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M16 shooter preservation questions


Thundercock

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I am awaiting NFA blessing on a M16.  I didn't buy it to be a safe queen.  But, I would like to protect the investment.

I am planning to strip the lower all the way down and build it back with new parts.  I want to keep the original stuff in as good of shape as possible.   I also plan to switch uppers.   Does this sound smart or a waste of effort?

For the lower, is there any recommendations to protect it?  I am thinking about whether a gun skin might protect from scratches.  But, would a skin cause issues with serial number?  Can it be obstructed like that?  Again, worth the effort? 

Are there any other things I should do to protect it while I enjoy it?

thanks!

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Congratulations on your new purchase!

Very cool... a lot of people switch  uppers,   that is one of the main reasons for the popularity of this MG ... As long as you keep everything in spec , timing,  correct buffers , springs  etc . There shouldn't be much  concern about the lower. Original  Colt fire control  parts are readily available and it is indeed a good idea to have replacement parts. 

If your new  purchase  shows wear or is original 25 year+  old springs  , then I would  change out all springs. 

One area to pay  close attention on the lower is the trigger pin holes ... some have had problems with elongated holes in the  receiver.  If you keep everything in spec  this won't be a problem. 

As far as the scratches... unless you're  crawling in the sand or running through the jungle  I wouldn't  worry about it. 

Just get a nice rifle case and shoot the hell out of it!

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KNS Antiwalk pins
KNS Sear pin

Main thing is knowing how to install pins correctly and not increasing wear, as well as having an upper thats tuned correctly.

Know the correct lengths and intervals to change out springs and refresh the gun and it'll last 300,000 rounds without a problem.

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Congratulations on your new M16, a great weapon.  It is a good idea to swap out anything reasonably possible.  I would also suggest getting an Ares defense M.C.R. upper.  This is a non NFA item that can be shipped direct to you.  The cost is about $4000.  It will turn your M16 into a belt fed.  They work great and I have had good success working with their customer service on an initial problem I had.  The M16 is a great weapon, but the M.C.R. will turn it into a S.A.W.

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These guys have said most of it all. The only thing I would mention depends on if its a factory (Colt) or a conversion like Sendra or SGW. 

Sometimes those can be out of spec and need to be sent to a competent smith.

 

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Thank you for the advice.

It is a Colt with a 20" upper.  As far as I can tell from researching various configurations, it either had an A2 upper put on at some point or is a M16A1E1 model 645.  9millions serial number.  I bought a 634 or 635 10" upper with tear drop assist.  Figured that will be more fun.

I am planning to do the KNS as the "stretching" of the holes seems to be the most common wear point I have read about.  I am curious why Born Loser is not a fan of the idea.

Just to make sure I do not run afoul of the ATF, is there any issue with me ordering an auto-sear LPK and switching out the parts myself?  Or, do I need a licensed gunsmith to do it?

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You can buy the parts and do it yourself. 

It's not that I  think  KNS  pins are a bad product... they definitely are a worthy application  in some cases when some conversions (Sendra, SGW and others) were so far out of "spec" that this product can keep the receiver from total destruction  but , if your trigger pin holes are elongating then it is a symptom that shows that the system is out of "spec" and the KNS pins will allow the user to continue to run weapon causing more unwanted wear on other components in the system. 

Also,  if KNS pins are not properly installed then wear to the outside finish of your receiver could occur.

Original Colt if kept in "spec"... then these pins are not needed. 

Ar15.com forum has a lot more discussion about this issue.

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i bought one of the NIB colts and stripped the upper, swapped out everything in the lower...

its not hard and its good to learn...get a geissele trigger

as far as protecting your lower---it just gets silly talking about gun skins, etc...just be careful...its going to get worn, its going to get scratches....i just put a towel down to put it on and am careful.....be careful of the ejection trap door...one of my uppers wore on the lower...i put electrical tape on it now....

if you shoot it it will get wore.....you have to choose...safe queen or shooter...you can baby it, which is what i do

 

 

 

 

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You can switch out any parts you want yourself. 

The pins were designed to rotate which does nothing to the receiver.  Should a pin break, with the KNS pins it won't be as easy to spot potentially leading to more damage.  I don't see a need for them?  Some solutions are looking for a problem.   We've sleeved a receiver or two which is by far the best solution/ design, but collector types frown on it.  In other words the pins ride in steel sleeves which significantly increases the diameter of the bearing area on the aluminum.  Done on goofy large pin colts sleeved down to standard pin sizes.  Admittedly mostly a wasted effort but at the time odd size parts from colt were not obtainable because they generally suck as a company.

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  • 1 month later...

I did a similar thing.
I took the upper and bcg group off my original colt A2 733 and put them away. I replaced them with another colt 733 upper to shoot. I also noticed wear on the disconnector where the hammer had been bumping on it. Indicating to me (from what I read) that my springs were due for replacement. Instead, I opted for the Giselle SSF trigger group. I recommend it. The trigger pull in semi is two stage (great) and lighter and smoother in auto then the factory parts were. Plus, they came with new pins and springs so it was a one-stop shop for me.
I didn't opt for the KNS pins because besides looking incorrect, they have a rep for rubbing an outline on the receiver. Which was a no-go for me. And since the pins were originally designed to rotate in the holes, why try and out think the designers.
NIB will only be NIB as long as you leave it in the box. And investments are fine if you've got the coin to play that game. Getting an M16 was a dream since I was old enough to shoot. So I bought mine for fun. And at the rate these things increase, it's not like you'll shoot off thousands of $$ of value as you use it. The difference between used at 95% and 80% might be a few hundred. And I'll gladly pay that depreciation to fondle and shoot it whenever I like.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I changed everything in mine.   I went with a Geissele trigger and KNS anti walk.  Couldn't get it to run so I wrote to Geissele.  They recommended using the pins that their trigger came with.  Problem solved.  I didn't realize pins (trigger and hammer) pins would make such a profound difference.  

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On 7/7/2017 at 8:10 PM, Liver said:

I changed everything in mine.   I went with a Geissele trigger and KNS anti walk.  Couldn't get it to run so I wrote to Geissele.  They recommended using the pins that their trigger came with.  Problem solved.  I didn't realize pins (trigger and hammer) pins would make such a profound difference.  

M16 Trigger and hammer pins ware designed to rotate in the lowers holes. And the Geissele parts grab the pins tightly. If you were to use the anti-walk pins you would really hamper the movement of the trigger group parts, as you have noticed. 
Keep them lubed and you won't have any problems. If you use a suppressor, the increased back pressure has a tendency to dry the lower out rather quickly so keep an eye on it and lubricate as necessary.

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