If you like fun .22 builds with a sci-fi bent, then read on. My latest build is the A280-CFE Blaster from Canto Arms. If you hated my last blaster build, the DL-44, then this is still not the post you are looking for.
The A280-CFE
The A280-CFE is the blaster featured in Star Wars Rogue One, and the Andor series. It’s a modular heavy blaster that can be configured as a pistol or rifle in Star Wars canon. While the DL-44 blaster was based on a Mauser C-96 Mauser pistol the A280 actually is based on an AR upper and lower. So, while the DL-44 AR build just has the general vibe of the prop gun, with the A280 you can actually get pretty darn close.
The Canto Kit
Canto Arms makes builds like this easy. They have all of the parts you need to turn your provided upper and lower into a Star Wars themed blaster that shoots economical .22 LR rounds.
The kit includes a barrel shroud, muzzle device and receiver plug. Canto also sells CMMG .22 LR barrels, bolt carrier groups and .22 LR charging handles so you can grab everything you need to turn your stripped upper into your own A280. Although currently I’m not seeing the barrel and BCG listed separately, just as part of the DL-44 kit and in complete uppers. If you do want a complete A280 upper that is available too, although I like to build my own.
I don’t think the A280 is as iconic as the DL-44 but it’s still a fun build. Even if you aren’t a Star Wars nerd, it’s a neat pistol if you want something a little different.
Donor Upper and Lower
Part of what started me on this build was a polymer AR lower that I got a few years ago. It was bright zombie green, but it was also only $30, so I added it to a Palmetto State Armory order at one point. It was an impulse buy, and I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it, but figured I’d come up with something.
The bright green is pretty horrible, so I halfway figured I’d use it for some kind of dumb fun build. I picked up a zombie green KM Tactical PCC upper to use with it at some point. Except that I realized that apparently zombie green is a lot like FDE in that the colors don’t necessarily match between brands. Even for a goofy build the difference in colors bothered my OCD, so the upper and lower went back in my parts bin.
I had pretty much figured I’d use the poly lower on a .22 build, and I kept looking at Canto’s A280 kit but didn’t really want to do it in zombie green. Then it hit me that I could just rattle can it. That would solve both the general horrible color and the color mismatch issues.
I hit the upper with a couple coats of high temp black stove paint but it was glossier than I wanted. I did another coat of slate gray paint over that. I had some spots where the black showed through on the front of the mag well but that gave it a little bit of a worn look, which I didn’t hate.
I decided to hit the whole thing with a light rub down with steel wool to see if I could bring some more of that black through. Mostly it brought a bit of the underlying green out on the sharp corners. While I didn’t want an all green gun, I decided I could live with a tiny bit peeking out. Maybe the upper and lower were made from radioactive scrap melted down from salvaged Death Star debris.
Now, if you don’t want to build your blaster from scratch, Canto Arms actually offers a nice A280 lower with A280 markings on it, that will go nicely with their complete upper half. I had my DL-44 lower markings custom done by Bad Attitude Department, which rocked, but now you can get the A280 or a DL44 marked lower right from Canto as well.
Building the Blaster
Putting the A280 together is easy, if you’ve ever built an AR. I used a mix of GI spec lower parts from my parts bin. I added the receiver end plate from the Canto kit and finished it off with a Reptilia CQG grip that I had done a Fakelite paint job on.
While Canto sells Black Dog Machine .22 conversion mags, I opted for a Redi-Mag Better-Mag adapter that allows me to use S&W M&P 15-22 mags instead. That’s what I did with my DL-44 build. The Black Dog mags work fine, and I have them for other .22 builds, but I like the look of the shorter S&W mags in the pistol builds. Plus I have a bunch of Smith mags on hand between my Smith M&P 15-22, and my other Canto DL-44 blaster.
For the upper I just had to add the CMMG barrel and lock it down with the Canto barrel nut. The barrel nut doubles as a barrel shroud and covers most of the 5 inch barrel. The muzzle device screws on the end, and mates up with the shroud completing the look. Being a blowback system there’s no need for a gas block or gas tube.
After popping the completed upper on the lower I just added the .22 charging handle and CMMG bolt and it was done. Canto Arms does offer STL files that you can download, and then print out some extra “greeblies” that you can glue on your lower. They’re a cosmetic touch that makes the build closer to the movie gun, but I decided to keep things simple. Plus, I’m still fighting with getting my 3D printing working right.
Sights and Sight In
In the movie, the A280 is shown without any sights. I guess if you’re a sci-fi action hero you don’t need any stinking sights, but I thought I probably would. I pulled an old SIG Romeo 1 red dot from my parts pile and dropped it on my A280. It had a suitably sci-fi look.
Sight in was pretty painless and I was hitting minute of Stormtrooper helmet in no time. Okay, it was actually an old surplus Belgian steel helmet. I figured popping a steel helmet consistently at 25 yards off hand was pretty acceptable for a .22 plinker. That’s head shots at least. I also used it to blast clay birds off the back stop as well. It’s a plinker build, so I didn’t see any point in bench resting it.
This is the Way
If you’re a Star Wars buff and a gun guy, then either the A280-CFE or DL-44 blaster kits from Canto Arms are the perfect blend of hobbies. You get to scratch the nerd itch, but still have a perfectly functional plinker at the same time. They’re easy to build, and fun to shoot. They tend to turn some heads at the range too, if you like showing up with something different than your typical Ruger or Browning .22’s.
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