Lane

At least we have until November to mobilize support and resistance against this crap (and regular people get to vote on it). Unlike NY where bills get signed in to law before anyone has a chance to take notice; much less comment on the issue. Why do they keep excluding handguns, but get uptight about 10+ round capability in rifles/shotguns? Doesn't this outlaw things like the Ruger Mini which have been universally acceptable in the past?

Whew; it will take me a bit to digest all of that; but I'm sure I'm not alone in saying, "we appreciate your input here"! The rule of law is important when you live under that roof. I read every word to understand how we can move forward with wisdom; not just here in the states, but everywhere else as well.

I have been looking for any kind of chart, grid, or flowchart in regards to legality of long rifles. I'm not here to deny they will destroy. I want to know WHAT, where; any ultimately why. I've not seen this hydraulic doom here in my state yet; but if you have, we need to know...

I was thinking more about full size shipping containers. If you already have that backhoe; might as well go deep.

Been reading more about this buy back in New Zealand, and it's far worse than I could imagine. The originally linked Price List PDF (now inline for safe keeping) is far too vague on specifics. Turns out they won't pay even license holders for parts unless all the parts of the whole firearm are included (a complete rifle). So you can't simply bring an AR pistol grip in and get buy back money. They will buy back individual parts from dealers; but only with proper paperwork indicating it was purchased as individual parts explicitly. I can't find a conclusive list of firearms, or criteria indicating exactly what is banned outright anywhere. Nor can I find conclusive information about what could be modified; or even what modifications are acceptable to ensure existing firearms are legal. I refreshed my memory on where we ended up with Assault Weapon registration in New York State. Depending on who's projections you believe; between 2.3 and 4.0 percent of people registered in the one year timeframe allowed. Connecticut apparently asked for the same; and got roughly the same number of registrations; but with 1/5 the population of NY. The caveats here were; neither state was trying to confiscate firearms outright (yet); presumably compliance for a full surrender/buyback would be even lower? And; we had the ability to modify, removing any features that made them so called Assault Weapons. So presumably the other 96+% of New Yorkers all modified their semi-autos for compliance with the law. NY still doesn't offer a flowchart, or clarification on the specifics even five years after the fact. The word from dealers, or LE is to err on the side of caution. How does one even do that in New Zealand without guidance? The last page of the buy back price list has a blanket payback for all other semi-automatics listed as a parts group; $577.50 USD. One must return complete rifles to get any of that money; and that's for any/all semi-auto rifles not on the list??! Would be very interested to see what the actual criteria are; maybe I should call up the NZ police and have a chat... The Amnesty Buy Back Concept drawing from the NZ Police website leaves me with one last question. Will the confiscated firearms ever make it to the final destination; ultimate and absolute destruction? Or will they stay off in that diversion area of secure storage, leaking parts; an arsenal for official use? At least the deadline was extended until December; so we can all hope something changes in that short period of time. prohibited-firearms-and-parts-buy-back-price-list.pdf 20190703-amnesty-buy-back-concept.pdf

I'll start off by saying; part of this is a bit tongue in cheek (I don't have a boat or private plane to import illegal parts to NZ), but as a New Yorker I feel it is important to keep a close eye on this type of so called "gun control". I finally found and read through the buyback document: the link was corrupted in the original post. There was an extra underscore character in the .pdf name. Here is the functional link for reference: https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/prohibited-firearms-and-parts-buy-back-price-list.pdf What struck me is first is; they appear to have made a blunder similar to one NY State made with the first revisions of the SAFE Act (the one passed in the middle of the night)? They listed guns by name and manufacturer. Furthermore in the parts section, they refer to AR branded parts, and AK branded parts. I can tell you for a fact that none of my AR style rifles have brand named or marked parts, and small parts especially, have no visible marking at all. A standard trigger on both the AK, and AR, are not marked or branded in any way I can see. Is that a way for them to NOT pay, yet still confiscate parts that could be used in those style firearms? Or is it a loophole of some sort that is beneficial to the people? I do not know how gun parts prices differ in NZ, but even after a currency conversion, there appear to be some parts that could net a whole lot of money if they could be quietly imported, and turned in. For example; if I head over to a reputable AK parts dealer, I can buy an AK trigger for just about $30 USD, and NZ pays $92.40 USD for that part. The NZ government has only allocated $140 million US dollars for their buyback program. Now; it's a bit of a stretch, but turning in 10,000 AK triggers (with a net profit of $62.40 USD each) would cost NZ just shy of $1,000,000 USD, and for the risk; the net return on a $300,000 USD investment would be $624,000 USD. That's over half a million in profit were someone able to pull this off. Trick is to pull this off with enough cheap parts to sink the entire budget right away. One could even rough mill similar parts inside NZ until September; and try to get at least Poor quality value. I would again opt for triggers for the low cost to high value ratio; but I understand a variety of parts would attract less suspicion... Now; I fully understand this would require some kind of shipping arrangement, private boat, or plane; and quite a bit of planning. Then there may be other questions about a US citizen turning in huge numbers of parts, etc... But the point is; can you punish them for their own stupidity? There may be other ways... I too fear that one day, New York State might wish to gather up all the registered "assault weapons". Honesty; why else did they even need to have a registration program to begin with? Also; since gun dealers have to keep records of all sales and transfers; many (most?) legal firearms are also on record with owners name, address, etc. In the US; I too would like to see some pending legal fights make it to the supreme court. We have a NY case ready for the supreme court, that could undo the current arbitrary and even corrupt; pistol permitting system. One of the few campaign promises Trump hasn't touched on yet is implementing constitutional carry... Though again; he may not need to if the supreme court decides on some of these cases. I am honestly not sure how I would react as a NZ resident. I know for a fact that I wouldn't be turning in anything at all in during the months of July or August. At the same time; once people start taking the money, and guns get destroyed; it's going to be nearly impossible to get the genie back in the bottle legally. Those people that already complied would be furious if others waiting until the last minute get to keep guns. Furthermore; I have no idea what the police or government CAN do if, at the end of the buyback; the return rate was less than 50%. That seems like a real risk if they started going house to house to collect what's left. Never enjoyed the flavor of the shiit sandwich; especially those I am forced to ingest. I'm going to read the rest of the law itself now, and see if I can glean anything further in terms of recourse. It's pretty dry, but it even has references to air guns... They thought of everything. One anecdote though; many times over the years when I was growing up, my father would describe to me a "saturday night special". Something so simple, it could be made at home with just regular tools. It took me a long time to realize just how true that was... If you can still buy ammo, and people still have reloading equipment; it's not as if they are outlawing drill presses, saws, files, reamers... I want this law to fail miserably; but advocating for that seems to imply breaking the law? That's still a question because I don't know the answer. The news near the end of the buyback program (if truthful), will certainly help inform wise actions. Quite frankly; I still haven't found any clarification on the legal modification issue, so from what I can tell; even the powers in power don't know what's going on yet... Stay strong and wait it out.

I've typed out a number of updates here over the passing time; but usually close the window because they simply aren't substantial enough. I new ammo choices including some new 300 Blackout factory rounds. That finally allows me to consider just about anything I can dream of in terms of new builds. I have a few specifics in mind that will be announced as they are ready. I also have a complete build here that I haven't even begun to discuss, photograph; or even hint at... My next task is crafting specifications for another set of custom barrels to send off for fabrication. On to the pertinent details though; my case weight spreadsheet on brass is coming along nicely. I've spent some time filling in formulas to allow me to look at the data set from a number of different perspectives. Not showing even close to the whole game here; but the statistics don't lie, it's already looking pretty good. I have yet to graph any of this to view what I want to focus on specifically; but seeing the numbers alone helps a lot. I haven't gone back and measured all the case volumes of water for a box, but that is next; and I have a solid plan. Adding in that data is trivial and can show me the last bit of what I'm curious about in that regard. I went out to do a full setup the other day; and actually shoot these builds off, but the chrono tripod exploded with condensation when I brought it outdoors. The humidity outdoors vs. the cooler metal from indoors was a bad idea. I didn't even bother trying to rain rust my barrels like that; even if I could have shot them hot enough to evaporate all the water (evaporation is one mechanism that makes Fe2O3 in the first place). The humidity was mild enough today to at least allow me to setup for a first time family photograph. Excuse the paper towel applying oil to the 7.62x39 barrel under the hand guard; I want it to soak in deep... I may still notch out the buffer tubes to extend the buttstocks on the 300 Blackouts; but I haven't yet decided how I want to run them (short, or long; but fixed). If I do notch the tubes; it will be done with care so as to maintain a friction fit when locking the buttstock further out. A standard adjustable setup would have way too much play for my taste (or this project). I still have to go back and bake, then finish soldering the accelerometers. Unfortunately I just now realized I probably should have laser etched paint from PCBs to make custom boards. I guess that will be happening sooner than later; but I still want a dead bug for my initial test. I crave that extraneous data that comes from real hardcore prototyping. I find that it informs many of the pitfalls I might otherwise overlook in the long run. It's just another part of the process in exploration and understanding for me.

Pulled one each of the factory rounds... I think the best I can say from that experience is; longest possible overall length that is supported may be acceptable. Two of the projectiles dumped into the puller, the other two I stopped just before ejection, and I finished them off by hand. Turns out the puller kept a certain amount of powder from humidity and static electricity; so I can't measure those dumps explicitly. Not that I even know what the powder is... Looks a lot like the CFE BLK I had been loading; but I presume similar to all of those compatible powders. There appears to be higher volumes in the middle of the road loads; I suspect that will be valuable information down the line... I'll do the case volume comparisons as I am able. I have a few things to think about so that I don't end up poisoning my own data collection. Then I need to "dispose" of all this loose unknown powder. That's actually the part I'm most looking forward to. Hammering these out wasn't difficult; that boat tail was a surprise though.

Picked up some more powder (H4198) which nearly rounds out everything I care about for these 300 Blackouts. I also saw an inertia bullet puller laying there; so that was an obvious opportunity play (and yep; it's already loaded). Might as well pull one each of the factory rounds and see what I'm working with before I begin. Decided I don't want to do that indoors; but I'll dump them (heaviest to lightest) when I go outside in the morning. The one question I don't have a solid answer for is; how deep is required to seat a bullet in a bottleneck case? I drew up a quick sketch of the case, and I assume the red area should contain the projectile completely. But I've also seen it recommend to set into, or even below the bottleneck. Is there any actual reason for that practice? From an uninformed perspective, I could only see it (maybe?) helping open the case mouth around the bullet; and even that I'm not totally sure about. I looked for some information regarding that metric in regards to the history of the bottleneck cartridge, and came up flat. Nosler had an interesting write up on how to set the bullet seating depth for a rifle; which provided a few clues I hadn't fully considered (but still not any great help in this line of questioning). In other news; I went to the store, and wanted to get some inspiration for future builds while I was there... Then, I got bent over for a pistol permit trying to buy ammo. Apparently; that's a fun policy with completely random enforcement, (of course...). Some rounds that are used in pistols are Ok to sell based on the "computer". Other rounds that are more pistol centric are not sold by certain stores. Across the board; "your milage may vary". Some places accept the "I'm shooting a rifle" defense, and others do not care; and will not override. Of course; I've never been asked for a pistol permit with 300 Blackout rounds... And never for .22LR either. A quest for another day; but it does inform my purchases in the mean time. If I can't buy the ammo; it is not worth any expenditure in terms of rifle parts. Simply looking for another fun, and cheap to shoot build while I wait for something special to become available again; and I was shot down for being curious. I always buy the magazine and ammo before any of my builds begin. And that's not just a symbolic commitment to the endeavor... This isn't even a lesson in the law (I know the law); it's simply voluntary policy pulled from thin air by concerned business folk. I fail to understand rationale behind this type of (moral or liability) posturing. You want to deny sales of some lower powered rounds, while anyone can buy rifle rounds; and the shotgun shells aren't even locked up!? We don't need any kind of logic; this is a straight up "Whack A Mole" game. I have a very special presentation coming up based on this experience (and a few others in a similar vein)... Stumbled across the Box O Truth while looking for something a while back. Seems like I might want to build one of those (I already reuse my gallon jugs for shooting as needed). Some time back I also found a write up on Chuck Hawks about GMX vs. other monolithic projectiles. I didn't realize that they might not work (expand at all) from a 300 Blackout cartridge at any distance. Probably going to push them over to some other 308 platform. There are a few other monolithic varieties though; that have different properties (and required velocities). I'll still test it; but it may not be practical for any other than target shooting.

I remember that explicitly! I also value every bit of information you provide along the way. I don't take any bit of this lightly... It has been a fun, and informative journey all the way!

Looks like a total failure trying to fix the shot timer that I allegedly broke. I could try to rip off the epoxy and mess with the pads on the circuit board. Or perhaps try and give it 5v elsewhere and see if the data lines work at all... Otherwise it's nearly a lost cause (only one of that unit left, and my prototype on a breadboard). I looked at other options, and will order some more modern hardware variations when I get a chance. Wouldn't mind fixing this one if I knew what was wrong with it; but things happen. Found a few other factory round options in 300 blackout; so I can start making some comparisons in terms of overall length. Sure enough 220 grain factory loads are somewhere near the max specified length. Everything else (with lighter projectiles), are shorter. My question here is in relation to an artificially long length being better for any particular projectile weight powder combination, or should my exploration be aimed the opposite; and make everything as short as can be? From my understanding, of the variables involved; it won't be a one way street... Case prep is slow, but still moving. I meant to post up some spreadsheets, and recorded data a while back; but didn't feel like I was quite ready. Quite frankly; I wasn't ready at that time. After looking at the information I collected more closely; I'm beginning to see the light of day. A few things are at play here though... I am going to need to standardize on grains for weight measurement; especially in the recording and reporting. This converting back and forth had me spinning a few times; as hundredths and thousandths, (etc.), of a gram matter in a few places. Both builds are 99.99% finished. All that is left is the headspace check, which I'm quite sure will be fine; already have the gages in hand. I spent the last week or so working on "polishing" barrels across the board (especially these new 300 Blackouts). Oiling the blued exterior surface; cleaning, working them into submission. I found my 50 caliber muzzleloader barrel was oozing rust where the wood stock was touching in a few places. There were also a whole bunch of tiny spots on the business end; so I've been checking everything. I don't think the humidity ever got that out of control, but better safe than sorry every time. Even made me consider oiling the insides of some things I don't have in active use. So... Factory rounds for sighting in: 110 gn Nosler Polymer Tip, 125 gn FMJ, 150 gn FMJ, 220 gn FMJ (HP?)... Behind that are chambered dummies in 165 gn Speer HotCor (no marks at all when cycling rounds). Still difficult to see what I care about in terms of overall length based on this presentation. But I'm predicting the longer ones would be "something like" closer on the lands (there is a reason for my uncertainty here)? Would shooting only supers erode the throat in an unusually bad way? Do I need to consider this in the order of operations on this particular (scientific) inspection of this particular set of parameters? I hope that running the two builds side-by-side, then criss-cross, will be enough raw data to make a prediction at least. I've always known there will need to be two more of these custom long 300 Blackout barrels to lay some other issues to rest (for myself at least)... I do have the chamber castings in hand of course; which is why these are still questions at all. They show a gradual depth in terms of lands in the throat area; which appears designed to accept a strong variation in terms of seating depth... I'm not at all convinced (or even dreaming) that this is going to be the holy grail; more like an Achilles' heel in terms of collecting accurate data points across the board...

I agree; I have read many of 98Z5Vs posts on those issues in the past... But this was clearly defined in very many details I hadn't seen in the same place before. Bravo!

Since it was a holiday I processed as much brass as I could; from dawn until dusk (and beyond). I was hoping to get a bit further in the process; but it wasn't to be. I did get the USB port soldered back on the shot timer prototype; though not yet tested. Still need to clean off all the solder balls and inspect everything carefully under magnification before I plug it in. Also soldered three accelerometer chips with most of the necessary wiring. The X/Y/X axis pins are all in a row so they are the most difficult to attach dead-bug. A few more careful sessions and I should have all three axis connected, on all three chips. I checked again; and I only ordered two chips... They sent three in the moisture sensitive packaging (so I was only able to open it on the 4th of July when I was ready to get down to business). Since they are MEMS units maybe they were expecting one to fail? If they all work I can outfit my 7.62x39 as well. Honestly I would be happy to have a single unit working flawlessly (I can swap it around as needed). The chips will be mounted on/in the cheapest aluminum gas blocks I can find (cut, milled, and modified of course). Looks like I'll have right around two hundred brand new Lake City 18 cases (without primer crimp), ready to load once dried. By load though; I mean weigh every case, measure volume of H2O over a cross section, dry again, prime, and then work up loads. While cleaning house I had nearly forgotten about the ~150 cases of once fired LC 14 and LC 16 I had already prepped. That's in addition to a pile of once fired LC 12 I also have prepped, or have nearly ready. I don't expect huge differences between the production runs, but they will be explored none the less. Since this brass prep takes so much time I've had more time to think about bullet seating depth and other details of this project. I think quickload can help evaluate seating depth once I get sets of cases sorted out. All of these once fired brass (even after full case resize) appear to be larger than never fired case conversions. I'm not sure if that's going to hobble me or not, but I'll be able to see it more clearly once I have volumes tallied. Time to make a spreadsheet and get my pencil ready. I keep moving my radio chrono project around, but it's all ready to test one way or another. I'll be using an RCBS optical unit up front, but will be testing other hardware at the same time, and will upgrade to a Lab Radar when the time if right. At this point I'm still balancing the idea of Fall Shoot and that prep, so I'm not yet sure which things happen in what order.

Slow updates here (also verbose); been busy with other things for a while, and still cranking out brass slowly. My problems are all still in the trimming and chamfering arena in that respect. While I looked at ways to motorize or semi-automate the process, I simply wasn't confident in that setup. I really need to upgrade my tooling one way or another to make this happen with efficiency. But in the mean time, I can chamfer about 20 cases a day by hand before I start to work towards a new blister (not desirable). A few times I did 50 cases and got a blister; and it's just not worth it. Long before I hit the 1,000 case mark I will have calluses to support this in the future (though I'll not likely ever want to make another unless I absolutely NEED to by that time). Have more than enough already ready to weigh out and bin, but I figure I might as well give them the special Real Lemon wash I've been perfecting before I do (time sensitive process of course). I'm also still a big curious about weight to volume ratios. If I plug flash holes carefully, will the volume of water to case weight ratio prove to be calculable (slight estimation of course)? Am I wrong to assume heavier cases will universally hold less powder than lighter? I would need to modify procedures if I need to check the volume of each case before loading. Since I had to make epoxy for the shot timer's USB port I decided to try out the graphite mixture. I let it set up too long (while trying to place the female USB jack); but was still able to mix some graphite and smear it around a bit. Seems like it should work out assuming it does help the microwave blocking. Shouldn't be hard to test when it cures up. I could make more of course; I picked up a few ounces of epoxy since I was running low; and in anticipation this process might work out for enclosures. Been using induction heating more often lately and might do the charging handle pours indoors as a result. Doing pretty regular small melts in the furnace over the past weeks; and it's going very well. Stepping up to eight ounces might be interesting; but I should have everything here for that project already (appropriately sized graphite crucibles, copper tubing, insulation, and the like). While converting brass; I have a lot of time to think. And I've been crushing over the details of how to fire off these rifles to collect the best data up front. I've read anecdotes about shooting out barrels in about 1,000 rounds with certain loads. I don't think I'll be quite that bad with these; but it does make me consider brevity. So I have a few questions left outstanding. How do you sight in fast? Does anyone swear by a 1, 3, 5, or 10 shot method? I was pretty happy with shooting a ladder load (one round per step) and looking for correlation. That had some downsides though; like not knowing for sure what my bullet seating depth should be. I guess I could copy some factory ammo give or take... Images: 1. Original prototype shot timer repair, USB glued; not yet soldered. Should work Ok if I flux, solder paste, and rake out with a tiny tool. Then drag the iron away from the jack so as not to melt the plastic inside. (This may actually function electrically right now; but it needs to be fixed properly) 2. Movements of the brass through the conversion process; still thinking about a second press among other things. 3. Rough image of graphite epoxy smeared on cardboard (and old epoxy) for microwave shielding; started wondering what carbon fiber matte does... 4. Induction melting metal. Water cooled of course, but the ceramic insulation makes that almost trivial.

That was indeed a very good read. I personally know plenty of people who fall into that category of "self selectors"; though I've never been rude enough to ask why, or press them about it. Fact it; it doesn't matter. To each their own, and everyone knows that; "with great power comes great responsibility". It is only those that fail to heed to a universal caution; that fall into another category. And gun ownership isn't like health care; it's not mandated in very many places... Criminals are going to break the law; the rest of the population should have second amendment rights regardless of what state (or city) they live in. Unfortunately; none of that "self-selection" fixes that drive of the anti-gun lobby. I have recently been trying to understand just how we got to this point... After visiting the local rod and gun club, I thought more about the pistol permitting process, and why it is so strict here in NY. Then I finally decided to see just HOW LONG it's been like this. That part made me sick, here in NY state; it's the Sullivan Act of 1911. A racist (against Italian immigrants at the time?) and pointless measure to allow a corrupt group to control concealed weapons; mainly for benefit of NYC politicians (influencers?). It is not JUST that people are smart enough to self select in these matters. There are also the regular people around them that understand those limitations. They act as a control point in the system as well (though; don't even get me started about red flag laws). I've honestly never met a law abiding gun owner whom I would fear... People who: know, use, and understand guns are almost universally self-selected in their own way. It does NOT have to be an us vs. them debate. You don't have to go very far back in history to erase all of the nonsense gun laws we have now. But here; where I live, the state legislature is proud to have voted on more bills than has happened in a long time... Great; we need more laws to protect and serve the people...

You can certainly make this work. As I mentioned before; I use some 1/8" shims to shore up the trigger area when using these side plates. You noted; it's fast an easy to match up to the lower and see where else you need to cut for something a little different. Take your time and enjoy that vacation; I just wanted to post this stuff while I was thinking about it. Some of it I hadn't shared before... This actually inspired me to clean off my drill press and get a few final cuts done on one of my builds. I went back and read through your build parts; looks like you have an Aero Precision upper; you should have no problem getting that measurement from a few lowers around here. I personally will be interested to see how it matches up with the variety of DPMS style FCG cuts that are published. Measurement poll: Aero Precision .308 lower; back of bolt catch slot, to front of FCG pocket. Might as well measure pocket depth if you have calipers out. Couldn't tell what to expect for that measurement looking at the product photos on the Aero website...

Here is my scale drawing if that helps anyone; as well as the original plans inline. The scale drawing can be printed on paper 1:1 if printed at 100% size. Most print dialogs will default to fill the page, which you DO NOT want to do in this case. The image shows the one modification I made for .308 lowers as the dotted orange line. Simply extend that trough to fit the lower. DrawingsScale.pdf drawings.pdf

Here are images of the Ray Vin plates I used to hold lowers for milling (one is original the other is modified for .308). There is a minor modification from the drawing to fit the .308 lower I did; but being made out of wood it's trivial to add cuts for odd lower features. I typically use shims around the trigger area; so if it's fat there you might not even need to worry about milling out extra on these side plates. Here is a link to the original PDF file. I had modified that to make the 1:1 paper templates you see partially glued to my plates (it's not quite to scale in the PDF itself). http://arlower.ray-vin.com/ar15/drawings.pdf That's how I've held lowers level on my drill press.

While the products on that first link were expensive; I found what I was looking for in a few clicks. They specify a carbon suspended material as a broadband absorber 1-15 GHz. That means I could likely crush up some graphite, and mix it with epoxy to paint an enclosure; or maybe some thin slices of large cell foam. Etc... Even more interesting, after seeing images of these products; I bet I have a few on hand that I could repurpose from abandoned hardware. I am looking for a simple solution to block off the rest of the sensors to be sure they are working for my desired application (sheet metal doesn't work well for this). I have had problems with body movements in the same, or other rooms clouding my confidence in existing output. Out of the package they are omnidirectionally sensitive from a long distance; and I need to effectively blind the sensor from all angles except a small window for this purpose. Not tried any electrical filtration on the signal yet. I disconnected the analog output (modified) sensor a while ago while trying to figure out what my earlier problems were (appears that blue paint on the yard stick might contain copper). My last real concern is being able to see all three carriers cleanly in a 20MHz bandwidth window (on a HackRF SDR). Given the cost of these sensor units, it wouldn't be a problem to buy quantity; and bin them in ranges that would fit into a 20MHz window. Looks like the spread from the factory is roughly 100MHz (I've got a bunch in the low 3.0GHZ range; others have seen them close to 3.1GHz. I'm not sold on this particular sensor if it doesn't work (or work well enough). But being able to buy them for less than a dollar each; and seeing the output on a waterfall plot makes it very easy to iterate design constraints in the microwave range. I will not be surprised if I have to move up into the 10+ GHz range, and consider real doppler radar sensors to finish my own qualified radio chronograph.

Thought a little more about this; and it shouldn't be tough to get that up and running. The measurement I used in setting up the pocket location was the back of bolt catch slot, to front of FCG pocket measurement. You simply need to compare against the lower of someone running the same kind of upper. DPMS style (those with a radius) lowers have about half a dozen different cut variants; but none of that matters if you're using an upper that wasn't initially compatible. What I'm trying to say is; don't try to use whatever blueprints you find on the internet for this... You just need to ask for the relevant lower measurements that work on that upper. I've seen a few measurement polls around here that were very effective and producing required information. I had to ask for the same thing to get my jig-free .308 built and functioning; thanks to @98Z5V in that case.

Shot 99 yards here for the first time after moving the last obstruction. Didn't even have time to put up a target as it was already quite dark. Still a bit stressful with an 8 foot wide keyhole at the 30 yard line... It should be functional for bench rest. At the very least; I know it's here when I need it. I'll probably use it tomorrow if it's not raining... Did some brass processing the other day until I got a blister from it. Still waiting for that to go away or harden up before I do more; but I have enough to start playing around. I made dummies with the new LC 18 brass. Chambered one and it didn't show any grooves, or pressing in of the projectile. I'm still not at all sure how deep to seat these. The COAL specified is unusually long; but factory rounds come very short. The GMX round I have has a groove pretty far up... I'm guessing that COAL is a "literal", which isn't meant to be used (simply the length of a 5.56 round). Sanded the blue paint off of the radio chrono's yard stick. Sure enough the radios show solid carriers now; and can be roughly frequency tuned by their physical distance from each other. The last thing to do there is qualify materials that absorb RF; and see what I can get them to do in real world testing. No matter what, I got a lot out of the experience so far. There are plenty of other options on the table for a cheap build in that respect. Hoping to see the light of day again soon with this project; and already stared scoping out another build to tide me over until something special comes along. I have some work left on these 300 Blackouts; but I'm pretty sure the vast majority of what I need is already here in hand. Here's a 5 minute sketch of a target stand I need to build from cheap materials (might add another span or two, but trying to be concise). That could land at 100+ yards in the future.

I use the Ray Vin plates with an extra set of shims to shore things up. Mine were milled from plywood on my drill press (milling bit). They required a very small amount of extra milling to work on the larger frame lowers (still works with the AR-15 after the fact). I can't find them off hand, but know I posted pictures around here somewhere... I can certainly point you in the right direction if you have any questions about the drill press setup; I simply use a compound table and vice bolted on. It is possible with just a vice and press of course. The real fun here is determining where the pocket needs to be cut (accurately). Even more-so in terms of accuracy with the FCG pin holes.

Small update here; I cut down a sapling with a single bullet? I've yet to inspect all the features of that particular happening; but it was interesting to me none the less. Trimmed the growth around my short range shooting log; but have yet to collect all the bullets from the surface again. I like to inspect anything I can find. Might as well, considering the craters that I've created already. This particular hard wood captures everything I've fired at it so far; so long as I don't miss (mountain stops the rest). Still have a few shooting related items to work out before I can get going. I set up to shoot the 99 yards, and didn't have a good elevation in terms of obstructions. Going to work that out soon though... Only a few more days to tie up some other extraneous projects, before I can get back into this project (fun?). The laser cutter is pretty much ready to go. That also allows me to continue prototyping the shot timer hardware (with a new main board). Making cases out of laser cut MDF and Acrylic is a cinch. Takes only a few minutes to design in CAD and cut the material; nearly as simply as a laser document printer with a 2D drawing (once setup and qualified). Now to get some 3D printers back online... Should be able to solder up the accelerometers and the original shot timer's broken USB port this coming week. That also means reloading bench is back in service. I really need "another" workshop; though that's in the works as well. I'm hoping that comes online before winter, but only time will tell... Found another guy annealing brass via induction. I haven't sent him a message yet; but have a few ideas for him. His notes on coil design are a huge help to me though. I should be able to get up and running with that in a week or two. I have other needs in that same vein; so it's on the list like so much else. He simply needs some insulation for his rig; I still have to wind some flat or multi-layer coils here. I can heat treat, and temper steel now though... No complaints in that department.

I scoped out the only place I would want to shoot 100 yards here again; this time on foot. It wasn't quite as bad as I thought. There are still limitations; but I think I'm going to try it since the weather is nice. I'm going to call it 99 yards since I believe 100 yards puts me inside of a bush. It's a tight squeeze in a few different ways; but field expedient. Just waiting to be voted in as a member of the local club could take some number of weeks; so that's just not on my list right now. Ordered up the last one or two things I wanted to facilitate case prep en masse. I'll be spinning two lathes at the same time to de-burr brass, then die forming, and neck trim (with drill power this time I hope). I may be missing a piece for that last part; I have yet to try it out. Attempted to anneal a .308 Win case neck via induction. Unfortunately I blew up the cooling fan running the system at high power (fan not rated for voltage (my own oversight)). Not sure if this will work out for me or not. There are a few different coil designs I could try for this purpose (looping the coil backwards looks promising). I do know I have the power required (and it's on a meter); but I'm not getting brass red hot in seconds yet. I've been meaning to qualify this machine for a while now... I've only used it a few times with a graphite crucible; which it can get to 2,000F in a few minutes at lower power. I may need to anneal a whole bundle of cases at once to get the speed I want (so as not to anneal more than the neck). Strangely enough I don't have a folding table or anything portable around here for the initial testing. I've been working over the design of a portable shooting bench in my mind for quite some time; so I will likely fabricate something basic in the morning. Looked for a crucible I had previously used to pour copper, but have not located it yet. There are a few more around here that could be used as a substitute if needed. Also setting up a laser cutter with multiple sources. The included co2 laser tube is fine for non-metals (woods, glass, and some plastics); but my requirements don't end there. Still exploring options in terms of power and wavelength. I have a few modules I've used in the past ready to install. In the end it might get a full array, or fiber laser depending on their performance with metallica. I only need to etch a variety of metals (not cut), so my requirements might already be met with what I have. I smoked myself out the other day etching stone without good ventilation. Everything has been plumbed now (vents and water); my last adventure is elevating the water cooling unit, adding a second pump as a backup; monitoring flow rate, etc. First beam is already aligned; and tested functional in hardware and software.

Don't absolutely NEED to buy in for this project... There are other ranges that I could use one way or another. I did measure out the property; and shooting 100 yards at my normal target isn't even close to safe... Sad. Soldering on that USB connector again won't be much trouble at all once I get set up for that kind of work again. Things keep moving around here; and I haven't settled on how to efficiently configure these tools in the long term. Some new jokes; and other things to report once I can have a single day to myself, but not today... One last comment about these plastic straws... I did not expect this outcome. I don't follow politics much, because it's simply not entertaining (it is abrasive to me actually). I was aware of the plastic bag ban, and the straw situation... I simply assumed that the " best " minds were at work here behind the scenes... I could not fathom that there was a law (with no sunset?) to ban a material or device that didn't work with a poorly designed mechanical system. I thought for SURE I would find some scientific reason to ban straws and bags... But no... It is complete non-sense. Full stop. Ouch.