Here’s my question for those that subscribe to the direct impingement fouling concept:
I fired 2400 rounds of M193 through a 14.5” M4-type upper receiver from Bravo Company Manufacturing (BCM) with no lubrication, and without any rifle-caused malfunctions. So; why can I get my direct impingement rifles to repeatedly do things that conventional wisdom says they can’t do?
This article is not a direct impingement vs. piston driven operating system debate and does not discuss piston guns at all. It is specifically dealing with a 14.5”AR-15 upper receiver with .062” gas port that’s as close to a Mil-Spec M4 upper as I could find on the civilian market.
All I have ever asked and required of myself (and others) as a professional is that everything I say or write must be capable of being substantiated. I am asking some questions and giving my opinions, observations, and conclusions based on my own experience and testing.
i’ll tell you one thing, the m4 is not a unreliable system. with the utterly amazing number of rounds we put through them in the military doing IAD’s, with little to no cleaning throughout the weeks of training other then mabye wiping the bolt down and running a bore snake through it. the m4 gas system is a refined system that might have had issues whe it was released originally in vietnam but today’s rifle systems are definately reliable and can be even in a high sand enviroment. i have personally put thousands of rounds through m4’s running through the desert doing drills and am constantly suprised by how dirty my work gun can be and still run like a sewing machine. but thats just my .02
But then who is the fellow who runs a training academy that has a standard BCM middy upper for clients? Never cleans it. What was the last round count? Changed a extractor spring and a bolt!
If I used those rifles or parts for my test, many would say “well those are custom coatings/guns and military guns don’t have that.” For that reason, BCM was kind enough to send me a stock 14.5”
It seems like a legit test.
None of this pap is new info. People have been running ARs for thousands of rounds without cleaning them for years.
The whole M4 unreliabilty issue is largely perpetuated by lying companies like LWRC who are trying to sell you overpriced solutions to a mythical problem.
There is a big difference between cleaning them and lubing them. In this case, any residual lube was stripped off, and it was neither cleaned nor lubed.
M4/M16 unreliability myths have been going on since Vietnam, as has the myth that AKs are not accurate. LWRC, POF, or whatever AR piston manufacturer you want to mention don’t deserve the blame entirely.
I believe what causes some confusion is the following paragraph
Recently, I received a milspec equivalent (barrel length/gas port size/gas system length) M4-type upper from Bravo Company USA (BCM) to test my theory that a heavier buffer and spring with enhanced extractor tension would give extraordinary reliability with no lubrication or maintenance whatsoever. I have shot over 2500 rounds with the FailZero kit with EXO Technology coating on four separate occasions with no lubricant, as well as a ceramic coated rifle (to include bolt and bolt carrier group) from Next Generation Arms that currently has 4000 rounds on it without cleaning or lubricant, and also no malfunctions. I have also routinely shot a Noveske N4 14.5”-barreled rifle over 2500 rds with only 6-8 drops of oil every 500-700rds fired without any issues. If I used those rifles or parts for my test, many would say “well those are custom coatings/guns and military guns don’t have that.” For that reason, BCM was kind enough to send me a stock 14.5” upper on which to do the test. Prior to the test I did the following:
Remove all visible oil and lubricant from the inside of the upper receiver.
Disassemble the bolt carrier group (BCG) and remove all lubricant inside and out
Put a Crane O-ring on the existing extractor spring
Use a lower receiver with a Sprinco standard Blue spring and an H-3 buffer (I used an H3 because it was close to the DPMS Extra-heavy buffer I use in most of my rifles.
However, as I understand it for this test he specifically used a standard BCM M16 BCG in a standard BCM 14.5" upper, and stripped all visible oil and lube from both prior to the test.
I want to play with buffer, action spring, and ammo variables in mid-length guns and SBRs to see what the magic combination might be. We all hear things like “Wolf runs weak and dirty” but I wonder if there isn’t a magic break point where the unlocking is delayed and less of that fouling escapes into the upper but there is still enough pressure to cycle the gun.
I think I just found a use for my BCM standard midlength I was going to sell to fund a lightweight!
According to Pat, it started having some reliability issues at about 26,460 rounds, at which time it was given a “quick clean” (its first!) which did not rectify the problem, so the BCG was replaced.
As of 3/21, Filthy 14 has 31,675 rounds through it and is in need of an extractor replacement on the “new” bolt (which now has about 5200 rounds on it).
This barrel has never been changed? No key-holing issues reported? Yet another misnomer I have been carrying around due to gun show acquired intel; the barrel life of an M4 is 15000 rounds before its “worthless.”
Wow, that is pretty harsh commentary. I don’t have a dog in your fight, but claiming a weapon runs cooler and cleaner doesn’t appear to be a lie if the claim is backed up with facts. Is there something else that I am missing from the “lying companies”? I surmise that includes Ronne Barrett and Barrett firearms, Smith and Wesson, LMT, HK, and now Ruger. We can leave Colt out of the equation until they ultimately offer one.
