My BFF, Mister "my Mossberg 500 can handle any problem whatever" recently asked me if I had something that could reach out and touch a zombie further than his beloved shotgun. He's suddenly come to the realization that it's better to start thinning the herd when it's a good distance away from you, rather than doing everything at a more interpersonal range.
I mentioned that I built my M4E(economy) with just that use in mind. He liked what he saw, and offered to swap me the one item he owned that as not a shotgun. He's still paying for the graduate degrees for his two kids, so I did the swap.
He now owns my M4E, a can of ammo, and a bag of mags. I received this blast from the past in exchange.
It's an unfired new-in-the-box semiauto Uzi Model A with NIB .22 and .45 conversion units, accessories, extra mags, wood stock, and a bunch of milsurp 9mm mags and pouches. Not the latest or greatest technology in zombie control, but still a vey nice collectible.
I was with him when he bought it in 1983, and forgot about its existence until he mentioned it as trading material. Looking at it today, my only interest is to hold on to it until people once again have jobs, and disposable income for trinkets like this. With luck, the market should be brisk for firearms other than M4 clones after January 20, 2013.
In the meantime, I didn't want to be without another M4E(economy), so I built M4E2 starting with a $700 DPMS model A15. Flat top, rail on the gas bock, collapsing stock, and the efficient but enigmatic "glacier guard" handguards. After my now-mandatory tweaking, this was the results from the first magazine fired from it:
That's my 26 rounds in the black, and four from one of the store employees, who stopped by my firing position to admire my handiwork. The scope was just a temporary to test my modifications. I still have to go back to zero the Eotech I put on as the regular optics. I've come to the conclusion that the Eotech is perfect for somebody without much experience with a rifle, but with a healthy incentive to keep zombies under control.
The guy at the store was amazed at the accuracy and the crisp (5.5lb) trigger pull. I feigned surprise, and asked, "don't other people do the same basic tweaks to their AR15s before the first trip to the range?" In reality, I count at least 15 mods, major and minor, that I've applied in my customization process. Some are mandatory safety and accuracy upgrades, others are for increased convenience and comfort, and a few are for cosmetic purposes only. The stock pistol grip and stock had to be replaced for my own comfort and well-being, with most of the other stuff pulled out of my AR15 parts box. I borrowed my backup Demon Tactical takedown pin, the very first item on my accuracy list, and am still waiting for its replacement.
So, with a bit of work on my part, I can put all 30 rounds inside the 10-ring at 50 yards. Not too shabby for a initial price of $700. I found that the DPMS parts I wound up using, like the fire control parts, were high quality, and took to tuning very well. I expect the final trigger pull to stabilize at a crisp five pounds, more than adequate for an amateur. It's even more than adequate for me, but I'd like to think I could do even better if I try harder. I doubt zombies would notice the difference.
While this has been my most economical starter rifle yet, and I would recommend it highly as the starting point for anyone else, yet the box-stock rifle had no front sling swivel. Normally, one could put a small piece of M1913 rail on the bottom of the handguard by putting a tapping plate inside the holes, and then fastening the rail section on the outside.
Which is exactly what I did, but I had the problem that I could not figure out how to get their proprietary "glacier guards" off! Even with the gas block removed (two vey nice and sturdy set screws, rather than traditional taper pins), and the delta ring pulled all the way to the rear, something held them together, and still clamped to the barrel. After about two hours of various attempts, I hit upon a way of getting the tapping plate inside the bottom handguard, and held in place so I could attach and tighten the short piece of carbon-fiber rail.
The kludge you see consists of an offset piece of rail to take the QD sling fitting, and a handstop to keep the shooter's hand from tangling with the sling. It's not pretty, but it works.
And I put on something that is pretty, but does no useful work. I had the inside of the dust cover laser engraved by my friends at Highest Honor. This also drew a laugh when the EBR store employee saw it.
Now where have I heard that phrase before?