Freedom Magazines from irunguns.ca

The item description for this product is epic.  Thank you IRG, you made my day, lol!

https://irunguns.us/product.php?p=colt-ar15-223-30rd-mag

These are used Colt AR-15 magazines from the last deployment in the war on terror. These magazines have been used to do good things to bad people.

Norinco A1 lower

I've been passively trying to source a blank A1 lower for a while now (ever since I started my Mk18 Mod 0 clone build) but with the recent prohibition on 80% lowers, my search came to a grinding halt (wanted to also do the Colt M16 engraving to complete the look).  Until Colt releases their retro line, I don't think I'll ever be able to get it right.  

So, I came across this Norinco lower on EE and it turned out to be an A1 style lower 

It's not the 1st gen "slabside" lower or the 2nd gen "partial mag fence" lower but the 3rd gen of A1 lowers with the full mag fence as seen on some older Mk18 Mod0 models.

I know some people have gone as far as re-profiling their A2 lowers into appearing like an A1 lower, but that is a ton of work.  There's a really good thread about it on AR15.com:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/AR15-M16A1-Lower-Receiver-Model-Guide-Clone-Building-Guide-FAQ-redux/123-294264/

I doubt I would ever go down that road but now I have this perfectly good A1 lower and I need to do something with it.  I just don't know how I'd feel about swapping out my Colt LE6920 lower for a Norinco one though, just because it's a clone correct A1 profile.

***UPDATE 14Mar18***

My original idea was to mill off the "Norinco Made in China" and "Minden" markings and re-engrave it with the correct Colt markings, but after a cursory investigation, I was not successful in finding information in the Firearm Act that speaks to this.  I was never going to mill off or file off the serial number - I've seen enough crime shows and movies to have the common sense to know this would be pretty illegal, but what about other markings?

I took a deeper look into the Firearms Act of Canada, Regulations Made Under this Act, Firearms Marking Regulations (Not In Force) (SOR /2004-275).  Specifically, I am referring to Para 5 - Tampering with Markings  In this section, it clearly states:

5(1) No person shall knowingly remove, alter, obliterate or deface a marking on a firearm

(2)Subsection (1) does not apply to a public agent acting in the course of their duties or for the purposes of their employment.

Para 6 however is titled Coming Into Force which states:

6 These regulations come into force December 1, 2018.

So, in my day job, I work closely with certain Acts and Regs and my job is to interpret and apply them when making certain decisions, but I'm no expert on the Firearms Act and would appreciate any help in this area.  First, I want to look at Para 5 and it's elements to see what has to be proven: 

1. No person - This would be everyone in Canada not covered in subsection (2)
2. Knowingly - In full awareness or consciousness; deliberately
3. Remove a marking - Take away or off the position occupied, eliminate or get rid of
4. Alter a marking - Change or cause to change in character or composition 
5. Obliterate a marking - Destroy utterly; wipe out
6. Deface a marking - Spoil the surface or appearance
7. On a firearm - In this case, the lower of an AR is the firearm

Points 1, 2, and 7 are pretty self explanatory, so I'd like to focus on points 3-6.  "Remove, Alter, Obliterate and Deface" suggest to me something of a permanent nature.  I've seen people tape over their serial numbers when posting pictures of their firearms, which is obviously a temporary situation, so I was wondering about paint,  I was thinking about painting over some of the markings, a little more aesthetically pleasing solution than using tape, but not permanent like milling, filing or grinding.    

Para 6 is interesting in that it describes these Regs as not in force until 1Dec18, so what are the current Regs pertaining to markings on a firearm?  I'll have to keep looking.

People consider these "gray areas" but they're not really gray areas, they just haven't been tested in court.  But quite frankly, I have little interest in taking the time and cost in legal fees to see this test through.  What I'll probably do is paint the receiver and leave it at that.  The finish on it is some weird crappy semi-gloss gray anyway, so it could use a refinish.  I'll use crappy paint so if shit hits the fan, I'll have a bottle of paint thinner ready to reveal the evil "Norinco Made in China" markings.

Colt 3x20 Scope

My buddies Ray and Hermes came across something interesting last week and they both figured I might be interested in it.  Since I'd been getting into building clones lately, some they consider retro, they asked me if I wanted it, so I said sure, why not, not really knowing what I was getting.

It's an older fixed 3x20 scope made for Colt for fixed or detachable carry handles.  I didn't even have an ARs with any kind of carry handles for the longest time, but recently, I ended up with both so this little scope came at a perfect time.  

The mounting system is interesting in the way it mounts to the carry handle.  The carry handles all have a hole and the mount for this scope appears to thread into the body of the scope, rather than clamp around it like typical scope rings we see today.  The mount itself is like a wedge that sits in the channel of the carry handle, and is fastened on with a clamp and a screw which tightens with a lever.

The controls seem simple enough, with the windage and elevation knobs at the traditional locations, and there's also an ocular adjustment.

Bottom view of the mount

The markings on top say Colt with 3x20, printed on the scope in thin script.  This might indicate the 3rd gen manufacture of this particular item, which was made in Japan for Colt.  

This scope has seen some use, but it doesn't appear to be abused and probably considered to be in decent shape considering its age.

Made in Japan

The glass is surprisingly clear but this picture isn't the best indicator.  Just a simple fine duplex reticle.

Spin the lever and the clamp off the mount and thread the mounting screw through the carry handle hole and it's as simple as that.

The scope looks perfect on top of a fixed carry handle upper, but I don't have any retro builds in the process right now, so I'll have to figure out what I'm going to do with this thing.  For now, it just sits on top of this upper.

Some interesting info I found on ar15.com:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Early_Colt_3x_Scope__Marked_Made_in_USA/123-567885/

As mentioned, this might be the 3rd gen of this model scope.  The first ones were made in the USA, with Colt engraved into the body of the scope.  The 2nd gen ones were engraved, but instead of Made in the USA, it read 3x20.  The 3rd gen (like mine) were printed Colt 3x20 in the thin older style script, and the most recent gen ones are printed in the thicker, more modern and stylized Colt logo, also with 3x20 underneath.

I doubt there is much value to this thing, although I have seen them on ebay go for anywhere between $200 to $750 depending on which year, condition and where they were made.

A2 butt stocks

Apparently identifying A2 butt stocks is no easy task.  There was a time when I couldn't find an A2 butt stock to save my life, but now I have three.  

The furthest one came from my buddy Hermes, and he had no clue what brand it was.  The middle one came from my buddy Matthew, and he wasn't sure what brand it was.  It came with a handful of parts that the guys on AR15.com ID'd as a possible Olypmic Arms manufacture.  The closest one came from EE and the owner was 99% sure it came from a Colt.  

As you can see, the furthest one and the other two have slightly different designs of trap doors.  The closer two don't have the ribs like the furthest one.  The one in the middle has a lighter parkerizing on the metal.  And who really knows if these are any indication of what manufacturer these came from.

Top was an unknown brand, middle is possibly Olympic Arms, and the the bottom one was supposedly a Colt. 

Now, I only took pics of the butt plate (maybe I'll redo this post with pics of the rest of the stock) but the butt plates were the only discernible differences between the three stocks I have.  The checkering appears to be slightly different between all three, I have noticed a drain hole in the mounting screws of the top and bottom stock, but not in the middle one.

I've also noted that the trap door release tab on the top one has some sort of pattern or mark on it, where as the bottom two have plain tabs.

I pulled this post from a forum discussing IDing A2 stocks....seems like everyone is at a loss:

Doc, after asking several people and posting the question on other forums, I'm under the impression that you're absolutely right. I'm guessing that there is one or two manufacturers that are supplying A2 stock assemblies to all of the rifle companies and aftermarket vendors.

After hearing that Colt makes the best A2 stock, I was able to find a few dealers advertising them for about $130. The problem is that they, and just about every other dealer selling non-Colt A2 stocks, were using the exact same file photo of the stock on their website. All of the other sites were selling what was probably the exact same item made by the same manufacturer as the 'Colt', but for about half of the price. Most of the sites were selling A2 stocks but were not even indicating who manufactured it.

As far as I can tell the Colt stocks do not even have a stamp or mark to differentiate between them and any stock sold by any other vendor. Someone indicated that early Colt models (1960's M16s ?) had a "C" stamped on the right sight of the stock, but current models have no marking. Maybe Colt initially made their own stocks but eventually outsourced them to ACME company? 

Even if all stocks are made by Acme brand and Colt puts their rollmark on it (which I don't believe they do), I can't see spending $130 for a 'Colt' Acme brand stock when I can buy an 'RRA' Acme brand stock for $70.

If this is accurate then shame on the vendors for advertising an Acme brand stock as a Colt for twice the price as the same thing you can get from the vendor next door. If this is not the case and there actually is a Colt brand stock, then someone please correct me.

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=209615


Some have suggested that Colt stocks appear grey and others black, but I'm not sure if that's a given as plastic has a tendency to fade over time without proper care.

On goes the mystery.

Airsoft PEQ15 by Element LA-5 UHP version

white_knight from CGN did a side-by-side comparison between his real PEQ15 with a fake/airsoft one, so I thought maybe I would also do a comparison between his and mine.

Top view of white-Knight's unknown brand on the left, and his real PEQ15 on the right.  

Element top view

He has noted that the serial number (1) was missing on his fake one, and the fake ones that bother to print this will often print it too big. This is clearly the case with the Element version, but at least it's printed.

He also noted the housing on the dials (2 and 3) were different.  The fake ones were often molded into the body of the unit, but on the real deal, they are clearly a two piece unit, with a separate seal.  It appears that the Element version has addressed this.

The training screw (4) is sometimes missing on some knockoffs, or they appear in silver or blue.  His appears to be missing the screw, but the Element came with these.  On the real deal, they are there to keep the dial from going into high power, however the civvie version doesn't have a high power setting and the lower power is apparently just duplicated.

The lens covers (5) on the real one have shiny silicon/vinyl straps which hold the caps tightly, but the fakes are just rubber and are often loose like the Element, or sometimes missing altogether like his in the above pic.  I note the Element version has tried to duplicate the semi-clear tab that holds the strap in place, which is different than the sold black tab on white_knight's fake.

Real PEQ15 top, unknown brand bottom.

Element side view

white_knight indicated the MFG tag should be on the bottom and the power setting sticker at the top.  The real ATPIAL also uses a red rubber o-ring where the knockoff is black.

Bottoms of the fake (left) and real (right)

Bottom of the Element

The mounting block (6) on some fakes have been seen to be made in plastic, with only the bar and knob being metal, but the Element has duplicated the entire metal block.  The problem with the Element unit is the screws weren't countersunk enough and stuck out a bit.  I had to file them down for them to sit flush in the mounting block, otherwise the whole unit was a bit skewed when mounting on the rail....not that it mattered because I only use the thing for photos.

The screws (7) on the real deal are all sealed with some sort of hard epoxy sealant with no exposed screws apart from the mounting bracket.  On the fakes, the screws are either exposed, or not there at all.  He added as a side note that the civvie version is missing the exemption sticker since it doesn't need it, but they will appear on the fakes.

Real PEQ15 

Element

More sealed screws (8) on the real deal, with the exposed ones on the fake.

The real one also has coated lenses (9) for both the IR illuminator and lasers but the fake does not.

white_knight's unknown fake front view

Element front view

(10) More unsealed screws on his fake and the Element.  The lasers on his fake (11) weren't covered and had no outer lenses but it appears that the Element version has addressed this, though the lenses are not coated.  Also, his fake has a flashlight (12) like mine, unlike the real deal which is supposed to be an IR illuminator.  Some fakes out there actually have an IR illuminator, but the Element is not one of those.  Apparently some knockoffs also use an aluminum bezel for the flash light where the real deal is polymer.  

 Back of the real ATPIAL

Back of his unknown brand fake

Back of the Element

There's apparently an LED indicator on the back (13) that turns green when the unit is active.  Some knockoffs will have the notch for it, but no LED, and others might not have anything at all.  The Element appears to have a hole, but nothing else.  

The remote connector (14) on the real deal will have a large port for a proprietary cable, but on the knockoffs (16) they will often use a small pin connector.

Lastly, white-knight noted the hard edges on the knockoffs.  He noted that on the real ones, the edges are more rounded, less defined.

Real deal

Element LA-5 UHP version

It came in a fancy looking, but flimsy box, along with the tape switch I didn't bother mounting as it's only on the rifle for photo shoots.

Colt 5/20 round mag

Something arrived in the mail the other day and it's just one more piece of the puzzle, a puzzle I'm still pretty far off from calling complete, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

The elusive 5/20 Colt magazine.....at least elusive in Canada.  As far as I know, there's no retailer that carries these, and they are a huge pain in the dick to source on EE, but I finally have one.  These are great for old school M16 clone builds, but also for Mk12 clone builds as well.  Now, the Mk12 doesn't have to have a 20 round mag, as they are often seen with standard 30 round mags in the wild, but I wanted to have a short mag in my collection, and getting one for my Mk12 clone build was the perfect excuse.

Compared to a standard 30 round mag.

Since these little bastards are so hard to find, I was considering buying a 20 rounder through Midway (their generic house brand), pinning it and having it imported, or maybe go through Brownell's and buying one of theirs, but finding one on EE was a total stroke of luck and it solved my dilema.  

Now I just need the right Leupold Mark 4 scope as well as an 18" Douglas Barrel.  Those might be a while though, and I'm not even sure they will ever happen.  The Leupold Mark 4 is a second focal plane scope, with limited magnification and desireable reticles....not to mention it's in MOA.  I find it hard to swallow the idea of shelling out $1,000 for a used one, let alone $1,900 for a new one, when there are a ton of superior scopes out there for that price range.

Anyway, we'll see.