Update #2B - Gun Show Goodies

I know, long time no update.  Hopefully this will make some people curious about the actual construction of the project.  Living in NY, I was glad to see a gun show happening locally to my college.  Since it is only 10 minutes away, I took a couple of friends and we strolled through the aisles.  I knew there were a few groups there that sold individual gun parts, and I think I made out pretty good.  I unfortunately could not deposit my paycheck in time, so I was limited to what I could get.  Here is what came home in my goodie bag.

First up is a really nice tan pistol grip.  To be honest, I really was hoping that I could find one.  I had scoured the internet for what seemed like hours and could not find a single one.  This one is made by Rock River Arms.  It fits really snug on the WE M4 receiver, but all of the holes line up like they are supposed to.  Cost to me was $8.00.

 

Next up is a charging handle.  There are two different types of charging handles for real steel AR15's, extruded and forged.  Extruded means the material was squeezed out of a single die and then machined to the right shape.  Forged means that a massive press smashes hot material into a die which results in the shape with not as much machining needed.  The one I have pictured is an extruded one.  The man I talked to said you don't need a forged one unless you plan on running into combat.  With this being airsoft, I figured an extruded one was good enough.  Cost was $15.00.

Next up is a nice little combo.  A steel castle nut, stock ring, and a Milspec sized buffer tube.  The threads for the buffer tube fit no problem, and all the other parts make the stock fit feel so much better.  You can even see for yourself the quality difference in just the finishes if you look back at my other post.  The WE tube was 4 position, while this real steel is 5 position.  Cost of all this was $5.00 for the castle nut, $2.00 for the stock ring, and $25 for the buffer tube.

 Next up is another piece that makes airsoft quality parts look like pathetic toys, a real steel Ma-Tech rear sight.  I bought a King Arms replica a month ago thinking it would be good enough, but I found it felt weak when it was folded and I could only hope that the blow back action didn't cause it to flip up.  I am happy to say I won't have to worry about that with the real one.  Cost was $70, which is easily half of what I see online.  I really did get a steal.

Last but not least is a little bag of goodies.  This a 'lost pieces' kit by Bushmaster.  It contains extra parts that could get lost when you do a full disassembly, or roll off the table during a build.  Inside of this bag are take down/pivot pin detents and springs, selector switch detent and spring, buffer retainer lock and spring, firing pin retaining pin, extractor springs, and push pieces for the extractor.  The best part is, there are two of each part.  Save for the extractor parts, each one fits perfectly into the WE M4 receiver.  Cost was $15.

All in all, I think I made out pretty good.  I spent around $140 (I had to borrow $10 from one of my friends), but it was all worth it.  I could have spent another $40 if I got my paycheck cashed, but oh well.  Online retailers can make up the difference.  I found out my open bolt kit was delayed due to being out of stock, but it is on its way now.  Then I can accurately gauge what parts I am missing.  Until then, everything is sitting in a bag waiting to be assembled.

Next up will be my first guide, the Charging Handle Mod!  Stay tuned, this is a very nice trick for WE M4 owners.