Decided to mill the fence off an A2 80% to make a slabside. Here is the progress so far. I still have a lot of work to do shaping the removal of the buffer tube reinforcement, and I still have to cut away the front pivot pin reinforcement. I also need to shape curve on the right side below the magazine release button (it's a little too "square" now). The divot from the hole into the side of the removed fence will get a dot of JB Weld.
Fence removed. Used an endmill in my drill press to peck it away (didn't want to put lateral stress on a drill press), then finished with a file when I got close.
Roughed in the buffer tube area (still needs a lot of material removed). Done with dremel and files.
Checked to make sure I didn't accidentally take the edge below flush where the upper and lower meet. Lines up just fine.
Not looking to do a perfect clone, just wanted a slabside carbine. I know there are guys who obsess over getting every little piece of a retro build period correct - I'm not doing that. I've seen that level of obsession in guitar building too. I post in one forum where guys build replicas of 1950's Les Paul guitars. I've seen one person go to the extreme of cutting up an old accordion because it was inlaid with pearloid celluloid that was a period correct match for the neck inlays of a 1959 Les Paul Standard. I'm not planning to be that obsessive about anything.
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