A first look at my new hobby

So, here it is! Pretty isn't it? I threw everything together just to get a look at my new toy. I'm waiting on a torque wrench and some mini levels to arrive in the mail so I can actually fit everything properly.

 I've  got class Friday and Saturday, so Saturday evening will be some Man Cave time with tools and loud music. If all goes well, Sunday will be range time.

BAM!

Well, I decided to go with the Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD after all. Chambered in .308 Win with a 20” Heavy Barrel with 5/8-24 Threaded Muzzle, it's just the thing to make me feel all sexy 'n shit.

But... the barrel and action are really the only good things in this product. Everyone hates the puke green rubber stock. The gun retails for about $650, but I figured I could get it sans stock (and slightly used) for $500. That's an extra $150 toward all the upgrades I'm going to need.

I actually found a pretty good deal for a full system, over at the Sniper's Hide. Barreled action in an AICS 1.5 stock, with 20 MOA base and Burris XTR rings.



I even talked him into giving me the bipod. Poor guy, his wife is having their first kid, and I guess he had to prioritize. Worked out well for both of us, I hope! It's in the mail now, and should be here next week.

This pretty much had everything I needed, except the scope. I wasn't digging the scope he had on there, so I got everything but that.

After doing a bunch of reading, I decided to go with a mil dot Front Focal Plane scope. The reticle in a FFP scope changes as you zoom, always marking out milliradians, regardless of zoom level. Each of those dots has a 1 milliradian spacing from the next dot over.

This is what the snipers at Quantico used, and I figured they know what they're doing. I thought I'd get an illuminated reticle too, it's a good investment toward a low light shot.

I really wanted this Bushnell Elite Tactical 4200 6-24x50 with illuminated reticle.

It was going dirt cheap on a used gear board, but someone snatched it up before I could. /sad panda again

Well, another deal came along, not quite as awesome, but still pretty good. This Weaver Tactical 3-15x50 EMDR got pretty good reviews. The 50mm objective lenses are supposed to be pretty good at pulling in light, and the 3-15 magnification, while not as awesome as 6-24, is probably better for all purpose use, between short range deer/hog hunting and longer range shooting. I should be able to push out to 700 yards (eventually) with this setup. Illuminated reticle and all, so I said 'What the heck!' and went for it.

It's all in the mail right now, and of course next weekend I have school. So in all likelihood, it'll be a few weeks before I get to go to the range and put a few rounds downrange. /sigh

Well, at least then I won't feel bad about taking it all to a gunsmith and having him check the torque on the action and boresight the scope.

Sniper Elite, getting started

Well, I've got a handgun, and an assault rifle. I decided it was time to go get into some bolt action gear too. Being a Marine, the M40 sniper rifle is the shit as far as I'm concerned, so I decided to look into the Remington 700 in .308, which is what the M40 is built on.

.308 ammo is pretty cheap, and the base 700 is a budget purchase too. Better yet, Remington now makes a Tactical version! 1 in 10 twist for using some pretty heavy bullets, and the barrel comes pre-threaded for a silencer! The ultimate armchair sniper weapon!

Sexy, eh? Now it's sad face time...

This is what ACTUALLY comes with it for $600. That silencer? Extra $900. The scope? With rings, and a base... another $800, and that's for BUDGET gear. That stock is a rubbery piece of crap, so there's another $600 easy for a GOOD stock.

Sigh... well it's not like I've got a girlfriend to spend this money on. So what the hell? Let's get started!

FML some more

So as I'm playing with my new gun, adding all the new parts on to it, I did a bad thing... Pulled out the pivot pins to disassemble the upper and lower receivers. Pulled the pins RIGHT OUT. And guess what happens when you do that? The little spring and 1/8" diameter pin that keep the pivot pins from falling out during normal operation, those go flying out of their holes and disappear into the carpet. Never found the damn things, so I had to order new ones.

It only cost me about $7 to replace the lost parts, but DAMN if it isn't a pain in the ass to do!

Well, it being the Fourth of July, and I, being bereft of friends and family, decided dear ole Dolly would be my companion for the day. So I cleared off the coffee/dinner table (I'm a bachelor, I always eat in front of the TV) and got to work. Hard part first:

 

Two pivot pin detents, two pivot pin springs, and one hex key set. I didn't feel like paying $15 for an installation tool, so I decided to figure it out myself. I'm a frickin' engineer, I can do this!

Eh... the spring popped out at least once, but fortunately I was able to locate it this time around. At least I know there's a spare buried in my bedroom carpet somewhere. It was a pain in the ass, and I was on my last bit of patience when I finally got it installed.

 

 Yea, I was drinking the whole time. It was the 4th of July dammit! Anyway, accessories! I got a new 6 position extension tube to replace the two position tube that was originally on the rifle. Also, check out the Magpul STR! Sexy, ain't it?

And voila! Here we have one completed lower receiver!

Next up: Drop in Picatinny handguards. I didn't get the freefloat rails yet. These were just a cheap pair from Amazon (Prime shipping FTW!) Pretty easy to install, just slap 'em on the handguard ring, tighten down the screws, and voila, accessory time! 

I threw the Magpul pop up sight on there last.

 

Eventually, I'll remove that front sight post, and put a gas block on there, so I can free float the barrel.

And here it is, fully assembled! I have these bulky rubber rail protectors on there, I don't like 'em at all. They make for a terrible grip!

Update: Check these out! $6 for a set of 4 rubber rail protectors. Much lower profile than the previous ones, and comfortable to grip as well.

Spring Cleaning, Rambo Style

So, I had this ammo can of 5.56 M855 ammo laying around. Steel tipped, lead core, full metal jacket on links for use in a M249 SAW.

Unfortunately, I don't have a SAW, so I figured I'd break it all down for use in my M4.

It's not an easy task. Three hours with pliers later though, I had a pile of ammo ready to go!

Ok, not so ready to go... Apparently some moisture got into the ammo can, and the links rusted all over the brass casings. #FML








These are going off to a local acquaintance who has a tumbler. Hopefully with some polishing agent, the rounds will be clean enough to use. Otherwise I'm just going to have to disassemble everything and use it for reloading later on.

Rebuilding the ole girl

Way back when, back at Quantico, it seemed like a great idea to buy an assault rifle! A buddy of mine had built an M4 style carbine for his father as a birthday present. If I recall correctly, dad decided he wanted a shotgun instead.

Being a cool dude, this friend of mine sold the gun to me for practically nothing.

It started out pretty nice. Ergonomic soft rubber grip, ambidextrous mag release, 7" short carbine gas system with molded plastic handguards, a collapsible buttstock, and a flat top Picatinny rail. He even gave me a Blackhawk tactical sling to go with it.

The really big deal? This. The national match bolt carrier group with titanium firing pin. I've shot this gun, and even in my hands it shoots nice tight groups.

Being in Alabama, lonely, and bereft of worthwhile human contact, I lost my damn mind and whipped out my credit card. Soon enough, I had an EOTech EXPS 3-2 holographic weapon sight.

 

I like the 3-2 because it has 2 dots. You zero the center dot for 50 yards, and the lower dot shows you bullet drop at 300 yards. I figured it might come in handy at some point in the future, and it didn't cost any extra.

Then came Picatinny handguards, an el cheapo brand from Amazon, and a Magpul pop up rear sight for the flat top. 

 Then I realized I hate the buttstock on this thing. It's hard plastic, and definitely not comfortable. Off to Magpul again for an STR stock. 

The cool thing about these is that they have two tubular compartments on either side for sticking in AA or other batteries. I keep an extra couple of CR123s in there for the EOTech.

 

Dammit

Women in Alabama are far too nice. It confuses me when a girl is sweet to me on a date, then blows me off.

New York City girls will just blow me off the moment they decide they don't want to wake up next to me in the morning. I like that, I'm a direct to the point sort of guy.