I probably invested close to 120 manhours building mine, even though I had a lot of help from others. I had a pro do the rewelding for me (I traded the jig for the weld job). I wasn't set up to do the bolt milling so I sent it to Wise Lite where they semi modded the FCG according to their approved method (and provided me with a copy of their BATFE approval letter), re-sleeved the gas tube that was worn out of spec, ensured proper headspace, test fired it and completely refinished it. Without the mig welding, fcg work, resleeving, and refinishing, it would still be a half-finished pile of metal on my service cart pissing me off. Now, 2 years after starting the build I have a complete, working gun with transit chest and accessories.
It is a tough build! Especially if you aren't set up to mig weld, don't have the jig, or a milling machine. Since I did most of the grinding and fitting, I got a good deal on the rest of the work, but it is still my personal home build with my own identifying engraving and not a Wise Lite gun. Doing this part of the work myself made it certain that the original engraving and markings were preserved.
Watch out for worn out gas tubes! That might be the reason the one in the photo here was marked "DP" (drill purpose).
