My Retro-Esque AR-15 Part 2... NOW WITH PICTURES!

So I don't have much of an update toward the completion of my AR this time, but I did snap a couple quick pictures of what I've got so far.

Here's a left side view of the receiver area.

Here's my carbine length triangle handguard.

I haven't added the flat slip ring yet. I'm going to wait until I get the new upper to add it on there.

My friend provided me with a 20 round magazine today. Again many thanks to him. It's made by Universal Industries, which as I'm told, made magazines for Colt as well.

UI for Universal Industries.... or CH for Colt, Hartford? MYSTERY!

The A1 grip I picked up at a local gun show.

The A1 grip I picked up is definitely well used. Personally I think it adds character.

The newest addition. Universal Industries 20 round magazine.

The magazine looks like it has been well used as well. I've thought about having the gun refinished in the XM gray type color and possibly making look distressed to give it that older look.

CAR stock on a two position tube.

And here is the stock. I'm not sure who manufactured it or the buffer tube it sits on but they seem to work just fine.


Well that is all for today. I'll keep updating as I add pieces.

Gun People Can Be The Worst....

You know, there are several groups that I associate myself with. I'm talking classes of people with like-minded opinions or interests that include video gamers, comic book geeks, movie enthusiasts, wrestling fans and of course... gun people.

Often times I am made to feel ashamed by others for liking wrestling because it's fake (it's predermined. There's a difference.) or for liking comic books and video games. But more often I am ashamed by my own group. This happens 9 out of 10 times most usually with gun people. Don't get me wrong here; gun people can be the best. When I say 9 out of 10 I mean the incidents. 9 out of 10 gun people are amazing, knowledgeable, and friendly. But there is always that one guy that shits in the apple pie.

Price gouging is nothing new. It's something that seems to be ingrained in the human DNA. Some try to write it off as simple supply and demand while others pull out there insult thesauri and start reading down the list to berate the guy trying to peddle his wares for exorbitant amounts of money.

The most glaringly obvious as of late has been the .22 LR shortage. I work at a sporting goods retail store and deal with this day in and day out. It doesn't matter if we get 100 rounds or 100,000 rounds; they are gone within a matter of minutes. But that is a story for another day. Today I am focusing on this guy who posted an ad on a local online classifieds site for the soon-to-be-impossible-to-get Glock 43:

"Capitalism"

So this guy (whether he be dealer or mortal man) has ordered several of these Glock 43's for the full intent of reselling them. As you can see his price is almost double Glock's MSRP of $580 on the gun. The question is why? Why would someone do this? In every realm of collecting there are the rare and hard to find that demand hefty prices. But this is ridiculous in my book. Buying multiples with the intent to sell at an inflated price is apparently a hot button issue on many message boards of whether or not it is legal according to ATF rule. I'm not going to argue that here. I'm not a lawyer. I would rather debate on the moral grounds that instead of buying one for himself and allowing two other happy people the ability to pick up their guns, he has decided to hoard them for himself AND then gouge his fellow "gun people" for the chance, nay, the PRIVILEGE to buy a pistol from him for twice the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Maybe this is something we need to start standing up for? Maybe this is why those that aren't gun people look down on us for trying to screw our brothers? Maybe it's a lesson in the fact that maybe we don't NEED a new gun and if you wait 3 months the hype will die down and they will be at your dealer in no time? Or maybe I'm just bitter because if I want one I have to buy it from this jackass?

My Retro-esque AR-15

I currently only own one AR-15. Instead of joining the herd and tacticaling out my AR with the latest and greatest tacticool accessories, I'm taking a trip back to the beginning. A while back I decided I was going to try and make a true "retro" style carbine. After a bit of research I decided that while it sounds like a noble pursuit, at this time it's a little beyond my means to make it truly authentic. So I've decided to make it "retro-esque"; making it look old, but maybe not 100% historically correct.

What I've Got So Far:

- I started with an XM-177 Upper from Model 1 Sales. I opted for the completed upper with a bolt carrier and charging handle. The nice part of Model 1 Sales is that your parts with any combination of configurations your heart desires. I chose to go with a fixed sight A2 upper, slot flashider, and I added a carbine length triangle hand guard for good measure.

- For the lower I used a DPMS complete lower from an AP4 whose upper I used to build a retirement gift for my father. I'm going to go ahead and keep this. The markings aren't correct, but I'm really just going for aesthetics.

- I was gifted a 2 position buffer tube, CAR stock, and a flat slip ring all of unknown manufacture from a good friend.

- I found an original A1 pistol grip at a local gun show for $7. Money well spent.

What I Still Need To Get:

- An A1 upper. I am trying to find one with the dustcover and forward assist, but no brass deflector.

- A 20 round straight magazine.

- One of the old school fixed power scopes that mounts on the carry handle. Again, this doesn't have to be authentic, one of the new Chinese copies will work just fine.

- A teardrop shaped forward assist button.

- Some kind of old school sling.

What I Might Add:

- A triangle charging handle.

- A partial fence lower without markings or one with more authentic looking markings.

- I thought about trying to find either an original or reproduction of the moderators on the original XM-177s, but based on different opinions online these may or may not be regulated like suppressors. Also it would turn my rifle into an SBR and that's something I'm not willing to do for this one.

This is a poorly made rendition of what I am trying to build.

You know the big thing (other than cost) that really turned me off from trying to make a true retro gun was the people in the forums I visited while doing research. I saw pictures of guns that looked amazing followed by pages of harsh words and criticisms for not having the right parts, non original parts etc. That kind of killed it for me. I decided I was just going to make one that I would be happy with, and to hell with everyone else's opinion.


 I'll keep updating as I add new parts or undoubtedly change my mind about something. If you have any interest in building a retro AR and want to be as authentic as possible, check out NoDak Spud LLC. They build new manufactured retro parts. Otherwise make it yours. Make it what YOU want, not what people tell you it should be.