I realize this is M4Carbine.net, but I prefer the info and people here to “other name brand AR forums”. I tried searching, but my query terms were too short. So…
The subject line indicates my question. The intended use is fun, sporting, plinking, pissing off gun control folk, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want reliability. Something like a Colt 6920 in A4 form, say.
Buying complete or building a frankenrifle is okay. Assume to start with that money isn’t an obsticle. I reload and eventually some attention will be paid to group sizes. I’ll probably go to heaviest bullet possible in magazine length, so a 1:7" twist is desirable. Recommendations welcome, please.
Based on availability, I would purchase a complete LMT lower with the standard rifle butt stock or the standard carbine butt stock. If I ended up with the carbine stock, I would change it out for a USGI contract rifle butt stock assembly with buffer and sell off the complete carbine buttstock…
That would be the bottom half…
I would look around and find a “new” FNMI USGI rifle barrel and mount it up to one of G&R’s USGI contract FNMI style uppers with the T marks and the A4 feed ramps, and add a USGI contract FNMI style complete M16 bolt carrier group with charging handle…
I would then troll the boards for an as new take off carry handle from a COLT LE6920 and a lightly used KAC M5 RAS…
I would also keep my eye out for the correct USMC type TA01 in the TA51 mount, and a green web compression buckle GI style sling…
Hey, quickly do a check on Ebay. I was searching for Aimpoints and IIRC, someone was selling a KAC M5 set. Very new condition and the auction was VERY low. It may have been gunbroker- check there too.
Almost any quality flat top rifle with a 20 in bbl with the KAC M5 rail system will do the trick at reasonably recreating the M16A4.
With the amount of accessories available now I can't see any reason for the A2 upper on a new rifle that is intended for serious use, now for nostalgia I am all for the M16, M16A1 and A2 clones.
As with all government contract specs, there are now things out commercially that surpass the issued items, so there are better rail systems, BUIS and optics available to you than were made at the time the M16A4 was conceived.
As was noted, M5 RAS’s can be had for a good price.
As for the upper, if you’re really set on an A4 clone, and you’re looking for something “like the 6920 of A4’s”, why not get an A4 upper? Not bad guys in my experience, but can be a little pricey:
I got a $400 “like new” M16A2 upper from CDNN back when they still had them; when I got it it still had cosmoline on it. I made an absolutely great A2 clone out of it, I wish I’d gotten more of them.
Bio, welcome to the forum bro. I don’t know what your time frame for your “A4” purchase is but figured I would throw this out as something to ponder. While not an “immediate” possibility a TDP has been submitted to Colt for a Special Production run of more or less an AR15A4 factory rifle. Due to their government obligations special orders have been put on the back burner for an unknown period of time. Have been told it is not a matter of “if” the special order will be filfilled, just a matter of “when.”
I know this doesn’t help you in the short term but just wanted to provide another option should you not be in a rush with this project. That said, good luck with the rifle and again welcome to the forum. I myself would love to have an “A4” like my last issued rifle when I was in the Corps. Of course, the icing on the cake would be if FN was released to produce such a rifle for the civilian market, but that is a separate topic in and of itself.
You have a point in terms of accessories, but its the rifle he is asking about. I had to pimp it out for the picture. And I can not afford high dollar glass yet so the aimpoint serves a purpose for now.
While THE issued glass is the Trijicon TA31RCO-A4, I happen to know as fact that there were several Aimpoint equipped A4s in 3/5 during the 2004 deployment to Fallujah. While not the norm it did occur.
As a side note, was going through my Iraq pics and found this. Was one of the first batches to hit the Blue Diamond (1st Marine Division) when there was only one A4 per squad.
Typical initial issue in Feb./Mar. 2003; FN M16A4, Trijicon ACOG TA31RCO-A4, KAC M5 RAS kit, no BUIS, PEQ2, VLI (light) if there were any working, standard USGI sling.
I’d give anything for the contract to be amended so FN could market a semi-auto version of this rifle! Would be a better investment (bigger market) than the F2000(#?) and the PS90! Would fill a great void in the market. Colt is only interested in carbines so wouldn’t cost them any of the market share…
No, Colt only has control over the M4 and therefore that’s where they focus their attention. They can’t compete with FN’s rifles as they don’t hold any special patents on it.
ETA: I just noticed the first part. So at that time only one per squad were issued A4s? And it WAS with the ACOG? That’s for a greater “range” and the ACOG is what helps that range (proabably.) The aimpoint is just a good optic for all around use but not the best choice for the guy with the longer barrel.
I know where you can find a good A4 clone thread and usually ACOGs are what ends up on those rifles. Definitely not Aimpoints. Anyway, that’s a stupid thing for me to argue about. And, that clone thread is a stupid place to cite as evidence for more than one reason…
On a side note: I’d bet all of my rifles the RCO-A4 was not issue in '03. I don’t think it was issued then. It didn’t even exist until '05 or '06.
