Gun and knife picture thread!

[JatoTheRipper]

If you want to try a comp that won't break the bank, but gets good reviews, the Strike Industries J Comp is about $40 shipped. It's what's going on the M5 build. Some guys swear by comps, some hate 'em. I've had them on bolt guns, and they damn sure work. But they can be LOUD :mrgreen: (just depends on design), and your spotter will likely hate you if you have one. I ran a combat carbine class with a buddy that brought a damned 14.5" AR with a brake welded on it. I cussed him all day. :lmao:

The J-Comp is nice, but it's not available in SS. I know, I'm being a bit girly here because things must be in the color I desire! :lmao:

Living in SWPA isn't so bad I guess because if you have property no one seems to care if you shoot around here. My friend owns some land close to where I live and he is expanding his personal range to 300 + yards. It should be pretty fun when he is done. Obviously it is by no means long range but it's better than the State 100yd range.

Hpiguy I have a .308 AR built on an Aero Precision M5 receiver set. It has a 20" Faxon fluted barrel with a LuthAr rifle stock. I have an AAC brakeout 51t muzzle device on it. Obviously it is a brake not a compensator but it does help with recoil. If I am shooting off a bench on a bipod it has a decent amount of recoil. Nothing too bad but I started feeling it after 80rds last time I was shooting. Standing offhand recoil is barely noticeable. I shoot almost exclusively suppressed anymore (AAC 7.62SD suppressor) but without the can it is definitely loud because of the brake.

I don't particularly like posting pictures of my evil black rifles on the internet but I feel as if I'm going to have to just so no one thinks I'm full of it.

Actually I did make a mistake earlier in this thread that I noticed while moving my stuff around the other day and wanted to correct. My 1-8 Vortex scope is a Strike Eagle not a Viper.

My AR build is an Aero upper and lower. I'm so impressed with the quality and finish of them. They look damn good - almost like machined billet aluminum.

I'm lucky to hit a target at 100 yards so I'm nowhere near ready for 300 years. :ror: OK I'm not that bad, but I definitely don't feel that I need 300 yards yet. I shoot handguns a lot more often than rifles too.

Hell, I'd love to have 300yds local.

Have you been happy with it? Had any issues at all or anything to watch for?

The J Comp is actually a brake if you read the TTAG reviews. This is for 5.56, but the principle is the same, and brakes of the same design usually do the same or better with more gasses to work with. This is what they had to say about it;

The J-Comp is actually pretty damn awesome. It’s an extremely effective brake, despite exhibiting low concussion, blast, and flash, and it has a simple and classic sort of a design. Machining and finish (note that mine’s a bit beat up on the wrench flats from being installed and removed a half dozen times) are average, but the price is dirt cheap. Although the $16, 3-chamber brake off Amazon beat the J-Comp in performance per dollar in Shootout #1, the J-Comp is leaps and bounds nicer in fit and finish (plus has wrench flats so you can actually install it) and has significantly less concussion/blast. It basically crushes the other ~55 muzzle brake and comps in recoil reduction per dollar.

So I know the difference between a brake and a comp, but are brakes typically quieter or are they also loud?

 

[skybolt]

Shoulda posted this last week, it’s how the son in law and I spend the morning of the 4th.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[stevejr]

Going to try to upload 2 pics of my 1911 I built on the Remington Rand WW2 slide. Caspian frame and .45acp barrel. I got parts as close to what a 1911A1 should look like without getting milsurp parts. Just pics off my cell phone. The finish looks uneven in the pics but that is actually just the oil on the gun being picked up in the sun. Looks much nicer in person.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

eBay has 15% off today if you guys need optics or other gun accessories! PRIMOSALE is the code.

 

[hpiguy]

^^Thanks Tim, saved me $11 on my scope mount! "thumbsup"

I didn't have any real "problems" but I started out with what many people think are required parts on these guns. An adjustable gas block.

In order to keep this short here is what I found with my rifle. If there are 2 o-rings behind the extractor on your bolt take one out. My rifle prefers 7.62 loads not hot .308 loads as it is. It shoots anything accurately but I get some failures to extract with hotter .308 loads even with adjusting the gas block. I really need a heavier rifle buffer. Buffer weight and spring tuning are key especially if using collapsible stocks. The action unlocks too fast without doing this. That is what my rifles problem is.

I bought 500rds of GGG 7.62 ammo and 100rds of PMC XTac 7.62 ammo and neither one cause me any problems with my current setup so I just stick to 7.62 loads and not the hotter .308 stuff. I just punch holes in paper at 200yds or less so I don't need to max out the gun. I can shot right around MOA with it off a bipod so I'm happy. The scope I have is a Primary Arms 4x16 with the ACSS reticle.

Thanks Steve, I really appreciate all the info. The 4th deal falling through was actually a blessing in disguise for me, as I marched over to Aero's site and just ordered almost everything straight from them. Complete M5E1 upper in 18" CMV barrel, their M5 lower build kit, and their carbine buffer setup. I had already ordered a stripped M5 lower from a different vendor. But this way, it's all AP other than the BCG, and charging handle, and I know the BCG I got is good to go with the Aero .308 uppers. It was more money for me, but it'll be a much better build this way, and it will just run with no monkeying around with anything. I did a lot of research (as usual) and wasn't aware that unlike the AR15 platform, there is no standard for the AR10 (I know only Armalite technically can use that name) platform. So little things will bite you, like the fact that an AR15 bolt release will fit, and work, but unless it's a machined piece it'll eventually fail from the extra pressures of the .308 round. I wouldn't have known that. Or the fact that for the Aero lowers, the mag release bolt needs to be a bit longer due to how they reinforce their .308 lowers. Little shit like that would drive me crazy, and the way to solve it is to stick with one quality manufacturer.

I'll run some milsurp 7.62 stuff, but mine will see quite a bit of .308 as well, especially for longer range work. Might get into reloading at this point, as the .308s are expensive to feed. :mrgreen:

The J-Comp is nice, but it's not available in SS. I know, I'm being a bit girly here because things must be in the color I desire! :lmao:

So I know the difference between a brake and a comp, but are brakes typically quieter or are they also loud?

Nothing wrong with that, I'd say most of us are somewhat geared that way. Just depends on the design really. I'd never buy either one without reading some reviews first. I've shot brakes that are brutal for everyone, even the shooter. And some seem to do everything well without any extra felt blast.

 

[stevejr]

I wouldn't worry about shooting .308 loads. My issues were the specific loading I was trying to shoot. I haven't tried any factory .308 loads after my second range trip but I have no doubt it will shoot them. I was only getting one FT Extract per 40+ rds. I just had to drop the mag hit the bolt closed and charge. The casing would come right out. No mortaring or anything.

Your research is exactly what I found when I started looking to build. Another part of the Aero parts kit that is nice are the longer takedown and pivot pins. Regular ones will work but won't come the whole way through like you are used to. I did have 1 issue with their LPK. The forward assist was out of spec. They supposedly got a bad batch of them and were sending out good ones if people wanted. I had one laying around so I didn't bother having them send me one.

My upper/lower, lower parts kit (minus the trigger), buffer/tube/spring, and BCG are Aero parts. The lower is actually a special Aero American Sniper lower.

The barrel is from Faxon. The charging handle is an AXTS marked Raptor (radian makes them now). The adjustable gas block and handguard are from SLR rifleworks. I have a Geissele G2S trigger in it. My stock is a LuthAR rifle stock. Muzzle device is a 51t AAC brakeout as I said earlier

I'll try to take a picture tomorrow and post it.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

I ordered an Apex Tactical enhanced action trigger kit with aluminum trigger for my M&P Pro last night on eBay using the 15% off coupon. That should be a fun, new project. I hope it's not too frustrating.

So let me start off by saying I'm picky. As an engineer it's kind of my job to be picky. But I don't think I'm unreasonable. I want to know what you guys think.

After lots of research and reading all the good about Tandemkross I ordered one of their red Victory triggers for my Ruger 22/45. The first one came with a nick in the trigger and the anodizing had dark streaks on one side. It's also not the best machining job I've ever seen, but not a huge deal. I contacted them via email about the nick and the anodizing and they sent me a replacement no questions asked. The replacement trigger I received doesn't have the nicks, but it does still have the streaks. This looks like shit to me and no job I've been at would accept this from vendors. Sorry my photos aren't the best. What do you guys think?




I also ordered a red dot mount for my 22/45. The mount is really nice, but he sent these screws along with the mount. They are obviously cut down and not very cleanly. It looks like he gnawed on them with a dull hacksaw. He could have at least finished the threads off with a die or even a nut. These screws are difficult to get started and then when you do they quickly tighten up because the screws are messed up. I'm not going to force them into my gun and strip the barrel. I mean come on. I'd be embarrassed to send this to my customers if I had a business.

 

[hpiguy]

^^I personally would not accept either of those items. Then again, I'm the guy that will turn around and take drive through food back for a refund if it's shit quality too. It's a principle thing.

 

[hpiguy]

LGS called and said this was waiting on me. :mrgreen: They also tipped me off to a somewhat local private range after talking to them for a while. I really hate the public ranges here, they're truly cringe worthy.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

^^I personally would not accept either of those items. Then again, I'm the guy that will turn around and take drive through food back for a refund if it's shit quality too. It's a principle thing.

So it's not just me. A lot of people would accept this. I got an email response from them that has me blown away. It reads:

"Im sorry to see you arent happy with them. They all had a minor amount of streaking on them and we have brought it to the attention of the product team for follow up with the anodizer. We picked you out the best one we had!"

So you know the anodizing sucks, but you shipped them out to customers anyway?! :shock:

LGS called and said this was waiting on me. :mrgreen: They also tipped me off to a somewhat local private range after talking to them for a while. I really hate the public ranges here, they're truly cringe worthy.

Sweet! Aero stuff really is sexy. "thumbsup"

 

[stevejr]

So it's not just me. A lot of people would accept this. I got an email response from them that has me blown away. It reads:

"Im sorry to see you arent happy with them. They all had a minor amount of streaking on them and we have brought it to the attention of the product team for follow up with the anodizer. We picked you out the best one we had!"

So you know the anodizing sucks, but you shipped them out to customers anyway?! :shock:



Sweet! Aero stuff really is sexy. "thumbsup"

I will be honest with you Jato that I agree with a caveat. If it is for a "nice" gun I would not accept the trigger. Do it right or sell it as a blem. If it is for something I plan on hammering the crap out of then I would not care as long as it functioned and it was sold at a reduced price.

The screws I would not accept under any circumstances if I was paying for them. If you can't get a good resolution from that company on the screws obviously Brownells or Midwest Gun Works should have what you need. Sucks to have to buy screws yourself but doing it right is its own reward.

HPI I am glad to see you may have a lead on a range but I find all the private ranges and clubs around me are never taking new members. And the best part is no one ever uses the ranges. Here is a pic of my M5 American Sniper edition Aero lower. More pics in the next post

 

[stevejr]

Here are some quick and dirty pics of my .308 Aero build. Sorry for the shadows and cell phone quality. I don't have a good digital camera.

Can On

 

[JatoTheRipper]

I will be honest with you Jato that I agree with a caveat. If it is for a "nice" gun I would not accept the trigger. Do it right or sell it as a blem. If it is for something I plan on hammering the crap out of then I would not care as long as it functioned and it was sold at a reduced price.

The screws I would not accept under any circumstances if I was paying for them. If you can't get a good resolution from that company on the screws obviously Brownells or Midwest Gun Works should have what you need. Sucks to have to buy screws yourself but doing it right is its own reward.

HPI I am glad to see you may have a lead on a range but I find all the private ranges and clubs around me are never taking new members. And the best part is no one ever uses the ranges. Here is a pic of my M5 American Sniper edition Aero lower. More pics in the next post

Sweet builds! I love that lower. I assume that was limited edition, correct?

He already said he's going to send me new screws, but I'm going shooting tomorrow and I wanted the optic mounted then. So now I have to try to source 6-48 screws locally or 6-48 nuts or a die so I can re-thread the screws.

I installed the trigger because, again, I want to go shooting tomorrow. But it says a lot to me about their quality if this is acceptable. They offered me another red trigger, but the anodizing is much darker than it's supposed to be. So that, to me, is also a blem. I'm going to respond and tell them I installed it and plan on using it tomorrow, but I either want a partial refund because I purchased a blem or I'll wait for them to send me a corrected trigger down the road.

 

[stevejr]

Yes that lower was a limited edition run done by Aero a few years ago. It was sold in conjunction with AmericanSnipers.org to raise money for gear and stuff for snipers and designated marksmen that are deployed. I only have the lower but there is an upper that goes with it. I think people still sell them on places like GunBroker but at a premium.

I know the ace hardware near me has a small section of gunsmithing screws. They also have some odd ball dies so if you have one close maybe they can help.

 

[ferp420]

LGS called and said this was waiting on me. :mrgreen: They also tipped me off to a somewhat local private range after talking to them for a while. I really hate the public ranges here, they're truly cringe worthy.

Nice did you ever finnish it any idea how they compair to the 80% arms version i got one and dont have any plans to finnish it cause cali is being jacks about anything resembaling a ar and i know some one is gona come looking for it some day so just better to leave it in its box lol



I cant confirm or deni having finnished the other 80% lowers i bought



Spent brass makes realy nice wheel hubs lol 38 and .40

 

[hpiguy]

Nice did you ever finnish it any idea how they compair to the 80% arms version i got one and dont have any plans to finnish it cause cali is being jacks about anything resembaling a ar and i know some one is gona come looking for it some day so just better to leave it in its box lol



I cant confirm or deni having finnished the other 80% lowers i bought



Spent brass makes realy nice wheel hubs lol 38 and .40

Nah, still waiting on the rest of the parts to arrive in the mail. I've never tried the 80% stuff. It seems fun, but time consuming.

 

[CODYBOY]

Ok guys, looking for some help/advise. I would like to buy a hand gun to take with us in our motorhome when we travel. I have a 22 single action revolver that has 2 cylinders, so I can shot magnums or long rifle. I don't have a lot of knowledge of hand guns, but wanted to upgrade to a little higher caliber,would maybe like to get a 9mm that won't break the bank. I know this is a pretty vague question but it is a good starting point for me.
Thanks for your help!
Ernie

Just want to do a little up date on this info request I posted last month.

After getting some great suggestions and pointers from you guys and a whole bunch of research I bought a Glock 43 today. Like Jato, my hands aren't the biggest and the 43 is single stack clips so it fits my hand pretty good! Going to go shoot it tomorrow. I found it used with low miles:ror: and got it for under $400!
Thanks for all the help!!! And High Plains Drifter, I will have it with me on our trip so maybe we can do some plinking this fall! "thumbsup"

Ernie

 

[hpiguy]

Congrats!! A Taran Tactical +1 base plate, and rubber Talon grips really help me shoot my 43 better. My 43 is probably my favorite handgun.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Talon grips are a MUST on the G43 IMO. I sweat a lot and that little sucker gets slippery. I shot my G43 a little on Friday and I like it more than I remember and I was actually hitting the target. :ror:

I went to the range to shoot my updated Ruger 22/45. This is the first time I've made internal upgrades or modifications to a gun. This project seems plagued from the start to finish.



Ruger branded Tandemkross Halo - for easier/faster racking
Tandemkross Victory trigger - anodizing issue explained in an early post. Still haven't heard back from Tandemkross after I called them out for admitting to sending me blems.
Maddmac's Viper mount - roughly cut and unfinished screws as detailed on this thread. Replacements were finished nicely. Mount itself is beautiful.
Stoner CNC - grips for looks, honestly. They are unfortunately thicker than the stock grips and I'm not sure if I'm 100% sold on the look of this pattern.
Vortex Viper - very odd and annoying locking system on the elevation and windage adjustment screws. Windage screw seems disconnected and doesn't do anything. I emailed Vortex and they told me to call them. I called and they said it was operator error and explained what I was doing wrong. I'm not buying it, but I'll try again. After that called I got an email response saying I should send it back so they can fix it. :lmao:

Saturday we took a ride up to Cabela's because I have gift cards to spend. I was looking at the Glock 19 Gen 5, S&W M&P 2.0 Compact 9mm, and the Canik TP9SFx. I left undecided. I was supposed to go crawling on Sunday, but it rained so back to Cabela's we went.

I decided on the S&W M&P 2.0 Compact. I couldn't be happier with my decision after shooting it today. It fits my hand even better than my full-size M&P Pro and it shoots better. The M&P series has made me a huge S&W fan. Glocks just don't fit my hand well. The Canik will probably be my next gun. I ordered some TFX Pro sights for it since Cabela's only had the standard 3-dot sights which aren't bad, but also not the easiest to see in low lighting.

 

[durok]

Maybe I'm being shallow, but I love the custom grips on that Ruger .22!

...and the Tandemkross Halo, too.

Good thing I am not currently making money or living out in the country somewhere, because I'd be seriously tempted to go out and pick one of those up!