AR 15 left side charging handle

[YROC FAB.]

Well because i like to fix things that aren't broken and i have a fancy new mill that loads of fun to play with, I thought it would be a good idea hack up the upper on my pistol AR.

Pictures>
Precision layout with a sharpie measured with my calibrated eyeball.


I milled out a 3/8 wide slot.


Then I installed the bolt and secured it with a high dollar clamp while i machined it.


Initially i tried a HSS mill to spot face the bolt and the HSS would not even scratch it, these bolts are wicked hard. So i had to wait a few days while amazon shipped me some cabide end mills. 3/8 spot face.


I used a 1/8 carbide end mill to drill through it and followed it up with a 3/16 drill and the final 7/32 drill.


Tapped out to 1/4" 28 very very very carefully. Wicked hard bolts.




Originally i was going to make the handle out of brass. While melting down some brass brazing rod into a cylinder big enough to turn i realized copper would do and the torch tip would be perfect for it. Also the holes in the torch tip made for some sweet knurling texturing, Bonus! I plan on using the brass on my rifle upper soon.

 

[Jinx]

I love what you come up with!

I will be watching this one!!!

Side question: did I miss you trip report on the hammers?

 

[YROC FAB.]

Finished. Over all the upper and bolt work was less than a 20 min project. The small copper handle took way more time.

The ergonomics with the left side handle feels much better than the rear charging handle and i get to watch that shinny copper handle cycle with every shot which i find incredibly intriguing.






Unforeseen handle to bolt release interference made me have to grind the bolt release down a little, but it still functions perfectly fine and with the side charging handle a slight pull back on it will release the bolt anyway.


#Guns

 

[YROC FAB.]

I love what you come up with!

I will be watching this one!!!

Side question: did I miss you trip report on the hammers?

O its not my idea. I seen it on interwebz land.

Its over till i do my rifle. I will post some pics of the brass knob i go with on it.

No trip report, But we did have a damn good time. My old lady put like 100 pics on my fb.

 

[jeeper]

Look at that death gun!

I have always liked the left side charge. Grizzly used to make one back in the day.. but not anymore.
Looks like a lot of fun to build!

 

[Herzog]

That's awesome!

 

[SAMI]

I heart this

 

[Coco]

Turned out awesome!

 

[YROC FAB.]

Me and Aust was about to go try it out and our friend in his new stock HMMV on 41" pitbulls showed up and took us. The gun cycled and functioned fine with the side charging handle. It was way neat watching that piece of copper cycling super fast right at your face as it shot. After we blew two mags through it he let us all drive the HMMV, It was sweet! I kind of want one meow. I rock crawled the shit out of.

 

[YROC FAB.]

Look at that death gun!

This offends me as a vegan transgender atheist German engineer who vapes organic decaffeinated compressed soy breast milk on the regular and a person who does Indian naked crossfit yoga 5 times per week. I'm also a male feminist and identify myself as a pastafarian Apache helicopter dog who serves only to one master: my chihuahua which I helped cross the border of Mexico because I hate Donald Trump. My dog also walks me, if you find that weird you're an arrogant ignorant homophobic globaphobic sexist.

 

[YROC FAB.]

Got my new upper from palmetto and before i have even had a chance to shoot it i chucked it up in the mill and did the side charging handle mod.
This palmetto bolt was not newly as hard to drill and tap as my pistol upper. I don't know what they are made of or the different types of bolts used in these guns are but i would like to put these in a hardness tester and know the actually difference. I don't foresee the softer bolt being a problem with this application.

Pictures>







Where the handle interferes with the bolt release I'm going to bend the bolt release down on this one instead of cut it down.