AR-15; the progeny of genius.

[xl_target]

Attachment point for H&K style spring snap sling hook for single point sling mounting.


The Magpul STR stock allows multiple sling attachment points and offers storage compartments.
It offers five positions and has a friction lock to prevent wobble.
The butt pad is replaceable with several different thicknesses available, to further adjust the length of pull.


The paddle on the top left is the bolt release. It is usually released by slapping it with the palm of the hand.


Standard A2 style flash hider.


The Front Sight Base/Gas Block also servers as an attachment point for the bayonet lug and the front sling loop.


The Nikon P223 with the Nikon AR mounts.


with a reticle matched to a 16" barreled AR-15 carbine.
Using Nikon's Spot-on program,
you can get the correct value for the hash marks on the BDC, depending on the type of ammo you are using.


The ejection port (dust cover) in the closed position.


Here you can see the teeth on the Bolt Carrier that the Forward Assist uses to close the bolt (I haven't needed it yet)


The standard AR-15 safety is not ambidextrous but it does display the condition of the firearm on the right hand side.
The Magpul MOE pistol grip offers a storage compartment in the base.
The Magpul trigger guard offers easy use of a gloved finger. It is sometimes called a winter trigger guard.


Water resistant battery storage (for lights and optics) are included under the cheek rest on each side.


Right hand battery cover removed. It allows the storage of CR123a or AA batteries

[TC]

More AR porn with technical details !! WOW

TC

[prashantsingh]

Thanks xl
Couldn't log on , past couple of days.
Realised what I had missed.
Congratulatons on fabricating such a beautiful rifle.

[Kittu]

hi vinod ji
what that part is and what is function of that part

[xl_target]

That is called a "Forward Assist".
If for some reason, the bolt does not close all the way, the rifle will not fire.
This could be caused by a lack of lubrication or carbon, grit, sand, etc in the upper receiver.

This Forward Assist (sometimes called a Bolt Assist) is spring loaded and it catches on grooves machined on the side of the bolt carrier, when pushed in. If the bolt does not close fully, you can use this to assist the bolt to the fully closed position (thus allowing the rifle to fire).
It is usually struck sharply with the heel of the hand to ensure the the bolt cams into the barrel extension and that the extractor slips over the rim of the cartridge.


In this photo, you can see the grooves machined into the side of the bolt carrier.
When the "Forward Assist" is moved forward, it engages those grooves and forces the bolt forward into battery.


This is what a forward assist assembly looks like.
You can see the tooth (called the pawl) that catches the grooves cut into the bolt carrier.


image from HERE
This is how it fits into the upper receiver. it is held captive by the spring pin inserted in the hole that you can see.

The very early M16's did not have one. The were added to later ones.

These early Forward Assist devices had a teardrop shaped head.

Modern ones have a round head, like mine.

[Baljit]

Hello guy's.

First of all let me apologize for delay.In last couples of weeks I was very busy with my work and at home.Now the winter is over and weather is worm all ready.After winter it's always some thing to do in the back yard.
Today I have some time so I thought I should post some thing for all of you guy's.
Here is all of those pictures which I took it during the time I build my lower receiver.

This is my working table,where I most of the time works on my toys.


Here is my DPMS Lower Receiver.


Guy's I have to apologize here again because I accidentally delete few pictures.I took those pictures when I installed mag release in the receiver.
I like to say one more thing here,we have so many options to start work on the lower receiver.I start with installing the mag release first.
In next pictures you guy's can see mag release all ready installed in the receiver.


Now in my next step, I am going to installed Magpul trigger guard.






Now you guy's can see mag catch and trigger guard in there place.


After I installed mag catch and trigger guard, I realised that I need extra hand for further build.So I use lower receiver vise block.


In next pictures you guy's can see I mount my lower receiver on the vise so I can work on my receiver.


In my next step I am going to installed bolt release.As you guy's can see in next picture I already start roll pin.


Before I go further I put tape on my receiver because I do not like to leave any marks on the receiver.


IN next picture you guy's can see I all ready installed bolt release spring, plunger and bolt release,also you guy's can see I use allean key from other side to hold bolt release to keep hole in the line with roll pin.




Here bolt release in place.


After I installed bolt release my next step is to installed Magpul B.A.D.Lever (Battery Assist Device).This device allow manipulation of AR bolt release using the trigger finger,without requiring the shooter to remove there hand from fire control.




Here after I finish installing the BAD Lever from different angles.






I will post more pictures tomorrow,in the mean time enjoy

Baljit

[xl_target]

Looking good Baljit!

[xl_target]

While we're waiting for Baljit to finish his build, I thought I would post some AR related articles to keep us occupied.

I did mention that the barrel on my rifle was made by FNM (FN Manufacturing) which is the US subsidiary of FN Herstal of Belgium.
FN now has the contract to make rifles and machine guns (M16, M4 and M240, M249) for the US Armed Forces.

I came across this story when I was researching FN's barrel making process. While informative, there are also some touching anecdotes in there.

FN Manufacturing: Making Sure They Go Bang. Every Time
By Nick Leghorn on August 15, 2013

Here a soldier from the US 2nd Infantry Division (a.k.a 2ID or Indianhead) wields an FN made machine gun.

In my time as a writer for TTAG, I’ve toured my share of manufacturing facilities. From the small-time operations like the scrappy pre-Freedom Group AAC (when it was still under Kevin Brittingham) which looked only a little larger than my parent’s garage, to the sprawling operation that is Leupold & Stevens’ operation in Beaverton, Oregon. After you see a couple, they all start to look the same. The same machines, the same floor layout, the same processes…it gets hard to distinguish what makes one manufacturer any better than the others. But for FN Manufacturing (FNM), the plant that makes FN guns in the U.S., the difference is something they shout from the rooftops: their people . . .


Harry Taylor has been working with FN Manufacturing for thirty-two years. In that time, he’s done many jobs at the plant. From machine setup technician to supervisor, Harry’s done it all. His favorite assignment, though, was working on the M240B production line — making the .30 caliber replacement for the US military’s aging M60 machine gun. The reason he enjoyed the job so much wasn’t that the work was particularly fun, but because he knew the guns were going to be protecting American lives.

He’d been in the Army himself, honorably discharged just before coming to work for FN Manufacturing. He knew exactly what it meant to rely on a firearm to defend your life and he was determined to give the new generation of soldiers a firearm that could be relied on to go bang every time.

That kind of mindset is pervasive throughout the plant. FN Herstal started in 1889 as an alliance of Belgian arms makers that banded together to service a large contract from the Belgian government. That business eventually expanded to selling firearms to the arsenals of Europe. When John Browning joined their ranks, they became aware of a growing commercial market in the U.S. It wasn’t until the 1970s that FN Herstal began exploring the possibility of establishing a plant to produce “sporting arms” for the American public. However winning a contract to produce M240 machine guns for the U.S. military accelerated these plans and FNM was established in 1978.

The ranks of FNM’s workforce quickly swelled thanks to additional military contracts and became a workforce heavily laced with retired military personnel. With each of those former military workers came the experience they gained in the service, and the knowledge that the guns they make could be sent to help their brothers still in uniform. It gave them a clear purpose.

The best illustration comes from the testing range. FNM has a 100-meter firing range in the rear of the facility where they test all their guns to ensure that they meet the military’s standards. The M16, which FN Manufacturing has produced for ages, is required to keep to a 5-inch circle at 100 meters for ten consecutive rounds. While I watched from behind the firing line, I think the worst group I saw was barely half that spread.

One of the weapons testers had himself been in the military and his son followed in his footsteps. After the son left boot camp, he was issued an M240B before being sent overseas. He called his father to let him know, since FN was the sole manufacturer of that machine gun at the time (previously designated as the FN MAG). His dad asked him for the serial number of the machine gun, then looked it up. The father had fired the test for that gun himself and the gun had performed remarkably well.

According to John Lockard, a Vietnam vet who will soon retire from FNM as operations adviser, the mindset of everyone at FN Manufacturing is that when the guns are needed, they’ll go bang every time. Not “if” they’re used, but “when.” Every gun is treated with the idea that it will be called on to defend someone’s life at some point, an accurate assumption for military firearms.

Twenty years after FN Manufacturing got going, FNH USA was established to manage U.S. government relations and new business development activities for its U.S. military operations, as well as support sales and marketing efforts for its growing U.S. commercial and law enforcement markets.

Despite the fact that commercial products were added to FNM’s line-up, the mindset didn’t change. The same attention to detail and the same belief that every gun will be called upon to save a life is in the minds of workers while they’re assembling commercial firearms as it is when they’re running the M240 line.

I asked Harry if he’s a gun guy and he says he definitely is. When I asked what kinds of guns he likes and he started listing off some hunting calibers, I knew exactly what occupied his free time. He started talking about how deer season is about to start in South Carolina and his eyes lit up. When I asked him who made his guns, the answer was predictable — FNM (they also make the Model 70 Winchester). The reason? “Because I know it will go bang every time I pull the trigger.”

Story from The Truth About Guns

[xl_target]

Here is another article about how FN makes its barrels. The photos are too large and numerous to post on here so I'll quote some parts of the article and post the link.

This one is definitely worth reading if you are interested in how modern firearms are mass produced:

LInk: Inside FNM’s South Carolina Barrel Shop

You can count on one hand the number of firearms manufacturers that make their own barrels. Colt and Remington spring to mind, with Noveske right behind. But not many others. There’s a damn good reason most gun makers farm-out the work: building barrels is a tricky and expensive business. FNM’s manufacturing plant in South Carolina is another exception to the rule. Their barrel shop feeds the military side of the house: the M240 and M249 line and the M16 and M4. It also provides barrels for FN commercial products. Yup, the same machine that cranks out the barrel for an M240 produces the barrels for the FNS handgun line . . .


J-P Reconnu is the man behind FNM’s barrel shop. He’s a slender Belgian ex-pat with a short haircut and a long smile. J-P has held many positions over the years, but he seems to be at his happiest when he’s in his barrel shop at the far end of FNM’s plant. The man is a veritable font of knowledge, able to recite the smallest details of the barrels he is making — like the exact size of the gas port in an M16 barrel — on command.

As we were walking down the center walkway, J-P turned to me and asked where I wanted to start poking around. “Let’s start at the beginning.” With that, we were off.



The process starts with the barrel blanks. These chunks of solid steel come from hand-picked suppliers and random QC checks are done to ensure that FN’s high standards are met. And while every single barrel blank might not get a full QC treatment, the workers visually inspect every one as they head into the first machines.

Barrel blanks come from the suppliers as a solid chunk of steel, which means no central hole for the bore. So the first step in the process is to poke a hole in the steel rod, which is harder than it sounds. The process involves using a long gun-drill with a hardened tip to bore into the rod while pressurized oil is pumped through the tip to flush out the waste material. That oily slop then flows up through a channel in the side of the drill and is collected for recycling.


This part of the production line in the barrel shop is in a kind of temporal limbo. On one side is the old equipment, a dedicated hole boring machine followed by a dedicated honing machine in an automated cell for a highly polished tube. Moving the barrels between the machines used to be a manual process, but now a robot does it while an operator feeds the barrel blanks into the machine like a stoker firing a coal furnace. On the other side is the brand new state of the art barrel production cell, which is identical to the production methods used at FNM’s parent company, FN Herstal, in Herstal, Belgium. Here, a computer controls the whole process as the barrel is moved from one station to the next by an electric conveyor system. Out the other end comes the newly reamed barrel blanks.


Now that the barrels have their hole, it’s time to add in the rifling. There are two main methods to putting the grooves on the inside of a barrel: button rifling and cold hammer forging. Button rifling involves sending a button broach tool down the length of the barrel using hydraulic pressure that cuts and form the rifling into the barrel. Cold hammer forging involves bashing the barrel from all sides with hammers and forcing them to contact onto a tool, a mandrel, inside the barrel which has the mirror image of the desired rifling on it. Hammer forging has been proven to be the most accurate method of barrel production, providing a longer useful barrel life and greater accuracy. However, while cold hammer forging takes about 90 seconds per barrel (plus a longer setup time), button rifling is a much quicker process at about 30 seconds per barrel.


One of the more interesting things about the FNM barrel shop is that while button rifling is cheaper, everything that they make is cold hammer forged by default. The only reason they even have a button rifling process in the factory is that some U.S. military TDPs or “Technical Data Packages,” which outline product specifications, require the process to be used. But given the choice, J-P seems to prefer producing cold hammer forged barrels instead.

To this point, both handgun and rifle barrels are produced the exact same way and from the exact same length barrel blank. But after the rifling process they go their separate ways.


Handgun barrels are first sectioned down to size. FNM gets multiple barrels out of the same barrel blank, chopping it like a roll of ready-to-bake cookie dough. From there, special machines turn down the outside of the barrel to make sure that the “ID” or “inside dimensions” correspond to the “OD” or “outside dimensions.” This also ensures that the bore is exactly concentric to the outside diameter of the barrel, something that can’t be controlled 100% by the older machining processes.


From there, the handgun barrels have two large slabs of material removed from either side by traditional milling machines, and then are worked on computer controlled CNC machines to exactly fit the slides in FN’s line of handguns. At the same time, machines thread the barrel (if called for in the design). After the barrel is finished, the workers plug the holes and send it to the surface finish area for passivation or coating if needed.


Over on the rifle line, massive machines are working to turn the rough blank into a barrel with the proper profile. One massive machine takes partially finished barrels and turns them straight into properly profiled M16 barrels, complete with threading. From there, the barrel is fitted with a barrel extension and then drilled for the gas block.



One of the more interesting processes comes with the M240 barrel production. The M240 requires a rather large chunk of metal to make up the carry handle attachment point and a good spot to index the barrel for replacement in the gun. That section is actually too big to machine out of the barrel blank, so the workers add a chunk of metal after the barrel is properly profiled. They take a ring of metal slightly smaller in diameter than the barrel’s outside diameter, heat it up to expand the metal, then slip it in place and rapidly cool it. The process permanently attaches the large block to the barrel, and allows the later machining process to take place.


After the barrel itself is completely machined, the part gets shipped off to the surface treatment cell. The process is completely computer controlled — an operator tells the computer what recipe to follow and then lets the machines drive. It makes for a more even and precise finish, and also lowers the exposure of the workers to the harmful chemicals being used.


As J-P likes to say, no barrel leaves his shop unfinished. Everything that goes with the barrel, from heat shields to carry handles and gas blocks, gets attached to the barrel before it is hung on racks and shipped off to the final assembly area.


While the process sounds good, the real proof is in how well the finished guns shoot. Down at the far end of the factory, the 100 meter range is used to test every single firearm that leaves FNM for the end user. The specification for the M16 rifle states that it needs to shoot a 10 round group that hits within a 5 inch circle to pass inspection, and every single rifle is individually test fired. But as one of the weapons testers said, and backed it up with the very next rifle we saw on the line, the reality is that the guns coming out of the FN manufacturing plant hold about half that spread.


I asked the testing guys what the best grouping they ever had was. “One rifle we make for a federal law enforcement agency needs to hold 1/2 inch at 100 meters to pass, and they all do that. Usually we see about .16″ spread [measured from the center of one hole to the next]. But one time we had a group that was unmeasurable — three rounds through the same hole.”

Good barrels make good guns. For the average consumer, FN’s are among the best you can buy. And having had one in my SCAR this competition season, I can definitely attest to that.

[Baljit]

Hello Guy's.

After i installed BAD Lever on the receiver my next step is buffer pin and spring.
Next picture you guys can see buffer pin and spring in place.


My next step is going to installed detents and spring for takedown pin.





Now is the time for installed buffer tube on the receiver.




After I tight buffer tube on the receiver,next step is installed buffer spring in the tube and stock as well.










After I installed buffer tube and stock on the receiver my next step is installed Timeny Trigger and KNS Anti Rotation Pin Set.




In next picture you guy's can see again I use allean key to keep the hole in line for pins.

















Now The trigger is installed in the receiver.


Next step is installing the KNS Anti Rotation Pin Set.The reasons behind this, both pins are looked each other and cant be moved.








Now you can see KNS Anti Rotation Pin Set is installed from both side of the receiver.




Now my next step is installing the safety selector,selector detent,spring and grip on the receiver.






After this I have to put receiver up side down to installing the grip.












Now you guy's can see safety and grip are installed.






My next step is installing the Accu Wedge Buffer.This buffer keep upper receiver very tight with lower receiver.This is very important to keep action very tight.




I did some modification on DD charging handle as well.I replace the stock latch with extra large latch.
Here you guy's can see charging handle with stock latch.




Here you guy's can see the difference between both latch.


Here is Charging handle with extended latch.




My lower receiver is complete.Now I like to make sure everything works fine with my upper receiver,so I decide that I am going to mount my upper receiver with lower receiver to make sure all the parts works fine with each other.




Here is both receiver together.










Few more pictures for all of you.











OK, as all of you guy's see how I COMPLETE my lower receiver and mount upper receiver together.
I send my bolt to my gun smith so he can start working on my barrel.It's going to take six to seven weeks before I can put my hands on the barrel.

Please stick around.


Enjoy
Baljit

[ckkalyan]

Nice work Baljit - looking good!

Thanks for taking the effort to post step by step description and images!

[xl_target]

Looks great, Baljit!
Now the wait begins!
Are you loading up a bunch of ammo?

[TC]

Baljit, a big thanks for posting pics of every step in the assembling process. Even I could give it a try now.... only if I had an AR

But on a serious note ... you got a lovely work bench buddy.

Great job. Waiting for the next post



TC

[Hammerhead]

That's heck of a job Baljit . Buying a plane ticket in four weeks .

That's heck of a job Baljit . Buying a plane ticket in four weeks .

Haji, where is yours?
How come you haven't posted it?

Waiting for Baljit to run out of money , shooting his and then I would buy it half the price .


Well, post a pic later, there's one broken sitting in basement, other one eats ammo like crazy

[xl_target]

That's heck of a job Baljit . Buying a plane ticket in four weeks .

Haji, where is yours?
How come you haven't posted it?