My shiny new Cav-15 lower is in my hot little hands, awaiting the installation of a lower parts kit. Brownell’s got it to my FFL in two days’ time, and I dashed right down after work to fill out the paperwork and fork over the transfer fee. It looks like a quality bit of kit and I don’t anticipate any assembly difficulties.

Plans for the upper have changed slightly; after consulting with a few serious AR guys I’m going to use Bravo Company’s lightweight mid-length upper once it becomes available. Compared to the RRA upper I was planning to buy, the Bravo uses a 1:7″ twist barrel (vs. 1:9″), which will stabilize basically any bullet I’m ever likely to use. I’m also assured BCM’s quality is markedly better than RRA’s, and their rating on the famous/infamous “The Chart” is far superior. Will I ever notice a real difference? Maybe not. Am I willing to spend a few more bucks anyways? Sure.

I’m trying to estimate the final weight of the whole gun, a task slightly complicated by the fact that I currently have only one part in my possession. The complete lower should be somewhere around 26 oz, with the upper around 60 oz. Add a couple more ounces for a rear sight, and 88 oz. = 5.5 lbs. I’d been hoping to come in a bit lower than that, closer to the M1 Carbine’s 5.2 lbs, but I can live with beating an M4 by a half-pound.

If anyone reading this has a complete Cav lower, could you throw it on a postal scale for me and give me an exact weight? It’d be much appreciated.

The news of Cavalry Arms quitting the gun business prompted me to dash over to Ye Olde Gunshoppe and have them order up a stripped Cav-15 lower from Brownell’s. Even if I end up buying something else eventually, I doubt I’ll regret having the Cav lower on hand.

If you want one, get while the gettin’s still good. Who knows when (if ever) they’ll be back in production.

I thought I’d pretty well settled on an AR configuration when I stumbled across something interesting on Sig Sauer’s website: the Sig 556 Patrol rifle.

The first version of the 556 had a ridiculous railfarm handguard straight out of a video game and, inexplicably, a CAR-type telestock. I had NO interest in that model. The revised 556 Classic replaced the failtastic handguard and stock of its predecessor with sensibly-designed parts and seriously caught my eye…

Until I picked one up. Not only was it a bit of a porker at 8 1/4 lbs, it was WAY muzzle-heavy. Which makes sense when you think about it: the stock is a simple polymer folder that contains no heavy components (like an AR buffer assembly), and the gas block/front sight assembly is waaaay down at the end of a long handguard, out near the muzzle. Result: the balance point is somewhere around the middle of the flash hider.

So I scratched the 556 off my list and started looking into ARs.

Meanwhile, Sig apparently smartened up and shortened the gas system and handguard to create the Patrol model, dropping the weight by 0.7 lbs and (hopefully) correcting the balance issue. Sight radius naturally suffers a bit, but I think I can live with that. If I can lay hands on one within the next three weeks (the duration of Sig’s $300 rebate offer) and find its handling satisfactory, I may very well drop the cash.

Alright, so I more-or-less have an idea how I want to build my AR. I read up on all the minutiae and acronyms and arcane distinctions between Brand X and Brand Y. I even got some advice from the Mall Ninja himself. If I’m not 100% decided yet, I’m close enough that I don’t think I’ll be making any *drastic* changes…

… and then it occurs to me that I have absolutely NO idea how to run one of the damn things effectively. I mean, I know where the controls are and how they function, but all the details of proper stance, administrative handling, immediate action drills, where the cool kids are putting their support hand this week, etc… No idea. Could I safely handle the gun and make it go bang? Sure. Could I operate it quickly and efficiently? Not bloody likely.

So… where should I go to start reading up on modern carbine technique? (First person to suggest arfcom gets a nutpunch-over-IP). And yes, I know full well that books and magazine articles != actual training. I’m hoping to take Steve Fisher’s carbine course later this year. I’d like to get a bit of a head-start, though, so I don’t have to be That Guy at gun school.

I know pdb and Tam have some professional training under their respective belts. Maybe I can beg some advice from them…

I’ve had these sitting on my desk for a few weeks now, waiting to be blogged:

These are micarta 1911 grips from RAASCO Grips, specifically the smooth-finished linen maroon models shown here. Actually, the product photo on that site is my personal set of grips.

They’re quite nicely made, right at .250″ thick, with very precise dimensions; I’m guessing they’re CNC-machined. Screw holes are properly countersunk on both sides for the grip screws/bushings and the left panel is relieved at the top to support the plunger tube. The maroon almost looks like dark-stained walnut, with enough of the linen “grain” showing through to make them interesting. Overall I’m very favorably impressed, especially since the $40 asking price is a good 1/3 less than most competing micarta grips.

These will end up going on the .38 Super project gun, both for their good looks and their protective properties. Micarta is very, very tough stuff, strong enough that they should save my delicate, precious little hands if I ever get stupid and blow out a case head. I certainly don’t intend to test this theory, but the .38 Super has a SAAMI max pressure of 36,500 psi compared to only 21,000 for the .45 ACP, so a little insurance won’t hurt.

Oh, and Allen at RAASCO was quick in replying to my emails and getting the grips delivered to me, even answering an email on a Saturday night. Between the quality of the product and the solid customer service, I’m a happy customer. Recommended.