New Frontier Armory customer service - 2nd Broken Hammer

I am rather disappointed in New Frontier Armory.  I purchased one of their complete polymer lowers several years ago, and less than 4 months after I got it, I broke the hammer while using my Tactical Industries .22 conversion.  According to their site, when using a .22 conversion you need to use a different hammer.  so I bought 2 of those hammers.  And put one of them in my lower.  Now after less than 300 rounds IT broke as well.

Please excuse the cruddy cell phone pictures.

The first hammer.  You can see where a chip came out of the side of the hammer.

you can see the missing chip from the hammer better in this pic.

The replacement hammer, where the whole face of the hammer broker off. Less than 300 rounds fired.  I actually think it was 6, 20 round mags, then 3, 30 round mags, and I was about 4 rounds into the 4th, 30 round mag when the hammer broke.  And I wasn't even shooting fast.  I was verifying my zero with different types of ammo.  I had been shooting 62 gr, 69 gr, and 3 different types of 55 gr ammo with a no name Holo Sight, and I just wanted to see the difference in zero between them when the hammer broke.  The ammo in the mag when the hammer broke was Academy brand Monarch made by Barnaul.  The other ammo was 62 gr Federal M855, 69 gr CBC OTM, 55 gr FMJ Wolf, 55 gr FMJ Tula, and then the 55 gr JHP Monarch.

It's GONE!!!

The rifle would fire, but I would have to run the bolt as there would be a light strike on the following round, and the hammer wasn't resetting all the way.

I put in my last spare New Frontier Hammer, then I e-mailed New Frontier Armory to ask them if I could just replace the FCG with a standard FCG.

At least they answer their mail on the weekends., but they did reply.

Note however, they didn't offer to send me replacement parts.  They didn't ask any questions about what caused the failure.  They just said that YES, I could replace the FCG, just be sure to replace ALL of the parts of it.

I understand that these may be low tier firearms meant for the occasional shooter on a budget.

But I've shot less than 600 rounds of ammo on this lower, and to have TWO hammers break, means the the manufacturer either is making the parts wrong or they designed the parts wrong.

I went back to Palmetto State Armory and just ordered a complete LPK.  That way I get the parts I need and I have some extras for the parts can. 

So I guess I'll be adding some more FCG parts to my spare parts kits for both of my rifles.

Lesson Learned - New Frontier Armory doesn't seem to be concerned with satisfying their customers.

Broke my toe but still went to the range yesterday

I was getting all of my stuff together to take two of the boys to the range yesterday, and while looking for my staple gun, I found it.  When it fell off the chair and onto the big toe of my right foot.  And ayup.  It's broke.  My toe, not the stapler.  However, the boys and I still went to the range where we tested some ammo in a few different firearms.

I will say this, the Aguila 60 gr Sub Sonic ammo is still consistently surprising me.  You might remember I had a video where the 60 gr ammo actually fired and cycled a Sig 1911 .22.  When everyone has been saying that it wouldn't do that.  Well, I brought my new to me Beretta 71 and my Tactical Industries .22 Conversion for my New Frontier/Surplus Ammo and Arms  combo AR-15, and the Aguila cycled BOTH the Beretta and the TI conversion. 

That is fired, cycled the action properly and fired again.  This is supposed to be sub-sonic ammo that won't cycle semi-auto firearms.  So either my firearms are broken, Aguila loaded my boxes wrong, or what everyone "Knows" is wrong.  Personally I think there is a fourth reason, in that the ammunition will cycle semi's because the seal the bullets get inside the barrel.  I've noticed there is what appears to be a wax coating on the big 60 gr bullets of the Aguila.  And I think, that is sealing up the lands, is allowing enough pressure to build up to cycle the action.  And still keeping it sub-sonic.  The second surprise is everyone has always told me, that 60 gr bullets wouldn't stabilize properly and would tumble.  Well comparing, Winchester Whitebox 36 gr, CCI 36 gr Mini-Mag's to the Aguila 60 gr Sub-Sonic, other than the Aquila printing about an inch lower at 25 yards than the others, I still got a good group in my AR.  In my Beretta, it printed about 2 inches lower, and the group size was about twice the size of the Winchester and the CCI.  I just spent 40 minutes trying to find the twist rate in the Beretta, but my Google-fu isn't working at the moment.  I do know the twist in my Surplus Ammo and Arms upper is 1:8, and at 25 yards the Aguila gave me a 2.5 inch spread and was right on target while the Winchester and the CCI were a little high with the Winchester giving the tightest group of 1.5 inches.

I can't find my other camera case at the moment, but when I do I'll add in photo's of the targets so you can the spread.

I also tested out a Cugir Draco AK Pistol.  I Like it, however I really need an arm brace for it, it was rather hard to get a good sight picture, especially with the heavy AK trigger..

Now I did have one issue/problem yesterday.  My New Frontier Polymer Lower with polymer FCG, well my hammer had a chunk come out of it, which caused some issues.  New Frontier had issues where the hammer was too wide to use with .22 conversions.  And what am I shooting lately?  a .22 conversion.  So I knocked a divot out of my hammer.  Since N/F had a narrow hammer for the use with .22 conversions but I didn't check the box when I ordered my lower, this is all my fault.

But I have two new hammers ordered already and they should be here in a few days.

My toe is starting to hurt again.

Ladies and Germs I present to you

my entry to the Dark Side.

The Franken-15

A New Frontier  LW-15 Polymer Lower with a 6 position collapsing buttstock.

A Surplus Ammo and Arms upper with FDE hand guard

A Palmetto State Armory BCG

NG-Arms folding front BUIS

Magpul FDE Folding Polymer Rear BUIS

Top of the SAA Upper Receiver showing the Picatinny Rail markings and you can see the shell deflector and dust cover.

Surplus Ammo & Arms 1:8 twist 5.56 chamber

The whole deal

I really need to get a decent inexpensive optic for it.  As long as I can put all my rounds inside the 10 ring at 125 yards I'm happy.

I am slowly turning to the Dark Side

If you have been reading my blog for awhile you know that I do not own any AR type rifles.  That is now slowly changing.

The other day you saw part of my progress to the Dark Side HERE.

Last month I took possession of something special.

Whats is it My Precious?

Why it looks like the pieces of an AR-15 Lower My Precious.

Yessssssss Precious....  Uh hmmmmm. Sorry.

Yes those are laser cut flats for a weld together 80% AR-15 Lower Receiver from Jack Squat's Flat Spot.  I am slowly getting together the various parts necessary, so that HOPEFULLY later this year I will go to the Sooper Sekrit Lab and assemble not one but TWO AR-15 rifles.  One will be a Standard AR-15A2 Carbine with the carry handle upper as seen on standard rifles.  The other will be specifically built as a DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) HBAR Flatop.  Both rifles will have 1:7 twist barrels and standard A2 Flash Hiders and both will be chambered for not 5.56 NATO not .223 Remington but .223 Wylde to allow the use of both ammunition standards and hopefully give the best accuracy.  After I get these two built I might get another to make a Multi-Cal Pistol possibly in .45 ACP.

I am currently waiting on my two Lower Parts Kits (LPK's) from Palmetto State Armory, to add to my pile of parts for my two custom build rifles. If everything goes to plan, I should be able to get these rifles built before Thanksgiving.

But "That's Not All."  I also went an ordered a LW-15 from New Frontier Armory, and I picked it up yesterday from my Sooper Duper Sekrit Gun Store.

Here it is with the stock collapsed.  When it's extended it about the same length as a standard AR-15 stock which for me is about an inch and a half too short.  The AR-15A2 stock is about a half an inch too short for me as well.  My L.O.P. is almost 17 inches.  I'll be able to shoot it when I finally get all the various pieces as my budget allows, I'll just have to get a slip on buttpad for it if I want to be accurate.  However for 135.88 delivered plus the Sooper Duper Sekrit Gun Shop's transfer fee, I got it for under $160.00 less than 6 days after I ordered it.

Anybody got an upper they'd be willing to horsetrade for?  ;)

UPDATE:  If you would like to know more about the Laser Cut Flats, I'll Direct you to where I learned about them.


The puzzle piece AR15 receiver, (or my personal contribution to the gun control movement.)

The "puzzle piece" AR15 lower is now available

An update to the puzzle piece AR lower