Cav Arms Build Complete

I know it's been a while, but my plastic AR-15 is complete, and it looks good!

As you can read from earlier posts, I started with an OD Green Cavalry Arms lower receiver. I've documented the lower build, which was not without it's hardships.

Building the upper receiver had a whole new list of difficulties. I started by ordering a DPMS light profile 20" barrel. A deployment and a total of 7 months later, it was still backordered. I canceled the order with DPMS and ordered a similar Bushmaster barrel, which arrived in less than a month. It is a standard 20" barrel with a fixed A2 front sight post/gas block. It came with a rifle-length gas tube and black rifle length handguards. Basically, it was ready to install.

I also ordered an A2 upper receiver. It arrived long before the barrel, and I just stashed it away and forgot about it. Turns out it was an A1 upper(I checked the invoice, and it did indeed list an A2 upper. They sent the wrong one), and I had an A2 rear sight kit. All of it was ordered from Brownells. I kept the A1 upper, either to sell or for a future build, and ordered an A2 upper.

When the A2 upper arrived, installation of the rear sight kit wasn't hard, and didn't require all the special tools that some websites advocate. I did it with a punch set and a screw driver.

Installing the barrel wasn't hard, either. I borrowed a can of lithium grease from Josh at Abilene Indoor Gun Range, where I do most of my gun related business. Great guys. I sprayed the receiver threads with grease, installed the barrel and torqued the barrel nut to spec with a cheap torque wrench. I left the black handguards in the closet and installed a set of OD Green Cavalry Arms rifle length handguards to give it that two-tone look.

With the upper complete, I had to install the bolt carrier group, which I had ordered months before. Standard, cheap BCG. It went in just fine, but somewhere along the line I had forgotten to get a charging handle. I cannibalized it from my M4gery (which is now known as Tactibeast- that's another post) to test the rifle.

First time I took the gun out was on a trip with my sister and her boyfriend. I shot it first to make sure it functioned safely, but then both of them shot it and enjoyed it, even without a forward assist. That's another part I forgot to order. Along with the flash hider, but that is going to be permanently cannibalized from the Tactibeast.

At the end of the day, here's a bad picture of the rifle.

Finished Cavalry Arms Lower

I finally finished the CavArms Lower, with a little 5/64" pin needed to hold the buffer retainer down. Since the Cav Arms Lower Receiver doesn't have a buffer tube, it needs a little pin to hold the buffer retainer down in it's hole. I learned this the hard way, but I think I made a last minute save and did it the right way.

Of course, I had to buy 36 of the pins from Brownell's, so I have plenty of spares.

I've function tested it, but I haven't shot it yet.

As of right now, I have everything to build it except the lightweight barrel from DPMS, which is still backordered. Can't do much without that.

Complete Lower

I got a package from Midway on Friday. It had a bunch of reloading stuff, along with a DPMS Lower Parts Kit, a carbine buffer and buffer spring.

Installing the LPK was interesting. The Cav-15 Lower Receiver is very tight in all tolerances. Every part fits very tightly. I lubed everything with Slipstream Lube as I installed it, and the trigger group wasn't too hard.

Some of the parts weren't used, or installed differently because it's a CAV-15 lower. The Selector detent and spring have to go in from the top, instead of with the pistol grip. That part was tough, since I had to install the spring and detent, hold them down with a punch, and try to get the selector in there. This is where that extra tight tolerance became troublesome. I got it almost lined up, then tapped it with a nylon mallet to get it in. It worked, but I smashed my thumb in the process. Pretty nasty.

I also discovered that you need a pin, which isn't included in either the LPK or with the Lower, to hold the buffer retaining pin in its hole, because there's no buffer tube to do that. I'll have to get one of those next week, since I'm on vacation this week.

The upper fits very tightly in the lower as well. I almost have everything I need to finish the upper, except the barrel. I just found out my barrel is backordered a month or two from DPMS, so that could seriously delay the build. Don't know what I'm going to do about that.

New Parts

Just got the stripped upper receiver. That takes the list to Upper, Lower, Bolt Carrier Group, gas tube, and barrel nut.

Next part expected to arrive is the DPMS Light Contour Barrel with A2 Gas Block. 20" long, chambered in 5.56mm with a 1:9 twist. That should be getting here any day now.

After payday, I'll click "checkout" on the upper and lower parts kits plus a few tools for assembly.

After that, all I should need are the handguards. And some spray paint.

Cav Arms Build

So I decided I'm going to build this rifle from scratch. It'll cost me a bit more, both in individual parts cost, and in tools I'll need, but I think I'm up to it technically, and I want to. The flip side to that is I can buy the parts separately, and spread the cost out over a couple paychecks. In fact, I'll be forced to because a lot of the parts I want are backordered.

The Cav Lower is in at the local gun pusher, so I'll pick it up tomorrow. Pics will be posted.

Patient Zero

Apparently my purchase of the Cav Arms Lower has inspired many other WTA members to do the same. Thernlund bought three on his own!

At this rate, DSG Arms will run out quick, so if you want one, they have them, for now.

New AR Build

So, as many know, Cavalry Arms recently surrendered their FFL and ceased production of their one-piece plastic lower receivers. I'm not going any deeper into that story here.

The whole fiasco made me want one of their lowers.

I found DSG Arms had them for $125, less the military discount, which is significant. It didn't take a lot of thought to order one in Olive Drab. I didn't even know what I was going to do with it. At the time, I was perfectly content just tossing it in the safe and leaving it till I got an idea.

It didn't take long to come up with an idea.

It's getting a 20" A-2 upper receiver, and I'll be painting the full-length handguards to match the lower, since I can't find A-2 handguards in OD green. It'll have a standard gas-block front sight, and carry handle rear. Right now, it looks like the upper will have a light-contour barrel, keeping the whole build as light as possible. The upper I'm looking at comes with a bolt and carrier, but I'll be replacing them with my CMMG .22LR Conversion Kit most of the time. This rifle is going to be all but a dedicated .22. I can swap the bolt carrier groups at any time and shoot 5.56 out of it again. The Silencerco .22Sparrow suppressor will be on this rifle whenever it's not on the P-22.

As for my existing M4gery, it'll be slowly tansforming into the Tacti-beast. All I know right now is it'll be getting a railed forend, a holographic optic (probably the EOtech XPS2-2), a Knights Armament vertical foregrip (I already have that) and a Daniel Defense offset light mount. Don't know what light is going in it yet, but it'll be LED for sure. Other bits and pieces might make it, too. Magpul's BAD or a Redi-mag might eventually make an appearance. There are just so many cool things to put on an AR, it'll take a while to select everything. This will probably all get done within the next 6 months.

I'll try to remember to post updates here.