Thanks guys!

[darkvibe]

Originally Posted by KingAirDriver

Now I have to wait for the wife to finish watching Desperate Housewives on the Laptop so I can pull up the AR15.com "How-to" threads.

A little advice after using their guides for my first build.... Their thread has one guide using vice grips to push in roll pins rather than tapping them in with a hammer. I tried it last week. Don't waste your time. It's great in theory but the only scratch I put on my new gun is from the vice grips which were well taped up. IMO use a hammer and proper size punch to do it. It worked better and didn't damage anything.

Also, when you put in the pivot pin detent, do it inside of a plastic bag like a gallon size zip-loc bag. Otherwise you'll likely be without a detent and maybe you're eye. And looking for a chunk of metal the size of a grain of rice in my besement workshop was not fun.

Originally Posted by zac07

here is another how to with more pictures and cruder language lol

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...ht=build+upper

Those pictures are a lot better than the ones on ar15.com.

[mvician]

Originally Posted by darkvibe

A little advice after using their guides for my first build.... Their thread has one guide using vice grips to push in roll pins rather than tapping them in with a hammer. I tried it last week. Don't waste your time. It's great in theory but the only scratch I put on my new gun is from the vice grips which were well taped up. IMO use a hammer and proper size punch to do it. It worked better and didn't damage anything.

Also, when you put in the pivot pin detent, do it inside of a plastic bag like a gallon size zip-loc bag. Otherwise you'll likely be without a detent and maybe you're eye. And looking for a chunk of metal the size of a grain of rice in my besement workshop was not fun.



Those pictures are a lot better than the ones on ar15.com.

I've had better luck with the vice grip method than the hammer/punch

Use a drill bit to make sure the holes are "clean". Hit the roll pins with a quick swipe of fine grit sand paper. Give the starting end of the roll pin a little squeese with the vice grips. Make sure you support the opposite "ear" if you tap the roll pin in for the trigger guard.

[darkvibe]

Originally Posted by mvician

I've had better luck with the vice grip method than the hammer/punch

I saw the guide and thought it was a great idea. Then I proceeded to scratch my brand new lower I also managed to mangle the end of the roll pin in the trigger guard becasue it was being pushed on by the teeth rather than a flat surface even though the jaws were taped up. I had it all but 1/8" in and had to tap it back out and use a new one.

I say use whatever works best for you but also learn from my mistakes

[mvician]

I've used 2 DPMS LPKs and their roll pins are definately not as nice as the ones I used with CMT/Stag, RRA, or Bushmaster LPKs.

[KingAirDriver]

I've got a new baby!! After several weeks of waiting, and a couple hours of labor tonight, the gun stork delivered a bouncing 6 lb, 16" baby boy...I'm naming him "Ay Are," for now, hahaha. Funny thing is that it came out black?! Gonna have to ask the wife who she's been "hanging" around...

I took several pictures, but baby's sleeping in at the other computer (w/digital camera hook-up stuff) so I can't put pix up until tomorrow.

Once again, thanks to you guys who posted those links... I used a combination of the AR15.com thread and the "crude language" thread (thx zac, lol) to put it together. I feel the AR15.com thread was a little more thorough, like how the trigger and hammer actually fit in there. The other thread just says, "Put this spring here, that spring there, and then line up the f'ing holes and put the pins in." I got to that point and was like, "....well shyte." W/O that other thread and its pictures, I probably wouldn't have a rifle tonight!!

Darkvibe, haha, you and I were on the same page! As soon as I realized I was going to be working with teeny tiny springs, I grabbed one of those bags before ever reading your post! Great minds think alike! I also found that a pair hemostats worked well for holding those tiny little pins. On a side note about those pins... I about had a heart attack at the end when I saw a lone pin sitting all by its lonesome!! I knew I hadn't missed anything, but went back to check step by step, and sure enough, it was an extra one. Phew!! It was one of the pins/detent for the takedown and pivot, and I know I got those two bast*rds in. That damn pivot pin...it took FOREVER to get that sucker in there, and when I FINALLY got it in I noticed...I had the REAR takedown pin in instead of the front Pivot pin!! AHHHH!! Thankfully, I hadn't pushed it into place, so I pulled it out and had to spend another LONG time fiddling with it, haha.

I need a wrench for the stock still...forgot about that.

Overall, the rifle feels GREAT! I function checked everything I could think of right now and it all seems to run great and everything fits well. The finish is really nice, too!

One question about the charging handle... after I pull it back, I can push it forward with no resistance and lock it in place...I'm guessing that's normal? I've got a buddy who's a Marine, so I'm gonna have him show me the ins and outs of what's what.

Anyway, I'll get pix up tomorrow sometime probably. Nite!!

[mvician]

One question about the charging handle... after I pull it back, I can push it forward with no resistance and lock it in place...I'm guessing that's normal?

Normal and congrats

another EBR is born !!

[Badshot]

Congrats man... you did your research and then built it yourself.. something to be proud of there.. no matter the color

[darkvibe]

Originally Posted by KingAirDriver

it took FOREVER to get that sucker in there

I bought the installation tool a.k.a. rod with a hole in it.

[mvician]

it gets easier each time
but you still have to watch that detent

[KingAirDriver]

It arrived...



Oooh, goodie! What's in there?! It's like Christmas!!



Getting ready to do my thang... Visualize!!



Finished!!!!!