If you’ve seen some of my other build articles, you know they run the gamut from retro clones to “what if” builds. One of the great things about the AR platform is you can build it anything you want. I especially like combining retro and “what if” into builds like the mid length M16A1 type carbine I did not long back. I used OD Green stocks on it originally, but recently had a chance to kick things up a notch with custom ones from Cheating Death Customs.
Cheating Death Customs
Cheating Death Customs is a family operation, and the passion project of Erick Gonzalez. Erick spent 25 years as a Miami-Dade Police officer, and he’s had a lifetime interest in firearms and how they work. He took every armorer’s course he could while on the job, and worked as his district’s armorer.
When he retired in 2015 he apprenticed with a friend who was a competitive 1911 and 2011 shooter. Erick dove head first into the 1911 and AR-15 build worlds. He also started working with firearm finishing, with traditional blueing and Cerakote.
In 2016 he founded Cheating Death Customs with the goal of making custom 1911s in a retro/classic style. He started with Colt Combat Government and Combat Elite Tribute pistols, and realized he needed appropriate leather to compliment his builds. Erick reached out to Sam Andrews of Andrews Custom Leather, and Sam began making special, limited run, custom holsters for the Cheating Death Customs builds. 1911 builds and custom holsters are still a big part of the business, and he does some fantastic work.
Cheating Death Customs also does traditional bluing, Cerakote finishes, and custom camo work. It’s on the custom finishing side of the house that our stories intersect.
Fakelite and the RetroMod World
A few years back Erick got talked into helping on a build project to make a Fallout New Vegas inspired rifle. Erick didn’t want to just copy the game rifle, but did use the idea as inspiration for his builds. He fell in love with the retro mod Fallout aesthetic and a series of builds began. Rather than use wood stocks on his gun like most Fallout inspired rifles, including mine, Erick imagined a world where the original Armalite bakelite continued to be used instead.
He initially tried a Cerakote finish. While certainly durable, it was actually too consistent, and didn’t have the organic look he wanted. Real bakelite has a lot of variations from piece to piece, and that’s what Erick wanted. He started using a paint based finish instead, and has become a master of the technique.
If you aren’t familiar with the term fakelite, it was made popular by a Recoil article a number of years back. It’s essentially a paint technique used to simulate the old brownish Bakelite finish seen in the pre-plastics age. Bakelite was used for things like AKM grips and magazines, and on the early Armalite AR furniture, as well as a whole host of industrial products.
I do some of my own fakelite work for my projects, and I pretty much follow the Recoil recipe. I do okay, but some things come out better than others. Erick’s use of the process is an art form. His technique differs from Recoils a bit. I talked with about it while getting background for this article. A lot of it comes down to patience, practice, and a flair for creativity. He makes a consistently amazing looking product, yet each one is an individual piece. Since they’re done by hand, no two are exactly alike.
Erick started doing A1 style rifle furniture. I’ve been watching those, and his other builds, on the Cheating Death Customs Instagram account for a while now. More recently he did some carbine sets, and a set of A2 rifle furniture. They had that classic, throw back bakelite look, but it just hit differently with the ribbed A2 handguards. It looked good, and was different than what anyone else had been doing. Once I saw those, I decided I needed to see about getting a set for myself.
A Little Bit A1, a Little Bit A2, and a Lot Retro
I reached out to Erick to talk about getting a set of stocks, and it turned out we had a lot in common. We’re both retired police detectives, both have an appreciation for retro firearms, and we both liked things a little different than norm. I found that we both embraced the “what if” concept of how would things look if design history took a little different path.
The retro modern vibe of the Fallout universe takes that path, and it’s a good starting point if you like that sort of thing. I say starting point though, because while we both like the vibe of the setting, neither of us wanted to be locked into just cloning things from the game. Which was why I liked Erick’s use of A2 and CAR furniture with the bakelite look. It never existed in the real world, or the Fallout universe, but it has the look of something that should have.
Erick typically makes sets of rifle stocks, and more recently, carbine handguards and pistol grips. I wanted to do a set of furniture for my mid length M16A1 build. Being that the midlength A1 was a gun that was never really made, at least an an issue item, Erick agreed that it was the perfect fit for his stocks that never were either.
Since these weren’t what he typically worked with, he agreed to let me send him my stocks to work his magic on. I sent down a set of mid length ribbed handguards, a fat A2 grip and a CAR buttstock. The grip and handguards are what I had originally used on my build, but I swapped out the waffle pattern M4 stock for a CAR stock as I felt it would fit the aesthetic better. I could have gone with an A1 grip as well, but I like the way the fakelite A2 looked on his builds so I rolled with it.
I’m impatient when I paint. I want to see the end result, and tend to rush things. Erick isn’t. He allows his paint and clear coat layers to fully cure between applications. Not just dry, but cure. That ensures both a better look, and a more durable final finish. This is why he does this professionally and I just tinker.
The normal Cheating Death Customs fakelite color is what Erick calls Atomic Blast, and it’s a great look. Lots of depth, and character to it, and a brown/orange base. From our talks, Erick knew I was open to experimentation so he did a more orange base on my set which he’s calling Orange Colored Sky. It has the hue of some of the earliest Armalite rifles, and also reminds me of the orange bakelite you see on some of the old Soviet AK grips and magazines.
Being a custom job, it took a couple of weeks for Erick to complete my set. A lot of that time is pent waiting for things to cure properly, as I mentioned above. The wait, though, was worth it.
Erick had sent me pictures of the set before he mailed it out, but you really need to see it in person to see the character and depth of the finish. The grip and butt stock are a little darker than the handguards. That’s in keeping with reference pics of early Armalites. They work together well to form a cohesive look, but each piece has it’s own character.
I liked the OD furniture on my A1 carbine and it had the look of maybe a mid 80’s sort of build. Dropping the fakelite set on shaved at least 20 years off of that look. The fakelite gave it a look that wouldn’t have been out of place in the early 60’s. Or in a place like the Fallout universe where things took a sideways shift developmentally a decade or two before that.
Installation and fit are the same as any other AR furniture, since this is just a a new finish on base hardware. The quality of the finish is excellent though. Aside from the aesthetics of it, the finish is definitely better applied than my rattle can work. It’s not tacky to the touch like you sometimes get with painted stocks, and seems more resistant to scrapes or wear as well.
I’m sure this is a product of both the layers applied and the curing process that Erick uses. It’s still paint, and will wear with use, but that’s okay. Wear on a finish like this will actually enhance the look in my opinion. It’s nice to know though that it’s not simply going to rub off, or scrape away with incidental use though.
Bringing the Vintage Vibe to Your AR Rifles and Carbines
If you want to get a set of fakelite for your own rifle or carbine, then reach out to Cheating Death Customs. Erick and his crew can hook you up. A complete set of rifle stocks for the AR-15 runs $225.00. That includes the butt stock, grip and handguards. A CAR-15 is $88.00, and includes a grip and handguards at the moment. Erick said they may add CAR butt stocks as an option in the future.
Turn around time is about two weeks, but keep an eye on their Instagram and webpage for in stock items. He’s hoping to start having enough stock in soon to ship within three days of an order. Keep in mind, these are hand finished stocks, not a factory production item.
Cheating Death Customs retro fakelite stocks are a great way to upgrade your rifle. Whether you’re doing something Fallout inspired or just prefer that retro wood like look for your build, you’ll have a unique custom made set of furniture that’s unique to your gun.