.223/AR in perspective...

Joined
Oct 8, 1998
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Ok,

So there is a good deal of talk about the AR and it's operation, that it "Defactes where it Eats".

But, could someone bring this into perspective?

What sort of malfunctions, how often, based on what sort of use....

How often and what sort of maintance to keep it in good working order....

And what companies/models would you suggest given a reasonably flexible budget (up to $1500). I would prefer models that have multiple accessories avaiable.
 
I had a older (mid 80's) preban Colt Light Weight Sporter for awhile. It was set up with a colapsable stock. The rifle was very well built and fun to shoot. The only problems I had where when I used cheap mags. If I used Colt or military mags it worked great. I mostly shot FMJ out of it but the few time I shot semijackets or HP it worked fine. I sold it during the Y2K scare for $1800 just couldn't pass up the money considering I paid $650 for it. If I could find another old Colt at a decent price I would buy it. Hope this helps
 
What, only the old guys can answer this? Well, the history of the M16 involves the Air Force, war's continuing demand to carry less to do more, and typical American internal politics.
Suffice it to say that the M16 was NOT originally designed to use Ball gunpowder, but Improved, which was a lot cleaner. The ARMY decided to use the old dirty powder, which leaves a lot of residue in the gas system, necessitating chromed rifling, chromed lined gas tube, etc. The Vietnam environment prompted a foward assist because the design weight of the bolt is light, compared to most, and has much less inertia to overcome dirt and gunk in the reciever. (In the other corner is the HK G-3 bolt, a bludgeon in its own right. The HK can digest crushed limestone and fire. The AK can, too.)
Also co-dependent in design is the 5.56 round itself, which was designed to be on the edge of the ballistic envelope. On impact the round becomes "dynamically unstable," meaning statistically more wounds requiring a larger logistic burden, directly on the battlefield, up the medical chain, to the owning government.
Today's M16s are product improved, i.e., the burden of dead people forced changes to the design. This is known as the law of unintended consequences. If the Army had used the SPECIFIED powder in the ammo, little of this would have happened. If we didn't need bases in Italy, we might not be using Berettas.
Do You Really Want An M16? Understand it's design purpose and match it's abilities to the job at hand. It is not a long distance, heavy bullet, high knockdown, fast stopping weapon. These are attributes in demand for personal defense. Is War personal defense? Read the Geneva Convention from the perspective of government liability, and the M16 fits. From the perspective of "1*", as in Gary Paul Johnson's motto (sound it out slow - er), I am better served by a good ol' 30-30. The firepower of an AK-47 with a low threat look.
Personally I'd like a hybrid - HK reciever, AK gas & bolt, FN stock, Multipurpose handguard, in 30 cal high eject. Each round loaded propels the previous cartridge as the bullet. Just double charge like any MG to load. BUT I don't need it.
 
Eye, get a Bushmaster! I have four, 16" shorty, 16" Dissapator, 20" HBAR and a 20" V-Match. I've NEVER had a malfunction of any kind in any of them and have never had to replace a part. I also use GI 20 and 30 round mags. Most of the problems you hear about are from using cheap commercial mags. Routine maintenance/cleaning, following manufacturers instructions, is all that is required to keep them running well. You should be able to pick up one of the above models for around $800 new. My latest purchase was the V-Match for $799. You can spend twice that amount for a pre-ban and not have a better rifle and what will a pre-ban be worth if the assault weapons ban sunsets in 2004?
 
The first thing to eliminate malfunctions is to use good mags (Colt or military) and good ammo. For a duty gun, clean it after you use it. The AR I shoot most does not get cleaned too often, but I lube it regularly. You can shoot a dirty AR/M-16, but not a dry one. I did have some problems with a collapsable stock Colt AR until I went to a heavy buffer. I shoot a lot of rounds a year through AR15s and M4A1s and malfunctions aren't too common.

Manufacturers-IMO and others, Colt is the first choice. From those in the know, Bushmaster and Rock River would be next. After that, you're taking your chances. I have an upper I built with a BM barrel (works fine, although a friends BM barrel was trash) and a RRA receiver. The RRA 1913 rail is slightly larger than milspec, as one type of rear sight will not slide on from the end as it does with Colts. Sights that are truly two piece work fine, as do optics mounts. Wilson Combat rifles are very accurate, but he doesn't chrome line the barrels, which can be a maintenance issue.

IMO buy a Colt, BM, or RRA. Get a 16" barrel(unless you plan to shoot 300+ yds) and flat top upper. The one accessory you truly need is a better trigger than the factory one. If you get a post-ban, send it to Wilson for their muzzle brake. It looks better and isn't as obnoxious as some others on the market.
 
Love my Colt AR-15. Mine is the collapsible stock,16" with removaable flat-top.

The only problem has been ammo related.

Just keep the bolt lubed. Some like it dripping, but just wet will do.

Pick the purpose it's intended for, the accsesories you want then get one like that. You'll spend too much buying the gun then the parts...

Gadget54
 
Colt's in general are good guns but, I don't agree with a lot of their anti-gun anti-freedom anti-second amendment stances. Their multiple owners and varying quality control and labor issues have made some periods of their manufacture less desirable then other. Any tool can be a weapon when used inappropriately by someone with the mind to do so but, the tool by itself is still just an inanimate object. Now off the soapbox.

The Colt's now use a variaty of components that are Colt only parts so, they may not be interchangeable and expensive if you need replacements or spares. A pre-ban and pre-"blocked" Colt is certainly a good rifle. I would not buy a blocked receiver or big hole receiver though.

The Bushmaster Dissapator rifles are really sweet is you want a full size rifle that is a little more compact. I never did get used to the Car format so, I may be a little biased here. The Bushmasters use mil-spec mil-compatible parts so, they are readily available and relatively cheap. Manufacture quality, reliability, etc. are very good.

While I haven't personally owned a Rock River rifle, they come highly recommended by folks on the rifle team much better then I. Les Baer makes similar quality rifles.

Use good quality ammunition (IMI M855) and good magazines (true mil-spec) and you should not have reliability issues if you perform rudimentary maintanence.
 
Colt 6700 series or Bushmaster. Stay with factory mags and you won't have any problems. Never had to use the foward assist method, as long as you keep your rifle clean. What size barrel are you looking to get heavy or standard and what length? Also a very important factor nobody has mentioned yet is barrel twist. I would go with the 1 in 9. If you are going for target use the 1 in 7. When I was selling these types of rifles people never really considered this. Alot of times the 1 in 7 barrels were priced a little cheaper and people bought them for this reason. They soon found out when they shot standard 55grain bullets they got very large groups. This 1 in 7 barrel requires heavier bullets which cost considerably more for factory ammo. The problem is that the 1in7 overstablizes the bullet causing it to rotate too fast. Hope this helps.
 
cpk-I shoot 55gr Q3131 or Q3131A (an M193 equivalent) almost exclusively out of 1:7 barrels and do not have large groups. In my experience, I have seen no significant difference with 55gr ammo in both twist rates. If you move up to heavy 75,77, or 80gr bullets, 1:7 is the only way to go.

Sid-what parts are Colt only? I wouldn't buy a big pin Colt either, but only because it would complicate life if you own more than one AR. If it's your only one, I'm not sure it makes much difference.
 
my experiences with the m16 concur with those of the previous posters
but then again, we practice cleaning our rifles after every shoot
 
Thanks. As always the quality of response is truly great.

So,

Let's say I go with a Bushmaster Dissipator, with the Rear Iron Sights/Carrying Handle attached via Picatinny Rail.

I would want to add a forend that would have a Picatinny Rail on the bottom, so that I could put a vertical forend with SureFire Light. Any problem getting one to fit a Bushmaster?

Pretty basic, anything else I should consider?

Oh yeah, how universal are accessories for the Bushmasters?
 
You can probably use the full length RAS or any of its clones, or a long free float tube. Adding one of these ranges from as easy as changing handguards to as hard as barrel replacement. The easiest solution is to get a piece of rail from GG&G or someone else and bolt it to your lower handguard.
 
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