I built a Model 1 kit a few weeks ago and my experience with them was not the best. I ordered the kit and it arrived in a reasonable time, about 7 business days. The upper is great, it matches my bushmaster lower very well and the fit was very tight at first but after a few rounds is loosened up some and I can now take it apart without using something to push the pin out with. I am very happy with the upper and the buttstock. The lower parts kit however is another story. While building it I discovered that the safety selector was either never finished or was finished very late on Friday or something. It wouldn’t work at all. The channel that the detent rides in was hosed and if you pushed really hard then it would click into place and that was it…..stuck in safe until you dropped the grip off and removed the detent. I also discovered that even if you built it without the detent in, when in fire mode the trigger would not pull far enough to release the hammer. I called Model 1 and was told that I could send the parts back to them for replacements or I could pay for new ones and they would ship “tomorrow”. 38 bucks for a safety selector, trigger and hammer. A week goes buy and nothing arrives…2 more days…..nothing…I call and am told it left a few days ago via US mail. So it’s been about two weeks and nothing. Finally it shows up via UPS, I track the package and discover it shipped the day after I called the second time. I try all possible configurations and realize that the old trigger, hammer and selector are out of wack but the new stuff works great…finally a working gun. I sent the old stuff back via registered mail and have not received a refund for the other parts, which pisses me off, but what can I do?? Call them and beg for my money? I may never see my 38 bucks again, but you can bet I will never EVER spend another dime with that company.
Now some people my read this and say I’m over-reacting to a couple of non mil-spec parts. I don’t have a problem with the bad parts so much, it’s the way I was treated after the fact. Being charged for parts that were replacing bad ones and being either lied to or forgotten about when I tried to get “What I paid for twice!!”. I will be building another rifle in the near future. I will be ordering a J&T kit next time and I guess we will see how it goes with them.