I've been wanting to do this for years.

Anderson lower
PSA 10.5" .223 Wylde 1/7 stainless M-Lok upper
PSA classic pistol lower build kit with SB Tactical SOB pistol brace
Magpul MS3 sling
Magpul MOE+ grip
Seekins Precision ambi safety (wife is left handed
Magpul ambidextrous sling attachment point
CMC 2-stage trigger 1 lb. set with 3 lb. release
Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot <-still not sure if I want to use this yet. I have a Streamlight TLR light/laser that I might just slap on there

Took me about 1.5 hours as I followed an instructional video and I took my time. Managed to not scratch the receiver.

I do not have a work bench or vice. I used an ERGO AR-15 armorer's block and bolted it to a 2"x8" and that sufficed in keeping the lower in place while I worked sitting Indian style with the video playing on my Kindle.











Will try to take it to the range sometime next week.

Notes/thoughts:
-CMC drop in trigger is really nice. I went with the 2-stage flat trigger. Read too many good things about them. Price was fair, too. Reviews online were very good. If I like the way it live fires, I will get another one for my other AR.
-detent/spring for the bolt catch smacked me in the face. Stupid me didn't wear eye protection but I was fortunate it only hit me on the lip.
-I don't see this saving me money. Only way I would save money is if I put the cheapest parts in there. In fact this may make me spend more money. But there is a certain satisfaction with being able to customize it to how I want.
-I need more punches.
-I need a Shooboy hammer.

Questions:

-Pistol brace was really tight on the buffer tube. Is it supposed to be like that? Can I ever get it off if I want to swap it for something else?
-Buffer tube can only go so tight before it will stop the upper from connecting to the lower. Should I use loctite on the buffer tube-receiver treads? I don't want it to back out. It can only go so tight as the buffer tube is tapered.
-What size is the Magpul hex for the pistol grip? I just used the bolt that came with the factory parts but I noticed the Magpul bolt is noticeably longer.

I have 2 lowers left. I already have a PSA 16" rifle in .223. Was thinking about building another PSA rifle but in 20" with an A2 style stock. Even thought about 300 blackout but the price of that ammo makes me shy away.

Edmond...that looks very nice...you did a good job ...

The Magpul grip screw is 3/16"...

Yes...the pistol brace fits TIGHT...the SIG brace (old original type) that I used on my last pistol build took a lot of effort (and baby powder) to slide it on the tube...

A bench mounted vice with the magazine block makes everything easier...I seriously doubt I would ever be able to get up if I ever sat (as if I could) indian style ...

I would not loctite the buffer tube castle nut down...I just torque mine down and give it a light stake with a punch (again this is where a bench mounted vice holding a magazine block will work wonders)...you might at least just want to tighten the castle nut down and make a reference mark with paint to visually check on it backing off...

Yes...the .300 Blackout is primarily a reloading round...the cheapest I have found ammo locally is 28.99 plus tax per 50 rounds (Magtech)...

That is a very nice pistol build.

Very nice!

Your castle nut is on backwards, just an FYI

Not to be "that guy" but your castle nut is on backwards!

Otherwise, shoot the crap out of it & enjoy !

Looks great, and good choice on the 223 Wylde.I really like my SB brace; rock solid and firm. I wish I had discovered them before I bought my super squishy Sig brace.

I reversed the castle nut. Thanks for noticing, I would have never known better.

Can I ever get the SB brace off or if I want to swap, I'll have to buy another buffer tube?

You can get it off the tube. Eventually. I usually have to do twist/pull motions when trying to remove braces.

Yep, you can remove it...it is a friction fit (very tight friction fit) on the tube. This is where the magazine vice block comes in handy...it let's you secure the lower in place to pull and twist at the same time to work the brace off...the ERGO block you have bolted to the 2X8 should work if you clamped the the 2X8 tightly in vice (I've never used that brand of magazine block before...mine are just clamped into a vice directly)...

Keep in mind that if you were to choose to use another brace such as the KAK Shockwave Blade pistol brace for example, it works best with the matching KAK pistol buffer tube which has dimples drilled onto the buffer to allow adjustment and to be securely locked into position using the Blade's set screw...

When you unscrew that buffer tube off the lower to reverse your castle nut...make sure that buffer retainer and spring don't launch into orbit (or your face)...they can be hard to find (don't asked me how I know)

I recently bought two additional PSA uppers - a 10.5" pistol and an 18" with rifle gas - they both have the same PSA MLOK rail like your pistol.

I have been overall happy with my PSA purchases, I think they represent good value. However, I wanted to let you know one issue you might have.

The PSA Mlok rail is a copy of the Midwest Industries design. Midwest Industries installation manual says their rails are to be attached using "Green" loc-tite on the barrel nut and the two screws on the bottom to be tightened to 55-INCH pounds of torque.

When I first shot my 10.5" PSA upper, the whole front rail slid forward. PSA had applied NO green loctite and the screws were just lightly torqued.

I ordered a bottle of green loc-tite from Amazon and I also applied Vibra-Tite to the rail screw-threads. Put it all together and torqued it to 55-Inch pounds and now it doesn't move at all.

My Pistol upper shoots great. My 18" rifle upper is severely under-gassed. There are several videos on Youtube about PSA setting gas blocks too far back. I will have to take it apart and probably put an adjustable gas block on it to fix it.

At any rate, check the two screws on the bottom of your rail!

Cheers,

~i8mtm