his name, veteran information and GPS coords of his burial location laser etched onto the lower receiver, and I intend to pass the rifle down to my grandson and I'll ask him to do the same, pass it down to his grandson. I do intend for the rifle be shot and not tucked away in the back of the safe. I plan to shoot it myself until it is time to pass it on, but I will not intentionally abuse it, and I will take special care with it. It'll be like a Sunday driver. It came from a very popular retailer and parts seems to fly off the shelf quick, so I'm also on the fence about sending it back because it's currently out of stock anyway. lol Ironically, I bought a "Blem" Upper from BCM to use on this rifle and just as the reviews stated, I can't see a blemish. Attached File |
|
Originally Posted By BoiseG: You can see the mark at the front end of the rail. Attached File |
"According to Argonne National Laboratory, it takes 100 pounds of battery in an EV to go a distance achieved by only one pound of gasoline in an ICE vehicle"
|
I remember when my dad was shocked I paid what I did for a good AR and I yeeted it across the driveway to prove a point. Good times. If that messed it up I didn't want it. OP, if that bothers you I'd recommend never shooting it, might get dirty.  But all joking aside, different standards for different folks and that's fine. Honestly I wouldnt look twice. Yes, you paid for a premium part, I get that, but at the end of the day it's a tool to do a job. That scuff won't negate it doing its job. Like a hammer. |
|
Originally Posted By Richard257: You posted pictures of black rail, not DDC (Desert Dirt Color). That's just how the pic came out, it's DDC. Here's another one I took for a color comparison of the parts that are going on it. The upper and lower are black. Attached File |
|
Originally Posted By 753rd: I’ve got a blem Geissele rail. It has a little Dracula looking symbol on the bottom by the upper receiver end. Their blems usually have this little symbol. I have a blem lower with Dracula. I once received a buffer tube that had a deep scratch in the metal. They said it was not a blem. 
|
"Some people have issues. Sounds like he signed up for an entire subscription." ~Brohawk
Proud member of Team Ranstad.
Arfcom St Jude Mafia 3 years
Arfcom callsign: trenchfoot
Proud member of Team Ranstad.
Arfcom St Jude Mafia 3 years
Arfcom callsign: trenchfoot
|
Originally Posted By MallNinja531: But all joking aside, different standards for different folks and that's fine. Honestly I wouldn't look twice. Yes, you paid for a premium part, I get that, but at the end of the day it's a tool to do a job. That scuff won't negate it doing its job. Correct; different standards for different folks. Your standards are valid, but they don't apply here. The OP's explanation for purchasing a premium part makes it pretty clear this build is not just another "tool to do a job". That said, I don't know what that intended use has to do with the basic question "is this a typical blem" unless the OP intends to order more blemished components. |
Joined:
Mar 2024
Posts:
1294
EE: 100% (1)
IL, USA
|
Originally Posted By CatBacker: Correct; different standards for different folks. Your standards are valid, but they don't apply here. The OP's explanation for purchasing a premium part makes it pretty clear this build is not just another "tool to do a job". That said, I don't know what that intended use has to do with the basic question "is this a typical blem" unless the OP intends to order more blemished components. Thank you for noticing that bit of detail in my OP, it seems to have gone unnoticed. I asked because as I said, this is my first build and I'm new to buying parts, and I don't know what condition I should expect new parts to be in when I receive them, so I was asking if the spot seen in my pic is typical of a Geissele finish, or would it be considered "blemished". Geissele is the brand in question, but this question applies to any brand and as I have since learned, it depends on the brand. Why do I even think to ask such a question about a blemish? Because this is my first rifle build, and I have seen that every retailer has parts for sale that are marked as "blemished" and sold at a discount, so that tells me there are standards and if a part doesn't meet those standards, some brands will sell the sub-standard parts for a discount. My part has no Dracula marking as indicated above, therefore, I now know that this is the standards I can expect from Geissele. Thanks guys. |
|
I don’t think you’re going to find a specific standard for each manufacturer when it comes to Blem parts. Blem really defines any blemish that doesn’t affect the function of the firearm. That scuff on your hand guard is just that, a blemish that doesn’t affect functionality. When buying any Blem from any manufacturer you should expect some type of cosmetic defect and be happily surprised when you don’t find any. If your goal is to build a cosmetically perfect firearm then shopping Blem parts wouldn’t be advised. I’ve bought lots of Blem parts and complete firearms from PSA and frequently I couldn’t find anything that I would define as a cosmetic defect. Geissele is a premium manufacturer so I would expect receiving parts that were cosmetically flawless unless they were sold as Blem. So, to put an end this long winded answer, Yes that’s a Blem but, then next Blem part you buy from them could be more or less cosmetically flawed or maybe not even at all. |
| Imperfections like that should be expected as a possibility for these kinds of parts. It's not a high grade figured walnut stock. It's a piece of anodized aluminum going on a military rifle. Nothing about any ARs is "premium" within the larger context of the gun world. Don't sweat that little line. |
|
Originally Posted By Princeton: I don’t think you’re going to find a specific standard for each manufacturer when it comes to Blem parts. Blem really defines any blemish that doesn’t affect the function of the firearm. That scuff on your hand guard is just that, a blemish that doesn’t affect functionality. When buying any Blem from any manufacturer you should expect some type of cosmetic defect and be happily surprised when you don’t find any. If your goal is to build a cosmetically perfect firearm then shopping Blem parts wouldn’t be advised. I’ve bought lots of Blem parts and complete firearms from PSA and frequently I couldn’t find anything that I would define as a cosmetic defect. Geissele is a premium manufacturer so I would expect receiving parts that were cosmetically flawless unless they were sold as Blem. So, to put an end this long winded answer, Yes that’s a Blem but, then next Blem part you buy from them could be more or less cosmetically flawed or maybe not even at all. Apologies for any misunderstanding, but that wasn't advertised as a blem part, I paid full price for a regular handguard, blem free. |
|
Hey OP! I think the build you're undertaking, to honor your late relative, is really cool. It will, I'm sure, turn into a cherished family heirloom. I, personally, wouldn't worry one bit about the mark on your handguard. As has been mentioned, no matter how careful you are in handling it when you're out shooting, it will pick up many more "personality" nicks. Frankly, I think that, in the future, after you're gone, those little nicks and scratches you give it will make it even more special to your grandson and great-grandsons.(or great-granddaughters) |
|
Originally Posted By Plainsman62: Hey OP! I think the build you're undertaking, to honor your late relative, is really cool. It will, I'm sure, turn into a cherished family heirloom. I, personally, wouldn't worry one bit about the mark on your handguard. As has been mentioned, no matter how careful you are in handling it when you're out shooting, it will pick up many more "personality" nicks. Frankly, I think that, in the future, after you're gone, those little nicks and scratches you give it will make it even more special to your grandson and great-grandsons.(or great-granddaughters) Thank you Plainsman! I know which grandson I will pass it down to and I'll ask him to pass it down to his grandson or granddaughter, hopefully a grandson. lol He's a great kid, wrestling for college now, he'll shoot it, and take great care of it and pass it down. Thanks again! 
|
Joined:
May 2023
Posts:
734
EE: 0% (0)
WI, USA
|
Originally Posted By aimatdeer: Different companies have different standards. But I have bought blem items from a few companies and I could find nothing wrong at all. I think they do it to just sell a few more. Wise insight. A limited release of blems can pick up buyers that are unwilling to dish out the money for the mint product, and still make more profit than not selling to those people at all. |
|
For what it's worth, my brand-new MK18 URG-I came with a pretty noticeable but small ding near the MLOK slots. I noticed it as soon as it came out of the box. It peeved me a little bit, but I tried not to think too much about it for the reasons others have stated. Honestly, I never even notice it or the other marks it now has unless I am specifically looking for them. You noticed that spot since you were meticulously inspecting the parts; I think you will very soon forget that it's there, and you'll have to point it out to people if you want them to notice it too. All of that to say, many of the more reputable premium manufacturers care that the finish does its job - which is to protect the metal underneath - since they are typically selling firearms more on their reliability in adverse conditions than how cool they look. They can still have fairly loose standards on cosmetics, even between manufacturing runs. Ironically, smaller/boutique premium manufacturers often have far superior cosmetics. What they often lack is a real R&D department, which may not be an issue for future "aesthetic" builds. |
|
The rifle is a tribute to my 4G Grandfather who is a Confederate Veteran. I found his grave site and visited it this year and with it also being America's 250th, it's something special I thought to do. Now that I got the lower back from engraving & cerakote, I'm thinking of going a different direction with this rifle. Anyone have experience with Woox AR15 wood furniture? Attached File This my lower, the upper was also cerakoted to match, but no etchings. I edited out his name and other identifying information to protect his grave. Attached File Attached File |
|
I like to run an Arisaka inline-scout mount in that spot (11 o'-clock) for my weapon light. If you're a righty and you use a clicky-tailcap on the light, that's a good spot to put a light mount, and you'll never see the scuff again. PS: Cool tribute build you're doing! |
RIP TSgt Jason Norton and SSgt Brian McElroy. KIA 22 Jan 06, near Taji, Iraq.
LaRue Armorer, Colt 1911 Armorer, Colt M16/AR15 Armorer, Glock Armorer
LaRue Armorer, Colt 1911 Armorer, Colt M16/AR15 Armorer, Glock Armorer
|
Originally Posted By CATM: I like to run an Arisaka inline-scout mount in that spot (11 o'-clock) for my weapon light. If you're a righty and you use a clicky-tailcap on the light, that's a good spot to put a light mount, and you'll never see the scuff again. PS: Cool tribute build you're doing! I've never seen the inline scout mount before, you're right, that would be perfect. Thank you! |
|
Originally Posted By BoiseG: The rifle is a tribute to my 4G Grandfather who is a Confederate Veteran. I found his grave site and visited it this year and with it also being America's 250th, it's something special I thought to do. Now that I got the lower back from engraving & cerakote, I'm thinking of going a different direction with this rifle. Anyone have experience with Woox AR15 wood furniture? https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/92536/Woox_Furniture_jpg-3795239.JPG This my lower, the upper was also cerakoted to match, but no etchings. I edited out his name and other identifying information to protect his grave. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/92536/Lower_1_JPEG-3795244.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/92536/Lower_JPEG-3795386.JPG I’ve got Woox on a lever gun and I really like it. That said, wood isn’t my preference for an AR. |
|
Originally Posted By bluedog82: I’ve got Woox on a lever gun and I really like it. That said, wood isn’t my preference for an AR. I felt the same about wood on an AR, but to be honest this rifle is a one-off show piece for me and this wood furniture has a unique look to it that I think would have cool look of a modern rifle with a blend of the Civil War period wood of my Gfather's rifle. It's still just a thought, it's very expensive and heavy, but this is a rifle that won't come along for desert shoots, it will see a few mags at the range on a Saturday morning. |
AR Sponsor