Some Assembly Required

I didn't go looking for a project.  I was just trying to help.  Really!  And it was a chance to play an easy joke on the SandCastle Queen.

The FMK stripped lower was up for auction at a recent Friends of NRA dinner.  The thing about an auction is that it takes two bidders to get the price up.  One person might be willing to pay Big$$$ for a given item.  But unless there is someone else willing to pay Big$$$ - a little bit, the price will never get there.  So especially on charity auctions I'll bid just to keep the action going.  Here the bidding stalled at too low a price so I bid.   And then I was outbid but by then the price was more than fair so I bowed out.  And there were no more bids.

Then the auctioneer came over and asked a question I've never heard before:  "If I accept your 2nd place offer, how many would you buy?"  Remember I bid just to get the price up.  I wasn't really looking to purchase.  But I ended up taking a lower.  I could have gotten something less expensive online but by the time shipping and FFL fees are included, this price was in the ballpark.  I got an OK deal.  They sold a couple more at my price and the  committee made a couple hundred extra $$$ for the bid.  My work is done.

Plus I got to prank the SCQueen - She & the SCSon left early for a SCSon event.  I texted her "I bought a gun in the auction".  Which is technically correct - the lower receiver *is* the gun as far as .gov is concerned, the fact that it wouldn't expel so much as a popcorn kernel without extensive additional components not withstanding.  The SCQueen responded with an eye-roll... (heh.. score!)

So then came the question of what to do with it?  I figured to drop in a lower parts kit, add a stock and a finished upper.  A 9mm carbine was one thought, but researching that suggested some special parts are required in the trigger group and the finished uppers were in the $7-800 range.

Before I finished the research down that path, Midway made me an offer I couldn't refuse: A Bushy 16" A3 upper for ~half the price others were asking...  This is exactly what I had in mind, 'cept in .223 instead of 9!  I canbuy an awful lot of .223 for the price difference.  I can live with that!  I quickly added the stock & DPMS lower parts kit to the order to finish the project.  That offer sold out in less than a day and it now shows "out of stock, no backorders".

The parts arrived today.  Should be a fun project for the SCSon and I.

The SCSon is amused.. this build closely matches the airsoft rifle he acquired earlier in the year, save  for the black flash hider in place of the broken orange!