Ok I am new to the AR world, and I have a few questions. I recently purchased a Stag Arms Model 2, and have several questions. I recognize through a lot of post that Stag is not a Colt, BCM or LMT. I am in law enforcement however my department does not purchase patrol riffles, however I am trying to change this. The primary reason I own the AR is because I want one. It is my range gun and “fun gun”. The secondary reason is defense first at home and possibly on the street. The primary reason I bought a Stag was the price (I have a friend who is a dealer and I paid a little over $700 before tax and title).
I would like to get into some tactical competitions, and possibly use this as a duty weapon once approved. While I’m not going into battle with this weapon every day, on duty, I may. The tacticool features are not the important feature for me, solid bullet proof performance is.
Here are my question:
What upgrades can/should I make to make this weapon a more reliable solid performer. Please remember just buy a BCM (or favorite maker of choice) is not an option, any upgrades will be done on my budget and my timeframe.
What Parts on the Model 2 are mil-spec?
Any education will be greatly appreciated.
Tk390
Ill make the post most people are or will be thinking.
Sell it and get your $700 out of it(or possibly more) and add $250 to that $700 and get a Colt 6920. Then you have to change nothing short of adding a sling and some type of an optic.
To bring the Stag up to spec would IMO probably require more than the $250 price difference and you still wouldnt have as good of a gun.
I second this^^^^^ I would not waste the money upgrading the BCG and barrel and still have a rifle of less reputation for quality and dependability. I would sell it and just buy a Colt or BCM especially if you ever plan to trust your life with it at ANY point in the future. Hell, I just got a Colt barrel and upper from a member here for a build and plan to get a BCM BCG, BCM blem lower, Gunfighter CH from Grant to finish it off. My total out of pocket for this build will be a little over $600 and I will have a damn fine fighting rifle to show for it.
Buy your self alot of ammo and practice with your stag.maybe put a nice optic on it? I don’t care for the regular grip that stock ar’s come with so I would change that. Maybe ad a quad rail later depending on what accessories you want or need.
If you don’t want to sell it for a higher quality gun then I’d consider at the very least:
Sell the BCG and replace it with a BCM BCG. This will end up costing you maybe $30-$40 after selling yours. If your BCG is already marked HPT/MPI then I probably wouldn’t even bother. CMT (who makes Stag) makes a lot of parts for all manufacturers. They are capable of putting out quality parts, when they WANT to.
If you don’t replace the BCG then make sure the gas keys are properly staked.
Make sure the castle nut is properly staked.
Use an H or H2 buffer.
Use some quality lube like Froglube or Slip2000 and run that bitch wet, always.
Replace your receiver extension (buffer tube) with a mil-spec one if it’s not already. Be aware that you’d likely have to buy a new stock that fits mil-spec tubes.
Replace your charging handle with the BCM Gunfighter
Just sell the parts you don’t want on TOS and use that money towards the replacement. You won’t end up spending much – I promise!
ok I read “Oh No! I bought a BM/RRA/Stag before I knew better!” and it seems to my uneducated eyes that #1,2, and 5 can be resolved by purchasing a quality BCG (BCM for example @$130) and a H Buffer is @$30 and properly staking the end plate is probably a nominal cost. Please help me understand how $870 (original cost $710 + BCG and H buffer $160$) is not equal to a Colt at $950. What is in the Colt that makes it better other than the name? Im not trying to be argumentative I just want to know,without brand bias, what upgrades should I look at.
better barrel to start with. The Stag is a 1/9 twist and is 4140 steel that may or may not be MPI/HP tested. The Colt is a 1/7 twist and is 4150 steel as well as being MPI and HP tested. A new barrel will run you 250-300+ for a good quality 4150 1/7 twist that is fully tested.
The colt internals(trigger, springs, hammer, disconnector, etc…) are of WAY better quality than Stag internals. So if you also wanted to swap internals and use say a parts kit from G&R or Daniel Defense you are looking at another $75-100.
I dont think there is anything wrong with the Stag lower and upper receiver, but pretty much everything else is lower quality.
HK
Thank you for this valuable input. How do I know if my buffer tube is milspec? I had already looked at the BCM BCG, the BCM gunfighter an ambi-safety and a WC over sized bolt release. is there anything else I should consider?
A Stag Arms rifle should have the castle nut staked from the factory. If you have the “plus” package you should have the other things people want you to sell your rifle to get. http://www.stagarms.com/information.php?info_id=13 Hell if I could get a Stag with the “plus” package ,should be standard, for $800 It would be my first choice.
Even a Stag “plus” package is not on the same level as a BCM, Colt, or DD.
Sure, they might be giving the more desirable specs but the fact is that the LPK is still very likely to be of lower quality, the barrel will still be lower quality (albeit 1/7 twist), and obviously their QC isn’t going to touch any of the top players. I’d take a Spikes or PSA over a Stag “plus” any day of the week.
The image above explains how you can tell the difference.
A mil-spec receiver extension is typically going to be stronger than a commercial spec, also. You can probably buy cheap ones on Ebay that claim to be mil-spec but you should avoid those and only go with a known brand.
That is totally your opinion. Why is the LPK lesser? You couldn’t tell the difference in the barrels to save your life. Sometimes the hate for all things not BCM, Colt or DD is ridiculous. I want you to tell me what EXACTLY is wrong with the Stag “plus” except for the fact that it isn’t standard. Don’t forget the “plus” rifle is $250.00 less than a colt 69whatever plenty of loot to upgrade the perfectly fine LPK that it comes with. Also the Stag comes with a MI flip up rear sight.
Buy a bolt upgrade kit from BCM.
Keep a spare quality bolt on hand.
H buffer at the very least, maybe more since Stags are notoriously over gassed.
Have the chamber check to see if it is a true 5.56 NATO chamber.
Check the carrier key and lower receiver end plate for proper staking.
Run it hard with a case or more of ammo.
Preferably in a carbine class.
This will bring out most problems so you can address them.
The same CMT that makes parts for Colt and Noveske?
There’s nothing wrong with that carbine. I’m a Colt fanboy but I would NOT consider that Stag a 2nd tier gun to a Colt 6920. The quality is there, it’s just spec’d for 55 grain ammo.
The 1/9 twist barrel will probably be better for 55 grain ammo, so stick with that. You may want an H or H2 buffer if you shoot 5.56.
Here’s the specs from Stag:
Stag Arms standard carbines (Model 1, 2, 2T, 3, 8 and their left-handed equivalents) feature:
Carpenter 158 shot peened Bolt with black extractor spring
Shrouded full circle AR15 bolt carrier with side staked carrier key
5.56 NATO chambered barrel with chrome lining, 1/9 twist, double lead lapped, and parkerized under the front sight base
M4 feed ramps
F marked front sight base with taper pins
Double heatshield handguards
Mil-Spec size 7000 series aluminum receiver extension with staked receiver nut (also known as castle nut)
Throw in a better BCG with a HPT/MPI bolt and H buffer, make sure the castle nut is staked good and that’s it. The 4140 barrel and 1/9 twist may not be the best but you’ll probably never ever shoot it to the limit where you would ever know the difference.
