Coronapocalypse Projects & Pastimes

[Boxerrider]

And finally, the board is installed inside the chassis. Lots of wiring yet to be done, but there's light at the end of the tunnel:

Nice! I homebrewed a Fender Deluxe several years back, but yours looks more involved than that. What are you building?

[Rafe]

I had a week's delay working on my amp waiting for the vacuum-tubes' heater-wires to show up (missing from the kit), but they eventually arrived...

Sweet!! You know that we're absolutely going to have to hear a recording of this thing once you get her ready. You have an old school Strat or something you're going to plug into it?

[Rafe]

I've got zero excuses. The parts I ordered came in long enough ago for them to self-decontaminate from any possible COVID-19 material. In other words, they've just been sitting around long enough for any virus on them to die.

It's amazing how working from home seems to leave me far less time than I expected. Then again, I am hopping over here and elsewhere to post and I didn't do that in the pre-coronapocalypse. I just need to buck-up and set aside a block of time to play the typical "Where's the Pivot Pin" game. I think I have yet to put together an AR lower without launching a pivot pin into the atmosphere. It provides no end of hilarity to my wife that I do that bit of assembly in the second bathroom, in the tub, with the shower curtain pulled, and the toilet seat down...just in case of, you know, ricochets.

[Boxerrider]

Nice!

[Paladin]

Besides watching Tiger King and Midway on Netflix, I've been getting some backyard airsoft trigger time in. My blowback replica pistol and AEG M4 are a good and affordable way to practice.

[threoh8]

I have less time available right now, being "essential" in an "essential" business. I go in earlier because I have to help with the temperature screening at our main facility and make sure the satellites are doing it as well. I'm often among the last few out, if not the last. Our customer list for shop and field services includes the hospitals, water utilities, power plants, wind farms, agriculture, meat packers, food distribution, oil and gas plants and pipelines, et al. Places most of us want to stay in operation during all of this.

Trying to track and adjust to changing customer requirements for COVID-19 protective measures as well as our own is pretty much full time right now on top of all the normal work.

I have some projects ready to go at the house, in case I have to stay at home for a while. I'd like to say that's because of my keen foresight and careful planning, but it's more likely because I tend to put things off and to work slowly and carefully on things I enjoy.

I put the "Pro" in procrastination.

[Nuts]

I put the "Pro" in procrastination.

Lol. Sounds like me. My down time lasted all of 2 days. Back running around the state.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have 2 stripped lowers and uppers, and 2 upper and lower parts kits sitting in the safe. I’ve been thinking for a while of building a pistol lower so that I can travel interstate with my 11.5” SBR upper without all the ATF nonsense. All I need is a buffer tube and brace....and a LAW Tactical folding stock adapter.

No time like the present.

Dontcha just love the fedgov’t?

[Paladin]

I have 2 stripped lowers and uppers, and 2 upper and lower parts kits sitting in the safe. I’ve been thinking for a while of building a pistol lower so that I can travel interstate with my 11.5” SBR upper without all the ATF nonsense. All I need is a buffer tube and brace....and a LAW Tactical folding stock adapter.

No time like the present.

Dontcha just love the fedgov’t?

Pistol lowers are a must have these days!

[Rafe]

I’ve been thinking for a while of building a pistol lower so that I can travel interstate with my 11.5” SBR upper without all the ATF nonsense. All I need is a buffer tube and brace....and a LAW Tactical folding stock adapter.

When I was browsing Primary Arms for stuff recently, I almost added one of these SB Tactical braces to my cart: https://www.primaryarms.com/sb-tactical ... race-black. Has 5 standard M4-style adjustment positions (when did that become the usual deal for pistol braces?) and I liked that it had a buffer tube already in place and ready to go. Helped a friend with a pistol build a while back and getting the tube in the brace and flush was a pain.

Also liked that the SB has an ambi QD sling socket. On my friend's we put a QD mount on the first available rail position for a single-point sling which worked okay, but it made the sling balance point a little odd and made the pistol's grip and barrel cant inward kind of oddly. Given the way the SBA4 brace is shaped, I'm not exactly certain how it's supposed to be used as a forearm brace but hey, seems a lot of these things have really evolved more toward "stock" than "brace." I hadn't thought about a LAW Tactical folder but I assume that would work just fine. Could make mighty nice traveling companion.

Dangit. Now that I've been talking about it, makes me want to go back and buy one.

[The Annoyed Man]

I’ve been thinking for a while of building a pistol lower so that I can travel interstate with my 11.5” SBR upper without all the ATF nonsense. All I need is a buffer tube and brace....and a LAW Tactical folding stock adapter.

When I was browsing Primary Arms for stuff recently, I almost added one of these SB Tactical braces to my cart: https://www.primaryarms.com/sb-tactical ... race-black. Has 5 standard M4-style adjustment positions (when did that become the usual deal for pistol braces?) and I liked that it had a buffer tube already in place and ready to go. Helped a friend with a pistol build a while back and getting the tube in the brace and flush was a pain.

Also liked that the SB has an ambi QD sling socket. On my friend's we put a QD mount on the first available rail position for a single-point sling which worked okay, but it made the sling balance point a little odd and made the pistol's grip and barrel cant inward kind of oddly. Given the way the SBA4 brace is shaped, I'm not exactly certain how it's supposed to be used as a forearm brace but hey, seems a lot of these things have really evolved more toward "stock" than "brace." I hadn't thought about a LAW Tactical folder but I assume that would work just fine. Could make mighty nice traveling companion.

Dangit. Now that I've been talking about it, makes me want to go back and buy one.

I have also been looking at SB Tactical, although I’ve also been looking at the SBRA3 model for a more minimalist kind of thing. BTW, I noticed that SB Tactical also offers a folding adapter for a lot less money than the LAW unit, but it isn’t for AR platform pistols.

[Paladin]

I’ve been thinking for a while of building a pistol lower so that I can travel interstate with my 11.5” SBR upper without all the ATF nonsense. All I need is a buffer tube and brace....and a LAW Tactical folding stock adapter.

When I was browsing Primary Arms for stuff recently, I almost added one of these SB Tactical braces to my cart: https://www.primaryarms.com/sb-tactical ... race-black. Has 5 standard M4-style adjustment positions (when did that become the usual deal for pistol braces?) and I liked that it had a buffer tube already in place and ready to go. Helped a friend with a pistol build a while back and getting the tube in the brace and flush was a pain.

Also liked that the SB has an ambi QD sling socket. On my friend's we put a QD mount on the first available rail position for a single-point sling which worked okay, but it made the sling balance point a little odd and made the pistol's grip and barrel cant inward kind of oddly. Given the way the SBA4 brace is shaped, I'm not exactly certain how it's supposed to be used as a forearm brace but hey, seems a lot of these things have really evolved more toward "stock" than "brace." I hadn't thought about a LAW Tactical folder but I assume that would work just fine. Could make mighty nice traveling companion.

Dangit. Now that I've been talking about it, makes me want to go back and buy one.

I have also been looking at SB Tactical, although I’ve also been looking at the SBRA3 model for a more minimalist kind of thing. BTW, I noticed that SB Tactical also offers a folding adapter for a lot less money than the LAW unit, but it isn’t for AR platform pistols.

I have a number of AR pistols and AR pistol braces... and I can say that the SBA3 is by far the best.