5th4x4

Which "there"? Weaknesses? If so, trigger assembly, I guess. There is another build thread here somewhere where the OP asked questions about the lower/lpk. I then inquired as to where my own lpk stacked up, and I recall that it is was declared to be in the 'average' or 'middle of the road' range. (ouch) So while that may not be a weakness per se, it doesn't exactly match the quality of everything else that I sought for this rifle as my build progressed beyond the lower. (although the lower itself is quality, right? Spikes? You gotta remember, I had zero frame of reference regarding any of this stuff when I began my build. All I knew was Colt. Period) I'll assume that the "what do you mean there" doesn't apply to the "just don't lose it" part of my statement - since that's a pretty big duh ; ) If you're referring to my not knowing what goes into building one from scratch, then yes, I didn't really know. I've field stripped the M16 of course, but that's not the same thing as acquiring and matching all of the components for myself - and especially not in a gun-hating state. So if that's what you mean, then that's what I meant. If it was my "decades" statement that you are referencing, then well, yeah... I'm not exactly a young buck anymore. After all, President Reagan was my Commander in Chief. And that was decades ago. And while I did get to fire an AR type rifle post-Corps (although it may actually have been one of those "lost" M16s for all I know - since it did have fully automatic capability), I have to say that I haven't really come across ANY opportunities to fire or acquire another one since then; which was in the mid-late 80's I guess. Anyway, one of those explanations above probably answers your "what do you mean" question. As for that comp... yeah, totally matches the sleek look of the handguards. It's like they come as part of a set or something. Nice! : )

I never went to Action Park growing up (I'm a NYC boy, and Jersey was like a foreign country at the time) but I do remember the radio ads/jingle on 77 Music Radio WABC. That and Englishtown Raceway. And Mothers ("Listen to your Mothers!"). << That was in Jersey, right? (hmmm.... maybe Long Island?) Furthest west I recall travelling was to Palisades Amusement Park. That was in Jersey... but barely. And I think that I could probably still remember that jingle word for word if I really tried.

Well, "basic" as in appearance. No fancy optics, no rails loaded down with accessories (not yet, anyway). But it'll get tricked-out a bit with a new WML (delivered tomorrow?), and eventually with some sort of an optic (since even an old salt jarhead needs to learn new tricks). So at some point this rifle will display a bit of gear. But I do have to admit... the stark ferocity of how she looks right now makes me proud to have her : ) As for the quality of parts..... I took my cues from all of you guys that were with me from the very beginning on this, so I am grateful for all of the outstanding guidance and suggestions that I received. All of your suggestions led me to learn more about the options that were available out there, and the deeper I got into it, the more I learned - because this build really meant alot to me, and I wanted to build what I wanted to have - which is a rifle that I could really rely upon and call my own. I know that there are some "weaknesses" in spots (or at least "weak" compared to some of the other strengths), but it's really not easy to go from Gov-Issue, "here, this is yours to shoot - just don't lose it", to building your own from scratch - and without any prior knowledge of what actually goes into building these things. Especially when all I really knew going into this was that I could seriously shoot the sh!t out of one of these things at one point - decades ago. As for the CTR.... the one I got is black. So if you decide to go with black, I've got one that is pin-ready (right above the friction lever). So... 1/8 pin... tap-tap.... neutered. Pffffftttt.... even if I ack the range myself at this point, I'll still be yapping about the rifle. So yeah... the range report will be shared. I remain starved for get-away free-time these days, but maybe(?) Thursday(??). Lets PM after the weekend and see how our scheds line up. WP is truly my best bet right now - since it's so close and I don't have a whole lot of free time right now - so let's talk about this more later. I appreciate all of the encouragement that I received here. You guys have been great(!) and there is NO WAY that I would ever have thought that I would actually build a rifle (especially a black one!) as opposed to buying something completely different. And ok, I cheated on the upper - but still. It was due to impatience + that beautiful BCM offer that was just too much to pass up. And besides... it was Lalo who derailed my upper build by setting me astray with that link to the BCM upper in the first place. So he deserves all of the blame/CREDIT for that ; ) (and I wouldn't undo that decision at all) Again guys, THANK YOU for: Welcoming me here. Convincing me to build instead of buy. For fielding all of my questions. For offering suggestions and links. For looking out for my slip-ups. And for supporting me throughout. I am truly grateful to each of you! And hopefully I will get the chance to someday go out shooting with some/all of you : )

No pills. I'm fully (and happily) diseased : P And number two begins as soon as number one stops tapping the CC.

Ok. Long overdue, so I quick borrowed a camera. Not a lot of features to WoW the eye - just a basic grunt rifle right now. Just some proof that my primitive set of tools managed to build this lower without a scratch. I really like that Gunfighter grip a lot. Feels perfect. Above and below pics of the handguards that I got from checko. I had spent hours scouring the web looking for the handguard that would make me say, "that's the one!", and here it was directly under my nose here in this forum. Those are exactly what I was envisioning for this rifle. I think it's cool how this muzzle brake incorporates the look of both the rails and the handguards. The top picture actually provides the best view for that, but I just wanted to provide a close up for anyone who might be considering muzzle brake options at the moment. The parts: Spikes Tactical lower receiver Spikes Tactical lower receiver parts kit Mil-Spec receiver extension w/H2 buffer/spring kit BCM 16" M4 Carbine upper receiver (complete) BCM bolt carrier group BCM Gunfighter charging handle (Mod 4) BCM Gunfighter grip (Mod 1) Magpul enhanced trigger guard Knights Armament Micro rear sight Diamondhead handguards (via checko) Yankee Hill Phantom muzzle brake (M2 version) Magpul 15/20 M3 PMAG (via MidwestPX) Magpul CTR stock (for now. And soon for sale or trade) Magpul Enhanced buttpad And that's really all there is to her as of right now. As I said, just a basic grunt rifle. (and HD gear is on the way right now) Ok, so pictures have now been posted. Whew! Pressures off : P Oh.... and for anyone considering a build...... DO IT !!!

And I got week one on Fire : P

Apparently 30 minutes prior. Thanks. No prob. ; )

So the link remains behind the shroud of mystery until.... when?

Hmmm.... ok, I give up. where is the link to enter the draft room?

Nah. some aspects of a rifle are meant to look down and dirty : P So I'm glad that I can actually go ahead and follow through on that. And truth be told (finally) on that tube-phobia of mine; it simply reminds me too much of the prosthetic legs that are too too common for so many of our wounded warriors. I try to look past it (and I've even tried to look upon it as "honoring" the sacrifice) but the look of it simply makes my soul ache, and I simply can't get past it. Maybe in time I would be ok with how it looks, but for now it remains a heartbreaking reminder of the sacrifice. Therefore I'm already switching to a fixed stock. The concept of the adjustable stock was good, but the end result is just something that I can't get comfortable with. (same reason as to why I haven't been rushing out to buy a new digi-camera or even borrow one for posting pictures on my build thread. I'm just not comfortable with the way that my rifle looks right now) So anyway, I've now outed myself for why I created that friggin thread in the first place. And a fixed stock is enroute as I write this. I can't wait until it arrives (it was supposed to have arrived today! WTF!!!).

Good point Lalo. I just bought 2 more 15/20's from MidwestPX (about an hour ago!) and I was seriously considering making at least one of them a 15/30. But there was just something that irked the crap out of me about leaving all of that untapped real estate empty, so I decided to stay with the (slightly) less irksome 5 round emptiness instead. Plus (and maybe I should have asked this before actually expecting that I could do it) I figured that I would just tape 2 of them together like we would do in the Corps. There's really no quicker mag change than that : P (not allowed on MC qual ranges of course, but pretty much everyone did that when they were out in the field) So please tell me that Jersey doesn't stick it's nose in that part of our lives too (do they??!!!!!!!)

Yeah, I'm gonna hate you a little bit (nah, not really). I had already seen the offset placement on your rifle, so that last bit wasn't entirely unexpected. And it appears that light is best suited to run tight to the handguard/front sight, so it looks like the offset mount makes it pretty easy to handle from that position. I like both (in concept, at least) so I think I'll try it out and see how it goes. Anyway, I don't want to hijack the OP's thread (I've got my own neglected thread for that purpose), so thanks for the heads up! (as for the sling stuff.... I will hijack this thread just a little bit more... but I'll wait until tomorrow before I do that) : P

Ok, so two of you mention the sling in regard to HD. What are the considerations in that context? Pros/cons? A sling was actually going to be my next purchase, so I'm glad that it was mentioned here before I went and purchased something that might not actually fit the need.

Personal bias aside, I appreciate the link. I respect your opinion on this kind of stuff, since you buy and try and tinker and test a lot of stuff. I have one sitting in the cart right now.... as I check to see what else to buy. Good grief.... these rifles will wear out a credit card in a hurry.

Actually I just tracked down where I had seen you post a picture of your rifle with that light. Yes, it's that one. Nevermind : )

Is it this one Vlad (which is currently on sale)? http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/Inforce-WML-HSP-Black-p/inf-wml-bwmh.htm

Nevermind. Got it. http://njgunforums.com/forum/index.php/topic/10555-ar-pics-lets-seeum/?p=771040

Hey Barms... can you provide a link back to the picture/thread that you are referring to? Thanks.

You yourself admitted that you disrespected the police officer. I started my response by providing information regarding the legality of the signs that you questioned. Upon further reading of your story, I didn't find you/your friend to be particularly sympathetic figures in this situation. But this is the internet, so your opinion is the only one that matters. Sue me for expressing mine.

This is the second time you've made a statement that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not in the least bit "butthurt". And where am I showing thin skin? Your story sounds bogus as well as being accusatory towards others. I got no skin in your little blame game at all. I'm just pointing out the absurdity of your story.

The sarcasm matches the disrespect for the police officer. The whole story sounds bogus anyway.

Wait. Huh? Best thing that can happen is when the ticketing officer fails to appear in court. You sure you have any of this story straight??

Yeah. Sounds totally like the cop's fault. That must be it then. Just tell that to the judge. Case closed. Sorry for the inconvenience. Have a nice day.

Careless driving does not legally equate to a posted warning/advisory sign. It relates to the operation of the vehicle itself. Warning/advisory signs are not enforceable unto themselves. Edited for clarification: Diamond shaped signs are not enforceable. Construction signs however are enforceable.

Lessons I've learned in this thread today: 1) Only an American made (ahem) truck with a 8 foot bed is a real truck. 2) Anything except a Rutgers education is a waste of time and money. Does that qualify as a class for the OP's education here? Jersey Attitude 101 : P