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BRN-180 Part 2
A Look at the additional additions and details of my Retro-Mod Rifle.
The idea of retro-mod rifles have really exploded in the last couple of years. Be it for nostalgia, or to make a clone of the equipment used by military or law enforcement of mentioned eras gone by with tasteful modern additions, it’s a market people are interested in. Brownells used this idea of Retro inspired modern rifles with the BRN180. A modern take on a classic. Their vision of what the AR180 would have evolved into, had that platform had the popularity of the AR15. It might seem sorta backwards on this concept, but my idea was to be able to take a platform based of a rifle I wanted and couldn’t afford, and give it the retro styling cues to fill that void. The BRN180 filled the void and need of an AR180, and here are the accessories I used to give my rifle the look I wanted.
“Retroing” a Modernized Idea
Well start with stock. Brownells offers an AR180 style stock that is a nice looking piece. But when Midwest Industries released their AR180 style stock, that featured a trapdoor it was the one I had to have for this rifle.
The Trapdoor and contents I’ve chosen to carry.
Packaged and sold by Midwest Industries, this stock is a joint venture between MI and Manticore Arms. Per the specs supplied by MI on their website, the trapdoor stock features the main body made of a fiber reinforced polymer. The length of pull with a 1913 adapter to an AR15 lower is the same as the original AR180s. The trapdoor as seen above will hold a standard M16 cleaning kit and a small bottle of CLP. The only downside to the trapdoor is, it is advertised as not water-tight, and they suggest if you have something you want kept completely dry during a dunking event, put it in a bag. I haven’t tested it that hard in rain yet, but that is something I have the intent to do in the future.
The Midwest hinge, attached to a KNS adapter for AR15s
The hinge is made by Midwest. Made from 4140 heat treated steel, it attached nicely via 1913 rail to the KNS adapter I have in place of the buffer tube in the UnBranded AR lower I use, and has a nice spring and lockup when in the ready position.
Next up is the optic I chose. The original AR180 scopes used were a 4x, that looked very similar to the carry handle scopes of that day. I opted to go with a Primary Arms GLx 2x prism scope. One thing I love about the PA optics is the ACSS reticle, and this scope to me was a modern update that flowed with the overall mix of modern and retro I was going for. The only thing I’m going to add to the scope, will be a QD adapter. That way getting to the Magpul Gen 3 BUIS will be quick and easy.
The sling is a USGI M16 sling, attached to an A1 grip the same way it was on the M16, and attached to the MLok rail via a GI style MLok sling adapter just in front on the handguard.
And now to what has become my favorite accessory to this awesome rifle.. the Handguard. The part that gives this rifle alot of its retro looks, while keeping the hand protect form heat sustained from rapid fire. The MLok floated handguard is nicely made on the BRN, by Midwest Industries, but when firing a lot of consecutive shots, mag after mag, it heats up. This handguard remedies that. Made and sold by AR180parts.com, it is 3D printed from heat resistant ASA filament. When it comes it’s in two pieces. It’s constructed in a way, that it slides over the rail and is secured via MLok. You can see the faint line where the two pieces meet up. When it comes it also has the layer lines prominent. I ended up researching, and discussing it with the manufacturer, to ultimately “weld” (glue) the two pieces together. I then painstakingly water sanded the layer lines out, using paper ranging from 180-2500 grit in steps, giving it the slick look that Vintage M16 and AR180 handguards have. These come in 3 different lengths, from short all the way to a full rail length. Mine is the AR16 inspired handguard.
Overall this rifle is easily becoming one of my favorites. The addition of the accessories I chose, I feel gave it the more retro vibe I was seeking with modern materials, reliability, and features. If you have any interest in the stuff pictured, Check out Brownells for the BRN180 upper, stock and BUIS; Primary Arms for the GLx 2X Prism; and AR180parts.com for the handguard. I’ll link them below.
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Retro-Life Journal
Retro Camouflage's Return to Popularity?
It came to my attention several years ago, while browsing in a sporting goods store, a camouflage pattern I hadn't seen since my youth. As I looked at the design hanging on the rack, a flood of nostalgia came over me. That pattern was MossyOak Bottomlands.
Military Start
In order to see where we are with the revival of retro camouflage, we must take a look at its history. The first military use of a breakup style camo was in WWII with M1942 used by the Marine Corps.
M1942 Camouflage Pattern. Also referred to as Frog Skin.
After WWII, soldiers returning home either used black and red buffalo plaid for hunting, or made use of the surpluses of the M1942 pattern by incorporating it into their hunting and sporting needs. It would become known as "Duck Hunter" and "Brown Camo" by its users. The popularity of the pattern, especially among duck and bird hunters, saw that it would be copied and used up until the early 90s by some companies.
My vintage Columbia Gortex Hunting Jacket in "Duck Hunter" pattern. This was put out by Columbia from the late 1970s-early 1990s.
Like with M1942 the surplus market would give, and still gives, hunters a way to break up their outlines. Tiger Stripe, ERDL, and M81 woodland are patterns tried and used by many. Even up into the 90s, it wasn't uncommon around rural Northwest Georgia, where I live, to see M81 surplus being used in the deer woods.
Rise of the Commercial Market
The first attempt at making a commercial camouflage pattern, not based on military design, was TreBark. In the early 1970s, Jim Crumley a bow hunter from Virginia decided that the surplus patterns available thru mail-order and surplus stores weren't enough. By using a gray color base, and odorless brown and black markers, the first commercial pattern TreBark was born. It would take off for success in 1983 when Cabela's offered it in the fall catalog.
The Original TreBark pattern.
In 1986, two other big names would enter the arena. MossyOak and RealTree. Like with Ford vs. Chevrolet, or Remington vs. Winchester, MossyOak and RealTree would start a debate on which pattern is better for years to come. Both Companies would evolve from the original patterns, and offer several different styles to fit the environment the hunter would be in. As manufacturing and technology advances, a lot of these patterns are 3D and in HD these days.
Original MossyOak Bottom Lands.*I like to believe that some inspiration came from M1942 in the base design.*
Original RealTree.*I like to believe that TreBark inspired this design*
Current Times and Revival of Retro Patterns.
With all the advances in camouflage these days, it's exciting for a retro lover such as myself to see a revival of the old-school patterns. With MossyOak bringing back bottomlands, Drake offering what they are calling Old School; to folks customizing their boats, guns, and even tactical equipment in retro patterns, it's a welcome bit of nostalgia in today's shooting and sporting world. The trend toward using old-school camouflage for personalization and simpler practicality, over more recent offerings, I believe is part of the revival. It's easier to customize guns and equipment for example in the older and more basic patterns, when using paint, Cerakote, or coatings such as Alumahyde. Another part is just the cool factor and nostalgia it brings. There are several smaller companies offering retro type camouflage accessories, giving folks an option to style their guns or gear that way. JunkyardOps and Flatline Fiber Co. shown below are two of many examples of these type companies, and you can find a lot of options to do custom coatings in whatever pattern you want from Brownells. Either way, whatever pattern you decide on, be it old military or commercial camouflage, I believe it's a welcome sight in today's time!
Some examples of retro camouflage patterns giving some personality and customization:
Modern Custom Chest Rig made from M1942 shelter half. (Photo courtesy of owner @carbinesandcoffee on Instagram)
Cerakoted Retro “chocolate chip” desert camo magazine for an AR15, available from JunkyardOps.(photo courtesy of @its.miller.time on Instagram)
A Brownells BRN180(a modern retro design rifle in itself) featuring a retro pattern Tiger Stripe sling made by Flatline Fiber Co. (photo courtesy of owner @thee_adam_jagger on Instagram)
Weatherby Shotgun that has been Cerakoted in MossyOak Classic Bottomlands. (Photo sourced from Cerakote’s website)
My own Personal HK VP9, Custom camouflaged in a duckhunter pattern camouflage using Brownells Alumahyde II. It’s an affordable and durable way for a person to customize guns and gear with an aerosol epoxy paint type coating.
*You can Find all the different Alumahyde II colors in the link below, if you want to try your own hand at customizing your Guns and Gear. But be warned it is addictive once you start. You’ll be wanting to customize everything!*
#bureauofpropaganda#retrolifejournal#camouflage#retro#retro life#brownells#2a#hunting#firearms#equipment#gear
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Electronic Hearing Protection, My first look into it.
Traditionally, in my all of my shooting activities I’ve always used either traditional Muffs or ear plug type fellow. All this time I put off getting into the electronic ear protection, and I figured it was time to change that.
So I acquired a set of Brownells Electronic Ear Muffs. These muffs are a Brownells exclusive made buy the Walker game company. These are almost identical to walkers razor slim line of ear muffs but in a custom color for Brownells, and featuring their logos.
The muffs have a padded top, featuring the Brownells name across the cover. The ear covers themselves have a nice thick foam, that is very comfortable to wear. They also feature two imo directional microphones to pick up normal decibel sounds and conversation. The microphones are clear, but have a slight delay to them. Conversation also sounds sorta robotic or electronicish, but it’s really no difference than talking over a cellphone or radio.
The on/off knob has a nice solid click for the on/off setting. The range selection for the volume is a nice smooth operation. The microphone pickups are clear, but sorta has a delayed and roboticish sound to them. A lot like talking on a cellphone. It also has an audio Jack input, that I haven’t tried yet. The opposite side has the battery box and cover. It holds 2 aaa batteries.
The construction and adjustable parts are well made and easy to operate. The padding is nice, and overall I’m very pleased with these. Now I know what your thinking, how well did they work. I ran a couple of mags worth of 45acp they my HK45, and had zero issues. It muffled the report nicely. Same can be said for what I shot thru my 20” AR15. Again no issues. So if your looking for an affordable pair, or we’ll made, hearing protection I highly recommend these.
They can be found at Brownells by following the link below:
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Retro-Life Journal
Wolf A1(T91) Review
The T91 is the Taiwan Military’s standard issue weapon. With design details based from the AR18 and M16, It’s is a short-stroke gas piston rifle, that uses a standard M16/AR15 lower. Based from the T86, it has a proven design and reliability history dating to 1992. It was put in service in 2003 and is still being issued today.
ROC(Taiwan) Marine with T91 rifle.
That brings us to the topic at hand, The Wolf A1. Wolf Ammunition started import the Wolf A1(T91) in around 2017. It features a US made hammer forged barrel, mated to imported upper parts kit. From other articles I’ve read, they sold over 1000 uppers on release day, making it one of Wolfs most popular products at release. It comes in a variety of lengths from 12.5”-16.5” (as what can be seen surfing on Atlantic Firearms), and ships as a complete upper assembly without the rear sight.
Wolf A1 Advertisement.
I picked up a very lightly used Wolf A1 earlier this week, and I can say I've been impressed with it so far. My upper features a 14.5" barrel that has a Surefire Warcomp pinned and welded, giving it a 16.25" overall barrel length (thus making it not an SBR). It also doesn’t feature the forward assist normal to AR platforms, giving it a more classic look.
My Wolf A1, attached to an A2 style lower and with an A3 Carry Handle. Giving the proper retro rifle look.
I test fired the rifle on a standard M4 25m Zeroing target. After getting the A3 sights where they needed to be, I fired a three-round group, prone at 25m, with M855 ammo. I'm very pleased with how well this upper shoots and groups.
Three-Round Group @ 25m, with M855.
Overall, I'm very happy with this upper. Being the first piston upper that I've ever fired, the recoil didn't seem any different than a direct impingement rifle, and it feed every round of brass and steel case ammo I gave it. In the spirit of Retro Looks for the rifle, and practicality purposes of the carry handle, I will most likely keep the carry handle and maybe add a 4x retro style scope from Brownells. I also look forward to testing accuracy at greater distances in the future.
July-10-2022
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Retro-Life Journal.
Welcome to Retro-Life Journal. I’ve had this idea to write about the things that interest me for sometime now. I enjoy a wide variety of things and topics, from Modern to Old. My goal: to provide y’all with articles related to my interests. Many of those interested are retro or vintage based, but I like modern things that have retro styling or a background, history, or start in the past. I’ll touch on many topics, and I hope you enjoy the contents!
-Thanks, Joey Hunt
*an example of one of the many different things you might see here at Retro-Life. The VP9 is a modern handgun, but it has some retro flair. And a Case Sodbuster is a classic style pocket knife.
July-9-2022
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Blast From the Past?
A look at Brownells Retro Style 20 round mags.
With the popularity of Retro ARs these days, it was no surprise Brownells supplied and encouraged the trend. With their line of Retro parts, one can build a clone of the rifles of the past. One part of any XM177, Colt 601, or M16A1 clone is the twenty round mags common to the era.
With this rise in popularity, the price of original mags from the era has risen. The Colt and Universal Industry Mags have gotten to the point of price no one but die hard cloners and collectors were buying them. Why spend $20-$25 for an old mag, when new GI style could be had for $12? That’s where Brownells stepped in. The 20 round Brownells mags come in at about $15. A much better price than some of the old original mags. But are they exact clones? Let’s take a look.
An Original Universal Industries on the left, Brownells on the Right.
The Brownells mag features a few changes from originals. Most likely this steams from updated manufacturing processes. The first thing is the follower. The originals feature an aluminum follower. These followers appear to have anti tilt properties(which do not matter in any case for straight mags). The Brownells is a black plastic that’s appears to be identical to the aluminum original, but isn’t anti-tilt(again no issue).
The brownells has a stainless steel spring, and the original has a blued steel spring. The body construction is slightly different processes also between the two. The originals were stamped from one piece of aluminum, and spot welded on the rear spine of the mag. The brownells is like the current style of 30 round mags, with two half’s spot welded on front and rear.
Noticed the half’s welded together on the Brownells mag. The original has 3 rivets on the front to hold the floor plate retention spring.
The floor plate is also slight different. The originals have a piece of spring steel in the body riveted to the body via 3 rivets on the front of the mag. By pressing down on the spring retention, the floor plate slides out. On the Brownells mags it is like a modern 30 round. To retention ears on the rear, and you slightly lift up to slide it out.
How do they run, and are they right for clone rifles?
I’ve had zero issues with the Brownells mags. They fit all my rifles fine, and feed ammo fine. Are they clone correct? Most people won’t even notice it’s not exactly constructed like the originals. I feel like they did a good job updating them to newer materials, and giving them the correct look, while also implementing modern construction practices. And for the money it’s a great way to get the look you want, for around $5+ less per mag over finding originals.
If you’d like to have some yourself they can be found at the link below. If you spend more than $150, use my friend Alex’s (he can be found on here and IG under the handle pipeguy) discount code : pipeguy10 to save you 10%.
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