Hey everyone,
This isn't my first build, but it is the first one I completed using the knowledge I gained on this site. Better late than never and all that. So, I would really appreciate feedback from the community on the suitability of this weapon for the role of defending myself and others. Naturally, reliability and durability are the key concerns.
I started with the idea that I wanted a pinned 14.5" with a fixed FSB, for a slight edge in maneuverability and weight reduction, but mostly because the consesus seems to be that these can be extremely smooth-shooting weapons. While I am confident in my abilities to assemble an upper, I have more confidence in BCM. Additionally, I would rather have all the pinned parts complete and not have to ship it back out to get that work done at additional expense. So, I opted for a complete BCM BFH 14.5" gov profile Middy upper. Next, I wanted a handguard that would install on to a completed upper (two piece) yet still be free-floating. I also wanted an FSP cut-out to give myself that little bit of extra real estate to push out a rail mounted light. Enter the Centurion C4 12" Mid-length cut-out.
However, this meant I would need to remove the handguard cap, delta ring assembly and the sling swivel that come standard before installing the C4. Removing these parts was something I had a difficult time finding a process for online. At least one with pictures. I need pictures. So, I took some photos of the various stages of removing these parts in the hope it helps some other new folks out there. Here is the parts list, and some process and final photos.
Upper:
BCM BFH 14.5" mid-length gov profile
permed BCM gunfighter mod1 comp
F Marked FSB taper pinned
Centurion C4 12" mid-length FSB cutout rail
Centurion C4 BCG (I have since learned that these are MPI, not HPT. I trust Centurion as a quality manufacturer, but I'd like opinions on this part)
BCM Gunfighter mod 4 CH
Troy FDE flip-up BUIS (saving up for an aimpoint T-1 to mount on an already-purchased ADM absolute co-witness mount)
Inforce WML
BCM vertical grip short FDE
Blue force gear two-point QD sling
Lower:
Aero Precision stripped blem lower (I considered other more expensive options, but at the end of the day, its just a housing unit, as long as the materials and dimensions are correct)
ALG defense ACT Trigger
BAD-ASS 90deg selector
Magpul enhanced trigger guard
Magpul K2 grip
Remaining small lower parts are a-la-carte Colt
VLTOR RE-1 Receiver extension (I actually went back and forth a lot between this and the A5 system. At the end of the day, the standard RE on a 14.5 middy seems to work well with a wider selection of ammunition and shaves a small amount from the OAL)
Colt Carbine action spring
Colt H2 Buffer (I will experiment with some varying brass cased ammo and see if I need to step down to an H at any point.)
IWC Non-rotating QD socket End Plate
Standard Carbine stock (Hurry up with the gunfighter stock, will ya BCM?)
On to the photos:
Cutting the Delta ring. I used a dremel with a metal cutting wheel. After removing the gas tube, I rotated the delta ring 90deg and made two cuts opposite each other, with one being through the gas tube hole. While using the dremel I aligned the cut with the "notches" on the barrel nut, to avoid cutting in to it by mistake.
After this I cut the snap ring at the two points the material is thinnest, reducing the chances of hitting the barrel nut and generally making less work for myself.
The spring is pretty thin and came off with a set of pliers.
For the FSB, after removing the sling swivel with a small punch, I scratched my head for a while trying to think of a way to cut and remove the handguard cap without having to remove the extremely robustly installed taper pins from BCM. My friend came up with the idea of cutting out two wedges on opposite sides of the handguard cap as close to the barrel as I could get, then using a large punch to break the small amount of remaining material by directing the force downward. This seemed much easier than the snip and yank or cut and bend until metal fatigue methods I had heard about.
After I re-installed the gas tube and replaced the old roll pin with a spare, I installed the Centurion handguard. extremely simple install. Everything else was pretty easy. For the Camo pattern, I used a base coat of Aervoe earth yellow, followed by sponged on layers of field drab and dark green. Since the grass here is dead and yellow for 75% of the year, I figured it would work pretty well.
Completed rifle:
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