built a M16A1 clone this winter

[micmacman]

furniture , handguard doughnut , 3 prong FH are all original , has Colt C marked BCG , went with a 1/7 twist pencil barrel instead of 1/12 , wanted a better range of ammo that it would like , colt gold buffer , charging handle is a repro triangular type correct for an A1 , has milspec trigger but i installed a JP spring kit , H&R lower and LUTH-AR A1 slick side upper , RRA sight parts

i painted the receivers because both were gray but were a huge difference in tone , and then they looked way too fresh for the USGI A1 furniture , so took a leap of faith and started going at it to make it look like a 60 year old war horse would/should look like

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Sapper740]

Very well done, my only comment would be that, if memory serves me correct, there were no full fence lower slick-sides made. The full fence lower was found on the model 603 which were the first of the M16A1's which were issued with forward assists and birdcage flash hiders.

[micmacman]

Very well done, my only comment would be that, if memory serves me correct, there were no full fence lower slick-sides made. The full fence lower was found on the model 603 which were the first of the M16A1's which were issued with forward assists and birdcage flash hiders.

thank you , i dont doubt that about the lower, it took me 2 years to find the receivers i have , the clone stuff flys off the shelf , for two years that upper sat on a US Gov M4 lower ,, so when H&R released the M16A1 lower it was like the clouds parted for me and i was finally going to be able to get it done

i tell you what , i have a couple really nice Gucci AR's , have a Bushy DCM and a colt Match HBAR and this A1 is my favorite as far as style , i havnt even had a chance to even battle zero it yet , just ran 5 or 6 rounds test for function , man i love rifle length gas, im going to wait and do all at the same time , im Free Floating the Colt HBAR and im going to upgrade the sights on the DCM and the HBAR to NM hooded sights , the plan is to set both rifles up with the same gear , weights and all and pit the two against each other to see which is better , i cut some trees down last summer and leveled off a area to build a shoot shack , i can shoot from one mountain to the other and i still need to laser it but guessing it will be a 400 yard range

ran into a hiccup removing the barrel nut from the HBAR , it literally snapped 2 pins off my armorers wrench and when they let go it boogered up the nut , no big deal the FF tube has its own barrel nut , its a Rock River Arms NM A2 FF system , so im going to cut the D-ring off and touch a little heat to it and pipe wrench it off , dont ever buy a wheeler armorer wrench , i have a Real Avid on the way

they also released a H&R COTS M16A2 lower i finished this winter as well , have to get some pics of it , gun room is in disarray right now with other projects , and its snowing out , i will post some pics of it this weekend

[browningautorifle]

snapped 2 pins off my armorers wrench

Too bad, I've had about three steel old style wrenches here that I've been using forever. They've never let me down...

[micmacman]

Too bad, I've had about three steel old style wrenches here that I've been using forever. They've never let me down...

yea , that sorta ruined my day so i set it aside so i can start fresh after the angst goes away,lol , i couldnt believe it when it happened

[MAC702]

ran into a hiccup removing the barrel nut from the HBAR, it literally snapped 2 pins off my armorers wrench and when they let go it boogered up the nut , no big deal the FF tube has its own barrel nut , its a Rock River Arms NM A2 FF system, so I'm going to cut the D-ring off and touch a little heat to it and pipe wrench it off, don't ever buy a wheeler armorer wrench

Wheeler has a "Basic" with three pins, and a "Professional" with pins around the full half-circumference. Which was it? I use a 2-pin wrench for faster spinning the part on or off, but I use a full engagement of half-circumference wrench for full torque to install or remove.

[micmacman]

Wheeler has a "Basic" with three pins, and a "Professional" with pins around the full half-circumference. Which was it? I use a 2-pin wrench for faster spinning the part on or off, but I use a full engagement of half-circumference wrench for full torque to install or remove.

the one i had it had the 3 pin on one side and the multiple on the other , which for what ever reason did not mesh upas well as the 3 pin so i was using the 3 pin , the Real Avid i have due tomorrow doesnt rely on pins

[ssgross]

Wheeler has a "Basic" with three pins, and a "Professional" with pins around the full half-circumference.

if I recall, the wheeler one you have to remove the front post to get at the nut. There is a very high quality and $cheap$ one I found on eBay that a guy makes himself which is a crescent, just wide enough to slip around heavy barrel. If you grind the ends a bit more open, it slips over a free float tube to get at its nut as well. Searched for it just now and don't think he's making them anymore. I think my wheeler wrench is kicked under a toolbox...somewhere.

[browningautorifle]

Looks pretty good. I'd like to wring it out a bit...

[eb in oregon]

It's been a long time, but when I went thru Basic Training in 1970 I was issued an XM16E1 made by General Motors Hydramatic. I seem to recall it had a lower receiver with the fence around the magazine release. It had a forward assist but no case deflector, that's for sure. And yes, it was an XM16E1 according to the receiver stampings. I've never forgotten that as my battle buddy's was as M16A1