Hawk Pilot
01-27-2012, 03:34 PM
Let me tell you a story about a man named "Jed"...sorry my STFU pills haven't kicked in yet.
I'm going to make an attempt at easing the build transition for those of you out there like me that have either had a weapon in their hands since birth and never actually puzzled together and AR- or you are a MILSPEC monkey that likes to make sure you have the best on the market and the only way to do that is to "do it yourself".
I hope that my build sequence can help you in some small way to avoid the pitfalls and on a lighter side- have a good time watching it come together.
Caveats-(that's "Warning" or "Caution" to those of you in the Navy)
I am not a gunsmith, and I am not making representation about any specific products. These are the ones I chose based on my needs, I'm shooting it and that's that. When that hog in Savannah has the stuffing knocked out of him in March I don't think anyone around me is going to be wondering if I could have shot a millimeter closer with another AR product on the market.
"I AM NOT A GUNSMITH" so please take from this what you will and leave the rest.
Here goes...
I started by taking out a piece of graph paper about 5 months ago and drawing up a rough outline of what I thought I needed by what I had read on the thousands of forums relating to personal builds. After filling up the sheet I realized that quite a few of the items weren't what I wanted, but were the items that some very convincingly stellar AR aficionado had sold to me via high praise and after action reviews.
Once I narrowed down the list I started a sequence order for the build, essentially laying out an assembly booklet. I know, does anal-retentive have a hyphen...yet the process actually saved me time and money. And who doesn't need money?
You will need-
-An upper of your choosing. Keep in mind the types of optics you'll use. If you purchase a monolithic upper like mine you're going to have to make sure your scope has the appropriate elevation clicks "up and down" to support the closer ranges. Mine is going to have the 4.5-14 Docter for specific applications and then an Aimpoint CompM4 for hogs and dogs. If you purchase an upper that's got all the pieces/parts attached to it already the only thing you'll need is the 6.5 Grendel bolt.
-Depending on the barrel length and manufacturer you will need to make sure, and then double sure, that the gas tube you order is for that particular barrel. On my build since I was using a Stoner 18" bbl I needed a "mid-length" bent gas tube. On my barrel I took the liberty to polish the feed ramps to a mirror finish before assembly. I happen to have a good Foredom flexible shaft tool and gunsmith polishing bits. I took my time, very careful not to ding or over polish and remove stock. There are tutorials on the web...I would suggest you check them out.
-You will need to make sure that the next item, "the gas-block" is tailored to your specific build too. Mine wasn't going to contain any sight, lasers or man-packed atomic devices so I went with a pretty vanilla Troy industries low-profile. Here's where it became a little interesting and I'll elaborate more during the actual manufacturing stage.
-Roll pins for the gas block, yes I recommend two because waiting for the mail to arrive to finish a build....sucks. Trust me.
-Here's where I'm going to get un-friended on 6.5, after trying to track down a grease with Moly Disulfide 3% and then a Shell Aerospace grease and then an anti-seize without graphite, nickel, silver, French fries, diet coke in them I threw up my hands and called a few manufacturers and mil armorers I know. Let's suffice it to say I went NAPA and picked up some Lubriplate 105 engine assembly grease. As a matter of fact the good old boys at NAPA asked why I had to buy a whole tube when they would give me a cap full for nothing. Thanks Fellas. They gave me a quantity about the size of a grape, enough to fill one of my old SDHC card plastic holders and placed in a mini Ziploc. I probably have enough for 5 more builds. Moral of the story, use what you feel you need to use based on your intelligent analysis. If you're going to be doing epic battle with the hounds of hell and are anticipating a barrel change during the fray...track down that moly disulfide.
-I went with a Vortex SS flash hider because I've used them before, they work and I plan on hunting at night with NVGs or FLIR. If you decide to go with a certain flash suppressor, peruse through Brownells...they are incredible at listing the exact specs of the part and if you'll need additional parts or tools to complete the assembly. The Vortex needs no crush washer and only 10ft/lbs to tighten, then it self-tightens. I did use Nickel Anti-Seize on this application.
-You are going to need somewhere to mount this project so you can pay attention to the task at hand. At least until the barrel and gas tube are in place. You may find it necessary to initially take a bit of emery cloth to portions of the barrel or upper to ease the installation. I did. Not a lot of effort is needed. Lightly go over the area, test fit, if needed repeat.
-Make sure the hand guard(s) you choose will fit over the gas tube and more importantly where they will end in relation to your gas block. In front? Over the block? Beyond the block? Get out a tape measure and a ruler and draw out your build on the initial inventory sheet. Trust me...it'll pay big dividends.
-When installing the barrel nut I adhered to the teachings and readings of several individuals, both local and in cyber land. I placed a small amount of Lubriplate 105 on the threads of the upper and the barrel nut, and a thin film around the connecting point of the barrel. Assembled, hand tightened, disassembled, wiped off excess hanging on the parts, repeated three or four times until everything felt like butter. I then attached the newly purchased torque wrench to the barrel wrench and then the barrel nut. I started at hand tight, then 30 ft/lbs, backed everything off, then to 40 ft/lbs, backed everything off and then to 50 ft/lbs. I then backed the barrel nut off until the gas tube aligned and went into the hole without any resistance whatsoever. The barrel was attached.
-Once you finish cussing and throwing perfectly good tools across the shop you can regroup and try to install that roll pin again in the gas block. Here's what I did- line up the holes, making sure the gas hole on the tube and the gas hole in the block are aligned, also double check that the gas tube is coming out the correct side of the block...you can install it incorrectly on several models of blocks. TEST FIT, TEST FIT! Then insert a pin the through the other side of the gas block and the tube to hold it in place while you struggle with getting the roll pin started. Terrible time for me if you can't tell.
-I found it was OK to tap the gas block into final resting place with one of my leather tooling wood hammers. I guess any non-marring hammer would work. Just keep in mind that you have to tap it all the way around in small increments. Tap it like you were tapping a picture hanging hook in the wall. Very gently and exacting.
-Once the gas tube and block are installed and prior to installing your hand guards roll it over and put the carrier group in to test fit everything. Make sure the gas tube aligns (as best you can tell) by sliding the carrier group forward very slowly and eying the alignment). Also check the back of the bolt carrier and charging handle to make sure that when closed- are pretty much flush with the upper receiver. This can sometimes be an indicator of something not seating properly.
-I used red LocTite on the underside gas block set screws and my gas key on my carrier group. Blue on just about everything else that had a screw going into it.
-The emery cloth was 1000 grit.
-Tools recommended for the job- Torque wrench (you'd be surprised just how little 30-50 ft/lbs of torque really is) you can easily turn this project into a turd sandwich if you gorilla the nuts and screws. Remember to get a torque wrench with Feet Pounds indicated on the dial. They are roughly $30 at O'Reily's. Fat Wrench for torquing the smaller items, invaluable for just about everything needing just the right tightening. I borrowed all of the AR specific blocks and thing-a-ma-jigs from a friend, I'd recommend you doing the same otherwise you are adding at least a $100 to the build in parts you'll probably use once in a blue moon. Then make a golden noodle can as a gift for them as a sentiment of your appreciation. It worked on my Mother and Father when I was in grade school...trust me. -Armorer's wrench i purchased one at a local gun show. Some great advice is to purchase one that doesn't have a paint finish on it. The thickness of the paint throws measurements and fit out of whack. Invaluable to those of us with the AR platform.
-The most important tool you'll need is patience. It'll get you through this without too much brow sweat and it'll add a boost to your confidence when preparing for your next project. Which for me is soon...I hope to assist my son-in-law with his AR build in the very near future.
-Please do me a favor after reading this: List in bullet type order your experiences with your build so that future readers can cut and paste this document to print out for a reference tool.
-If I've helped one person....it's me! Take care and as the old saying goes..."That elk don't know how many feet a horse has!"
I'm going to make an attempt at easing the build transition for those of you out there like me that have either had a weapon in their hands since birth and never actually puzzled together and AR- or you are a MILSPEC monkey that likes to make sure you have the best on the market and the only way to do that is to "do it yourself".
I hope that my build sequence can help you in some small way to avoid the pitfalls and on a lighter side- have a good time watching it come together.
Caveats-(that's "Warning" or "Caution" to those of you in the Navy)
I am not a gunsmith, and I am not making representation about any specific products. These are the ones I chose based on my needs, I'm shooting it and that's that. When that hog in Savannah has the stuffing knocked out of him in March I don't think anyone around me is going to be wondering if I could have shot a millimeter closer with another AR product on the market.
"I AM NOT A GUNSMITH" so please take from this what you will and leave the rest.
Here goes...
I started by taking out a piece of graph paper about 5 months ago and drawing up a rough outline of what I thought I needed by what I had read on the thousands of forums relating to personal builds. After filling up the sheet I realized that quite a few of the items weren't what I wanted, but were the items that some very convincingly stellar AR aficionado had sold to me via high praise and after action reviews.
Once I narrowed down the list I started a sequence order for the build, essentially laying out an assembly booklet. I know, does anal-retentive have a hyphen...yet the process actually saved me time and money. And who doesn't need money?
You will need-
-An upper of your choosing. Keep in mind the types of optics you'll use. If you purchase a monolithic upper like mine you're going to have to make sure your scope has the appropriate elevation clicks "up and down" to support the closer ranges. Mine is going to have the 4.5-14 Docter for specific applications and then an Aimpoint CompM4 for hogs and dogs. If you purchase an upper that's got all the pieces/parts attached to it already the only thing you'll need is the 6.5 Grendel bolt.
-Depending on the barrel length and manufacturer you will need to make sure, and then double sure, that the gas tube you order is for that particular barrel. On my build since I was using a Stoner 18" bbl I needed a "mid-length" bent gas tube. On my barrel I took the liberty to polish the feed ramps to a mirror finish before assembly. I happen to have a good Foredom flexible shaft tool and gunsmith polishing bits. I took my time, very careful not to ding or over polish and remove stock. There are tutorials on the web...I would suggest you check them out.
-You will need to make sure that the next item, "the gas-block" is tailored to your specific build too. Mine wasn't going to contain any sight, lasers or man-packed atomic devices so I went with a pretty vanilla Troy industries low-profile. Here's where it became a little interesting and I'll elaborate more during the actual manufacturing stage.
-Roll pins for the gas block, yes I recommend two because waiting for the mail to arrive to finish a build....sucks. Trust me.
-Here's where I'm going to get un-friended on 6.5, after trying to track down a grease with Moly Disulfide 3% and then a Shell Aerospace grease and then an anti-seize without graphite, nickel, silver, French fries, diet coke in them I threw up my hands and called a few manufacturers and mil armorers I know. Let's suffice it to say I went NAPA and picked up some Lubriplate 105 engine assembly grease. As a matter of fact the good old boys at NAPA asked why I had to buy a whole tube when they would give me a cap full for nothing. Thanks Fellas. They gave me a quantity about the size of a grape, enough to fill one of my old SDHC card plastic holders and placed in a mini Ziploc. I probably have enough for 5 more builds. Moral of the story, use what you feel you need to use based on your intelligent analysis. If you're going to be doing epic battle with the hounds of hell and are anticipating a barrel change during the fray...track down that moly disulfide.
-I went with a Vortex SS flash hider because I've used them before, they work and I plan on hunting at night with NVGs or FLIR. If you decide to go with a certain flash suppressor, peruse through Brownells...they are incredible at listing the exact specs of the part and if you'll need additional parts or tools to complete the assembly. The Vortex needs no crush washer and only 10ft/lbs to tighten, then it self-tightens. I did use Nickel Anti-Seize on this application.
-You are going to need somewhere to mount this project so you can pay attention to the task at hand. At least until the barrel and gas tube are in place. You may find it necessary to initially take a bit of emery cloth to portions of the barrel or upper to ease the installation. I did. Not a lot of effort is needed. Lightly go over the area, test fit, if needed repeat.
-Make sure the hand guard(s) you choose will fit over the gas tube and more importantly where they will end in relation to your gas block. In front? Over the block? Beyond the block? Get out a tape measure and a ruler and draw out your build on the initial inventory sheet. Trust me...it'll pay big dividends.
-When installing the barrel nut I adhered to the teachings and readings of several individuals, both local and in cyber land. I placed a small amount of Lubriplate 105 on the threads of the upper and the barrel nut, and a thin film around the connecting point of the barrel. Assembled, hand tightened, disassembled, wiped off excess hanging on the parts, repeated three or four times until everything felt like butter. I then attached the newly purchased torque wrench to the barrel wrench and then the barrel nut. I started at hand tight, then 30 ft/lbs, backed everything off, then to 40 ft/lbs, backed everything off and then to 50 ft/lbs. I then backed the barrel nut off until the gas tube aligned and went into the hole without any resistance whatsoever. The barrel was attached.
-Once you finish cussing and throwing perfectly good tools across the shop you can regroup and try to install that roll pin again in the gas block. Here's what I did- line up the holes, making sure the gas hole on the tube and the gas hole in the block are aligned, also double check that the gas tube is coming out the correct side of the block...you can install it incorrectly on several models of blocks. TEST FIT, TEST FIT! Then insert a pin the through the other side of the gas block and the tube to hold it in place while you struggle with getting the roll pin started. Terrible time for me if you can't tell.
-I found it was OK to tap the gas block into final resting place with one of my leather tooling wood hammers. I guess any non-marring hammer would work. Just keep in mind that you have to tap it all the way around in small increments. Tap it like you were tapping a picture hanging hook in the wall. Very gently and exacting.
-Once the gas tube and block are installed and prior to installing your hand guards roll it over and put the carrier group in to test fit everything. Make sure the gas tube aligns (as best you can tell) by sliding the carrier group forward very slowly and eying the alignment). Also check the back of the bolt carrier and charging handle to make sure that when closed- are pretty much flush with the upper receiver. This can sometimes be an indicator of something not seating properly.
-I used red LocTite on the underside gas block set screws and my gas key on my carrier group. Blue on just about everything else that had a screw going into it.
-The emery cloth was 1000 grit.
-Tools recommended for the job- Torque wrench (you'd be surprised just how little 30-50 ft/lbs of torque really is) you can easily turn this project into a turd sandwich if you gorilla the nuts and screws. Remember to get a torque wrench with Feet Pounds indicated on the dial. They are roughly $30 at O'Reily's. Fat Wrench for torquing the smaller items, invaluable for just about everything needing just the right tightening. I borrowed all of the AR specific blocks and thing-a-ma-jigs from a friend, I'd recommend you doing the same otherwise you are adding at least a $100 to the build in parts you'll probably use once in a blue moon. Then make a golden noodle can as a gift for them as a sentiment of your appreciation. It worked on my Mother and Father when I was in grade school...trust me. -Armorer's wrench i purchased one at a local gun show. Some great advice is to purchase one that doesn't have a paint finish on it. The thickness of the paint throws measurements and fit out of whack. Invaluable to those of us with the AR platform.
-The most important tool you'll need is patience. It'll get you through this without too much brow sweat and it'll add a boost to your confidence when preparing for your next project. Which for me is soon...I hope to assist my son-in-law with his AR build in the very near future.
-Please do me a favor after reading this: List in bullet type order your experiences with your build so that future readers can cut and paste this document to print out for a reference tool.
-If I've helped one person....it's me! Take care and as the old saying goes..."That elk don't know how many feet a horse has!"