I wanted to post this in light of some things that I have seen over the last 8 months or so that I have been traveling around and teaching my 2 day AR15 armorer course. What finally prompted it was a carbine that was brought to the class I just finished in Santa Clara, CA at Reeds Indoor Guns.
One of the students brought a mix of parts and some complete carbines. All of them were California compliant. In particular one of them was a S&W. The person wanted to FSB and barrel nut removed in order to install a low pro gas block and rail system. Once the FSB came off and we started to remove the barrel nut, one thing became immediately obvious. Once we placed the barrel nut wrench and breaker bar on the nut and started to apply downward pressure, the barrel nut came right off.
There is no possible way that it was torqued correctly. This could in fact have an impact on the accuracy of the weapon.
It is extremely important that prior to purchasing and walking away with an AR you inspect it as closely as possible. In no particular order are some things you need to check.
FSB- Is it F-marked (where appropriate) and is it tight?
Carrier- Check the carrier closely. Look at the stakings and the screws. If possible disassemble it and check the components. (I have seen plenty of so-called staked carriers that were not torqued and staked correctly and we broke them loose with ease).
Gas tube- Check to see if the gas tube is straight. If possible disassemble the bolt carrier group and insert the carrier into upper (stripped) and see if there is binding.
Lower- Visually examine the FCG and see if it the parts appear to be assembled correctly. You can do a basic function test of the FCG while it is in this state.
Lower receiver extension- Check the lower receiver extension and look to see if it is staked. Grab the stock and attempt to rotate the tube. If it moves, you know there there is an issue.
Over the last approx. 7 months since the Great Gunpocalypse of 2013 started, it’s not hard to imagine that there are plenty of AR’s being cranked out and not all of them correctly.
It’s a good idea to thoroughly check the weapon BEFORE you pay and take delivery.
I’m glad I went with my father to check out a few rifles he was considering during the craziness. I followed through with alot of the same checks. Needless to say there is a reason he ended up with the carbine he did, and saved him from the other two abortions.
Thinking about the rifles I own what would be an indication(s) that the barrel nut is not torqued properly? Do you recommend we have them checked? Thanks.
Great post. I couldn’t agree more. The problem is most people purchasing their first AR would have no idea to look for any of those things. I know, I was one of those people many moons ago. I didn’t even own a computer. Internet, what’s that? I would have figured with the wealth of knowledge available today with the click of a mouse, uninformed consumers would be a thing of the past. Sadly that’s not the case. People will compare a dozen versions of the same flat screen TV, but guns are all the same.
I can’t say you’re preaching to the choir because you’re dead on about the recent posting onslaught. If people are taking your class you would think they are ahead of the curve. That also makes the fact they’re showing up with shitty AR’s puzzling. You must be a patient man in the real world Gunz. Or, you end your day quivering in the shower muttering DPMS, Bushmaster, Spikes…
since the influx and flooding of countless AR makers this year to fill the shortage/panic, there are many things to consider before putting $$ towards a good rifle.
As I say nowadays, “Not all rifles are created Equal.”
This needs to be stickyed, with some good pics of each thing discussed.
In my opinion, the most important thing to look for in the lower is that the hammer spring is on top of the trigger pin. This is a very common mistake in lower assembly, I remember on TOS for a long time it wasn’t even covered in their troubleshooting guide, and the question would get asked once a month.
Another vote for making this a sticky thread, I have a few friends that were looking into getting an AR without knowing anything about the platform. These simple guidelines would be huge for someone who can disassemble an AR but isn’t sure what to check for before buying.
My Noveske/Magpul MPL MOE Carbine arrived with no gas tube roll pin and the barrel nut torqued just past finger tight.
Problem children like these can sneak through anyone’s processes because of the human factor, so the advice to do a quick check of all the parts is definitely warranted.
I guess this is one of the reasons I decided to build my own carbine. I bought top quality parts from trustworthy vendors, then triple checked or better while assembling that everything was done correctly. I’m sure I paid more for my weapon than if it had come out of a store, not even including tools and time.
)