Like many children of the 80’s, I enjoy playing video games. No, they aren’t remotely “combat simulators” or any of that sort of nonsense. They’re just fun entertainment. One of my all time favorites has been the Fallout series of post apocalyptic, alternate history sci-fi. If you haven’t played it, Fallout takes place in a world that is very much like we thought the future might look like in the 1950’s. Well, that future after a thermonuclear war. There are plenty of futuristic lasers and plasma rifles, but there are also more traditional guns and cobbled together homebrew guns. This is where Raider14 of AR15.com took his inspiration for his post apocalyptic AR build.

Raider14’s skill with machine tools is belied by the intentionally rough appearance of the build. Even a knuckle dragging Neanderthal like me can assemble a bucket of parts into a slick looking AR-15. They’re like grownup legos. Even fairly “advanced” tasks like changing a barrel aren’t really all that tough with Mr. Stoner’s brainchild. But Raider14 built most of the rifle from scratch. For safety, the barrel (and extension), bolt carrier group, and upper receiver are factory. The remaining parts are hand built, including the flat receiver that he welded and machined from sheet steel and the buffer tube made from a section of 1″ steel pipe.

Raider14’s choice in materials is, in my not so humble opinion, perfectly representative of the sort of junk that the Lone Wanderer might use to build or repair a rifle. The screwdriver pistol grip may not be as comfortable as a MIAD and the seat belt sling may not be as go-fast as a Vicker’s, but the total effect is genuinely Wasteland.

Right about now, a few of you may be wondering “Wait, did he just say that dude built a firearm receiver from scratch?” The rest of you are probably already aware that it is perfectly legal for anyone who isn’t a prohibited possessor to build a firearm so long as they don’t do it with the intention of selling it. It takes a great deal of skill and artistry to build one like this, but considerably less of both to finish out an 80% receiver and assemble factory parts. If you’d like to try your own hand at building a themed rifle like this one, that might be a good way to start. Raider14 gives lots of gory details about his build in the thread on Arfcom right here.