Building Another One

[lapriester]

So, I have 8 different calibers of MSR rifles. 204, 223, 277 Wolverine, 6.5X6.8 (6.5 SPC), 6.8 SPC, 300 BO, 308, 260 Remington. You would think that would be enough, right? Well, now Nosler comes up with the 22 Nosler and I just had to have one. So I'm in the process of building one with an Odin Works 18" DMR (Designated Marksman profile) barrel. It will yeald about 300-400 more FPS than 223 in bullet weights from 40gr (close to 4000) to 77gr (over 3000). The barrel is guaranteed to shoot MOA but I expect better. Another varmint gun but much more accurate range potential over 223. Zombie sqirrels beware. It uses the same BCG as a 223 and the parent case is 6.8 so all you need is the barrel and 6.8 mags for the caliber change. Disadvantage is having to buy only Nosler brass. I lucked out and got 250 from Midway for $116.

Sure couldn't let those 4 upper receivers in my box go to waste could I? Likr I need another caliber. It will be a tough choice which to grab during the coming apocalypse.

[Jersey Devil]

LOL.....very nice......we want pix of the group all sitting next to each other!!

[m14brian]

I read that the .22 Nosler has a ton more energy at 500 yards than the .223, sweet choice. It sounds like a nice project build, especially that DMR profile barrel. We'll definitely need pics and a range report.
m14brian

[lapriester]

LOL.....very nice......we want pix of the group all sitting next to each other!!

I don't know. Since having to convert them all to featureless rifles because of the new laws in Kalifornia they are a bit different to look at with the funny Monsterman Grips on them. But, featureless is better than having to register them as Assault Rifles and give them an excuse to confiscate later. Besides, no way would I ever willingly give the state all the info they want to collect during registration. It's a total infringement on my privacy and I feel that anyone who chooses to register is stupid trusting the state with that much personal info.

[m14brian]

I don't know how much privacy you think you really have, but anything the state wants on you they can get with no effort from the DMV, county property tax records, bank records, anywhere you have a licence for anything, and any 4473 you have filled out already at your FFL, which they are required to keep, medical, educational, financial, employment records, internet searches, etc. They don't need some bull crap registration form to find out anything they want and infringe our privacy, they can do that without our knowledge and consent already at any time. Any AR or gun parts ordered online or on your credit card EVER to your home address? All of these transactions are archived and can be brought up later. Ever drive your own personal vehicle to a gun show EVER? There is proof agents have documented all license plates in parking lots at gun shows. Subscribe to gun magazines ever? No gun owner these days our age can have remained anonymous for their entire adult life with no trace of activity relating to guns. The bottom line is if they want to know, they will get a reasonably good idea of what each of us has got, at least a portion of what we have got, without any registration form.

You also know that I am registering, so I will try not to take it as a personal attack when you say "anyone who chooses to register is stupid", I could say the same about anyone that loves guns and does not have a solid plan for leaving California in the future, but I don't.
m14brian

[lapriester]

Registering your MSR as an assault weapon simply opens the door to confiscation when Gavin Newsome gets elected as Governor and the state outlaws ALL registered AW in the state and slates them to be taken from you. Only my lowers have any record of purchase in CA. There's is no record on any upper I have built and encompasses the majority of them. It's paranoid to assume they will check you credit card records to determine whether you bought gun parts but not paranoid to assume this state will further push and pass their agenda to remove all registered AW from the state within 4 years. With Newsome as Governor and the state with a liberal supermajority in place they can be assured of passing and getting signed any and all gun grabbing Legislation they choose to impose on the people of this state. With a supermajority, even if the Governor veto's Legislation, they have the votes to override any veto. Besides, registration of your AW puts so many restrictions on it's use, transportation and ability to sell or pass them on to family that it makes owning them so prohibitive you might as well sell them than to own them at all. A locked case everywhere you go, only being able to transport from one "authorized location" to another, no use on public, government or private property without the express, written permission of the entity or owner of the property to name a few. As the owner of a registered AW they will have the right to inspect your firearms at anytime they choose without probable cause that you have done anything wrong. They will require photos of said registered AW's meaning they better be in the same configuration, resting on the same lower they were when the photo was taken. They will have a photo record of your upper receivers which, by law are not part of the firearm at all but, once registered become a permanent part of the firearm. No more swapping uppers around any more since, once registered and documented by photo, it will have to remain in registered configuration for use.

Featureless is so easy and so inexpensive that it makes no sense to not just install a muzzle brake/compensator or thread protector, remove any forward grip, install a cheap Magpul fixed carbine stock and change the grip. All of which make no difference in the function of the rifle and, in fact, allows you to remove the bullet button and re-install the normal mag release making ease of reloading what it should be. Easily <$100 and for mine, which had muzzle brakes or comps on them already <$75. Muzzle brake $25 (thread protector $10), fixed carbine stock $30, compliant grip $20-$45...done. Then reinstall the normal mag release and toss the bullet button.

It's foolish to register and give them the ammunition and the information to easily confiscate it in the future. I use my MSR's for hunting and competition. The above changes, in some ways makes them easier to use for the purposes I use them for without the morbid restrictions involved with owning and using a registered AW. That makes it, IMHO, dumb (maybe not stupid) to register any of them at all when it so cheap not to. You'll probably pay close to half what it would cost to convert to register, so, what's the point. That and the fact when I travel to other free states for competition or hunting it takes me about one minute to change out the finned grip to a normal grip to use for anything I want. Then, before entering Kalifornia the compliant grip takes 1 minute to reinstall.

As you can see, a compliant, featureless rifle isn't as bad as it's cracked up to be being the only real cosmetic change is the grip. Adding a $14 ambi safety is also an added advantage with the finned grip so the safety can be operated on the right side since you can't reach it on the left without reaching across.

[Jersey Devil]

I'm not gonna lie.....I kinda like the look of those. They're different, and not your everyday "AR-type" rifle.

[m14brian]

lapriester,
You're operating premise is pretty amusing.
Pointing to my rifle being taken away if I register, yet think yours will never be taken away if you go featureless.

The problem is California. The cat is already out of the bag, this hell hole has already floated the idea of banning all semi-autos. And they will achieve it someday.
m14brian

[lapriester]

lapriester,
You're operating premise is pretty amusing.
Pointing to my rifle being taken away if I register, yet think yours will never be taken away if you go featureless.

The problem is California. The cat is already out of the bag, this hell hole has already floated the idea of banning all semi-autos. And they will achieve it someday.
m14brian

It's all about how much of a PITA you want to go through to have a registered AW with all the use, travel and storage restrictions involved. I use and travel with my rifles a lot and usually take multiple rifles with me when I go on varmint trips. I suppose if you are someone who only keeps his rifles at home in the safe for protection or just goes to the range every so often to plink, those PITA restrictions are not an issue. Personally they are for me even if only for a limited time. But, what they won't be doing is confiscating my rifles regardless of what they do. They will simply disappear out of state. But, what I probably will have is a longer time to do it since the registered ones will be the first to go and they will know exactly where they are, what they look like and who owns them at a moment's notice. As far as my other semi-auto hunting rifles and C&R rifles, all the Semi C&R rifles were purchased privately with no records under the C&R license I let expire and the others were bought in the 60's when you walked into a store and bought one without any paperwork involved right off the rack.

[m14brian]

If the guns become contraband subject to seizure, the state must give you time to handle it. They just can't act unannounced.
Mine will simply go out of state as well, I have friends in AZ, NV, OR, WA, MT, TX, OH. No problem.
It's coming. Why people will stay here is puzzling to me.
m14brian

[lapriester]

If the guns become contraband subject to seizure, the state must give you time to handle it. They just can't act unannounced.
Mine will simply go out of state as well, I have friends in AZ, NV, OR, WA, MT, TX, OH. No problem.
It's coming. Why people will stay here is puzzling to me.
m14brian

With a place in Oregon already I would just move there now but, I would need a divorce first since my wife won't leave the Grandkids and kids behind and I'm still a little bit fond of her. My guns will probably move there before I do, LOL.

[m14brian]

That's a lot of guys problem, understood. I want to go to Oregon but the wife won't. She wants to go to TN or back there, so I'll take it if we go to a free state. Maybe if you can get everyone to go or somehow make it worth her while she might go. It won't hurt to ask what it would take for her to relocate, it might work.
m14brian

[lapriester]

I found an interesting deal at Graf's a week ago. I was trying to decide on a scope for the Nosler. They had $175 BSA Majestic 3X10X44 30mm Mdl BS04348 scopes on closeout for $69. I searched the whole Web for this 30mm version of the Majestic series scope to no avail. Everything I found was 1". So, I thought, what the hell, and ordered the very last one they had. Long story short, I got this scope yesterday and I am extremely impressed by it's optics, quality, brightness and the very nice "EZ-Hunter" ballistic reticle. I have no idea why BSA stopped making this 30mm version but this scope is going on my 22 Nosler build using an Aero mount I have in the box. If it holds up I think I'm going to like it a lot for my varmint hunting. Surprisingly it's also not very heavy either. I'll have this upper together tomorrow sans the short stainless muzzle brake I have on order. That arrives soon.

Oh and BTW I picked up a crazy inexpensive adjustable gas block from AIM Surplus. A name I never heard of but it was only $29 shipped. This one: http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.as...50&groupid=590 The description says the set screw to secure the adjustment screw is on the rear which kind of worried me a bit and the picture shows the adjustment on the side which would have made access difficult. But, what I actually got was completely different from the picture and description on the AIM product page. The adjuster is forward facing and the very small set screw to secure it is on the side. I wasn't going to use it on the 22 Nosler but when I slid it on the set screw is easily accessible from the side on the Keymod hand guard I used, making it very easy to tune the gas system without having to remove the guard or modify it for access to the adjuster or the setscrew. Perfect.

[lapriester]

OK, well, got that 22 Nosler upper put together with a thread protector on it while waiting for my short muzzle brake to get here. Wednesday is probably range day.

[lapriester]

Not a good range day on Thursday. The new 22 Nosler upper won't function. Short stroked with even the hottest pressure showing loads. Brought it back home and took it back apart, nothing seemed out of place or loose or leaking and then I found a serious burr in the gas port that had to be drilled out. It was covering about 20% of the port right where it enters the bore. The port is .089" (huge actually) but even a #43 (.086") bit shaft wouldn't enter the bore past the burr. No wonder it was so under gassed and it was only ejecting about 2-3', back at 5:30, the brass was so filthy and there was virtually no recoil. I suspect cleaning out the port will be the solution, we'll see next week. What a PITA. I hate it when you put it together with care and it still FUBAR's. The barrel manufacturer (Odin Works) got the full brunt of my frustration when I wrote them and asked for compensation for my doing their QC work for them and wasting my time.