Mini .22 belt-fed

[Swede]

Here's a project I wanted to share that I've been working on for some time... it is a custom lower that will accept any of Lakeside Machine's .22 belt fed uppers for the AR series. Currently, they offer the Razorback, which has been very successful. An enthusiast posted a video of a 1,000 round belt dump, no stoppages, which is absolutely remarkable for a .22. I think it's a record.

Anyway, the idea was to create a custom lower in 7075 that accepts all standard AR fire control components, yet is bufferless, and fires not from a trigger, but by a butterfly setup between a pair of miniature spade grips. I wanted to capture the flavor of a WW2 crew-served weapon, c/w tripod and such.

Everything in the lower is AR with the exception of the transfer bar arrangement I engineered. The bottom of a normal trigger was ground off, and a sheet-steel bracket was bent and cut so that a force from the rear (butterfly) would trip the sear.

Right now, I am 95% done, and am looking for a good company to anodize the aluminum parts. I have contacted U.S. Anodizing, but they did not respond. Any suggestions for good Type III hard-coat anodizers is appreciated.

Start:

Pocketing:

Start of the trip bracket:

Transfer bar complete

Conical Flash hider

As it sits:

 

[Swede]

I'm having a tough time coming up with a barrel shroud or hand guard that looks nice. The LM7 upper will accept any standard free-floating AR handguard. Right now, a cheap and basic aluminum tube looks best... gives it a water-cooled look. I'd like to avoid having this thing bristle with PIC rails, as that does not look period at all. So if anyone has any notions on a cool looking hand guard, I am all ears. Likewise, a good anodize outfit.

Thought you guys might enjoy this build. There are a lot more details on this in the Lakeside forum, if interested. I hope to have it running in a few more months! And I'd like to promote Lakeside (no connection) as a company that creates some really cool products that are a lot of fun. The belt-fed .22's are pretty much unique unless you can locate a Tippmann.

 

[matefrio]

Wow, that looks great.

 

[Dawico]

It does look good. That handguard fits well.

I saw some at a NRA convention a couple years ago, maybe by someone you mentioned, and they were awesome. They looked just like smaller versions of the real thing. If I recall correctly, they ran $3k-$4k each.

 

[TexasRedneck]

I'm gonna PM you a contact name/number....

 

[Mexican_Hippie]

That looks like some serious fun!!! Good luck on your search.

 

[Wolfwood]

good posting!

i am subscribed to this thread.

 

[tweek]

That thing is incredible.

 

[The_Hunter]

Swede this is some awesome work, dont forget to engrave the lower before you have it anodized

 

[Swede]

Thanks fellas. It's been an on and off project for quite a while. Real work always seems to get in the way of fun, if you know what I mean!

I picked up a no-kidding M-60 rear sight which would be PERFECT if it was 60% scale.

I'm thinking about getting my CNC bench mill going and cutting one of these out of 7075 or maybe mild steel. I am always a bit scared to do CNC, not sure why. Maybe because I suck at programming and modeling. But starting with a 1.5" or 2" aluminum or steel round, a 1/8" or 3/16" end mill could knock this out pretty easily, and then it'd be a matter of simply creating a base.

A few years ago, I put together a CNC bench mill. It's a very nice machine with ground ballscrews and servos, and a 700 Watt KaVo spindle that can do 50,000 RPM. But I haven't run it much. I did recently clean it up, greased the rails, etc, so it's ready to go. I just need to get off my rear with it.

 

[zembonez]

What a cool project. I'd love to see some video of it in action when the time comes.

 

[Swede]

I saw some at a NRA convention a couple years ago, maybe by someone you mentioned, and they were awesome. They looked just like smaller versions of the real thing. If I recall correctly, they ran $3k-$4k each.

You probably saw some original Tippmanns... They are very collectible now and command some serious coin, especially the transferable full-auto varieties. Eric at Lakeside Guns has been producing them now for a few years, and there are semi-auto kits for the 1919 and some other Browning designs. A few guys have finished theirs, and they are beautiful weapons.

Swede this is some awesome work, dont forget to engrave the lower before you have it anodized

Thank you Sir. I plan on doing a "period" style of engraving using the little CNC bench mill. Technically it is legal to produce your own weapon (not for sale) and not give it a maker's name and serial number, but I doubt any shop is going to accept a frame without identifying markings. Plus, if the police ever take a look at it... most of them think that if the serial number is gone, then it is an illegal weapon. So it's always best to have a homemade weapon properly marked.

 

[medalguy]

I have one of the Lakeside uppers and it's a hoot to shoot. Now, I REALLY like your idea of the lower with spade grips. Any intention of marketing those?

 

[Swede]

I have one of the Lakeside uppers and it's a hoot to shoot. Now, I REALLY like your idea of the lower with spade grips. Any intention of marketing those?

Sorry, no, it's just a one-off fun project.