steel gas tube

[RCS]

I came across some parts (original) that were set aside for projects, I noticed the gas tube is steel as a magnet will grab it, tested the magnet on about a dozen old gas tubes but only this one will grab the magnet.

How long did these last in the system ? I would guess 1963 or 1964 ?

[browningautorifle]

Wouldn't have been long as they were the ones that rusted shut in use. Imagine that...yes, about a year.

[Frederick303]

I seem to recall when working on figuring out changes, there is a instruction to replace these tubes when the rifles come in for inspection or rework, but I forget the echelon maintenance level where that update was to occur.

In that same instruction was the order to change out the old buffer, with the heavier one, to replace the firing pin if it was the old pattern and replace the rear butt screw with one that had a drain hole. I seem to recall the heavy firing pin was expected to be found in M16 only, not M16E1 or M16A1 rifles.

[RCS]

The Edgewater buffer was being replaced during 1967-68 but I believe the steel gas tube was changed out much sooner ?