1/5/17

The AR-15 Build: Sharps Rifle Co. Relia-Bolt

Since the plan for this particular build is for it to use a short stroke piston gas system, the kit that I'm interested in comes with a bolt carrier but no bolt. As such, I've been looking at different bolts to use in this build that would be practical, functional, and maybe one with some cool points too. Enter the Sharps Rifle Company Relia-Bolt!


Originally I was planning on using a Criterion hybrid barrel with a headspaced BCM bolt. After doing some research, it seems like most reputable bolt and barrel companies will produce products that are within very tight tolerances which make it possible to get reliable and safe function from most barrel/bolt combos. This allows me to free up both my barrel and bolt choices for this build.

Note the angled locking lugs and their rounded shape, features unique to the Relia-Bolt.

I will also preface this by saying that there are some very particular features of that Relia-Bolt that had no impact on my choice to use it. I does not matter to me that they redesigned the locking lugs to allow them to operate under extreme conditions, nor did it matter to me that the metal they decided to use is S7 tool steel rather than the industry standard Carpenter 158 steel. The only reasons that I chose the Relia-Bolt were because of its price and its NP3 Plus coating.

A view from the front at the rounded profile of the lugs.

On the NP3 coating, it has been explained to me, in short, as superior to NiB (nickel boron) coatings. Quoted from http://coatingtechnologiesinc.com/np3/ under A Unique Concept in Coating Technology, it states that "NP3 is a surface treatment for various metals and alloys that combines sub-micron particles of PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) with autocatalytically applied nickel/phosphorus. The result is an accurately applied, dry lubricated, low friction surface that is extremely hard and resistant to wear.
The PTFE is evenly distributed throughout and locked into the nickel phosphorus matrix creating a true and stable composite. As wear occurs fresh particles of PTFE are exposed to keep the surface lubricated. This lubrication is available as long as the integrity of the coating is intact."


As for the price, I could not find a better deal on a quality bolt. Period.

I paid just $60.79 for the Sharps Relia-Bolt, and that includes the uprated NP3 Plus coating as well as shipping to my front door. The Criterion barrel that I was originally thinking about comes with a BCM bolt, and to buy that by itself, it costs $79.95 before shipping. Brownells sells Daniel Defense bolts for $66.00, but again, that also doesn't include shipping. For specialty coated bolts, Brownells also sells the FailZero Exo-Treated Nickel Boron Bolt Assembly, but as I've been told, NiB is inferior to NP3, and the cost of the unit is $86.20 before shipping. From everything that I can tell, I'm paying less than a bolt with a standard phosphate finish while getting better performance than a more expensive NiB coating. That sounds like a win to me!

I know that there have been problems with the bolt in the past with them breaking, but it seems to me that Sharps has completely fixed the problem. Even so, Sharps offers a lifetime warranty on their products, so should I encounter issues, they'll cover it.

As a side note, after trying the Magpul MOE K grip, I found that I no longer need a few parts that I originally thought were necessary. These are namely the extended magazine release and the extended bolt catch. As such, I will be removing them for the list, and may reinvest the savings into this build in the future.

As my build list now stands:
Total cost to date: $533.53
Estimated cost remaining: $1,351.75

Estimated Grand Total: $1,885.28
I am back under my $2000 budget, and things are looking good! It feels like I'm in the home stretch, but I know that from now on, it's going to be mostly the larger purchases. Hopefully there are some good sales soon!

'Till next time.


-AA
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1/4/17

The AR-15 Build: Charging Handle, Safety Selector, Dust Cover, and goodies!

Brownells keeps on teasing me with all these sales, and I'm ashamed to admit that it's working on me. Their latest sale was $15 off of $100, which is even better than the previous $10 off of $75!

This time I bought the BCM charging handle, Seekins safety selector, Tapco stock wrench, Strike Industries dust cover, and a chamber flag.

parts photos

BCM Gunfighter Charging Handle MOD 5 (small):
I am not only building this AR-15 to be practical, but to also be fun. I'm sure that a normal charging handle would work just fine, but the BCM version is cooler. It may also help my street cred when I see other oper8orz at the range.


I decided to go with the MOD 5 because of size and weight. I don't envision myself needing a huge charging handle latch, and because this latch is physically smaller than the others, there will be some minuscule weight savings over the other versions which I will gladly take.

Seekins Precision Ambidextrous Safety Selector Kit:
Again, a stock safety isn't cool, and I want to be cool. I couldn't find any hard data on weight, but the Seekins safety levers seem to be made of aluminum that's been milled out on the back to reduce weight.


This particular safety is interesting because it has the option to choose from a 90 degree throw and a shorter 60 degree throw which I find very nice. I'll definitely give the short throw a try, but if I don't like it, I can just swap back to the regular 90 degrees. The price on this ambi safety is also very attractive, even without the Brownells discount.

Strike Industries Enhanced Ultimate Dust Cover:
As the theme of this post goes, standard dust covers aren't cool, and this replacement is cool. Besides that, I wanted to keep the weight down on this build where I can, and this seemed like a good place to save some weight without breaking the bank. I believe that V Seven also makes a light weight aluminum cover, but it's to my understanding that the polymer SI cover is even lighter.


The dust cover comes in black and FDE, as well as a few different styles, but I just went with the regular back. Maybe I should have gone with the version with cuts in it for added weight savings though..

TAPCO AR Stock Wrench - Gen 2 Enhanced:
I needed a wrench for the castle nut. I also don't need a regular barrel nut wrench because the handguard I'm looking at uses a proprietary barrel nut, so I didn't need a full armorers wrench. This does have a slot for a muzzle device though, and that's a feature that will come in handy too.


It's also very cheap.

Chamber Flag:
With the above four items, I was just under the $100 I needed to redeem the coupon code. This chamber flag got me right up to $100.30, which is close enough for me! Because these are dollar amount discounts instead of percentages, they are the most effective at the given limit. This means that a $15 discount at $100 is more effective than the same discount at $200 or any amount higher than $100.


It's not like I won't use it either. I was thinking of making one with my 3D printer, but I needed to reach $100 for the discount to be applied, so I bought this instead.


I don't know how I forgot about the ambi safety in my original parts list, so I'll be adding it in now along with the chamber flag.


Total cost to date: $472.74
Estimated cost remaining: $1,533.83

Estimated Grand Total: $2,006.57
Again, you can see that I went over my $2000 budget by just a hair. I'll keep hunting for deals and discounts wherever I can, and I'll get the price back down where it should be.

'Till next time.


-AA
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1/2/17

AR-15 Small Grip Comparison: BCM Gunfighter Grip MOD 0 vs. Magpul MOE K

I had originally bought the BCM Gunfighter Grip MOD 0 for my AR-15 build because I thought that it included features that I needed, namely the duckbill option. After a preliminary fitting of all my parts, it turns out that most modern enlarged trigger guards eliminate the gap between the trigger guard ears that digs into your middle finger, so a duckbill on a grip wasn't needed in my application. Once I made that realization, I immediately wanted to try a Magpul MOE K grip because of its smaller size and lighter weight. 

Lucky for me, I found one locally that I was able to try, and this is what I found when I compared the two grips head to head.


Before we go any further, I want to reiterate how small my hands are. I've taken some photos of my hands against a ruler and tape to try and quantify my hand size, and by doing so, give you a reference to why I might like one grip over the other, and to give you the chance to compare your hand size against mine at home.

My hand measures about 3.5" wide across the knuckles when open, and about 4" wide when in a fist. 

Circumference across the knuckles is about 8.5" when the tape is pulled taut. 

From the base of my palm to the tip of my middle finger is about 6.75" in length.

This AR-15 build that I'm in the process of completing is geared towards being as practical as possible. To me, this means cutting weight where I don't need it, and putting it on where it makes sense. As such, I decided to weigh these grips to see how much of a weight difference there is between them.

 BCM Gunfighter Grip MOD 0 coming in at 3.2oz including mounting hardware

Magpul MOE K grip coming in at 2.4oz including mounting hardware

As we can see from the photos above, the Magpul MOE K grip is the lighter grip of the two, being approximately 0.8oz lighter than the BCM Gunfighter Grip MOD 0. Is a weight difference that is under an ounce going to make a huge impact on this build? Most likely not, but if I like the lighter grip and can save the weight, why not?

With the BCM Gunfighter installed, the grip is perfectly usable. My hand naturally rides high into the grip thanks to the shape of the backstrap, but the extra circumference makes the grip down at my pinky a little wide for my liking. I also have quite a bit of room at the bottom of the grip that I don't need. I know for a fact that the trap door that the BCM grip has is contributing to its heavier weight. I don't plan on using the trap door, so this feature is not something that is going to affect my decision.

Holding the BCM Gunfighter Mod 0 grip in a natural firing position

With the Magpul MOE K grip installed, I could immediately feel the difference in circumference. My grip felt overall more secure, and my pinky in particular felt like it had a better hold on the MOE K. The overall grip length is also much closer to my hand size than the BCM. I don't feel cramped on this grip, and I don't feel the bottom corner of the grip on my palm. That being said, I can completely understand if someone with larger hands found the MOE K to be uncomfortable from its small circumference and short length.

Holding the Magpul MOE K grip in a natural firing position. Notice how my pinky gets around the grip more than the BCM. Very nice!

After handling these grips side by side, it was immediately apparent to me that the Magpul MOE K grip felt better to me than the BCM Gunfighter MOD 0 grip. Even so, I cannot say that either grip is made to a higher quality or standard, as both are excellent products.

If you are making a build for children, petite women, or someone like me who was just born with the smallest hands on planet Earth, than I would highly recommend the Magpul MOE K grip. The lower price and the lighter weight are also an added bonus.

If you like the option for a duckbill, trap door, and have small hands that aren't as small as mine, than I would absolutely recommend the BCM Gunfighter MOD 0 grip. The duckbill is particularly useful if you're using a standard MilSpec trigger guard or any other trigger guard that leaves a gap between the ears of the lower receiver.

All in all, I'll be returning the BCM Gunfighter and will be picking up a Magpul MOE K for myself very soon. It's too bad that I have to return this loaner Magpul grip, I like it so much that I don't want to take it off and give it back!

'Till next time.


-AA
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