Building Myself an AR-15

With 2 handguns (the P99 and T3) in the family, I figured it was time to branch out to a long gun. The question was whether I would get a shotgun or a black rifle (aka AR-15).

I initially went shotgun since I was more familiar with shotguns than AR-15s. My first choice was a Benelli SuperNova Tactical. I started looking around the gun shops in the area and on the Calguns Marketplace. However, I couldn't find the exact model I wanted.

All the local shops had a ton of Remington 870 shotguns, but not the SuperNova Tactical. There's nothing wrong with the Remington 870, it's a fine shotty. However, it just did not fit me. I previously shot a SuperNova Tactical at the Raahuages Gun Show last year and it just felt right in my hands. Since I couldn't find it local, I decided to learn more about AR-15s just to keep my options open.

I did a ton of reading (this is my favorite) and watched a ton of videos on YouTube. Let me tell you, I learned a lot about the AR-15. If you're interested in the videos, I can recommend the videos by Midway USA and Brownells (see below for a sample).

What really appealed to me is that I could build my own - I didn't have to purchase a "complete" rifle. I could buy parts piece by piece and slowly put it together. And if I was able to find good deals on quality parts, I could comfortably put together a high quality AR-15 for less than what I would have spent on a complete rifle.

I was sold and decided to try my hand at "building" an AR-15. The next few posts will detail the parts I've acquired and the progress on my build. Stay tuned!

Sold the Walther P22

Well, I hated doing it , but the time had come. I sold the Walther P22. If you recall, I purchased the P22 in March 2009 and used it to learn how to properly/safely handle a firearm and shoot. It was my very first firearm.

Ever since I picked up the P99 and then the T3, the P22 has sat in the safe. I was hoping that when I go to the range, the wife would join me and use the P22. No dice. As such, I decided I would rather sell it and have someone else enjoy the P22 rather than let it sit.

I placed an ad on the online gun forum I frequent and sold the P22 within 24 hours. Now with the funds, I'm hoping to pick up a bounce bag and use it to improve my JKD. If you don't know what a bounce bag it, here's a pic:

A bounce bag is great for places with limited space and/or no place to hang a punching bag. I'll be using the bounce bag to work my lead straight and lead hook kick with hopes of refining my mechanics and developing more power. So far, it's been hard to find in Los Angeles. I've gone to a few martial arts equipment stores and none have had them in stock. I would order online, but I'm not interested in paying $70+ for shipping. Hopefully, I'll find one locally soon.

Extended Slide Release for the Nighthawk T3

Sorry for being MIA the past 3 months. I've just been really lazy and preoccupied with other things. Anyways, just consider it a summer hiatus and that I'm now back for the Fall prime time season.

I recently purchased a new item to "upgrade" my Nighthawk Custom T3. It's a Wilson Combat Extended Slide Release.

My hands are on the medium to small side. Because of that, I found it really difficult to manipulate the slide release on the T3 with my right hand. Yes, I realize that I should be using my left hand to work the slide release with a 1911; however, I've grown so accustomed to using my strong hand with my Walther P99 that I wanted to find someway to do the same with the T3. The extended slide release is perfect for what I wanted.

As you can see from the picture above, the extended length of the slide release was just what I needed. I can now use my right thumb to either release the slide or lock back the slide.

It also helped that the slide release matched the fit of the T3 perfectly! All this for only $20 as I had purchased the extended slide release slightly used from a member of Calguns.net.

I cannot wait to hit the range to work on refining my technique with the new slide release...especially now that I have some ammo. Check out what I was able to procure from a non-Los Angeles county Walmart. Check this out!

Could it be that the ammo shortage in California is coming to an end?!?! The Walmart where I bought this from had shelves that were nearly full of handgun (9mm, .40 cal, .45 acp, .380, and .22lr) ammo. I certainly hope so as I need to spend some serious range time to get proficient with my firearms.

Alumagrips for the Nighthawk T3

About 2 months back I took an advanced handgun class and used my Nighthawk Custom T3. I ran the following through the T3 during the class:

• 300 rounds of WWB
• 50 rounds of American Eagle
• 50 rounds of Winchester JHP

I had a failure to load within the first 10 rounds (which a quick tap and rack remedied) and no failures for the rest of the session. The T3 was wonderfully balanced in the hand and I could barely feel the recoil.

The one thing that bothered me with the T3 was the grips. My hands were very raw at the end of the session due to the aggressive checkering...not to also mention that the grips seemed to be a bit thick for me as I'm used to the slimmer grips of the Walther P99 and Walther P22. Well, I decided to change the grips and picked up a set of slim tactical Alumagrips.

The slim grips are slim!


The Alumagrips next to the stock T3 grips.


The Alumagrips installed on the T3.


Look how thin my T3 grip is now!

I absolutely love the Alumagrips on the T3! The T3 grip is now as thin as that of my P99. I feel as though I have a better hold on the gun and highly recommend them...especially if your hands are on the smaller side.

The Stealth by Nighthawk Custom

I thought I was done with getting goodies for the T3, but I was wrong.

I stumbled upon a seller on Calguns.net who was selling a commander-size Nighthawk Custom holster called "The Stealth". After contacting him and taking a few days to think about it, I decided to purchase it. Luckily the seller hadn't sold it yet and I made the purchase. The holster arrived today.

As you can see, it's a perfect fit for the T3. The leather is extremely nice and it looks like it will last for quite a while. In case you're wondering, I'm not planning on concealed carry anytime soon as I don't have a CCW permit. However, should the day ever come that ordinary citizens in the County of Los Angeles can obtain CCW permits to conceal carry, I'll be ready.

More Nighthawk Custom Goodies for the T3

As I mentioned in my original T3 post, I was going to take advantage of Nighthawk Custom's offer of 6 magazines for $100. Well, I called in my order last Friday for the magazines and a few additional items. The UPS delivery person dropped off the package yesterday afternoon, so let me show you what I received.

Here's what I got:

• 6 blued Nighthawk Custom 7-round officer's magazine (in the picture, 4 magazines are out of the packaging and 2 are still in the packaging)
• Tetra Gun Grease for the rails
• Tetra Gun Lubricant for the springs and other moving parts
  
• Nighthawk Custom Spring Kit which consists of 2 standard recoil springs (in this case 18lbs), an extra power spring (20lbs) for +P ammo, a hammer spring, and a firing pin spring

I ordered the grease and lube to keep the T3 running as smooth as possible. The extra springs are for peace of mind and to keep downtime to a minimum.

The package arrived just in time too. I'm scheduled to take an Advanced Handgun course on Sunday and I'll be all set to break in the T3. I can't wait.

Some Goodies for the Nighthawk T3

Here are some goodies that I got for the Nighthawk Custom T3 prior to my leaving/losing my job. Now that I'm free of the work drama, I'm hoping to blog more regularly and get back to normal. :-)

First up are 2 boxes of Winchester Supreme Elite ammunition that I purchased from a local Big 5 Sporting Goods.

Ammunition is hard to come by in greater Los Angeles. I'm not sure about the rest of the country, but ammunition is still just trickling in...a few boxes at a time. The Walmarts are basically empty when it comes to handgun ammo and when I saw these 2 boxes at Big 5, I knew I had to snatch them up.

I have 2 other boxes of jacketed hollowpoints by Winchester, but these are a step (or 3) above those and I didn't want to be cheap when it comes to protecting my family. The Winchester Supreme Elite were roughly $23 per box (of 20 rounds) so a little over $1 a round. The other JHPs were $24 per box of 50 rounds. Here's hoping that I never have to use them. (Knock on wood!)

Next up is a leather paddle holster that I'll be using with the T3 when I take my next handgun training class.

It's a Safariland holster (model #560-53) that I purchased off of eBay for a little over $30. This holster will fit a full size Government 1911 to a subcompact 1911.

From what I can tell, this holster is no longer being sold by Safariland; however, the Wilson Combat Adjuster holster (that retails for $120) looks very much like the holster above. I wonder if Safariland is repackaging this holster for Wilson Combat? Inquiring minds would like to know, because the price difference (in my case) is $90. I wonder how much the Safariland holster originally retailed for?

Now, I just need to find a leather dual magazine holder for the 1911 and I'll be all set for my next class with Greg Block. Anyone have a suggestion on what I should consider/get? Thanks!

Nighthawk Custom T3

Well, the day finally came. My 10-day waiting period is up and I was finally able to pick up the T3.

All is I can is "wow"! It is one of the finest pistols I have ever held. Everything just feels solid and tight. Racking the slide was a bit tight, but should get better once I've had a chance to run 500 rounds through it. The trigger is nice and smooth...very light. The Diamond Black finish looks terrific and from what I understand is the best finish that Nighthawk Custom offers.

Because I live in CA, Nighthawk Custom wasn't allowed to put the magwell on the T3. Instead, they included it in the package so that the owner can either install himself or have it installed by the gunsmith. Not sure yet if I'm going to install it, but will take my time making that decision. I'll be sure to send a quick email to Nighthawk and ask if there's anything in particular I should be aware of for installation. From the looks of it, it's basically punching the pin (out of the bottom of the main spring housing), install the magwell, and punch the pin back in. I'm hoping it's that simple.

A nice surprise I found in the Nighthawk paperwork was a magazine offer - 6 blued magazines or 4 stainless steel magazines for $100 plus shipping (roughly $109). That's too good of a deal to pass up and I'll be taking them up on their offer.

Graduating to the Next Caliber - .45ACP

A while back I wrote that I was considering getting another gun. At one point, I was very close to buying a Walther PPK (actually, a Manurhin-made PPK). It didn't quite work out as other obligations came up. However, acquiring another handgun has been on my mind.

After much thought I decided to pass on getting the PPK. I wanted to go with a bigger caliber - either a .40cal or .45ACP. Then last month, I went to Greg Block's Intermediate Handgun class where half the class had 1911's in .45ACP. I asked a ton of questions during class and became convinced that .45ACP was the way to go. The main reason...check out the following:

The .45ACP is on the left and the 9mm is on the right. As my wife stated when I first showed her the .45ACP, "You can kill someone with that." Hopefully I won't ever have to use it, but if I did have to, I wanted something with a bit more stopping power.

The hard part of all of this is deciding what 1911 to get. There are many manufacturers of model 1911 handguns - Colt, Smith & Wesson, Kimber, Springfield Armory, Dan Wesson, etc. I wasn't interested in a full size Government model (5-inch barrel) as I have small hands and liked the length of my Walther P99 (approximately 4-inch barrel). I began searching for a Commander or Officer's model. I did a ton of research online and narrowed down my choices to a Nighthawk Custom T3, a Kimber Pro CDP II, and a Kimber Compact CDP II.

I read tons of posts about these 3 models - how the handgun operated, its accuracy and reliability, the type of customer service offered by the manufacturers, etc. At the end of the day, Nighthawk Custom won out. The T3 received an excellent online review at the M-1911 Forums and Nighthawk Custom's reputation for top notch customer service won me over.

The T3 isn't in my possession yet as I have to wait out California's 10-day waiting period. However, I will soon have it and cannot wait to post pictures. For a sneak peek of what I'll be getting, check out the following quick review I found on YouTube: