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Post by involved6 on Jan 17, 2008 17:24:40 GMT -5
With his pictures and assistance contained on this site, in addition to a guide by Lee Caesar (does he frequent the site? I'm pretty new...) I was able to build myself an M1 Garand AEG, a fantasy of mine for some years (I lost a bid on Ebay for a conversion kit in 2005, i think it was...) Her name is Keira, and she's still a work in progress With Mae, my Thompson (who needs some TLC herself), and a WW2-ed Vietnam-era Steel pot.... all thats left is to finish the wood, the front sling swivel and the mags! So thanks, 2ndBat! great ideas! (Any help/tips you could render on the mag creation would be much appreciated
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Young Blood
Corporal
Dog Co. 504 PIR, 82nd Airborne (SoCal)
Posts: 876
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Post by Young Blood on Jan 17, 2008 21:45:12 GMT -5
wow, you built that just by some advise and a guide, i'm impressed, looks great... and finish it, dont give up on it!!
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Post by involved6 on Jan 18, 2008 1:14:30 GMT -5
Thanks, I appreciate it Its certainly not up to 2nd Bat specs, but hopefully anyone who gets within 5 feet of it will think its cool enough to ignore the tape that dots the gun, and keeps it from rattling or coming loose. And dont worry about me giving up on it. Once you give it a name, you gotta come through. I just cant put stain on cuz its too cold in NY.
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click
Sergeant
Company G, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division
Posts: 1,764
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Post by click on Jan 18, 2008 6:27:40 GMT -5
Looks great man! How much did it set ya back if I may ask?
Click
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Post by involved6 on Jan 18, 2008 12:57:29 GMT -5
M14 from ASGI was $130 shipped
Handguards and their retention clips and complete gas block was a steal at about $50.
The Garand clips (20) were $10, and mags, which I have yet to decide on (Btween King Arms and Deep Fire), cost between $65 and $70 for 10 mags
So roughly $260, all told, for the Gun and 10 Magazines. Not too shabby
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Post by mrevolution on Jan 18, 2008 14:24:58 GMT -5
With his pictures and assistance contained on this site, in addition to a guide by Lee Caesar The last name is Cassar He's my C.O. (Im new here myself, so hello!)
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jan 18, 2008 17:30:07 GMT -5
You really did get a steal on the Garand parts. The front gas assembly complete usually runs $75.00 and the hand guards range from $35 to 75.00 so you did great. You can cover the M-14 stock bolt a number of ways but you really should do so as well as to finish off the butt plate by removing the flap and filling it all in. After that you're ready for the stock finish work. I would highly recommend you use a rasp and rough sand papaer , (for graining) acrylic paints and shoe polish to match up your stocks and give it a military stock finish look. Once done spray with a clear sealant to protect the finish.
Nice job on the project and thanks for the kind words.
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Post by involved6 on Jan 20, 2008 0:57:45 GMT -5
Im an ebay fanatic, and had the ability to wait til the best prices rolled around, I think thats how I did so well... now that I think on it, I believe it was closer to $60, but still did very well. As for stock bolt, Im not so sure I know what you mean there Im hoping to match the wood up and get it stained, and Im a little confused as to how... I dont want to force trade secrets out of you, though
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YankeeDiv26
Staff Sgt.
Frustrated Mac Owner
BDM<33
Posts: 2,462
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Post by YankeeDiv26 on Jan 21, 2008 14:59:39 GMT -5
Well done involved6, looks like you have a winner. I plan on making myself a G+G based conversion and will continue persueing it as funds trickle in. It's not my priority right now so I'm just getting work done when I can. I own one of 2nd bat's conversions and will copy the basic design with some minor improvements here and there.
2ndbat, a thanks from me as well. I know we talked in a few PM's about my attempt at a conversion and your advice has so far helped greatly. Thank you.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jan 21, 2008 23:11:14 GMT -5
The M-14 had a reinforcing stock bolt (The black circular ring on both sides of the stock below the receiver group.) You can fill them with wood filler or resin paste as well as the slots created in the butt plate area when you remove the M-14 butt flap. Once off and filled, the inner M14 butt plate looks very much like the M1 Garand and enhances your conversion quite a bit. Once this is done and sanded down you can follow the usual steps spelled out elsewhere for aging and then finishing the plastic so it looks more like real wood. Guinness has some great tips using acrylic paints and a dull coat sealer that pretty much paralell what I do. I use a rat tail rasp to create some wood like grains that the final coat of thinned ebony will fill into. Shades of black will allow you to match the wood finish with the actual handguards.
For the sling swivel I usually cut the M-14 hardware down to a single holed mount, file the stock surface flat and epoxy glue it as well as screwing it into place. (I had a few work free so I secure them better now.)
If you really want to get anal about your Garand conversion use some bondo and add dimension to the rather thin M-14 stock and give it the thicker shape of a Garand lower stock. I've done a couple that way by first screwing about 50 small wood screws part way into the stock around the mag well and then down toward the sling swivel area inserting them just far enough to provide the Garand like tapered shape I'm seeking. The screws provide a kind of rebar strengthening for your bondo so it stays in place and remains good and solid. Once it's dried you can file and sand it into a near perfect Garand shape. It also provides some added weight and with the proper dimensions really great and can be textured like real wood and finished using the normal texturing process. I've fooled many people into thinking they were real wood lower stocks. They also help discuise your shortened magazines.
Probably more work then it's worth but I did a couple that way and they came out real nice.
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Post by involved6 on Jan 22, 2008 17:52:19 GMT -5
a HA...
Now I see what youre talking about.... and wouldnt ya know it, Ive got epoxy sittin around. woot.
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Post by involved6 on Jan 23, 2008 14:49:24 GMT -5
Please forgive the double post 2nd Bat, would you recommend using Deep Fire or King Arms, as far as mags go? I know my KA M16 Midcaps (unlike G&P's design) is different from standard magazines. I plan on making your style mags, shortened with the En Bloc clips. Better yet, what would you charge for 10 units hehe jk... Just nervous about so much hack work on my part.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Jan 23, 2008 18:55:13 GMT -5
Marui and Deepfire low caps have worked best for me. The plastic inner magazines bodies give you two nice channels to follow so it's fairly easy to make the two nice even cuts you need so the shortened clips will line up nicely and reassemble properly. Take care to ensure the cuts are 90 degree cuts in both directions and realize that you still have to file and smoothen the surfaces before reattaching them.
It's not hard work but it is too time consuming to come out decently if I had to charge someone for it. I'm actually still hoping someone will come up with a better design that will be easier to do and be more flush mounted.
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Mar 12, 2008 19:23:48 GMT -5
My hopes and dreams have been answered as some existing shotgun magazines from model 500 pump action 798 series are almost perfect in their length, width and depth. These are the magazines that fit flush in the shotgun receiver group NOT the more common ones that protrude. They are marketed under a variety of brands and sold in a number of airsoft sites. (Pretty much sold out right now due to all 130 of my Garand AEG customers buying them up!) They sell at between 4 and eight dollars and need very little modification to be made to work. They hold 15 rounds of which 12 rounds are consistently serviceable. The tiny clips fit beautifully in the Garand belt pouches and save enormous amounts of work compared to my now completely obsolete design.
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Post by involved6 on May 8, 2008 11:01:01 GMT -5
How ironic that the cheapest of solutions saved me from spending $90 on magazines.
Looks like I bought 20 En-blocs for nothing, then?
Can you elaborate on the easy mods needed to make this work? I've completed my Garand, and will post pics ASAP. I took your advice and Bondoed and stained the stock. Its not perfect, but looks fantastic!
It would be great to bring final closure to this project with a few of these mags.
Thanks!
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Young Blood
Corporal
Dog Co. 504 PIR, 82nd Airborne (SoCal)
Posts: 876
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Post by Young Blood on May 14, 2008 11:03:15 GMT -5
..I thought it was finished.. -Eddie
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on May 15, 2008 21:59:58 GMT -5
The basic modifications are spelled out in a thread M-14 to M1 clips. You have to shave off the feed lip ring (I use a dremel) You then add a tiny section of plastic to the front of the clip and shape it as shown in the pictures and finally create a groove in the bag at the right height to line up with the M-14 mag release. I paint the clips brass (except the bottom) and add a couple black slabs of ABS sheeting to fill the side gaps and because they look good. You can also use enblock clips instead of the ABS slabs for looks and added weight.
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