Copycat G43, special thanks to Jimmiroquai!

[The Legacy]

So this started out as a Matrix (TM clone) full length m14 with a black plastic stock, found for $40 on ebay.

Here's where I'm at so far-




The black stock is kind of a pain but I found a couple of online forums that discussed ways to make plastic look like wood. First I made my cutouts for the sling then applied several coats of light grey primer.



Once the primer dried I sanded it roughly and liberally applied a dark walnut stain. I'm waiting to see how well this takes, if it ends up looking okay I will probably put lacquer over it.



I fashioned the hand guard out of a piece of scrap wood I found in the garage. I cut it down to size on a buddies band saw and then used his router to round the top and cut out the hole for the barrel.




The router left the top of the hand guard with a very square appearance so I used the sanding wheel on my dremel tool to finish it.



Next up is the receiver. Using the original m14 receiver I took a hacksaw and cut the whole thing down to just a thin strip, leaving enough that I can still reattach it to the gearbox. Because of the shape of the receiver it was difficult to get a straight cut with the hacksaw. I used the cutting wheel attachment on my Dremel tool to even everything out and create a flat surface which will be needed to glue the new upper receiver in place once I get it all put together. Sorry these are a bit blurry.





The original m14 hand guard is great to use for the receiver base. Here I will be using a piece of it for my front sight mount. The rest will be used for the basic shape of the receiver and I will be using Sintra PVC board to fill out the rest of the details.




More to come.....

[2nd Bat]

Vunderbar! keep us updated. For the plastic stock to realistic wood here is the approach I take. use a rasp and file your surface lightly to create subtle grooves in the otherwise smooth plastic. Paint the entire "wood areas" in a yellow ochre and allow to dry. I use acrylic paint and i apply it generously using a brush that will again result in a "grainy finish". Once dry do a rag applied over wash with a darker paint. (walnut, expresso etc) or use the "wood" stain sprays that can be found at craft shops. Once that drys run a black rag applied acrylic over wash and wipe it down till the desired shade is achieved. the black will fill in the grains you created with the rasp and thick, brush applied paint. Finally overspray your work with a clear dull coat finish to give it a nilitary stock appearance and seal your work.