I am typically not a politically involved person.  It's not that I'm not interested.  I just keep it to myself.  I will try to keep politicalness to a minimum throughout this post.  I hate confrontation, arguing, and debate.  

The topic of the year is guns.  

Last year I began a project of building an AR15.  And this is the progress I've made since then:

The bottom half is complete plus several misc parts in preparation for the upper half.  At the time I began I expected to save between $100 and $300 building it myself.  Not only would I be saving money but it would be exactly what I want.  There were cheaper and more expensive alternatives that I was not interested in.  

I am a huge fan of classic, historic, and curios firearms.  I have 5 firearms that qualify as C&R (Curio and Relic) and one that is a replica of an 1887 Browning design.  When I first decided to undertake an AR15 build, however, I wanted a classic look with modern function.  That is when I realized the goal of my ambition, but first some background.

My favorite video game series of all time is Metal Gear Solid.  A groundbreaking epic that began for me when a friend in Jr. High spoke highly of this game he was playing on his Playstation.  I had recently purchased a Playstation with both money I had saved and money given as a gift to me for Christmas.  Being unable to find the game locally I found the game in question on sale at Amazon.com.  It took some saving up and some convincing but my Dad consented and I ordered the game, with his help, from the internet.  My first web-purchase!  You know how when you were a kid time moved so much slower?  Waiting for it to ship nearly killed me.  The first Saturday after it finally arrived I got half-way through the game in one sitting.  I was totally engrossed by the story, the characters, and the gameplay.  I could go on for hours about how this is my number one favorite game of all time... 

  I received a PS2 for Christmas some years later and shortly after I discovered that Metal Gear Solid 2 existed! (from the same friend who original introduced me to the first one) The game was brilliant.  I was officially hooked.  I stopped one night at the Sev for a slurpee and there was a video game magazine on the rack with an exclusive on the next Metal Gear for PS2.  

In my opinion this is one of the most impressive games ever released for the PS2.  Pushing the PS2's hardware to it's very limits this installment of the series this game delivers in every way.  Story, gameplay, graphics, replayability... again, I could go on and on.  Tied for my number one spot on my favoritest video games of all time.

So... back on topic now.  

This is the 3D model from the game and is described as an XM16E1.  

Here is the prop from the action figure:

Here is an actual XM16E1.

The ar15 platform has come a long way since the 60s but I wanted to build that gun.  But at the same time I want it to be modern.  I devised a plan and got started acquiring parts.   Then suddenly my progress hit a standstill.  Parts vanished, prices soared, and ammo became a precious commodity overnight.

  I am a firm believer in our second amendment right and am sorely disappointed by the actions of some.

I'll just leave it at that.