Another project and the usual frustration (slow shipping & me)

[M1A4ME]

I haven't even go the 9MM AR15 pistol broken in yet and suddenly it hit me that I might want a 9MM AR15 carbine.  Not just a carbine but a 9MM carbine that looks like an XM177.  I might have jumped the gun though.  Ordered a bunch of parts, got some, looks like Brownell's is shipping those parts by pony express though, parts have been in Chicago since Thursday (getting the pony rested up I suppose) and aren't supposed to be here till 3/30/18.  Almost 2 weeks from order to delivery (well, 11 days).

The place I ordered the barrel from hasn't even shipped it yet.  My order is "in line for processing/shipping".  Won't be ordering from that place again.  Tomorrow makes 7 days and they haven't even got the barrel boxed up yet.

Got the slick side M16A1 style upper from Brownells along with an XM177 flash hider, front sight base, front sight parts and rear sight parts.

Since the lower is a standard AR15 lower I got a KAK magwell adaptor for the Colt style 9MM magazine.

I ordered a Faxon 9MM bolt that is set up to use a standard AR15/M16 extractor.

Ordered a lower parts kit minus the fire control group because I know I've got two sets of hammers/triggers/pins in my parts stuff from earlier installations of RRA match triggers, a Giselle trigger, etc.  Do you know I couldn't find a single one of them today.  Looked in the drawers, the parts boxes, the bottom of the gun tool box, the reloading bench upper shelf.  No luck.  Frustrated as hell.  At least I won't get the upper till late in the week, so I still have a few days to look.

Did find something totally unexpected while looking for the hammer/trigger - a brand new in the bag BCM bolt/bolt carrier for an AR15.  I wonder how long that ones been in the box out there?  Now I have to fight off the urge to start on another AR15.

Anyway, some of the work I can do (putting lower/upper together) but I'll have to run some of the parts up the road to a shop in Ashland that does work on AR15's.

I'll need to have them:
1. drill/pin front sight base to the barrel
2. shorten the barrel and permanently attach the XM177 flash suppressor to it so that it exceeds 16" and is legal to put the carbine butt stock on the lower receiver.

It's going to look like those little XM177's used in Vietnam, until I stick the 9MM magazine in it.

I took some pictures of the parts I have so far piled up on my outside work bench (old milk crate with a piece of chip board and an old Glock disassembly mat I use when sitting on the sunny bench in front of the garage.

I even have an old Single Point red dot in the box in the garage.  I just don't have the original style mount/rings used on those in Vietnam.  A guy on arfcom makes a small run of them every so often so I might try to catch one the next time he makes a few.

It'll never have the punch a .223 carbine has but I think it'll be fun to build and fun to shoot.  Probably look "cool", too.

The barrel is 16" as purchased so I can put most of it together and shoot it at the range before I get the barrel shortened and the long flash suppressor pinned/welded to it.  The XM177 flash suppressor will have to be drilled out for 9MM.  Should be doable since the .223 and 9MM A2 style flash hiders are the same OD.

I'm thinking of a paint job, too.  Just to make it different than the black carbines/AR's to help ID it when I tell someone to "grab the 9MM carbine."

[M1A4ME]

The pictures (finally remembered today while doing some more searching for the parts I wanted).  Didn't find the parts I wanted but did find another coffee jug of CZ parts (new and used, from the time period of the Pre B CZ 85 project so the parts are used CZ 85 and some new stuff I ordered to make it worth the shipping - that's the excuse I use, anyway).

The new BCM AR15 bolt I ran across (will save for a future build .223 build).



The single point sitting on the shelf.



The simple/early style carbine butt stock.



The parts I have so far.  9MM bolt, mag well adaptor, charging handle, lower parts kit (minus fire control group), lower receiver, the front handguard parts.  Found a new front sight base I'd forgotten I had after I'd already ordered another one (part of the Brownell's order that is on the pony's butt coming across the USA from out west.

[M1A4ME]

Well, got the upper and the rest of the Brownell's order today.

This is what it looks like with the barrel/handguards/front sight base/flash suppressor.  I've got a 9MM flash suppresser (the birdcage type/style) in the spare parts box.  The barrel/handguards are supposed to be in tomorrow.



Appears to have one issue right now.  The hammer is hitting the back of the bolt catch.  It wacks it pretty hard (put my thumb on the bolt catch on the outside of the receiver and pulled the trigger and it was unpleasant.  I'll need to remove the hammer and take some metal off the face at the bottom until it no longer contacts the back of the bolt catch.



Oh, have to get/make a spacer for the buffer tube, too.  The 9MM bolt goes way too far back without it and the bolt will eventually break the bolt catch.  I could use a stack of washers, or quarters.  But I'd rather have something that didn't make noise and was a real part of a gun.

The KAK mag well adaptor worked like charm.  I had to tap it into the well with a soft faced hammer, so it was a good snub fit.  I went ahead and locktited the screws that hold it in place (one on top to keep it from dropping down/binding the magazine release and two in the front that lock it in position front to rear in the mag. well.  The ASC 32 round magazine inserted/locked in/fell out with no binding.

I think I will shoot it some before getting the barrel shortened and the long flash suppressor pinned/welded to the barrel to get my 16+ inches back.  I thought I might have to have the inside of the flash suppressor drilled out for the bigger 9MM bullet but a whole 9MM cartridge will rattle around in the narrowest part of the flash suppressor, so it shouldn't be an issue.

One more thing - no bolt binding on the bullet guide like happened with the previous two 9MM pistols.

[M1A4ME]

Barrel and handguards came in today.  I also found the front sight base/parts on my second attempt (today's second attempt - it occurred to me that I'd also seen the taper pins in the same spot as the front sight base and that made me remember where that was).

I'll try to call Monday to see about getting the front sight base drilled, taper pins installed, barrel cut/threaded and the long flash suppressor pinned/welded to keep the barrel length legal.  Then off to the range for sighting in/function testing.

Not sure yet about an optic.  I do have an Aimpoint Comp2 I never keep long on anything else and it might be a good fit on this one.  Maybe it's found a home?

Oh, found a GP strap, too.  I've seen pictures of these (the military models) with paracord tied/looped through the front sight base and butt stock with the GP strap then clipped to those.  That'll probably work for me, too.  I don't figure I'll ever be shooting this one from the sling supported prone/sitting positions, so no 1&1/4 web sling will be needed.

[M1A4ME]

Dropped it off at a military/tactical gun shop/gun smith yesterday morning for the work.  Estimated completion date is about 2 to 2.5 months (they say they are currently swamped with work) but they are said to be the only place in my area with the tools to properly drill/pin that GI front sight base to the barrel.

Anyway, it should look like this when I get it back, except when I stick a magazine in it that will be a 32 round straight 9MM magazine vs. the 30 round AR15/M16 magazine.

[M1A4ME]

So much for the 2 to 2.5 months quote.  Got a call today that it is ready to pick up.  I'll be going up to get it tomorrow, with some 9MM ammo, ear plugs, targets, etc. to stop by the range on the way back and try to get the iron sights sighted in.

No optics for now.  That may come later, may not.  May keep it an iron sight gun.

[M1A4ME]

Picked it up today (way quicker than 10 to 12 weeks - but who's complaining???)

Took some Federal 115 FMJ, Winchester 115 FMJ and my 115 grain PD hollow point reloads I use in my CZ 9MM pistols with me and stopped by the range on the way back.

Functioning was 100% for the gun.  One or more of the Metal Form magazines are still not locking the bolt back on the last round.  I've got to figure that one out and fix it.  The ASC's were perfect, again.  Meaning this is the second trip with a 9MM AR and two different AR's that have issues with the Metal Form magazines.  When I got home today I cleaned the AR and took the four MF magazines apart, wiped off the springs, followers and the insides of the magazines with an oily rag.  I've been told you have to clean the protective grease/gunk out of MF magazines to get them to work right.  I don't think mine had any protective grease/coating.  None that I could feel or clean off.  A couple had powder residue in them near the top from using them twice.

Anyway, the carbine.  No sling on it yet.  I should get that done one day this week.



This target is the last one I shot with the factory ammo.  Center/high group is the Federal 115 grain FMJ (6 rounds) and the left of center group is the Winchester 115 FMJ (5 rounds).  Aiming point was, as near as my eyes/glasses would allow, the top of the front sight on the center of the target.



This target is the five 115 grain hollow point (Precision Delta) with Blue Dot powder.  Glad it seems to be able to hit the same spot with either the Federal or my reloads.  I'll buy more Federal, I'll give the Winchester to my youngest son to burn up in his pistol.



Didn't shoot anything else.  Between working with the GI sights and picking up brass (man that thing tosses some of the brass 15 or 20 feet to the 4 to 5 o'clock direction.  You can tell its from the AR though, just dirty as can be on one side.

[WaltherP99]

Very nice! Glad to see everything is finally done and ya got a chance to give it some range time.

Isn't it great when ya get that call earlier then expected...

[M1A4ME]

Oh yeah, earlier is better when waiting on either gun parts or range time.

I got to thinking about the barrel nut.  I put some grease on it but there's nothing to hold it in place.  A standard AR15 has a gas tube running from the front sight base through the barrel nut into the upper receiver to feed gas pressure to the bolt carrier key to operate the rilfe/carbine.

The 9 is blowback operated and doesn't have a gas port in the barrel.  It got me to wondering whether or not the barrel nut might try to work loose some day, so I grabbed up an old gas tube and installed/pinned it to the front sight base.  If the barrel nut needed any help staying tight, that should help.



Only bad part is I broke my old faithful tubing cutter.  Been using that thing for years.  I'd already cut that gas tube a week or so back, when I tried to make it useful for the carbine upper I was building.  This time it broke a chunk out of the cutting wheel.  Oh well, the darn thing is 20 or 25 years old.

[eastman]

the cutting wheel is typically a replaceable part, since they dull with use