My journey into amateur gunsmithing.

     Guns, I like guns. I like to shoot them and I like to modify/build them. I took up the hobby of amateur gunsmithing  a couple of years ago. Now, it can be a bit of an expensive hobby, but you can get exactly what you want and spread the cost of a very nice custom firearm out over a longer period of time. You also get a greater appreciation of what goes into making a gun, as well as a better understanding on how it works and being able to trouble shoot issues should they arise.  I started my journey into amateur gunsmithing with an AR-15 build.
     Being an Army infantry veteran this seemed like a logical first step  to me, already pretty familiar with the platform and how it functions, but wanting to go deeper into the fitment and process of the actual build intrigued me. So I bought myself a stripped lower and got started. I spread the build out over several months and made sure to do my research. Because as a grunt I used the rifle a lot, but was unsure about some of the smaller specifics of what went into the actual building of the rifle. So, I visited several forums and hit the AR-15 subreddit ( an amazing community stuffed full of knowledge) quite a bit and learned. How barrel length and twist rate mattered with the bullet weight you shot, various sight setups, gas systems, buffer weights, all that.
     And then the actual building of the rifle was next, for that I actually found all I needed on Youtube. Multiple step by step guides on assembly, as well as little tips and tricks that veteran builders had figured out to keep some of the smaller pieces that are under spring pressure from flying across the room and getting lost forever. In the end, after a few changes I ended up with a rifle I could be proud of. Not the most high end of rifles but it suited what I wanted, and it was mine in a way that a store bought one could never be. And this is what I ended up with.


     I've currently have two more builds in progress, a .300 AAC Blackout AR pistol, and a full size 1911. I'm really looking forward to getting into the 1911 and having some fun along the way. Coming in the next couple of days I will be posting a review of the frame and slide for that, although I'm not sure if it's going to be a video review or another standard blog post with photos. if you have a preference let me know.  Until next time, enjoy your self.

                                           Mr. Angry Beard