Mujahadeen AR-15

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Mujahadeen AR-15

Page One TitleBuilding an 80% AR-15 ReceiverWith Only Hand Tools.(Originally posted on AR15.com by Blakely Noble)

This is a long post that may

not interest the averageviewer. It is posted to give aninsight into finishing 80%castings by a completenovice using only HANDTOOLS.

There have been some greatpostings on this subject fromengineers, machinists andmetallurgy scientists. Most ofthis information was great,helpful and thoughtful DATA.Don't get me wrong, whenthese guys are talking aboutRockwell testing and theirnew Hobart milling machine Iwish that I had that kind ofknowledge and equipment.But I don't. What I do have isa desire to gain knowledge

and share it with others.

If some foreign powerinvaded the United States theway the Soviets invadedAfghanistan and we wereforced to build our arms the

Tools minus hacksaw
http://mujahadeenar15a2.tripod.com/mujahadeenar15/id1.htmlhttp://mujahadeenar15a2.tripod.com/mujahadeenar15/id1.html


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way the Muhajadeen did,could it be done with the toolsand resources that I have onhand.

I'm not a machinist, toolmaker or mechanic. I was atank mechanic in the Army,but most Army mechanics areonly parts changers. I was agood parts changer. I am nowa human resources managerfor a computer hardwaremanufacturer. I am also apatriot and a pretty good jury

rigger. (Someday I'll with abook called "Doing the JobRight With the Wrong Tool!")Before I started this project, Iset limits on the tools, power,equipment, supplies andoutside help. I have less thanthe average amount of tools;a 3/8" drill, a set of bits up to1/2", a set of files, sandpaper,

a hacksaw, a Handy Clampclamp (my vise), a package ofJB Weld (good stuff), aDPMS lower, a Model 1 partskit, a pack of Red Man and abox of Band-Aids.


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What I wanted to make wasnot beauty but function. Iwanted the weapon to fire aminimum 400 rounds.

Although I expect thisweapon to last a very longtime. In an insurgent actionthis is enough to allow me tofind or steal another weapon.So I ordered a grade 3 cast80%completed receiver fromTannery Shop.TANNERY_SHOP@HOTMAI

L.COMWilliam was very helpful andgave me some hints that I willpass on in this post. The costwas $40.00 plus $4.00 forshipping although the boxonly had $3.85 in postage onit. Hey Will, where is my$.15?

Never mind, I ordered the

receiver on Tuesday and itwas delivered on Saturday!Great customer service! Iordered the grade 3 receiverbecause I was not sure whatthe end result would look likeand because I'm cheap. Iwas expecting some horrid,malformed piece ofaluminum. WhatI got was a

fully serviceable receiver thatwill soon be a fullyfunctioning weapon.Comparing the quality of thegrade 3 to my DPMS was likecomparing a Chinese SKS toa Russian SKS. The fit and
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finish are not there but youknow that you can count onthe Chinese SKS EVERYTIME you pull the trigger.

There were two someblemishes on the outside andtwo more on the inside. Theouter blemishes can besanded out and I didn't careabout the inner ones. Theonly real issue with the innerdimensions of the trigger wellthat I will address later.

The most important thing to

remember about working withthe grade 3 is, don't be afraidto make a mistake with it. Ifyou completely destroy it(which I seriously doubt youcould do) you would only beout $43.85. I made severalmistakes while drilling. Isimply filled the holes with JBWeld and re-drilled the next

day. Eventually, I plan tofinish my receiver withBrownells Molly Coat and noone but you and I will everknow. As they say in theArmy, "Paint hides amultitude of sins."

I'll list the steps in the orderthat I did them.

Step 1. Hide the receipt fromyour wife. I suggest that youopen a checking accountwitha debit card in your nameonly so that your gunpurchases will not be on your


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jointaccount. (Have thestatements sent to yourworthless brother in law.)

Step 2. Drill out the forward

pivot pin hole. This is sooooeasy. The hole is alreadythere. I didn't even mount thereceiver in my vise (My wife'skitchen table and a 8" "C"Clamp).The holes that arethere will guide the 1/4" bit.

Step 3. Mark the rear take down pin hole. There are severalways to mark this. You could use a ruler, calipers or someother measuring device to mark the spot. www.ar15.comhasa good set of blueprints. You could make a pencil rubbingwith a piece of paper on a finished receiver. You could guessand hope for the best. I put a spare 1/4" drill bit through thefront pivot pin holes in BOTH my DPMS and the 80%. Thislines up one end the receiver. To line up the rear end I laid

both receivers upside down on a flat level surface (Let's see.maybe my wife's table again) so that the flat spot on top of thebuffer tubes lined up the rear ends perfectly then clampedthem together! This is really an eyeball/ guess procedure but Igot a really good alignment this way.
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Jig

Step 4. Drill the receiver. Once you have the alignmentcorrect it is simple to drill the

holes the trigger pin, hammer pin, and rear take down pin. Ifyou are using a finishedreceiver as a jig be careful not to put any pressure on the pinholes of the finishedreceiver. Work slowly. William suggested that you drill outeach side separately bymoving the finished receiver to each side. I felt that myalignment was very good so Idrilled through both sides at one time. This worked well.

Step 5. Mill the top of the lower receiver. The receiver comes

with A LOT of extra material where the top and lowerreceivers meet. This stops you from being able to close thereceiver. It would be great to use a mill or belt sander toremove this but in keeping with the spirit of this project I useda file and sandpaper. I don't know how much Iremoved; I don't have a micrometer. I simply put the front pinin and worked the top of the lower receiver with a file until therear take down hole lined up with the hole in the rear tang ofthe upper. You may have to "mill" out the lower receiverwhere the rear tang of the upper fits. (See Step 6) The most

challenging part of this process was the radius cut where thelower turns up. I had to use a rat-tail file. This is a file and fitprocess. This took about 4 hours of filing and sanding but ifyou use a belt sander it should only take about 1 hour andshould give a very even finish.

Step 6. Fit the rear tang into the lower. The area in the lowerreceiver where the rear take down pin hole goes is too narrow


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for the upper receiver rear tang (where the pin goes). Simplyfile this out until the tang will fit. Be careful to take materialevenly off both insides so that the upper receiver will becentered to the lower. If you us a Dremmel

this would take about 30 minutes but by hand it was about 1.5hours.

Step 7. Drill the bolt hold open spring hole. This was a verysimply step. I tested drill bits on the finished receiver to findthe right size, then marked the correct depth on the bit with apiece of masking tape. This tape was my depth mark. Whenthe tape was at the same depth on the 80% as I had markedon the finished receiver I stopped. I marked the location forthis hole by using my calibrated eye (the left one). This iseasy because the hole is in such a small limited area.

Step 7. Install the bolt hold open lever. The correct way to drillthis hole is to get a 3/32x 6" bit from William [email protected] think they are less than $5. This is how I did it. In keepingwith the spirit of this project and since I didn't have this tool, Ihad to figure how to make this work. It took me several hourof thinking (When I play - I plays hard, when I work - I works
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hard, when I think - I falls to sleep!) to come up with asolution. I considered leaving it off. I would still have acompletely serviceable weapon- the AK doesn't have a bolthold open and no one would argue with the success of that

weapon. But I wanted to have a fully functioning AR-15 so Ihad to come up with something and there is NO WAY to drillthat hole without the right tool. What I will say next will get alot of insulting flames from the techno-elite on this site butremember this is an insurgent weapon. I took a hacksawblade and cut into the bolt hold open mounts on the sameaxis as the hole should be. I cut down to the depth where thebolt hold open pin would lay at the correct depth. This left two"cradles" for the pin to lay in. I then put the pin into the holdopen lever, mounted the spring and clamped these into place

with my 8" "C" clamp. A little JB Weld replaced the metal thathad been removed with hacksaw blade. The next morning Ifiled/sanded down the JB Weld and had a functional holdopen device! I know that this is jury rigging at its highest levelbut it works very well.

Step 8. Install themagazine release. Thiswas a prettystraightforwardinstallation. There was

a small amount of finishfiling but the release fitas normal.

Step 9. Install the pistolgrip. This was the mostfun part of the project. Idid not have the correct tap to cut the threads. I thought aboutJB Welding the handle on or JB Welding the bolt into place.Then I remembered a trick I saw my Dad do. I found a hexhead bolt with the same thread as the size and pitch as the

grip bolt. I placed this in my "C" clamp vise then cut ahacksaw cut across the threads, along thelength of the bolt on 4 sides. I then tapered the end of the boltwith a file then cleaned up what was left of the threads on theend of the bolt. I had created a tip! My Daddy would havetempered this with a torch to harden it, but since I wasworking with aluminum, this was more than hard enough. I


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drilled a hole one bit size smaller than thebolt. I slowly worked the "tap" into this hole turning only 1/4 ofa turn then backing out to clear the cuttings. At first it tried togo in crooked but I remembered that I was smarter that at

least 75% of the metal on that receiver so I kept it straight andit cut a clean set of threads. There is room on the receiverwhere the handle fits to make a testhole. The handle will cover this.

Step 10. Ream out the buffer tube hole. With the upper andlower receiver pinned together, put your finger in the buffertube hole. This is the path the bolt carrier musttravel duringrecoil. You have to remove enough material from the inside ofthe buffer tube hole to allow the carrier to come out of thereceivers and into the buffer tube that will be there. Then you

have to remove enough material so the tube can be installed.This hole MUST be centered with the upper receiver or thebolt will rub /bind in the buffer tube. This is another file and fitoperation. Since I don't have the tap for this (you can rent itfrom William for $10) I plan to JB Weld the tube into place. Atfirst I was bothered about this but the buffer tube is only $12so what the heck. Keep filing and checking that the hole iscentered until you can fit the BACK END of the buffer tubeinto the hole. I did this because the back end is the same sizeas the front end of the buffer tube without the threads. I

removed the threads from the tube because this is easier thanenlarging the hole to accept the threads.To test the alignmentof the tube, assemble both receivers with the bolt carrier andcharging handle. Hold the tube in place and slowly pull thecarrier into the tube by using the charging handle. Listen/feelfor the carrier rubbing against the inside of the tube. If it getsbound just remove the tube. If it rubs, adjust the hole with afile to align the tube.This took about 3 hours but it could bedone in about 30 minutes with a Dremmel.


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Step 11. Drill the buffer retaining pin hole. Put the buffer tubein the receiver hole as far as the buffer tube shoulder willallow. This shoulder is behind the treads on the buffer tube.The buffer tube retaining pin has a tit on it. This tit needs to be

forward of the tube with the shoulder of the retaining pinunder the tube. I used the tit on this pin to mark the hole bydipping the tit into ink and marking a point on the bottominside of the buffer tube hole as close to the buffer aspossible. Use the correct size of bit and measure the depth ofthe hole on the finished receiver and mark the depth withmasking tape. The hole should be tilted toward the front ofreceiver by 6 degrees. You will have to tilt the bit to clear thebuffer tube ring. This is about 6 degrees.

Step 12. Drill the hole for the retaining pins for the safety, rear

pin and front pin. This was scary. If you use a drill press itwould be easy. But I used my hand drill and was surprisedhow easy it was to eye ball them. I drew a line on the outsideof the reciever as a guide. I'm so good! If I had made amistake, I would have repaired it with JB Weld tried again.

Step 13. Drill out the alignment hole for the butt stock. Simple


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operation.Step 14. Correcting thefire control well. I leftthis for last because I'mnot sure why thishappened. With thereceiver of or openedand the hammer isfroward and resting onthe front of the firecontrol will, it is too farforward. It goes pastTop Dead Center. Thismay be because the hammer pin hole is too far forward orbecause the divider between the fire control well and the bolt

hold open well is slightly narrower than My DPMS. Thiscauses the top of the hammer to hit the bottom of the firingpin if you try to close the receiver with the hammer forward. Iput some JB Weld in the well where the hammer rests andthe problem was corrected. You should never drop thehammer with the receiver open on and AR-15. I have seenseveral damaged in the Army this way.

I fired a few rounds behind a friend's barn and it worksperfectly. I'll be putting a lot of ammo through it next weekend.


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Conclusion. This was a fun project, well worth the $44. I willbe firing Betsy next weekend to test durability. I am a retiredsoldier and I would not be afraid to use the rifle any time inthe defense of my home and country.

Blakely Noble and the Mujahadeen AR-15

I had a request to post my parkerizing solution mixture sohere it is:


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I use a mixture of 1/2 gallon technical grade Phosphoric acidto 8 ounces manganese dioxide . The Phosphoric acid ismixed with 9 gallons water in a stainless trough and broughtto a rolling boil. The Manganese Dioxide is then slowly mixedin the solution and boiled for 10 minutes. When the parts areready to parkerize after blasting with coarse ground glass Ireheat the solution to 190 degrees F and immerse the part inthe solution until foaming stops.

Then I remove the part from the solution, rinse with coldwater, oil with a mixture of 1 gallon WD40 and 1 quartchainsaw oil, dry and re-oil. I have built over 300 guns thisyear alone using this method. The finished guns are nearblack and retain oil very well.

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Mujahadeen AR-15