Thanks for the review, and being an early adopter! There are some minor changes here since then, which also change the retention style of the metal barrel. And also the nut positioning that Matthew mentioned. This is the first time i have heard of the barrel issue, it might be a worth investigating slicer settings (maybe turn of Z-hop?), etc. I will add some suggested print orientation and print settings guide before i publicly list the hardware kit again come end June
Thanks for designing such a cool blaster! I'll have to check the updated files out soon. I'm pretty sure that the barrel issue might just be a problem with our printer and slicer settings since this was our first big prints and our printer wasn't dialled in that well.
The stock is perfectly solid since it locks in place with the plastic or metal button that came with the worker stock, but it can take a little bit more effort to fully extend the stock to the last position. The screw preventing the stock from sliding completely out of the housing hits the 3D printed part so I need to wiggle it around for a bit until it catches, otherwise it's a very sturdy stock. I wasn't really using it in the firing demos because I left it on the second last position, which is too small for me to use comfortably anyway.
FYI, Gavin did update some of the files for the SBL for public release, most significantly moving the magwell's rear lower nuts inside so they don't fall out when you remove the back half, as well as a different frontend to make changing/removing the barrel easier. Also if you're chasing more FPS, there's a custom-wound spring that's being sold on his Etsy that's advertised to increase the FPS by about 20ish, but I've gotten a high of 250 from mine through the 5-string SCAR.
I'll definitely be reprinting the magwell so I'll check out the new version. One of my gripes with the design was the nuts falling out or getting misaligned when performing maintenance.
If anyone who wants to use a sight with that blaster , the worker stock he has is ideal because it's a drop stock by nature, the worker stock will be much easier to use with a sight compared to the buffer tube stock
The cheek rest of the Worker PDW stock isn't as low as a traditional drop stock though, it's only ever so slightly lower than a buffer tube stock. I think drop stocks are only really useful if you're using a sight that's really low on your rail, or you're trying to use a sight while wearing a rigid lower face mask since you can't really press your face down against the cheek rest.
I've had issues with the PDW stock as it puts compression on the upper bolt holding the plunger assembly to the receiver and tension on the two lower threaded bolts when you press your shoulder in. As a result, the receiver starts to crack where those lower bolt nuts are. I've switched to the buffer tube version with a M4-style stock and I'm having no issues, because the buffer tube applies compression equally across all three bolts.
