I want to switch out my (NYS-compliant pinned) collapsible stock out for a Sully. I want to make sure that I understand the change-out process and was hoping you guys could help me out…
First I remove buffer and spring (obviously)
Then I unscrew the castle nut with an armorer’s wrench. This is a Colt - do I have to worry about the staked nut, or will the wrench help me “power through it”?
Remove the received extension and the end plate to the receiver.
Now, regarding the reassembly process…do I use (and stake, using either a spring-loaded center punch or regular center punch and hammer) the castle nut (to the burnsed loop I plan to put in place of the receiver end plate), or does the entry-type buffer tube not require it? I’ll probably use the buffer spring that comes with the Sully, but re-use my H buffer instead of the carbine buffer that comes with the Sully
I’m guessing the Colt warrantee won’t be too tolerant of these changes
Don’t have any experience with Sullys, but I can tell you two things that might help:
you can usually just power through removing a staked castle nut with your wrench. Your wrench, if it’s lower end, MAY break during this procedure. If it does, I highly recommend the HammerHead Tool.
Colt will still honor it’s warranty on your original Colt components. If you have barrel or bolt problems in the future, since the Sully stock doesn’t affect those, Colt will still take care of you.
A good pal on here under the name of newyork has several of them and incorporates them into some awesome builds…hopefully he will weigh in but you could just shoot him a pm and if he wants to cry about it, than i will send Larry the Armbender his way:D
I like the A1 length stock myself (which I think is what the sully is) if you are doing this just for length of pull,why not just unpin the colt adjust to where you want and re-pin? My most recent build I used a A1 length VLTOR clubfoot and like it alot
The length of the pinned stock isn’t the issue. Right now it’s at a 10 inch length, which is fine by me, although I feel that an inch shorter might help with my astigmatism regarding irons and the aimpoint I plan to get further down the road. Depending on how I’m shooting (bench, offhand, prone) my cheek weld is right at the point where the stock ends and the bare buffer tube begins, which is pretty annoying. Plus, I’m sure it’s just in my head, but a fixed stock has to provide a more consistent POA than a pinned collapsible (although I’m nowhere good enough to really notice this).
An A1 might be an option. I guess that would mean a rifle length buffer tube, buffer, and buffer spring? How well does this work in when the rest of the gun is a carbine?
Sully sells an extension for the sully stock that adds a little more length. May be worthwhile for your purposes, and would save you the expense of another buffer and spring.
The buffer/spring cost is a wash since I would need the entry-type receiver extension that comes with the Sully anyway. I guess the main thing is, which will be more reliable in the long run? A carbine with the entry-size stock and an H buffer, or a carbine with an A1 size stock, rifle buffer and extension? And where can A1 stocks be found?
The Sully is absolutely shorter than an A1 - it comes with a carbine length tube, spring and buffer. You can add an extension, (which I did), which still makes it shorter than an A1.
Not that I’m having ANY type of problems with my carbine, but am I correct in assuming that the action might operate at least an infinitesimal bit smoother with a rifle length receiver extension & rifle buffer as opposed to a carbine/entry length receiver extension with an H buffer?
running a rifle length buffer/spring/tube definitely smooths thngs out a little and does add a hair more reliability to the system. FWIW side by side comparison in reliability tests does favor the full length rifle-this is probably a combo of less fouling/complete propellant burn,softer recoils impulse,better optimized gas flow,but the stock and buffer do have an influence too.