Colt m16A2 upper build

So I got a good deal on this colt A2 upper. Surprised how good of shape it was in. My first time doing an AR from scratch. It was way easier than building a Garand or 1903!
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I just wanted to build a shooter - nothing special - just a govt. spec A2 like what I carried for a bit of nostalgia and for the kids to plink with. Been wanting to do this for a while, but A2 uppers have been very scarce lately.
So I bought a new FN 20" govt. profile barrel. I didn't want to hassle with drilling the taper pins for the front sight. I found one store that sold the assembly, with a cheap monstrom stripped flat top upper attached, for only $50 more than the price of a stripped barrel anywhere else. Figured I'd sell the stripped upper or use it later.

I was about to pat myself on the back and look forward to shooting this week, then I patched out the factory grease and took a peek in the bore.
Attachment 123153Attachment 123154
There is a spot where there is no chrome!, and it's right against the crown! Likely there was a drop of oil there when they did the plating? Further inspection showed normal tooling marks and in general the surface certainly looked brand new, except for some scattered imperfections - like pitting. Here is the worst spot, about 2" behind the gas port. There are maybe a dozen spots similar to this.
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I sent the company an email with pics and asked for an exchange.

Don't forget a completed photo. I need some inspiration to build an A2 as there is an A2 void in my collection.

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Originally Posted by HOOKED ON HISTORY

Don't forget a completed photo. I need some inspiration to build an A2 as there is an A2 void in my collection.

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It won't be terribly interesting as I'm just going for something fun to handle and shoot. I was thinking about doing a very plain lower, painted with Norrells "Very Flat Black" to match, might even do an 80% lower. I've seen some go all out and clone the colt markings with a salt water etch, but I don't think that is me.
Another thought was to put a very good barrel on it, swap out the sights, and make a competition rifle. Can't find any barrels for that though - not without a 12 week lead - not that I'm not patient. I'm not in a hurry, but just didn't want it to collect dust on the shelf while I make up my mind.

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Originally Posted by Steve762

FYI: The build video CD that Midway sells on the AR15 is well done.

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Not sure if those are the same as the YouTube videos with Mr. Potterfield. If so, I agree. Made it very easy.
The upper is all done, assembled, but I'll have to take it apart to exchange the barrel.

I'm toying with an A2 build here in the UK.

It will have to be straight pull here, but I also plan on a semi automatic .22 Win mag (A2 profile) barrel, bolt group and magazine, so I can swap out as needed.

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Originally Posted by mrclark303

It will have to be straight pull here

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That sounds interesting - and we have something in common but for different reasons. I'm a brass miser at the range and I hate to lose my good stuff when it bounces off the walls or in front of the firing line.
I've seen adjustable gas blocks for AR's. I suppose if I close up the gas port all the way I could keep it from ejecting. Right now I just drape an old t-shirt over the receiver. Makes practicing offhand undoable.

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Originally Posted by ssgross

if I close up the gas port all the way I could keep it from ejecting.

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Can't you still get brass catchers?
Caldwell AR Pic Rail Brass Catcher, Hunting Accessories - Amazon Canada

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

Can't you still get brass catchers?

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I've got them. The ones that clamp onto a flat top work pretty good. The strap on ones slip around, and brass eventually gets caught around the edges, or bounce back into the receiver.

Hats off to DSArms.com. I sent the pictures above of the bore, and within 24 hours they contacted me with a return authorization. Although I asked for an exchange, they kindly offered a full refund as they have no more left in stock.

Back to the drawing board. Right now it's a beautiful paperweight on the workbench.

After staring at my beautiful paperweight, I decided on a barrel. Fulton Armory finally received more stock of their match service rifle barrels, made by criterion. It was a bit pricey, but considering it had a non F marked front sight already aligned by laser and taper pins installed, and I didn't need to wait up to 12 weeks to get one from compass lake, I went for it. It's beautiful inside and out. I figured I'll just shoot it, enjoy the pretty good barrel, then maybe later upgrade to a free float rig, different barrel, whatever. The only part of the decision I'm disappointed about is not finishing the chamber myself. Fulton ships them already finished in 5.56, and I didn't think to ask if they could kindly leave it alone.

I was getting excited about the idea of doing an 80% lower for it, but decided I'm not set up for it yet, and I'm too busy with work to do something so involved. Instead, I searched for a lower without logos and other BS not engraved all over it. Just plane Jane. Seems Brownells' lower is the best answer. Nice and simple, only markings are those required by law. Put it all together tonight. All is well, but metal magazines are very tight - have to clamp the mags in the vice and pull up to get them out. Plastic magpuls are no issue. Will need to do some lapping maybe in the magwell maybe.

I bought a "Mil-spec A2 butt stock kit" from palmetto state armory. waited a week for it, and when I got it the stock was covered in stains, dings and scratches. The extension tube had the anodizing worn off on part of the threads. Ok...clearly someone used it, returned it, and they tried to pass it off to me as new. I tried to call today...machine said 2hr wait time. sent an email yesterday morning. no reply now 2 days later. This was the first, and will be the last, time I order anything from them. Should have just ponied up the extra 30 bucks and ordered from Fulton. They have always been quick, fair, and honest.

took forever to get ahold of Palmetto. Finally responded to my email. I replied I just wanted a return, and it took a couple weeks to get a response for that. But it's in the mail back now. I won't ever be ordering from there again. In addition to being clearly used, it looked like a kid colored it with a crayon. I bought the complete stock kit from Sarco for $45 cheaper, and just came in today. The buffer tube is the same cheaper quality as I expected, plastic spacer instead of metal, but the outside of the butt is very nice...same look and feel as my colts, and as a bonus the trap door has a metal latch! The only negative was they put it in the bag with the spring and buffer, so it has a few shipping wear marks. But, plugging numbers into my cost vs. quality metric...we did good.
A few more minutes till quitn' time...then I'll put it on and get some pics. Looks like I need to spend some time at the bench loading some more 5.56 so I can get this to the range next week, and call another project done! If it shoots good, then I'll pony up for new NM sights, and maybe a free-float kit.

EDIT: Pics.
Attachment 124880Attachment 124881Attachment 124882Attachment 124883

I may paint the lower so it's not 2-tone...but...meh. another time. it is what it is. a battle rifle brought back to life.

Looks pretty good. Sure took long enough...no fault of yours.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

Sure took long enough

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I know right...first barrel unsat...then the stock - which would have worked fine but I felt taken advantage of at palmetto's price point.
It got worse...
2 weeks of delay was on me. My kitchen flooded due to a stupid plastic hose in my dishwasher the night before I left on my trip (where I shot my newly made Krag with my brother-in-law in Ohio...see thread in that forum). The hose recirculates hot water to the jets, but didn't seem to be rated for hot water. When I shut the water off and went to diagnose...a section of the hose was basically crumbling into a powder. cheap made in ****. I ran out of time, so I hastily locked up my shop...tossing anything that could make anything left out go bang.

Well, insurance finally authorized cleanup while I was out of town. The water mitigation company dried us out. When I got home they were cleaning up, and the foreman proceeded to tell me about how he almost **** his pants...
He was running a hose in the basement (under the kitchen) from his big dehumidifier, to where our sump is. It's located where my shop is too. Wife let him in to the shop. He scanned the floor for the sump, stuck his hose in it, then went to stand up and found himself a couple inches away from sucking on the business end of my old Krag. I was messing with before I left, studying how it fed and making sure my new one was working fine! When I hastily locked up before I left for my trip, I tossed the fire control and rounds in the safe, but left the rifle sitting in the vise!

You may want to try coating both the upper and lower in CLP. For some reason, this will often cause both parts to adopt the same color. I have had this happen on several AR builds. The one that didn't work was an AR upper from the early 80's matched to a new receiver. The CLP didn't completely match it up but it did bring them to a closer match. Hope that helps!

Last week I finally got around to making a point to finish this. Put my laser on to verify I'd get on paper, was going to shoot this week...woah! took me 18 clicks left to get it to zero down the length of my shop! Tested my laser on another rifle that was zeroed at the range...nope laser is fine. Swapped on a colt factor barrel from my a4...laser shows true again with the rear at mechanical zero. I emailed Fulton - either the barrel/extension threads aren't true to the bore, index pin was drilled off, or the front sight post was mounted off. General Manager Rich Hall says send it back along with my upper and they will fit a replacement to it and make it right. Good people over there. We'll get this done sometime! Patience with milsurps has always been rewarded.

Looks great, spot on the same build I am planning when life stops getting in my way and stopping me!

mrclark, just curious about your selection of the 22 Win Mag cartridge for the AR-15 sub caliber semi auto ? I know the 22 Win Mag is quite expensive
here in the USA plus you do not have the selection available with bullet weights and loadings.

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Originally Posted by RCS

mrclark, just curious about your selection of the 22 Win Mag cartridge for the AR-15 sub caliber semi auto ? I know the 22 Win Mag is quite expensive
here in the USA plus you do not have the selection available with bullet weights and loadings.

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Basically, because it's the most potent round we are allowed as semi automatic in the UK.

We aren't allowed .17HMR, but are allowed .22 WMR as semi, go figure!

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Originally Posted by mrclark303

.22 WMR as semi

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Quite a potent cartridge, specially in a Ruger 10/22 WMR. Discontinued but still around. Too bad the ammo costs so much, great cartridge.

I do understand now and would do the same kind of conversion. Always interesting to build something new
and have done so - as I always liked the MAT 49, I built an example very close in size but chambered it for the
30M1 carbine cartridge using a muti lug bolt and short recoil. I made the bolt and barrel breech and sent them
to my friend in Colo who had these parts heat treated at a gunsmithing school. I did use a M1 carbine hammer
trigger and sear to save time. Did the test firing at the local Police range with ball cartridges and it worked. Over
time the barrel return parts started to take a beating. Recently, I started to rebuild my original example and it is
now working.

Some old photos from years ago. The breech and bolt are 4140 steel heat treated to 50 Rockwell C scale. I chambered a 1903 barrel in 30 M1 carbine cal and used an M16 extractor, m1 carbine trigger housing parts and made the rest. Have some trouble with soft lead nose bullets feeding, ball works really well

Very simple action, just a bolt and bolt carrier moving back and forth, barrel moves to the rear a short distance while the bolt is rotated out of the barrel collar. Ejection is not violent, empty cases are ejected almost two feet. Wish that I had not welded the muzzle brake to the BAR sight coverAttachment 126150Attachment 126151

This was an interesting mechanism to build and shoot and have since made some improvements. Important to stamp information as to who made this, serial number and caliber. It is about the same size as the French MAT 49

That's a facinating build, excellent work!

I have my upper back now. Hat's off to Rich Hall, General Manager at Fulton Armory. He called me as soon as he got it in the mail...said their laser showed it was "in spec", but would test fire it to confirm if there were any issues. He reported a few days later that firing showed 7 clicks off alignment. He installed/aligned a new barrel assembly onto my upper and sent it back to me. My laser shows this one is dead on.

Most might say 7 clicks off is within the military specification, but that would be wrong. For anyone interested, the testing and inspection standards are good reads.
MIL-R-63997B (rifle)
MIL-C-71186 (carbine)

For both, barrel straighness spec is within 3 MOA of theoretical bore line, in addition to dropping a cylindrical plug through the barrel (the drop test is with a cylinder .2173 +/- .0001 inches diameter, and 6 inches long).

For the rifle, 5 clicks windage are allowable for zeroing at 100yds. For the carbine, 12 clicks (although, MIL-DTL-71186 says 10 clicks for the carbine). This is in addition to the last 10 of 15 round function firing string needing to land within an acceptable group. PDFs of the above docs can be had for free at http://everyspec.com

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Originally Posted by ssgross

a cylinder .2173 +/- .0001 inches diameter, and 6 inches long

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I had to make a couple of those as well as straightening several barrels in my time... I gave the weapons techs in Camp Gagetown NB a lesson in their own shop while doing a Galil barrel that had been out of spec for a decade or more. If a barrel isn't straight, it ain't straight. The one that has to be adjusted grossly at 100m will shoot to one side at 25 and the other side at 200. That's how you know it's out of whack. Crooked ain't straight. They have guys at Fulton to do a straightening job and then blow it out at a sale price. Unless it's bored off kilter, then it's hooped...

Off to the range now and let's see...?

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

They have guys at Fulton to do a straightening job and then blow it out at a sale price.

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Haven't seen those ever at Fulton. Full price was full price, and then some as it already had a front sight post pinned.
I certainly did my due diligence to make sure it wasn't me or my receiver before sending it back. Here is how I troubleshot...

1) I happened to have a colt factory a4 barrel assembly handy on another rifle. Put that one on this here a2 upper, and alignment was spot on. hmm.

2) next likely cause would be the front sight base installed off to the side. To check this, install the barrel, and tie a knot in a fishing line. Pass it through the peep, then tie a weight (a few washers) to the other end, stretch it over the post and down across the crown. Looked pretty dead on...and I'm confident the tolerance on this method is within 0.002 or likely a lot less after I used it align several new krag front sight bases - which all zeroed at dead on mechanical. A little math shows 1 MOA is ~0.00573 of the front sight post on the m16a2. The problem wasn't the front sight post alignment.

3) so...bent barrel? I'd like to think not. I suppose the bore could be off kilter too, but from the quality of the garand, springfield, and krag barrels I've fitted from criterion this shouldn't be the case. Don't have a cylinder for the drop test, and no lathe to for the bore axis test (Jim you are always great at reminding me I want a lathe ;)). My guess is that "Criterion by Fulton Armory" as these are marketed means a blank from criterion that FA finishes the contour on, installs the barrel sleeve and index pin etc. So, my thought was that the threads were cut off, or the shoulder on the sleeve was not square. Likely the latter was the cause, given the well known high quality of their work in general.

yes, off to the range. as soon as I can grab some shop time to load some ammo.

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Originally Posted by ssgross

the well known high quality of their work

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I wasn't trying to suggest shabby workmanship.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I wasn't trying to suggest shabby workmanship.

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I know. I think I was suggesting that I doubt they would fix and recirculate a bent barrel...would instead be easier to just send it back to criterion. It doesn't matter now, whatever their practice, they did the right thing by me.