BUILD GALLERY

The MK18 Mod 0 is an iconic rifle of the early GWOT era. Builds like this that have Front Sight Bases (FSBs) have an old school esthetic that we think is pretty cool. We had a "new in the blue bag" factory Colt 10.3" FSB Barrel and got to thinking, "Can Chop Boss cut our LDR1 to fit a barrel/FSB combo?"...So we hit him and up and he knocked it out of the park. Granted, if we were to manufacture a FSB version of our rail, there are some features that would have to be relocated for a production model. But, never the less, we wanted to see if it would work. The Emissary Handbrake is perfect for this build. It allows a solid hook style placement for your support hand when activating the PEQ-15. With the reduced mounting space along the top of the rail (due to the FSB chop), having the Handbrake aids in maintaining a solid support hand grip, even with the PEQ placed where it is.

The Upper Receiver Group on this R5218 machine gun started life as a Block II CQBR. It was housed in a Colt Upper Receiver, had a Colt 10.3" Barrel, a MK12 Gas Block and the beefy RIS II from Daniel Defense. When it was time to re-barrel this chunky boy, we wanted to maintain the "clone correctness" and stick with 10.3" barrel. We were able to source the barrel from Daniel Defense. At about the same time, we had started refining our anodized colors such as FDE. The Colt upper receiver, unfortunately was at the point of needing replaced. So one of our Gen1 Upper Receivers took its place. Now that the Colt Upper Receiver, DD RIS II and MK12 Gas Block have been replaced, it is no longer a clone but a build inspired by the Block II MK18.

This is a similar NVG purpose build like the Clear Anodized build. We like the smaller footprint of the T2 and having it in a taller mount that encourages a more upright shooting position, especially when shooting or working with NVGs. For those of you who have used IR lasers know that sometimes, the IR illuminator doesn't always get the job done depending on your environment. By pairing the Dual Lead Modbutton Lite with the PEQ-15 and Surefire M340V, we can now control both the laser and the light via a pressure pad that takes up minimal space. If you need white light and no laser, simply switch the light head to "white" and turn the laser off and only the light will activate. If you need IR illumination and your IR laser, turn the laser to the IR AL setting and your light head to IR and both will activate, again via the Dual Lead Modbutton Lite. Our 10.75" LDR1 allows you to mount your laser further forward and out of the way of your support hand. This is a very simple and straight forward NVG set up, that allows you to maintain your natural grip on the rifle.

Who doesn't love a good rifle featuring 50 shades of FDE? This rifle was built to be used in conjunction with NVGs. Which is why it sports the Aimpoint T2 on a 1.93" Scalarworks LEAP Mount to accommodate passive aiming. The rifle also wears the Surefire M640V mounted to the same side as the PEQ's illuminator (sometimes illuminators in lasers aren't the greatest and require some assistance). At the business end, a Surefire SOCOM RC2 is mounted to keep flash suppression under control while reducing noise. Traction Tape and the Emissary Development Handbrake have been added to aid with a solid hold on the rifle in the event it is used in wet/slippery conditions.

The AGPR, (Alaskan General Purpose Rifle) was built primarily to fill a "jack of all trades" role. A Surefire 3 Prong serves as a host for a SOCOM RC2 Suppressor. This build's length works well in both tighter situations around barricades or a vehicle while still providing adequate velocity to use the 1-6 Eotech Vudu LPVO to its full potential. A top Mounted RMR not only provides redundancy as a backup optic, but also eases the struggle of shooting with a gas mask, or can provide the end user the ability to passively aim while wearing NVGs. Traction tape, Emissary Handbrake, Radian ambi-selector and Geissele charging handle help make weapons manipulation with thicker gloves a breeze. The larger Surefire dual pad aids in the effortless activation of the Modlite OKW when you need the lumens of 1000 suns. It also controls the PEQ15's illuminator when needing to see at night. While the looks of the AGPR have changed over time, the main ingredients of the build haven't.

This build, while dubbed a "patrol rifle", is a great example for anyone looking to build a bare necessities AR. It is a simple, no thrills AR with a good sling, weapon light, optic and back up iron sights. This set up can later be modified to fit a person's needs as they expand their abilities. For example, the A2 Flash Hider can be changed out to a muzzle device that allows a silencer to be mounted. A laser can be added for use with NVGs or, the Aimpoint PRO can be switched out for an LPVO with an offset red dot.

MSP Armory's SPR, with its 16" CORE Series barrel and Nightforce 1-8 LPVO, is set up nicely to reach out and accurately engage point targets at longer distances. It is wearing a custom Cerakote camo, done by MSP Armory called Grey Scale. This simple yet effective build is a great example for those wanting to build an accurate, longer range AR.