To build or not to build...

[BoringCruffler]

Hey all,

I hope this is the right category for this. I'm looking for some opinions and perhaps some experience.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, I bought a Reising M50 parts kit for not a whole bunch of money (yeah, I shoulda bought 100 and I wouldn't be worried about retirement soon). The only work I've done on it is to make the mod to the striker so that it would eventually be semi auto only. Then the whole thing went into storage, etc.

Now I have access to the parts to build up a receiver (semi-auto only).

Here's the rub. When I look around now, the parts kit, in its original form is going for fifteen to twenty times what I paid for it. I know it is an easy build, but I will have to make some undoable changes to the barrel (pretty much no longer available) to keep it legal, and I'll have a gun (not that I'd be intending to sell) worth maybe 1/3 of the current value of the parts kit.

I'd enjoy having another .45 carbine to haul around, but I really want a truck gun. Original semi-auto Reisings (M60) sell for three to four grand--a little steep to toss under the seat of the truck.

What would you do?

Thanks

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[WashCoDad]

I would not build it.

 

[erudne]

sell it and buy a hiPoint carbine or a Kel tec, heck ARs are selling @650 now

 

[IronMonster]

Do what makes you happy. If having it built will bring you more joy than what the money will buy then build it. Personally I think I would sell it

 

[ch139]

I would not build it.

Me either.

I'm a proponent of keeping rare things like that kit intact as there will never be any more... I enjoy chopping down old shotguns, but will only cut on guns that have already been modified at some time previously... someone cut the barrel and added a Cutts or dial-a-duck... thats the one I'm looking to modify. You have something rare and in good shape, don't "waste" it.

As for a "truck" gun, ever considered something like a M44 in 7.62x54R?

 

[Joe13]

Sell it, don't mangle it.

 

[BoringCruffler]

Plenty of Mosins laying around; bought 'em by the case when they were cheap, but I don't really like 'em. There're a few ARs here as well, but they'd never be my choice for leaving in the back seat either. If Keltec would get off their collective arses and build a subgun in .45, I'd own one.

I've built a number of AKs from parts sets, and am sitting on some Suomi kits. I'm sure someone will be totally torqued some day at what I've done to a couple of Steyrs turning them into left-handed, bottom-loading rifles, but they are certainly better guns for my purposes than when they were 'tossed out' by their former owners (i.e. the government of Poland).

So I'm still torn. If you had $500-ish to spend on something that was (prefered, but not absolutely required) relatively cheap to shoot, had the power to knock down something as big as a blacktail out to 50 yards, semi-automatic, functional without much maintenance, and that you know its going to get dings in the furniture, and probably wet occasionally, what would you buy?

Me either.

I'm a proponent of keeping rare things like that kit intact as there will never be any more... I enjoy chopping down old shotguns, but will only cut on guns that have already been modified at some time previously... someone cut the barrel and added a Cutts or dial-a-duck... thats the one I'm looking to modify. You have something rare and in good shape, don't "waste" it.

As for a "truck" gun, ever considered something like a M44 in 7.62x54R?

 

[Joe13]

An sks

 

[BoringCruffler]

An sks

But they're soooo heavy...

Anyone have an old FN/FAL kit they want to trade?

(tongue in cheek, Joe13, I appreciate the thoughts)

 

[Joe13]

It's all good


It was what I thought of when I read your last post.

Minus the getting wet part - but I figure you could cerakote it or something with the left over cash you'd have.

And it would double as a passable anchor if you were ever swept away in your truck

 

[Modeler]

If you're looking for a pistol caliber carbine in .45 I would suggest a Mech Tech upper and a dedicated Glock 21 lower. A bit more than $500, but it's perfect for truck gun duty.

 

[BoringCruffler]

There's an interesting option. I had just about convinced myself to put it up on Gunbroker this weekend and buy an ounce of gold and a HiPoint carbine. I hadn't really thought about the pistol conversions. Somewhere I've got a couple of 80% 1911 frames that I haven't worked on yet...

Hmmm...

 

[erudne]

build a 762X25

 

[BoringCruffler]

Done that... there're still pics somewhere on weaponeer.net. It was fun to build and I learned a lot (starting with the fact that I needed better tools), but it was never the level of reliability or accuracy that I wanted and it looked like Janet Reno's Jr. High shop project. When ammo quit being cheap I 'demilled' it.

All in all, though, the list of alternatives has me pretty well convinced that someone with a better license than me should build the Reising. I'm sure it'll be a wonderful Class 3 sample for someone. Thanks for the input folks.