I was just wandering if receiver jiggle bothers anybody else. I know it doesn’t cause any function problems but I just can’t seem to shake the feeling.
If I had the ability to try out different uppers to see if they mated well I would but there is a lack of stores around me that carry stripped upper receivers.
Let me know your thoughts…
Longrange
Then choose another platform. Just how AR’s are, and I personally can’t stand pins that are so tight you need a punch to get them loose.
It used to bug me, when I first got into ARs. But I told myself to stop worrying about it, and stopping deliberately twisting the rifle to feel for it. Now I don’t even notice it.
Its one of those things that if you let it bug you, it will drive you crazy on what is a perfectly fine rifle.
You just gotta let it go. The rifle is exactly the way it was designed to be…
It is part of the inherit design of the platform to have a little play b/t receivers…if you run a vfg up front, this tends to accentuate the play due to the extra torque you are putting on it.
Mil spec is absolutely not a science and unlike most people think, its impossible from one batch of ARs to the next to have them machined and finished to the exact same standard everytime…same as the ano on the recievers, sometimes its perfectly flat black, than sometimes its a shade of purple…sometimes your receivers fit tight, sometimes they fit loose…
If it drives you that mad, try a accu wedge…contrary to what many people think, they will work:)
If it bothers you just give your gun a wedgie.
I highly advise against it.While it will take the slop out, they can become dislodged and cause problems. I am not saying that it is guaranteed to do so, it does happen. Why risk a potential problem to fix a minor annoyance that has no effect on performance.
Accuwedge and lower reciever tension screws are the oppsite of what you need… Think about it. The slop is because the upper and lower at the rear take down pin typically have play at the pin - creating space between the mating suraces that allows the movement - so the proper fix is at the pin with something that pulls the upper down onto the lower, not pushes it away. This can be accomplished by drilling and tapping the rear lug at a 45 degree angle to the lower recievers top side and insalling a small set screw with threadlock agent. (once the propper depth has been set to put downward tension on the upper & takedown pin) The setscrew tip or nose should be rounded to allow the takedown pin to wedge inbetween the screw and the lower without catching on the setscrew. I will post some pics for clarification later this evening. All of my AR15s have this mod to keep things tight and keep myself sane. 
Wow, that is a lot of work for something that really is inconsequential. But hey, if it makes you happy rock on. I do things that seem silly to others just to make me happy.
don’t worry about it.
its normal i wouldnt worry about it seems like every ar i ever had my hands on did the same thing. Even my m16 did.
A few days ago I was examining an M4 belonging to one of the team guys that we work with. He had an “accucrap” in his lower. It was almost split in half. When I showed him he said, “damn that could have come apart in my lower and caused problems”. He promptly threw it away.
They don’t serve a purpose other than to make people believe that they are solving a problem that doesn’t exist.
Trying to mate a stripped upper won’t tell you anything unless you put a BCG in it.
The back of the BCG tensions against the buffer and makes the two halves tighten up.
Too often people will come on the boards complaining about receiver fit and they don’t even have the buffer system installed. Then you get 20 bad replies.
Exactly, It’s business 101. Create a problem then sell the solution. That “twang buster” thing comes to mind as well…
Maybe the actual brand name ones or the orange ones…but you cannot split the black rubber ones…you cannot even cut through it unless you have industrial type scissors.
A little wiggle is a good thing. Unfortunately I learned this the hard way when I bought my first rifle which used a VLTOR MUR upper receiver.
The fit was extremely tight on both my LMT and Noveske Lowers. It as a huge PITA removing the upper from the lowers with how tight the fit is between them. I have to use a punch when I want to disassemble this rifle.
With looser fitting uppers and lowers it is never a problem taking the rifle apart without any tools.
I am NOT an expert by any stretch but I don’t see a benefit in a tight fitting upper and lower receiver when it comes to the AR15 platform.
if the Ar needed a Accu-wedge: ,Stoner would have put one there:p
I would Not worry to much about it.
What Upper and what Lower Are you Using ?
Stick a loaded mag in the rifle and see how much wobble you have.Even a empty mag tightens up the wobble in my AR’s.
If you want to try something to remove a bit of wobble,get a set of the Armalite NM oversized pivot and take down pins and see what that does for you.
Beyond that I’d avoid the accuwedges and the like products.I cut them down and used them for years on my NM and varmint guns without seeing one fail or come apart.But I have seen the wedges flip up out of their seat when the upper was opened and end up in the FCG if your not paying attention.On a target gun its a pain in the ars…has no place at all on a defensive weapon of any sort.
A $10 part from ArmaLite will solve the problem and not cause any new ones that I am aware of:
http://www.armalite.com/ItemForm.aspx?item=ENM001&Category=5e96660f-cc85-4db9-ab9d-8a3c238a7007
If it really, really bothers you you can glass bed between the upper and lower. Then you can’t use either the upper or the lower with anything else, but at least you’ll have a tight rifle.
Huh? I fail to see what is non-scientific about an established set of specifications to include minimum and maximum values, acceptable tolerances, etc.
Engineering definitely falls under what I consider “science.”
The standards consist of tolerances and rejection thresholds. The “standard” is not that every part will be 100% identical every time, down to the hair.
A small sampling of Accu-Wedge threads:
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=32599
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?p=558222
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?p=146891
The “many people” who speak poorly of them here tend to be pretty respected/established members.
Your gun though.