I read a lot of reviews about these kits. The majority being from 08 and early 09. Most of the negative comments were from people that hadn't touched or seen one. I read that Blackthorne was formerly Hesse/vulcan who apparently made junk.

I decided to take the plunge and when the kit arrived i was more than happy that i did. I ordered it on a sunday and it was at my house on wednesday. $450 to the door with everything minus a stripped lower. The finish on the kit was flawless. I read that there packing jobs sucked and the upper was just put in the box with no packing material. Mine came with the upper wrapped in foam with the buttstock and components in plastic bags. The packing was not great but at least now the uppers are protected.

The only issue's i had putting the kit together was i had to remove some of the anodizing on the rear take down pin and lower with some emery cloth to put the upper on. The other issue is when the stock is completely collapsed and you pull the charging handle to the rear it has a tendancy to catch on the lip of the stock if you don't pull the charging handle straight back. Note sure if this is common or not.

I read blackthornes reviews on gunbroker and most of them were positive. The majority of the negatives were from people unwilling to tinker, lack of customer service and a shitty 3 day 100% money back return policy. I can't really comment on the customer service as all i did was order it on the internet. I took it to the range and fired 30rds. primarily to check function which it did without a problem. I wouldn't be suprised if i have some feed issues in the first 500rds. as the finish on the BCG and the upper seems a little grainy. I'd suggest buying one of these kits if you can put it together and test fire it within the 3 days. I believe they have a 3-30day return policy minus shipping and a 12% restocking fee. Overall i'm more than happy with the purchase. Maybe i just lucked out and got a good one. The site is akpartskits.com