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Building a CSASS for the Wife...


COBrien

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10 hours ago, COBrien said:

Thanks all for the input, fellas, but I think this project is getting shelved for now. I may pick this back up as a build for her (...or myself?) later on.

After talking it over with the wife (which I should have done in the first place...), she's decided she'd rather have a nice, light(er) (than the Bushmaster A2-uppered carbine she was issued) patrol carbine in 5.56 NATO for the time being. Her first response was, "well, I have this Carbon-15 I could use," but, truthfully, I'm not comfortable with her relying on that rifle on the street. I appreciate her dad buying it for her, but...

Not saying anything negative about Bushmaster, Carbon-15s, or carbon fiber/polymer receivers in general, but when it absolutely, positively has to go 'bang', I'm not 100% sold. If removing and/or retorquing a barrel nut can render a Carbon-15 upper useless, I don't want my wife behind it in a firefight.

so your on the waiting list for a can.. ??

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  • 3 weeks later...
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1 hour ago, ARTrooper said:

Need us to say the negative things about them for you? I'm sure many of us would be happy to. lol.

:laffs:I've never had an issue with one. And the wife's department issues Bushmaster M4s that have lots and lots of mileage on them -- they're pretty damned reliable, from what I can tell.

Perhaps those particular rifles are just aberrations...

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  • 4 months later...

I’m dusting off this old thread, and plan to update as I collect parts. This will be a LOOOONG term project, and parts will only be purchased if they’re on a damn good sale. 

So far, I’ve got a Fulton lower, an MBT, a Next Level (I think?) carrier, and an A*B Arms USS (w/ butt plate — still pissed about having to pay $30 to buy it separately...).

Waiting on the Armalite receiver extension kit to come back in stock, and that’ll be purchased next. Unless FA has a site-wide sale between now and then. 

I’m picturing a Criterion/ADM 16” rifle gas barrel, not sure on profile (HBAR or Hybrid), and past that I really don’t know. 

Trying to keep the weight down (especially if I go HBAR), so considering an SLR ION UltraLite handguard. 

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I forgot to mention...

The carrier I have is a Next Level NiB NLX308, purchased secondhand (from a member here), but brand new. I checked NLA’s website, and they don’t list a NiB bolt or completion kit online. So I contacted them. 

I won’t get into the details on the public part of the forum, but suffice it to say the CS guy at NLA is a stand-up person, and is bending over backwards to help me complete this BCG, which seems to have been obtained under questionable circumstances.  

I’ll be singing the praises of Next Level Armament for a long, long time. 

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1 hour ago, COBrien said:

I won’t get into the details on the public part of the forum, but suffice it to say the CS guy at NLA is a stand-up person, and is bending over backwards to help me complete this BCG, which seems to have been obtained under questionable circumstances. 

Doesn't surprise me in the least, brother - I knew there was something wrong with that guy, for years. Just couldn't put my finger on it.  Glad it's working out for you, though. :thumbup:

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1 hour ago, shepp said:

I can’t remember if I ban him or he just went away, but if it’s the dude I’m thinking of and he’s not ban we can get that handled if he’s screwing over members @COBrien

I can’t say I was screwed over — I got a good deal on the carrier. But NLA gave me the full story on those carriers he’s peddling. 

@shepp If you’re interested, I’ll share the story via PM. Trying not to stir up a shiitpot, at the request of NLA. 

Edited by COBrien
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7 minutes ago, COBrien said:

I can’t say I was screwed over — I got a good deal on the carrier. But NLA gave me the full story on those carriers he’s peddling. 

@shepp If you’re interested, I’ll share the story via PM. Trying not to stir up a shiitpot, at the request of NLA. 

?   Just making sure

Edited by shepp
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  • 2 weeks later...

Update: Sent the NLA carrier off on 6/12.

Got an e-mail from Dan Lubbers at NLA on 6/14, saying he received it, had it together and tested it by hand in a rifle.

E-mail today, it's been test fired and checked out good. Money paid, it'll be on its way home tomorrow morning.

If the duration of its first trip is any indication, I should have it in hand on Monday.

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  • 1 month later...

Been awhile since I've updated this thread...

Ordered a MiAD 1.1 Type 2 grip. Test fit it, and it doesn't fit. Apparently the FA lowers need the Type 1 MiAD. Trying to find a decent price on one to throw into another order. Since I'm compiling parts for my father-in-law's Christmas rifle, it shouldn't take long.

Edited by COBrien
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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Alright, so I bellied up and bought a Gibbz G10 side-charging upper. It came in, and it's glorious.

However, I think I've hit a snag... I tried threading the SLR barrel nut onto the upper, got it about 1-2 threads deep, and it stopped.

I e-mailed Gibbz to see if their uppers (which are advertised as being DPMS-compatible...) accept DPMS/SR25 or Armalite barrel nuts. Assuming they say what I expect (DPMS), my next stop will be to SLR. Perhaps someone mistakenly tossed an Armalite or DPMS GII barrel nut in with my handguard...

Edited by COBrien
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Gibbz says they've seen this a couple of times before -- something about SLR's barrel nuts being threaded "too tight," and that another, identical barrel nut fixed the issue.

I shot an e-mail off to SLR and asked about this issue. After e-mailing some pics to Todd at SLR (per his request), and a brief phone call from him, I have 2-3 new barrel nuts on the way.

I have the correct DPMS (1 7/16"-16) barrel nut, but variations in anodizing thickness (and, of course, variances in manufacturing tolerances...) can make the difference. Todd agreed to send me a couple more barrel nuts to try. If one will thread on by hand, great. If not, he suggested I apply grease to the threads and work one nut on until it bottoms out, then remove it, clean and de-grease, and do my final install with one of the other nuts, dry.

Also... Dropped my FIL's receivers off at a local (ish... 40 minutes away...) 'smith for Cerakote. I also took this SS Criterion barrel with me to see if he'd bead blast it to knock the shine off. While I was there, describing what I was wanting on the receivers, he threw the barrel in his blasting cabinet and gave it a quick once-over with some 120-grit aluminum oxide. It came out looking like light gray primer. After rubbing it down with some WD-40 (all I have on hand at the office), it turned out a nice mid-gray. The pic doesn't do it justice.

CSASS Barrel Blasted.JPG

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Good looking barrel!   One comment, though - don't install a barrel nut dry,  like what was just suggested to you.  Don't.  I'm not an AeroShell MS33 Grease snob - any grease will do.  Just don't install it dry.  I use Bel-Ray Waterproof Grease - because I use that crazy shiit all the time at work, and always have it on hand.

Edited by 98Z5V
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