It’s very common to have pistols and rifles with threaded muzzles. A very common thread pattern for .22, .204, .223/5.56 and even some 9mms is 1/2×28. This means the thread is 1/2″ wide and has 28 threads per inch (TPI). This is the most common pattern for AR rifles for example as .223/5.56 rifles tend to follow the original military specification thread pattern. There are many patterns out there so you always want to confirm.
For a variety of reasons, you may not want to install a muzzle device. If this is the case, I would recommend installing a thread protector, sometimes called a “muzzle nut” to protect the threads.
For example, here is a 10.5″ AR pistol upper receiver assembly. You can see the 1/2×28 thread and I did not plan on installing a muzzle device.
Thread protectors simply screw onto the end of the barrel. The only thing I do is to apply some Blue-Loctite to reduce the odds of the nut rattling off. Yes, the heat of the barrel will soften the Loctite but the “gummy” nature of it will do the job. If you plan on taking the thread protector off and putting it back on a lot, then don’t use a thread locker.
I hope this helps you out. The Amazon listing is the product I used on the above build and really like.
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Okay, I liked the leaves, the lighting and thought it would be a great chance to get some photos of the HK SP5K pistol with the SB Tactical SBTK5A brace and the Vortex Optics Crossfire red dot that is on an American Defense AD-T1-L STD quick release mount. As you can see above, I’m still using the Uncle Mike’s case.
So those are a few from the batch. Looking forward to taking it to the range some day.
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The lighting was right, the leaves were on the ground and it was a great chance to get some new photos of my PTR 105 PDWR pistol. This big pistol is the interesting brain child of PTR. It’s essentially a cut down HK 91.
The PTR 105 configuration has a PTR metal handguard installed. After messing with it some, I decided to install an MP5 handguard as I like the angle on the MP5 handguard more. This also means I should have just bought the PTR 110 that comes with that handguard.
Now, the only problem is that the MP5 handguard is not as rigid as I would like. I’ll experiment some with different handguards in the future.
The PTR 195 and 110 are big pistols at 23.5″ overall, 8.5″ barrels and weigh about 8 pounds. I wanted to install a brace but needed to be mindful of Michigan’s odd 26″ maximum pistol length law. This isn’t legal advice, but my understanding is that the Michigan State Police say that a pistol with a brace is measured from one end to the other in the minimum operable condition. So, by installing a side folder, I could have a brace for when I wanted to use it but also had the minimum operable length at 23″. What you see in the photo is an SB Tactical BTFA folding mechanism, buffer tube and SOB stock. When open, the weapon measures 32.5″.
Thanks to the BTFA folding mechanism, I can swing the SOB brace to the left and it locks open. This keeps the brace out of the way of the ejection port. You can configure the BTFA to go either left or right.It definitely has clean lines.The PDWR definitely likes the PPU battle packs of .308 FMJBT 145 grain ammo. It works great and is plenty accurate within 100 yards. I’ll need to try and shoot the PDWR for accuracy some day and see what it can do.
As you can see, the brace is folded open and operating side of the PDWR is nice and clear of any obstructions.
Given the PDWR is chambered in .308 and uses 20 round HK G3 magazines, that is a lot of firepower in a small package. Overkill? Sure. Fun at the range? Absolutely.
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If you are new to building AR lowers, there is one step that is, in my opionion, the most risky in terms of making a mistake and scratching the finish if not even gouging the aluminum. That’s when you go to install the bolt catch. You must juggle the receiver, spring, detent, catch, punch and hammer all at the same time while being right against the nicely finished receiver!
The two ears that hold the cross pin of the bolt catch are just above the magazine catch. In the small hole will sit the spring and the detent pin.
Historically, you had to get ready for battle and would tape your receiver to protect it from slipping punches or glancing blows by a hammer.
I would apply duct tape, Gorilla tape or something thick to protect the finish. Note, if you are starting out, taping is always a good idea no matter what.
Installing the slide catch is way easier now with the right tools. I have really come to rely on three punches to get the job done. The first is a purpose specific punch set from Wheeler this is flat on one side and has a protective rubber coating.
The Wheeler set has two punches. The starter punch has a hollow end that the pin sits in. This allows you to focus on the hole and hitting the punch with the hammer. The other is a roll pin punch that you can use to align the catch at the start and also drive the pin the final distance.Here the pin is being started.See, I use the roll pin punch on the left to align the bolt catch and also to capture the detent pin and spring. Once that punch is in, you can let go! Whew. You can then focus on tapping the starter punch on and making sure everything is aligned.
Now plenty of guys can get their build done with the above. Because of my tremor, I like to drive the pin in the rest of the way by using a really long roll pin punch that safely clears the receiver. I have a Tekton gunsmith punch set and the 1/8″ roll pin punch works great for me.
This is the nice Tekton gunsmith punch set that I really like. This is me with the 1/8″ roll pin punch.
I hope this helps you out. This is what I do every time now. It’s also what I use if I need to remove and replace an existing catch.
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This is the front of the bag – six magazine pouches, one large flat pouch to the front and the rear mounted carry handle is visible.
This is the back – you can see the shoulder strap and the carry handle at the top.
The case has a zipper at the rear of the bag and the SP5K simply slides in. This is one thing I dislike – it does not open and lie flat. Some folks may find this a plus but I prefer bags that open.
The exterior dimensions are 24.5x14x2 and I’d knock off about half and inch all the way around for the interior dimensions. It does have some padding but not a ton.
Another dislike I have is the way it holds the MP5 magazines. They slide down in the little pouches and I can’t pull them out. I need to push at the bottom to get them to slide up.
I pushed the magazines up so you can see them in this photo. Notice where the bulges indicating the actual lower part of the magazine in each pouch. In practice, the mags slide all the way down and are hard to get out. You have to press from the bottom.
On the topic of pouches, the front pouch just forward of the magazines is very tight. The bulge you see sticking out is a Mag Lula loader. While it can hold the loader, it’s really better suited for thinner items.
Okay, rounding out my complaints, the carry handle at the rear makes for an odd front-loaded unbalanced load. I don’t know why they didn’t center it.
Summary
It’s a decent entry bag and you can get it on Amazon [click here to see it]. Sure there are things I don’t like about it but does the job. I will be investigating other cases but this case is a solid performer at the price.
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I’m a creature of habit. Vortex products are solid and have a no-nonsense – “if it breaks we will fix it” – warranty. Vortex does not sponsor me so I have no reason to stick with them other than they deliver.
I knew right way this was going to be a close-in weapon with distances being typically 25 yards or less but maybe stretching out to 50 yards. It is hard to beat a red dot at those distances for rapid target acquisition. That narrowed my options down quite a bit.
A second big deal for me is to have a wide field of view but also a relatively small dot size. This combination rules out a lot of the micro dots that are out there as they are both tiny and have a 4 MOA dot size – that means the red dot will cover 4″ and 100 yards or about 2″ at 50. The micro dots are okay and I rather like them on pistols but I wanted something a tad finer on this more controllable and accurate weapon.
All paths lead me to the current Vortex Optics Crossfire red dot. It has a 2 MOA dot size, is only 2.5″ long and only weighs 5.2oz. It also has a battery life of 7,000 hours at an output setting of 5. Note the optic has 11 levels so when you have it turned up for bright light settings, you will drain the battery faster – always keep a spare battery in the case. I’ve had a couple of range sessions get messed up to do dead/dying batteries and no spares.
American Defense AD-T1-L STD Mount
The only shortcoming, if I can even call it that, with the Crossfire is its base. Vortex did their homework and include both a short base and base that can lower 1/3 co-witness with AR iron sights. The problem is that they are screwed onto the picatinny rail. If you need to get the optic off fast, that’s not going to happen as you will need a torx driver.
I do have good news – the Crossfire has the same base geometry as the Aimpoint T-1/H-1 optics. That’s the key right there – there are a lot of mounting options out there and after some digging, I have been using mounts from American Defense for over a year and they are rock solid.
By the way, make sure you get the right mount – American Defense makes there base for a variety of optics. I am using the AD-T1-L STD.
Assembling the Optic on the Mount
The good news is that this is really easy. Undo the four screws on the bottom of the Crossfire to remove the Vortex mount. Put the American Defense mount underneath it, add a bit of Blue Loc-Tite thread locker and reinstall the screws.
Use the small Torx wrench that Vortex supplies with the Crossfire to remove the four screws so you can the swap the bases. Here you can see the bottom of the Crossfire and how the American Defense mount will align.You can see the Blue Loc-Tite and the installed screws. I like to put the Loc-Tite in the holes and then install the screws. I wiped the residue away with a paper towel after I took this photo.
The Result
The result turned out really nice. The optic is just the right height that it is relatively close to the bore and I can get a good consistent cheek weld.
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In my last post, I went over the options I considered for the brace on my HK SP5K. In this post, I’ll review the three handguards I looked at – the original forearm, a US-made polymer unit with an integral hand stop and a low-profile aluminum unit.
I really have two places I shop for HK and related parts – HKparts.net and RobertRTG. So I went and checked out what they had plus I did google searches on “SP5K photos” and “MP5K photos” to see what others were using. I’m a visual guy and can scan a ton of photos very fast and then click to read the articles.
Removing the handguard is pretty much like all other HKs – pop the pin and pull down. You can see just how short that barrel is due to HK having to comply with German export laws for the pistol to be deemed “sporting purpose.” This also means you need to carefully think how to keep your fingers, notably your thumb, out of the way. You could argue training and holding the mag well but… there is a risk no matter what.
After researching for a bit, I got it down to the following three options that I could afford to try out:
Option 1: The Original Forearm
The unit that comes with the SP5K has two things going for it – the hand stop and the muzzle guard. The little indentations you see on the sides are actually thumb rests. From a safety perspective, this seemed like the best but I wasn’t sure about how the muzzle protector would hold up over time.
Note the thumb rest of the muzzle guard area of the original SP5K handguard. The hand stop is well forward giving you plenty of grip options also.See, the actual end of the muzzle is located way down in the guard. I can’t help but wonder how the polymer will hold up over time. I’m betting HK thought about that is why they made the guard so much wider than the muzzle to allow most of the blast cone to pass by without contacting the polymer. I haven’t heard of folks having problems so HK must have designed it correctly.
Option 2: A US-made Polymer Handguard Sold by HKParts.net
The second option I decided to try was a US made “Reverse stretch forearm with hand stop” that was made for HKparts.net. It was very well, fit my SP5K great and had great room for my hand but the problem was my thumb. It wanted to go in front of the muzzle.
To be clear, it is an excellent handguard. I blame the German politicians for the abrupt barrel. If I had a muzzle device out front, this would have made an excellent forearm.
Option 3: HKParts.net’s Own Low-Profile M-Lok Unit
I removed all of the screws to install the unit just in case some wiggling was needed. I think it could have fit without my doing this but I was trying to save the finish.I knew I was in trouble. It was going to be way too short and the Ergo hand stop was going to be pushed back into a slot and not going to be able to protrude without some machining.The Ergo hand stop / barricade stop was well made. No complaints at all with that part. It installed just like any M-LOK component does.Here you can see that the Ergo’s position is constrained by the M-LOK design.Houston, we have a problem. I wear XL-sized gloves found the resulting set up way too awkward. I thought about drilling and tapping the handguard to move the Ergo forward but then I would still have my thumb flopping around.
Bottom line, this just was not going to work as much as I wanted it to. Blasted politicians.
So What Did I Do?
After trying all three out, I decided to actually stay with the original forearm. Some day in the future, I will spend the money to have a B&T barrel installed with a tri-lug adapter. I really like the B&T brake that I run on my POF-5 and will then decide on which of the handguards I want to use. So, the brace and handguard were both selected, in the next blog post, I’ll discuss the optic I went with and why.
Here she is for the moment. Note I added a QD Swivel to the mounting point on the brace.
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In the last post, I told you I bought an HK SP5K. It’s relatively heavy and begging for a brace. I don’t really feel the need to spend the money and wait to register it to be a Short Barreled Rifle (SBR) and there are actually a ton of arm brace options out there.
Option 1: The SBT5KA Brace
I have a SB Tactical SBT5A Brace on my POF-5 and really like it. I knew they made a version for the SP5K known as the SBT5KA but I was hoping for something different. Please note they are two different models of braces reflecting the different receiver end caps.
Option 2: The SOB Brace
Every time I write this product name – the “SOB” – down, I smile. SB Tactical has a ton of braces for the AR/M4 weapons family and they have evolved a ton away from the ugly original. The SOB has clean lines and I run one on my PTR PDWR. I think it looks good and has handled the .308 rounds from the PDWR just fine and feels solid too.
Needless to say, I was bummed. I had it completely installed only to find out that the guide rods on the SBPDW run right into the sides of the SP5K. Crud. I didn’t feel like figuring out all the changes that would be needed.
Installation was a breeze. Pull out the two small pins at the back, swap the old end-cap for the brace, push them together and reinsert the pins. I did make sure the recoil rod lined up and nothing was binding as I reassembled the unit.
I Did Clean and Lube The Internals
I should point out that when I removed the end cap, I went ahead and slid out the bolt group and lubricated everything. I applied Super Lube grease to the bolt body and Mobil 1 Synthetic 10w30 via a precision oiler to the rollers of the bolt and rotating surfaces. I also oiled the pins on the trigger pack while greasing the hammer face with Super Lube.
Summary
So you see I went with the SBT5KA brace. In the next post I will discuss handguards.
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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