I am pleased to announce
I have wanted a snub nosed AR ever since I the day I got the chance to shoot a Colt SBR with a happy switch. Problem was finding and financing parts along with the necessity of government paperwork. Parts availability has since greatly improved and I've been able to shake a few bucks from the budget to cover everything. All I had to do was get the lower engraved, fill out the paperwork, write the check and send all off- and wait for almost a year for permission to shoot my new rifle. I figured I could build a pistol lower so I could shoot it during the wait, but I'd be stuck with a bastardized sort of half AR for many long months. So the project stalled before it got out of the gate and stayed stalled- until the final piece fell into place from an unexpected source. The BATF itself gave it's blessing to the development of what would become the Sig SB15 Arm Brace, the last part needed to make Project Li'l Wolf Pup a reality. As soon as I could scoop up all my pennies together and haul them down to the LGS, I bought one and built me a handy dandy little AR pistol.
The Sig arm brace is a neat idea that actually makes AR pistols stable and comfortable to shoot. With a 10.5" barrel, I have a pistol with the hitting power, accuracy and range of a carbine that can be taken down and fitted into a regular back pack. It's not fast to get to, but it's easy to transport and carry with you almost anywhere
There is my beat up old back pack with the Wolf Pup and a couple of mags inside. I really like what a small package it makes. It takes up hardly any room at all!
Open the backpack
and assemble
It's compact size makes it a handy choice for house defense. It balances well and it feels fast. When its vetted and I get a sling and light mounted to it the Wolf Pup will take over HD duty from my 16 inch carbine
Li'l Wolf Pup makes a good traveling companion and is the perfect accessory to add a little panache to the interior of the Battlestar Victoria
After finishing it up this afternoon, we took it out to test fire it and snap a couple of photos. Only ran 40 rounds through it but it went bang each time. I forgot to change the carbine buffer out for an H2, so the first few rounds were snappy and the trigger stung my finger. Installing the H2 softened recoil a bit and eliminated the slap. I'm going to try an H3 buffer next. Port size remains a mystery as we had nothing on hand to measure it with.
The lower is made here in Utah by STS. It's a blem with a tribal skull logo. Skulls don't do much for me, but it was on sale for less than $100 out the door so I figured I could live with it. Whattya know- a week later they came out with a plain marked lower for the same price!
It's a good serviceable lower made from a 7075 forging and all the holes are in the right place. The lower went together without any drama or colorful language. One thing I don't like is the hole for the receiver pins on the right side is a little large, so the fit is a little sloppy when they are pressed out. This lets the pins wiggle which makes it a little hard to line them up with the holes in the upper. But once the upper is pinned in place, everything is snug.
A pistol RE from Phase 5 was used along with standard carbine spring. LPK was picked from the bins at the LGS and the FCG is from my spare parts pile as is the A2 grip. The A2 will be replaced when I can track down a MOE K2. Pmags fall free. The SB15 is a tight fit and was a bit of a fight to get it down where I wanted it. Sig suggests using baby powder. Not on this man's ri- er, pistol! (I had planned on using hair spray, like we did as kids installing handlebar grips on our bicycles, but my wife doesn't use any.)
The barrel is made by Odin Works from 416 stainless steel. The chamber is cut to Wylde specs and rifling is a button cut, 6 groove 1:8 twist. Why did I choose this one? Because it's the first 10.5 inch barrel I'd actually held in my hand since The Insanity, I had enough to put it on layaway and I got hit hard with a bad case of "I Wants" and "I Gotta Gets". That and it was shiny
The upper receiver is made by Aero Precision and I got it cheap because it had a couple of "cosmetic blems" that it had acquired after leaving the factory requiring some minor blending. They don't affect fit or function and you can only see them when the receivers are separated. For the price I got the upper for, the blems are a blessing rather than a curse. The repair did leave a couple spots bare of finish but I've got rattle cans and I'm not afraid to use them. The upper already had the dust cover and FA installed so it was just a matter of installing the barrel and tightening the barrel nut. The delta and snap rings had me scratching my head a bit, but I dug up a "chinese blueprint" and figured it out.
I learned three things assembling this upper-
1) How to install the delta ring on the barrel nut
2) To not over tighten the flash suppressor when testing the fit with peel washers because the peel washer will de-laminate, which makes installation interesting
3) If you install a part wrong, make sure it's amusing so that your partner in crime will laugh hysterically and alert you to the fact before blithely posting photos of your faux pas for the amusement of the hard-cases on m4carbine
I used a Geissele Reaction Rod to assemble the upper. It's nice because you can just slide the upper on and off. You can rotate the upper- even upside down- for a better working angle. If find that you are lining up the top slot of the flash suppressor with the set screws of the gas block, you are NOT being a clever boy. You are staring at a clue that's saying "Hey! You just clocked the flash suppressor 180 degrees out! It's upside down!" Fortunately hjmpanzr alerted me to this mistake with his uncontrollable laughter.
He really is a good guy. When I blew up my peel washer and installed the flash suppressor upside down, he offered me a new crush washer from his stash. He said I had to give a shout out and a "Thank You" to Virginia Arms, so here it is- Thank you, Virginia Arms. Fortunately, I was able to salvage the peel washer and get the muzzle device clocked right. Still, I'm grateful for hjmpnzr's kindness. (The Wolf Pup was assembled in his workshop and he let me use all his cool tools. He also stood guard against any attacks from the local Mooselym terrorists while I worked.)
The Aimpoint H1, BCG and Gunfighter Mod 4 CH was robbed from my carbine. I've come to like the Aimpoint far more than I though I would. The BCG has proven itself in the carbine. When I can get a new BCG, this one will go back into the rifle it came from. The BCM Gunfighter is a no brainer. I'm using the Magpul handguard until I get around to installing a carbon fiber FF tube but I'm in no hurry. The low profile gas block and gas tube came with the Odin Works barrel. Options to mount a light and sling are being explored. I have no plans to install BUIS of any kind. I might change my mind later though.
I enjoy building firearms. So far I've brought to life three ARs and three FALs with two more FALs in the works. I get a rush firing the first round out of something I've built
Project Li'l Wolf Pup was particular exciting to build and it's a blast to shoot (yes, pun intended). The SB15 is comfortable to use and worth the price of admission. I think it's a brilliant concept. Muzzle rise with the Pup wasn't bad and maybe I'll try it with the Battlecomp. Future plans include an application of Wolf Camo, an SBR lower and a suppressor. (I will keep the pistol lower to simplify travelling across state lines.) If you haven't built yourself something in a similar configuration, do so. You're missing out
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