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- Remembering My Dad – Carroll Spafford & The M1 Garand Story June 27, 2017Well folks, yesterday was my dad’s birthday and he would have been 91 years old. I owe him a lot and often think of him. The pain of losing him is less but I miss him. He started me shooting when I was so little that he had to hold the .22 rifles and ...
- Assembling an AR Lower – Step 3 of 11: Installing the Bolt Catch Assembly June 26, 2017In this step, I’ll install the bolt catch. This is the part that catches the bolt when the magazine is empty or the operator wants to lock the weapon open. In terms of risk, this step has probably caused more blemished receivers than any other. What I hope to show you is a method to ...
- Assembling an AR Lower – Step 2 of 11: Installing the Trigger Guard Assembly June 24, 2017The second step is to install the trigger guard. Now I do not use the kind with a detent that allows you to open the trigger guard. I prefer aluminum trigger guards from either Magpul or Brownells. The one you see here is from Brownells and is made from billet 7075 aluminum. I like how ...
- Assembling an AR Lower – Step 1 of 11: Installing the Magazine Catch Assembly June 22, 2017Just a quick note – when you get a bare receiver, you are literally getting a chunk of aluminum with nothing installed. I really like Palmetto State Armory (PSA) lower build kits and they sell them with different types of components such as just the basics for rifles, for pistols, Magpul furniture, etc. What I ...
- News: Vepr rifles now on the banned list – June 20, 2017 June 20, 2017Well, this sucks – Molot, the maker of Vepr rifles and shotguns has been added to the treasury’s list of people and organizations US businesses can’t engage in commerce with. Here’s the website source: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20170620.aspx MOLOT-ORUZHIE, OOO (a.k.a. OBSHCHESTVO S OGRANICHENNOI OTVETSTVENNOSTYU ‘MOLOT-ORUZHIE’; f.k.a. OBSHCHESTVO S OGRANICHENNOI OTVETSTVENNOSTYU PROIZVODSTVENNO INSTRUMENT KACHESTVO), 135 ul. Lenina, Vyatskie Polyany, Kirov ...
- Assembling an AR Lower – Like Legos for Men with Special Comments on Pistol Builds June 20, 2017I have to admit that I like a lot of different firearms including both AK and AR platforms. So I am not purely an AK fan though my business is largely built around that. I have owned many, many different ARs over the years including tactical, DMR, snipers, pistols and flat out range toys. I ...
- ATF Letter Regarding Full-Auto M16/M4 Fire Control Groups and SBR Uppers That You Need to Know About June 19, 2017Please note this is an old letter and the ATF doesn’t view these as etched in stone findings any more so just view it for historical purposes. I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. I’m just providing a copy as a service to the firearms community. Here is the 1999 ...
- Have an older car or truck with slow power windows? This simple fix will speed them up June 15, 2017My truck is a 1996 Toyota Landcruiser that is showing its age and I’m always finding ways to keep it going. One problem I had was that the power windows were very slow to go up and down because the rubber around the glass was oxidizing and not as soft. This was especially a problem ...
- Tired of tripping your circuit breaker when your air compressor refills? You can easily fix that! June 13, 2017I tell you what it is really hard to get by without a compressor but it can also be but it can also be a real headache if the circuit breaker regularly, or even unpredictably, trips when the compressor tries to top off the tank. There a couple of really easy modifications we can do ...
- Rat Tail Tang Micarta Handle Making Process for Nepalese Khukuris June 12, 2017I am a huge fan of Nepalese khkuris including ones from Himalayan Imports and GK&Co (Deepak Sunar). I do like customizing them also and have made handles many ways for both the full-tang and rat tail tang blades. What I am going to show below is a rat tail tang and you’ll notice the curve ...
- How to restore cloudy headlights using toothpaste – This really works! June 10, 2017When car companies moved to plastic headlight lenses they opened the door to them oxidizing over and majorly reducing the transmitted light. I’m surprised they haven’t been sued yet actually. I really do not like the fact that light is reduced and people are driving with less and less visibility at night – that seems ...
- Update on my Hatsan Gladius After a Month – Still very happy! June 9, 2017Well, I’ve had the Gladius for almost a month and the thing rocks. I have dispatched about a two dozen squirrels strictly for pest control. It definitely does the job and I only have it on power setting three. I actually have to consider over penetration even on setting three the pellets go right through ...
- How to get what you want from epoxy – for me it is long life, shock resistance and strength June 7, 2017Folks, I work a lot with epoxy and reply on it as a structural adhesive to both fill gaps and bond parts together. I’ve done everything from fixing car parts, wood furniture, tools, rifle bedding, scope mount bedding, custom knife handles and much more with epoxy. It is incredibly versatile but you need to do ...
- Video: Building an AK-47 (AKM) with Definitive Arms by AK Operators Union, Local 47-74 June 6, 2017Back in 2015, Rob Ski went to Definitive Arms to build an AK. In this video, they really get into the details of building an AK and anyone regardless of experience level is bound to learn something. You can watch in this 36:13 video as Rob builds his AK under the expert tutelage of the guys ...
- Video: How to build an AK47 from scratch part 6 (the last part) by usmcdoc14 June 2, 2017This is his last video in the six part series. He recaps what he did and shares with you some of his tips for sandblasting such as putting foam earplugs in the chamber. Here are the links to each segment – when you click on them they will open in a new tab: Part One Part Two Part ...
- Video: How to build an AK47 from scratch part 5 by usmcdoc14 June 2, 2017This is the 5th video in his six part series. If you are building from a flat, then you need to pay careful attention to this. He shows how to file the ejector tip down plus also shows how to do the spot heat treating in this video with a MAPP torch. I spot heat ...
- Video: How to build an AK47 from scratch part 4 by usmcdoc14 June 2, 2017In this fourth installment, you can see usmcdoc14’s welding results and he discusses how to trim the top rails. Note, a lot of flats and receivers now have pre-cut top rails so you only need to trim them if they look like what you see in the video – big, wide and straight. Here are ...
- Video: How to build an AK47 from scratch part 2 by usmcdoc14 June 1, 2017Here is the second video in usmcdoc14’s series about building an AK using a flat. He still swears left and right (which I find hilarious – when he said “sandblast the shit out of them” I started laughing) and gives you some good recommendations on checking the past receiver stub from the kit. He talks ...
- Video: How to build an AK47 from scratch part 1 by usmcdoc14 June 1, 2017A few guys have contacted me wanting to learn more about how to build AKs from kits. Many of the resources I learned from when I started way back when (ballpark in 2006) are now gone. I do recommend AKFiles and their gunsmithing section so check that out. We really didn’t have Youtube then and ...
- Review: Wen 61720 Brad Nailer Works Great and is VERY Affordable!! May 31, 2017Hiya folks, my hands shake due to what is known as a hereditary tremor. When I try to do fine work it often gets even worse and I hate trying to drive fine nails/brads. A number of years back I bought a Harbor Freight brad nailer that broke in 2016 after a few years of ...