This is the first gun completely built by myself...had help with the uppers on my previous builds but finally got the upper block to fit into my vice to torque the barrel nut down. Despite the challenges of getting the damn roll pins and trigger guard set screw to go in w/the FDE Cerakote on this one, it all worked out OK in the end... Only lost two of those tiny little e-clips that hold the dust cover rod in place...thank God for Ace Hardware and their awesome selection of little fiddly parts! Ironically I got the front take down pin detent/spring in super easy on the first try!

- 2Vets Arms forged lower (group buy for Descendents of Sparta Program charity drive) and Ranier Arms stripped upper (M4 ramps) - both Cerakoted FDE by 2Vets Arms
- Magpul FDE furniture (CTR stock w/thicker butt pad, MOE grip, mid-length handguard)
- AAC 51T flash hider pinned/welded to a BCM middy 1:7 twist 14.5" 5.56 barrel w/M4 ramps
- VLTOR gas block with built-in front sight and sling mount (yes I know it's stuck on there now!); redundent "I kick Hippies" single point sling loop/end plate
- Palmetto State Armory M16 BCG (for now, until I can get another from BCM)
- BCM Charge Handle (Large)
- Geissle Super 3 Gun (S3G) trigger
- Misc. PSA lower parts, buffer tube, and carbine weight buffer/spring
- KNS anti-walk pins and Spike "Molon Labe" engraved dust cover

- ARES Armory Husky Amentum sling in Coyote Brown (not pictured)
- Tan Pelican Case on next paycheck...will have it water jet cut like I did w/Kermit's. Gonna get the longer one (1700?) and include a cutout for a .22LR conversion upper.
A crappy blurry pic of the start of the build:
Fuck you Cerakote...yeah, fuck you!
But despite the copious amount of tape, I still managed to scratch the damn lower...
Oh well, the first scratch is always the toughest...no reason not to really use this one now that it's not "perfect"...want to practice my painting skills on some toy water guns and do a nice rattle can snakeskin-like (netting mask) camo anyway. Really just wanted the Cerakote for protection under a rattle can paint job anyway.
Will try to get some outdoor shots in natural light later this week...