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Opinions on SGW milled recievers full auto


Dean

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All the old Palmetto/SGW/Oly milled barstock receivers I have seen have all been pretty crude looking and the aluminum is reported to be pretty soft.  

If memory serves correctly Oly would replace any of these old milled barstock receivers if you sent them in under warranty.

The later generation SGW/Oly receivers were forged and are much better.  I own two of the forged SGW/Oly receivers that were converted to M16s and have had one of them for close to 20 years.

That said, I personally wouldn't buy one of the milled barstock ones.   What the selling price?

 

 

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I have a SGW M16 receiver. Mine is forged. Some of them are slightly out of spec and uppers fit tight or not at all. That’s not really as bad as it sounds. Careful sanding fixed mine for the most part. I ended up having a smith make it perfect. I spent a little over $200 to fix it and that included some type of oven cured finish. I would imagine a lot of them have already been fixed. The only other downside is the mag well is a  little tight. GI mags are fine. Pmags fit but don’t reliably drop free.

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3 hours ago, jbntex said:

All the old Palmetto/SGW/Oly milled barstock receivers I have seen have all been pretty crude looking and the aluminum is reported to be pretty soft.  

If memory serves correctly Oly would replace any of these old milled barstock receivers if you sent them in under warranty.

The later generation SGW/Oly receivers were forged and are much better.  I own two of the forged SGW/Oly receivers that were converted to M16s and have had one of them for close to 20 years.

That said, I personally wouldn't buy one of the milled barstock ones.   What the selling price?

 

 

$19k

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$19K for one of the typical forged ones seems to be about the going rate, especially if its was converted by a reputable company like PAWS and/or had been blueprinted and re-annodized.   

However, I wouldn't pay $19K for a milled barstock Oly that looked like this receiver below.  Most of the milled Olys I have seen are similar to this one with an odd profile, cutting/tooling marks all over it, no full fence on the other side, etc.   

An M16 built on one of these milled barstock lowers would need to be more like $15K tops for me  to even consider it.9PKXjw4.jpg

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1 hour ago, jbntex said:

$19K for one of the typical forged ones seems to be about the going rate, especially if its was converted by a reputable company like PAWS and/or had been blueprinted and re-annodized.  

 

I just sold this Ciener converted SGW and had 2 offers for $19K the day I posted it for sale.

http://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/19410-sgw-ciener-conversion-m16-commando-20k/#comment-61805

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23 minutes ago, far_right said:

Do Ceiners m16 conversions have a good reputation?

I did as much research as I could when I bought it and I couldn't find any complaints about Ciener converted guns.  I found mention of several colts he converted, but no mention of another SGW.   It shoots fine and the timing is just right.

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1 hour ago, bigbore said:

I did as much research as I could when I bought it and I couldn't find any complaints about Ciener converted guns.  I found mention of several colts he converted, but no mention of another SGW.   It shoots fine and the timing is just right.

I have a Sendra converted by Ciener. Its runs well, and fits uppers. Just wonder in general.

 

Like your SGW i dont think ive seen another Ciener converted Sendra.

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In terms of register receiver quality.

Top Tier:

- Top of the line would be an M16A2  <-- Money is no object option

- Next M16/M16A1 <-- Maybe on a slight budget constraint but still a rock solid solution

- Colt 613/614 <--- Looking to save a couple grand by not having the "M16" rollmark but all the quality of a factory Colt M16

*The other top tier wildcard are the Group industries stainless receivers.  Some folks will say they are not as good as a Colt M16 and other will claim they are the best registered receiver out there being made of stainless vs. aluminum.

 

Middle Tier:  (in no particular order)

- Converted forged Colt SP1 <- Looking to save thousands over a Colt M16A1/614/613 and can look past the large hole from takedown pin arrangement

- Converted forged Oly (PAWs, SAW, Palmetto, etc.) <- Looking to save thousands over a Colt M16A1/614/613 but don't want to deal with the large hole takedown pin and may need to modify uppers if the lower is not blueprinted.

- Converted forged Sendra <- Looking to save money and are apprehensive about Oly potential upper fitment issues and are willing to overlook the purple anodizing that Sendras are known for.

 

Lower Tier:  (I would personally stay away from all of these)

- Essential Arms Cast Lowers <- Probably the Top of the lower tier.

- Rewelds 

- Oly "barstock" milled lowers

-Married DIAS receivers

Personally for the money you are spending and the "discount" you will generally get on a lower tier receiver it doesn't make financial sense to me.  Granted,  EA cast receivers are probably the best of that  bunch but do have an odd aesthetic and a "reputation" for pin holes egging out over time.  

You can get a forged Sendra, Oly, or SP1 conversion for ~$19K, so I understand the allure of saving multiple thousands of dollars  over a factory Colt M16 and these receivers seem to run fine for decades.   

However, the discount usually given on a lower tier receiver like an EA or reweld compared to the going rate for a middle tier receiver like a  Sendra, Oly, or SP1 conversion is usually nothing to maybe $1500.   I don't think saving maybe $1000 on an M16 purchase is worth the tradeoff in receiver quality to go from forged to cast.

Now is somebody was offering an EA for a significant discount than maybe.... but most folks who are selling EA receivers seem want close to the same money as a forged SP1, Oly, or Sendra guns go for.

 

 

Edited by jbntex
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