Luke E.

Tack driver is what I'm most interested in and I want 800yds and really would like to reach out to 1,000Yds+ but I'm not sure that I'm willing to go with a long enough barrel to achieve the latter. I have read where quite a few folks with 1 or more 6.5's have stated 18 1/2 - 20" is the sweet spot In barrel length but I'd rather not base my purchase of an expensive barrel on statements made by an unknown "authority" ya know.

   Hahaha I suspect i'll go on the same diet even though i'll be building it over time. Can't wait to see yours together!

   I guess that kinda blended in with the from scratch lower. Rather than fill out the form for your tax stamp to purchase a suppressor I would like to be able to manufacture my own suppressor but it still requires a stamp which comes with the same long wait that buying one from a shop comes with. Kinda goes along with the machining a lower thing, Just something to be said for doing it yourself.

   If I still had credit cards I would be in the same boat. My income is not even close to what it once was so i'ts probably a good thing. I think i'm going to focus on anything 6.5 specific as soon as possible and I figure even if things got weird again, I could work out the rest. I'm adding in a little finger crossing for safe measure.

 Machining equipment is tough to buy. When I started looking I was interested in the mini-small machines to make smaller motorcycle parts on but as you look and get deeper into it you find that you are no longer looking at the mini to small sizes and heck you're not even looking at medium sizes, you're looking at full blown commecial machines.. Once I got myself back under control I ended up with medium (or what I consider medium) machines. I decided that I really didn't want to fool with 3phase so that drew a line in the sand right off the bat and helped to keep me focused on machines in my price range. Like I mentioned above, I've never gotten these set up but part of me is still afraid that i'm going to wish for a little more. I am itching to get it all going and even more ready to fill out forms to build my own can and eventually a lower from scratch.

   The glass is whats going to get me,,, I know i'm going to get the urge to skimp a bit but i'd really like to pick up something in the $1,500 range.

  I wish I was in a position to start ordering right now but i've got to many irons in the fire at the moment, finishing fencing, wiring electric for mama's hot tub I picked up for her this week and in the middle of the upstairs remodel among other small things so I think i'm putting it lightly when I say I would get some looks if gun parts started showing up again right now.

  I was guessing around $1,800-$1,900 before glass but was afraid I was being to conservative. Good to know I wasn't to far off.

   Hopefully they are all to preoccupied..... right.?.?

A Harbor Freight mill is still a mill and for occasional recreational use such as finishing a lower from time to time would be just fine. The problem is with a drill press (unless you have a large and in most cases expensive) is the column is only made to handle downward pressure and even then some have a fair bit of play. When you start introducing side to side pressure on them, not only do you have free play to contend with but you also have a fair bit of column flex and between the flex and free play you have no way to ensure that you stick with the dimensions. The tooling will cut through the jig about as easy as it will the receiver. This doesn't address accelerated wear on the machine. I'm in no way saying that you cannot turn out a functional lower using a light drill press but it will take great time and patience and even then, I have seen quite a number of people that have ruined lowers in the process. I wish everyone the best of luck with the process and the offer to use my place to finish them is still out there.

Pulling it off with a $100 drill press will be the tough part. I'm not saying it can't be done but there's usually a lot more flex involved with even fairly expensive drill presses than most can deal with. I've seen the videos showing ruined lowers. I guess one would just have to be mighty careful.

Nothing before now but it is an awesome looking rifle! I think you should go ahead and buy one before we meet up at the range again  :up:

As far as the Lee dies go, Most of the ammo I have run through it so far has been made with LEE dies and without any issues but I have also seen where others have had problems on other boards. I do have a set of RCBS dies and the .311" expander ball for cast bullets as Dolomite mentioned earlier and after experiencing the great customer service at RCBS I will likely use their products from here on out.

 I went with a 7 twist CMMG barrel with pistol length gas and an adjustable gas block. So far I have fed it 220gr subs and 125, 150 and 155gr supers and it has digested all of it just fine. For me it was the only way to go because I wanted to be able to shoot whatever ammo I felt like shooting without having cycling issues. 

   I have a lathe and a mill but I have never set them up due to getting married and moving away from my shop. I've got a nice converted milk barn (concrete floor in one room and carpet in the other as well as sheet rocked walls etc...) but due to it being on the backside of the property and being worried about thieves, i've never felt comfortable moving expensive machines and tools into it before. Last week I picked up a security system for the shop so as soon as I get it wired up I will start moving equipment in. I probably am not going to be finishing out any 80% lowers anytime soon but if I have it all set up by the time you and others get ready to finish out your lowers, you're more than welcome to use my place and machines to do the work.   

   In all honesty, the rifle I build out of the TGO receivers will be my first "pretty" gun. Outside of a couple shotguns given to me by my uncle all of my guns are well used and not being saved for the next man. 

   I wasn't saying that over tightening was the definitely the cause, only that it made sense enough to check.

   Ha, I guess you missed the thread I started in show & tell in which I unveiled one of my AR's that I had just finished rattle canning. 

   Now Dustbuster is doing some thinking! Makes sense to me. If Dustbuster's idea doesn't do the trick, a bit of light dremel work to the back side of the selector would take care of it and not leave any visible sign.

   Well thanks a lot!, I've never had any trouble with this before but now that I know there is the potential if I choose not to take precautions I will certainly loose a spring and detent..  :rofl:  Anyways, that's a great idea!

 I like the idea of having a numberless gun but it would be awful hard to spend the money on an 80%, jig and whatever tooling needed when you could snag one of these for $75 http://www.surplusammo.com/aero-precision-x-15-stripped-ar15-lower-receiver-new-1/ .

Could probably pay for a membership and post it in the classifieds and i'm sure you would get an offer.. Who knows, it may bring enough to cover a good portion of your membership fee and next time would be in the bonus. 

I sprayed one of mine a little while back and it looks very similar to yours. I think yours turned out quite well. I didn't use Krylon brand paint but I have shot mine 3 times since painting it and it all seems to be holding up well so far painted barrel and all. I hope yours works out the same.

I do good to surf around the forum and others places to find what I need but that's about the extent of me computer knowledge. I've never used photoshop so I'm not your man for this task.

To me it would be the upper that would cause the most weirdness when sandwiched between a slew of retro M16 parts. Every billet upper I've seen is thicker in strategic areas in order to stiffen it up.