Tinker Tinker

I've tried all the rifle length handguards on Dissipator Dottie!

First is the round A2 style that came with the upper:

Then a set of USGI A2 handguards that look so similar to the ones that came with I can't tell the pictures apart!

I tried out an M5 RAS:

I was happy with reproduction triangle A1 style:

Now I'm trying out the Magpul:

I've long liked how the Magpul handguards have felt, I don't even mind how they look.  The rifle length is a bit too long for where I want my light, but it's workable on the other side.

ARs are, indeed, Lego for men.

Connected

Top to bottom: Glock 17 Gen 2, Glock 21 Gen 2, Glock P80 (Gen 3 guts).

All the unmarked "5.5 lb." connector.

The 17.2 has a 6 lb. 8 oz. pull, the 21.2 has a 3 lb. 12 oz. pull, the P80 has a 6 lb. 13 oz. pull.

Go figure.

Worse But Better

Marv took to polishing the parts on his new Glock and got the trigger pull from 7.5 lb. to 8 lb.!

But it's BETTER.

No more creepy, gritty take up and the break is crisp and in the same place every time.

I think Tam wrote a whole thing about a heavier, but crisp trigger being preferable to a light one; but I can't find it.  My search-foo is failed.

Retention

Got my retainer washers in.

First, there don't seem to be SAE retainer washers.  All I could find was metric for the Ø0.180" tube...

I figured 4 or 5 mm would do, and ended up with a 750 piece set with retainer washers from 2mm to 12mm.

The Ø5mm x 14mm OD was too big.  The flange caught on the barrel and it bent in such a way as to stop being a retainer washer.

Ø5mm x 12mm OD is just right!

Now I have a 748 piece set that I will probably never use again!

Update:  I have tried the Brownell's Retro triangle, vintage triangle, USGI A2, Palmetto's more oval A2 style and Magpul's MOE handguards.  All of them fit just fine!  Though vintage triangle handguards are just a little longer than the other types, requiring a LOT more effort on the slip-ring to get them off and on; but that's true of the M16A1 clone they live on too!

Fake Tube

Palmetto State Armory used a screw they epoxy'd into the gas tube hole of the front sight base to hold the handguard cap.

Because it interfered with triangle handguards, I tried removing it and created a "would not screw back in" condition.

So I ordered a pistol gas tube and cut it down to provide a block to rotation at the handguard cap.

A longer gas tube would have been better because it would have been straight here.

No matter!  Thag have hammer!

Now there's a stub of a gas tube to help hold the cap steady.  There's a washer-like slip on fastener that I cannot recall the name of that would be perfect for holding the cap forward...  As soon as I remember what they're called I will order some.

Update: Retaining washer!

Kinda neat looking in the cooling holes and seeing gastubisinterruptus.

Wile E Coyote school of gunsmithing for the win!

Lightning Link

Dun dun dun!

Legally, that's a machine gun and if you didn't spend $200 and get one made, and registered, before May 19, 1986; you're breaking the law.

So...

DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME IN THE REAL WORLD!

But we're talking about GURPS and Twilight: 2000 where the government has, largely, collapsed and even where it hasn't little to no effort is given to gun control.

To make one you need Armoury/TL7 (Small Arms).  A successful roll gets you one that converts most semi-auto AR-15's to full-auto only.  Change Rof from 3 to 13!.  Also change malf to 16.

A critical success means you don't have to change the malf.

You can also eliminate the malf penalty by fitting the link to the gun, Armoury/TL7 (Small Arms) -5, or by spending the extra time during manufacture to create a fine (reliable) version.

$50, neg. for Malf 16 version.

$100, neg. for Malf 17 version.

$250, neg. no Malf version.

DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME!

9/- To 13

You find yourself in Poland, near Kalisz, in the year 2000 and your commander has just said, "Good luck, you're on your own," just before a big explosion takes out the TOC...

After a few days of dodging Soviets and marauders you decide you're fed up with the 3-round burst mode of your M4.

You remember your dad talking about how they got authorization, during the Gulf War to "bend" something in the fire control parts that disabled the burst and allowing full-auto fire.

What are you going to bend?

Well, dad doesn't know the whole story.

The fast way to remove the burst mode is to remove the burst interrupter, but that will let the normal interrupter to slide too far left to right in the trough in the trigger, giving a Malf of 16 in full auto fire.

Inserting a spacer the same thickness as the burst interrupter solves this issue.

If you're never going to put the 3-round back in, you can use the burst interrupter as the spacer by simply filing off both hooks.

Knowing this and doing this is Armoury/TL8 (Small Arms).  If you don't have this skill, the default is Engineering/TL8 (Small Arms) -5 or Guns/TL8 (Rifle) -5.

But there's another way!

If there's an M16, M16A1, M4A1, C7, C8, C8A1, or L119A1 laying around that's deadlined for some reason besides the fire control group; you swap all the trigger and hammer parts between them and et voila!

This will give a +3 to your Armoury/TL8 (Small Arms) roll because it's so much simpler. 

Please note that none of this will change a semi-automatic civilian version of an AR to a select fire weapon.

For that you need to do some drilling (and machining with some lower receivers).  That's an Armoury/TL8 (Small Arms) roll at -2 because of the precision required in modifying the lower receiver.  Then you toss the semi-auto hammer-trigger-sear parts and plop in the full-auto or burst parts.

Even if you make a drop-in auto-sear with an Armoury/TL8 (Small Arms) you're still going to need the full-auto or burst parts.

Changing semi-auto parts into full auto parts requires adding material to the parts and some finesse.  Armoury/TL8 (Small Arms) -5 and appropriate tools are required.

Neutering full auto parts to delete select fire is Armoury/TL8 (Small Arms) +5.

Doing all of this legally...  If you already own a legally registered machine gun, you can swap parts to your heart's content.

If you don't have a legally owned machinegun, the police will want to have a chat and you will be booking a room in one of the worst hotels on the planet for an extended stay.

In the world of Twilight: 2000, all bets are off!  There's a slim chance of coming back under control of the chain of command who will object to modifications you've made to your issued weapon.

Heavy Enough

I worried that the Savage 110E's trigger was too light.

So I dug it out, dusted it off and rapped the buttstock against the ground.

The safety is lighter than the trigger and engages before the gun has a chance to go off.

Not a a comprehensive assurance of safety, but safed against the most common chance of an accidental bang.

Getting Old

I was going to take some pictures comparing the guts of several Glock 17 magazines.

After struggling with the floorplates for a bit...

I wonder if someone made a tool that made it easy.

Otis does!

I am admitting my age and infirmities with this purchase of their 8-in-1 pistol and magazine disassembly kit for Glock.  Under $35 delivered!

To Mod Or Not

Now that I've found that I am not suffering from Temporal Inertia, more commonly known as the Mandela Effect, and I know that Gen 1 Glock 17's did come with a hole for the lanyard like I remember...

The Lipsey's Glock 17 Gen 1 Classic doesn't have the hole.

Should I modify one to have the hole?

Willard and I have often mentioned that people modify their guns without regard to future collectors and here I am...  Considering making a small modification to make it more like the gun I remember owning.

It'd be making a clone of the gun I used to have from a clone of the model I used to own.

This is getting oddly meta.

A Project

A long, LONG, time ago...

Willard asked me about installing a bayonet lug on an M1 carbine.

When we found out that the front sight needed pressed off we kind of forgot about it.

I stumbled across a pic of an early configuration M1 carbine with a 30-round magazine in it and it reminded me.

So I went out to see what it WOULD take to updated it to the late configuration that's mostly associated with Korea.

Front-barrel band and bayonet lug is $29.

Rear sight is $35.

The tools to remove and install the sights are $100.

Plus taxes and shipping.

Then there's the, mandatory, M4 bayonet:  $150 to $900 depending on vintage and maker.

What amuses me about the project is how many people were converting their carbines from the later configuration to match the WW2 one.

Mil Spec vs Commercial

I remember talking with New Jovian Thunderbolt when he took a 1911 armorer's class and his talking about fitting parts to a gun.

I was reminded of:

D-P-355a 3.3.2 states, "Interchangeability. Unless otherwise specified on the drawings, all parts shall be interchangeable. Pistols and repair parts shall be capable of meeting the interchangeability tests specified in 4.3.3.4 and 4.4.4 (In normal assembly operations there shall be no objections interposed to preferential assembly of parts provided that all parts are dimensionally acceptable.)"

One thing, in particular stuck out and that was the ejector.  It's retained by a notch in the ejector by a pin in the frame.

He described all the careful measuring to properly locate and align that notch in a virgin ejector.

In the Army TM the procedure was to secure the frame in a drill press, install the ejector and drill it in place; effectively using the existing hole in the frame as a fixture.

I am often curious about parts interchange among all the 1911 clones out there.

I know I've watched a lot of vids about how to fit a safety because I'm considering changing the style on my .38 Super.  The safety is one of the drop-in parts on a mil-spec M1911A1.

Software Janitor has spoken of fitting a barrel to a slide once or twice. 

Speaking Of Weight

Changing from A2 handguards and an aluminum USGI magazine to the M5 RAS and a gen 3 PMAG adds 13.2 ounces to an M16A4.

That's a bit of an abbreviation.

That's an M5 RAS, 2x 5-rib panels, 1x 11-rib panel, some Magpul rail cover and a vertical grip.

The bare RAS should only add 7 oz.  But that'd leave your hands exposed to the cheese-grater effect of the p-rails.

Can't Spell Barbie Without AR

I moved the M5 RAS over to Dottie because it looks cool and Valentine will be rocking the Brownell's A2 handguards that came with the barrel.

 

 If I need a War On Terror A4 clone, it only takes a couple minutes to switch back.

This puts Valentine more in the form of a Twilight: 2000 version since the RAS doesn't come out until after November 1997.  The NSN is issued in February 1998.  Technically, some might be around, but...

I almost said they were in the blast that takes out Kennedy Space Center, but I remembered they were in Vero Beach back then, not Titusville, like today.

Dress Up For Men

I decided to see how the M5 RAS would look on Dottie.

Pretty good!

If Valentine wasn't my M16A4 clone that required it, I might be tempted to leave it on despite this adding 1.3 lb. to the mass; for a total of 9.9 lb.

This "let's swap the handguards for a picture" turned into an adventure.

The allen screw that holds the handguard cap on blocks the nose of the top half of the RAS from seating.  Plus, it didn't want to unscrew. 

The front sight base is not threaded.  They gave it some epoxy and hammered it into the gas tube hole.

Lazy.

I pried it out and took my pics.

It's not needed to hold the handguards in place, it just makes getting them on easier.

Return To Starting Positions

 

Idle hands and all.

Looking at the pics I decided I liked the original configuration better so I put the A1 upper back on Linda.

It was the triangle handguard photo that did it.

I'd have spent more money on a set of triangle handguards if I'd left it alone.

Then I'd have been upset about the A2 flash-hider.

Then I'd have obsessed over the forward assist and needed to find an R605 upper.

Then I'd have noticed the trap-door stock.

It would never have ended.

But the original configuration looks cool and I can call it done today without changing anything!

Because Knotheaded

Took the PSA supplied handguards out of the storage bin I tossed them in when I grumbled at the quality.

I just can't give up on some things.

The reason they didn't fit well is because whomever was supposed to clean them up coming out of the mold did a bad job at the breech end.

A couple minutes with a knife and the plastic parts fit together like they're supposed.

This is something I've been doing with plastic models forever, so it was a no brainer to check.  Odd that I didn't until now...

So the USGI A2 handguards are back in the bin and the slightly oval ones are back on the Dissy.  I kinda like the slightly chonkier look of them.

I've read that the more oval pattern of "A2" grips comes from Canada's later versions of the C7 rifle.  They did theirs in green.

Dissy Comparo Updated

Ten years ago, Willard made himself a Dissipator too!

 

His upper came from Spike's Tactical.  My lower did!

I noticed they do things a little different from Palmetto State Armory.

They used a little stub of a gas-tube to keep the handguard cap from spinning.  The lighter barrel profile forward of the gas block also shaves about two ounces.

 

PSA uses an allen head screw.

What that means is USGI triangle handguards won't quite fit in the handguard cap.  A little bit of carving should allow them to work, though.

The quality of the handguards that come from PSA is disappointing.

Happily, I had a set that came with the upper I used making my M16A4 clone.  Much better fit.  Bonus!  They're 2.2 oz. lighter as well!

Something I've noticed about dissies in general and mid-length dissipators in particular is that they come and go as a stocking item.

There's long gaps where nobody makes one then someone will get brave and put a run up for sale and it takes forever to sell them.

Willard, as I recall, got his on sale from AIM Surplus.  Mine was deeply discounted in the Easter sale.  They're out of stock now.
 

You Need To Tell Me WHY!

I watched this so you don't have to.

He shows you the "reverse Hi-Power" method of taking a 1911 apart, but never once explains why you should deviate from the Holy text of John Moses Browning (PBUH).

The proper, or GI, method of taking one apart relieves the recoil spring so you're not fighting it all the time.

The why, that he never mentions, is belled muzzles and extra tight barrel bushings.  He thinks he explained it by showing how tight his was, but he didn't explain.

In my mind fighting the spring once is the way to go and moving the slide slightly to the rear to disengage the bushing and barrel from their fitted positions and then rotating the bushing is better.

Wait until you lock up the barrel link in the dust cover trying to put it back together his way and you'll see what I mean.  Assuming you could get the gun back apart to try again.

Doing The Maintenance

Gotta take 'em apart and give 'em some love every once and a while.

Doing Willard's Model 69 .44 Combat Magnum because I have the tools and a "clean" workspace.

Also done was the bear slayer, 329PD.