My Personal go-to AR parts list

[ltromann]

In all seriousness, why do you wade in a "wasteland?"

Congratulations....you're WAAAAAAY more gooder than the rest of us....

I'm not better than anyone. I already made my intentions clear on previous posts of why I was on this site

 

[ltromann]

From a geriatric crayon eater, Any real world experience using the M16 platform?

Yeah a little on the m16a2 while I was in. Nothing major and i didnt see any sort of combat. And then just some experience with some transferables as a civi.

 

[Creedmoor]

Yeah a little on the m16a2 while I was in. Nothing major and i didnt see any sort of combat. And then just some experience with some transferables as a civi

So that would be no sir. I have no real world experience.

Thank you for your service.

 

[ltromann]

So that would be no sir. I have no real world experience.

Thank you for your service.

Doesn't matter If I saw combat or didn't. I know the guns down to the last spring and detent. Better than most people who do use them in combat. Knowing how to shoot and basic clean the gun and knowing the gun inside and out is a bit different and most of the people using it in combat know how to shoot, load, and do a basic clean. Theres a lot more to it than that.

 

[Creedmoor]

Doesn't matter If I saw combat or didn't. I know the guns down to the last spring and detent. Better than most people who do use them in combat. Knowing how to shoot and basic clean the gun and knowing the gun inside and out is a bit different and most of the people using it in combat know how to shoot, load, and do a basic clean. Theres a lot more to it than that.

Ah, yea.
Good Day.

 

[Robert Richardson]

Damn, to think all the AR15s that I put together are junk. But, I have to ask, how many rounds do I have to put thru one to find out if it's a good one or junk?
The first 5 are built on 80% Thunder Tactical lowers. Uppers are built with basically most inexpensive parts that I could find.
2 are just now passing 7K rounds fired, no malfunctions, no part failures.
1 approaching 5K, broke 1 hammer spring, no other failures.
1 approaching 2K, no malfunctions, no part failures.
1 is at 400rds built this one with a higher grade barrel and Elfman trigger assembly. Added a M-Loc railed floating handguard. Mounted a Sig-Whiskey 3 w/ Hellfire reticle scope. This one is the wife's shooter. She can shoot 3/4" groups with it.
Now to be honest I have had 2 Stinger Red dot sights go inop. $30 each. Also had to warranty the Elfman trigger assembly because of a reset problem.
So with this learning experience and information, I guess I'll need to spend a lot more $ and buy better parts.
But, at least I started buying factory lowers, the Anderson part have worked just fine too.
But seriously, I still prefer my FALs and the M1A over the AR15.

 

[ltromann]

Damn, to think all the AR15s that I put together are junk. But, I have to ask, how many rounds do I have to put thru one to find out if it's a good one or junk?
The first 5 are built on 80% Thunder Tactical lowers. Uppers are built with basically most inexpensive parts that I could find.
2 are just now passing 7K rounds fired, no malfunctions, no part failures.
1 approaching 5K, broke 1 hammer spring, no other failures.
1 approaching 2K, no malfunctions, no part failures.
1 is at 400rds built this one with a higher grade barrel and Elfman trigger assembly. Added a M-Loc railed floating handguard. Mounted a Sig-Whiskey 3 w/ Hellfire reticle scope. This one is the wife's shooter. She can shoot 3/4" groups with it.
Now to be honest I have had 2 Stinger Red dot sights go inop. $30 each. Also had to warranty the Elfman trigger assembly because of a reset problem.
So with this learning experience and information, I guess I'll need to spend a lot more $ and buy better parts.
But, at least I started buying factory lowers, the Anderson part have worked just fine too.
But seriously, I still prefer my FALs and the M1A over the AR15.

So, when I started, I was using cheaper parts. Anderson, psa, Strike, some no name stuff my my LGS at the time, the works. I put together some that shot fine. But typically, I could find an issue with it in some way. Maybe it was picky with ammo, maybe the tolerances were loose going together, maybe the FCG pins drifted out. Turns out a lot of my parts were out of spec in some way. When I started using more quality parts, I started experiencing less and less issues. And you don't have to spend a fortune to get a great, dependable AR.

About the "how many rounds" question. It's not just about how many, but how many rounds can it go in what amount of time. It's dependent on the firing schedule, the environment, type of ammo, can it run dirty, etc.
A gun cleaned after every time it's been taken out, used only quality brass, in a controlled range environment, will never truly see if it is a dependable gun. But when you throw in whatever ammo you can find, (should be able to pretty much run it all), have an aggressive firing schedule, are shooting in a dirty environment and don't clean your gun for 1k plus rounds, that's when you'll see how your gun really holds up.

It's also about fit, finish and the QC. How often the company releases bad products, if the tolerances are nice and tight and in spec or if it's loose fitting and gauges out of tolerance. You also don't want so weak of a finish that it just will rub away and scratch off at the lightest touches. I've had that happen with anderson. How many blemishes can be seen, etc.

Theres ways to do it without spending 3k on your gun. It doesn't have to be KAC or LMT. But just like with literally anything else in the world, you get what you pay for. So just because someone pays 500 for an AR and 500 is a lot of money for that person, doesn't mean that 500 is expensive for an AR. It's extremely cheap for one and won't be of any kind of sustainable quality. Also on the other side of that coin, just because you find an AR that charges over 1k, doesn't mean it's a good gun. Take black rain Ordnance for example. They charge a premium for fancy colors and different looks on their ARs, when their quality matches that of Bear Creek arsenal... absolute garbage, and most of the time, you'll run into issues with their guns fairly quick.

 

[MindfulMan]

I'm happy to be part of this wasteland. As an older, retired person, it's allowed me to make friends. I've found that having friends is much more important than having an ultimate AR. I've also found that it's best to be non-judgmental, when I don't know the story, or resources of other people .... and everyone has their story to tell .... you just have to listen.
Having a friend that did spend (a lot) time in a relatively recent combat environment, both as a 7th Regiment Ranger, and as a private contractor .... I asked for his guidance in selecting, and outfitting my most expensive AR. I was guided to an all-factory BCM rig, with a Trijicon Accupoint. Done !

 

[ltromann]

I'm happy to be part of this wasteland. As an older, retired person, it's allowed me to make friends. I've found that having friends is much more important than having an ultimate AR. I've also found that it's best to be non-judgmental, when I don't know the story, or resources of other people .... and everyone has their story to tell .... you just have to listen.
Having a friend that did spend (a lot) time in a relatively recent combat environment, both as a 7th Regiment Ranger, and as a private contractor .... I asked for his guidance in selecting, and outfitting my most expensive AR. I was guided to an all-factory
BCM rig, with a Trijicon Aimpoint. Done !

Hey man. The BCM is a very solid and respectable gun. And I'm sure you meant accupoint. Very solid optic too on an ADM mount. Nice choices. That'll do whatever job you need it to.

 

[Creedmoor]

I'm happy to be part of this wasteland. As an older, retired person, it's allowed me to make friends. I've found that having friends is much more important than having an ultimate AR. I've also found that it's best to be non-judgmental, when I don't know the story, or resources of other people .... and everyone has their story to tell .... you just have to listen.
Having a friend that did spend (a lot) time in a relatively recent combat environment, both as a 7th Regiment Ranger, and as a private contractor .... I asked for his guidance in selecting, and outfitting my most expensive AR. I was guided to an all-factory BCM rig, with a Trijicon Accupoint. Done !

What a piece of crap, you listened to a soldier, should have listened to a Infantry Marine.
This is what he just had his dad pick up for him.

 

[Creedmoor]

So, when I started, I was using cheaper parts. Anderson, psa, Strike, some no name stuff my my LGS at the time, the works. I put together some that shot fine. But typically, I could find an issue with it in some way. Maybe it was picky with ammo, maybe the tolerances were loose going together, maybe the FCG pins drifted out. Turns out a lot of my parts were out of spec in some way. When I started using more quality parts, I started experiencing less and less issues. And you don't have to spend a fortune to get a great, dependable AR.

About the "how many rounds" question. It's not just about how many, but how many rounds can it go in what amount of time. It's dependent on the firing schedule, the environment, type of ammo, can it run dirty, etc.
A gun cleaned after every time it's been taken out, used only quality brass, in a controlled range environment, will never truly see if it is a dependable gun. But when you throw in whatever ammo you can find, (should be able to pretty much run it all), have an aggressive firing schedule, are shooting in a dirty environment and don't clean your gun for 1k plus rounds, that's when you'll see how your gun really holds up.

It's also about fit, finish and the QC. How often the company releases bad products, if the tolerances are nice and tight and in spec or if it's loose fitting and gauges out of tolerance. You also don't want so weak of a finish that it just will rub away and scratch off at the lightest touches. I've had that happen with anderson. How many blemishes can be seen, etc.

Theres ways to do it without spending 3k on your gun. It doesn't have to be KAC or LMT. But just like with literally anything else in the world, you get what you pay for. So just because someone pays 500 for an AR and 500 is a lot of money for that person, doesn't mean that 500 is expensive for an AR. It's extremely cheap for one and won't be of any kind of sustainable quality. Also on the other side of that coin, just because you find an AR that charges over 1k, doesn't mean it's a good gun. Take black rain Ordnance for example. They charge a premium for fancy colors and different looks on their ARs, when their quality matches that of Bear Creek arsenal... absolute garbage, and most of the time, you'll run into issues with their guns fairly quick.

LOL. Both of my sons issued M4's maybe have or had 15% of finish left on their rifles and ACOG's.
Both ran or run those Worthless Vintage Endlessly Rebuilt Colts from the early eightys.
My #1 on a deployment ran almost six 420rd cans of that crappy dirty M855 through his M4 in about 30 hours. He told me other than some oil, not one failure. Not one.

Real World is a Much better Teacher than reading periodicals.

 

[MindfulMan]

What a piece of crap, you listened to a soldier, should have listened to a Infantry Marine.
This is what he just had his dad pick up for him.
View attachment 234836

Ohhh, I see a family resemblance !

 

[MindfulMan]

LOL. Both of my sons issued M4's maybe have or had 15% of finish left on their rifles and ACOG's.
Both ran or run those Worthless Vintage Endlessly Rebuilt Colts from the early eightys.
My #1 on a deployment ran almost six 420rd cans of that crappy dirty M855 through his M4 in about 30 hours. He told me other than some oil, not one failure. Not one.

Real World is a Much better Teacher than reading periodicals.

I had one of those Colts issued to me during a one-year tour of duty at a remote NATO site in Turkey. Many think that us Air Force guys spent all of our time at the country club .... but the Mideast is the Mideast .... and it all sucks !
I liked the Colt. I liked the happy switch, and it liked me !

 

[ltromann]

LOL. Both of my sons issued M4's maybe have or had 15% of finish left on their rifles and ACOG's.
Both ran or run those Worthless Vintage Endlessly Rebuilt Colts from the early eightys.
My #1 on a deployment ran almost six 420rd cans of that crappy dirty M855 through his M4 in about 30 hours. He told me other than some oil, not one failure. Not one.

Real World is a Much better Teacher than reading periodicals.

The Fit and finish is in regards to being New parts that should look new, not be full of blemishes and should fit together nicely and be in tolerance. Your reference to the battle worn colts is where the other aspects come into play. They had decent parts used. They had actual, mil spec parts.
Many companies today lie about their parts being mil spec, or even in tolerance.... those companies aren't held to the at least minimum standard that the military requires of their parts and weapons.
And that's the problem today. Materials used to build matter, how they are made matters, and having good quality control matters. The goal is to get something that could last through combat if necessary. Not just to have a range pinker that you have to baby to keep working.

 

[Creedmoor]

I had one of those Colts issued to me during a one-year tour of duty at a remote NATO site in Turkey. Many think that us Air Force guys spent all of our time at the country club .... but the Mideast is the Mideast .... and it all sucks !
I liked the Colt. I liked the happy switch, and it liked me !

Wait... You guys go on deployments?

 

[MindfulMan]

Wait... You guys go on deployments?

I think that's what they called it ?!? They pulled me out of the country club, shot me full of bubonic plague vaccine, and off I went.
The month prior to me leaving, the crazy Turks stoned an Air Force guy in the backstreets ..... because he was wearing his uniform.
Because of that (and some other reasons), I had to take (3) months of Turkish language training from a Turkish professor in Ankara. And it did save my life (learning the language) when I knew what "dur" meant (it means 'stop').

Crazy damn country. Only got thrown to the ground, with AK's stuck in my back, one time. I know that these aren't impressive stories to a true combat veteran. But at least I can say that while in Turkey, I received hazardous duty pay.

My parents used to tell me when I was a kid ..... "think of the starving Armenians, and finish your food". I never thought that I'd actually see starving Armenians, but I did during that year. To this day, it's given me an appreciation of AMERICA, the only place that I'd ever want to live.
And like many other veterans, I didn't spend five years of my life to see this country being gobbled-up by the current crazy liberal administration.
I serve the Constitution of the United States of America ... period. VOTE ! .... or more, if required.

 

[Creedmoor]

The Fit and finish is in regards to being New parts that should look new, not be full of blemishes and should fit together nicely and be in tolerance. Your reference to the battle worn colts is where the other aspects come into play. They had decent parts used. They had actual, mil spec parts.
Many companies today lie about their parts being mil spec, or even in tolerance.... those companies aren't held to the at least minimum standard that the military requires of their parts and weapons.
And that's the problem today. Materials used to build matter, how they are made matters, and having good quality control matters. The goal is to get something that could last through combat if necessary. Not just to have a range pinker that you have to baby to keep working.

LOL. One of the yayas I grewup with was in Military and LE sales with Colt for 15 years.
Then as Director of Marketing with FN USA,
The last 6 or so years in the same.slot with Walther.. He knows a bit with the M16 platform.
He would have a hayday with you.

 

[ltromann]

LOL. One of the yayas I grewup with was in Military and LE sales with Colt for 15 years.
Then as Director of Marketing with FN USA,
The last 6 or so years in the same.slot with Walther.. He knows a bit with the M16 platform.
He would have a hayday with you.

Whats your disagreement here? I'm literally just advocating for In-Spec, quality parts. I'm saying there's companies that lie about their parts and build poor quality products, and I'm saying that there's companies that build their guns correctly and in spec. The ones that do it right are going to cost a little more money. And it's worth it to spend a little extra to get a durable, reliable and quality product. As opposed to cheaping out and going with whatever company advertises the cheapest parts. I get my specs and instructions directly from the TDP and the Tech Manuals that the military uses.
So, what about that is incorrect or bad?

 

[Creedmoor]

Whats your disagreement here? . I get my specs and instructions directly from the TDP and the Tech Manuals that the military uses.
So, what about that is incorrect or bad?

Like ive posted already, im a real world guy,
I believe what I see in front of me or from folks in that industry where I seek knowledge.
Anybody can read and watch videos, what real education do you have with promotion of whats supposed good and bad with the AR platform?

Any factory armorers classes like Colt or FN
Or even Chads SOTAR classes in Glen Burnie Md when he was teaching classes.
What Armorers M16-AR15 spec tools, guages, equipment do you have to make these determinations of whats quality and whats being sold as lies.
And im not talking about a $17.99 Armorers wrench.

 

[ltromann]

Like ive posted already, im a real world guy,
I believe what I see in front of me or from folks in that industry where I seek knowledge.
Anybody can read and watch videos, what real education do you have with promotion of whats supposed good and bad with the AR platform?

Any factory armorers classes like Colt or FN
Or even Chads SOTAR classes in Glen Burnie Md when he was teaching classes.
What Armorers M16-AR15 spec tools, guages, equipment do you have to make these determinations of whats quality and whats being sold as lies.
And im not talking about a $17.99 Armorers wrench.

I speak from my own "real world" experiences... Like ive already posted, the parts that im saying are solid and which ones aren't are from my own personal experiences and those experiences of people I directly know and heard/seen it from them. Nobody has to follow these lists or parts. This is, as posted in the original post, my personal go-to parts list. It's not all the acceptable parts out there. It's just the ones I like to use. And a combination of the stated parts will make you a good gun.

I've got a few go/no-go gauges. I've got a few hundred different pin gauges because they come as sets, digital micrometer calipers, torque drivers, torque wrenches, erosion gauges, bore alignment rods, several specific task tools to assist in build like a muzzle device wrench, castle nut wrench, receiver extention vise block, magwell vise blocks, reaction rods, barrel dimple alignment block/ drill guides, vises, drill presses, several barrel nut specific wrenches for different types and a ton of misc tools. Im sure I missed a few but still.
I haven't really found an "armorers wrench" that I've enjoyed.