Gunsmithing

Knowing that AR parts are interchangeable and having the confidence to swap them are very different things — especially when you’re talking about making adjustments to the barrel. Let me show you how simple it actually is to change the handguard and the tools you’ll need to do it.

Building an AK is a very fun and satisfying experience. It is often the only way to obtain an example of a particular model. I encountered a lot of interesting variants of Kalashnikov in my time overseas. I have really enjoyed cloning different models that I encountered.

Original production M1 receivers are getting expensive and hard to find. Commercial M1 receivers can sometimes be found, but they’re not exactly growing on trees either. And not every commercial M1 receiver has been made to spec. So what’s a builder to do? Enter the drill rifle.

There are countless armorer’s wrenches on the market. But Real Avid’s Armorer’s Master Wrench is an impressive multi-tool I’ll use for a long time.

Originally, I set out to build an upper solely to test the Bergara 20” AR-15 barrel so I was not looking to spend a ton of money on a new handguard.  After a failed start using a free float tube that I got on sale I was on the hunt for something that was affordable, free floating, and modular. 

Upgrading your AR’s trigger is the simplest and most impactful change you can make to your AR. I’m using a RISE Armament drop-in assembly.

It’s not the prettiest gas block in the world, but it was a fun project with satisfying results and you either saved yourself $30, or you justified $30 worth of tools: Either way, I call it a win.

The guys at Lee Armory know AKs. They run a manufacturing operation and have all the jigs, fittings and parts for building AK rifles. They also have a cadre of gunsmiths who know and love the Kalashnikov design in all of its variants. Most importantly, Lee Armory wants to to your specifications. I got to [...]

What if I wanted to camouflage my rifle?  Furthermore, what if I wanted to camouflage it for some winter/alpine/snow activities?  As it turns out, it is really pretty simple and easy to do.