Beg your pardon, Pete. No photography allowed at NRA HQ Range.
I stopped dilly-dallying and finally got my tax stamp. I sold the POF lower and bought another LMT Defender lower to register. The POF was nice, but it was Teflon coated, and I wanted to paint. After the Form 1 came back, I went over to LWRC to have Jesse engrave the lower, and then I ordered an LMT 10.5” upper from Wes at MSTN. After reading about TR’s positive experiences with his LMT shorty, I didn’t really look at any other uppers.
I sprayed the plastic and fiberglass parts (SOPMOD stock, Tango Down rail panels, EOTech battery cover) with Brownells Aluma-Hyde II in Earth Brown. I sprayed the metal parts with Brownells Gun-Kote in Dark Earth Brown. I then baked the parts in a large toaster oven and gas grill outside. I did not have the guts –
or is it balls? – to use the oven in the kitchen.
The colors don’t exactly match, but it’s likely my fault. It was my first time, and I was using the rattle cans, so I was afraid of over-spraying. Some of the metal parts could use another coat or two, and next time I will pull the delta ring assembly off the barrel. LMT coats their buffer tubes with some kind of anti-friction material, the same as inside their upper receivers, so I left it alone. The Gun-Kote goes on warm, de-greased metal parts very well. It’s very hard, but it will chip (again, my fault, likely a curing issue). I did discover that it’s less likely to chip if you don’t drop the upper receiver when taking it out of the oven –
oohh, ouch, hot!
I zeroed it and ran some mags through it today using surplus M855 green tips. One or two malfunctions, but I did not do a good job of culling out the dented cartridges, and I was also trying out some CProducts stainless steel mags for the first time, so I’m not blaming the upper. It is a blast to shoot, a little bit louder, but it didn’t bother me at all. Perhaps I was too busy feeling the blast from the Springfield M1A in the next lane over.
- LMT Defender lower, single-stage trigger, SOPMOD, H buffer, Ergo SureGrip, Magpul trigger guard
- LMT 10.5” upper with YHM Phantom 5C2 FH
- CMT BCG upgraded by Denny’s Guns, LMT CH with PRI military latch
- Surefire M73 rail, Tango Down rail panels, Dieter CQD
- EOTech 511 on a LaRue Mount, with LaRue BUIS
- Surefire KL3 LED head and clickie tailcap, and generic body on a LaRue offset mount