My Winter Project...

[CrazyWhiteGuy]

First of all, I would like to thank every single one of you guys that have shoved an AR-15 into my hands and told me to have at it, it really means a lot to me.

Now, let me make this perfectly clear: THIS IS MY FIRST AR-15 AND MY FIRST BUILD, IT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS AND I WILL UPDATE THIS THREAD ACCORDINGLY.

Now, on to the story...
I can honestly say that when I lived down in Florida, I never even dreamed of owning an EBR, let alone build my first one! But as luck would have it, I moved up here to Pittsburgh, PA with my girlfriend and I somehow stumbled upon this forum and found my way to a PMSC group shoot. That shoot was short lived due to snow on the ground and a ricochet hitting someone in the neck, and that was enough to get me to come back every month once it warmed up. In that time, GRoPA let me test out his Carbon-15 pistol , RenegadePhoenix let me try out his AR-15 in .223 and with his .22 conversion on it, Lycan has let me try out a few of his AR-15s, and recently Shawn.L has sat with me in an empty bay during a shoot and showed me in detail all of the parts and how to swap out everything and clean it (as well as some of the lingo associated with the EBR world).

So thanks to these people, I started looking around on gunbroker and budsgunshop and looking to see what is out there and what an AR-15 is capable of doing. Also looked at the different upgrade options offered and customizations that other people have done to their AR-15s. With what I saw I soon decided that I would be giving Jon at AnvilArms my business because of how highly everyone spoke of his lowers and laser engraving services. And then Colagrrl assembled her AR and posted up all about it, including a blueprint of the receiver to be engraved. With that and a little help from RocketFoot, this was created:



The PAFOA logo to recognize the forum that got me into AR's, my forum name, and the bio-hazard sign because it looks cool to me. I emailed Jon to find out if it would be possible to do and get an estimate with the price, and was told that it would be possible and that there would be some extra fees involved with moving and editing the images that I wanted to use. I was fine with that and gave the go ahead to move to the next steps. So off I went to find a new FFL to do the transfer since the Yeti Lover decided to close shop and move (I was going to try to be his first transfer with the new business, until I learned that it wouldn't be until later next year). Finally found an FFL, filled out all the paperwork, faxed my credit card info and all the paperwork and waited for a response.

Heard nothing for about a week. Was starting to get anxious. Checking my email 20 times a day waiting to hear from Jon and see what the status was. Then on a tuesday night Jon calls me up and asks me to send him the image again, they updated their computers and were ready to engrave the lower but needed the image to reference. WOOHOO! JUMPED ON THE COMPUTER, EMAILED IT TO HIM, WAITED ON THE LINE UNTIL HE SAID HE GOT IT, AND SAID THEY WERE GOING TO ENGRAVE IT ONCE HE HUNG UP!!!

I WAS SO EXCITED! FOR ONCE I COULDN'T BLAME THE COLD FOR MAKING MY NIPPLES SO HARD!!! no, i had to blame my stupidity for running outside in shorts and a tanktop to have a cigarette in 40 degree weather

The next day I got an email with a tracking number and expected date of delivery. So I think to myself, "lower is done and in transit, what do i need now?". A lower parts kit, of course! Being a little tight on money and still wanting some quality I opted for the DPMS kit. Ordered it wednesday night, about an hour after I got the tracking number from Jon.

NOTE: BIG MISTAKE, I GOT THE LOWER PARTS KIT BEFORE THE RECEIVER AND LOOKED AT THIS BAG OF PINS AND SPRINGS AND SCREW AND THOUGHT "WHAT THE F*CK IS ALL THIS? THERE AREN'T ANY INSTRUCTIONS IN HERE! WHAT THE HECK DID I GET MYSELF IN TO???"

Here comes Shawn.L to the rescue. Started PMing him like a bat out of hell till he finally gave me his number and told me to calmly call him and ask all the questions. Really helpful and knowledgeble and really helped me out during this time of confusion (rep coming once the love is spread). At the November Group Shoot, I was reassured by more and more people that getting all those pins and springs in wasn't as hard as it looked and was something that I shouldn't be worried about. Okay, that all calmed me down. Until I then realized that it was sunday and my lower was to arrive ON MONDAY!!!

Monday I went to work, got out, drove over to Phil's Archery, filled out all the paperwork and passed the background check, then took my new receiver home!!!


sorry, cell phone pic, not the greatest.

Now of course, anyone that knows me knows that I can never just let a puzzle sit around and not be completed, so in goes the lower parts kit. First look at the little diagram on the package and start putting springs on the hammer and trigger, first upside down, then backwards, then the right way. Put them in and moved on, disconnector time because it looked easy. Yep, real easy, assuming you put it in at the same time as the trigger and before the hammer thanks to that spring and it's arms! But that's ok, I got it in there. Time to take it easy now, putting in the springs and pins to hold the front pivot pin. Next I moved on to trying to get the mag release in, relatively easy to do, just a pain trying to push it through to screw on the mag catch. Then sitting in front of me is the selector switch, examine it and see that I can install that and then slide the selector detent and spring up through the receiver and hold them in place with the grip, that goes alright. Next we attempt the Bolt Catch, I can now safely and honestly say I HATE ROLL PINS!!! Trigger guard time and guess what, I STILL HATE ROLL PINS!!! Now the parts are starting to slim down, decide to go and recap everything to make sure that all is well. there is a spring and pin to go with the takedown pin that I can't install because I don't have a stock yet, there is a spring and a buffer retainer pin that I can't install yet either, and then there is another spring. A lone little spring sitting there on the table looking at me smiling at me! WTF is that ? I dunno where this thing goes, what the hell am I going to do now? Look online of course, that little spring with the tappered end is called the disconnector spring, 'ok, disconnector sounds familiar, I can do this'. Look at the receiver and realize the disconnector is the piece sitting on the trigger that I already had to take and put back together before. I was not a happy camper, but I sucked it up and my wit prevailed. The lower parts kit is all installed (sans parts held by buffer tube) and I am victorious!



yes, it is engraved on both sides!!!

VICTORY IS MINE!!!

Ordered a buffer tube, carbine spring, and buffer before starting this post, and hopefully that will come in the mail soon. From there I am ordering a magpul stock and then start deciding on what upper I want to get and how I want to dress that up, but that is another adventure which will be added here during the upcoming cold winter months.

UPDATED!!!

So after 1 day less than 5 months of waiting, I FINALLY GOT MY UPPER! My baby is now sporting a Del-ton 16" mid-length barrel assembly with a 5.56mm chrome molly barrel, T-marked flat top upper, and a Yankee Hill Machine flip up front sight gas block.

She is also sporting a Magpul CTR stock for those wondering.

[Lycanthrope]

Welcome to the dark side......

Lycansweetstartthrope

[Emptymag]

...

NOTE: BIG MISTAKE, I GOT THE LOWER PARTS KIT BEFORE THE RECEIVER AND LOOKED AT THIS BAG OF PINS AND SPRINGS AND SCREW AND THOUGHT "WHAT THE F*CK IS ALL THIS? THERE AREN'T ANY INSTRUCTIONS IN HERE! WHAT THE HECK DID I GET MYSELF IN TO???"

...

That was my thought exactly, when I took my kit out of the package.


Congrats!

[Shawn.L]

Nice.
Cant wait to shoot it !

I just ordered another lower........

AR15.... because you cant have just one !

[Lucas]

Nice! So, can we shoot it yet?



How 'bout now?











Now?






Great start, I can't wait to see it finished.

[RONNIE77]

Looks like you are off to a good start.
Nicely done with the graphics, it looks pretty badass.

Congrats on the build..

WANNA SEE MORE!

What's your plan for an upper?
Don't forget plenty of Hi Cap mags.....get them while you can.

[croydonbill]

awesome ! like the graphics alot im shopping around right now for parts i wanna build my first AR aswell where the graphics pricey? i wanna get an autobots emblem on mine lol

[knight0334]

Is Anvil Arms still doing those w/PAFOA's logo for us?

[Mxrider346]

He can do them but be prepared to wait. Just talked to him the other day They are going like hot cakes...

[CrazyWhiteGuy]

Is Anvil Arms still doing those w/PAFOA's logo for us?

yep, just call him up and tell him what you want

He can do them but be prepared to wait. Just talked to him the other day They are going like hot cakes...

not to brag or anything, but i got my order in right before all the election excitement happened...

Looks like you are off to a good start.
Nicely done with the graphics, it looks pretty badass.

Congrats on the build..

WANNA SEE MORE!

What's your plan for an upper?
Don't forget plenty of Hi Cap mags.....get them while you can.

Thanks a lot. I'll be updating the OP as I get parts and install them.
Dont have any idea about an upper yet except that it will most likely be a flat top and possibly a 16" lightweight barrel.
Ordered a couple mags from bravocompany and will order some pmags when people start stocking them again.