GunnyUSMC
Member
I’ve been searching for used AR parts to build a mock up AR for my good friend’s Paintball field. I figured I could find someone that had a messed up 80% lower that I could use to build a non firing AR.
I member on a local contacted me the other day and said that he had a New Frontier synthetic lower that was messed up, and if I came ad picked it up, I could have it for $20.
My buddy Matt, from Illinois is down here to visit and work o some of his gun stocks. We decided to take a break from doing repairs and taking a little drive out to the country. After a 40 minute drive we arrived at Brads house. We shot the bull about guns and stuff before we got to the lower.
Brad said that the person he got the lower from and used JB weld to put the grip o the frame because it had broken. There was a Mimi 14 mag jammed into the mag well that was pretty much stuck. I told him that I was pretty sure I could use it and gave him $20.
Here it is on the center console of yo truck on the ride home. Brad was a nice guy and also gave me a MOE handguard and a Tapco commercial buttstock.
Yesterday I took a good look at the lower. There was a MFT grip on it ad it appeared a little loose. The grip screw was still in the grip and it saw not loose. I got my T handle allen wrench out and put some force on it and it started coming out.
Once I had it out I could see the gray JB Weld on the end of the screw. The grip was still on the lower, but with a little wiggling and pulling it came off. I could see that the MFT grip didn’t fit the lower good and black epoxy had been used to fill in the gaps.
I cleaned up the epoxy, which came off pretty easy. But there was a lot of JB Weld I the grip screw hole. I ended up using a drill bit to get the JB Weld out.
Now up to this point, I still didn’t have any plans to build a functional rifle. But with closer inspection, I couldn’t find anything wrong with the lower then the grip screw hole being stripped out.
Now the fire control group was mage of plastic, along with the safety selector.
The action pins were very tight and needed to be tapped out. I found it odd that the action pins only had one groove.
I got to thinking that if I fixed the grip screw hole and put on a grip that fit, I could use this lower to build a rifle.
I went digging through my extra parts and found an old Strike Industries grip. It was an FDE grip that had been painted, but seemed to have never been used. I think I’ve had it for five or six years. It fit the lower perfectly. I used epoxy to fill the grip screw hole and applied wax to a grip screw and then put it in. I let that sit for a couple of hours then removed the screw. It looked good.
This is when the squirrels in my head started running around.
My son’s AR was stolen about a year ago. I had bought three barrels from CDNN back in March when they were on sale for $100. One of the barrels was a Bushmaster 1in7 chrome lined that I had bought to help me son build another rifle.
My son loves to rattle can cammo his AR so I got to thinking, I had enough new parts to build him a rifle. I had an extra DPMS Fire control group left over from a lower kit that I had use to build another rifle. I had a new selector switch and some anti rotation pins. And there was that Anderson upper that I had coated with Aluma-Hyde II Coyote that just didn’t match anything. I figured these parts would work great for a rifle that would be seeing rattle can paint.
Now was the time to see if the grip screw would hold up. I put the parts into the lower and the mixed a little more epoxy. I put the epoxy into the screw hole then put the grip on. The screw tighten down and held I place.
I put the rest of the rifle together and called my son to see what he was up to. He said he would come by and hang out for a little.
When he arrived I showed him the rifle. I told him how I had fixed it and he said it was cool. He then asked if I could help him build another rifle when he got the money. I told him that the barrel on the rifle was the one I had bought for him. He got an odd look on his face and asked, “Is this rifle for me.”
I told him that I know he had been working hard and that yes, the rifle was his.
My daughter then showed up with my younger son and one of my grandsons. She was coming by to get some money for fireworks.
All in all, I would have to say that this ended up being a pretty good Fourth of July. I know that it will be one that my son remembers.
Oh! Just in case the New Frontier lower doesn’t hold up, I have another lower set aside.
I would have taken more pics, but I really didn’t think I was going to build the lower into a functioning rifle and it was late in the day when I finished it. But as soon as my son has it painted, I’ll post some pics.
I member on a local contacted me the other day and said that he had a New Frontier synthetic lower that was messed up, and if I came ad picked it up, I could have it for $20.
My buddy Matt, from Illinois is down here to visit and work o some of his gun stocks. We decided to take a break from doing repairs and taking a little drive out to the country. After a 40 minute drive we arrived at Brads house. We shot the bull about guns and stuff before we got to the lower.
Brad said that the person he got the lower from and used JB weld to put the grip o the frame because it had broken. There was a Mimi 14 mag jammed into the mag well that was pretty much stuck. I told him that I was pretty sure I could use it and gave him $20.
Here it is on the center console of yo truck on the ride home. Brad was a nice guy and also gave me a MOE handguard and a Tapco commercial buttstock.
Yesterday I took a good look at the lower. There was a MFT grip on it ad it appeared a little loose. The grip screw was still in the grip and it saw not loose. I got my T handle allen wrench out and put some force on it and it started coming out.
Once I had it out I could see the gray JB Weld on the end of the screw. The grip was still on the lower, but with a little wiggling and pulling it came off. I could see that the MFT grip didn’t fit the lower good and black epoxy had been used to fill in the gaps.
I cleaned up the epoxy, which came off pretty easy. But there was a lot of JB Weld I the grip screw hole. I ended up using a drill bit to get the JB Weld out.
Now up to this point, I still didn’t have any plans to build a functional rifle. But with closer inspection, I couldn’t find anything wrong with the lower then the grip screw hole being stripped out.
Now the fire control group was mage of plastic, along with the safety selector.
The action pins were very tight and needed to be tapped out. I found it odd that the action pins only had one groove.
I got to thinking that if I fixed the grip screw hole and put on a grip that fit, I could use this lower to build a rifle.
I went digging through my extra parts and found an old Strike Industries grip. It was an FDE grip that had been painted, but seemed to have never been used. I think I’ve had it for five or six years. It fit the lower perfectly. I used epoxy to fill the grip screw hole and applied wax to a grip screw and then put it in. I let that sit for a couple of hours then removed the screw. It looked good.
This is when the squirrels in my head started running around.
My son’s AR was stolen about a year ago. I had bought three barrels from CDNN back in March when they were on sale for $100. One of the barrels was a Bushmaster 1in7 chrome lined that I had bought to help me son build another rifle.
My son loves to rattle can cammo his AR so I got to thinking, I had enough new parts to build him a rifle. I had an extra DPMS Fire control group left over from a lower kit that I had use to build another rifle. I had a new selector switch and some anti rotation pins. And there was that Anderson upper that I had coated with Aluma-Hyde II Coyote that just didn’t match anything. I figured these parts would work great for a rifle that would be seeing rattle can paint.
Now was the time to see if the grip screw would hold up. I put the parts into the lower and the mixed a little more epoxy. I put the epoxy into the screw hole then put the grip on. The screw tighten down and held I place.
I put the rest of the rifle together and called my son to see what he was up to. He said he would come by and hang out for a little.
When he arrived I showed him the rifle. I told him how I had fixed it and he said it was cool. He then asked if I could help him build another rifle when he got the money. I told him that the barrel on the rifle was the one I had bought for him. He got an odd look on his face and asked, “Is this rifle for me.”
I told him that I know he had been working hard and that yes, the rifle was his.
My daughter then showed up with my younger son and one of my grandsons. She was coming by to get some money for fireworks.
All in all, I would have to say that this ended up being a pretty good Fourth of July. I know that it will be one that my son remembers.
Oh! Just in case the New Frontier lower doesn’t hold up, I have another lower set aside.
I would have taken more pics, but I really didn’t think I was going to build the lower into a functioning rifle and it was late in the day when I finished it. But as soon as my son has it painted, I’ll post some pics.
