Assembly

Instructions for assembling the MA-40

180+ Parts ~3 hrs Intermediate
1

Overview

Welcome to the assembly guide. Take your time and mind the gap. (Pictures will be posted soon)

Before You Begin

Make sure you have all required parts and tools ready. Check the printed parts list and BOM before starting assembly.

Sanding and painting is optional, but you should take care in the order of which you glue, assemble, test, sand, paint. In fact, do it in that order.

2

Heat Inserts

Let's add some heat set inserts!
⚠️ This section is totally not finished yet. ⚠️

  1. Handguard: 2x M6, 12x M4
  2. Flashlight: 1x M3
  3. Stock Plate: 2x M4
  4. Side Plates: 4x M3 (Short)
  5. Upper Receiver: 4x M3
  6. Lower Receiver: 4x M3
  7. Grip: 8x M3 (Short), 2x M3 (Long)
  8. Foregrip: 1x M3
  9. BCG Retainer: 2x M3

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3

Lower Handguard Glue-up

This section will walk you through joining the lower handguard body. You may need to lightly ream the dowel holes for a not-too-snug fit.

Important

The snugness of the dowel pins is important. They should be reasonably snug but not so tight that a light hammer strike won't seat them.

  1. Insert the 3/16 dowel pins into the corresponding small holes on the LOWER handguard pieces. You may need to lightly tap them in with a mallet or hammer.
  2. Slide both parts onto 2020 extrusion.
  3. Apply glue/epoxy to the mating surfaces.
  4. Close the gap with a hammer or mallet.
  5. Ensure 2020 extrusion is seated all the way to the front of the handguard.

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4

Upper Handguard Glue-up

This section will walk you through joining the upper handguard body. You may need to lightly ream the dowel holes for a not-too-snug fit.

Important

The snugness of the dowel pins is important. They should be reasonably snug but not so tight that a light hammer strike won't seat them.

  1. Insert the 3/16 dowel pins into the corresponding small holes on the UPPER handguard pieces. You may need to lightly tap them in with a mallet or hammer.
  2. Slide all three parts onto 2020 extrusion.
  3. Before fully joining the pieces together with dowels, apply glue or epoxy to the mating surfaces.
  4. Continue joining with hammer until flush.
  5. Ensure 2020 extrusion is seated all the way to the front of the handguard, then apply epoxy/glue to fix in-place.

Parts Needed

1" 3/16 Dowel Pin ×8 Glue/Epoxy ×1

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5

Side Plates Glue-up

The side plates are printed in two halves. Since you probably already have the epoxy mixed from the steps above, we'll do this step next.

Important

These dowel pins should be fairly loose and easy to slide in-out.

  1. Insert 3/16 dowels into joining dowel holes.
  2. Apply glue/epoxy to mating surfaces
  3. Join with as little glue/gap as possible.

Parts Needed

1" 3/16 Dowels ×6

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6

Lower - Trigger Linkage

Let's build the "gun" part. CA residents look away!

  1. Insert sleeve bearings into Linkage B
  2. Use a 3mm dowel to attach Linkage B to Linkage C. They should be able to rotate freely/easily on the hinge pin.
  3. Slide trigger linkage into lower and fix in place with another 3mm dowel. Do not over-ream this hole. You will need to use a hammer and lightly tap it into place.

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7

Lower - FCG

If you've built an AR before, this will be very easy.

Pro Tip

Don't over-tighten these bolts. Tighten until you feel full resistance, then back it off a bit.

  1. Insert trigger- affix with M4 bolt and locknut.
  2. Insert hammer - affix with M4 bolt and locknut.
  3. Make sure the trigger is in contact with Linkage C!

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8

Lower - Stock Latch

As if you really wanted it to be longer...

  1. Insert both retention arms into place.
  2. Carefully insert spring between retention arms.
  3. Slide cover into place from the bottom.

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9

Foregrip

In another guide, we'll insert some 18650 batteries to this part.

  1. Slide nuts into foregrip latch housing
  2. Insert spring into slot and push in foregrip latch.
  3. Attach latch with 2x M4 bolts
  4. Fasten foregrip latch to foregrip body with 1x M? bolt. This bolt will self-tap into the plastic.
  5. Attach battery door to foregrip body with 1x M3 bolt
  6. Snap the foregrip pad into place. It might be a bit tight.

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10

Join Grip & Lower

Joining the Grip to the Lower

Important

DO NOT OVER-TORQUE!

  1. Align the lower with the grip, then slide into place.
  2. Affix with 6x torx bolts
  3. Attach grip nub with M3 bolts

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11

Magazine Release

This part is a little tricky since you have to compress the spring while tightening the bolt. Once this is complete though, insert a mag release button and test it out. If you feel a ton of resistance or the rod is seized, you probably haven't properly aligned the bolt with the hole in the spring.

  1. Insert mag catch rod into slot
  2. Insert spring into slot (from the bottom of the magwell)
  3. Attach spring to rod with 1x M3 bolt. Try to hold the spring flush with the magwell channel.

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12

Trigger + Linkage A

The real trigger this time.

  1. Insert 2x sleeve bearings into trigger.
  2. Slide trigger into grip, then use 3mm dowel to lock in place.
  3. Thread M3 Studs into Linkage A
  4. Slide Linkage A into sleeve bearings, completing the trigger linkage.

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13

Upper Receiver Assembly

Insert BCG and back plate.

  1. Turn the assembly upside down and slide the charging handlle pusher into place.
  2. While still upside down, slide the CMMG bolt carrier into the receiver.
  3. Using 2x m3x? and 2x m3x? bolts, attach back plate to the upper receiver.

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14

Barrel Clamp

Let's attach the barrel to the upper receiver.

  1. Slide barrel into place on the Upper. Ensure the "notch" is perfectly centered and facing upwards.
  2. Press the barrel clamp into place. (Ensure correct orientation)
  3. Slide the hose clamp through the small slit in the upper, force it to wrap all the way around, and then tighten.
  4. Make sure the screw terminal of the hose clamp is directly on top of the barrel clamp, not off to the side.

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15

Joining Upper to Lower

The worlds weirdest bullpup is formed!

  1. Plop the upper onto the lower.
  2. Use the 1.25" 3/16 Dowel as the front takedown pin.
  3. Use the quick-release pin as the lower takedown pin. (Inserted from the rear)

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16

Attaching Side Plates

The plates retain the stock arms and also the mag release buttons.

Important

Make sure the epoxy is fully cured before attempting this step!

  1. Set the mag release button ("L") into its slot. It will be loose!
  2. Align the side plate with the hooks on the Lower receiver. Push them into the hooks, then force the plates forward to fully seat them.
  3. You will hear the stock latch "click" into place when it's seated forward enough.
  4. Use 3x torx head screws to affix plate to Lower.
  5. Attach the plate decoration to the big plate using 2x torx bolts.
  6. 🔁 Repeat the steps above for the right-side button and plate.

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17

Stock

For stabilizing, and for pummeling.

  1. Attach stock arms to plate with bolts. Bolts will self-tap into plastic.
  2. Slide stock bumper onto stock plate.
  3. Affix bumper with 2x M? bolts.

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18

Charging Handle

This is one of the best parts of the whole rifle.

  1. Push the charging handle rod into the charging handle knob. It should be flush on top.
  2. Slide the assembly through the rectangular slot in the barrel clamp.
  3. Give it a good few (careful!) racks to fully seat the rod into the pusher.

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19

Safety + Detent

This one is a doozy... TBD

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20

Cheek Pad

Attach the cheek pad to the upper with 2x M3 bolts.
You will have to slightly bend the cheek pad to snap it into place against the front part of the upper.

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21

Joining the Front & Back

“I Need A Weapon”

  1. Slide the front assembly onto the rear assembly. Take care the charging handle doesn't get snagged.
  2. Secure with hex bolt. (Hole opposite the safety)

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22

Troubleshooting

Answer

Guide Complete!

Congratulations!

You've successfully completed the assembly. Please do a full functional checkout without dry-firing your weapon.

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