I'm thinking of building a MR-30

[Horsem4n]

So, im starting to get that itch to build a gun an i want to break out and do something new for me. i have bolted together lots of AEGs, GBBs, shotguns and SWSs but i have never gone so far as to manufacture any significant parts. I want to start with an SWS project and basically just make a stock for an existing platform.

 

so, im aiming at building a D&L Sports MR-30PG. the MR-30 has long since been one of my favorite sniper rifles because of its unique stock. i know the real D&L is a ground up built single shot .30 cal SWS (with a 6G price tag) but i aim at making a MR-30 replica stock for a ARES MCM700X. i know some of you may scold me and tell me to do a TM base, but i really want to use the simple CO2 upgrade bolt for the TX system. im sure i can make it stable. its also a cheap cop out...

 

but lets not talk about the base gun and how much of a benedict *albatross* face i am about buying an ARES product and focus on how im going to handle building the stock.

 

my first thought was to make a negative rough styrofoam mold and fill it 100% with fiberglass and resin and then carve and shape the fiberglass into the finished stock (embed a couple led weights for balance too)

 

next thought was to try wood, but would the spindly stock features still be sturdy made of wood? or would it turn out fine. was thinking of just laminating plywood together as i was going to paint it black or something anyway.

 

here's a ref pic of the MR-30 for the uninitiated.

 

 

this was an airsoft replica that used to exist. made by a small company called PWD. i think they only have ever made MR-30s. KIC BBgun currently has an 8mm model listed in stock (for 1.5G)

 

anybody with good source material pics that happen to own a real one or an airsoft replica, feel free to post. there actually isnt that many pics of the MR-30 (real or airsoft) on the internet. and no videos.

 

thanks for your look and any help.

[Phatvortex]

You talked about making a negative composite mould? Why don't you create a positive and cover it in chopped strand mat, as per the lost foam technique. Unless you're planning on doing a small run it'll probably be the easiest way to go about building it in composite.

[Im going space]

disregard post. trigger is in the total wrong place.

[PureSilver]

Why don't you have it cut out of metal? It'll take you far, far less time and give you a much nicer product. There are plenty of people online who would be able to model that in 3D for you, and then you could get the rough shape water or lasercut for not much money at all, and you'd have a vastly superior product. Hell, with a drill bit and a scroll saw you'd be able to turn out a very respectable copy of the stock, at least, in aluminium in an hour or two.

 

I think the best course of action would be to get the stock modelled in 3D, modify it to fit the ARES (while still a digital model) and then work out how you're going to translate that into physical form. Working with plans is approximately a billion times better than working without. I would look into doing the stock frame and grip as a single part cut from aluminium sheet of the appropriate thickness, and then weld, glue or bolt that to the forend/receiver, which is probably how they make the real thing.

[Aod]

Why don't you have it cut out of metal? It'll take you far, far less time and give you a much nicer product. There are plenty of people online who would be able to model that in 3D for you, and then you could get the rough shape water or lasercut for not much money at all, and you'd have a vastly superior product. Hell, with a drill bit and a scroll saw you'd be able to turn out a very respectable copy of the stock, at least, in aluminium in an hour or two.

 

I think the best course of action would be to get the stock modelled in 3D, modify it to fit the ARES (while still a digital model) and then work out how you're going to translate that into physical form. Working with plans is approximately a billion times better than working without. I would look into doing the stock frame and grip as a single part cut from aluminium sheet of the appropriate thickness, and then weld, glue or bolt that to the forend/receiver, which is probably how they make the real thing.

PureSilver's pretty much hit the nail on the head here. You definitely want to work from-plan on a project of this magnitude. It takes a very very special type of man (ie, Candyman) to pull something like this off without having a full blueprint beforehand.

[renegadecow]

Planless gun build = Typewriter. Not bad if that's the sort of thing you're after.

[Corkie121]

Just going to throw my two cents in here: draw up plan views that you can glue onto thin plywood, then cut the layers out before laminating them together. Once you've shaped and faired it all to around 1mm below the overall required dimensions, give it a layer of fibreglass cloth (not chopped mat) then sand it smooth before giving it another layer from 90 degrees to the original. Once it's all dry you can filler and sand as required then paint it up.

 

Bit of a block of text but I'm pretty sure that's about the cheapest option that will still give a good and strong result.

 

Cheers.

 

P.s. make sure you know exactly what safety gear you need before touching epoxies, especially sanding them, bad things tend to happen otherwise.

[Horsem4n]

thanks for the advice guys. Pure Silver's probably right. the stock for the real one is basically made from 3 relatively thin billets of aluminum kinda sandwiched together. im going to have to mess around with it a bit to get the ARES internals to fit, but i like the idea of using aluminum.

 

i am going to have to acquire the ARES first before i start working, which will take a while. but my boss gave me the rest of our inventory to sell while i wait for the new property to close (taking a whole lot longer to do than any of us expected) so watch the sales section for the stuff to show up.

 

im not claiming to be as good as candyman, but i do take a lot more pride in my work than Typewriter used to do. i am generally great at eyeballing projects, but if i start working with expensive materials, ill start planning things properly.

[Horsem4n]

a little bit of an update, or more like a change in direction. i have had, for quite a while actually, a King Arms R93 (the basic springer model). i think i'll just make a MR30 stock for that. it'll probably be more simple that way and i can get cracking on designing the stock replacement right away. since ill probably run the gun call of duty style rather than an actual sniper roll, i could benefit from the straight pull. 

i'll sketch something up and post it later. i have to finish fixing someone's gun.

 

 

 

EDIT: i just realised that i had totally forgotten about the project thread i had. can a mod delete this topic and shove the posts from this one in there?

 

Actually, i can no longer find my project thread. either the thread was lost in the recent server issues or i posted the topic on ASB, but i think it was here. well, i guess nevermind then...