Retro XM177E2/CAR15 Finished!!

Well, I finished my retro XM177E2 / CAR15 lightweight Carbine! Talk about a nice, lightweight weapon!!! With the standard M16A1 birdcage FH on the 16" barrel, it weighed in at 5.7 lbs. empty on the postal scale. :D My heavier "reverse" slip over XM177 flash Hider needs the rear blast washer re-attached before I mount it. Preliminary photos tomorrow when I can take them in the daylight.

-S&W M&P 15 Lower, receiver treated with dark gray Rustoleum primer to match upper
-M16A1 Colt upper with tear drop forward assist
-COLT/USGI early non-tapered slip ring to retain handguards
-ER Shaw (Model 1 Sales) 16" pencil CAR15 barrel 1/9 twist
-DPMS lower parts kit
-DPMS M16 bolt carrier group (I like the additional mass for feeding)
-DPMS charging handle
-DPMS CAR buffer
-DPMS CAR gas tube
-USGI M16A1 pistol Grip (NOS)
-USGI M4 buffer spring
-Rock River Arms CAR-15 handguards w/heatshields
-4 position fiberlite CAR stock (unk. maker) with USGI castle nut and receiver plate
-Either faux XM177E2 slip over flash hider or M16A1 FH: depending if I am going like the XM177E2 I carried as a LEO or a GAU-5/P as Air Force Security Police (reserves).
-USGI 20 and/or 30 round aluminum magazines

I have a Vietnam era M14/M16 OD nylon sling en-route.

Don't forget a range report! :thup:

Promising pics, that I have to wait to take! Weapon at property in Illinois and camera in Mississippi with me. All three of us won't be in the same place until Sunday... Argh.

I'm looking forward to the pics. I recently completed a Retro Colt 653 clone.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...0/08/014-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...0/08/010-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...0/08/015-1.jpg

Very sweet! Is that an original Colt aluminum 4 position? I would love to pick one up. Mine is fiberite, not plastic, and you can se the fibers in the polymer. I believe mine is an 80s vintage Colt fiberite. I will eventually pick up a Nodak Spud receiver to replace the M&P 15 one. The real XM177 I had was like yours, with no magazine button fence.

I fooled you with the stock :)

It's actually a commercial stock that I painted with Krylon Fusion gloss black. Original Colt aluminum stocks are not easy to come buy and demand a premium price. The lower is a Nodak Spud XM partial fence.

---------- Post added at 07:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:50 PM ----------

Also, check out the Retro forum on ar15.com and retroblackrifle.com

About 30 round magazines during the Vietnam War... I had some for my AR-180 (AR-15's got real hard to find about then) in those days as a college boy '67-'71, and it puzzled me why the men fighting in Vietnam did not have them. I asked one of my ROTC instructors, an Arty Captain, about that, and he said there were a few in-country, generally used with the CAR-15s, and he said the few 30's (Maybe one or two to a gun) were kind of passed down with the CARs to new owners as people rotated in and out. So I am thinking you COULD use a 30 in it but your display should include 20 rd. mags and pouches.

I think I can tell you exactly when the 3rd Mar Div quit using 20's. I was assigned to the third Marine Division on Okinawa in 1975 and checked out a bunch of 20 rd. magazines (the only type they had) for a rifle team, in February, for a Match in March. I tried turning them back in after the match and they did not want them as all the 20's were gone and they had switched fully to the 30's. Incidentally... about that time they were cleaning out warehouses and there was a huge dumpster of ARVN jungle boots and everybody dug out pairs of them to send back to kid brothers etc. for hunting.

In basic in 1974, we used 20s, as well as when I was permanent party at Fort Ord. Saw some 30s about 76. WHen I was an SP in Air Guard/AF Reserve 79-81, we used 30s in M16s, GAU5/A/A's or GAU-5/P's.

Here is a lousy low-light flash picture. Just wanted to prove I really did it! My digital camera SUCKS on low light. If I can ever get time for me before the sun is too low in the sky, I will do a series of shots that better show color. I forgot to mention the M16A1 pistol grip is NOS still in the wrapper from Bill Rica. "C" marked inside. The comic book cleaning manual is an original I grabbed in the early 70s when I was in the service.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../Xm177e2-1.jpg

Here are a couple better daylight pics of the XM177E2 wearing a Colt 4X scope clone with BDC for M193 ammo. The upper is the original, later medium-dark gray pakerized and the S&W lower is coated with Rustoleum dark gray automotive primer. The picture shows that it is a pretty darn close match.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...XM177E2a-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...XM177E2b-1.jpg

Great looking carbine, the upper and lower colors do match well.

Things happen. The XM177E2 build is for sale, still unfired with comic book manual and other manual. It is a good build. Contact me by email off-list. Ammo an mags available.

There is a retro forum on M4carbine.net , as well.
FWIW:
M4carbine has a high density of pros in their various fields. That equals less fluff and rumor than arfcom.
YMMV.

It's actually a commercial stock that I painted with Krylon Fusion gloss black. Original Colt aluminum stocks are not easy to come buy and demand a premium price. The lower is a Nodak Spud XM partial fence.

I was browsing AR15.com's resource library online and confirmed my stock on my retro XM177 project is actually is a 1980s vintage Colt OEM Fiberite CAR-15 or LEO Carbine stock: Milspec tube diameter and "N" manufacturing code on the web under the latch.

Love the internet! I had gotten the stock only (no tube) awhile ago on EBAY for $10 and threw it in the safe for the "one piece at a time" project (which I just finished). I suspected it was Colt, though, because of the quality of the material. You can tell it is not plastic, but some resin-polymer mix. I love this little carbine better all the time. Only thing that could be better is a Colt OEM rubber coated aluminum one!

So you didn't have to sell it after all? Sounds like good news!

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Originally Posted by Griff Murphey

About 30 round magazines during the Vietnam War... I had some for my AR-180 (AR-15's got real hard to find about then) in those days as a college boy '67-'71, and it puzzled me why the men fighting in Vietnam did not have them.

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Were these the steel 30 round mags they used to advertise in the back of Guns & Ammo and The American Rifleman? The ones that were supposed to fit either M16 or AR-18?

Attachment 16540Attachment 16541

Sterling manufacture for AR-18/0 or AR-15/M16 in 20, 30 and 40 round, the 30 round in the brown wrap is sterile - all were steel, some were parkerized and others were a blue-black

That looks like what I used to see advertised. Thirty rounds, blank floorplate. They would not fit in an AR-15 mag well, either.

The thirty round magazine with the brown envelope also has the AR-18 magazine slot on the other side, it was made to fit either the AR-18/0 or AR-15. Some AR-18/0 magazines will only fit these rifles and not the Colt AR-15. The early Colt magazines only fit these rifles and not the AR-18/0 rifles. The magazines can be modifiedAttachment 16646

The early waffle magazines only fit the AR-15/M16

I want one!!! Guess I will have to get a $40 repro from Nodak Spud.

I put one together my self using a XM177e2 barrel assy. from Highpoweredarmory,Paul fixed me up with a barrel assy welded and pinned with a nice fake repro moderater. Paul can be reached at 330-503-2298. His moderater does not have the blast or flash of the other repro's. His 11.5" chrome lined Wilson barrel in .625 Vietnam pencil barrel is real nice. 1/7" twist 5.56 Nato Cal. Around $300 for New barrel pinned and welded moderater and parkerize finnish complete. Very nice and the best workmanship.

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Originally Posted by jeep

Highpoweredarmory

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No other internet presence than Facebook? Dang. Can't see what all goodies they offer from this computer- access blocked!

Gents he does sell on Guns for Sale - Online Gun Auction - Buy Guns at GunBroker.com
, Go there and go Ar parts ,then xm177 parts. He has pictures there.

Compare your build to my 100% factory original Colt AR-15 Model 639. This is the commercial export version of an XM177-E2. It is shown with a .22lr conversion that Rick Kuehl built for me. Notice that correctly neither the 639 not the Kuehl conversion have bayonet lugs. And that damned auto sear can be seen too.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...SN150324-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...SN150323-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...SN150313-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...SN150310-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...SN150309-1.jpg

You have to hate the auto sear...specially when you're shooting .22 cal. You go through far too much ammo on full auto in .22.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

You have to hate the auto sear...specially when you're shooting .22 cal. You go through far too much ammo on full auto in .22.

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Damn straight!

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

You have to hate the auto sear...specially when you're shooting .22 cal. You go through far too much ammo on full auto in .22.

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Better .22rf than 5.56! It's just not worth doing anymore except for familiarizing new shooters to the proper techinques of controlling bursts.

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Originally Posted by jmoore

Better .22rf than 5.56! It's just not worth doing anymore except for familiarizing new shooters to the proper techinques of controlling bursts.

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It's also pure fun. Kids and new shooters love to fire F/A .22's!