7/27/17

The AR-15 Build: Recoil Spring and POF Roller Cam

So after doing some additional research, I found that both my original spring and cam selection may have been misguided.

I want this gun to be something of a hard working tool, and not so much a "gamer's toy" that might be more finicky in terms of reliability. As such, I decided to go with a full power recoil spring. Further reading suggests that flat wire springs might be a better alternative to conventional round wire springs.


Strike Industries claims increased forward bolt load and reduced compression force, along with higher spring life compared to its MilSpec counterpart. What this means is that it closes the bolt with more force while being easier to cycle the action. This is made possible because of the flat wire design, allowing for the spring to be physically longer which means spring strength can be adjusted. Either way, the longer spring life and reduced "twang" is what sold me.

As for the cam, it turns out that some piston AR's suffer from something called receiver gouge. This issue is common enough in piston AR's that POF decided to make a special cam pin that helps to reduce the chance of developing receiver gouge.


The top of the cam pin is basically a roller bearing instead of a flat piece of metal. This means that if the cam pin were to contact the upper receiver, the bearing would, in theory, roll along the receiver while a standard cam pin might scrape and dig into the receiver. Looking at pictures of rifles with receiver gouge was enough to make me order this part. At the time I ordered this, most everyone was out of stock. I was impatient and ordered it, and now you can find better deals all over the place. Learn from my mistakes, you don't need to order non-critical parts until you absolutely have to. Even if I completed the rifle, I could have run the regular cam until I got a better deal on this.

As my build list now stands:








    Total cost to date: $1032.36
    Estimated cost remaining: $824.62

    Estimated Grand Total: $1,856.98

    The cost of the roller cam brought the total up again, but I'm still under $2000 total including tools. More updates to come!

    'Till next time.


    -AA

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    7/26/17

    The AR-15 Build: MAGPUL K Grip, Midwest Industries Handguard, Elftmann Trigger, and VG6 Epsilon

    After previously comparing the BCM Gunfighter grip and the MAGPUL K Grip, I decided that the MAGPUL grip was a better for for me. 

    Brownells had a free shipping coupon code, and I jumped on the chance to snag the new grip and returned the BCM grip that I originally ordered.

    After spending many hours researching what kind of handguard I wanted to use for this build, I finally ended up deciding to go with the Midwest Industries Gen3 Lightweight.


    The original plan was to go with the Odin Works O2 Lite Rail, but I decided against it mainly because if it's larger outer diameter. It is also just a touch heavier than the Midwest rail, and I bought this for less than what I would have paid for the O2 Lite. To top it all off, the Midwest rail comes with its own barrel nut tool, which the O2 Lite required you to either already have a suitable 1 1/2" wrench or to buy one separately. I ordered the handguard from Jet, and they give extra discounts for things like opting out of free returns, so I used that to my advantage.

    Found a good deal on Schuyler Arms on the VG6 Epsilon muzzle break, so I grabbed it while I could.


    I decided to go with the Epsilon over the Gamma after watching this particular YouTube video that has shooting footage of both muzzle devices. From what I could gather, I saw that the Gamma looked to overcompensate and dip the muzzle down while the Epsilon did a great job at keeping the muzzle very flat. I've shot a rifle in the past that was equipped with a Battle Comp which also overcompensated and dipped the muzzle down. I did not like how that rifle shot at all, so I opted for the Epsilon.

    And finally, the trigger. I read a great article that The Truth About Guns posted, and they had great things to say about the Elftmann trigger.


    In my quest for a rifle that would be as light as possible, I opted for the 3-Gun trigger option, as it had the most speed cuts in it. I know that it seems silly, as the weight difference between all the models are probably next to nothing, but I figured that the additional cost of the 3-Gun trigger over the other options was reasonable enough to splurge on it. I also decided to go for the straight trigger just to try it. I've never shot an AR with a flat trigger face before, and I figured this would be a good chance to try one out.

    Now here's where things get interesting. The company that I bought the trigger from has apparently gone belly up since I've made my purchase. As such, I will still list the company name in the breakdown, but I'll link to Elftmann's website instead.

    As my build list now stands:






    Total cost to date: $988.94
    Estimated cost remaining: $839.61

    Estimated Grand Total: $1,828.55

    I have lots more parts ordered, so I'll have some rapid updates coming up!

    'Till next time.


    -AA

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    7/18/17

    AR-15 Dust Cover Comparison: MilSpec vs. Strike Industries

    Finally, I'm back with another post! This time I'll be looking at the differences between the MilSpec dust cover and an aftermarket alternative.

    When I first started making my AR-15 build list, I knew that I wanted to replace some of the stadnard MilSpec parts with different options for reasons ranging from weight savings to just having some extra cool factor. If you've been following this build, you will know that I originally planned on getting a stripped upper receiver. As you would also know, I ended up finding a better deal on an upper that included a MilSpec dust cover already installed.

    Now that I have the opportunity, I will make a brief comparison between the SI Enhanced Ultimate Dust Cover and its MilSpec counterpart.

    So the obvious comparison would be in their weight. Why pay more for a different dust cover if the original works just fine? In my case, it was all about shaving off unnecessary weight where I could without going crazy on cost.

    The MilSpec dust cover comes in at 0.8oz on my scale. It's under an ounce in total weight, not much to it at all. This weight does include the hinge pin and e-clip.

    MilSpec Dust Cover: 0.8oz

    The Strike Industries Enhanced Ultimate Dust Cover comes in at an incredible 0.4oz! This is a completely self contained unit, so there is no additional hinge pin or other hardware to account for, it's all built in!

    Strike Industries EUDC: 0.4oz

    Amazingly, the Strike Industries dust cover is half the weight of the MilSpec dust cover. Even though the difference between the two is less than half of an ounce, looking at it another way, it's still a 50% weight savings.

    So besides weight, are there any other advantages to using the Strike Industries unit? In my opinion, I think there is, but they are very minor.

    For one, like I mentioned earlier, the Strike Industries dust cover is a self contained unit. There are no additional parts needed for the dust cover to be installed in the upper receiver, which simplifies the installation as well as the overall function of the part. Just depress the spring loaded pivot pin on the left side of the dust cover and pop it into place. Done! No need for that long pivot rod that the MilSpec unit requires or that tiny e-clip either. The tension on the retaining detent is also adjustable. This means if your receiver is tight or loose, this dust cover can compensate and still remain at the perfect amount of tension holding it closed. This might be handy for worn out uppers (though I've never heard of this being a problem), or out of spec uppers (which I find to be much more likely).

    Are there any downsides to the Strike Industries dust cover? In my experience, yes. Again, it was all very minor, but I think it's worth mentioning nonetheless.

    After installing the SI dust cover, I found that it did not swing fully open under its owns spring tension. It would stop about half way in its swing. The fix was simple enough, just using a razor blade to shave off a tiny amount of material where it rubbed around the edges and the pivots. I've also heard that this will not fit on some milled uppers, but I cannot confirm this statement as I only have a forged upper at the moment. This is also made in Taiwan, so if you're trying to go for an all American make build, than this is not the part for you. V Seven Weapon Systems makes a lightweight aluminum dust cover that's make in America, but it still isn't as light as the SI counterpart.

    If you're looking for a lightweight dust cover and don't mind the polymer construction, Taiwanese origin, and the potential for minor fitting, than I would highly recommend it. I think it looks good, and I don't foresee having any issues with it at all. Once I get to shooting with it, I will be sure to update y'all if my opinions on this part changes.

    That's it for now. Up next will be the handguard!

    'Till next time,


    -AA
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