The RPK We Have at Home

• October 2, 2023
• By Jared Daub

The RPK We Have At Home: a highly refined, very capable 20″ AR15 with all the fixings.

This is the RPK we have at home. Some might say that I’m a traditionalist. Others will say I am a radical. I simply like to think of myself as a freedom loving realist. The way I analyze the world is much like our founders did. Or at least I like to think so. I believe that our rights are human rights and I believe that God granted us the indefinite right to defend ourselves against those who wish to enslave or harm us. I know our founders were wise enough to forecast a day when our government may turn entirely tyrannical, and thus we added protections to these rights into our constitution.

This fascination with our constitution, our history, the uniqueness of our great nation and the relevance of our bill of rights drives me to some complex topics. Should citizens own machine guns? What role does the government ACTUALLY play? Should we have a federal government at all? And so on and so forth. My mind loves exploring these topics, especially ones that I know will push a nerve. I believe I struck a nerve with this topic, and I think that is a really, really good thing. Let me explain.

A video much different than TA videos of the past.

It’s safe to say that most people weren’t expecting the video to unfold the way it did. We have all seen the “YouTuber” Gun videos overviewing all the specs and details of the build. Heck, I’ve done TONS of videos like that too. But frankly, I think our page needs to be more than just talking gun specs and builds. I want to speak culture, I desire to educate. Right from the start, I knew I had to do something a bit different with this video. So rather than focus on the specs of the “RPK”, I decided to focus on the concept of it.

The theory behind why citizens should own weapons like this. The rights surrounding weapons and the bastardization of our rights that has occurred over the last few generations. THIS is where I feel my passion lies. Let’s discuss why I built this rifle. Then we can discuss the parts and reasoning behind some of them.

Select Fire Rights are Human Rights.

Prior to 1934, owning machine guns was extremely simple. You went to a store, or pulled up your favorite print catalog and simply paid for them. No paperwork needed. Just pay and walk out with your favorite machine gun. What a time to be alive! Since 1934 machine guns have falling under the regulation of the national firearms act. You see, in 1934 they signed into law a federal act that proceeded to villianize machine guns.

The government did not make them illegal, they just made them so expensive that normal people could no longer afford to own select fire weapons. They imposed a registration scheme and a $200 tax on any weapon falling under the national firearms act. It was at this moment that American Citizenry lost SOME of the capabilities needed to remain free. Further, in 1986 with the passing of the Hughes Amendment, we saw our rights further stripped. Now the federal government had effectively LIMITED the amount of machine guns that COULD be in circulation.

Cause and effect of over regulation: The ultimate objective.

It was at this moment that American Citizenry lost SOME of the capabilities needed to remain free. Further, in 1986 with the passing of the Hughes Amendment, we saw our rights further stripped. Now the federal government had effectively LIMITED the amount of machine guns that COULD be in circulation. This created a term you see thrown around to this date: Transferrable and non-transferrable machine guns. Simplifying this for ease of understanding: Machine guns manufactured PRIOR to May 19, 1986 that were properly registered with the NFA regulations can be sold to normal people. Albeit, they go for a PREMIUM.

Machine guns manufactured after May 19, 1986 are non-transferrable. They can only be owned by government agencies and special occupation tax holders. This effectively created a supply and demand crisis. Less machine guns available increased demand while reducing supply. This is why you can EASILY spend over $30K on a transferrable machine gun. The government effectively made it impossible for regular citizens to own machine guns. A right that predates our government. And that is why we are so passionate about this topic, and it’s why we started a whole conversation around “The RPK We Have At Home”.

Why did we build this rifle?

I stated in the video: I did not build this rifle for hunting. I built this rifle mainly for educating you all. But I also recognize the capabilities a rifle like this has for defending life and liberty. I’m not convinced that our comfort in this nation has been good for us. Comfort has made us complacent and lazy. We feel so arrogantly that we will never be invaded. We foolishly believe that our nation will never fall. Look around us: what do you see? Look at the world as a whole. Study wars in places like Ukraine. What are citizens using for fighting civil wars abroad? Analyze HOW they fight.

As I look at the state of the culture, as I remember the riots and collapses of 2020, I see more and more of an argument in favor of longer barrel rifles. So I built one.

Capable close, distant, and in suppressive fire roles.

Now, I’m not suggesting that I feel we will soon see total societal collapse. But I am saying it COULD happen. If it does, that short 10.3″ 556 will feel might inadequate in the wilderness. My 20″ build is still light enough to play up close, but heavy enough and long enough to be stable. I created a rifle that is just as capable at 100 yards as 500 yards. A rifle that can lay down high rates of suppressive fire if needed, but can be dialed back to take extremely accurate precision shots. I created a rifle that can fulfill the role of fighting for freedom and providing food for those I care about.

A do all rifle that is right in line with our human rights as protected by our bill of rights.

Objectives of this build:

Here are the main objectives that I laid out for my “RPK we have at home”:

• Must be capable of automatic fire, not just semi-automatic.
• Must have detachable magazine.
• Must have ability to shoot close AND far well.
• Must have adjustable gas system for tunability.
• Must be able to accept a suppressor.
• Must have higher velocity than a standard 16″ AR15.
• Must be capable of sustained strings of fire at 100 and 200 yards on C Zone and reduced C Zone sized targets.
• Must be capable of precision shooting in semi-auto.
• Must be light enough to be realistically carried/wielded.

My build checked all these boxes and so many more.

A Run down of the “RPK We Have At Home” build:

This build starts off with an IWI Zion 15 rifle. I LOVE the Zion 15 rifles and I have for some time, so the Z15 made perfect sense for this build. The 16″ barrel that comes factory would have achieved most of my objectives of this build, but I wanted more. So I went ahead and purchase a Faxon 20″ Match grade fluted barrel. This is a 223 Wylde barrel with a 1:8 twist. Perfect for what I needed. I know that this is not necessarily the best if you are simply looking to put brutal amounts of ammunition downrange, but it works amazingly for what I am doing. The side benefit of this barrel is the fact that it is incredibly accurate as well.

I really like the factory Zion 15 MLOK rail and barrel lockup, so that all remained. I opted for a Rifle Length Gas System and I further refined this with a superlative arms adjustable DI gas block.

A sewing machine I demanded, a sewing machine I created.

The superlative adjustable gas block along with the rifle length gas system creates a VERY smooth recoiling rifle. Remember how I said I needed to be capable of landing sustained fire at 100 and 200 yards? To achieve that you need a controllable rifle. A 556 with a 20″ barrel and dialed in gas system is amazing. I added the Silencerco ASR flash hider so I could quickly attach my suppressor. Remember how I said I needed a sewing machine? It needed to be capable of being suppressed. I was able to dial in the bleed off gas block to guarantee smooth running suppressed and unsuppressed.

Optics: Near and far.

The primary optic is the Razor 1-10. I originally wanted a scope that had a base of 1X but could be magnified. Looking back, I might just go with a higher magnification scope OR switch to a lower magnification one. This rifle exists in a strange place where it could be a precision rifle AND it can absolutely spray rounds downrange. So which will I land on for good? Time will tell.

I put a Vortex Defender CCW on an offset 45 degree mount. My reasoning behind this was to be able to shoot close and fast if need be. Moving back further, you will see that I drilled the holes in this received for an M16 second sear. I then added a Gisele Super Select Fire Trigger. Full auto anyone? The SSF trigger is smooth, light and controllable. It is a two stage in semi auto, a single stage in auto. In both settings it is a fantastic trigger.

Stabilization is a MUST.

All my rifles that are set up for distance have a picatinny rail section on the bottom of the rail for tripod use. My RPK we have at home is no different. I also put a bipod on it for prone shooting. The bipod had to be light, so I used the plastic one from Magpul. It isn’t the most stable, but for a build like this it will do just fine. The best part is it is very lightweight. Again, meeting my objectives and exceeding them. The Tripod I used in the video is the Vortex Radian Carbon Tripod.

Blending into my terrain.

My RPK we have at home is a simple rattle can spray job. Nothing fancy, but it matches my local terrain well and breaks up the profile of the rifle. It has served me well in all the hunting scenarios I have put it through. The beauty of a rattle can job is it wears over time, further distressing the lines of the rifle. It is also easy to update later if desired. I do love a clean cerakote coated rifle, but I have a soft spot for a rattled blaster.

My closing thoughts, the state of the Republic.

This video was about a CONCEPT. An idea that free men ought to be free to own all fighting arms. It’s this belief that our citizens are the last best resort against absolute tyranny. This is not a video to go over a build, rather this is a video to paint the picture of an idea. This idea that we can govern ourselves, experience true liberty, and ultimately pursue our own happiness in this amazing land. Our founders were wise, and they understood how important it was to own fighting rifles. I feel the same way. I feel that citizens owning the EXACT same firearms and fighting gear as the military ensures that peace is kept. I know some folks think “radical” freedom lovers like myself desire a fight.

It is our duty to KEEP the Republic.

Truth is, we simply desire to be free. We love this nation and its people, and we want to see our people thriving. We want to peacefully change culture by living as an example. Rifles like the RPK we have at home are a LAST resort. They are the last stand against absolute tyranny and slavery. The fact that our citizenry owns it is exactly how we ensure it never comes to that.

But in order to achieve that, we need to educate. We need to inspire people to question EVERYTHING surrounding firearms and the regulation of arms. We need to be spreading the message of these rights, and demanding that those in government REMOVE ALL restrictions against our ability to possess, train with and own combat weapons. That is how we keep the republic.

I’m curious to hear what you all think about this topic. Leave a comment below & thank you for reading!