Desert Tactical Arms Build

[BFOUR]

I think he said it on this page. It was to stay economical. The bolt handle cocks the firing pin and the front of the bolt routes the gas. Instead of needing to machine a complex part he just kept the old tanaka design, and modded the body.

 

 

I dont care about the bolt handle I knew about the situations. Im saying the design changed of the lower reciever. Ill show a pic below of where Im having trouble and its making this gun un skirmishable.Sorta.

 

Heres a quick shot. No scope on there, the scope wont clear the fron RIS with my low rings on it and I dont like the look of my high ones so Im jsut waiting for a riser.

 

Here is the front piece thats giving me trouble.

The two foward screws are the only thing holding the front and upper recieve on, But its also supposed to hold it all in place. After being used for a few months the screws are just acting as pivot points. So the RIS isnt centered and my scope is always off center.

 

So now Im working in this area to try to figure out a way to hold it down....No luck so far. Im not using glues of anykind because I want it to come apart.

 

Its just makeing me frustrated because I shouldn't be having a problem like this when I dropped around $1000 for the build and gun.

[phantomwarrior]

Can you mark in a picture what exact piece you are talking about?

 

Is it just the screws under right after the rail system; those bolts on the bottom?

 

If its the bolts lined up together vertically, have you tried shimming the underside until they are snug. That way its still a pivot point, but there is absolutely no chance for moving.

 

I can't really understand your exact problem.

 

Is it that the green receiver is lose and off center or is it that you just don't like the ris being lose because it makes everything else lose?

[BFOUR]

Can you mark in a picture what exact piece you are talking about?

 

Is it just the screws under right after the rail system; those bolts on the bottom?

 

 

Its directly cenetered in that pic. Its the foward most screw. It just acts as a pivot point. I cant pick up the gun, have it on the ground without it pivoting in some sort of direction.

[renegadecow]

A bit nasty, if not ghetto solution: zip ties + ghillie rifle wrap

[BFOUR]

A bit nasty, if not ghetto solution: zip ties + ghillie rifle wrap

 

 

I was trying to stay away fromw raps, I like to keep the Police type look of the rifle. I hate thinking that I have to zip tie a $1000 rifle lol.

[renegadecow]

Best contact Dobey directly then. However I noticed that in your pics, the receiver cover is off. Could it be that the screws of the cover or the cover itself helps secure the wobbly bits?

[BFOUR]

Best contact Dobey directly then. However I noticed that in your pics, the receiver cover is off. Could it be that the screws of the cover or the cover itself helps secure the wobbly bits?

 

 

No it just bolted to the sides. It covered the gap up but it didnt secure the problem.

[phantomwarrior]

Its directly cenetered in that pic. Its the foward most screw. It just acts as a pivot point. I cant pick up the gun, have it on the ground without it pivoting in some sort of direction.

 

 

Got it, well you could always try the ar15 trick with an oring for receiver wobble, but it would just be some rubber forced in the gap seeing as it's mist likely not a single block like the front pin on an ar15.

 

To me, the best way looks like internal shims because if the screw always has pressure, then there better be no where that pressure can go.

 

So that receiver cover just moves on a pivot in every way you hold the gun is what you're saying?

[BFOUR]

Got it, well you could always try the ar15 trick with an oring for receiver wobble, but it would just be some rubber forced in the gap seeing as it's mist likely not a single block like the front pin on an ar15.

 

To me, the best way looks like internal shims because if the screw always has pressure, then there better be no where that pressure can go.

 

So that receiver cover just moves on a pivot in every way you hold the gun is what you're saying?

 

 

YUp. Its not stable at all. It jsut degrades the overall quality of the rest of the build.

What Im thinking to make it a bit more stable is pupping pipe insulation in the RIS around the barrel. I only had a fe inches to try it but it works somewhat. Im gonna head out to Lowes here in a bit and grab some more.

[phantomwarrior]

YUp. Its not stable at all. It jsut degrades the overall quality of the rest of the build.

What Im thinking to make it a bit more stable is pupping pipe insulation in the RIS around the barrel. I only had a fe inches to try it but it works somewhat. Im gonna head out to Lowes here in a bit and grab some more.

 

So is the whole desert arms body moving around the tanaka body or is it also moving on itself? If it is, your going to have to stabilize it (which you are with that foam). I was looking at some of the assembly pics, can't you just get slightly longer screws for those screw that anchor the tanaka barrel to the receiver right after the ris?

 

Does the gun pivot at the front of the gun pictured here:

http://www.customcutworks.com/Images/DTA/p...s%20040_jpg.htm

 

and here

 

http://www.customcutworks.com/Images/DTA/p...s%20041_jpg.htm

 

or is it like I asked in this post, the whole tanaka moving in the whole desert body.

[BFOUR]

The barrel free floats. The problem is that tan piece in the second pic. It slide between the lower reciever and aanother piece of metal. 2 screws hold it together, 1 on each side. The thing is since its jsut screws, they are acting as a pivot point. Theres nothing in the back anchoring it down. The foam is only going to stabalize it so much.

[phantomwarrior]

The barrel free floats. The problem is that tan piece in the second pic. It slide between the lower reciever and aanother piece of metal. 2 screws hold it together, 1 on each side. The thing is since its jsut screws, they are acting as a pivot point. Theres nothing in the back anchoring it down. The foam is only going to stabalize it so much.

 

So the body is moving on that tan piece as in the tanaka moving in the whole desert body, or the scope rail on the desert body pivoting on that point?

[BFOUR]

 

The red circle is the pivot point. Everything thats boxed out is what shift up and down. Nothing on the tanaka moves. Just the top reciever and the RIS

[phantomwarrior]

 

The red circle is the pivot point. Everything thats boxed out is what shift up and down. Nothing on the tanaka moves. Just the top reciever and the RIS

 

Ok got it.

 

So yeah, you can add whatever pieces you want into the RIS, the more solid something you put into it, the less wobble will probably be made seeing as it won'r be able to compress it. Have you tried shimming the pivot point bolts to tighten those up some more. That back piece that is black before the tanaka receiver, have you tried any less permanent methods there to hold the whole upper receiver down?

[BFOUR]

The tab that sits inside that piece is very thin. and that black piece is held on by JB weld. It used to sit under the cover and thats what held it in place but I removed it so it had no where to go. But I liked it so I JB welded it to the tanaka RIS.The only real permanet fix i can see it having the whole piece re done extending all the way back.

[phantomwarrior]

The tab that sits inside that piece is very thin. and that black piece is held on by JB weld. It used to sit under the cover and thats what held it in place but I removed it so it had no where to go. But I liked it so I JB welded it to the tanaka RIS.The only real permanet fix i can see it having the whole piece re done extending all the way back.

 

Inside the tan piece (that one i linked picture to), correct?

 

The railed upper receiver for the scope is completely soldi witth that tan piece and the ris, and the other half is completely soid with the rest of the gun?

 

I'm not the best problem solver, but it looks like the best way to solve this problem is like said before, to talk to dobey about it, or my new idea (if the whole upper is solid) is to get a good craftsman to make a piece out of wood that precisely fits the upper receiver under the weaver rail, and conforms to the rest of the Tanaka outer barrel. That is unless there really isn't a lot of room, it that case, maybe pvc glued to the tanaka outer barrel?

[Touchette]

The top half of the body (outer) and the barrel are both metal correct? Why can't you just drill a whole through the top of the body and into the barrel and then tap them? There's not a lot of room to do that there and it would probably help to put the foam in, so less pressure is put on the small bit of thread holding the two pieces together.

[BFOUR]

I thought about doing that but piece is very small and To be as precise as I think it would need to be Id need a press. Ill look at it again and see whats up.

[bonzo_nz]

I think Dobey did an amazing job with the time you paid for.

 

This whole problem can be fixed with one or two screws which will cost very little to the party at fault (either you or Dobey). Contact Dobey and get it fixed.

[BFOUR]

I think Dobey did an amazing job with the time you paid for.

 

This whole problem can be fixed with one or two screws which will cost very little to the party at fault (either you or Dobey). Contact Dobey and get it fixed.

 

It took 4 months to do this. With very little communication. I love the gun. I just would have liked this area re designed. I havent brought it up to dobey. He hasnt been on in a week or so and I know hes busy. But If i could have the gun re haueld, out of my pocket of course, I would. Id want the top part fixed and some detail put in like in this pic:

ID like the lines put in the stock. Id like a similar Butt pad. Possibly a new trigger and a safety mech if possible. Id also like to ahve the bolt handle changed. Not the placement but the oversized bolt handle. But I may do that myself with a resin mold. Still gotta do some tests. But hey if dobey wants to take it on,cause everyone likes money right?, then hey PM me or something.

O and yeah Id love some thing milled and fluted. This thing weighs about as much as an unloaded SAW

[BFOUR]

Part of the problem that made me shun this rifle like a diesed dog was its weight. I opened up the two halves and I drilled anywhere I could with a 3/16 bit to "mill" out the inside somewhat. It did in fact help with the weight. so did taking off the 12 inch madbull RIS. Youll see up top the problems I was having with Dobeys trash craftsmanship. Heres what I did to try to make one solid upper reciever. While its not what I wanted from the beginning, it should hold up solid.

 

I cut everything below the red L. Everything foward of the L is all the front RIS I have. the upper part is the new one piece upper reciever. Confusing, yes I know, but as soon as I clean the piece up Ill post actual prject pics. Expect something tomorrow night after I spend the day on the beach lol. Its taken awhile to get how far I have today jsut because I dont have anything but handsaws where I am now.

[TerranCmdr]

Sorry to hear your expensive build got screwed up. I can speak from experience it's really hard to get a hold of dobey, so I wish you the best of luck in sorting this out. Sure looks pretty though!

[BFOUR]

Yeah it blows. I dropped a good amount of money into and was willing to be patient seeing as I was in Iraq at the time lol. You can see he rushed it. Im hoping this will work out. Now that Im back from the shore, off to finish.

 

oh P.S. If any of you watched Jersey shore..The house is so small in real life haha.

[BFOUR]

Got alot done today with only the use of a scroll saw and a hacksaw. I just need to clean it up, which I'll do tomorrow at my dads shop on the belt grinder.