MandM

550 cord (even the "specialty" stuff, like reflective or GITD) isn't that expensive. You can find decent deals online, especially if you buy it in 500 ft. spools (but even then usually <$10 for 100ft.) You can find hardware online too, or even sometimes in Lowes or camping/outdoor stores (for example Campmor has some basic hardware). It should cost you WAY less than $45 to weave a sling, but it'll take some time. I weaved a 6" dog leash that used about 30 - 35 feet of cord and a heavy duty snaplink. Probably cost about $12 and an hour and a half of my time (about $25 if labor is making minimum wage) . (I was going to braid/weave/whatever myself a sling for my AR, but I ran out of black 550 cord.)

Makes sense! Thanks for the info!

Why don't you just buy one of those $20 nylon "mil-spec" thigh rigs to find out if you really want/need a thigh rig? Back 12 years ago when I bought my first handgun I wanted to be all tacti-cool. I bought a thigh rig. Waste of money. It chafed, it was ugly, it snagged on everything... it was a giant pain in the rear.

Beyond twist rates... shouldn't barrel length play a slight role as well? If not, then why do scope manufacturers that have caliber specific bdc reticles tell you what bullet, gun, barrel they calibrated with? It's gotta be more than just bullet weight or else it would be inconsequential for them to tell you "62 gr. 5.56 NATO, 20" barrel, etc." right?

I feel that a great trigger is the very first "upgrade" that should be done. Geissele fan for life here. I won't build an AR without one.

I think a better bang for your buck over the Grip Pod is a Mako T-Pod. (Just be sure to get a Gen 2... not Gen 1.) I paid about 130 for mine and I love it. A smidge on the heavy side, but the bipod is pretty good and the grip is comfy. It can swivel side to side (30 degrees each way, I think), it can cant side to side for unlevel shooting, and the legs extend independently for uneven terrain.

My dad was a zealot when I was a little kid. He and my grandfather used to custom machine parts for his pylon racers so they would be lightweight. (I still have a lot of the parts, like a few motors, a few sets of lightweight aluminum wheels and struts my grandfather machined.) I caught the bug for a little while, then moved over to helis then well... it kinda went away. I may end up selling my heli (Blade CP Pro) and my Piper Cub soon if I don't get back into it.

After reading a whole bunch of stuff... that's exactly the question I'm still asking. Ah... seems we're back in that lovely "grey area" place again. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and none of this is legal advice. But my two cents for OP: Avoid anything called a flash suppressor/hider and you should be a-okay. Do some research... see if there's anything regarding classification by the ATF for any comp/brake you're considering. Or buy it from an NJ dealer (any of our great local shops can help, I'm sure). They either have one, or will order you one. (If they have one already, it should be NJ legal, or if they have to order one, they'll get one or know of one that is NJ legal.) And... generally you're going to have to pay someone to pin/weld that brake on for you anyway. Talk to whoever is going to do that job for you.

I'm not so sure, Raz. I'm pretty sure they DO test for stuff like that. (But MAYBE only if the manufacturer submits it for testing. This I don't know.) But... PWS has a letter on their site FROM the BATFE (http://primaryweapon.../ATF_FSC556.pdf) stating that their FSC556 compensator has, in fact, been tested and determined to NOT be a flash-supressor and therefore legal in states like NJ. And they even tell you how they determined it. (I keep a printed copy in my rifle case with the AR that sports the FSC556. Just in case.)

After putting a bunch of rounds downrange in my self-built AR, I decided I needed a slightly heavier buffer. So when I switched, I decided to see if the powder filled buffers were any better. I found a Spikes ST-2 somewhere online. (Not much $$$ difference between a standard H2 and the ST-2... and they weigh close to the same.) Bottom line: Runs like it should in my AR, weight-wise, and the BCG cycles better now. I'm happy Does the tungsten powder work any magic over a regular H2 buffer? I do feel like it's a wee bit softer... more of a deadening blow. But that's subjective. There is one thing that a tungsten powder filled buffer does for certain... no more rattle of the weights inside that buffer. So if the rattle annoys you...

Finally! A Glock that doesn't have the ergonomics of a 2x4!

Yep... I always keep a round count for all my guns. I started doing it when I bought my HK. Not sure why... little bit OCD, little bit CYA should anything go wrong. Then... when I built my AR (my first and only, so far) I became a little more serious about it. Since I built it, I wanted to be able to narrow down any failures quickly. And it helps me really keep track if my guns don't like certain brands of ammo (which hasn't happened yet) or anything else that might be a issue later on or just plain ol' something I don't like. (For example... I know now that I dislike Remington UMC Target .45 230gr. FMJ... because it's very very dirty. Heck... it says something about "clean burning" or "clean firing" on the box and it's the dirtiest ammo I've shot yet.) Quick excel spreadsheet, each gun has it's own tab which has gun info, parts/accessories listed too, notes and the shot log (ammo brand, type, weight, round count and any notes, failures, etc.) and then a summary page up front. I don't really suspect my HK to have any issues (and I don't really expect to have any problems with HK taking care of it should it happen) and my AR has enough rounds through it now that I have full confidence in my build, but I keep the log anyway. It's only takes a few minutes while cleaning after range time, and it's a good habit, especially if I get into reloading, precision rifles, etc.

I don't hear the "sproing" on my AR. (Spikes ST-2 buffer and Magpul UBR stock)

It sure is amusing. I'm beginning to wonder what else we can strap on an AR platform! Why haven't they tried to mount a nice Husqvarna chainsaw to the rail? (Just like in Gears of War.)

No one mentioned New Breed in Fairlawn. I bought a couple of things there. The salespeople were nice to me the handful of times I was there. A decent place to look around if nothing else.

But... just because you CAN do something... doesn't mean you should.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Someone who doesn't practice the DA to SA transition will be a terrible shot. It's a big difference. But that being said... My buddy's P220 .45 and my HK45c feel like they recoil very differently in hand.... and my guess is that the weight/weight distribution plays a significant part in that.

That makes my brain hurt. Probably would have trouble turning corners and getting through doorways, and it probably weighs 20 lbs. or more. Let the mall ninjas have it... they'll be the first ones that get 'et!

Good choice!

What he said. And the install is a cinch.

Only the AR (link) so far for 2012... but I predict a total of 3 firearms for me this year. 1 more pistol (9mm this time. While the GF is pretty darn good with the .45, she prefers the 9mm.) and a shotgun of some sort. (Still in the research phase.)

I have the Otis pistol/rifle kit and it's pretty darn good. Most of the brushes you need, pull cables of multiple lengths (short for pistols, long for rifles/shotguns), patches etc all crammed into a nylon hockey puck. The only thing I do different is I don't usually use their included CLP-type product. I use either Break-free CLP or Clenzoil or any of the other products. I save the Otis brand tube that's in the kit for field/range use should I need it. Building your own kit can be cheaper and because you only buy what you need for whatever you have... but if you know you're gonna end up with multiple guns of multiple calibers, you can't go wrong buying this right from the get-go. I got mine with my first gun (a .45)... but in the 7 months since I bought that one, I've acquired 2 more guns (.22 and .223). And... I still haven't decided on a shotgun yet, and my GF wants a 9mm... so I'll have at least 2 more calibers to clean. And I already have everything I need to clean just about anything else I might get.

Someone saw the movie "The Green Hornet" (the new one)... and decided that those prop masters had something going with "Bloodnofski's" double 1911.

Forget about being too heavy... it's not NJ legal because it holds 16 rds in it's double mags.

Bandit gets upset if he's not allowed to stick his head out the window. It's it's favorite part of the ride! He's only allowed in the back seat, and I do clip his leash/harness to the built in D ring thingy meant for child seats in the back. That way he gets enough room to move around in the back and go from window to window, but he can't jump out or go flying through the windshield during a panic stop or something. And there are doggie goggles... they're called Doggles. (I'm not joking... see here: http://doggles.com/)