MAC/VMAC

Welding a VMAC9 Lower Receiver Together – Uses MAC-11 9mm Style Uppers

Please research and comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations before you undertake a build of any kind. I am very careful to understand what I must do to legally build pistols and rifles before I begin a project. I am not a lawyer and will not give legal advice. If you decide to build something, you accept all legal and regulatory liability. This post is for informational purposes only. Please be careful and please be legal.
Need to start this post with a reminder to be legal and safe.

When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s, the Ingram Mac-10 and 11 submachine guns (SMGs) were in tons of TV shows and movies. You could see these iconic blocky little SMGs everywhere with their equally famous two stage suppressors. So, they must have been amazing – right? Well, the truth is their reliability wasn’t that great, they had an insanely high cyclic rate that could dump a 30-32 round mag in about 1.5 seconds and a very short barrel. So, iconic was a big “yes” but effective … well, not so much.

I’m not going to cover the history of Gordon Ingram and the various businesses that inherited the Military Armaments Corporation (MAC) M10 and M11 designs. If you want that, click on the following to open a new tab: Wikipedia MAC-10, Wikipedia MAC-11, or Modern Firearms Ingram MAC-10/MAC-11 plus, IMDB has quite a list of movies that had the MAC-10 featured.

This is the first post of a series wherein your’s truly felt like building something, had a fit of nostalgia and decided to do a MAC-11 in 9mm. This was partly triggered by seeing a lot of really cool printed 3D pistol designs that utilized a MAC-11 upper. I don’t have a 3D printer because I don’t have time to learn one and my wife also told me in no uncertain terms that I was not to buy one … although she may forget this one day 🙂 If you are into 3D printing, search for “MacDaddy 3D Print” and you’ll find the many variations of it.

So, on a whim, I googled Mac-11 kits one day and found receiver options that could be bent from a flat or welded together. I didn’t feel like either buying a flat bending jig or making one but I can weld somewhat. If you know the slam “he’s a grinder, not a welder” – that’s me. I’m marginal with a welder but let me assure you, I know how to sand. Thousands of grips and handguards later, I absolutely know how to sand.

This is me …

So, Velocity Firearms sells a lower receiver weld kit that has the the center section, trigger guard, mag-well/grip, front takedown pin reinforcement and rear sight plate. They also have various kits that include lower receiver weld kit, the internals and different models of uppers. What they all have in common is that they need the side plates to be completed and Velocity does not sell those.

Now you have two options on the side plates – when you buy the kit, Velocity gives you a complete set of prints so you can make your own or you can buy the plates already cut and ready to go from 2D3Dlaser.com. I thought about building them but didn’t really feel like it and the 2D3D plates had really good reviews so I went with them — and I’ll tell you right now they are nicely done.

This photo has all of the parts you will weld together. Surprisingly, they are all 14 gauge cold roll steel (so were the originals). Top left is the mag well/grip assembly and to the right of it is trigger guard. The odd flare that sticks up at the back is the bullet guide. Under them is the center section. Under that to the left is the rear sight plate, and to the right of that is the front takedown pin reinforcement. It actually should be turned to the right so the holes you see on the top “U” line up with the holes in the side plates. Under those two is the left side plate – you can tell because it goes straight across the top. Finally, below that is the right plate. I paid 2D3D to print SAFE and FIRE and the selector plus you can see the small depression that aligns with the bolt carrier face and ejection port of the upper. See all of the cutouts on the center section and tabs on the other parts? Those help you align the parts.

You need a welder

First off, you need a welder that can handle 14 gauge sheet metal. I like using a MIG welder with a 75 % Argon / 25% CO2 gas – this is often referred to as “C25 gas” due to the ratio. This can generate very clean welds. The cheap flux core MIGs will work but they have a chemical known as “flux” inside the hollow steel tube that is melting to shield the weld from the atmosphere and it splatters everywhere requiring more clean up.

The best welder you can use is a TIG – those things can generate beautiful welds and there are cost effective entry level welders but they always must have a shielding gas – usually of 100% argon. I spent a bunch of money on a really nice TIG and couldn’t use it because my hands shake too much – I have what is called a “hereditary tremor” and fine motor work like dabbing a welding rod into a weld pool just isn’t something I can do no matter how well my arms and hands are supported.

I suppose stick and Oxyacetelyne welders are also options but you need to know how to use them. On that point, no matter what machine you buy or use, practice first. You can get some cheap 14 gauge mild steel test pieces known as “coupons” off Amazon that gave you lots of edges to test on before you weld the receiver. I highly recommend this. I’ve had my Miller 211 MIG for years now and I still did some test beads first to make sure I had the machine set right and that I knew how to approach my welds.

I got by with a cheap Harbor Freight welder for years. When I decided to get a better welder with more depth and a longer duty cycle, the difference was night and day. Most of the time I am fabricating/repairing pieces of steel ranging from 1/8: to 3/8″ thick. I also have found that cheap wire is messier than good wire. I’m running Lincoln 0.035″ diameter ER70S6 wire.
This is two parts of the test coupons I bought from Amazon. They give you a bunch of test areas with the pieces they send you and it’s worth it – unless you just happen to have scrap 14 gauge cold roll steel laying around.
Welding is not the same as gluing. Technically you are doing fusion welding. The filler metal being introduced is molten and fuses the two metal pieces together., You don’t want the weld to be superficial or so hot that the steel is running/flowing away either. I did this test coupon and tried as hard as I could to separate it or bend it and I couldn’t. If it had pulled apart or broken easily then I would have known I needed to adjust my welder – probably by dialing up the heat. My point is that the weld fuses the pieces together and then you can sand the bead down if you want to. My beads always look like crap so I always sand them down with a grinder or flap sander.
The Millermatic 211 MIG welder can automate some of the settings. In the top middle, it is set to C25 gas. Note it can use C100 and flux core plus has an aluminum setting. On the bottom right, I can manually set the wire feed speed or just specify the diameter of 0.035″, which I did here. The Autoset Thickness dial on the left lets me control the volts. If you are wondering why volts and not amps are being set, it is because the Millermatic uses an inverter and you adjust the voltage instead for a better arc and uses less power. On the test coupons, I found I got the level of penetration I wanted with the dial closer to 6. The 14 gauge recommended setting is from 5-6.

I really like Miller welders and Lincolns are good too but you are going to pony up money for either one. If you plan on using your welder a lot buy the best you can afford. Thickness, duty cycle and the quality of the weld all depend on the quality of the electronics in the welders.

If you are new to welding get either a 120 or 240 volt MIG welder. MIGs just make life easier as the welder feeds the steel wire into the weld and the wire is the electrode that is conducting electricity and melting. It’s surprisingly straight forward for a person new to welding. You can start with flux but gas is better – some welders can do either and that would give you some flexibility.

One brand of affordable welders on Amazon is “YesWelders”. They have a pretty good following. There are tons of brands of MIG welders on Amazon, read the reviews plus search the name with Google and see what you turn up in terms of reviews, recommendations, etc.

You need a welding helmet

Now one thing that also is critical with a welder is a helmet. The arc from a MIG can really mess up your eyes as it generates quite a bit of UV radiation. I like auto-darkening masks because I can see good and when the arc triggers the lens jumps to the specified level of shielding. I’m currently using an Antra and really like it. A good mask will trigger fast, go darker and usually have both solar and battery backup power. I also keep it in a helmet back to protect it.

By the way, avoid cheap no-name auto darkening helmets. If they are slow to trip and go dark then more damage happens to your eyes. Some guys like permanently shaded helmets so they don’t have to worry about batteries, cumulative effects, etc. They lift their helmet up, position everything and then do a head bob motion so the visor comes down and away they weld. The choice is yours.

This is my third or fourth welding helmet over the years. It is an Antra True Color Wide Shade helmet. Also on table, you can see one of my welding glove sets. The MIG gun is resting in a magnetic clamp holder and it’s all sitting on my Harbor Freight small welding table. I have a big Dewalt welding table for larger jobs.

Cover yourself up

Last welding comment – cover up. There are two reasons for this. First, the UV radiation will give you a really nasty radiation burn that is deeper than a sunburn. I wear a long sleeve shirt and pants. It’s not happened to me (honestly) but I’ve talked to guys who were wearing shorts and welding crouched down and they burned the inside of their thighs so walking absolutely sucked for them – two guys and they both said “I didn’t think I was going to weld long enough for it to matter. It wasn’t me because I own mistakes so others can learn – I sure learned from them.

The second reason to cover up is that welding generates “spatter” – little droplets of steel that can get blown off and cause small burns. Shit happens. I’ve been burned through just about everything at one time or another and being covered up just reduces the odds. Guys who weld a lot will wear a leather apron, jeans and safety boots.

Always wear welding gloves for a boat load of reasons – spatter, protection and insulation from heat as you weld. Gloves also reduce the odds of burning the crap out of yourself when you accidentally grab/catch something hot.

You’ll need a collection of clamps

In addition to the welder, you are going to need clamps. How many kind of depends on how you clamp everything together. BTW, plastic clamps can hold stuff but don’t weld anywhere near them or they will melt. There are C-clamp assortments on Amazon.

I took a quick photo of a box I had clamps sitting in for this project. I have 3-4x this many clamps.

You’ll see I have a variety of 1″, 1.5″, 2″, and 3″ clamps plus one 6″ clamp for the handle. How many you need of each depends on how you decide to do your welding. A couple of pieces of scrap metal will also help with your clamping so you can apply even pressure.

In general, you need to securely clamp what you are welding so stuff doesn’t move. The better job of clamping you do, the less rework you are going to experience from things shifting.

Various sizes of magnetic welding clamps come in handy too. I have all different sizes ranging from pretty small – maybe 1-2″ and then up to 4-5″. The come in handy for holding work in place and keeping it from sliding around. There are a lot of options on Amazon.

The actual clamping and welding

I planned to do three receivers – two pistols and one rifle. So, I tried welding three different ways:

First Receiver: I clamped the grip, trigger guard and center section together, welded them and then used a right angle piece of aluminum to clamp the right side plate into position welded that, did the same for the right side plate and then the center reinforcement plate. Then I welded in the rear sight.

I tried to do the trigger guard, grip and center section all at once. A 6″ clamp and two pieces of 1/8″ thick scrap metal were used to evenly clamp the grip to the center support. A 2″ clamp was used to secure the trigger guard to the grip.
When you weld sheet metal, do not just pour on the heat. If the sheet metal gets too hot it will sag/melt. It will also likely warp. To avoid this, tack weld the pieces together first. Tack welds are small spot welds. When everything is tacked, go back and weld small sections at a time rotating a round to keep the heat and warping low. I did not do the above all at once. Note you do not weld the back of t he grip or you will block the black plastic grip assembly.
I inserted a piece of right angle aluminum in the front and clamped down the one side. You do not heed the right angle – the center reinforcement is plenty but I did not know this yet.
I welded the slide plates on – first with tack welds and then increasing the welds. A 21/64ths” drill bit shank holding the center reinforcement in place prior to doing a spot weld in the visible hole. I did not weld the top rear of the receiver to allow for tuning. The red objects are magnetic clamps.
I did a weld in the middle and then on the sides just to make sure things don’t move later.
The welds look like crap you say? Yeah – but if I can pull this off so can you. I shoot single welds and aim for good penetration due to my tremor. Then I grind/sand to clean up.
I use a Ryobi 18volt 4.5″ grinder with a 7/8″ arbor and use Neiko 40 grit flap sanding discs. I like the Neikos because they are thicker than cheaper models and the grit seems to last really well. I did not wear out one disc doing all three receivers.
So the Neiko flap sander did the bulk of the crude work. I did use a 120 grit disc to quickly clean up the three receivers before I abrasive blasted and parkerized them.
40 grit sand paper in a grinder can take off material fast – even steel. I’d recommend having the work at a comfortable height secured in a vise. The wood inserts you see are something I slapped together for my big 6″ outdoor vise to hold the receivers and not tear them up. The vise has hardened jaws and would chew up the mild steel receivers if they were holding them directly. At any rate, be conscious of the angle of your grinder and focus on knocking the beads down. Take care not to let the grinder remove/thin out the base sheet metal.
Done for now. I later levelled most of it our using a 120 grit flap sanding disc before abrasive blasting. The whole point of this is to fusion weld the pieces together and remove the extra beads. I then used a sanding mop to round over the right angles on the sides. By the way, these are for my own use. I’m not selling them so they just have to be good enough to me.

Lessons learned: 1) Don’t need the aluminum right angle to orient the side plates. The rear bend in the center section and the takedown pin reinforcement can hold it just fine. This dawned on me as I was sliding the reinforcement section into position. 2) a piece of sheet metal on top of the side plates would probably be a better way to secure them. 3) Also, I really needed to connect the ground straight to the receiver to get a better connection.

Second Receiver: I clamped the trigger guard, grip and center support together and welded them. Then I inserted the front reinforcement and clamped the side plates at the front, back, middle and welded. I then did the rear sight plate.

So the second one started in a very similar manner.
But this time, I took more photos and with better lighting.
Tack welds are in.
I was clipping right along feeling good about stuff but broke a cardinal rule – I didn’t check the clamps and the workpieces. The magwell/grip is true but trigger guard assembly cocked sideways somehow and was no longer perpendicular with the center section. Well crap!
So, I used a Dremel with a cutting wheel to cut off the trigger guard and welded it square. I used pliers to true the bullet guide so it was perpendicular the way it should be with the receiver. The slot you see is where one of the side plate tabs went into the recess on the center section. I welded them closed and ground them flat later.
I used plenty of clamps to make sure nothing else moved and then did the spot welds. Note the ground is right on the receiver. The magnets are keeping the assembly from moving. You can see the spot welds. I would then move around welding a bit at a time to avoid warping or sagging. There is a 21/64ths transfer punch aligning the center takedown pin reinforcement.
To be clear, I welded the center section after the side plates were welded in. The I pulled out the alignment pin – in this case a 21/64″ transfer punch.
Clamped getting ready for the flap sander. Note, I would need to move the receiver around about 4 times to get all of the material off. It was never in one go.
A good chunk of the weld bead on that side was gone at this point.
Two roughed in receivers. No finish sanding yet.

Lessons learned: 1) Check your clamps and work to make sure nothing shifted. I could have kicked myself – that was such a basic mistake. 2) the center section may not be true – use some scraps of metal to pull the center section and side plates together. 3) More clamps are better than fewer clamps. 4) Maybe I should try welding the trigger guard by itself first – and I did that with the next one.

Third Receiver: Clamped the trigger guard to the center section and welded it. Positioned the magwell/grip, clamped and welded it. I then positioned the front reinforcement piece, clamped the side plates and welded.

Through the use of magnetic clamps, I made sure the trigger guard was all of the way forward, true and tacked it in place. Then I moved on to the magwell/grip.
So then I clamped the magwell in place, did the tack welds and then welded it all in.
I’m holding it together but see how the plates are held vertically by the bullet guide and the front reinforcement? The trick is to properly locate everything and then clamp it.
So I’m welding along the seam. What you can’t see is that I let it get too hot and I pushed through the other side in a few places
I welded in the ceterpiece. You can see the 21/64″ hole center punch aligning everything.
Finishing up the weld on the seam.
Welded in the rear sight plate. I welded the bottom edge closed so I could clean it up later – I did this on all three.
I inspected the bottom of all three also. I added beads on all three receivers so I could get good penetration, fill in the slots where the tabs went and have a right angle I could then sand over. Again, note no weld on the rear of the mag well.
Time to sand it down and clean it up.
Again, we sand down all of the beads and clean things up.
And number three was done awaiting finish sanding and parkerizing… or so I thought.,

Testing & cleaning up

Okay, you need to make sure thee sear plate can slide from the back all the way to the forward towards the center support. The reason being is that if you have any welds interfering with it’s ability to slide forward or the trigger bar, your action is going to be messed up. If you have welds in the way, you are going to need to grind them down.

The sear plate must be able to smoothly slide forward and backward and not have any welds in the way.

This is one of those things where avoiding them up front my not going crazy with the heat would have been a good idea on my part. My first two were great. My third receiver had issues and I even know when I did it.

I had 4-6 places I needed to remove weld material from the inside of the receiver. I thought I had a before picture but I guess not. The weld beads closer to the bottom of the photo just under the bullet guide/trigger guard assembly need to be removed. I’d already removed the others.
I double-stacked two 3″ abrasive cutting discs, put them in a drill and cleaned up the back quickly. Cleaning up the tight areas around the trigger guard took longer and I had to use abrasive Dremel bits. I can’t imagine living without a Dremel. I use a 12 volt cordless model and have 4 batteries for it. There are a lot of options on Amazon.
It always pays to have a large assortment of Dremel bits – abrasive, polishing, sanding, etc. You can buy a few starter kits if you want and then you will find out what you go through a lot of. For me, it’s the cut off wheels (I prefer Dremel brand EZ-Loc fiberglass reinforced wheels), abrasive buffs, pointed abrasive bits and rubber polishing bits (I’ve had very good luck with Temo brand).

Summary

So far, things were going smooth. The VMAC9 lowers were welded together awaiting next steps. In the next post, I will cover how to given them a nice black manganese parkerized finish.

I hope this helps you out.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

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Tools

The Nova Viking Drill Press – I really Like It

Ok, in August 2024, I realized my old Harbor Freight (HF) 38142 13″ bench top drill press was having real issues. I always thought the switch would die or maybe the motor but it was actually the bearings in the spindle. It could no longer drill an accurate hole – runout was horrible and the whole spinde would deflect on angled work pieces.

Now, I need to be fair – the HF drill press lasted me from some time around 1998 all the way to late Summer 2024. Thousands of Ronin’s Grips AK and Galil grips had been drilled there and and it takes three drilling operations per grip so that is a ton of drilling. I can’t even begin to guess what all else I have drilled over the years – gun parts, car parts, stuff for the house … Yeah, I’m not going to bash the Harbor Freight press. The challenge was that I needed a new press, wanted something that was relatively accurate and had to do some digging. I ruled out a lot of cheap stuff right away due to a number of factors.

I knew I wanted another bench top drill press – they just fit into my shop easier that way and that’s another story. One thing I needed was a tall drill press to accommodate my jigs for the grips including an X-Y table for precision adjustments. I also wanted one that was accurate, had some power to it and … didn’t have belts. It may sound silly but I hate changing pulleys.

In case you are new to drills, the material you are drilling, size of bit, and type of bit all affect the RPM you should be drilling at and how fast you push the bit into the material. Traditionally, a drill press has the electric motor at the rear and two or three stepped pulleys that let you adjust the RPM. The adjustment is done by opening the top, loosening the motor (usually by pulling a lever) and then moving the one or two belts on the top to the combination of pulleys you want to get the approximate speed you want. It drives me nuts. I guess everyone has things that bug them and this is one of mine. I’d usually run an average speed and adjust my feed speed accordingly which meant I was almost always drilling slower than what I could have been. Also, old belts slipping would introduce another level of joy as the drill bit would bog down and even stop at times. At any rate, it was a pet peeve and I really didn’t want belts so let’s move on.

Because the HF drill press had a 13″ swing (the largest diameter object that can be drilled to its center), I knew I at least wanted that. So, I dug and dug and finally got it down to either a Jet or a Nova Viking model 83700 by Teknatool. After even more digging, I got it down to the Viking. You know what? I’m very happy with it almost two full months in.

The Viking is not cheap at almost $1300. I decided to get it off Amazon vs. paying anywhere from $100-200 freight for a large heavy box.

“Ok, so why the Viking?” you ask:

  • Variable frequency 1 horsepower 120 volt motor (no more belts)
  • Very good accuracy – they tell you how to test the runout
  • Variable Speed: 150 – 3,000 RPM (programmable to 6,000 RPM)
  • Swing: 16”
  • Stroke: 4.5”
  • Spindle to table: 12-2/3″ (320mm)
  • Spindle to base: 22-2/3″ (575mm)
  • Drill Chuck: 5/8” (1-16mm)
  • Spindle Taper: 2MT
  • Quill:4.5” of quill travel
  • Weight: 154 pounds … it was definitely not light.

Now, I need to point out that spindle to table measure of 12-2/3″. That actually was too short if I set my XY table and jobs on it. The HF unit had a far bigger maximum spindle to table distance because the base and table collars were far smaller / less beefy than what the Viking has. The way I worked around this was to mount my XY table on the base and not the table and I had to make some of my jigs taller. This actually worked out really well because I can swing the table out of the way and use the XY table for my grips where I need adjustable precision. When I want to drill something ad hoc, I remove the jig from the XY table, and swing the drill’s own table back into position,

The Arrival

Honestly, it arrived in great shape via UPS. I saw the UPS truck pull in and I directed him where to drop it off and helped him. I knew it was going to way a ton and didn’t want him to either drop it or get hurt.

Moving Heavy and Awkward Drill Presses

The first thing I needed to do was to remove the old HF drill press. It weighed in around 100 pounds back and in the day and with my back as screwed up as it is, I needed some way to get it out and whatever I used had to fit in a tight area.

I’d done some research and ordered a Pit Posse PP2551S Motorcycle ATV Scissor Floor Jack Lift Table … Amazon descriptions are often a mile long to squeeze in keywords for searching but bottom line this is a nice small lift. It’s area is about 20″ x 18.5″ and it can go up about 36″ with 300 pounds. I read guys used this to move different stuff besides motorcycles and it worked great. I used it both to remove the old HF and wheel the much heavier Viking into position.

I bought the Pit Posse lift of Amazon and really like it. I do find it odd that the hydraulic bleed valve knob hits the foot pedal just a bit but it wasn’t a big deal. That has been my only “nit” about it. The counter is about 33″ off the ground so you have an idea.
I was able to easily slide the drill on all by myself. Like any bottle jack. just barely open the bleed valve and the load will slowly go down. By the way, it has a set of locking casters to once I locked them, the unit didn’t move as I walked the press onto the lift table. Once I unlocked the casters, I was able to easlily move the old drill out the of shop.

Unboxing and Assembling the Viking Drill Press

This is the first tool I’ve bought where they require you to install a large surge protector. I’ve always thought it was a good practice to do it, but here they require one that is rated for at least 2900 joules to protect the DVR motor’s electronics. I bought a Tripplite TLP18TTUSBB 12 outlet model to protect it. I worked in IT for many years and Tripplite units never failed us. It is rated for 4,320 joules and has its own insurance for $150,000 of equipment protected. Click here for it on Amazon. Note, if you are installing the drill on a GFI protected circuit, they mention it needs a leak current threshold rating of 300 mA / 0.03 amps so the DVR doesn’t trip it I guess so check your ratings. I don’t have the drill on a GFI circuit so I did not need to worry about that.

With the old drill press out of the way, it was time to unbox and assemble the Viking. Let me tell you, it’s super easy. You basically bolt the upright portion to the bottom table. Now it was big and awkward so I used the foam packaging to help me lever the assembled until up onto the Pit Posse table.

I had already removed the top layer of foam with the base. Everything was packed very well. You really have minimal assembly to do.
I laid a 2×4 across and propped up the column so I could bolt on the base.
I then pivoted the whole assembly up onto the Pit Posse lift table. Note, I did put a piece of plywood on top the Pit Posse first so the base would be fully supported. I could then easily wheel the unit into the shop and placed it on the bench. Note, I did not install the table until the unit was in place.
It’s a tall unit with the motor installed like that. I bolted it down to the table to make sure it wouldn’t move. Because the bottom mount of the column was so beefy and the collar for the table, the distance from spindle to table was far less than the HF drill that was actually shorter overall. Yes, I did clean up the area when I was done.
Remove the decal and ensure the E-Stop button is disengaged before you turn on the unit or you will wonder why you have an error message right off the bat.

Testing

Okay, I installed the chuck, inserted a bit and expected magic. Instead, I watched a bit turning in an orbit. In other words, so much runout I could see it and I had a serious WTF? moment. I then followed Teknatool’s guidance and measured runout at various points and everything was within spec except for the chuck. Teknatool has you insert a precision ground rod, and measure runout at 100mm below the chuck.

I did some digging at that point and somehow I had missed comments that it was a great drill press with a marginal chuck. I had bought their keyless chuck also so I installed it and still wasn’t impressed. I literally tried five chucks before I settled on the one I am using now. Let’s go through each and the measured runout measured at 100mm below the chuck using a precision ground 1/2″ rod. To be in spec, the target was to be 0.18mm:

ChuckRunoutNotes
Original ChuckAwful – didn’t record it. I could see the bit turning in an orbit that is how bad it was.
Nova Keyless Chuck0.279mmStill not happy and am not going to recommend it.
Jacobs Model 33 Chuck
(I have heard not so good comments about current Jacobs chuck quality so I am not going to link to them)		0.006mmI bought this in 2016 and has an integral taper. It’s decent in terms of runout but you must use a key with it and I really wanted keyless. $60 back in the day.
Precision Matthews Ultra Precision Chuck (Click here to see PM chucks on eBay – must have an MT2 taper for the Viking)0.0635mmWOW. I would have used this but it would have required I used the spanner constantly as the Viking doesn’t have enough resistance when off to hold the spindle in place when you turn the chuck. At $119.99, it’s hard to beat the price.
Llambrich JK-130-MT2
(I bought mine off eBay. Pricing can vary tremendously but make sure you are buying from a reputable seller – click here for current listings.)		0.0655mmWell, I decided this was good enough at $280. It is a true keyless chuck and you can hold it in position with one hand while adjusting the collar with the other — which is what I wanted. The next step up would have been an Albrecht for even more money. Here’s a link to eBay for new and used Albrecht chucks if you want to go that route. They are supposed to be the best.
The Nova Viking has a #2 Morse Taper. That is sometimes written as 2MT or MT2. Any chuck you get will need to fit that taper. In general, chucks with an integral shank are more accurate than similar two piece models where the chuck and shank are separate parts. There are always exceptions to that and someone who knows how to mount the chuck on the shank and true up the combination can create an assembly with pretty decent results but is usually not that way out of the box.

So, I am currently using the Llambrich because of the big price jump up to the Albrecht. I’ve had guys tell me to buy a used Albrecht but I didn’t want to inherit someone else’s problems. Maybe I’ll give a used Albrecht model a try some day where I can return it if it doesn’t test appropriately but I have other things to spend money on at this point.

Some photos from setting up and early use

This was the Nova keyless chuck that I can’t recommend given the runout I measured. By the way, runout is measured by looking at the min and max values when turning the spindle. It. Note, the drill’s table has a 6″ drill vise on it and is swung out of the way. The base for the dial indicator is actually sitting on the XY table.
That is the Jacobs up top with the integral shank. It did surprisingly well but requires a key. The lower unit is the Precision Matthews Ultra Precision Chuck. Note there is no knurled top part to grab. It you had a mill or something with a spindle that will not turn when it is off, this would work great for you. On my Nova Viking, the spindle turns easily when the motor is off which means you have to try and grab part of the spindle to undo it. I wish I could have used it because of the amazing accuracy but it just wasn’t an option for me.
And here’s the Llambrich JK-130-MT2. It’s pricey but you do get a pretty nice chuck for the money and it’s what I am actually using. If you notice the off-white rectangle on the far left of the photo opposite of the chuck, it is one of two LED worklights I installed. I bought the same for my mini-mill and they make a world of difference in terms of lighting up work pieces you are working on. They connect with rare earth magnets and plug into AC power so super easy to install. Click here to see them on Amazon.
You can see how I can swing the drill’s own table around. When I built the wood table way back when, it was levelled. I ensured the base was level when I bolted it to the wood table. I then bolted the XY table and ensured it was level. This is my original XY table that I bought from Enco if I recall correctly. For folks new to machining, Enco was a discount supplier who was eventually purchased by MSC. Oh – the plastic cups are what I use for mixing plastic just in case you are wondering why they are there. My plastic mixing area is off to the right.

My Thoughts After Two Months Of Real Use

I honestly can tell you the Nova Viking drill press is one of the best tool purchases I have made. I’ve drilled probably 50-100 grips since I got it plus other parts also – composites and steel mostly.

Why do I like it?

  • It’s surprisingly quiet. For whatever reason that was the first thing that popped in my head as I started writing the list of reasons.
  • I like being able to turn a dial and adjust the RPM for the drill bit and material I am working with. The Viking has a variable frequency drive so you still have a ton of torque at slower speeds. The speed is changed by adjusting the frequency of the power curve and not by simply starving the motor of power.
  • The motor is a beast. My old HF drill would bog down – this one just eats material. It’s actually stunning how powerful it is. I’ve not bogged it down yet. I also watched it snap a piece of composite in a way I had not thought possible with all of that power.
  • So, combine all that power and easy-to-set RPM and I am able to drill holes a lot faster. I’d say my time spent drilling almost was cut by almost 30% and that’s just a best guess. I can tell you I know I am getting drilling work done a lot faster overall.
  • I really like the auto-start feature. When enabled, the motor turns off when the spindle is returned to the top. The motor turns on as you bring the spindle down. No more spinning bits while changing workpieces so safety increased.
  • The spindle and bearings are rock solid – zero play when drilling at angles or at least I sure don’t notice it. When I measure where and test where the bit will hit the surface, that is where the bit hits the surface and then it doesn’t move during the plunge.
  • I’ve used the depth indicator a few times when I’ve needed to know when to stop on repetitive pieces. It wasn’t a big reason why I bought the press but it is handy.

I should also point out you can buy all of the parts from Teknatool if something goes wrong plus you can buy a warranty. I’ve always thought warranties tell you a bit about the quality. The shorter the warranty then the more likely things are to break. The longer the warranty then the less likely things are going to break during that duration. Out of the box, the Viking has a decent warranty:

2 Year Full Replacement motor and controller
5 Year Full Replacement mechanical

I went ahead and bought the extended warranty direct from Teknatool just in case plus I felt it was affordably priced.

The Emergency Stop button turned out to be broken during testing and Teknatool replaced it right away along with decent instructions about how to do so. Stuff happens so for a vendor to respond quickly to make things right, I value that. They had no idea who I was or that a blog was going to be written – they just made it right.

Teknatool also has a lot of documentation online if you want to read more about the unit. I sure did and click here for the product page with links to the docs,

Summary

I really like the Nova Viking drill press by Teknatool. Buying it off Amazon meant I saved $100-200 on shipping plus I figured I had Amazon’s customer service if something went wrong. Click here to see the listing on Amazon. Other than a busted E-Stop button, and they sent me a replacement and instructions on how to replace it right away, I have had zero problems. Quality and productivity have both increased with this new drill press as explained above.

If you are looking for a drill press, I’d recommend any of the Teknatool units. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the other models and I would absolutely buy my Nova Viking again.

I hope this helps you out.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com . Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Tools

Need to lift stuff? Check out the SuperHandy Material Lift Winch

A friend sent me a meme “I never thought getting old would happen so fast.” It was one of those memes where I couldn’t help but laugh because it was true. A second one is “The number one cause of injury to old men is thinking they are young men.” Well, combine the two and here I am with back problems caused by years of wear and tear – basically my L1-L5 discs are all having issues. But…. the work still needs to get done and I am learning more and more about how to use mechanical aids.

Back when I was young, I bench pressed somewhere close to 300 pounds and squated over 300. Now, I pay the price when I bend over and pick up 40-50 pounds the wrong way. So, I can’t just use brute force any longer and needed something to help me lift. I couldn’t afford a fork truck nor did I have room to store it. Something like a cross between a forklift and a work table was a possibility. My Esteem Grinder sits on a hydraulic lift work table for example.

So, I dug around on Amazon and discovered the “SuperHandy Material Lift Winch Stacker, Pallet Truck Dolly. Lift Table, Fork Lift 330 Lbs. 40″ Max Lift w/8″ Wheels, Swivel Casters“. To be honest, I nearly skipped it with such a ridiculous title but part of the crazy titles has to do with Amazon sellers trying to optimize their product(s) ranking high in search results. What caught my eye was the customer review score – 4.6 with 203 reviews. This was better than the competitors I had also looked at.

It had a few features I really wanted – first and foremost it could lift330 pounds up to 40″. It was relatively compact and could be collapsed when not in use plus the lifting surface could either be a solid table or a pair of forks. I could also get it with ree shipping which can save a ton on heavy objects (always shop around though because sometimes the “free” shipping is included in the jacked up price). At any rate, I ordered it.

The Unboxing

It literally arrived the next day via an Amazon truck and, not surprisingly, it’s a BIG box. Now, I have to give the company some kudos – some easy assembly is required and all of the components are incredibly well packed. Sometimes, I honestly hate packaging engineers or whoever told them to do it as cheaply as possible. In this case, they used a lot of well thought out cardboard to securely pack everything vs. a ton of messy styrofoam.

It arrived very well packed with zero damage. I appreciated the careful use of cardboard to secure the majority of the componets vs. styrofoam that is a hassle to deal with and clean up after.

Assembly was quick and easy – I didn’t carefully watch the time but I bet it was less than 15 minutes. The instructions are nice and clear and it went together with very good fitment.

Clear instructions and easy assembly. The parts actually fit and no beating or bending during assembly was required.
The fitment of the parts and the quality of the finish are remarkable. Honestly, they were surprisingly good – I’m used to having to force parts together or ignore scufff marks, etc. Here, you can see part of the forks.
All of the welds are nicely done and there is good attention to details. Notice that the braking pin is knurled to better hold the tire in place vs. a smooth pin that would have been cheaper but less effective.
You can see the welds and the finish but there is another attention to detail element here – the handle bars join the unit as a female sleeve that fits over a smaller diameter tube. The screws just keep them together – the acual tubes deal with the stress and not the screws. That’s a smart idea.
The actual lifting is done via a hand cranked winch that uses synthetic rpe and not wire. To prevent binding, the designers incorporated rollers like you see on the left and right to guid the load up and down the vertical tubes. The unit has a 320 pound weight limit. I’ve lfted close to 200 pounds and it was a very easy lift. Note the black work patform/table over the forks.
The crank handle is keyed and the nut just holds it in place. The assembly with the black knob to the right is a lock. When you release it, you move the handle to where the locking pin can engage and then the load is secured.
The parking brake is easily engaged and disengaged via a foot pedal.

Actually Using It

The unit rolled easily and I had no problem lifting loads up to 200 pounds. I did find that it is best on level surfaces because the brake pedal hits steps vs. rolling up or down them.

These captain’s chairs weigh quite a bit and are bulky. I could slide the runners of the lift under the van, set brake and then moved the chair onto the table. Once it was secured, I released the brake, backed up and lowered the chair. By the way, the black “table” top folds back out of the way if it’s not needed.
Moving the chair didn’t quite go the way I had hoped. With the chair strapped to the unit so it couldn’t shift, I tried to move the load up some concrete stairs. The parking brake pedal stuck out too far and hit the step vs. the whole unit rolling up and over the stairs as I had hoped. Instead, I had to unload the chair, put it on a dolly and then rolled that up the stairs. You can just barely see it in this photo, I scraped the paint off the parking pedal’s back edge by trying to get it up over the steps shown. From a design perspectivem they could avoid this by either making the brake lever shorter or the wheels slightly larger … or a combination.
That’s a 125 pound drill press. No problem lifting it up into a F250.

Summary

The SuperHandy brand lift is affordable on Amazon and actually does what it claims to do. I’ve now moved some stuff around that there was just no way that I could have done it by myself. Sure, I wish it could lift heavier and higher but this lift will do what I need the majority of the time.

Would I buy it again? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely – it’s well made and has a nice finish.

I hope this helps you out.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com . Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

POF, PTR, Roller Locks - HK, Zenith

We Now Have Contour, Navy SEF and Magpul SL Grips For HK MP5K Weapons and Clones

It’s taken a while to work out the processes and tooling but now we have a variety of grips converted for HK MP5K weapons and their clones including:

  • Century / MKE AP5-P and AP5-M pistols
  • HK MP5K, SP5K – for the SP5K, slight trimming of the front locking plate on the grip will be required
  • POF 5PK
  • PTR 9KT
  • Zenith ZF5-P, ZF5-T, and ZF5-K

There are three required features for these to fit:

  1. It must be an MP5K pattern weapon and not an MP5 or other variety of roller lock.
  2. It must have an HK MP5K patterned top rear hole.
  3. It must have a front shelf that the grip’s front locking plate rests on.

Technically, our Contract Contour and Navy SEF grips do support the front lower pin that some MP5Ks use. However, our converted Magpul SL grip does not have a front lower pin and does not need it because it is pushed forward against the weapon’s shelf and can’t slide out of position.

How They Are Made

Interestingly enough HK33, HK91/G3, HK93, HK94, MP5, and MP5K grips all have the same size polymer core grip albeit with different metal “tails” sticking out of the rear to accomodate whatever weapon they are meant for. Now there may be other models out there as well – but those are the ones that I know of so far.

This is a used HK G3/91 Navy SEF grip. The core black polymer shape is the same size as what we need for an MP5K.

The first step if you have one of these model grips is to removed the “tail” so the length will be correct for a MP5K, I would recommend cutting off the tail and then deburring it. Do not remove any polymer so you can get a firm fit when you install whatever stock, brace or end cap you plan to use.

This is a new HK 91/G3 Navy SEF grip with the tail cut off. I use a bandsaw to cut them with a fine tooth blade.

Measure the Existing Rear Hole Centers and Countersink Depths

To cut the rear holes is a bit more involved. First, you need to locate the centers of your existing MP5K grip’s rear holes. I’d recommend using quality calipers but you can do whatever you are comfortable with as long as the method is relatively accurate.

I would also recommend you measure from the front of the steel plate inside the front of the grip back to the center of the hole on your existing grip. That gives you the horizontal distance. To get the vertical distance, measure down from the top.

Measure from the front of this plate (the surface facing you in this photo) back to the center of the hole.

You should measure this on both sides of the grip. You may find they are not exactly the same. Regardless, double and triple check the horizontal and vertical measures on both sides.

The other measurement you need to find out is how deep to drill the countersink hole – the recession in the grip where the head sits on the left side (looking down) and the end with the wire retainer protrudes on the right. You may well find that the two measures are different again.

What you need to ensure is that the rear takedown pin’s working distance can span from the left side to the right side. The working distance of a takedown pin is the measured length from just under the head to just before the retaining wire comes out of it. The pin that sticks out of the other end of your calpers is for measuring depth. There are also far more accurate tools purpose-built for measuring depth also.

When you do you plan your countersinks, you need the distance the pin spans to look something like this:

Minimum depth of countersink = outside grip dimension – takedown pin working length

Now how you make that happen is up to you. For example, if you need to remove 3mm and want to split it to 1.5-1.6mm per side – that’s fine. Ideally, you want the pin to stick out far enough on the right side so the wire retainer can pop up and help hold the pin in place.

Milling the Countersink & Pin Holes

These operations require end mills that can make plunge cuts – meaning the end mil has cutting surfaces at the bottom and not just the sides. These are sometimes called “center cutting” end mills also. I would also recommend four flutes for a smooth finish.

The actual countersink diameter is 9.5mm but if you don’t have access to that, a 10mm end mill will work also. The takedown pin hole is 6mm. How much you want to spend on the quality of the mills is up to you. The polymer will not wear the 9.5-10mm bit much but the 6mm bit will need to keep its edge long enought to cut through the steel reinforcement on both sides. I’d recommend the6mm be either cobalt or carbide and not just high speed steel – or at least not cheap high speed steel.

Milling the 10mm countersink. My mill has a Digital Read Out (DRO) so I know how deep to go.

If you are wondering why not use a 6mm drill bit, it is because you will likely encounter a hole in the reinforcing plate that was cast into the grip during injection molding. A drill bit will hit that hole and want to yank the workpiece upwards as the edge of the opened hole rides up the flute and makes a mess. An end mill doing a plunge cut will not have this problem as it will cut off the open circle’s ends.

That slightly offset circle is exposed when you do the countersink. A drill bit will cut open the circle and then the grip will want to ridge the bit up.

So, yes, you can use a drill press but what is incredibly important is that you have the workpiece held firmly so you need to clamp it down.

Make a wood or plastic insert that you can put in the top of the grip to keep it from deforming when clamped and then milledd/drilled. If the grip moves at all, your new grip will be ruined.

Honestly, 99% of my challenge was figuring out how to securely hold the grips so they wouldn’t move and also not introduce angles/canting, etc. I’m still working on improving this as the overwhelming amount of my defects are caused by unintended workpiece movement.

You need to locate your new hole centers and then set up your milling machine or drill press to do the cuts. You need to figure out what works best for you. If you have digital read outs (DROs) then you probably didn’t need to read this blog post. If you are new to this, locate the hole center and mark the hole with a very fine point then use either a small drill bit or hole finder to center your machine on the hole.

To get the depth you need on the countersink, either use the features of your machine if it has some form of depth indicator or wrap a piece of tape at whatever limit you need and stop when you reach it.

I would highly recommend you do the countersink cut and then the hole cut on each side before you move on to the next. In other words, do a side at a time before you move the workpiece.

If you are wondering why I am not mentioning how to locate and cut the front pin holes, it’s because you don’t really need them if your weapon uses a shelf, which most current HK grips do. For example, the Magpul SL grip does not have the front holes. The way the polymer is formed, you would likely need a longer pin and it’s not going to give you a better connection. The front plate of the grip is shoved against the shelf by whatever you have on the end of the weapon and the top rear pin keeps the grip from swinging down – that’s really all that you need.

Here is a batch of converted “good condition” real HK Navy SEF grips getting ready to go to their new owners. We do repair any minor gouges and apply a restorative finish to make them look good. That’s the original HK paint by the way. Click here if you are interested.

Summary

You can do the conversion or buy our ready to go grips. You may need to do some final fitting but we’ve done the hard parts. If you’re interested, click here to go to our HK Grips page.

I hope this helps you out,

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com . Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Sunsets

View at Dusk From the St. Joseph, MI, Piers – August 5, 2024

My wife and I were walking on the South Pier in Saint Joseph, MI. It was a quiet evening with clouds and everything had a soft hue. As we were walking out, there was a sailboat bobbing about under way and made for some nice shots.

The following is a tiled gallery – click on the photo you wish to see and you can navigate from there.

I hope you enjoyed the photos

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com . Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Shooting in General, Sniper / Precision Rifles

Plano All Weather Rifle and Pistol Hard Cases Are Good To Go

I’m a happy user of Plano All Weather rifle and pistol hard cases. Plano Molding harks from Plano,

I’m a fan of Plano’s All Weather hard cases. Maybe you haven’t encountered them but they are solid, waterproof, and have pluckable foam so you can easily custom fit whatever firearm(s) you want to store.

To fit the Bergara with plenty of room on both ends, I bought a 52″ Plano All Weather case for $157.99 + tax off Amazon. They have other sizes available on that Amazon page also.

It’s a big case for sure. ID is 51.5x14x5.5 inches. OD is 53.5x17x7 inches.
The pluckable foam makes customization easy and there are keys for the locking latches.
I lay my rifles on the foam and then pluck out the sections until I get the fit I want.
Once I get the rifle situated, I’ll then do whatever other “pockets” I need for magazines, ammo, etc. In general, I like to keep the weapon away from the edges as much as I can to ensure protection. Once everything is done, I spray the bottom of the pluckable foam layer (it is removable) and then spray it with 3M Super 77 spray adhesive to lock it in place.
Savage Stealth Evolution .338 Lapua in an All Weather case. This one fell out of the back of a UTV as my friend Scott decided to fly up a hill. It protected the rifle and optic no problem.
This is a Sabatti Urban Sniper in .308 in an older first generation All Weather case. One thing they changed with the new models was to get rid of the annoying end snaps – especially the one under the handle to the right.

Summary

If you are looking for a very decent hard case for your rifle or pistol, check out the Plano All Weather cases. I’ve been using them for years and can honestly say I’ve never had a weapon damaged in their care.

Various sizes of All Weather rifle and pistol cases plus replacement foam inserts are on Amazon – click here to see them.

Note, I have to buy all of my parts – nothing here was paid for by sponsors, etc. I do make a small amount if you click on an ad and buy something but that is it. You’re getting my real opinion on stuff.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com . Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

Sunsets

Sunset In Saint Joseph, MI – View From The Pier On August 7th, 2024

My wife and I like going for evening walks. One of our places is the pier on the St. Joseph side of the Saint Joseph River. On August 7th, 2024, we were treated to a spectacular sunset starting with yellows, shifting to reds, then purples and finally night. It was a perfect time to snap some photos.

The following photos are thumbnails, click on whichever you want to start with and then you can navigate around once the photo is open:

We’ve lived in Saint Joseph for over 33 years now and watched some beautiful sunsets. They are all uniquely in their own way – the colors, clouds, what’s going on in the lake, etc. This side of Michigan is known as the “Sunset Coast” for good reason.

I hope you enjoyed the photos!

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com . Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

AR & Related Rifles and Pistols, Factory Tour, Rifles, Sniper / Precision Rifles

Two Bergara Factory Tour Videos – Watch Barrels, Receivers, and B14 Rifles Being Built

During the course of my researching Begara, the history of the brand and the parent company – Dikar S Coop, I encountered this very interesting tour of the Dikar S Coop factory in Bergara, Spain. It was conducted in 2019 and is a chance for you to see some of their barrel, bolt and receiver making plus assembly and testing.

In both videos, you can see in that they have invested in modern CNC manufacturing and have quality control steps integrated with manufacturing including visual inspections, go-no jigs and testing for run out.

They show their process for making B14 barrels. Here, they are getting ready to do button rifling.
Here’s a screen shot of the CNC milling of a B14 receiver body.
In addition to the manufacturing, you can see them assembling receivers.
Here, the gentleman is assembling a B14 Wilderness.
All rifles are proof tested. The person on the left is a rerpesentative of the Spanish proof house – he’s inspecting a casing.
The tested rifles are packaged and then stored in the warehouse to await loading into containers.

Now, watch the video!

This first video was produced by Bergara and was the source for the above photos:

Please note, all photos are screenshots from the video and remain the property of their respective owners. They are used solely to highlight the video.

A Second Video From 2022

This second video was produced by Pedro Ampuero in 2022 and is also very cool. I’d recommend watching it as well for further insights. It is just over 20 minutes long so he could get into more detail.

Summary

I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I did. I’ve learned a great deal about Bergara over the past year and the fine barrels and rifles they make and wanted to share these.

If you find this post useful, please share the link on Facebook, with your friends, etc. Your support is much appreciated and if you have any feedback, please email me at in**@ro*********.com . Please note that for links to other websites, I may be paid via an affiliate program such as Avantlink, Impact, Amazon and eBay.

When Strength and Quality Matter Most