Colt m16A2 upper build

[ssgross]

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.


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.

[browningautorifle]

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

[ssgross]

Sure took long enough

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!

[Singer B]

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!

[ssgross]

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.

[mrclark303]

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

[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.

[mrclark303]

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.

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!

[browningautorifle]

.22 WMR as semi

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

[RCS]

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.