Freedom Rifle...

I mentioned picking up my second York Arms lower a few weeks back. Now, I'd been wondering what to do with it for a while now, going back and forth between a few ideas. Wally has been pushing an SBR angle for it - there's a great deal of appeal to that thought, especially with the "Fill your hands" safety selector and "5.56 POODLE" caliber designation. It is not exactly a serious gun in that regards. Another idea floated was an AR-15 based 9mm carbine.

And then NY happened. And York's response to the insane rush to DO SOMETHING that resulted in a law so hastily enacted that they forgot to exempt law enforcement from the magazine ban. And then CO jumped in on the stupid (and appears to be poised on the edge of enacting a ban that will bring them in line with NEW FREAKIN' JERSEY on magazine restriction).

I had the very good fortune to break bread with Pete Brownells at SHOT Show in January. He joined a group of us bloggers and new media types and YouTubers for lunch, and we bent his ear for the better part of a couple hours over the state of the industry, the atmosphere surrounding firearms and politics, and what we as media folks friendly to the Second Amendment could do.

And everything clicked - and I knew what this rifle would be: My Freedom Rifle.

It starts here:

That's a Magpul MOE stock kindly donated by Brownells for this project, along with a matching Magpul pistol grip, and a Brownells parts kit and stock kit once they're in stock. All will be assembled on the York Arms lower, which will be mated to a dedicated .22LR upper. This rifle will be used for new shooters and anyone that's curious about the AR-15 platform. I'd love to put something like a Leupold Deltapoint or an EOTech on it as a quality red dot optic to make the rifle stupid easy for even the newest shooter.

There's just something poetic about a training rifle for new shooters assembled out of a lower from a company that told NY to get stuffed, wearing furniture from a company that told CO to get stuffed, put together by a gun nut from Massachusetts. If I could find a .22LR upper from a company that was part of the NY - or CO - boycott, that'd just complete the deal...

I'll be detailing this as things come together, so stay tuned for the ongoing saga of the MArooned Freedom Rifle!

That is all.

Sneak Peak...

There's a chance that, over the coming weekend, I will be seeing Wally for a bit of long distance rifle goodness. There's also a chance that I might be bringing home my long-awaited target/varminting AR-15 build that has been a while in the making. The last time I got together with Wally, he brought my AR-15 with him for a preview:

It's a quick snapshot, hastily taken with my iPhone camera. It does not even come close to doing this gorgeous rifle justice. I've posted a parts list here; I had a chance to try out the trigger on this rifle, and the only way to describe it is *sweet*. I cannot wait to put a few rounds through her to see just how well she shoots.

The other reason for getting together is to send the MG Arms K-Yote back upon completion of testing. I have yet to write up my experience hunting prairie dogs with the K-Yote, and hope to get to that within the next few weeks. It was the impending T&E of the K-Yote that spurred my interest in having a specialized AR-15 put together, and now it looks like she might just be coming home with me.

Yeah, I'm just a little excited about this...

That is all.

So, Jay, How's That AR Coming?

Over the weekend, when I visited with Wally and tried my hand at rifle shooting, I got a chance to visit with my AR build. It's very close to completion, and Wally has sworn me to embargo any pictures until it is complete. Which is shame, because this rifle kicks some serious ass.

He did, however, give me a parts list of what went into it, and in the interest of not forgetting any of it, figured I'd list what was going into this rifle:

Lower: York Arms Conspirator (natch') with a custom serial number
Stock: Choate E2 'butthook' style
Trigger: York Arms 2-stage at a very crisp 4.5 lbs
Upper: A4 flat top, no sights / no optics per your request
BCG: A correct 8620 carrier and 158 MPI bolt, all done in NickelBoron
Barrel: York Arms custom - 223Wylde, 1:8 twist, air-gaged, Chrome-MolyVanadium, 'husky' profile, 25" length, fitted with a NickelBoron extension.
Handguard: Troy Alpha VTAC, 13" with a short rail segment to mate to a bipod

The stock will eventually be swapped out with something like the Magpul PRS, but for now the butthook gives something to hold onto for precision work at a price that didn't make this build too pricey. I'd prefer something adjustable, since this is meant to be a long-distance precision rifle shot mainly from a rest. The flattop upper will have the Leupold Mark AR that the good folks at Leupold were kind enough to send for the build a few months back.

The barrel, well, I know that 20" probably would have worked just as well, but the extra length can't hurt, and after shooting the MG Arms K-Yote with the 24" tube, I'm impressed as hell with the accuracy out of the longer barrel. I've got a nice Harris swivel-mount bipod that I can put on it, but I'm thinking about looking for one of the rail-mounted ones for aesthetic purposes.

Hopefully I should have pictures of the completed rifle in the near future, and it will be a Friday Gun Pr0n picture shortly!

That is all.

Decisions, Decisions...

Alternate title: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the AR...

Well, I used to have one AR-15 pattern rifle. Now I have three(ish). I sent out my second check to York Arms yesterday for my second Conspirator lower, from the second run (this should be an unmolested lower, thank you Weerd...). I loved the idea of the Safe/Fire selector being Safe/Fill Your Hands and the custom caliber of 556Poodle on the first lower, don't get me wrong; then when I came up with the idea of building a varminter from scratch, I realized that having a rifle with whimsical markings was all well and good for the range, but if I were taking it into the field, I wanted something more mainstream.

When I mentioned the varminter concept, response was overwhelmingly positive. Barron put up a detailed post on his varminting rifle. The good folks at Leupold were kind enough to send a scope perfect for the job for the build. Plenty of folks have chimed in with suggestions, thoughts, and possible uppers/components/etc. I'll be pulling components together and assembling this rifle over the course of the next few months, and detailing the build as I go along. I'm excited about the project, and look forward to having a long(er) distance target and varmint rifle.

But there's that first lower to think of...

Wally suggested a short-barreled rifle, and while that has a certain appeal, that's something that I'd rather wait until I'm out of MA - I'd want a collapsible stock and other "evil" features (can you have a short barrel with a bayonet lug?). So what else could I do with a rifle with a non-existent caliber and a Rooster Cogburn-inspired safety selector? Why, turn it into a zombie rifle, of course! 16" flattop upper, vertical foregrip, weapon light; this is going to be the go-to gun for the zombie apocalypse. And given that we're seeing people getting their faces bitten off, I think sooner rather than later would be good...

The reason for this discussion (yes, I have a point in here somewhere) was brought up in a press release I received recently detailing a new addition from the good folks at Leupold. They've got a sweet looking new Multigun scope in their VX-6 series out that sounds like a perfect fit for such an application:

From the press release:

BEAVERTON, Ore.—Leupold® introduces the VX®-6 Multigun 1-6x24mm riflescope featuring the illuminated FireDot™ Special Purpose Reticle (SPR®), and now available through the Leupold Custom Shop. 

With its powerful 6:1 zoom ratio, the VX-6 Multigun delivers the speed of a zero-magnification red dot at its lowest power setting. At its highest power setting, the scope pulls distant targets in tighter for more precise shot placement. Unlike many higher power scopes that deliver their best sight picture only at each end of the zoom ratio, VX-6 is engineered to deliver exceptional image quality from edge-to-edge of the visual field at any magnification. With an MSRP of $949.99, the VX-6 Multigun outperforms many higher priced optics.

Man, that's a great idea. A red dot sight at the lowest setting, and a 6X scope at the highest? That's good out to 200 yards even for an old guy with old eyes like me. Having something that can be used in close quarters or out a fair bit is great idea - it's a single optic that serves two purposes. Given that it's a Leupold, it's going to do both purposes very well, I'd wager.

Drop that scope on the rifle, toss on an ACE Ultralight stock and a Magpul AFG, I think the "Z-15" would be ready to go!

That is all.

About That AR Lower...

The "Fill Your Hands" lower? Wally just sent a pic - it's back from anodization. And it looks SWEEEET:

The picture's from a friend of Wally's; the receiver, though, is all mine. Wally assures me that the Weerd stink is all gone, too... Now all that's left is deciding what I want to use to complete the lower - this one's not the varminting rig (not with the funny caliber/safe markings!), and may be turned into a SBR at a point in the future. For now, I think I'm going to finish the lower and put the Bushmaster upper on it (and maybe look into a dedicated .22LR upper for the Bushie...)

Wally's running another run of lowers - He can do custom safe/fire control markings and calibers as part of the low, low price of $135, custom engraving on the magwell is additional and will depend on many factors as to what it'll cost - but give Wally a shout. If it can be done, Wally can do it, and it will look great. Also, with any kind of luck I'll have a chance to help in the making of these lowers...

Damn, though, that sure looks gooood...

That is all.

New Glass...

I mentioned my custom long distance varminting/target AR build last week. I talked to a contact at Leupold, and he put me in touch with Pat at Leupold, who suggested the Mark AR 4-12X40mm mil-dot scope for this project. It's lightweight, waterproof, and has the magnification power to hit targets well out beyond the range at which I am comfortable taking shots.

So imagine my surprise when this showed up on my front porch:

So now I have an excellent scope for my AR project. I've got Wally getting ready with another run of lowers, so that's all set. I've got some great ideas on stocks, triggers, and uppers, so it's a matter of putting all the pieces together into something vaguely resembling an AR-pattern rifle. Kinda like Legos...

A big thanks to Leupold for this scope - I hope I can come close to using even a quarter of its potential!

That is all.

Birth of a Rifle...

So, I mentioned a while back about having a custom AR lower made by Wally? You know, the one violated by Weerd like the TSA violates grandmothers? Well, I've decided I want to take it in a (slightly) different direction. I've talked before about wanting an AR pattern rifle set up for long distance shooting (well, more so than the 50 - 100 yards my Bushmaster currently enjoys). So I'm going to do something about it.

First off, I'm ordering another lower from York Arms. There's a slim chance that this rifle might end up on a hunt of sorts, either hog hunting or varminting, and I'd rather not have the game warden eying the "Fill your hands, you son of a bitch" selector or the "5.56POODLE" caliber. This one will be done by the books, with a traditional caliber designation and a standard "Fire"/"Safe" safety switch. There's some intense discussion with the proprietor of York Arms over the initial lower - I may bite the NFA bullet and SBR it - but that's tabled for now.

So, I have a new lower. I'm going to need, well, everything else to put this rifle together. Stock, trigger, grip, internals, etc. will need to be assembled into a complete lower. I really like the look of the Magpul PRS stock, as it allows for a precise cheek weld and fit; however the ACE Ultralight stock has a minimalist appeal as well as keeping weight down - important for a rifle that may see time in a field. Grip, well, I prefer a molded grip but don't have any favorites. Trigger, well, something light - I really like the Timney in my Savage Model 10.

Once the lower is together, then it's onto the upper. Do I just order up a complete upper, like something from one of the 15 bazillion companies out there in the AR-15 business? Do I pull something together from a stripped upper and get the exact parts and barrel I want? I want something with a fluted/heavy barrel, most likely 20 - 22", and a flattop upper. I want something I can put a decent pair of optics on - I might spring for something from Leupold for this rifle, actually.

I suspect I'd rather just find an upper with the right combination of parts - the right barrel length and composition (I like the looks of the stainless bull barrels; I have no idea if they're any different or better than a standard barrel) and the appeal of being able to just pin it onto the lower and be good to go is quite strong. It's interesting to note that a decent upper can often be more than an entire AR-15 rifle - accuracy, reliability, etc. With the build occurring over time, budget can be a malleable thing, with pieces picked up here and there along the way - so I won't just rule out a higher end upper out of hand.


So what parts would you recommend for a decent hunting/target/varminting AR-15 build?

That is all.

Guess What I'm Getting...

This:

Wally felt compelled to tell me that "this will look 1000x times better after anodizing". I think it looks pretty damn awesome right now. He even clarified:

Ok but please make it clear that this is a sneak peak at work in process, and the final product will be hard anodized black-  and that you'll post pics then too.

Yes, Wally. In fact I can't wait to build this bad boy into my long distance AR - unless I decide to do something else with it, of course... I think that no matter what, I'm going to document this build from day one - so I consider today my new AR's birthday. May 3rd, when Sting was born... I'll post pictures when the lower is finished; when it is complete; when the upper is finished; and when the rifle is finally together. And, of course, because you know me, when it's all rooney'd out with lasers and bipods and stuff. And bayonets... 

I think this is going to be a lot of fun...

That is all.